Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 200: Just Break It

Now that I think about it, the only impression I really have of Cui Yuanyong is when he challenged Yue Hongling. It may have been a draw, but if we are to split hairs, it was his loss. Both of them were injured, but he was probably a little more injured. Hmm... I really have to thank him for sending Yue Hongling to my stronghold back then. I still remember those days fondly.

At that time, I only had a vague concept of Cui Yuanyong’s strength. I never really got a direct understanding of how strong he actually was or is. But now that I compare him with Situ Xiao, my future brother-in-law is really amazing.

Zhao Changhe knew that although his external arts had a certain toughening effect and his ability to withstand attacks was quite good compared to ordinary people, it was not of this caliber. If he were to try and break down that gate, he would have probably taken some time to do so, and he would have then looked rather pitiful. That was why he had been reluctant to move forward.

But Situ Xiao just casually pushed his way in, as if it was nothing. The obstacle set up by the Wang Clan suddenly turned into a joke.

His ranking as Second Hidden Dragon truly seemed well-deserved.

Zhao Changhe was originally rather unwilling to attend the banquet, but he now felt that making the trip was worthwhile. Was it not the aspiration of a man to see more heroes of the jianghu?

He did not rush to go in. Instead, like the spectators on the street, he enthusiastically found a spot, then poked his head and watched the street, wanting to see who else would come and what they would do.

Xuan Chong really did not know whether to laugh or cry at this moment. “Brother Zhao, brother Zhao?”

“Huh?” Zhao Changhe responded. “I just want to take a look. You can go ahead.”

Xuan Chong shook his head, thinking that this guy was indeed just like an idler in the jianghu... He could not be bothered to stay and watch. The gate was already open, was that not good enough? He would just go in and be done with it rather than wait for the people from the Wang Clan to act stupid again and close the gate. If they closed the gate again, that would be quite annoying to deal with.

Sure enough, as he approached the gate, the guards of the Wang Clan had brought over a new latch and seemed to be about to latch the gate again.

It looked like the new latch was actually made of copper. This was probably because they believed that they had underestimated the heroes with the previous wooden latch.

But as several guards pushed the gate, they discovered that they could not seem to close it no matter how hard they tried. It was as if there was a large stone blocking the gate from closing.

When they went to check, they saw Xuan Chong standing there leisurely, casually keeping the gate open with one hand. He greeted them, “Hello, it’s broad daylight, so why are you closing the gate? You’re making it seem as if we’re coming here to do something illicit.”

The guards pushed and pushed, but Xuan Chong, who appeared to have an average build and not much strength, was able to stop them from closing the gate without even looking like he was exerting much effort. They could not see him straining himself, nor could they see a single drop of sweat on him. Despite their collective effort, they could not make the gate budge at all.

One of the guards apologized and said, “Daoist priest, we are just following orders. Why are you making things difficult for us?”

“Then are you saying that I should make things difficult for myself?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s fine for you to simply enter, Daoist priest. Do you really care that much about others’ affairs...”

Xuan Chong chuckled and said, “I actually do, and I’m afraid that I’m even doing this for your own good... The hidden dragons of the divine land are not all righteous characters. In fact, even that Situ Xiao is quite a sinister character. If one of them were to come after you, I honestly doubt that the Wang Clan would aid you or avenge you.”

“T-they probably wouldn’t do something like that, right? If they did that, they would be offending the Wang Clan...”

Sure enough, several more people came soon after, and they all honestly presented their invitations for verification and entry.

However, none of them even thanked Xuan Chong, who was holding the gate for all of them. They even looked at him as if he was a bit foolish.

“Who are they?” Zhao Changhe asked among the crowd.

“I don’t recognize many of them, but I do know one. He’s the young master of the Dai Clan in the northwest and he’s ranked sixteenth.”

Zhao Changhe nodded and said, “Indeed, not everyone has backbone.”

Meanwhile, one of the guards of the Wang Clan laughed at Xuan Chong and said, “Did you see that? Why are you even blocking the gate for such ungrateful people? Wouldn’t it be better to just leave them be and have them demonstrate their movement arts? Wouldn’t it allow for a grand view of the jianghu?”

Before he could finish speaking, a thin monkey-like figure darted past, and one of the golden nails holding up the plaque above the Wang Clan suddenly disappeared, causing it to tilt to one side.

One of the guards exclaimed, “Who goes there?!”

The thin figure, having already moved like a breeze past the gate, chuckled and said, “As a thief, I’ve got to make sure I can escape. That latch is too big, so I’ve got to steal a nail.”

The crowd was whispering amongst themselves, “Who is the thief?”

“It’s Ji Chengkong. He managed to move up two spots and made it to the bottom of the rankings.”

“Ah... The Tome of Troubled Times was too flashy back then, so I didn’t notice.”

“The Wang Clan thinks so highly of themselves, yet they’re about to lose their plaque... If I were the Wang Clan, I would open the gate wide to welcome the guests. If this continues, I’m afraid they might lose face entirely.”

“If we’re talking about a grand view of the jianghu, it’s how they’re going to slap the Wang Clan’s face, isn’t it?”

“Hehe...”

As people whispered amongst themselves, a fragrant breeze brushed past them.

A slender girl wearing a tiger mask quietly appeared in front of the gate, looking somewhat curious as she observed the stalemate between Xuan Chong and the guards.

The tiger mask was white and so was her attire. She gave off a charming and cute yet eerily mysterious vibe.

Nobody knew where she had come from or how she had appeared.

A name immediately emerged in everyone’s mind: the Sixth Hidden Dragon, White Tiger Saintess Xia Chichi of the Four Idols Cult!

Zhao Changhe could not help but smile wryly.

While others would only think of Vermillion Bird when they saw the Vermillion Bird mask, the same could not be said when they saw the White Tiger mask. Chichi had unfortunately been exposed by the Tome of Troubled Times, making it so that she could not hide her identity at all. Thus, there was not much of a point in wearing the mask, all it really did was conceal her appearance.

The crowd murmured, “She’s here too! How did the Wang Clan manage to send an invitation to the Four Idols Cult?”

The guards looked solemn, ignoring Xuan Chong. A figure who looked to hold some authority stepped forward and addressed Xia Chichi, “If you are truly the White Tiger Saintess, please show your invitation. It’s not that we want to make things difficult for you, but with your mask covering your face, we aren’t able to tell if it’s really you.”

“Really?” Xia Chichi smiled lazily.

With a flash of white, before anyone could react, her slender hand was already gripping the neck of the one who seemed to be the leader of the guards. Her charming voice did not conceal her chilling murderous intent as she said, “How about now, do you believe it’s me?”

The crowd was silent.

Even Zhao Changhe blinked a few times.

From his perspective, Chichi had always been very well-behaved and cute...

As for when she tried to stab him with a dagger? He had already forgotten about it.

Anyway, at this moment, the little witch looked like a little white-clad version of Vermillion Bird. She really embodied the look of a saintess of a demonic cult. She looks quite appetizing indeed...

Sadly, the only one finding her appetizing was Zhao Changhe. Everyone else was terrified, not doubting for a moment that she was truly capable of breaking the captain’s neck where they stood.

The group of guards had no intention of arguing with Xuan Chong anymore. They swarmed out, surrounding Xia Chichi. “Are you here to attend the banquet or cause trouble?”

“Hah...” Xia Chichi chuckled lazily. “I truly wonder if you invited everyone to welcome guests or to show off. If it were not for the formal invitation, wouldn’t it be completely normal for my Four Idols Cult to be killing the dogs of the Wang Clan?”

Following her words, she flicked her slender hand.

The captain was sent flying out like a cannonball. He crashed into the gate and rolled all the way into the courtyard like a gourd.

Xia Chichi strolled forward leisurely. The guards dared not stop her, and they merely watched helplessly as she went through the gate.

Inside, the guards who were holding the copper latch subconsciously stepped back.

The eyes underneath the White Tiger mask darted around. Suddenly, she reached out and the gate latch somehow ended up in her hand. With her slender figure holding the massive latch, there was a charming contrast that added to her allure.

She tilted her head and then suddenly threw the latch toward the street with a flick of her hand. “What’s there to watch?! That latch is made of pure copper. It’s worth quite a bit of money. Take it and buy some drinks.”

As the latch flew through the air, it emitted a roaring sound akin to a tiger’s growl, turning into a streak of golden light as it shot toward the crowd on the street.

In the eyes of the onlookers, it looked as if the latch had transformed into a tiger pouncing at its prey.

Those not in its path wondered if those who were would be able to keep their lives when the latch landed.

As the crowd scrambled to steer clear of the latch’s path, a large hand reached out from among the crowd, deftly catching the latch as if he were patting a small cat.

When the crowd turned to look who it was, they saw Zhao Changhe holding the gate latch. He laughed and scolded her, “I’m just here to watch the fun, you little troublemaker! Why are you ruining the mood?”

The little white tiger tilted her head and smiled. “What’s there to watch?”

Zhao Changhe weighed the latch and said with a smile, “Then I’ll just smash it to pieces.”

Whoosh!

The gate latch flew back, the roar it emitted even fiercer and more intense than before.

If the previous throw resembled a tiger pouncing, then this time it resembled a golden dragon soaring through the nine heavens.

BANG!

The latch crashed heavily into the gate, smashing it apart. Now, the thick wooden gate could no longer be shut.