Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 219: Billowing Sands

Above a canal, Tang Wanzhuang sat in a cabin reading a book. Suddenly, she looked up at the golden characters in the sky. Her tranquil expression involuntarily turned somewhat melancholic, then complex.

What she was reading was actually a letter spread out on a book, the letter being the report for the Langya Sword Conference that her subordinate had mentioned to her the day before.

The report was much more complete and detailed than the outline that her subordinate gave her. It included the process of Xia Chichi and Cui Yuanyang’s participation, accompanied by the notes “suspected of vying for the treasure for Zhao Changhe” and “suspected of jealousy,” respectively. There was also an evaluation: “Both have talents rarely seen in a century, not inferior to Yue Hongling’s.”

It did not omit Zhao Changhe’s remark: “If it means that some people can cough less, then it’s worth it.”

Of course, nobody dared to attach additional analyses and evaluations to that line.

Tang Wanzhuang’s face reddened slightly. She pursed her lips, her gaze remaining fixed on that line, not moving away for a long time.

He did it... for some people to cough less.

Scorning nobles and royalty, he had cleaved someone on the Ranking of Man. He, who already faced much too many dangers just to survive, had now offended two powerful forces in the north and the south. Trouble would surely follow, trouble that was even more nerve-wracking than when he first ventured out of Beimang.

However, Tang Wanzhuang knew that he did not care. Instead, she felt that he might even be drinking and singing, completely at ease.

Whether it was the incident in Yangzhou, the one in Gusu, the slaying of Fa Sheng in the middle of his military camp, or the death of Fa Qing in front of the Wang Clan.... If one said that such a massive force as the Maitreya Cult had been thrown into disarray by Zhao Changhe alone, while it might be a bit exaggerated, it was not without reason.

Fa Qing was a high-level combat force. How many experts on the Ranking of Man could a single Maitreya Cult possibly have? Losing even one of them was a heavy blow. And the worst thing was that his death did not even stand out among the other problems caused by Zhao Changhe. Yangzhou was the northern bridgehead of Jiangbei, Gusu was the domain of the Tang Clan, and Fa Sheng was a skilled general. The Maitreya Cult’s plans for these regions had immense strategic importance, but they had lost everything.

Originally, the Maitreya Cult’s uprising was very similar to the Yellow Turban Rebellion recorded in the history of the Eastern Han dynasty. Had they been able to sweep through Jiangnan and render the imperial court powerless, they could have then relied on the suppression of bandits by the local gentry. An example of such a case was the Tang Clan. If allowed to develop further, it would lead to the rise of various warlords, each with their own armed forces.

If one said that the Maitreya Cult was the harbinger of the rise of kings, then Zhao Changhe’s actions had brought about their downfall in advance. Before local military forces even had the chance to rise, the Maitreya Cult’s forces had already been taken down, and the chaos that had ensued during the Han dynasty would not repeat, at least for now.

He said that he had no intentions of ruling the world, but his actions were moving in that direction.

Whether for the common people or for... her, Tang Wanzhuang.

“Come in,” she suddenly said.

The guqin-carrying maid entered and stood beside her timidly. “Miss?”

“Pass on this secret order of mind to all the major states and counties. Wherever Zhao Changhe goes, listen to his commands without hesitation. Spare no effort to ensure his safety”

“Miss...”

“What? Do you think he would even appreciate it?” Tang Wanzhuang suddenly laughed. “I’m afraid that he probably prefers the excitement and tension he’s under right now, riding through the desert, maybe even accompanied by a beautiful companion.... Why would he want us to interfere?”

The guqin-carrying maid muttered, “So, are we going to play the cold shoulder game? Especially with regard to that so-called beautiful companion, miss, you....”

“This is not for him, but for the world. Go.”

With a pout, the guqin-carrying maid left the cabin to pass on the order. Tang Wanzhuang stood up, walked to the window, and watched the river flow quietly.

You see the ferries where the sands are washed, wondering how many people through this worldly realm have passed.[1]

*

Whoosh!

A sword light rose from the side of the road and flew toward him.

Less than ten li away from the Wang Clan, the assassins were already upon him.

At first glance, this style undoubtedly looked like the Snow-Listening Pavilion’s.

It was evident that the Wang Clan had been in contact with the Snow-Listening Pavilion for several days, and they had already planned to ambush him as soon as he left. Now just so happened to be that opportune moment.

Even Cui Yuanyang knew to ask Zhao Changhe to leave with her convoy when she left. However, with the sudden change of plans, he could only gallop out of the city. His whereabouts were difficult to conceal, and he was thus destined for a journey fraught with peril.

But Zhao Changhe was not alarmed by this. Instead, he laughed loudly and said, “I don’t know why, but I actually missed you guys a little.”

The swordsman tilted his head in confusion.

Clang!

Dragon Bird was drawn out and struck the sword light, deflecting the sword off course.

The swordsman brushed past, thrown off balance by the tremendous force with which Zhao Changhe had swung his saber. The swordsman rolled on the ground, drenched in cold sweat.

The Tome of Troubled Time had not been terribly clear. It had only stated that three people had besieged someone on the Ranking of Man, and Zhao Changhe had then launched a sneak attack on him. But it never stated just how strong Zhao Changhe was. The information that the swordsman had about Zhao Changhe stated that he was only at the fifth layer of the Profound Gate.

Fifth layer?! Who the fuck said that?!

His external cultivation is clearly at the sixth layer and his internal cultivation is at the fifth now! And even his internal cultivation feels like it’s approaching the sixth layer. With Zhao Changhe’s combat prowess and understanding of martial arts, as long as he does not meet some other hero on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons, it probably wouldn’t even be a big problem for him to jump levels and beat an ordinary practitioner at the seventh layer! He might even dare to challenge someone at the eighth layer!

No wonder he could slay someone on the Ranking of Man. After all, the lowest cultivation among those on the Ranking of Man is at the ninth layer of the Profound Gate, and that’s a level where they cannot be killed by just anybody.

This guy has been sitting right under the noses of your Wang Clan for so long, yet you still gave us outdated information?!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Seven or eight more black-clad figures closed in from both sides of the road, their expressions solemn as they blocked Zhao Changhe’s path.

Zhao Changhe did not dismount. He shook his head and said with a smile, “As expected, it’s you guys who are at the sixth and seventh layer who came to kill me this time. You probably thought that I was just at the fifth layer. This is why I missed you guys so much. Every time you can’t keep up with my advances in strength, you become wonderful punching bags. It was a shame when you guys stopped coming. You should go back and have your pavilion master send eight-layer assassins next time. Hahaha...”

The assassins remained expressionless. What the hell is this guy talking about? That’s just how missions are normally assigned. Are we supposed to send someone on the Ranking of Man just to kill someone at the third or fourth layer of the Profound Gate? Then what are the other members supposed to do? We’ve always sent people a layer or two higher and deployed multiple of them to disguise themselves and hunt down the target. The mission completion rate is close to a hundred percent. Do you think that everyone’s a freak like you?!

Zhao Changhe smiled and said, “Hey, I actually wanted to chat with you guys. After you failed to assassinate me before, a lot of your members died. How do you, as an assassin organization, handle that kind of situation? Will you move to avenge them? Or do you just accept it as it is?”

The leader of the assassins remained silent for a moment before slowly responding, “In the case of a failed mission, we do not seek revenge. If an assassin organization is caught up in endless grudges, it would deteriorate and may even end up collapsing.”

“No wonder,” Zhao Changhe clicked his tongue. “But you should not have told me that. Now that I know that there aren’t really any consequences for killing you guys, what should I do?”

A hint of anger appeared on the leader’s face, and he said coldly, “You think you can kill us that easily?”

“Well, I’m at least confident in being able to make it out of here alive. As for killing all of you, I could try, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to do that alone. Sadly for you, though, I’m not alone.”

Before he finished speaking, a golden light flashed from behind, and Yuan Xing came rushing over. “Young Hero Zhao, please wait a moment!”

The leader of the assassins looked like he was struggling not to facepalm.

Zhao Changhe looked back and said with a smile, “Master Yuan Xing, shouldn’t you be enjoying some tea at the Wang Clan?”

The leader of the assassins bluntly said, “Retreat.”

The group of black-clad assassins disappeared without a trace in an instant.

Well, of course they did. Who in their right mind at their levels would try to force things and face off against someone at the ninth layer of the Profound Gate? They’re assassins, not a suicide squad.

It was best for them to report back to their pavilion master and see if they should send stronger assassins. It seemed that handling this man surnamed Zhao was far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Zhao Changhe watched them retreat into the distance. “Their movement art is really good. If I had not learned the Water Treading Art, I might have considered learning from them.”

After saying that, he dismounted and greeted Yuan Xing respectfully, “Thank you for your assistance, Master Yuan Xing.”

“I see no fear in you at all. It seems I was merely intrusive instead.”

“Not at all, I was actually waiting for you.” Zhao Changhe secretly thought to himself: Well, I was actually waiting for Vermillion Bird.... But I’m kinda moved by the fact that you still chased after me despite the Wang Clan. Maybe the Buddhist sects in this world aren’t so bad after all?

“Before I came out, I had a brief conversation with Benefactor Situ, who mentioned that you were looking for methods to temper your body and methods to release qi outside your body?”

Zhao Changhe’s eyes lit up. “Yes, that’s right. Your golden bell....”

“The Golden Bell Barrier is not allowed to be spread outside, but I do have some information that I believe you would want to hear.”

“Oh?”

“You must have just used some kind of treasure to improve your body, and the aura has yet to completely disperse. I have encountered a similar aura before and I wanted to explore it back then, but due to certain reasons, I did not go through with it.”

Zhao Changhe was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.

Does this mean that the marine clay can actually also be found somewhere on land? Perhaps I might even find something more incredible. It doesn’t even matter whether it can continue to benefit my meridians, tempering my body is definitely the right move!

Sure enough, good deeds are always rewarded. Zhao Changhe cupped his fist and said, “I won’t hide it from you, I am indeed in great need of that. Please tell me its whereabouts.”

Yuan Xing sighed and said, “It would have been easier to go there before, but it’s a bit more troublesome now. During my time wandering among the snow-capped mountains of the Grasslands, to the north, I stumbled upon a similar aura on one of the peaks. But now, in times of conflict, I would advise you against moving hastily. It would be best to wait until things settle down before heading there.”

As he spoke. he handed something over from his robe and said, “This is something I made for myself at that time to help return to that place. Now, I’m giving it to you.”

Zhao Changhe cupped his hand again. “Thank you.”

Yuan Xing returned the gesture and replied, “Benefactor Zhao, you are truly compassionate and like a true Buddha. You are welcome to stay at the Huayan Temple anytime in the future.”

After Zhao Changhe exchanged pleasantries with the other monks, they left.

Zhao Changhe watched the monks leave and suddenly said, “If Master Yuan Xing had not arrived in time, would you have intervened?”

The surroundings were silent, with no response from Vermillion Bird.

Zhao Changhe was a little puzzled. Is Vermillion Bird not following me anymore?

Little did he know that less than three li away in the forest, Wang Daozhong was retreating rapidly, his head covered in bruises. “Venerable Vermillion Bird, our two forces have already formed an alliance. We should turn the page on past grievances. Why are you attacking me again?”

Vermillion Bird said lazily, “Seeing you reminds me of that demon who once swore to retaliate against me for every grievance. It’s hard for my hands to not feel a little itchy when I see you. This is a grudge between us, what has it got to do with the alliance of our forces?”

Wang Daozhong almost spat out blood, swearing never to argue with women again.

1. This is a reference to Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi’s “Billowing Sands” (浪淘沙·汴水东流虎眼纹). ☜