Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 430: You Must Have Some Unspoken Issue

For the first time, Ying Five has absolutely no leads on something. The archives at the headquarters had been searched for days, and nothing was found. Of course, it might just be that not enough time had passed—after all, it had only been a few days. However, Ying Five already had a hunch that this time, there truly might be nothing to be found. Usually, even for obscure things, they would have a vague sense of recognition or familiarity toward them, but this time, there was none.

After all, they were the Mounted Brigand Brotherhood, not the Omniscient Keepers of All Rare Items. Even the secret realms they had uncovered were but a small part of the existent ones. How could they know everything?

Since there was no lead on the Night Flowing Sand, Lady Three had no reason to stay and wait around. As Venerable Black Tortoise, she certainly had other things to do.

For example, heading back to Huangsha Market to sleep.

Being the leader of Huangsha Market now, life was comfortable. She even received gifts and tributes from Batu, the fresh King of Monan.

There was even something that Lady Three had not shared with everyone. When Batu’s envoys came to Huangsha Market, they addressed her as godmother.

Her status had inexplicably risen. Initially, she was both proud and puzzled. After thinking it over countless times, she finally figured out that Batu considered Zhao Changhe his godfather.

She could not understand why Batu had such respect for Zhao Changhe. This was something she did not dare tell anyone. She had come here to enjoy the show, not become the show.

Since there was not much point in teaching Zhao Changhe at the moment, she simply decided to leave. Without Night Flowing Sand, her knowledge of forging techniques was useless. She could just come back when they found clues of the Night Flowing Sand.

Zhao Changhe, hearing that Venerable Black Tortoise had come and been scared away, went to find her at her guest courtyard and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Lady Three had kept her tortoise mask on. “I don’t know how to forge swords.”

“?”

“Oh, I meant that there’s no lead on the Night Flowing Sand.”

“I didn’t ask you about that...”

“You told Vermillion Bird, which means you told me. If Vermillion Bird is looking for it, then I’m looking for it too. Wait, why should I care about what she’s looking for...”

Zhao Changhe rolled his eyes.

Lady Three continued, “Anyway, we found nothing about the Night Flowing Sand. Since we have no idea where it can be found at the moment, there’s no hurry to learn sword-forging techniques from me, and thus, there’s no need for you to consult me. I’m leaving.”

With that, she grabbed her things and prepared to leave.

Zhao Changhe was exasperated. “Hey, why are you in such a hurry to leave?”

“Who’s in a hurry? Don’t slander me with your nonsense. I’m calm and composed, steady as a mountain.”

“Yes, yes.” Zhao Changhe cupped his hand with a sly grin. “I wasn’t planning on learning how to forge a sword right now anyway. Besides the Night Flowing Sand, more importantly, I haven’t grasped the basics of the will of the stars. Learning forging techniques right now would be meaningless. Actually, if you’re willing, you could just lend me a forging manual. You learned it from a manual yourself, right? It’s not something you figured out on your own, so do I really need you to teach it to me personally?”

“Oh, right, there’s that option as well.” Lady Three finally relaxed. She lazily smoothed her hair and said, “See? I told you I’m calm and composed.”

“Hey, Lady Three...”

“Call me Venerable Black Tortoise.” Lady Three gestured at her mask. “Here, I’m wearing the mask, so don’t go around calling me anything else.”

Zhao Changhe sighed. “I was going to suggest you remove the mask for a chat. We know each other so well by now, so why keep it on?”

In truth, Lady Three’s demeanor was lazy and seductive, a bit like the flirtatious vibe of a tavern owner, which Zhao Changhe found quite pleasing to the eye. For instance, the hair-smoothing gesture just now—it was such a simple move, yet it made waves in his heart. With that mask on, though, it ruined the whole vibe.

As far as masks went, Vermillion Bird’s was the most appealing. Her mask that covered half her face yet revealed her crimson lips could almost pass as a sultry outfit, adding a layer of allure. On the other hand, Black Tortoise’s mask was too solemn, while Chichi’s tiger mask had a sort of goofy charm. Unfortunately, imagining Vermillion Bird in any seductive context was out of the question for him—he simply felt her to be too dangerous.

“I’m not taking it off.” Lady Three had no idea what was running through his mind. She rolled her eyes and said, “I’m about to leave. Why should I bother taking off my mask for a chat? Are you that bored?”

“I just wanted to catch up on Batu’s situation in Monan. How is he doing?”

Hearing him bring up that topic instantly soured her mood. Annoyed, she said, “Batu has gained quite a lot from Hu Lie. He might even make a breakthrough into the Profound Mysteries soon. You better not underestimate him, or you may end up regretting it. If he really manages to break through, he might be the first person in history to reach the Profound Mysteries while still on the ranking of Hidden Dragons. And his ranking isn’t even that high—what a cunning dog.”

“I’ve never underestimated him. Just because he’s huge and looks like a dumbass doesn’t mean that he isn’t dangerous.” Zhao Changhe laughed. “But once he breaks through to the Profound Mysteries, it will be impossible for him to hide. The next time someone on the Ranking of Man dies, there’s no way that he would be overlooked for the ranking. The Tome of Troubled Times isn’t blind... Uh...”

Lady Three replied, “With all the resources he has now and his elevated status, he might even surpass you and break through to the second layer of the Profound Mysteries before you.”

With that, she scrutinized Zhao Changhe for a good while. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she reached out and placed her hand on his wrist, checking his pulse. Her gaze shifted, a little odd. “You know, people say you’re quite the womanizer.”

“Hmm? Who knows me so we—I mean, who the hell is slandering me like that?”

Lady Three ignored this and pondered, “Your meridians are still in pretty rough shape. Honestly, they’re even worse than a regular martial artist who’s been training since childhood. Among those on the Rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Man, your meridians are definitely the worst.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

“Dual cultivation can’t completely fix your meridian issues, but it can improve them over time. But your meridians... haven’t improved at all. You’re just the same as when I first met you. Do you even know how to dual cultivate?”

Zhao Changhe opened his mouth but no words came out.

Heaven knows, ever since that time with Yue Hongling, he had not practiced dual cultivation with anyone else... Huangfu Qing, for some reason refused to, and with Tang Wanzhuang, it had never gone beyond teasing.

Lady Three remarked, “A normal guy, with dual cultivation techniques in hand, a serious meridian problem to fix, and with willing ladies by his side, would be dual cultivating at every opportunity, just like Maitreya did. With this being Maitreya’s old base, there are even items that help with such cultivation at every corner. You haven’t even bothered to look for the cult’s techniques to further your understanding of dual cultivation. What’s wrong with you? Do you even want to break through to the second layer of the Profound Mysteries?”

Zhao Changhe hung his head in silence.

Lady Three suddenly let out a breath, whatever slight nerves she had now completely gone. She boldly patted his shoulder. “You must have some unspoken issue, huh? You act like a playboy, but it’s all just for show, right? You only dare to kiss, nothing else. And in the end, they think you’re being respectful, and it makes their hearts flutter...”

Zhao Changhe was on the verge of tears.

Everything else was fine, but attacking Maitreya’s main base and not even bothering to search for more complete techniques was a hard one to justify. Should he tell her he had already filled the gaps with the Heavenly Tome and did not need them?

But then again, while he did not need to look at the Pure Bliss Art, there were plenty of other saber and sword arts worth studying. He could use the time he was recovering to look into them—especially any spiritual secret techniques. Additionally, Maitreya must have had plenty of medicines that assist in cultivation too, like pills to increase internal energy. He could certainly take advantage of those.

Lady Three gave him a pitying look. “You should stop wasting time thinking about Night Flowing Sand, Solaris Nimbus Leaves, or even sword forging. Those things are still far from having to be your main concern. What you should really be concerned about is fixing your meridians and strengthening your body. Otherwise, if Batu overtakes you, you won’t even get to be the father!”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

“Alright, I’m leaving.” Lady Three gave his shoulder one last pat and handed him a sword. “I didn’t teach you how to forge a sword, but I’ll leave this one with you for now. It’s well-suited for you, as long as you don’t let your saber fight with it.”

Zhao Changhe looked down to see the ancient Azure Dragon’s sword, Dragon Emperor.

“This...”

“I asked you before if you wanted to try becoming Venerable Azure Dragon. I’m sure Chichi wouldn’t mind... But even if you don’t take that title, you’re still our Fire Pig of Shi, so you qualify to borrow the sacred sword. You can use it until you forge your Night Emperor sword. Once you’ve forged it, you can return this one.”

Completely at ease now, Lady Three slung her bag over her shoulder and casually strolled off.

Zhao Changhe stood there, staring at Dragon Emperor in his hands. It trembled violently while Dragon Bird in his ring buzzed fiercely. Lady Three had barely been gone for a moment, and his saber and new sword were already on the verge of clashing.

His chest wound still hurt, and he could barely suppress the weapons.

“This tortoise! How could she just leave me without helping? I can’t hold them back...” Zhao Changhe was desperate and shouted, “Master, help me!”

In an instant, Tang Wanzhuang appeared beside him, looking quite pleased.

She had heard that the Black Tortoise had come and rushed over, half-worried that there might be something going on between the two. After eavesdropping for so long, she was relieved to confirm that there was no funny business between them. Compared to that, the fight between the sword and the saber seemed like a minor issue.

With a clang, Dragon Bird flew out of the ring, and Dragon Emperor slipped from Zhao Changhe’s grasp. The sword and saber clashed in mid-air, slashing and parrying on their own.

Sword and saber qi ran rampant, and after just a few exchanges, the entire courtyard was in shambles.

Cold sweat trickled down Tang Wanzhuang’s face.

As the expert ranked third on the Ranking of Earth and the bureau chief of the Demon Suppression Bureau, she was horrified to realize that she could not stop these two weapons from tearing each other and the place apart!

Dragon Bird is usually so well-behaved, and Lady Three handled the ancient sword just fine... How did things get so out of control when the two were brought together?