Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 584: We Have a Strategy

Although Lady Three scolded Zhao Changhe, deep down, she knew that Xia Chichi was technically the first to come along. If it was not for Vermillion Bird’s disapproval, the two would have happily married long ago.

This meant that, ultimately, she was the one playing the role of a meddling fox spirit stealing someone else’s man.

The more she thought about how she had just reprimanded Xia Chichi with all that stern authority, the more she dreaded the prospect of her inevitable social death once Xia Chichi eventually found out. And, sure, while Vermillion Bird’s social death might be even more mortifying, but who was really keeping score in such scenarios?

And it’s all because of this stupid pig—stranded on some remote island, talking about sheltering me from the storm, offering me a so-called home.

“It’s all your fault, you stupid pig!” Lady Three fumed, her fists pounding against Zhao Changhe’s chest. “It’s all your fault...”

Forget about a home, she had even lost her father. She had always held out hope for some hidden reason, an explanation for his actions that would justify everything. She had never dared, nor had the energy, to confront it. In the end, she just let things unfold, numb and passive, until it was all finally revealed. Yes, there had been misunderstandings, but there had also truly been coldness and cruelty.

Should she then be grateful or resentful?

Even now, she did not know.

And before she could make up her mind, her father was gone.

He passed with a smile, but Shelly’s heart remained hollow. She kept up the pretense of the serene Venerable Black Tortoise, dealing with his passing seemingly calmly, but in reality, her mind was a mess.

As she angrily pounded Zhao Changhe’s chest, tears began to fall. She placed her head on his shoulder, sobbing softly. “It’s all your fault...”

The grief of losing her father, the loneliness and resentment accumulated for over a decade, finally caught up to her at this moment. It was only when she was alone with the man she cared about that that vulnerability finally surfaced.

Zhao Changhe endured the blows, knowing that even if it hurt like hell, he had to take it.

Having a thirty-year-old expert on the Ranking of Heaven crying in front of you, what did that signify?

He carefully moved his not-yet-healed left arm, wrapping it around Lady Three’s waist, saying nothing to comfort her, just letting her vent until, slowly, the sobs subsided.

After all, she was Venerable Black Tortoise, not some young girl.

She did not cry for long. Eventually, she grew quiet, but she did not lift her head. Instead, she remained nestled against his shoulder, whispering, “You’re not allowed to laugh at me.”

Only then did Zhao Changhe reply, “All I feel is heartache...”

“Cut it out. I don’t need your pity, do I?” Lady Three sniffled, finally pulling away from his shoulder. “Did it hurt when I hit you?”

“I have the Eternal Blood Demon Body. It didn’t hurt.”

“You’re always acting tough.” Lady Three sniffled again, then reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She stood on the tip of her toes, her lips gently meeting his as she whispered softly. “Thank you...”

Zhao Changhe really wanted to say that there was nothing to thank him for, but his lips were still sealed with hers.

Lady Three whispered against his mouth, “I was going to reward you... you could have me right here, against this tree or something. Wouldn’t that be exciting?”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

Lady Three chuckled softly and pushed him away a little. “But I thought that would be too unfair to someone. You’d probably feel conflicted too, so forget it. If she really does end up becoming the cult leader, she might end up banishing me to some faraway land if she finds out.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Lady Three turned around leisurely, pulling her scattered hair into a ponytail while taking in their surroundings.

The energy of the plants and trees here was extraordinarily rich, making the trees lush and verdant. From their previous experience building a cabin, Zhao Changhe could easily throw together a small hut for the three of them once his arm healed.

But the thought of staying here made Lady Three uncomfortable, and she did not want to do so. She asked, “How beneficial is this place to you?”

“For the Rejuvenation Art, extremely so. As for anything else, I’ll have to see after studying the Heavenly Tome. Why? Are you reluctant to stay long?”

“Mm-hm.” Lady Three took a deep breath, her expression serious. “The Sea Emperor’s detonation of the flood dragon body should have destroyed years of his accumulation, but none of us have actually witnessed the process of a god or demon exploding and recovering. If it’s not as weakened as we think and recovers faster than we expect, we’ll regret delaying here, especially if we encounter a nearly-recovered Sea Emperor.”

Zhao Changhe nodded. “You’re right. The idea that the Sea Emperor would become extremely weak was just your... was just the Dragon King’s estimate. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true.”

Lady Three said, “So, seeing as I’m not that injured, once you recover, then the both of us could go and finish the job together. That would probably be the best solution. Chichi still isn’t strong enough at the moment, so she should stay here and continue cultivating.”

Zhao Changhe looked her up and down but said nothing.

Lady Three fumed, “What are you looking at? I’m not trying to ditch her on purpose!”

I never said you were... Zhao Changhe thought. He realized that Lady Three, though uninjured, was suggesting they tackle the Sea Emperor together—a far cry from the independent Venerable Black Tortoise of the past. It was a sign of her acknowledgment of his strength, and also her desire to stay close to him.

Zhao Changhe sighed. “I understand your feelings, but, Lady Three...”

“Yeah?”

“Can we even leave this place? How do we go back to where we came from? Or were you just planning to head west until who knows when?”

Lady Three froze.

Zhao Changhe patted her shoulder sympathetically. “Let’s heal and cultivate for now. Sharpening the axe doesn’t delay the chopping of firewood.”

Lady Three nearly stammered, “C-cultivate? But this is the Azure Dragon’s domain. It has nothing to do with the distorted space we’re in... How long do you think we’ll have to cultivate before we can leave?”

Zhao Changhe waved the Heavenly Tome. “Don’t worry, my lady. Let me study this thing first, and we actually do have a strategy we could—”

Lady Three scoffed and said, “Who’s your lady?”

Zhao Changhe blinked, glancing toward the edge of the forest.

Lady Three, furious, snapped, “It’s me!”

Well, at least her reaction was pretty quick this time... It looks like all of you perform best during these tense situations.

Zhao Changhe sighed and sat cross-legged under a tree. “Then, please, my lady, guard me while I meditate.”

* * *

In reality, there was no need for any guarding to be done. This place was so safe it did not even have wild animals.

If there was any danger, it was Zhao Changhe worrying he might get beaten for provoking the blind woman again. “Hey, blind woman.”

There was no response.

“Stop pretending to be dead. Why did you suppress me so harshly? Aren’t you going to explain yourself?”

“What do you mean?” the blind woman replied bluntly. “As per the rules, you can’t just take a higher ranking. If you’ve got what it takes, then go knock down those ahead of you on the ranking. Don’t come whining to me. And if you keep pestering me, should I add that your grand duel with Venerable Black Tortoise on that remote island, your duel so intense that she even bled all over the ground? I could amend the announcement right now.”

“Don’t, don’t...” Any notion Zhao Changhe had of provoking her got completely suppressed by that remark. He had no choice but to swallow his frustration. “So you’re admitting it now, huh?”

The blind woman let out a dismissive harrumph. The events at sea had been concealed for so long, but as soon as the Heavenly Tome was removed, all the details were clear. It was too obvious, and she knew she could not hide it from Zhao Changhe, so there was no point in hiding it anymore.

The two of them fell silent. Bringing up this topic also meant another thing had come to light: Zhao Changhe really had applied that “skincare ointment” on the blind woman.

Zhao Changhe felt that this revelation was perhaps even more dangerous than his earlier attempts to provoke her. He quickly changed the subject and said, “Since it’s confirmed, there’s something else...”

The blind woman cut him off directly, “I already said, don’t come to me for guidance.”

“And you also said the Tome of Troubled Times had nothing to do with you... Can I really trust anything you say?” Zhao Changhe retorted. “Listen, blind woman, surely you don’t want people finding out—”

“Even if I don’t want people to know, you can’t use that to threaten me. I have far more leverage over you than you over me.”

Hanging out in the modern world had really made her bold. She knew all the comebacks and even preempted his arguments. Zhao Changhe was helpless. “Can’t I just ask you about how to leave this place?”

“No. Whether you live or die has nothing to do with me.” The blind woman’s voice was icy. “The fact that I haven’t killed you myself already showcases how merciful I am...”

Zhao Changhe shifted his approach again. “You said that there are two pages of the Heavenly Tome at sea. Based on what we know now, the other page should be with the Sea Emperor, right? And you want me to get it?”

“Indeed. What are you suggesting?”

“If he has a page of the Heavenly Tome, his recovery can’t be gauged by common sense. We must leave as soon as possible. And even aside from that, I suspect there’s no way to kill him by conventional means. The spirit bag we used to seal Xue Wu and Duoluo’s yin spirits won’t work on him, right?”

“Correct. Without a specialized approach, you can never kill a god or demon of his level.”

“So, how do we deal with him? Can’t you at least give me some advice on that?”

“Didn’t you say my words couldn’t be trusted? Aren’t you worried I’ll lead you into a trap?”

“When it comes to the Heavenly Tome, I trust you’re sincere.”

The blind woman was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. And ultimately, her desire for the other page of the Heavenly Tome made her relent.

“None of you possess the ability to obliterate a soul, so you need a special weapon capable of doing so... and, conveniently, there’s something here that could serve that purpose. You’ll have to find it yourselves, and I won’t be telling you anything else. As for leaving this place, the page of the Heavenly Tome that you have is the key. How long it takes is up to your own comprehension.”