Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 101: The River Breaks Through the Dam

“Wait a moment,” Tang Wanzhuang finally sighed and got up. “That was presumptuous of me. Young master, you are indeed not some unfaithful person, and that is a good thing... If you are not in a hurry to go back, you might as well come in for a cup of tea.”

Zhao Changhe did not go inside and replied coldly, “I now suspect that you are monitoring my inn. Please withdraw everyone who is surveilling me; otherwise, it won’t look good for anyone.”

Tang Wanzhuang shook her head and said, “There is nobody monitoring your inn, but there are people patrolling the outer roads. Young master, do you know why?”

Zhao Changhe was momentarily puzzled and could not come up with an answer.

Tang Wanzhuang smiled and explained, “Your horse is quite valuable, and you are often away. If there had not been anyone protecting it, it would have been stolen long ago. Sword Lake City is a very chaotic place, and the inns here are not that reliable. The reason you have not experienced much of the disorder in the city these past few days is because the Demon Suppression Bureau is here.”

“Alright,” Zhao Changhe sighed. He felt that he did owe them a favor for this. He finally softened his attitude a bit, entered the room, and sat across from her.

“Madam First Seat, to be honest, I can’t decide whether the Demon Suppression Bureau guarding my horse is a good thing or a bad thing. However, you’re telling me that I wasn’t able to experience much of the chaos in Sword Lake City as if it’s a good thing. I beg to disagree.”

Tang Wanzhuang did not say anything. She continued to brew tea in silence, pondering on his words.

Zhao Changhe simply said, “Do you know when was the most enjoyable time of my trip to the Ancient Sword Lake?”

Tang Wanzhuang said, “After traveling a thousand li, leaping from the back of your horse with your saber in hand, and saving Han Wubing.”

Zhao Changhe clapped his hands. “Not bad!”

His voice grew louder, “That’s the spirit! Isn’t it? The fight between Han Wubing and I should have been amazing... but it wasn’t. You guys, the demonic cults, and all of the commotion that took place made everything feel dull. It’s the same for Wubing. He certainly gained a lot, he found a new sword and comprehended a new technique, but when we fought, it was clear that he lacked enthusiasm. It was simply uncomfortable.”

Tang Wanzhuang finally could not help but retort, “This whole affair started because the Four Idols Cult wanted to find the divine sword. Even without the Demon Suppression Bureau, your arranged battle would have been disrupted. As for the Maitreya Cult, they had come here for Xia Chichi’s head. In fact, the Demon Suppression Bureau kept the situation from getting worse. If you’re to blame anyone, you might as well blame Xia Chichi—”

As she spoke, she seemed to realize that her words might be misconstrued as her being bitter, so she stopped herself and simply handed Zhao Changhe a cup of tea.

Zhao Changhe shook his head and said, “I don’t blame anyone. I’m not saying any of this to put the blame on anyone... I just want to say that I am very grateful for the protection, but that’s not what I need. You may think that I am simply looking for fun, but that’s not the reason. I just feel that if I am to always be protected, then I may never grow. That is not what I want, and I believe that it is also not something that you want to see.”

Tang Wanzhuang sighed, “But letting you wander the jianghu without any protection is very dangerous.”

“So, if you truly think of me as a prince in your heart, then I suggest that you help me conceal any suspicion of me being the prince, such as the wanted notices in the past. As long as the high-ranking rebels such as Vermillion Bird and Maitreya still believe that the alleged prince, Luo Zhenwu, is dead, I won’t face the kind of unconquerable dangers that you imagine. As for the other problems that I might face in the jianghu, those are simply experiences that I must go through in order to grow. I believe that even you have gone through such experiences years ago. Otherwise, you would not have been able to become third on the Ranking of Earth.”

Tang Wanzhuang could not hide the admiration in her eyes, and she slowly said, “What if you die?”

“Then I die,” Zhao Changhe said calmly. “Troubled times are coming, and you alone cannot hold up the entire world. The world will plunge into chaos. If, at that time, I am still mediocre, I won’t survive for long anyway, and you won’t be able to protect me. In that case, whether I die in the jianghu a little earlier or not will make no difference.”

At this point, he suddenly added, “Perhaps your emperor even sees things the same way. Otherwise, why has he not said a word?”

Tang Wanzhuang finally raised her cup of tea and expressed her respect. “That is a valid point. I’d like to offer a cup to Your Highness.”

Zhao Changhe was speechless. Does she really think that I’m going to come back from my journey and turn the tide for them? I feel like she’s overestimating me quite a bit.

He held up the teacup, pondered for a moment, and could not help but say, “Have you ever considered that what the prince wants is not to prolong the reign of the empire but to defy the heavens?”

After saying that, he raised his cup and clinked it with hers. Then, disregarding the fact that the hot tea was scalding his lips, he downed it in one go before striding out of the room.

He had not said “overturning the heavens,” as that might have inadvertently given Xia Chichi away. He, instead, opted for a different phase, which truly represented his own intentions.

I don’t want to be a rebel, I’m just too lazy to take the throne, and I definitely do not want to be restrained. The path I follow is nothing more than my own morals.

With my martial arts and Dragon Bird, I can still accomplish a few things. If I ever feel restrained, I can just quit without a second thought. Even if I lose my martial arts and give up my saber, I will still be me. Others should not even think of interfering in my affairs, that’s simply ridiculous.

Tang Wanzhuang suddenly burst into a peal of silent laughter as she thought about his behavior now and in the past. Apart from herself, the maid had been present the whole time and she was also quite charming, but Zhao Changhe seemed completely unfazed. His gaze had not lingered even for a moment. Why do people always think he has a strong affinity with women? That’s not what he has in mind at all...

Seeing Tang Wanzhuang chuckling to herself, the maid grumbled, “This Zhao Changhe really dares to say anything... What they say about him being being a bit of a rebel is true, after all.”

“Yeah...” Tang Wanzhuang stretched lazily, then went back to her desk to continue writing the unfinished letter.

It was a report to the emperor, detailing the recent gathering of two major demonic cults at the Ancient Sword Lake, as well as the story of the ancient sword finding a new owner.

One of the key points of the report was Zhao Changhe, which she had been stuck on when it came to how to evaluate him.

Tang Wanzhuang dipped her brush in ink, pondered for a moment, and began writing her assessment, “Ambitious as a Kunpeng yet to leave Beiming; powerful as a dragon or tiger with claws and fangs still young.[1]”

After thinking for a while, she added another line, “Full of passion and righteousness, unstoppable in his own ways.”

*

Back at the inn, Zhao Changhe saw Snow-Treading Crow in the courtyard, all cleaned up and leisurely grazing.

Zhao Changhe chuckled and approached the horse, hugging its neck for a short while. “I’ve been neglecting you these past few days, but you’ve had someone to protect you and you’ve been well-fed. You probably wouldn’t grow tired of this pampered life too soon, would you?”

He patted Snow-Treading Crow’s head again before saying, “I’ll take you out for a stroll tomorrow. I don’t have the time today. I have a very important guest.”

After saying that, he returned to his room and casually remarked, “Don’t hide in the rafters. I know you’re there.”

Xia Chichi floated down gracefully, looking quite surprised. “When did you reach this level? The Tome of Troubled Times never notified me. I’m at the sixth layer of the Profound Gate now, and I was even concealing my presence. How did you notice me? It couldn’t be because you smelled me, right?”

“No,” Zhao Changhe said, smiling as he hugged her. “Someone tried to get me to go to a brothel, and I knew that their efforts in the city were likely not going well. At the very least, I knew that you were not far if they were resorting to such tactics to provoke us. I even suspected that they were monitoring my inn and I almost confronted them.”

Xia Chichi’s eyes gleamed with amusement. “They wanted you to go to a brothel and enjoy the company of a woman? Why didn’t you accept?”

“I figured that if the Demon Suppression Bureau really got serious, the chances of you slipping away would be incredibly slim. The most likely scenario is that they know that you’re here with me, but they’re afraid that I won’t want anything to do with them if they try anything. So they tried coaxing me to go to a brothel, thinking that if I went and spent the night with a prostitute while you waited for me alone here all night, you might be so angry with me that you’d never talk to me again.”

Xia Chichi stood there in thought for a moment, then started laughing so hard that she could not stand properly. “Tang Wanzhuang is surprisingly interesting... Ha, hahaha... She might as well have seduced you herself, then it might have worked, hahaha...”

Zhao Changhe just watched her without saying a word.

Xia Chichi chuckled and asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Zhao Changhe pointed at his own aged face and said, “Don’t you think I did well? Shouldn’t I get a kiss as a reward?”

As if on cue, Xia Chichi tiptoed and gently kissed him, whispering softly, “Changhe...”

“Hm?” Zhao Changhe replied.

“If you decide to sleep in a brothel tonight, I won’t be happy about it. After all, I came here specifically to find you... But if it’s any other time, I don’t mind. Just make sure you pick clean people and avoid the dirty ones.”

Zhao Changhe’s jaw dropped.

Xia Chichi smiled and explained, “You’ve been single for a long time, and you’re a young man. Of course you have some... needs. It’s better to go to a brothel to resolve such needs than to get hooked away by someone like Cui Yuanyang... I can’t help you with those things, so why should I keep holding you back? Even I would find that unreasonable.”

Zhao Changhe was left speechless.

Xia Chichi smiled and said: “What, does that make you think I’m just a witch from a demonic cult? There really aren’t many in the martial arts world who make a fuss over such trivial matters. I don’t understand how you got this mindset. Everyone thinks of these things as normal, but you avoid them like the plague. On the contrary, ordinary people respect Tang Wanzhuang as a celestial being, yet she had to swallow your rude remarks every time.”

“Well...”

“Oh? Could it be that you you did what you did because Tang Wanzhuang is beautiful and you just wanted to get her attention?”

“No!” Zhao Changhe immediately said, “Absolutely not!”

“Alright...” Xia Chichi softened her tone. “Whether you want to be the prince or not, in my heart, you will always be a heroic figure of unparalleled arrogance, capable of conquering mountains and rivers, and all the women in the world should willingly follow you. I’ve said this back when we were in that cave. Whether it’s Cui Yuanyang or Tang Wanzhuang, I sure am jealous, but if you truly want them, then go for it. What’s the big deal?”

Zhao Changhe was taken aback. “Hey, are you possessed today?”

Xia Chichi shook her head slightly. “I don’t have the right to stop you. I have never done anything for you. On the contrary, you have always been taking on the things that I did not want to deal with, such as the matters relating to being the prince.”

Zhao Changhe scratched his head. “It’s not that serious. I keep my identity ambiguous because it’s useful, so it’s not like I’m doing all of this just for you...”

Xia Chichi chuckled. “That’s a different matter... In any case, if the river flows like a mighty torrent and is unstoppable, and I am just a dam that hinders your heart, then I refuse to be that dam.”

Zhao Changhe was silent.

Well, she does have a point. But the dam that hinders my heart is not her, it’s my modern ideologies and my normal college student mentality...

He was unwilling to let go of such things, because once he did, then it felt like he would be no different from any other person of this world.

However, he had to recognize that this way of thinking was mismatched with this world. Not only did Xia Chichi find it peculiar, even Han Wubing had noticed.

“Today, knowing full well that the Demon Suppression Bureau is searching the entire city, I still risked coming here to break down that dam,” Xia Chichi said softly as she pushed him gently toward the edge of the bed. She kissed his cheek gently, and then slowly made her way to his chest, murmuring softly, “Even with all this, I still can’t give you anything, because I’m afraid that it might be discovered when I return. See, what right do I have to demand anything from you? It truly does not make any sense.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

“I can’t give you everything, but can we start with this?” Xia Chichi continued to kiss him as her delicate hand slowly explored his lower regions, seeking out the river god.

Zhao Changhe let out a sharp breath, unable to speak for a while.

“Since we started living together in Beimang, I’ve been holding back for a year. Today, the dam finally burst, but it’s already too late...” Xia Chichi lifted her head, noticing Zhao Changhe’s obvious discomfort. She smiled brightly, taking his hand and guiding it to her breast. “Do you understand now? Remember, do not wrong yourself for my sake in the future. You should not be doing that.”

1. The Kunpeng (鲲鹏) is a beast of Chinese mythology, said to be a fish that transforms into a great bird because the sea cannot contain it, and then claims that neither can the sky. It is the guardian beast of Beiming. ☜