Chapter 752: Ye Wuming

Chapter 752: Night Nameless

Zhao Changhe's sea of consciousness was churning violently.

The Yin God was desperately tugging at the rampaging Blind: "Blind Blind, let it go, let it go... Judging by her attitude, when she says she guesses you're by my side, she doesn't mean you're following me all the time. She thinks you're not here... or she can't be sure if you are, she's testing, testing... If she were certain you were here, she wouldn't act like this. Don't blow our cover, don't blow it, be good~"

Blind was thrashing in a rage: "Who does she think she is! Helping someone else get me—what kind of talk is that! Watch me go out and kill her, then we'll see who helps who get who!"

Zhao Changhe: "Ah, right, right, we don't need her help either..."

The atmosphere suddenly quieted. Blind turned her head, her closed eyes "looking" at the spot where Zhao Changhe held her wrist, then raised her gaze to "look" at his face, expressionless.

Zhao Changhe cautiously released his grip: "It's not like we haven't held hands before. What's with that look? Forget it, you'd better stay irritable. A cold face is too much like Netherworld's—she's not good like that..."

*She's not good like that, you're better*—that was the subtext, though Zhao Changhe didn't know if Blind caught it. In truth, he didn't want to fawn over Blind. No matter what his inner desires said, wanting and liking were two different things. Essentially, like Xia Longyuan, his resentment toward Blind hadn't faded.

But everything was relative. Compared to Netherworld, Blind was far more "one of us." When facing a common enemy, it was better to say something nice.

Blind sneered: "What do you mean, 'we don't need her help either'?"

"Just a figure of speech... meaning I won't entertain her. Anyway, just watch my performance. I'll fish for information later. Don't lose your temper, or you'll lose all your cool."

Blind: "..."

As it turned out, Blind's earlier worry that Netherworld might detect her presence was an overestimation. At this moment, Netherworld truly couldn't tell. In her eyes, Zhao Changhe was merely lost in thought for a moment before replying: "To be honest, miss, I am quite interested in that. But I wonder what kind of help you can offer, and what exchange you require?"

Blind twitched her cheek but said nothing.

She knew Zhao Changhe was fishing for information, but the feeling was so strange... He was discussing how to get her with someone else, and she had to listen.

Now she understood what Huangfu Qing felt like when she was talked about in front of her—"I like the Vermilion Sovereign, help me woo her." It was unbearable.

Then Netherworld's next words reinforced the feeling: "What exchange is needed depends on how much you like her."

Zhao Changhe remained composed: "I really do like her, but if it requires my life or soul or something like that, forget it. Even if I got her that way, it wouldn't be my own experience—meaningless."

Blind held back her face, a bellyful of complaints she couldn't voice.

She really wanted to go back and exchange notes with Vermilion: How did you get through that back then?

"Heh..." Netherworld chuckled lightly and said flatly: "I only need one external object from you."

Zhao Changhe's heart stirred: "You want my sword?"

"Correct... What is its name?"

"Nian Dong Sword—'Yearning for Winter,' never forgotten."

Starry River: "..."

Blind: "..."

Netherworld was a bit speechless: "Alright, I know you're obsessed with her, but her name doesn't contain 'winter.' What are you rambling about?"

Zhao Changhe wanted to ask what Blind's name was, but it would be inappropriate—it would make it seem like his relationship with Blind was too shallow for him to even know her name.

So he took the chance to ask Blind directly: "Hey, Blind Blind, look at our relationship now. You won't even tell me your name, and it's putting me in an awkward spot."

"Nameless," Blind said flatly. "Primordial gods, born from heaven and earth, have no surname or given name. Those with names either named themselves or were named by others—essentially nicknames. That's why many ancient demon gods have names that sound like epithets... Later, it became a trend for those who cultivated later to name themselves that way. I call myself Nameless, and others call me that too."

Zhao Changhe thought, *You're still lying to me now. Nameless my ass... Whatever, I'll ask later. At this point, I can always get it out of you.*

But aside from her self-proclaimed "Nameless" nonsense, the other knowledge should be correct. Names like Huang Yang, Yin Kui, etc., were essentially titles summarizing their cultivation paths. Speaking of ancient demon gods, Yin Kui was Netherworld's subordinate, wasn't he? Killed by him... Netherworld must want him dead badly. It was remarkable she could still talk so calmly.

Blind added: "Just say it's the Starry River Sword. That sword isn't mine. Can't her opposition to Night Emperor and my opposition be two separate things? What are you thinking? Even if you give her the Starry River Sword, it's none of my business."

"?" Zhao Changhe was confused now. *You're lying again, aren't you?*

Given Netherworld's attitude and his earlier speculation that Blind was Night Emperor, it should have all matched up... Blind was ninety-nine percent likely Night Emperor. But now she says this?

Come to think of it, if Blind were Night Emperor, how could she watch him "usurp" the title of Night Emperor without a word? Not only did he usurp her position and replace her name, but he also devoured all her "subordinates." The entire Four Symbols system under her command became his harem. If she were the real Night Emperor, how could she hold back? She would have gone berserk long ago... Moreover, if she were Night Emperor, she could have long since subdued the Four Symbols to help her. Why stay silent? That was indeed odd.

As he pondered, Netherworld was saying: "Anyway, your confessions to her mean nothing. That sword couldn't have been made by you. It has its own name, inevitably related to the night sky and stars."

Zhao Changhe had to admit: "The sword is named Starry River. But I won't give it to you."

"Why?" Netherworld asked. "If you give me this sword, I can teach you how to get her, and throw in news about Bo Xun as a bonus. That's not a harsh condition."

*Even if you asked for a piece of toilet paper, I wouldn't dare give it to you—Blind is watching. Besides, Starry River isn't just a sword; she's my dear daughter. Dream on.*

Zhao Changhe answered truthfully: "The sword has a spirit, as close to me as a father and daughter. I will never give her to anyone. Name another condition."

Starry River: "..."

Netherworld was taken aback: "A sword spirit isn't human. What father-daughter relationship? She doesn't even have such emotions. Why are you playing father-daughter with a sword?"

"Can't something non-human have emotions?" Zhao Changhe said. "In theory, you and Night Emperor aren't human either—you're primordial gods, representing an entire system of heavenly laws. But your rivalry and hatred for each other seem more intense than anyone else's. Isn't that emotion? Where there's hate, there can be love. Besides, it doesn't matter what Starry River thinks of me. I see her as my daughter, and that's enough. I won't give her to anyone."

Little Starry River sat there with her arms crossed, her dark eyes blinking.

Not to mention Little Starry River, even Blind and Netherworld were momentarily stunned. The atmosphere fell silent.

After a long pause, Netherworld slowly spoke: "This sword embodies the will of Night Emperor but is not Night Emperor herself. It seems broader in scope. I wanted it to glimpse that Dao. If I don't take the sword, of course, that's fine..."

She paused, a faint smile playing on her lips: "Then I'll take you yourself. You are the new Night Emperor. The sword's intent is your intent."

Zhao Changhe looked up at the sky: "We're back to that, aren't we? You're a good person, but my harem isn't open to just anyone."

A hint of malice flickered in Netherworld's eyes: "Getting you doesn't require that kind of 'getting.' You will become my puppet, under my enslavement, squeezed dry of every last drop of cognition in your mind. Yu Xu, Vermilion, Yue Hongling won't be by your side every moment. Neither will Night Nameless. Don't give me any opportunity, or you'll know what regret means."

A whole tirade of vicious threats, but Zhao Changhe's mind only caught three words.

*Night Nameless.*

*You say you're not Night Emperor?*

Netherworld turned to leave: "Since negotiations have broken down, this so-called diplomatic mission can return. The grudges between Han and Hu may seem monumental to you, but to me, they're no different from two ant colonies biting each other. The more chaotic, the better. And as for your desire to unify the Central Plains—as long as I exist, it will be forever out of reach."

From start to finish, Netherworld never tested whether Blind was by his side. The attack she held back was restrained again and again, never unleashed.

The talks had collapsed. From now on, she was the clearest enemy.

And the reason for the collapse—whether it was because of Blind or because of Little Starry River—was hard to say.

...

With the talks broken, Vermilion and Li Boping's pretense of civility in the great hall became meaningless. Still, they maintained the decorum of a civilized nation and arranged accommodations for everyone in the embassy.

At the embassy, Zhao Changhe simply changed back to his own face. Under the current circumstances, disguise was pointless. The only question was when Netherworld would lose her mind and attack. It was better to show his real face so his wives could feel more at ease.

As for the goals of this trip to Chang'an, it was hard to say whether they had been achieved or made worse.

The fundamental goal was never to expect the Li family to genuinely cooperate in attacking the Hu. What they wanted was to keep the Buddhist and Daoist sects from siding with them. If war broke out with the Hu and the Li family sent troops through Hangu Pass to attack their rear, as long as Yu Xu and the others weren't involved, it would be much easier to handle. Cui Wenjing would be responsible for that direction—Old Cui was no pushover. Besides, Li Shentong had promised to attack Hanzhong. Under such circumstances, without Buddhist and Daoist involvement, the rear would be secure.

So he couldn't leave Chang'an yet. There were still loose ends to tie up. He needed to visit Lou Guan Tai to see how things stood with Yu Xu and the Daoist Lord. But going straight there in daylight might provoke Netherworld. It was better to sneak over at night.

However, even if the Buddhist and Daoist sects were neutralized, the trouble had shifted to Netherworld.

She was a chaos god, even more lawless and terrifying. Who knew what she would do? If she personally went to Hangu Pass or even straight into the Central Plains and Hebei, Old Cui would be no match for her.

Fortunately, it seemed Blind wouldn't sit idly by when it came to Netherworld. Could he ask Blind to keep an eye on her?

In the embassy courtyard, Zhao Changhe stood watching the setting sun in the west and called softly: "Ming Ming~"

Blind's brows shot up: "Shut up!"

"Night Nameless isn't you?" Zhao Changhe sighed. "You yourself said Nameless. That matches, doesn't it? Damn it, so your name really is Nameless. You mean you already told me, and I was too stupid to understand?"

Blind snorted twice but said nothing.

"So, Mingming..."

"If you call me that again, I will twist your head off."

"Alright, Xiaxia."

The blind girl actually didn't refute.

Zhao Changhe was somewhat amused: "So, Xiaxia, we're already this familiar, is it really interesting to hide even your name and let others say it? As the greatest desire deep within my heart, you're making me very uncomfortable acting like this, Xiaxia."

"Scram!" The blind girl was practically laughing out of anger: "You can just lay this out clearly and rot on the spot now, can't you?"

Zhao Changhe shrugged: "Whether said clearly or not, the truth is right there, so it's better to be frank. See, your biggest problem is being unfrank. You're clearly the Night Emperor, the three characters Night Wuming have already been hammered down completely, yet you're still talking nonsense with open eyes."

"Did I open my eyes?"

"Is that the point?"

"I am not the Night Emperor, you are." The blind girl sneered: "I abandoned this identity in the last epoch, and all the power of faith of the Night Emperor in this world is on you and will not be shared with me. Is there any problem with saying it's not me? Besides, I don't have a bunch of followers who made themselves look like a brothel. Brothels even give money! Whoever is the Night Emperor loses face, whoever wants to be it can be it."

"The identity is abandoned, the physical body is gone." Zhao Changhe easily deduced the truth: "So it's the Night Emperor merging with the Heavenly Book, turning herself into a book spirit."

The blind girl seemed to have accepted the fact that her identity was exposed. In fact, when Jiuyou's appearance fell into Zhao Changhe's eyes, everything could no longer be concealed. But some things were a matter of time; Zhao Changhe would have to face Jiuyou sooner or later.

Her tone was very calm: "So what? What significance does your probing into my background have for the current situation? Shouldn't you be worried about whether Jiuyou wants to turn you into a slave?"

"You won't take action for other things, but you will definitely cover for me regarding Jiuyou's matters, so what am I afraid of?"

"Zhao Changhe, you really don't seem to understand one thing..." The blind girl said coldly: "I don't follow you all the time. I told you very early on that I observe the world, which only includes you. So if you do something, or call me, I will know. But it doesn't mean I am by your side at any moment. When I have other things to do, it's useless for you to call me. Sometimes you call and I don't reply, not because I ignore you, but because I am not here, understand?"

Zhao Changhe laughed instead: "Isn't that better? It shows I'm not an idiot simp who calls a goddess and gets no response."

The blind girl practically wanted to strangle him to death.

Zhao Changhe laughed for a while, and his expression became serious: "Xiaxia..."

"What?"

"What she does to me is secondary. What's truly important is that if we march north, we are afraid she will stab our core. Wanzhuang and Old Cui cannot hold it. So if such a situation occurs, can you help keep an eye on her?"

The blind girl was silent.

Zhao Changhe added: "I know you don't participate in general worldly affairs, but this is not a general worldly affair, it's just Jiuyou's matter."

The blind girl said slowly: "This means that the likes of the Immortal Heaven God or Papiyas, you will have to face them yourself. I cannot provide any help."

Zhao Changhe laughed loudly: "That was originally my business!"

For some reason, seeing his prideful appearance now made the blind girl feel a bit annoyed. She said coldly: "You should deal with the Daoist Master in front of you first. You exposed the identity of Zhao Changhe, and he knows you have the Heavenly Book. Don't expect me to slap him again like I did in Kunlun back then."

Zhao Changhe said: "Thinking about it now, that was all filled with Xiaxia's love."

The blind girl was furious: "Get the hell away from me!"

Zhao Changhe was highly amused.

Wasn't this clearly someone who could be teased and yet couldn't hit me... I was also stupid myself, she clearly couldn't hit people, so wouldn't it have been possible to be like this long ago...

"What are you standing there smiling like an idiot for?" Huangfu Qing took off her Vermilion Bird mask, hugged his waist from behind, leaned against his back, and said softly: "You performed well today. I was even afraid you'd be blinded by lust and really want to marry Jiuyou home."

Zhao Changhe touched her slender hand wrapped around his waist and smiled: "If I really married her back, what would you do?"

Huangfu Qing's palm turned into a claw, pinching his stomach: "Pinch you to death. That's an ancient demon, and still an enemy of the Night Emperor. Speaking of which, even if you have intentionally avoided the karma of the Night Emperor, you can't avoid inheriting a part of it, right? At least this enemy karma cannot be escaped?"

Zhao Changhe sighed: "I inherited quite a lot..."

"Hmm?"

"I inherited her subordinates all at once, and I'm even holding one in my arms and kissing her." Zhao Changhe turned around, embraced Huangfu Qing, and kissed her.

Huangfu Qing laughed: "I am your subordinate, not anyone else's. Even if you want to hold her in your arms and kiss her, it doesn't matter."

Zhao Changhe could not see the blind girl at this moment, but he could almost imagine the blind girl's face turning green.

Huangfu Qing looked at the sky and whispered: "Are you waiting for nightfall here?"

"Yeah. Going to the Louguan Platform openly and grandly might cause interference from Li Boping. Slipping over to take a look at night, I'm somewhat worried about Yuxu."

"Slipping over at night can avoid official matters, but it's meaningless to Jiuyou. She will interfere, right?"

"It's fine, she can do her thing, and naturally someone will do her."

How could Huangfu Qing know that a blind girl with a green face was clenching her fists there? She only thought Zhao Changhe was talking dirty himself, so she giggled: "If you want to do it, you can't achieve it with your current strength. Speaking of which, did you break through your defense today because you were touched by seeing Hongling and me cooperate?"

"Yes. You and Hongling complement each other, which we really didn't think of before... Feeling these things, many of my previous things were finally integrated thoroughly, and that layer of window paper was broken. It just so happened there was another whetstone..." As Zhao Changhe spoke, he turned to look for Yue Hongling: "Where is Hongling? She seems to have been very silent, not even speaking in the hall just now."

Huangfu Qing whispered in his ear: "She was sold out by her own master, and her mood is very low. Go and comfort her well."

Your relationship with her is actually quite good? Zhao Changhe glanced at Huangfu Qing with some surprise, but he had no intention to get entangled in this. Isn't a good relationship a good thing? He didn't know what happened between Yue Hongling and her sect, so he hurried into the house.

Yue Hongling sat alone in the room, leaning by the window to watch his appearance in the yard.

To say her mood was low wasn't quite accurate; she was actually quite calm. Seeing Zhao Changhe rush in, there was a bit of a smile in Yue Hongling's eyes: "What, standing alone in the yard looking at the tree, being driven back by Sister Vermilion Bird... This doesn't look like you. Didn't you use to hold someone shamelessly as soon as you came back after finishing your work?"

"What are you saying." Zhao Changhe sat down beside her: "It's just that the talk with Jiuyou fell through, and I'm considering subsequent matters."

Yue Hongling said: "Jiuyou looked full of misgivings, especially giving the feeling of being somewhat special to you. Is this misgiving afraid to respond to you? Is there anything we need to do?"

"You still care about this, what's the situation with your sect?"

Yue Hongling smiled, her gaze turning outside the window once again: "Actually, it's nothing. The moment I saw the prosperity of the sect, I already had a faint presentiment in my heart. When the thing actually happened, I felt 'as expected' instead, without too many waves. Maybe I have some problems myself, never setting my heart at home, so it's not surprising he didn't treat me as family."

For a moment, Zhao Changhe didn't even know how to comfort her.

Yue Hongling leaned lazily in his arms and whispered: "It's just a bit of a pity. Originally, I still imagined in my heart that you could come to my sect to propose marriage, and I could marry you like an ordinary woman in the world. Such an expectation has become a luxury for people like us. Actually, watching the way marriage was discussed with the Miss of the Li family in the great hall, although clearly knowing many hidden battles were concealed inside, it looked a bit enviable on the surface."

Zhao Changhe said: "How is this difficult? I also have no parents in this world. When the time comes, we will take heaven as father and earth as mother, bow to each other at the peak of Mount Langjuxu, and use the Temple of the Immortal Heaven God as the bridal chamber. That will be a beautiful story for you and me."

Yue Hongling's eyes lit up, and her slight depression was completely dispelled, showing quite a bit of joy: "Then it's a deal."

Zhao Changhe said again: "He will get his retribution."

Yue Hongling was just about to say there was no need for revenge, but Zhao Changhe placed his hand vertically on her lips ahead of time and whispered: "I won't take action, you can just watch... Bullying my Hongling, how can I let him have an easy time?"

The blind girl crossed her arms, unable to help but think in her heart, you are speaking of the deepest desire to one woman on one side, and turning your head to say such words to another woman on the other side, how can you manage to control yourself from wanting to vomit?

But unfortunately, her complaints were completely meaningless. The persons involved really swallowed this hook. Before anyone knew it, that wretched couple had already kissed into a tangled mess.

The most annoying thing was that, matching the light snow drifting past the window, this scene actually looked very beautiful and warm.