Chapter 22: Zhao Yuling
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Lin family, book depository.
After Lin Xueling departed for Annan, the place had become quite desolate.
However, to Chu He, who had been here for decades, it did not make any difference to him.
In front of him was a pile of books made of parchment, which seemed out of place alongside the other books in the book depository.
These were the items he had asked Lin Xueling to retrieve from the scripture depository of the Lin family for him.
The book depository was filled with all kinds of biographies of great swordsmen within the martial arts circle as well as some peculiar records, but most actual secrets were always only mentioned briefly.
However, the scripture depository had many detailed records.
In the past few years, Chu He had been going through these books.
Chu He randomly pulled out a book from the pile, pulled over a deck chair that was at a side, found himself a comfortable position, and flipped open the book while swaying in his chair.
“Five hundred years ago, when the Xia clan was at the peak of its glory, there were over a thousand demi-kings within the clan, and there were ten genuine king-level elders who ruled all, and they were ranked among the top in this barbaric region… They had possessed the strength of a fourth-level force at that time, but a major change occurred, which greatly dented the strength of the Xia clan. It became practically impossible for them to survive in this chaotic region, and their living space became more and more limited!”
That was what the records said.
“Five hundred years ago, a foreign clan named the Mei clan infiltrated the Xia clan and formed a group under the guise of the Guxin Sect. They secretly attacked countless Xia clan prodigies and created a drastic change in the clan using unknown means. The entire Xia clan fell into chaos during that period, and even the demi-king elders had a hard time dealing with their adversary’s underhanded ways.”
“The king-level elders personally launched a secret investigation and ended up targeting the Guxin Sect, forcing the discreet and secretive Mei clan out of hiding.”
“A terrifying conspiracy was uncovered. The Mei clan actually fed on the souls of corrupted intelligent creatures, and the Xia clan—who had a large base—had become their target. They were secretly planning to raise the Xia clan as livestock.”
“The ten great king-level elders of the Xia clan were furious, and with a huge cost, they fueled the Topographical Diagram of the Kingdom to track down all of the Mei clan, who had exceptional concealment abilities.”
“An earth-shattering war broke out that engulfed the entire territory of the Xia clan. In the end, most of the Mei clan were killed, and the rest fled from the Xia clan’s territory as fast as they could. However, the war also caused major detriments to the Xia clan. Four king-level elders had perished in battle, three were severely injured, three sustained minor injuries, and a number of demi-king elders were also lost in battle.”
“That was not the worst part. When it rains, it pours. The Xia clan was at their weakest and had yet to track down and eliminate the traitors who had colluded with the foreign clans. Before they were able to pick themselves back up, the surrounding clans who had been hunted down by the Xia clan in the past were united by a fourth-level Tiger clan in their effort to erode the territory of the Xia clan. Even more trying times descended upon the Xia clan, and the clan lost a large area of fertile territory. Only by sticking to the current resource-poor land were they able to stop the Tiger clan’s erosion and seize a chance at survival!”
Chu He observed the information, deep in thought.
Hundreds of years ago, the Xia clan was considered a relatively strong clan in this savage land, but it fell into decline due to an event that had caused a major change, which had been vaguely recorded in many ancient records.
However, the event was rarely recorded in detail. The books in the book depository occasionally mentioned these events, but only in passing.
However, this book from the scripture depository contained detailed records.
On top of that, the credibility was extremely high.
“I see, the Mei clan!”
Chu He made a mental note on them.
Feeding on the souls of intelligent creatures.
Such a race was extremely vicious and dangerous.
It was best to get rid of them at first sight.
At this moment, Chu He sensed something and raised his head.
There was someone else in the book depository!
“Are you Auntie’s Brother Lil Chu?”
It was a little girl—about eight or nine years old—with skin pale and smooth as jade and hair in two braids. She looked extremely cute.
She walked to Chu He’s side, then raised her head and blinked her large eyes as she asked her question.
“Are you that little girl Xueling’s niece?” Chu He asked in turn.
“Yup!”
The small girl nodded as she said, “My mother is Auntie Xueling’s older sister!”
Chu He nodded back.
Xueling had told him about that before.
She had an older sister who had been sent to the distant Tianshan Commandery for marriage twenty years ago, before the Lin family elder had passed away, and she later gave birth to two daughters.
One of them should be older than ten years by now, so this one—who was eight or nine years old—should be the younger one!
“What’s your name?”
A bright smile appeared on Chu He’s face, and he could not help reaching out and pinching the little girl’s face.
Her skin felt nice under his touch, which matched her cuteness.
“Hello, Uncle, my name is Zhao Yuling.”
The little girl spoke clearly and loudly, not shying away from his touch.
She had smelled a nice scent from Chu He, which had made her feel comfortably at ease, so she did not feel disgusted that her face was pinched.
“It’s a nice name, but you can’t call me Uncle; that’s too strange. How about you call me Brother Lil Chu, just like your Auntie!”
Chu He smiled as he said that.
“Okay!”
“Brother Lil Chu!”
Zhao Yuling nodded cheerfully and addressed him as such.
“What a good girl!”
Chu He reached out and ruffled the top of the little girl’s head, pleased with her compliancy.
“Why did you come here? To read a book?” Chu He smiled as he asked.
“No, I’m here to look for a powerhouse senior so I can learn some extraordinary god-tier martial arts! Brother Lil Chu, do you know where this powerhouse is?”
The little girl raised her head and said with an expectant look.
Looking for a powerhouse?
Chu He was stunned for a moment.
Who else would that be but him?!
“Who told you that there was a powerhouse here?” Chu He asked suspiciously.
Lin Xueling knew that he did not like to be disturbed. For all those years, she had kept her lips sealed tightly and had never exposed his identity.
Apart from Lin Xueling, no one else should know that he was a great powerhouse that was hiding in the Lin family.
“I heard from Mother that Auntie’s talent used to only be average and about the same as Mother’s, but ever since she started coming to the book depository often, her cultivation level began to improve like crazy, and even the prodigies could not keep up with her.”
“Mother said that there was a hidden senior in the Lin family who had an extremely high cultivation level. She guessed that this person might be in the book depository.”
“Auntie is his disciple, and Brother Lil Chu is probably also his disciple, and the top disciple at that, am I right?”
Zhao Yuling’s eyes sparkled knowingly.
Granted, she had only been told all these things by someone else.
However, her ability to remember and speak clearly showed that she was fairly smart.
“That’s reasonable and convincing.”
Chu He nodded.
He felt that her analysis was pretty good.
This would most likely also be the speculation that most people from the outside would come to.
It probably never crossed anyone’s mind—it was probably impossible to imagine—that the real powerhouse was in fact him, an inconsequential odd-jobber of the book depository.
After all, his social standing was too low and the traces of his life too clear, so most people would not have associated him with a powerhouse.
To think of him as the top disciple of a powerhouse was already giving him the highest respect he could receive.
This was the benefit of Lin Xueling’s excessive closeness to him.