Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 226: Rumors

Splash~

There were some people who had come in search of the ancient sword currently standing by the lakeside. Suddenly, two heads that looked like those of pigs emerged from the water, scaring them out of their wits and causing them to run in fear.

Who wouldn’t run in such a scenario?! Two pigs popping out of a lake was weird enough, but one of them was even emitting smoke all around it, looking like a real monster!

Vermillion Bird burst out into laughter, finding the scene very amusing.

Zhao Changhe gave her a glance, filled with regret.

When he had entered the sword chamber, his mind had been focused on sensing the residual sword intent from when Han Wubing had stayed in the chamber. With that, he had pretty much forgotten about her, and he had not even gotten to take a good look at her. It was quite hot lately, so most people were wearing thin clothes. Just how hot would a mature lady’s wet body look like after she had entered the water?

And now, as soon as she emerged, she dried her clothes with her true qi, leaving nothing to be seen....

Is everyone at the ninth layer of the Profound Gate really this amazing?

At the moment, Zhao Changhe could only dry his body with his true qi. He was far from being able to dry his clothes. Even if he did eventually advance his cultivation to the point where he could dry his clothes, he highly doubted that he would be able to dry them instantly like her, evaporating all of the water in contact with her body.

Vermillion Bird said, “What’s with that look in your eyes? Are you regretting not taking a look at me in the sword chamber just now?”

“No, no, I’m admiring your cultivation.”

“We cultivate fire-attribute true qi, so things like this are naturally not that difficult for us.” Vermillion Bird smiled. “We’re not like you and some others who practice the Spring Water Intent, always getting yourselves wet for no reason.”

Zhao Changhe rolled his eyes. Why do I feel like shots are being fired at me?

Vermillion Bird casually continued, “Being all wet like that isn’t comfortable, huh? Want me to help you out?”

“If you’d be so kind.”

“Call me big sister first.”

Is that where you were trying to get to? Zhao Changhe could not help but snort. He did not hesitate, and said coquettishly, “Big sister~”

Seeing the pig-masked head in front of her calling her “big sister” in that weird voice, Vermillion Bird almost burst out laughing. She tried suppressing it, but she finally bent over and clutched her stomach as she laughed. “Hahahaha...”

Zhao Changhe looked at her speechlessly.

This big sister seems to be laughing more and more as time passes. She’s changed from when we first met. It’s as if after taking off the serpent mask and putting on the pig mask, she’s let go of a lot of things.

Vermillion Bird seemed to realize her loss of composure, but she did not seem to care. She continued laughing before eventually patting Zhao Changhe on the shoulder.

With a surge of hot true qi, a blanket of mist covered him as his clothes dried instantly.

Zhao Changhe was stunned. “Awesome...”

“Want to learn?” Vermillion Bird asked mischievously. “Just join the cult, then I’ll teach you.”

Zhao Changhe remained silent and strode directly toward the city.

Vermillion Bird snorted and followed after him.

Sword Lake City had always been a rather special city. Zhao Changhe had learned about it the last time he came here. Despite its prosperity and expansion due to tourism, it remained classified as a town by the imperial court. There was not even a yamen in this town, which technically made it a lawless land, where various gangs and factions coexisted.

Zhao Changhe had been puzzled by this before. Without a yamen, who collected the taxes here? And who controlled the unruly factions that existed in the town?

The Demon Suppression Bureau did not have an independent office, and for some unknown reason, they had actually set up their branch here in a brothel. Over the passage of time, knowledgeable and observant figures like those from the Four Idols Cult had more or less guessed the true nature of the Myriad Flowers Tower, but it was unclear if the local gangs also knew this.

In any case, while this scene did appear quite often in martial arts novels, it was logically pretty unrealistic. With that in mind, there had to be a reason for Demon Suppression Bureau to set up their branch here in such a way, but Zhao Changhe hadn’t thought of delving deeper into it.

Familiar with the route, they arrived at the bamboo forest behind the Myriad Flowers Pavilion. The gatekeeper was still the same, but with his pig mask, Zhao Changhe was unfamiliar. As expected, they were stopped. “This is a private bamboo forest; it isn’t a spot for young lovers to enjoy some romance.”

Vermillion Bird’s jaw dropped.

Everywhere we go, we’re accused of being young lovers. Even those robbers said the same thing before. Aren’t we just wearing the same pig mask? How does that immediately mean that we’re lovers?

Zhao Changhe did not reveal his identity; he simply took out his jade token and showed it to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper was startled, but a hint of excitement could be seen in his eyes. He looked around and lowered his voice. “Greetings, secret envoy, do you have any orders for me?”

Hmm, it seems like this token isn’t for a normal secret agent, but for a secret envoy...

Vermillion Bird glanced at him but said nothing. This token was probably exclusively given out by Tang Wanzhuang, and she could tell that it was likely one of those tokens that represented her as well. This guy doesn’t even seem to realize that from the moment he received the token, he’s already begun representing Tang Wanzhuang rather than just being a subordinate of the Demon Suppression Bureau. He’s being played by his big sister without even realizing it.

Zhao Changhe acted like a secret envoy and said, “Take us in. Who is in charge of this area now? Tell them to come and see me.”

After saying that, he confidently strode into the courtyard, heading straight to the bamboo building where Tang Wanzhuang had once resided. The gatekeeper felt his actions were only natural and quickly went to inform the person who was in charge of the area.

Not long after, a well-dressed middle-aged man hurriedly ascended the steps and respectfully greeted him. “Sword Lake City Delegate Wei Zicai reporting, what orders does the special envoy have for me?”

“I want the whole story about Han Wubing.”

Wei Zicai responded promptly, “He had a conflict with Ji Yinan from the Xingyi Gang. In the ensuing conflict, he killed Ji Yinan. The Pinghu Association intervened on behalf of the Xingyi Gang. They worked together to capture Gan Wubing. Finally, unable to withstand the combined forces of the two factions, Han Wubing was forced to flee, and the Xingyi Gang was ultimately absorbed by the Pinghu Association.”

Zhao Changhe’s immediate reaction was skepticism. “Absorbed?”

Wei Zicai smiled faintly and said, “Yes... So whether or not it really was Han Wubing who killed Ji Yinan is still unconfirmed. There is a possibility that it was Yan Lianping’s doing instead. By framing Han Wubing, he could then gather the strength of both factions to go against Han Wubing in an attempt to force out the location of the ancient sword and the source of his new sword art. At the same time, he could also absorb the Xingyi Gang, killing two birds with one stone.”

This was something to be expected from the jianghu. Zhao Changhe and Vermillion Bird, who had just recently been discussing high-level politics when it came to the Wang Clan, now felt as if they had left the imperial court to enter the jianghu. They both felt as if they were in a different world.

But to be honest, this was what they preferred. At least Zhao Changhe was far more interested in such matters than the grand affairs of the state.

Hearing that Han Wubing had only fled and nothing serious actually happened to him, Zhao Changhe felt a lot more at ease. He asked again, “Han Wubing should have been living in seclusion. Why did he suddenly expose a new sword art and get in a conflict with a gang? Did he arouse suspicion by occasionally appearing and disappearing in the city?”

“Han Wubing occasionally appeared in the city to purchase food supplies, and these are very normal activities. He behaved similarly when he secluded himself by the lake, and no one really paid attention to him,” Wei Zicai explained. “His new sword art only ended up getting revealed due to a matter involving Zhao Changhe”

Zhao Changhe was stunned. “How did Zhao Changhe end up involved in this? Please elaborate.”

“Some people spread rumors that Zhao Changhe’s physique and broad saber did not resemble those of the Central Plains, saying that it was possible that he was a spy from the Grasslands, possibly being the illegitimate son of Mad Lion He Lei. Han Wubing overheard this while purchasing supplies, got angry, and fought with the person whom he had heard spreading the rumor. It was then that he revealed sword arts beyond those that could be learned from the Sword Pavilion, causing people to suspect that he had found some secrets in the sword lake.”

Zhao Changhe fell silent for a moment.

Vermillion Bird glanced at Zhao Changhe. This guy and his friends are really loyal. Since Han Wubing managed to flee and seems to be fine, it might not have been necessary to dig deeper into the matter. But now, it seems like it will be impossible for him to ignore this.

Zhao Changhe took a deep breath. “His Majesty used this kind of saber during his conquests, so where do people even get the idea of a certain style being of the Grasslands? Are there really people who believe such nonsense?”

“There are many fools in the world. If someone says something, there will always be people who believe it,” Wei Zicai said. “In addition, the spreading of these rumors may have deeper intentions behind. I wrote a letter to the bureau head a couple of days ago. Now that you are here, Special Envoy, it’s even better than I hoped...”

Zhao Changhe frowned. Yes, his background was actually a very sensitive matter. In other words, this rumor could be meant to fundamentally shake his position as the heir to the throne of the Great Xia, and this sounded an awful lot like something the Four Idols Cult would do.

He turned to look at Vermillion Bird, who met his gaze coldly. Zhao Changhe smiled and shook his head. Of course, it wouldn’t be the Four Idols Cult. Times had changed, and the Four Idols Cult was even planning to recruit him into their cult. Doing such a thing would serve no purpose for them, and would perhaps be even detrimental.

It could be the Wang Clan, Maitreya Cult, or simply a foreign force.

“When did this happen?”

“Three days ago.”

If it’s three days ago, then the Wang Clan is the most likely suspect, and this place isn’t too far from Langya.

However, while the exposure of new martial arts knowledge that Han Wubing had acquired might be related to this, the trouble involving the Xingyi Gang and the Pinghu Association might not be directly related to it. There could be other factors at play, and Han Wubing could have been involved in other conflicts.

Sword Lake City was truly an anomaly, and there were bound to be secrets hidden all over.

After contemplating for a while, Zhao Changhe suddenly asked, “Why is the structure of Sword Lake City the way it is? Can you elaborate on that, Delegate Wei?”