Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 365: Zhao Wangtang

When the Maitreya envoy came again to schedule the time and route for the expedition, Zhao Changhe had already been staying at the mountain stronghold for over half a month.

From the initial fervent worship of him as the saint of the cult, the members of the cult gradually came to avoid him as if he were the plague.

Even Cult Leader Xue had been avoiding him for seven or eight days, and eventually, whenever Zhao Changhe appeared, everyone scattered in all directions, disappearing without a trace.

Everyone in the Blood God Cult who could fight had been thoroughly beaten up by him, whether it be in single combat or in group combat, whether it be normal brawls or complex tactics, barehanded or with weapons.

He had fought everyone and thoroughly practiced everything he needed to.

“Instructor Sun, Instructor Sun...”

“Get lost, I don’t know you.”

For the first time since his early days in Beimang, Zhao Changhe once again experienced a period of extensive practice and reached a point where he was invincible in the mountain stronghold. The difference was that back then, Instructor Sun had watched with hopeful and appreciative eyes as a promising disciple fought his way from a mere novice to the respected Boss Zhao. This time, however, even Instructor Sun would run away at the sight of him from a distance.

“Hey, I’m here to say goodbye, Old Sun! Why are you running?”

Instructor Sun finally stopped and turned to look at his swiftly approaching disciple, who arrived in an instant.

His movement art truly is impressive... It has far surpassed the Blood God Cult’s Traceless Soaring Blood, and it’s unrecognizable from the Water-Treading Art he used before.

As Zhao Changhe came up to him, he discreetly handed Instructor Sun a booklet and a lump of “jelly.”

“What is this?”

“The booklet contains my insights on the Vicious Blood Art and saber arts from the past few days. Please correct me.”

Instructor Sun was not sure how to feel about this. It seemed that Zhao Changhe actually just wanted to teach him without saying it outright, which was why he asked for his “corrections.” Instructor Sun remained expressionless and said, “Fine, I guess I’ll take a look at it for you.”

“Okay.”

“And what’s this lump of jelly? Cult Leader Xue’s guts?”

Zhao Changhe was speechless for a moment. “...This is a special energy crystal that can be used to transform the body. It also has some benefits for the meridians.”

Instructor Sun’s expression changed slightly.

Zhao Changhe lowered his voice. “Don’t let others see it. Just use it quietly yourself.”

“I’m not stupid.” Instructor Sun hesitated but finally asked, “Are you really leaving?”

“Yes, Maitreya is on the move, and so it’s time for me to move as well,” Zhao Changhe replied with a smile. “I really didn’t expect that both times I’d find the most comfortable places for accumulation and reflection would be in the mountain strongholds of the Blood God Cult.”

Instructor Sun said, “The life of a bandit suits you quite well. Have you considered changing the way you speak? You talk too politely now, and it’s made the entire mountain stronghold three times more civilized. It pisses me off.”

“Unfortunately, that isn’t possible. I’m about to meet someone, and if I speak crudely with them, I’ll get myself beaten up. Besides... the rebellious nature of a bandit should lie in their actions, not their words.”

“To be honest, I haven’t seen you act much like a bandit either,” Instructor Sun remarked, feeling a pang of regret for not having the cultural knowledge to quote something interesting like “if life were but a first meeting.”

Zhao Changhe did not continue the conversation. He cupped his fist and bowed deeply. “Take care, Instructor. Until we meet again.”

As he spoke, he gracefully retreated, leaping several zhang back before elegantly turning in mid-air. His toes touched the edge of the fence as he soared away.

Instructor Sun stood with his mouth agape, thinking to himself that just Zhao Changhe’s display of movement arts might be enough to charm any onlookers. He wondered which family’s daughter was going to be in trouble this time.

That kid has really grown up...

He squeezed the jelly-like substance in his hand, his mood suddenly improving. He hummed a little tune as he swaggered back to his room.

*

Zhao Changhe descended the mountain, retrieved Snow-Treading Crow from the stable at the lowest fortress of the mountain stronghold, and then headed straight for Xiangyang.

He did not ride Snow-Treading Crow but rather took it with him on a boat.

I depart from the walled city of Baidi under the multicolored clouds of dawn, sailing downstream to Jiangling a thousand li away.[1]

Floating down this river, this is the perfect setting to quote a famous verse—when else am I supposed to show off?

There were still some days before the agreed-upon date for Maitreya and Cult Leader Xue to launch the attack on Xiangyang. Zhao Changhe was well aware of how they planned to attack and the number of troops.

Calculating the time, he figured he should have enough time to visit Gusu and inform Tang Wanzhuang before the attack began. But before that, he needed to scout Xiangyang. It would be embarrassing to know the enemy’s plans but not the situation of the place he was supposed to defend. Tang Wanzhuang would never let him live that down.

Technically, Xiangyang was still part of the Great Xia, but in reality, things were not quite so.

A long time ago, someone had warned him that many places had begun to act on their own ambitions, and as a suspected prince, his arrival in such places could be dangerous. Whether Xiangyang was one of those places was unclear. Having been away from the political landscape for so long, he had almost lost track of the world’s current power dynamics.

Once he understood the situation in Xiangyang, he could inform Tang Wanzhuang and leave her to deal with the attack. He did not understand the intricacies of strategy and tactics—his expertise lay only in fighting.

However, that was not the case for Tang Wanzhuang.

Even Tang Buqi had studied military strategies from a young age, and Tang Wanzhuang even more so. And beyond them, Huangfu Qing, as the daughter of a general, had studied warfare even more. She was a general’s daughter, meant to wear armor and ride a horse, akin to Mu Guiying or Fan Lihua.[2]

Previously, Tang Wanzhuang had stayed in Jinling to confront Maitreya, but both of them eventually realized that personal standoffs on a battlefield of thousands were utterly foolish, so they tacitly retreated to their respective bases. At that time, Tang Wanzhuang did not have any command over the military. Her personal presence only served to provide some deterrence. Besides that, she could not do much, so she ultimately had no choice but to return to the capital.

This time, heading south once more to oversee operations, it was unclear if she received authorization to command the troops, but if she did receive such authority, that would completely change things.

The situation in Jiangnan was dire. Although the Maitreya Cult had not managed to sweep through Jiangnan as they had initially expected, their actions had still led to the formation of local separatist forces, which were likely giving Tang Wanzhuang a headache. Whether Xia Longyuan weighed in on this was unknown, but it was likely that the fake Xia Longyuan had given Yang Wanzhuang some authority to act.

Of course, there was also the possibility that Tang Wanzhuang had become tired of playing by the rules and decided to take matters into her own hands. With her prestige and the Tang Clan behind her, it would not be difficult for her to seize military power. She could likely rally many of the local militias in Jiangnan under her banner. However, this would border on holding military power independently, and it was uncertain whether the loyal Tang Wanzhuang would actually be willing to do that.

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Xiangyang came into view.

From a distance, Zhao Changhe observed the flags of Xiangyang. At first glance, nothing seemed unusual. The city walls still bore the dragon flag of Great Xia, alongside a command flag with the large character Lu.

He vaguely recalled Lu Wende[3] of Xiangyang... However, the city lord had nothing to do with that character. The city lord of Xiangyang was Lu Shiheng, the Divine Sword of Xiang River, forty-eighth on the Ranking of Man.

This title, similar to Yue Hongling’s Sunset Divine Sword and Chi Li’s Fox Spirit, was bestowed by the Tome of Troubled Times and carried significant prestige.

Anyone with such a prestigious title on the Ranking of Man was no pushover. They were undoubtedly a master who had unlocked the Profound Mysteries.

For that matter, the general from the Maitreya Cult leading the attack on Xiangyang was a rogue ranked just a few places above Lu Shiheng at forty-four—Soul Reaper Yu Cixiu.

Yu Cixiu was not originally a member of the Maitreya Cult. He was a well-known demonic figure in the south who was likely recruited by Maitreya in the past year with promises of wealth and beauties.

I wonder if he adopted a Dharma name, maybe something like Fa Xiu?

Zhao Changhe thought his own made-up Dharma name Fa Dian sounded better.

Along with the support from the Xue Canghai of the Blood God Cult, who was ranked seventy-first but had strength far surpassing that now, this battle would see the convergence of multiple figures on the Ranking of Man. It would certainly be a fierce showdown.

Lost in thought, he had unknowingly reached the city gates with his horse.

The gates were not as tightly closed as they should be during wartime. There was still a steady flow of people entering and exiting. Lu Shiheng probably was not aware that the Maitreya Cult was conspiring with the Blood God Cult to launch a major attack on his city. However, the gate inspections were strict, and the entrance fee was high.

“Stop! What business do you have here?” Several guards pointed their spears at Zhao Changhe. “Your travel permit!”

This time, Zhao Changhe actually had a travel permit. An organization like the Blood God Cult had plenty of fake identities prepared. Cult Leader Xue had at least a hundred ready-to-use travel permits, and he had given Zhao Changhe one.

He obediently took out the permit and handed it over. The guard glanced at it and asked, “A scholar from the capital, traveling south to study? There are still people who think they can travel south to study... Your name is Zhao Wangtang[4]?”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

When Zhao Changhe got the permit, he did not bother to check what name was on it.

Old Xue, the fuck kind of name is this?

The guard extended his hand. “Alright, that will be one tael of silver for entry.”

Zhao Changhe now understood what it meant to be truly robbed.

Bandits could learn a thing or two from officials.

1. This is a line from the poem “The River Journey from Baidi City” (早发白帝城) by Li Bai (李白). ☜

2. These are both heroines in Chinese history. ☜

3. This is a reference to the commander of Xiangyang’s forces in Jin Yong’s Condor Trilogy. ☜

4. This name is written 赵望唐, Zhao (赵) being Zhao Changhe’s surname, Wang (望) meaning to look at or gaze, and Tang (唐) being Tang Wanzhuang’s surname. ☜