Chapter 6: Beimang

Chapter 6: Bei Mang

The Luos, a prominent family of Great Xia, were brutally exterminated by the Four Symbols Sect and the Blood God Sect, leaving neither chicken nor dog alive throughout the entire household. Within days, this matter spread across the realm, shocking the world.

Although Zhao Changhe had already heard several people casually speaking of a chaotic age, the world was not yet in total ruin. In this day and age, rebellious citizens rose up everywhere, bandits ran rampant, foreign tribes glared like tigers, noble and powerful clans each occupied their own territories, and ambitious men stirred with dark intent... Yet, in name, there still existed a unified empire, Great Xia. This was merely the visage of a dynasty’s twilight; the time when a multitude of heroes competed for the throne had not yet truly begun.

At present, there were many who claimed mountains as kings, but at least those openly flying flags of rebellion had not yet appeared. All remained confined to the level of "bandits" and "demonic sects."

The quintessential watershed dividing this level from a truly chaotic age would generally begin with the slaughter of officials, open rebellion, and the conquering of cities and lands—acts signifying that the court’s authority had completely vanished.

The Luo family was not a particularly powerful force, but its heritage was long, allowing it to be counted among the ranked clans. It also possessed a unique distinction—rumors circulated that the Luos were connected to the imperial family.

Zhao Changhe had heard Yue Hongling say as much upon his first arrival in this precious land. Though none could state clearly what the connection was, it might truly not be a mere rumor. One only had to look at Chief Tang, who had not even waited for the main army but had rushed through the starry night to the rescue despite his ailing body; this was proof enough.

Now, this local clan connected to the imperial family had been wiped out overnight by a demonic sect, which was no different from slapping the imperial family’s face until it turned red. It seemed to foretell that the prelude to a chaotic age was about to be thoroughly unveiled, like a rising storm filling the tower with wind.

And one obscure name entered the public eye through the Great Xia wanted poster.

The killer, Zhao Changhe!

...

A thousand miles away, Bei Mang.

Flurries of snow covered the vast mountains, leaving a blanket of pure white everywhere.

Zhao Changhe, whose fame was just beginning to emerge, felt an immense soreness in his balls at this moment.

He stood atop the mountain peak amidst the rustling cold wind, gazing into the distance. His clothes were thin, and he was freezing to death. Beside him stood Luo Qi; both men were devoid of expression.

That day, Chief Tang had been alone, unaided, and burdened by illness; he could not forcefully take Zhao Changhe's head from amidst the enemy ranks, and had only carried away Luo Zhenwu’s corpse before departing. Zhao Changhe, having presented his "pledge of loyalty," was naturally brought back by the demonic sect to join their ranks. At the same time, Luo Qi, who was by his side, was also taken along, viewed as part of Zhao Changhe's cohort...

It was glaringly obvious that Luo Qi had never intended to join any demonic sect, yet he lacked the courage to flee. He had followed here out of sheer helplessness, his entire life thrown into disarray, and his face had remained dark throughout the journey.

Zhao Changhe understood his foul mood, yet did not feel he had wronged Luo Qi. After all, everyone at the Luo Family Manor was dead; without this move of his, it was uncertain whether Luo Qi would have survived at all. Even if Chief Tang could save Luo Zhenwu, how could he spare a thought for a mere outer disciple? The probability of finishing poorly was as high as ninety-nine percent. Plainly speaking, Zhao Changhe had also been saving himself; otherwise, he too would have been hacked to death by the demonic sect right there.

In truth, Luo Qi was well aware of this in his heart, which was why despite his foul face, he naturally went wherever Zhao Changhe went. Zhao Changhe was glad for it; no matter what, this was the only familiar person he had at the moment...

As for joining a demonic sect, Zhao Changhe certainly did not agonize over it. Since matters had been pressed to this point, if he must join, he would join. Could the Luo family be any better than a demonic sect?

On the road, the cultists did not commit outrages everywhere, contenting themselves with bringing the two back in an extremely low-profile manner. They actually felt a great sense of approval toward Zhao Changhe's actions, treating him with considerable warmth along the way and praising him as "a fine lad," but Zhao Changhe still felt immensely troubled.

Bei Mang, Bei Mang... His own world certainly had such a place, and it was quite famous. When he first heard the name, he thought it was the historical geography of ancient Cathay, but it turned out not to be. This Bei Mang had not half a penny's relation to the Mt. Mang he knew; this mountain was devoid of human presence, a thousand miles of ice and snow, and the towns outside the mountains were mere desolate, remote hamlets, utterly unlike the land of Heluo.

This was not ancient Cathay; it was a thorough, complete alien world. He only wondered what connection it ultimately had to his dream. Could it be that because it was a world born of his dreams, the local customs were similar to Cathay, and the language was modern Mandarin?

He did not know, but it felt deeply uncomfortable. Walking all these days, waking and sleeping so many times without the slightest sign of returning to the modern era, Zhao Changhe knew he truly could not go back.

Zhao Changhe had never possessed a desire to cross over; he still had a father and mother at home. What kind of crossing was this? At this moment, what he desired most was to go home.

Regardless of whether killing that witch would allow him to return... in short, since the blind woman possessed the ability to make someone cross over, it meant one could likewise cultivate the ability to return. Clearly, gaining an understanding of power as quickly as possible was the foremost priority. For instance, opening the so-called mysterious passes of the human body; only then might he catch a glimpse of the path home.

If nothing else, if he did not practice martial arts soon, he would likely freeze to death here first.

To his side, Luo Qi suddenly spoke: "Did you make such a grand show just for the sake of the demonic sect’s cultivation methods?"

Zhao Changhe turned his head to look at him; Luo Qi remained expressionless. Zhao Changhe shook his head and said: "What grand show is there to speak of? It was to avenge the innocent villagers of Zhaocuo, and also to save myself. Otherwise, you and I might both be hanging there dead."

Luo Qi said: "Then you should have given a false name. Why were you so arrogant, proclaiming that the killer was Zhao Changhe?"

Zhao Changhe smiled: "Why couldn't even 'Zhao Changhe' be absolute nonsense? If I change my name when I go out in the future, who will know who I am..."

Luo Qi choked for a moment, tilting his head and falling silent, looking somewhat endearing in that manner.

Zhao Changhe then said: "It is my real name."

Luo Qi: "Fuck."

"I'm too lazy to hide my head and tail. A real man does not change his surname when walking, nor his name when sitting." Zhao Changhe bared his teeth in a smile: "Besides, don't you think those words sounded incredibly badass when spoken?"

Luo Qi was struck dumb, entirely unsure of how to answer.

Just to show off?

Zhao Changhe finally let out a sigh: "Then again, real names or fake names have little meaning. I reckon the wanted posters have already been distributed everywhere. As long as the face is drawn accurately enough, any name amounts to the same thing... Hmm, I hope Chief Tang's painting skills are terrible."

Luo Qi sneered: "Chief Tang is famously accomplished in the zither, go, calligraphy, and painting, possessing no rival in talent or looks, and is renowned throughout Great Xia."

Zhao Changhe shrugged: "Then forget it. What's done is done, what else can I do?"

Luo Qi stopped dwelling on this as well, turning to say: "In truth, it is nothing strange for a man to seek higher ground... I only wonder if you feel a bit of regret. The ones who brought us back were not the Four Symbols Sect, but the Blood God Sect. The caliber of the Blood God Sect is not much better than the Luo family's; its foundation might even be inferior."

Zhao Changhe had originally thought he could join the Four Symbols Sect. The extermination of the Luo family clearly relied not on the Blood God Sect, but on the Vermilion Bird Venerable of the Four Symbols Sect; the Blood God Sect was merely a subordinate hand. Consequently, as soon as Chief Tang left, the Vermilion Bird Venerable left directly without offering many words. The main body present in the field consisted of Blood God cultists, so they were naturally brought along to join the Blood God Sect.

Furthermore, they were not following Sect Master Xue to the main headquarters, but were merely brought to the Bei Mang branch altar, appearing to be held in little regard.

Reflecting on it, they indeed wouldn't be highly regarded. An over-aged youth who had turned on his master without a shred of cultivation—what future could he have? It was just that the demonic sect also needed to recruit hands. Those who joined by presenting a pledge of loyalty would naturally be viewed as their own. If they didn't accept even these, where else would they go to recruit people?

Had Zhao Changhe been a few years younger, or if he possessed powerful cultivation of his own, he might well have been granted a good post. Unlike now, a ritual sacrifice was taking place inside, and they were not yet permitted to observe, left with no choice but to blow in the cold wind outside.

"There is nothing to regret; as long as there is a place to go, it is fine. In any case, staying at the Luo Family Manor would only mean being destroyed, so what else could be done?" Zhao Changhe did not dwell on this, turning instead to say: "Are you still angry with me? It has been so many days on this road, when will you be finished with that foul face? The Luo family wasn't wiped out by me. Without me pulling this stunt, whether you would be alive or dead—do you not have a clue in your own mind? Could it be that you still harbor some foolish loyalty to Luo Zhenwu and wish to avenge him?"

Luo Qi sighed: "As you said, the ones who wiped out the Luo family were the Four Symbols Sect and the Blood God Sect, not you. What would I blame you for? It is just that my life has been thrown into chaos from now on, the path ahead is bleak, and my mood is poor. It was not my intention to give you a cold face; I hope you understand."

Zhao Changhe understood well enough, and asked again: "Then do you hate the Blood God Sect? As a hereditary servant of the Luo family, were your parents... inside?"

"Heh..." Luo Qi shook his head: "My parents passed away long ago... It is just strange, why on earth did they want to exterminate the Luo family?"

Why they wanted to destroy the Luo family was an issue that might indeed be quite important. Zhao Changhe quickly thought of his second "location card" from his crossing. Since the "eyes behind the head" were truly effective, the location card could not be an aimless arrow; it must have a connection to the Luo family. Once he truly entered the sect, perhaps he could ask about it...

Yet he heard Luo Qi say: "The Blood God Sect is not as mysterious and unfathomable as the Four Symbols Sect. They have many activities in the world, frequently recruiting all manner of bandits to plunder everywhere... Therefore, they are divided into formal cultists and external bandits. What kind of treatment you and I will receive remains hard to say... If you manage to formally enter the sect, pray bring me along a step or two in the future."

So this was the reason he actively softened their relationship. Zhao Changhe was the one who had performed a merit, possessing a great chance of being absorbed into the sect, whereas he was not.

Zhao Changhe was also aware of this in his heart. Previously, Yue Hongling had mistakenly believed the black-clothed men slaughtering Zhaocuo were external bandits of the Blood God Sect precisely because their martial arts consisted of crude, shallow movements, making it impossible to discern their roots. It was conceivable that if they were merely absorbed into such a status, it would be of absolutely no use.

Just at this moment, a small crack opened in the secret door behind them, and someone called out from the gap: "The Altar Master bids the two of you enter to speak."

The two thought to themselves that the moment had arrived. Exchanging a glance, they turned and walked inside.

Beneath the snow-covered hollow of the mountain lay a secret door. Behind the door, a small path wound its way downward, leading into the mountain belly deep underground.

The space within the mountain belly was neither large nor small. There stood a sacrificial altar surrounded by a pool of blood, beside which there was room for several hundred people to participate in the ritual.

This was where the sacrificial altar of the Blood God Sect’s branch lay. There were even more bandits who were not permitted inside, left with no choice but to build stockades and dwell upon the mountain amidst the wind and freezing ice.

At this moment, torches blazed brightly around the blood pool. Over a hundred formal cultists surrounded the edges, forming a strange array, sitting in quiet prayer. The Branch Altar Master stood atop the sacrificial altar, muttering incantations, roughly speaking of how their actions had proceeded smoothly under the protection of the Blood God.

Thus, this was a "cult," not an orthodox sect.

However, judging by the current appearance, the scene did not possess any wondrous, profound sense of surging waves of blood; rather, it felt somewhat superstitious.

"Is there a god in this world?" Zhao Changhe asked Luo Qi in a low voice.

"There is," Luo Qi stated with certainty. "Though I have never seen a true god, miracles are many... Everyone believes."

"What miracles?" Zhao Changhe asked hastily.

He had already felt that this should not be a low-martial world; otherwise, how could that blind woman’s ability to send someone across boundaries be explained?

Luo Qi gave him a strange look: "You don't know?"

"I don't know."

"You are fucking living in this world, yet you have never seen the Chronicle of a Chaotic Age!"