Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 212: Tiger vs. Rabbit

While the little tiger was busy in a meeting with a bunch of old lions, the little rabbit was sneakily stealing food.

Xia Chichi was in a secret meeting with the head of the Wang Clan, Wang Daoning. They briefly discussed some preliminary views on the alliance. Apart from thoroughly avoiding the topic of Zhao Changhe, they were very much pleased with the considerations made by the other side.

For the Wang Clan, the Four Idols Cult was a very appropriate external aid. Its reputation was not as lowly as that of the Maitreya Cult, nor was it as unpleasant as colluding with foreigners like the barbarians. There was no conflict in their goals, and their objectives were similar. They were very suitable allies.

Looking at the smiling faces of both parties, it was as if Wang Daozhong sustaining injuries from facing Vermillion Bird had not happened at all.

“If Venerable Vermillion Bird is in Langya and is available, she is welcome to have a drink at our Wang Clan,” Wang Daoning personally escorted Xia Chichi out. He sighed as he said, “The venerable is truly cautious...”

Xia Chichi smiled and said, “It’s not that the venerable doesn’t trust the Wang Clan, she just has a lot of matters to attend to.”

“Alright then, shall I have Daozhong or Zhaoling pay your Four Idols Cult a visit as well?”

“I’ll first relay our discussions to the venerable and see what her opinion is. As the head of the Wang Clan, you don’t need to send me off. There’s no need for so much courtesy.”

Wang Daoning accepted and instructed his son, “Escort the saintess out.”

Wang Zhaoling smiled and made a gesture of invitation.

An old man watched Xia Chichi leave the inner hall, then whispered to Wang Daoning, “If we’re to talk about survivors from the Luo Clan, Xia Chichi seems to be the most likely one to actually be the offspring of His Majesty. After all, she even has the surname Xia.”

Wang Daoning sighed and said, “You know, when it comes to evidence, the surname is the most meaningless. Anyone can have the surname Xia. Besides, if it were true, she would not claim to have the surname Xia...the way Zhao Changhe does not recognize the surname. The more openly and boldly one portrays theirself to have the surname Xia, the less likely it is to be true.”

“What if everyone is just overthinking?”

“It’s possible, but it’s already meaningless. It seems you still have not understood the root of the matter. The root lies in how many people are willing to recognize what is true and what is false. With Tang Wanzhuang and Cui Wenjing recognizing Zhao Changhe as such, it becomes the truth even if it were false.”

“But if His Majesty himself has not spoken, what’s the use of them recognizing Zhao Changhe?”

“Have you forgotten that the crux of everything taking place lies in the passing of His Majesty? Otherwise, why do you think Cui Wenjing and Tang Wanzhuang have chosen to sit back and let Zhao Changhe roam the jianghu rather than try to bring him back to the capital? While Zhao Changhe’s unwillingness is one aspect, their desire to wait until His Majesty’s passing is much more crucial.”

The old man clicked his tongue and said, “But Xia Chichi is also quite a peculiar character, isn’t she?”

“Hmm?”

“She defeated Yang Bugui with just a single move, and even when Zhaoling tried his best to gain the upper hand, he only managed a slight advantage. She has boundless prospects. Zhaoling’s marriage has yet to be discussed, so....”

Wang Daoning sighed. “I’ve also thought about this. However, regardless of whatever the Four Idols Cult thinks or knows about Xia Chichi’s identity, they would never agree to have their saintess be used for marriage. This matter must not even be mentioned, otherwise it will harm our alliance.”

“These cults are truly ignorant of how the world works.”

“Is that really the case though?” Wang Daoning whispered to himself. “Perhaps what they believe in is the truth...”

The old man: “?”

Wang Daoning shook his head and changed the subject, “Since Zhao Changhe is unwilling to cooperate, then we cannot allow him to stay here. However, we cannot have him die here, nor let our people lay a hand on him. We must sever and prevent any ties between him and our Wang Clan. With that in mind, contact the Snow-Listening Pavilion. Once Zhao Changhe leaves Langya, have them make their move.”

“Yes.”

Meanwhile, Wang Zhaoling escorted Xia Chichi out. Before they could walk far, Xia Chichi asked, “Is Zhao Changhe alright?”

Wang Zhaoling checked the time, “He should be about done by now. Miss Xia, do you want to see him? How long has it been since you parted?”

Xia Chichi pretended not to care. “I’m just asking.”

Wang Zhaoling did not know how to react, “Then come with me.”

A hint of regret flashed in his eyes.

While he truly did have no interest in Cui Yuanyang, he did feel somewhat attracted to Xia Chichi.

During the martial arts competition, at the moment when her breathtaking beauty underneath her mask was revealed, not only Wang Zhaoling, but many others as well were stunned by her beauty. Wang Zhaoling dared to say that Xia Chichi would definitely have many suitors after this.

Unfortunately, there were too many things that he had to consider. His birthdays were not simply birthdays, and the martial arts meet that he organized was not simply a martial arts meet. Even something like admiration or attraction toward a girl was not something that he could just express.

*

Inside the ice cave, Zhao Changhe did not kiss Cui Yuanyang for long before he pulled away.

Just a short embrace and a kiss were enough. After all, this was still enemy territory. How could he be in the mood for anything else while being in such a place?

Cui Yuanyang bit her lower lip, feeling a little disappointed. In her eyes, the Wang Clan was not really enemy territory, and she had come here to discuss her brother’s wedding. This dark and secluded place, with just the two of them, actually brought her a feeling of anticipation. But before she could even have enough of kissing him, he pulled away, actually wanting to leave already.

Just as Zhao Changhe was about to sit up straight and move Cui Yuanyang aside, the little rabbit suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered softly in his ear, “Big brother Zhao...”

“Huh?” Zhao Changhe said, “This is the Wang Clan’s territory. We should leave first... Huh... Eh?”

She gently licked his ear.

Zhao Changhe’s whole body shivered, and he was utterly dumbfounded.

Seeing how intense his reaction was, Cui Yuanyang found herself amused and nibbled on his ear.

Zhao Changhe took a deep breath. “Are you... are you looking for trouble, little brat?”

Cui Yuanyang blinked her eyes innocently.

In the next moment, her timid big brother Zhao suddenly turned into a fierce tiger, wrapping her up in his arms, and fiercely taking her lips.

He was much rougher this time. Previously, he had been gentle and kissed her with closed lips, but this time, he went straight through, prying the little rabbit’s mouth open.

Cui Yuanyang’s mind exploded, and she once again experienced the dizzying sensation she felt before. She felt even more suffocated and dazed than back then. The surge of heat from within seemed to burn the coldness of the icy cave away.

He did not stop there. He did not hesitate to explore other areas of the little rabbit that he had not tested before.

This little rabbit has really grown up quite a bit...

Zhao Changhe never thought that Yangyang would be the one whom he made the most progress with besides Chichi.

The allure hidden beneath her cute appearance made one forget her age completely.

She actually was not that young, in fact. In this world, many girls her age would have been married already, and many of them would even have a child or two.

“Big brother Zhao, Zhao... Mmf...” Cui Yuanyang finally began to push him away in a bit of panic. He’s not going to take me in a place like this, would he? I’m not ready yet...

Zhao Changhe, panting heavily, backed away slightly. “You little troublemaker, don’t you know that there are some areas you shouldn’t tease like that?”

“I, I’ve never been licked like that by anyone as fierce as you...”

Zhao Changhe almost exploded. “What?! Someone has licked you like that? Who?”

Cui Yuanyang paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into giggles.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door from outside. “Brother Zhao, are you done?”

Zhao Changhe shouted loudly, “Just a moment!”

Seeing how urgently he reacted, Cui Yuanyang hugged him again with a mischievous smile, “It’s big sis Chichi...”

Zhao Changhe immediately softened, feeling drained. “You little...”

Bang!

The door was kicked open, and Xia Chichi stormed in angrily, “Just a moment? What do you mean by that?!”

The two quickly separated, Cui Yuanyang lowered her head to straighten her messy clothes. Xia Chichi was furious and lunged forward. “I knew it! You’re dead!”

The ice cave shook as the sounds of their battle echoed.

After a moment, Zhao Changhe fled out of the door with his head in his arms. Wang Zhaoling stood far away with his hands tucked in his sleeves, watching him from a distance. He said coolly, “Don’t you need to mediate the fight inside?”

Zhao Changhe felt that Wang Zhaoling, who had always been quite classy, was being unfriendly toward him for the first time... Am I just being too sensitive?

He did not dwell on it too much, feeling embarrassed. “I tried, but Yangyang just ended up hitting me too.”

Wang Zhaoling: “...”

“Well then...” Zhao Changhe changed the subject, “Umm, according to my analysis, this Profound Ice Marine Clay isn’t actually for expanding one’s meridians, but for healing the hidden ailments in one’s body.”

Wang Zhaoling was startled. He nodded and said, “No wonder... Since the substance has always been used by those with congenital deficiencies, they would naturally have unhealthy meridians, so we ended up assuming that it was to be used for expanding meridians, but it seems that its uses are more extensive than just that.”

Zhao Changhe took the opportunity to ask, “Are there specific locations where you search for this substance? Or do you just search for it aimlessly?”

“There is a certain area where we have found greater success. We have islands in the sea where we mine some minerals and search for this substance at the same time,” Wang Zhaoling said. “Do you intend to go and search for some yourself?”

Zhao Changhe asked, “Can I?”

Wang Zhaoling pondered for a while before shaking his head and saying, “I’m sorry, but since you aren’t going to cooperate with us, you are an outsider. It would not be suitable for you to visit our mining sites.”

“Then forget it.”

As they were talking, Xia Chichi strode out of the room, defeated rabbit in hand. She gnashed her teeth and said, “The young lady of the Cui Clan has been kidnapped by our Four Idols Cult! If someone surnamed Zhao has the guts, then come and rescue her!”

After saying that, she leaped over the wall and disappeared into the distance in the blink of an eye.