Chapter 708: A Match Made in Heaven

Chapter 708: A Heaven-Made Couple

The room was warm from the fire, the scent of tea faint. Yue Hongling, soothed by the Revitalization Art, felt drowsiness creep over her and, before she knew it, fell asleep lying on the man.

Zhao Changhe looked around. This was the guest hall the monks had specially prepared for him—the outer part a reception area, and further in, the guest bedroom. Carefully, he lifted Yue Hongling, carried her into the inner chamber, laid her on the bed, and covered her with the quilt.

It was rare to see Yue Hongling, usually as fierce as a wild horse, in such a peaceful sleeping posture—her brow relaxed, a faint smile on her lips. The sense of complete release was visible from across the room.

Zhao Changhe gently brushed aside the stray hairs on her forehead, gazed at her for a while, then bent down to kiss her before rising and walking to the window.

Xiangyang, hosting the Laba Temple Fair, naturally had no snow. Outside, half a moon hung warm in the sky; though the north wind was cold, it carried a hint of tenderness.

Faint, rhythmic chanting drifted from somewhere—old monks gathered around the Vajra Buddha, reciting sutras to help him awaken. Meanwhile, many other monks, unable to sleep, had already entered the secret realm to explore its surroundings.

According to Yue Hongling, there must be an extremely rare spatial node to pass through. Her knowledge of spatial laws was shallow, and she wasn’t sure if Yuancheng could discern it. She hoped he could; otherwise, the old monks might have to relocate...

Everyone was busy striving for their own survival and ideals—not just him and Yue Hongling.

Zhao Changhe pulled out Xia Chichi’s wine gourd, slowly drinking as he gazed at the stars and moon in the sky. Lost in thought, he realized that even now, the life he loved most was still the kind Yue Hongling led—shouldering a long blade, a gourd of wine at her waist, striding boldly through the mists of the martial world, cutting down all injustices.

Look at him now—how long had it been since he’d casually pulled out his gourd to drink with flair? The wine inside had even turned a bit sour.

Zhao Changhe frowned, poured out the wine in disgust, and decided to ask for a new gourd when he reached Yuxu.

Someone had once said he was more accustomed to having an organization... Perhaps that was the difference that made their paths subtly diverge. It seemed his version of “chivalry” was grander, and Hongling praised him for it, but heaven knew he preferred her way. Was this what it meant to envy each other’s appearance?

In truth, neither was better; different tasks required different people, especially in this... Besides, Wan Zhuang and the others wouldn’t let him wear himself out with paperwork. Everyone could see that what suited him best was still wielding a broadsword and carrying a bow, facing the storms of the martial world and the gods and demons of the heavens.

And this time, he had Hongling by his side.

He couldn’t let her be alone again—no matter what she thought this time. That journey of months without daring to sleep properly sounded heroic but was utterly miserable.

Zhao Changhe put away the wine gourd and quietly examined his cultivation internally.

Before leaving the capital, Huangfu Qing had returned the Heavenly Book, saying she had gained some insight into the Annihilating Flame. He wondered if she could truly break through to the Imperial Realm with it. As for his own slash at Snow Owl today, it had essentially carved out the core sword intent of his path to the Imperial Realm. He had to continue contemplating and studying it, seeing if there were improvements to be made, and then... create his own unique blade technique.

The moment he created the general outline would be the moment he entered the Imperial Realm.

His mind immersed in the Heavenly Book, the VR images repeatedly played back his slowed slash, along with Snow Owl’s sudden, ferocious backward glance and the shadow of Annihilation’s myriad forms.

Yes, he could study not only his own blade but also Snow Owl’s sword and Annihilation’s shadows. Especially Snow Owl’s afterimage evasion technique—it was truly impressive. He’d always felt his speed was lacking, and now here was a solution...

Before he knew it, the advice he’d once recognized—and that Xia Longyuan had reminded him of—to use the Heavenly Book sparingly had been forgotten...

There was no way not to use it... Circumstances pushed him forward. Someone watching blindly from the sidelines probably wasn’t worried he’d stop using it, were they?

Speaking of which, the Heavenly Book used to overwrite old battle records with new ones, but now it had become more “multi-core” and “storage-upgraded.” He could even call up earlier images, allowing him to see his two battles against Huangyang and Fengyin.

Damn it, since he was using it anyway, he might as well study those two’s techniques too. They were both at the Imperial Realm level and worth referencing. There was no problem of biting off more than he could chew now. As Huangfu Qing suggested, knowing a bit about everything would benefit his intent.

Cultivation time always flew by. Zhao Changhe felt he hadn’t learned much when his heart stirred. His mind withdrew from the Heavenly Book like a tide, and he turned to look at the bed.

Yue Hongling was leaning against the headboard, gazing at him steadily. Her cheeks still bore the rosy flush of waking from spring sleep, and her eyes were as gentle as water.

“Awake?” Zhao Changhe turned and walked to the door to fetch her a basin of water.

Yue Hongling watched his back, her heart softening. She said softly, “You kept watch by the window all night.”

“I was also training—killing two birds with one stone,” Zhao Changhe said, bringing the water over. “Nowadays, I rarely get to train in peace, you know.”

Yue Hongling took the towel he handed her, wrung out, and sighed. “I said I wouldn’t leave this time, and you’re already using tender care to corrupt me...”

“This is just routine, like when I took care of you when you were injured before. How is that tender care?”

Yue Hongling smiled faintly. “The first time you caught me and made me your bandit bride, you treated me like this—healed my wounds and stood guard outside.”

Zhao Changhe was taken aback, then laughed. “Old woman, always reminiscing, huh?”

Yue Hongling snorted, finished wiping her face, and tossed the towel aside. “Now I’m full of energy and in top form. Tell me who to fight.”

“Fight me.”

“?”

In the next moment, Zhao Changhe pounced on her, pinning her down and kissing her. “That rosy face—let me take a bite.”

Yue Hongling struggled. “Are you fighting me or fighting yourself?”

Such a bold remark made even Zhao Changhe, mid-kiss, twitch. The couple soon tumbled into a scuffle.

“Dong!” The morning bell rang from the temple, startling the flirting couple.

A knock came at the door just in time. “Ahem, is Prince Zhao well?”

Yue Hongling’s face flushed to the roots of her ears. She angrily shoved Zhao Changhe off, jumped out of bed, and went to the outer hall to open the door.

The door opened, and Yuanxing stood there with a solemn expression, palms together. “Amitabha, this old monk has come to invite you both to breakfast.”

Yue Hongling glared. “What did you hear?”

Yuanxing looked startled. “Ah? This old monk heard nothing at all.”

Zhao Changhe poked his head out from over Yue Hongling’s shoulder. “At a time like this, who cares about breakfast?”

Yuanxing thought to himself that if they didn’t eat breakfast, heaven knew how long this pair of bandits would carry on. Better to have breakfast. Aloud, he said, “My senior brother has made some discoveries in the secret realm and sent me to inform Prince Zhao first.”

Zhao Changhe’s playful mood vanished, and he turned serious. “So fast? Let’s go. We’ll talk while we eat.”

Yue Hongling shook her head with a smile and said nothing, following closely by his side. So what if they’d been overheard? A mountain king and his bandit bride were like this—if you didn’t like it, go find your own?

Yuanxing, ignoring the couple’s desecration of the temple, sighed. “It’s not that we discovered it quickly. The spatial connection between Kunlun and here has likely been severed. My senior brother flew straight northwest and soon hit an invisible spatial barrier. Did you encounter such a thing when you came, Lady Yue?”

Yue Hongling shook her head. “No, but how can you be sure it’s a complete barrier, not a small door somewhere you haven’t found yet? Or a one-way door—they had no barrier coming here, but you have one going there?”

Yuanxing said, “My senior brother thinks the same. For now, we can’t determine if it’s one-way. Everyone is groping along the barrier to see if there’s a door. From a distance, we look like a bunch of bald geckos.”

The couple couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed they’d had prejudices against Buddhism before; once you got to know them, they were quite amusing.

“Anyway, this low-level work isn’t worth troubling Prince Zhao to oversee. Let’s have breakfast first, then go take a look.” Yuanxing led them to a nearby meditation hall, where monks had already laid out vegetarian meals.

Yuanxing invited them to sit and asked, “Lady Yue arrived from Kunlun by accident, so we won’t dwell on that. But Prince Zhao’s sudden arrival here must have a reason. We haven’t yet asked if there’s anything we can help you with?”

Zhao Changhe sipped his congee and replied bluntly, “Yes.”

“Please speak, Prince Zhao. If it’s within our power, we will do our utmost.”

“No need to probe. What I want you to do, I’ve already said. Now I have another question for you...”

Yuanxing glanced at Yue Hongling and pressed his palms together. “Please, Prince Zhao.”

Zhao Changhe took a big bite of a steamed bun and asked, mumbling, “What’s your relationship with Yuxu? Or do you have any old enemies, like Poxun?”