Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 131: Naturally Talented

“38th? Huh? Why am I 38th?”

Inside the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Zhao Changhe, who had just been showing off his cool personality, sat there and could not help but complain, “Does this damn tome have a grudge against me? Before, when it gave me the 88th place, although it could be understood as ‘goodbye,’[1] it could still also mean great fortunes[2]. What about this new ranking? A friend to women[3]? This is too much!”

Yue Hongling sat next to him expressionlessly and helped him apply medicine to the wound on his chest. Seeing him rambling endlessly, she could not help but knock his head.

Zhao Changhe held his head. “I’m injured, yet you’re still hitting me.”

“What a coincidence, I’m injured too,” Yue Hongling said with an expressionless face. “Explain how you managed to be stabbed in an acupoint without being affected. Did you use the same trick that the celestial maiden did to somehow avoid getting paralyzed?”

Zhao Changhe’s eyes rolled around and he fell silent.

“So you were already in cahoots! Go to hell!” Yue Hongling applied a bit more force to the bandage, causing Zhao Changhe to scream in pain.

“I really have no relations with her! This is a misunderstanding...”

“Then who is it that you have relations to? Tang Buqi’s aunt? Is that why you call him eldest nephew so affectionately all the time!”

Zhao Changhe: “???”

Yue Hongling felt like she had said too much. Why did I say all that...

She turned her head angrily. “What did you whisper to Wan Dongliu in private? I was far away and couldn’t hear it clearly. Tell me now.”

Zhao Changhe glanced around and then lowered his voice to a whisper again, “He should be a member of the Four Idols Cult, and a high-ranking one at that. He should be of the Southern Seven Mansions[4] of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, more specifically the mansion of Zhen. However, I have no idea if his father is aware of this...”

Yue Hongling was stunned and her eyes widened. “In other words, he’s not from the Maitreya Cult, but rather a high-ranking member of the Four Idols Cult? In the end, he is still someone from a demonic cult who wants to rebel? Then the Cao Gang...”

“Yes... The Four Idols Cult’s reach is much deeper than Maitreya Cult’s. Even if the Maitreya Cult did make a bigger fuss first, it feels as if they were merely paving the way for the king.”

“Why didn’t you expose him then?”

Zhao Changhe cleared his throat and fell silent.

Yue Hongling understood and squinted at him. “So Xia Chichi wants to rebel, and you support her, is that it? Are you going to wear a mask yourself tomorrow too?”

Zhao Changhe smiled and said, “That won’t be necessary.”

Though it would be fun if Chichi wore a mask to play with me...

Yue Hongling sneered. “No wonder that when he framed the northern barbarians, from all the targets he could’ve picked, he chose someone as tough as you. It seems that he thought of you as a traitor to his cult, so it would be a good thing to kill you, right?”

“Ummm...”

“So you thought it was just a misunderstanding and you could not bring yourself to kill him?”

“Well, it was indeed pretty much a misunderstanding. After all, I’m fine. Besides...” Zhao Changhe sighed. “If I really killed him, we would not be able to leave Yangzhou. Anyway, I almost gutted him and he’ll be bedridden for at least a few months. I’ve already vented my frustration, and that’s enough for me.”

Yue Hongling drifted off into thought for a while, connecting some of the details together.

Wan Dongliu had clearly intended to kill Zhao Changhe before, but the way he tried to hit an acupoint this time was a deliberate act of mercy. He likely did this because Zhao Changhe decided not to publicize his secret, making Wan Dongliu realize that he may have misunderstood the relations between Zhao Changhe and the Four Idols Cult. As such, he held back, and later even stopped others from attacking Zhao Changhe. It was as if he understood that he had targeted the wrong person and deserved to be punished.

These two seemingly rough and bold men of the jianghu were surprisingly quite sharp-minded, perhaps even more so than many scholars. At this moment, despite having just been in a brutal fight against one another, their understanding of each other might even be better than the understanding between Wan Dongliu and his closest subordinates. They were true comrades, in a sense.

She originally thought that it would be dangerous for them to stay in the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, but now she could be certain that it was as safe as Mount Tai.

The world was truly in chaos, and heroes emerged in large numbers.

She pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

Isn’t this just great? This is the diverse and wonderful jianghu that my heart desires.

Yue Hongling’s tone softened and she said earnestly, “Changhe, you’ve been quick to pick up our sword and saber intents. I don’t understand how you could learn them so quickly. Concepts such as that aren’t something that you can pick up just by watching, you need someone to demonstrate it in detail for you, and even with that, you must still possess exceptional talent and insight to grasp it. I believe that you’re exceptionally talented, but who is teaching you?”

Zhao Changhe could tell Yue Hongling anything except for the matter involving the Heavenly Tome, so he could only say, “Let’s just say that I’m naturally talented.”

Yue Hongling did not press him for answers any further and simply continued, “Regardless of how you learned it, I advise you against trying to learn everything. It is better to specialize in certain areas than spread yourself too thin. After all, some techniques might not suit you. It’s best to only incorporate the aspects that complement your style and integrate them into your own saber art.”

Zhao Changhe nodded in agreement and said, “Indeed. For example, I find Chi Li’s saber intent to be rather unsuitable for me. It’s always a bit awkward no matter how I try to use it. As for the Spring Water Sword Intent, without the corresponding cultivation technique, it’s quite ineffective. I will give them up and focus on just integrating their aspects of softness. What suits my saber art the most is still yours, and I understand it the most. After all, back in the stronghold, you provided me with a lot of guidance...”

Yue Hongling tilted her head slightly. “Now, I can teach you thoroughly if you’d like.”

“It’s fine, I don’t want that.”

“Huh?”

“Even though it’s yours and you have a lot to teach me, I only want to reference it a bit. That’s enough for me. My path has always been that of the wildest saber. Learning too much will only cloud my own path.”

Yue Hongling looked at him steadily, offering a faint smile. “I’m waiting to see what becomes of your saber.”

He had his own firm resolve, and she knew that he did not need to be lectured like a novice.

Yue Hongling stretched lazily and got ready to leave. “Alright then, you take care of your injuries. I’ll just be next door. Call me if you need anything.”

“Big sister Yue,” Zhao Changhe called her with some hesitation.

Yue Hongling turned back to look at him, only to see his awkwardness as he stumbled over his words, “If we dual cultivate, we would be able to speed up our recovery, including the injury on your shoulder. If you also practice a dual cultivation technique, the combined effects will hasten the healing process.”

Yue Hongling’s eyes widened. “Isn’t dual cultivation about the manipulation of internal energy? It can help with the healing of external injuries as well?”

“That should be the case. At the very least, it’s effective in terms of healing through blood circulation.”

Yue Hongling felt a little hesitant.

According to her previous experience, that kind of cultivation indeed did not really involve much intimacy... but it was still dual cultivation, exchanging energy back and forth. Was that really something that normal friends could continuously engage in?

“I’ve noticed that you’ve been stuck at the eighth layer of the Profound Gate for over half a year now. Why has it been so difficult for you to reach the ninth layer? I don’t know the exact reason, but from what I sensed from your true qi previously, it seemed like the lack of yang qi might be one of the reasons. It might not be the reason, but it’s a reason nonetheless. I know that some schools even maintain pure yin or pure yang for their cultivation techniques, but they have other secret methods. However, you’re just an ordinary martial artist. In my opinion, it should be a pretty big factor. Why don’t we try resolving it? “

Yue Hongling could not help but chuckle, “So now you’re the one giving me advice?”

“Does it not make sense?”

“...It does.”

“As long as it makes sense,” Zhao Changhe said seriously. “Why should the jianghu be bound by so many rules? Since you know that practicing that cultivation technique is perfectly normal, is someone as bold and upright as you really going to be afraid of trying it just because of its reputation?”

Yue Hongling slapped the table. “Afraid of what? Tell me what I need to do!”

...You’re supposed to be the older sister between us, but sometimes you act just like a little sister.

Well, she is just a teenage girl at the end of the day.

*

In Wan Dongliu’s room, Tang Buqi was paying a visit to his ill friend.

Well, that was the pretext, but right now, Tang Buqi’s expression was as sour as if he had swallowed a dozen rotten eggs. “Brother Wan, don’t accuse me of lacking propriety for questioning you at a time like this, but I really must ask... Are the things that Zhao Changhe said earlier true or false?”

“They’re true.” Wan Dongliu lay there stiffly, wrapped up in bandages like a mummy. His expression was very calm. As long as the fact that he was affiliated with the Four Idols Cult was not leaked, what Zhao Changhe had revealed earlier did not matter.

Tang Buqi said angrily, “You really made us a part of your schemes?! There’s nothing wrong with wanting to deal with the Maitreya Cult and the northern barbarians, so why couldn’t you just be straightforward about it?”

“I wanted to assassinate the magistrate, and the Cao Gang wants to dominate Yangzhou. Should I have also told you about that?” Wan Dongliu smiled. “Well, I guess I could have told you all this. Perhaps I could have colluded with you, but your aunt would not be fond of such things. Therefore, I don’t believe you would’ve agreed to it either, so why waste the effort? It would only expose our plans, and it would not achieve anything.”

Tang Buqi said with a straight face, “I certainly would not have agreed... and now I know.”

“Then, now you know.” Wan Dongliu still smiled calmly. “The situation is as it is. Yangzhou can’t afford another upheaval. If the Cao Gang acts, even the facade of prosperity will be lost. Do you wonder why Zhao Changhe spared my life? Moreover, on what grounds would you deal with me, the true culprit behind the assassination of the magistrate? I’m afraid that if people were to learn of it, forget about being angry, they might even praise me as a righteous man. If anything, you would be the one to turn into a villain, so why bother?”

Tang Buqi’s expression became very ugly. He really felt like he was not the villain on a theater stage, but the comic relief.

Wan Dongliu said leisurely, “The most surprising thing to me in this matter is how close Zhao Changhe seems to be with your Tang Clan and the Demon Suppression Bureau. Perhaps you hold no suspicions toward him and you think that he was just a temporary ally, but what about Gong Chaoqun? Did he really do all that he did just to give you face? Sorry for being blunt, but I honestly don’t think that you hold that much sway.”

Tang Buqi: “...”

Wan Dongliu could not help but find him rather cute. He smiled and said, “I believe that it’s better for you to ask Zhao Changhe about this than to question me here.”

1. 88th in Chinese sounds like “bye-bye” in English. ☜

2. In Chinese culture, the number 8 is a lucky number. ☜

3. This refers to a single man who has many female friends but no girlfriend. The reason he says this is International Women’s Day, which is on March 8th. ☜

4. The Southern Seven Mansions are the mansions of the Vermillion Bird. ☜