Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 273: Blessings to Come After Disaster

??In a daze, Zhao Changhe forgot who had repeatedly emphasized that dual cultivation was not some divine art but merely an auxiliary technique. He had forgotten who had told him that he should not place too much hope nor rely on it too heavily.

It was just that every time he underwent a round of dual cultivation, it really felt like a divine art, especially when it came to healing, where its effects truly shone.

Although the chaotic and rampant saber qi inside him was not completely eliminated, it seemed to be slowly ground down and suppressed by the rotation of yin and yang energy that acted like a millstone. It slowly lost its sharpness, becoming less and less harmful to him.

At the same time, the pain from his external wounds also subsided. He even thought he could feel his flesh regenerating and his wounds gradually closing.

His depleted meridians were nourished, and his dried-up dantian began to fill with energy again, slowly revitalizing his whole body, making him feel warm and extremely comfortable.

From his body to his mind...

To his soul...

The vicious qi that had become nearly impossible to suppress, seeming like it could flare up at any moment, gradually calmed during this moment of intimacy. It eased and gradually returned to a tranquil state.

Perhaps these were not entirely due to the dual cultivation but rather stemmed from the dependency on one another for survival; it could just be that having someone to rely on brought him peace and naturally allowed him to calm down.

In fact, a mischievous thought flashed through Zhao Changhe’s mind at this moment.

If the vicious qi fails to be suppressed, could I use it as an excuse to pin her down? Would she resist?

He felt that there was a certain possibility that she would not resist.

As the pain eased and he regained some strength, Zhao Changhe, who had been behaving quite well so far, began to act mischievously, quietly wrapping his arm around Yue Hongling’s waist.

Yue Hongling stiffened slightly, but she did not struggle and continued to transfer her energy to him. She felt that the rascal in front of her still had turbulent saber qi within his body and needed some more treatment. She felt that she could not just break away just yet.

But then, his hand began to roam around her waist, gently caressing it.

Yue Hongling angrily got up, grabbed Zhao Changhe’s ear, and lifted him up. “Feeling bold now, are we?”

Zhao Changhe slumped his shoulders and smiled sheepishly, his eyes glancing over her exposed shoulder, revealing a look of surprise.

Whoa... She’s so beautiful...

When the cool and ascetic heroine exposed her skin a little, and when her fiery red attire was switched out for one of pure white, she inexplicably became very alluring and tempting.

She was clearly not doing anything to make herself look any more alluring, yet her simple standing pose was more enticing than any other.

Yue Hongling knew where he was looking and kicked his shin viciously. “Just what the hell is up with these clothes you bought for me?! Did you do this on purpose?!”

Zhao Changhe hopped on one foot as he held his shin that had just been kicked. He protested, “How was I supposed to know that’s how it looked? I searched through the market for hours and could not find any appropriate women’s clothing for you. In the end, I just asked for some ready-made men’s clothing. I didn’t know that their men dressed this way!”

Yue Hongling folded her arms, clearly unconvinced.

Zhao Changhe continued in exasperation, “How was I supposed to know we’d end up stranded in a deserted place like this? Would I let you wear something like that in front of others outside? I wouldn’t agree even if you did!”

Yue Hongling looked at him in disbelief.

Zhao Changhe wisely shut up.

The two of them stared each other in the eye for a few moments before swiftly turning away.

Yue Hongling muttered under her breath, “How I dress is none of your business. I can’t just stay here, can I?”

Zhao Changhe rubbed his shin and said after a while, “You can still use your original clothes after washing them... Just wear that while we’re here.”

Yue Hongling turned her head to stare at him speechlessly, while he tilted his head even further away.

“Men, in the end, they all show their true colors.” Yue Hongling finally laughed out loud, too lazy to continue arguing with him. “Go and meditate to heal your injuries. We still need to explore this place. We can’t waste any more time on this nonsense!”

After saying that, she quickly left, heading straight for the shore. Who knew whether she was going to study the lake or just randomly wandering.

Only then did Zhao Changhe feel that he was still quite tired and hardly able to muster any strength.

He leaned back against the rock, introspecting carefully. He knew that Yue Hongling was right. Instead of worrying about unnecessary things, he should take advantage of the healing effects that the dual cultivation session had granted him just now and focus on recuperating while he could.

Such injuries would not heal quickly. Just the exhaustion borne from him overdrawing himself would take days to slowly dissipate. If he wanted to fully restore his combat capabilities swiftly, he would require some kind of treasure to be present.

It seemed likely that this place was from the previous era, perhaps a shattered dimensional fragment. It was thus likely that there would be special items here, possibly some treasures, cultivation techniques, or maybe some historical relics or artifacts.

Having just survived a great disaster, Zhao Changhe hoped that a great blessing was to come.

While Zhao Changhe was treating himself, Yue Hongling walked along the lake to observe it. After walking for a long time, she realized that she was not actually walking on the lakeshore, but rather on the shore of a small island in the lake. They were surrounded by water on all sides, and where they were was the only solid ground nearby. The island was so small that she quickly returned to her starting point after a short walk.

Yue Hongling paused at the shore and frowned, looking into the distance. Judging from this situation, they would have great difficulty in finding a way out. On such a small island, forget about food, there might not even be enough grass and wood to use for a fire after a few days.

They had to explore further out.

If the exit was really located on the actual lake shore, it was impossible to predict how far it might be. They did not even know which direction would be the best one to move in. In this vast lake that appeared as large as a sea, how were the two of them to find their way out?

Yue Hongling looked dully toward the distant waters of the lake. There was no wind on the lake; its surface was still, expansive and serene. It was so quiet with the lack of any waves. It made it seem like they were in a dead space of utter silence.

It was indeed a dead space with seemingly nothing within, but his presence by her side made it almost feel like she was home.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, she felt a tightness around her waist as Zhao Changhe’s familiar arms wrapped around her from behind and gently held her.

This was a very familiar feeling. He had once held her just like this back in Yangzhou

At that time, he had told her that he wanted to hug her, even just for a moment.

That had been a confession, and his pursuit of her was clear. It was no longer just a rumor but something that he had openly acknowledged in front of Yangzhou’s finest.

She had resisted a bit back then, but what about now?

Yue Hongling silently realized that she had no desire to pull away at all. The way he held her made her feel his attachment, as well as her own reliance on him.

She slowly relaxed her muscles and leaned softly back against his chest softly, whispering, “How is your recovery?”

Zhao Changhe replied, “Not that great, but I can move around without much problem now.”

Yue Hongling said, “I’m about the same... But the way we are now, it’s difficult to cross this lake or dive deep to look for an exit. Now that survival’s sorted out, how do we get out of here?”

Zhao Changhe responded, “Hmm....”

Yue Hongling said, “You only brought a few days’ worth of provisions. Don’t you think you might die here?”

Zhao Changhe smiled and rested his chin on her shoulder. “I’d be happy to die together with you...”

Yue Hongling said sternly, “Stop that. How many beauties would you be happy to die...”

She stopped talking mid-sentence, feeling that it was very unlike her to be jealous of others.

Zhao Changhe did not answer her and just said, “But I don’t want you to die here. Don’t worry, I don’t think we’ll die that easily.”

Yue Hongling asked, “Why do you think that?”

“It’s simple. If we were really unlucky, we would have fallen directly onto the island and died instantly. If we were terribly unlucky, we would’ve been dropped further away and ended up drowning. How come we fell so close to the island and had a chance to survive?”

Yue Hongling said angrily, “That’s just a coincidence. I thought you actually knew something with how confident you were.”

“When I was most defenseless, I lived thanks to you. As long as you’re by my side, I have confidence.”

Yue Hongling’s heart fluttered slightly, and she turned her head slightly to look at him.

Despite the darkness, she could clearly see the seriousness in Zhao Changhe’s eyes. They looked at each other unblinkingly, and he whispered, “I have liked you since the moment I first laid my eyes on you in the jianghu. They say that you are a lonely wild goose under the setting sun, but to me, you are the eternal moonlight in my heart.”[1]

Yue Hongling’s gaze gradually deepened.

Back in Yangzhou, he was quite frank. Clearly, he wasn’t very adept at pursuing girls back then. He was more like a clumsy bear. So how is he suddenly so good at saying such pleasant words?

“Now that I have finally come to hold the moonlight in my arms, how could I just let it slip away so easily? I am not worried, I just feel at peace.”” Zhao Changhe lowered his head and took the initiative to kiss Yue Hongling’s lips.

However, Yue Hongling withdrew her hand and placed a finger between their lips, then said softly, “Is this really all that’s on your mind in the face of such serious matters? Or is it that you know that we can’t get out, so you just want to indulge yourself a little before facing reality?”

Zhao Changhe said, “Is that really how you see me?”

Yue Hongling said, “I just think you should set your priorities. If you’re truly confident, then I want to hear your judgment, not these fluffy sweet nothings or you taking advantage of the situation.”

Zhao Changhe smiled and said, “Fine, fine, you’re right. Well, first, from the stone formation outside, it’s evident that the barriers are man-made, which shows that someone has been here before. Whether they were from some era past or this era, this at least proves that there is an exit, and that alone is somewhat reassuring.”

“And second?”

“Second, the aura inside this secret realm is leaking out. Master Yuan Xing sensed the unique aura of this place some years ago and judged the aura to bear semblance to the marine clay I absorbed at the Wang Clan not long ago. This means that they can be traced back to a similar origin. What or where exactly this origin is, I don’t know yet, but it at least proves that there’s still something here and whatever is here isn’t depleted. I also suspect that this ‘something’ isn’t too far from an exit, since its aura is able to diffuse and be detected from outside.”

Yue Hongling followed along his thoughts and said, “So, you mean that either we find something extraordinary nearby that might help us recover, or we simply follow its aura to find the exit.”

“Exactly. I’ve absorbed a similar substance before, so I should be more sensitive to its aura. I just can’t sense it right now since I’m too weak. However, I should be able to sense it after I recover a bit. Whether it’s near here or the exit, we have hope. So why worry?”

“...”

“Rather than worrying, I’m more eager to regain some strength. I’m guessing that it’s likely to be underneath the water, not simply around it. Currently, I don’t have the strength to hold my breath long enough. I still need to recover a bit more, and hopefully, it doesn’t take too long.”

Zhao Changhe spoke slowly, his lips lightly touching the finger she held up in front of him.

Yue Hongling withdrew his hand as if she had been struck by a small lightning and scolded him, “If you want to recover, just take some medicine and meditate. Why do you keep flirting with me here?”

“But...” Zhao Changhe leaned down again, slowly moving in to kiss her. “This is also a way to recover, big sister...”

Yue Hongling sighed inwardly. She finally closed her eyes, leaned back in his arms, turned her head toward his, and accepted the kiss.

1. This references “Preface to Poems on the Prince of Teng’s Pavilion” (滕王阁序) by Wang Bo of the Tang Dynasty. The line being referenced: 落霞与孤鹜齐飞 ，秋水共长天一色. My translation of it: “Clouds of sunset fly side by side with the lonely wild goose; autumn waters and the vast sky blend into the same hue.” ☜