Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 255: Behind Enemy Lines

Inside the restaurant, Cui Yuanyong treated Zhao Changhe to a meal. Originally, he had intended to discuss some serious matters with him, but when the Tome of Troubled Times suddenly made such a broadcast, the topic of their conversation naturally shifted.

“I never expected someone on the Ranking of Earth like him would fall like this. If it was not for the report from the Tome of Troubled Times, I’m afraid no one would have known that such a formidable figure died all of a sudden,” Cui Yuanyong lamented. He actually seemed to feel somewhat regretful. “What was he even doing in the Central Plains?”

Zhao Changhe explained, “He originally came to the Central Plains to cause trouble, intending to provoke the Wang Clan to publicly rebel. If he succeeded, not only could that end up causing more chaos to arise within the Central Plains, but it could have also drawn away much of Yanmen’s military strength. For the barbarians, it would have been a vital act of sabotage behind enemy lines during wartime. Unfortunately for him, there was an unexpected turn of events....”

“What unexpected turn of events?”

“The Wang Clan still upholds righteousness. Wang Daozhong personally intervened and injured He Lei, causing him to realize the futility of his actions and retreat.”

Cui Yuanyong stared at him expressionlessly, while Zhao Changhe casually sipped his drink.

Naturally, Cui Yuanyong was not an idiot, and neither was he unaware of the situation. He quietly pondered and silently marveled.

In other words, Zhao Changhe had actually quelled a storm without anyone noticing. Shifting the praises—and the blame—onto Wang Daozhong was a stroke of genius. It seemed like an offhand remark at the time, but its impact was profound. Not only had it thwarted the barbarians’ plans, but it had also prevented any potential collusion between the Wang Clan and the barbarians.

Moreover, Zhao Changhe had also ruined any chances of an alliance between the Wang Clan and the Maitreya Cult by killing an envoy of the cult right at the gate of the Wang Clan.

Now that I think about it, wasn’t it also Zhao Changhe who was responsible for exposing He Lei in Sword Lake City? Saying that he single-handedly ruined the barbarians’ plans and ultimately caused the death of a warrior ranked seventh on the Ranking of Earth isn’t actually that far-fetched.

It’s so weird... On the surface, what he did didn’t seem like a big deal, but the impact was strangely significant. His actions almost seem to be driving fate.

No wonder my father has been paying more and more attention to him. He’s been personally inquiring about almost every detail he can about Zhao Changhe. Others think that he’s merely concerned about his potential son-in-law, but it’s probably much more than that... Was Xia Longyuan this much tied to fate as well?

While Cui Yuanyong was deep in thought, Zhao Changhe sighed to himself. “It truly is somewhat lamentable. The person ranked seventh on the Ranking of Earth dies without a shred of heroism or grandeur, practically no different from any random shrimp.”

“...Well, there is a difference. The Tome of Troubled Times would not report the death of random shrimp. Besides, how would you know whether the scene of his death was grand or not? It’s possible that Vermillion Bird had to expend a lot of energy to kill him, perhaps she even sighed with admiration at her tenacious opponent in the end.”

Zhao Changhe scoffed. “Have you been reading too many stories?”

Cui Yuanyong scratched his head and said, “What’s wrong with what I said? I feel like if I were in her place, I would do just that!”

Zhao Changhe sneered, “You are you, Vermillion Bird is Vermillion Bird. She probably just glanced at his corpse and left. That old woman...”

Cui Yuanyong quipped, “I know, I know. You understand old women very well.”

“...Fuck you.”

In fact, Zhao Changhe had just not recovered from Xia Longyuan’s words and actions. Because of what he had seen back then, he felt like those on the Ranking of Earth were indeed as insignificant as random shrimp, a sentiment that Cui Yuanyong naturally could not relate to.

However, seeing Zhao Changhe sigh, Cui Yuanyong could not help but sigh as well. “You’re right. Even the person ranked seventh on the Ranking of Earth died so easily, so what about us? After practicing for so long, I feel like we’re still just like duckweed carried by the currents, yet we can’t afford to stop.”

Zhao Changhe said, “Stop it, I know you’re already at the ninth level of the Profound Gate. Being in the same generation as you, I’m also under a lot of pressure.”

“Like hell you’re under a lot of pressure. You think we don’t feel pressured by you? Wait, how do you know that I’m at the ninth layer?”

“It was just a guess. I just don’t think you’d fall behind. You and Yue Hongling were evenly matched. There’s no way you would be complacent and simply watch her enter the Ranking of Man while you sat on your ass. Would you still be a hidden dragon, or any kind of dragon for that matter? It should already be over a year since you reached the eighth layer, right? It wouldn’t be strange for you to have reached the ninth layer by now. Tell me, when do you plan to enter the Ranking of Man?“

“I still need to prove myself... The Tome of Troubled Times clearly believes that I can’t beat Xue Canghai, since it added him to the Ranking of Man instead of me. There’s no fucking way I can take that lying down. Once I see him, I’ll challenge him without question.”

Zhao Changhe could not help but smile bitterly, feeling a bit sorry for Xue Canghai.

The most embarrassing thing in Xue Canghai’s life was being surpassed by Yue Hongling. His defeat against her was still a matter that people talked about to this day. In order to save face, he probably did not care about anything else and focused solely on his cultivation, intending to catch Yue Hongling off guard the next time they met. That was likely why the Blood God Cult had been so quiet the past few months.

But before he could catch anyone by surprise, the report of the Tome of Troubled Times, which seemed to recognize his efforts, called him out. He was probably infuriated by this as it indirectly revealed his strength. Moreover, it aroused the dissatisfaction and fighting spirit of Cui Yuanyong and other potential candidates for the Ranking of Man, making him out to be like a firefly shining brightly in the dark night.

Heh, I’m guessing that Old Xue is jumping around and cursing in the Blood God Cult right now.

Cui Yuanyong continued, “Speaking of cultivation, aren’t you doing better than everyone else? You haven’t even been cultivating for a year, yet look at how many people you’ve passed... Can you even count how many peaceful rests you’ve had?”

Zhao Changhe thought for a while and realized that he really could not quite count it. He felt like he only had about ten days of peaceful rest, back when he was in Gusu with Tang Wanzhuang.

But even at that time, he was still studying sword arts and learning to play the guqin... If he had been this focused in the modern world, he would have probably made it into Tsinghua University or Peking University.[1]

He took a sip of wine and smiled somewhat self-deprecatingly. “Yeah, I guess I’m a couch potato with no life.”

Cui Yuanyong burst out into laughter. “You’re really quite funny sometimes... If you’re someone with no life, then what about everyone else? And what does that other expression even mean? Couch potato? I’ve never heard it before, but it feels oddly fitting.”[2]

“It’s from the Zhao Village dialect,” replied Zhao Changhe. He then suddenly asked, “Hey, actually, shouldn’t His Majesty also use the Zhao Village dialect? Have you ever heard him use it?”

“No, His Majesty doesn’t use as many strange words as you do. He didn’t come from Zhao Village, so I doubt he’d speak your dialect.”

Zhao Changhe wondered how Xia Longyuan had managed to do it, conquering the world without pushing forward any industrialization or reforms like other transmigrators in stories he had read. He lived completely like a native, perhaps only slipping in modern words when he found someone like him.

Many times, to avoid sounding too strange, Zhao Changhe consciously restrained himself. After nearly a year since transmigrating, the modern words he let slip had become fewer and fewer. However, there were just times when certain words felt the most appropriate. It was not easy to find replacements for them. It was quite challenging to be like Xia Longyuan.

This means that Xia Longyuan was probably not very old when he transmigrated. Actually, he might have even been a teenager. His adaptability to a new environment and his plasticity would have been much better compared to mine. That also explains why his meridians weren’t as horrible as mine. If we met in the same era, he might have even been a little brother to me. But now, he’s someone I’ve got to treat as a father-in-law. This just goes to show just how abstract the concepts of time and space are.

Alright, my mind is still full of Xia Longyuan. He really left quite the impression...

Zhao Changhe shook his head to clear his thoughts and deliberately shifted the topic back to what it was originally supposed to be about, “You said you wanted me to do something, what is it?”

“Our camp is mostly made up of figures from the jianghu who came to help. Each has their own tasks. Some directly joined the ranks of the army, while others organized elite squads to raid enemy lines. This is all quite standard for those from the jianghu. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, there are also those who go on solo missions, and who knows how many of them have died.”

Zhao Changhe nodded and said, “Hm, I think I’d be most suitable for those special operations of raiding enemy lines and harassing them from behind. How about you give me a map, marking the distribution of forces, and I’ll go have some fun.”

“We have maps of the land, but don’t even bother looking for a map showing the distribution of forces. Those ones change too frequently,” Cui Yuanyong said. “But don’t get sidetracked. What I wanted to tell you about is that a team went missing a few days ago. We don’t know whether they’re alive or dead. We’re organizing people to scout in the direction they went. If they’re still alive, rescuing them would be a stroke of luck.“

“Are you asking me to participate in a search and rescue operation?”

“I feel that it’s quite suitable for you. You’ve got a fast horse, and you’re alert and quick-witted, unlike the haphazard mob we got here,” Cui Yuanyong said. He took out a sheepskin map and pointed to a location. “This is the topographic map of the area. There’s a water source here, and there was originally a tribe stationed there. The intelligence we received indicates that they did not have many troops. We aren’t sure how our people ended up falling into enemy hands without a single one of them being able to escape. In fact, it’s possible that they did not even fall into enemy hands. Regardless, we need someone with a clear mind and a good head on their shoulders to go check it out.”

Zhao Changhe took the map and looked at it for a while before confidently tucking it into his pocket. “Alright, I came here precisely to get some specific tasks to do. I knew coming to the camp was a good choice.”

Cui Yuanyong said seriously, “Don’t die out there like He Lei.”

Zhao Changhe said, “You saying that makes me worry about someone...”

“Hm?”

“Where’s Yue Hongling?”

Cui Yuanyong raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think there’s any need to worry about her...”

“If someone as strong as He Lei could die in the Central Plains, then is there really no need to worry? There are many strong people in the Grasslands.”

Cui Yuanyong’s expression turned grim. “Well, now that you mention it, it has been quite a while since I last saw her...”

“Fuck!” Zhao Changhe suddenly lost his appetite. He stood up abruptly and strode downstairs. “Boss, prepare some dry rations for me. I need enough for ten days!”

Cui Yuanyong helplessly followed him downstairs. “Why are you in such a rush? Even if you get a hundred days’ worth of rations, would you really be able to find her?”

“...”

“This map marks a place called Huangsha Market. It’s a trading hub for the various tribes of the Grassland. If you have the chance, you can go there to gather information and resupply. It is better than looking around aimlessly searching around like a headless fly. Just remember, be extremely careful. That place is a lot messier than Sword Lake City.”

1. These are prestigious universities in China, ranking among the top in the world. ☜

2. Zhao Changhe’s original line is something like “Yeah, I guess I'm a cabbage, all curled up and vegetative.” 卷心菜 means cabbage, and it’s also slang for people who are involved in some internal competition but they feel awkward and are actually unwilling to participate. Cui Yuanyong then replies “You know, sometimes the things you say are really funny... If you're like a vegetable, then everyone else must be a bunch of melons. By the way, what do you mean by all curled up? I've never heard that before, but it feels oddly fitting.” ☜