Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 275: When the Golden Wind and Jade Dew Meet

The deeper he dived, the greater the water pressure upon him. At the same time, his injuries began to hurt again.

A night’s recovery was ultimately not enough.

However, Zhao Changhe did not give up. He gritted his teeth and continued to dive deeper. As long as his internal circulation could still hold up, he would explore as far as he could.

When he spoke to Yue Hongling, he seemed full of confidence, but that was just to boost her morale, as well as his own. A man in such a situation had to bear the burden. In truth, he was not as certain inside as he appeared on the outside.

When he looked through his bag earlier, there were only two or three pills left for treating internal injuries. He could still take them today, but they would run out by the next day.

It was even worse when it came to the ointment for external injuries. There was barely anything left in the tube he had.

The provisions would last at most two days, which meant that they would be out of food pretty soon.

In other words, they had to find a way out by tomorrow at the latest.

As for dual cultivation... He could not deny that he had thought about it, but there was a significant difference between chasing someone and bedding them. Zhao Changhe was not sure if pushing for that too quickly would make Yue Hongling feel that he was too eager and end up disappointing her.

Moreover, he did not feel it to be right. Should their first time together really be for the sake of dual cultivation?

Could they not have a beautiful, spontaneous union, without any ulterior motives?

Furthermore, dual cultivation did not necessarily mean that their injuries would quickly recover. The basic concept of dual cultivation was the circulation of energy and mutual enhancement of true qi. It was primarily for increasing cultivation, and the recovery effects it presented were only a secondary benefit.

Zhao Changhe, having deeply studied the Pure Bliss Art, knew that even if they did it, it would only be marginally more effective than the energy transfer they had conducted before. When both parties were at their most depleted state, then its effects would be extremely good, allowing for rapid recovery, essentially giving each other a source of vitality. Beyond that, however, its main purpose was truly for long-term mutual cultivation, and its true effects could not be achieved with just one session of intercourse.

Even harvesting techniques did not have such exaggerated effects, let alone the much purer dual cultivation.

Thus, he decided not to think about it. He liked her not just for her body, and he believed that they could overcome this challenge through their efforts.

Gritting his teeth, Zhao Changhe continued to feel his way toward the bottom of the mountain

His wounds began to reopen, and fresh blood began seeping out again.

Unlike yesterday, when the blood drifted away in the lake, this time, the blood slowly drifted toward the underwater mountain, gradually seeping in.

*

Yue Hongling circled the pile of rocks where they had rested several times, pondering to herself as she did.

Outside, there were seven rocks that formed the shape of the Big Dipper. Could there be a similar pattern among these rocks?

She looked around, but she could not see any.

After thinking for a while, she tried to associate the rocks with the Six Stars of the Southern Dipper.[1]

It looked like this was going to prove quite troublesome. There were so many constellations in the sky, and trying to see if any of them fit would take forever.

She needed to select a general range to test first. Yue Hongling pondered for a long time, then suddenly had an idea.

This place was in the north, and despite the sand and stones, the key points were related to water.

The Rocky Mountain I previously stayed at resembles a turtle, while the mountain range resembles a snake.

Should I consider the seven mansions of the Black Tortoise first? I’ll give it a try.

Coincidentally, the Southern Dipper Mansion she had just tried was the first mansion of the Black Tortoise. She then tried the second mansion, the Ox Mansion[2].

It did not match.

She moved on to the third mansion, the Girl Mansion[3].

Suddenly, Yue Hongling had a jolt of excitement. She found that the rocks could possibly match the shape of the Girl Mansion!

This is much trickier compared to the formation outside, though... It seems like every rock can be moved to complete the Girl Mansion, but only one is the correct choice.

But which one is the formation eye?

Yue Hongling carefully examined each rock according to the shape of the Girl Mansion, but she could not find any sign of any of them being the formation eye. It did not even feel like an active formation, it seemed like it was inactive or abandoned.

She hesitated, wondering if she should wait for Zhao Changhe to come back and discuss it with him. But then, her heart suddenly thumped.

The previously inert rocks suddenly had a reaction. In fact, it was not just these rocks, but it felt like the entire island she was on had been activated as if someone had awakened it.

This was the moment when Zhao Changhe’s blood seeped into the mountain.

Yue Hongling, a martial arts expert on the Ranking of Man, might not be an expert when it came to formations, but she was very sensitive to the flow of energy. As soon as the energy reaction happened, she immediately detected the stagnation point of the formation.

It’s Tianjin![4]

Tianjin literally meant the heavenly river crossing—the ford of the Milky Way, the bridge cast across the river of stars.

This is the eye of the formation.

Without hesitation, Yue Hongling ran to the corresponding rock and pushed it with all her strength.

*

Zhao Changhe had dived down to about the halfway point of the underwater mountain. Even the powerful internal circulation capabilities granted to him by the Six Harmonies Art could hardly keep up at this point. He felt like he would drown if he did not head back up.

But just as he was about to turn back, his sharp eyes spotted another pile of disordered rocks on the mountainside.

A jolt of excitement ran through him. Remembering the Big Dipper rock formation back in the outside world, he wondered if there was a corresponding formation here as well.

Summoning his last bit of internal energy, he quickly swam toward the rocks.

He had no expertise in formations, but he had a trick up his sleeve.

In order to teach him how to make the stars in his star chart resonate, Vermillion Bird had taught him a little bit about the constellations. By using the corresponding star chart, he soon found the suspicious points about the rocks before him.

Some of the rocks seemed to form the shape of the Ox Mansion, but it was slightly misaligned.

He could sense the flow of energy, but lacked Yue Hongling’s cultivation and knowledge to detect the specific stagnation points of the energy flow.

But he had another trick.

Having used the marine clay back at the Wang Clan, he had become familiar with its aura. As he approached the rocks, he could clearly feel the familiar aura growing stronger.

He instantly inferred that the rock with the densest aura should be the formation eye.

As his lungs were about to burst, he summoned his last bit of energy and pushed the rock with all his remaining strength.

The rock he moved corresponded to Niandao[5] Niandao—the road for the emperor’s carriage, the road to conquest.

Almost simultaneously, Yue Hongling activated Tianjin, while Zhao Changhe activated Niandao.

The entire mountain shone brightly, with energy surging to the heavens. Both of them experienced a sudden sensation of the world spinning, and they vanished from their original locations.

The emperor’s carriage took him to see the places he conquered, while the Weaver Girl crossed the Milky Way.

The Ox Mansion represented the Cowherd, while the Girl Mansion symbolized the Weaver Girl.[6]

As a ripple traveled across space, the two of them reappeared in an unknown space within the mountain, colliding and rolling to the ground in an embrace.

The ground was soft and bouncy, as if it was made of jelly.

The entire mountain seemed to be empty on the inside, and it was filled with the same kind of marine clay Zhao Changhe had used at the Wang Clan, but here it was more solid and had turned into a jelly-like substance.

At the core of the space, there was a stone emitting a soft, gentle glow floating in mind-air. It radiated an ancient and vast aura, with traces of energy slowly seeping out of it. It appeared that, over time, the accumulated energy had solidified into a jelly-like material.

The two, still in each others’ embrace, rolled several times on the jelly before coming to a stop, with Yue Hongling underneath and Zhao Changhe above. Nearby, the treasure’s gentle glow illuminated the small space like a warm candlelight. The room was filled with the intoxicating fragrance of the natural treasure, making one feel almost dizzy.

Neither of them looked at the treasure. Instead, they gazed into each other’s eyes, their eyes filled with joy.

Even surviving previous ordeals had not brought them as much joy as this moment... This was because they both realized it was their tacit understanding that led to this moment of solving the puzzle and reuniting.

Had there been only one of them, or if either had missed the timing, this treasure hunt would not have been a success. Not only that, but the man stubbornly diving toward the bottom of the lake may have drowned.

All their previous worries dissipated when presented with the immense energy surrounding them.

Humans need food to gain energy, but in this place, the purest innate energy was just free for the taking. Using their cultivation techniques to directly absorb it would allow them to live here without having to eat or drink for a lifetime.

As for healing... Previously, the Wang Clan’s marine clay had enveloped Zhao Changhe and healed his internal injuries. But now, the material here had energy hundreds of times greater than the marine clay. Without even doing anything, they could already feel their injuries healing, with the gentle energy soothing their wounds and providing them with immense comfort.

They stared at each other for an unknown length of time before Yue Hongling softly spoke. “It smells wonderful here.”

Zhao Changhe replied in a whisper, “Not as wonderful as you.”

“I’m smelly.”

“Who said that? I’ll beat them up,” Zhao Changhe said offhandedly, gently brushing her loose hair.

Yue Hongling’s long hair was still flowing freely at this time.

He then caressed her cheek, and touched her exposed arm, which was softer and smoother than jelly, whiter than the treasure.

Yue Hongling allowed him to be frivolous, panting slightly but not resisting.

She already knew that he wanted this, but he did not want it for personal gains or because of the situation they were in. They were alone, and having confirmed their feelings for one another, they could have rightfully engaged in dual cultivation to recover, but he did not want to use that as an excuse to coax her into intimacy. It was as if he had set a hurdle for himself.

She found it kind of silly... but it was the kind of silliness that she liked.

That was the chivalrous tenderness in their hearts, in great contrast to the blissful endeavors of the Maitreya Cult.

But now, there was no need to think about such things. Under the tacit understanding that led them to breaking the formation, just as the fateful meeting between the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, everything seemed like destiny.

When the golden wind and jade dew meet, they surpasses countless earthly encounters.[7]

The two kissed each other again, more passionately than ever before.

Zhao Changhe no longer limited himself to kissing her lips, moving to her cheeks, neck, and slowly further downward.

Yue Hongling, breathing heavily, slightly lifted her body, making it easier for him to undo her clothing.

These clothes are so easy to remove... He must have bought it on purpose...

She felt a coolness on her body as he buried his head downward.

Yue Hongling closed her eyes, holding his head, murmuring, “I knew you never had any good intentions. Now that you got your chance... you’re really impatient.”

Zhao Changhe murmured in response, “If we leave this place, riding through Huangsha, with armies hunting us down, we might not get another chance... If we’re separated by the width of the world, who knows when we’ll meet again. I don’t want to miss this opportunity... “

Yue Hongling did not say anything more, just softly replying, “Mm.”

She was not sure where she would go once they left.

They had no home, the jianghu was their home... It was indeed possible that after parting ways, they would be separated by the width of the world for who knew how long.

In the small space, their breathing grew heavier, and suddenly, a muffled moan echoed.

Outside, it was already dusk again. On the sands of Huangsha, a swordsman led a fine horse, heading toward the vast sunset glow.

1. The Six Stars of the Southern Dipper is considered one of the northern mansions of the Black Tortoise. This is not the same as the Big Dipper. The Southern Dipper Manion’s determinative star is the Phi Sagittarii ☜

2. The determinative star of the Ox Mansion is the Beta Capricorni in Western astronomy. ☜

3. The determinative star of the Girl Mansion is the Epsilon Aquarii in Western astronomy. ☜

4. Also known as Sadr or Sadr, Gamma Cygni is a star in the northern constellation of Cygnus, forming the intersection of an asterism of five stars called the Northern Cross. ☜

5. Just like Sadr, Albireo or Beta Cygni is also a star in the northern constellation Cygnus. ☜

6. This references the romantic Chinese folk tale “The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.” ☜

7. This is a reference to Song Dynasty poet Qin Guan’s “Immortals at Magpie Bridge” (鹊桥仙). ☜