Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 597: Qi Observation Technique

At the moment, the biggest problem they were posed with was the lack of air in the secret realm. Since there was no actual air, there obviously was no oxygen; no oxygen meant no fire, and no fire meant no way to brew medicine.

Ultimately, this space was still part of the Sea Emperor’s temple, and it was, in fact, where the power of faith was gathered and consolidated, so Lady Three could not leave. In other words, Zhao Changhe would need to leave temporarily if he wanted to make her medicine.

Zhao Changhe went aboard Tang En’s ship to brew the medicine, and also to gather some additional herbs stored onboard.

This highlighted the importance of having a diverse skill set in a team—how important it was to have a proper tank, DPS, healer, and maybe a mage. If the Fire Serpent of Yi had been present, or even Vermillion Bird, they could have easily lit a fire regardless of the place they were at.

Unfortunately, even though he held the position of Fire Pig of Shi—having “fire” in the actual name of his position—Zhao Changhe did not have any real mastery of the fire element beyond drying his clothes. It was not exactly his fault; his supposed superior, Black Tortoise, had never taught him any fire techniques.

Sitting cross-legged as he brewed the medicine, Zhao Changhe could feel the tension in the air. Tang En and the crew stood by, solemn, barely daring to breathe.

After all, they were in the presence of a godslayer.

“Hey, Old Tang, is it just me, or have the energy fluctuations of you and all your men gotten stronger?” Zhao Changhe asked while tending the fire.

Tang En was confused for a moment. Energy fluctuations? Is that even a thing? Godslayers truly are on a different level.

He scratched his head. “I suppose everyone’s cultivation seems to have improved a bit, especially right after the Sea Emperor fell. There was a release of spirit qi, and we were exposed to it... Uh, was that a bad thing?”

“No, it should be fine. That was just the water-elemental energy he gathered. Since your and your men’s cultivation is water-based, it should be perfect for you.”

Tang En, well-read as always, responded, “So, it’s like how a whale’s death enriches countless lives?”

Zhao Changhe had to admit, the man knew how to choose his words. Even now, he felt the spirit qi in this area of the sea was richer than it had been before.

He had long suspected that the gap between the two eras—the current one and the previous one—was not just a matter of lost teachings. There were likely two main issues.

The first issue was that Heavenly Dao had fallen, and the Heavenly Tome was scattered. The people of this era thus faced much greater difficulty in touching upon and comprehending the rules and laws of the world, forcing them to resort to practicing martial arts of lower level and resulting in almost everyone reaching their limit at the Profound Mysteries Realm. That was also what set him and Xia Longyuan apart after obtaining the Heavenly Tome. Their “teacher” was on a different level altogether. What others saw was only the surface, while the true essence lay in the deeper understanding they were able to gain.

The second issue was that the density of spirit qi in the world had thinned. In the previous era, spirit qi had likely been far richer, while now it was much thinner. Ying Five had once said that collecting all of the secret realms could perhaps help restore the world to a complete state, possibly leading to the resurgence of spirit qi.

Whether or not collecting all of the secret realms could truly achieve that was still unknown, but the fall of a god or demon appeared to genuinely have that effect. Knowing this now, Zhao Changhe knew that he needed to discuss it further with Ying Five. He believed that there was more he could gain from such insights.

There was something else, too—the so-called sensing of energy fluctuations. It was a new skill Zhao Changhe had gained. While researching how to channel the power of faith into Lady Three, he first had to accurately identify the power of faith amidst various other energies. Upon reaching that point, he naturally developed the ability to perceive other energies as well, such as the spirit qi swirling around Tang En and the others. He could roughly gauge their level of cultivation just by observing it.

Of course, this required strong perception and could not be achieved with the naked eye.

Finally, he was gradually approaching that xuanhuan-ish state of being where everyone had their cultivation levels laid bare. To prevent others from sensing your level, you would need some special techniques to conceal your energy.

Actually, Zhao Changhe himself preferred cultivation levels being out in the open. In the past, it had made sense that no one could see others’ cultivation levels, but it also created an environment for assassins and killers, something the Snow-Listening Pavilion took advantage of. They could have someone disguise themself as a humble innkeeper or an old beggar to strike out at their target. While the mystery sounded exciting and romantic when he read about it in books, he found that roaming the jianghu like that was truly exhausting.

Having acquired this ability now, Zhao Changhe felt that dealing with Snow Owl in the future would be much easier.

With that thought, he said to Tang En, “We still need to stay here for some time. Arrange for a ship to be left at my disposal, and the fleet can head to Penglai. After all, we came here for maritime trade. If we return empty-handed, without any deals, I’m afraid that Buqi will kill me.”

Tang En gave an awkward smile. Such a matter might not get him punished by the young master, but considering how many women Zhao Changhe had around him, once this was reported to the young lady... well, someone else might be keen to deal with him.

Zhao Changhe continued, “After you reach Penglai, deliver a few messages to Hai Changkong for me.”

Tang En straightened up. “Your Highness, please speak.”

“Tell him we will support him in becoming the King of Penglai. Lady Three has no intention of competing with him. Our goals are entirely different, and he can rest assured that we won’t interfere with his. In terms of commerce, we hope he will establish stable trade relations with the Great Xia Empire. As for the long-forgotten hatred for his nation’s downfall, it’s time to let that go. Oh, tell them to cut ties with the Wang Clan as well.”

Tang En wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Should I deliver it exactly like that?”

“Just be direct with him,” said Zhao Changhe with a smile. “Hai Changkong is a straightforward man. There’s no need to be subtle with him. He should also be aware that the Wang Clan doesn’t have many days left. Also, if the Tang Clan wants to do some private trading of its own, feel free to negotiate that privately.”

Tang En was overjoyed. This was, in essence, using the public cause to benefit the Tang Clan privately. Hai Changkong would see it as part of the bigger picture, but negotiating personally with someone representing the Tang Clan? That would convey an entirely different attitude.

Zhao Changhe added, “Second, have him help with something. It will basically be what Hai Pinglan did before for the Sea Emperor: establish a temple to worship the Sea God. Only this time, replace the Sea God’s image with that of Lady Three. Ideally, this should be done across all the nations of the Eastern Sea.”

Tang En hesitated, “Will he agree to that? That will require considerable effort and dedication.”

Zhao Changhe replied, “He should be. The people of the sea need such a god. Whether it’s about real miracles or merely psychological comfort, the need is there. Tell him that if he doesn’t guide the people’s faith toward Lady Three, then another Sea Emperor could emerge in time. Do you think he’d rather see that happen?”

“Understood,” Tang En replied. “This seems quite important. Are you truly fine with not being the one to discuss it with him in person, Your Highness?”

As they spoke, the scent of medicinal herbs filled the air, and the fire in the pot slowly died down.

Zhao Changhe wrapped his hands in true qi, grabbed the pot with no concern for the temperature, and dashed off. “I’m busy. I need to feed the medicine to their revered Sea God.”

Tang En watched Zhao Changhe disappear into the vortex, thinking to himself, You fed the young lady medicine just like this, didn’t you? You just said the new Sea God should look like Lady Three’s image, but who’s to tell who’s really in charge? It honestly seems like you’re more intent on replacing the gods and demons than just slaying them. Suddenly, even the young lady’s status seems lacking.

Zhao Changhe, unaware of Tang En’s inner thoughts, hurried down into the secret realm with the medicine pot. Xia Chichi was meditating, and Lady Three still lay on the water bed, with the Heavenly Tome covering her face, unchanged from before.

Zhao Changhe carefully lifted the Heavenly Tome to reveal Lady Three’s sparkling eyes.

“You’re not asleep?”

“I was waiting for you.”

“...Then why leave the tome on your face? You could have studied it instead.”

“You know, when you lifted it just now, didn’t it feel like unveiling a bride? Once I thought of that, I didn’t want to touch it myself. I just waited for you to do it. Hehe.”

Xia Chichi opened her eyes in exasperation and glanced around as if looking for something to throw at her. But despite the vastness of the secret realm, there was nothing to throw to be found.

How did a venerable of the Four Idols Cult end up like this? At least Venerable Vermillion Bird still maintains her dignity.

Zhao Changhe felt the killing intent behind him, making his hair stand on end. He coughed awkwardly and asked, “So, have you made progress with studying the tome?”

“Yes, I’ve been using it. Haven’t you noticed how much better I look? Don’t I look rosy and radiant?”

“No, you look pale as paper,” Zhao Changhe said flatly. “Do you have some misunderstanding about your own complexion? The medicine’s ready. Drink it, and I’ll continue treating your injuries.”

“Feed me~”

Smack!

Xia Chichi, unable to bear it any longer, pulled something from her ring and hurled it over.

Zhao Changhe, worried she had not controlled her strength, caught it mid-air—only to discover it was a piece of candy.

Lady Three was stunned. “I never thought you were the type to secretly stash candy for yourself. Aren’t you supposed to be the cool, aloof type? If the cult members find out...”

Xia Chichi almost laughed from sheer frustration. “If the cult members knew what their Venerable Black Tortoise was like, it would be much worse! They’d probably throw themselves into the river!”

“Who are they to define me?” she said, self-righteously. “Our rules mainly apply to the saintess, not the venerables.”

Xia Chichi reached for her sword.

“Ahem.” Zhao Changhe hurried to mediate. “Chichi was just worried the medicine would taste bitter, so she prepared some sweets for you in advance. Come on, drink the medicine.”

Lady Three leaned forward, her mouth open. “Ah~”

Xia Chichi’s eyes gleamed, and she stepped forward with a smile. “Changhe must be tired from brewing the medicine. As the junior, it’s my duty to serve the senior. Let me be the one to feed you.”

Lady Three was dumbfounded. “Huh?”

Zhao Changhe certainly was not going to argue with Xia Chichi about feeding another woman, so he obediently let her take the medicine. Xia Chichi sat beside the bed, scooping up a spoonful of medicine. “Ah~”

“Ah, my foot!” Lady Three cried out in frustration.

Zhao Changhe sighed, grabbing the page of the Heavenly Tome and sitting off to the side, watching Xia Chichi feed Lady Three medicine. As he watched Xia Chichi, something started to feel off.

There was a faint draconic qi around Chichi.

Is that really dragon qi? It has to be. I mean, it’s even almost taken the shape of a dragon.

Is it a result of some lingering influence of the Azure Dragon, or is it a continuation of the flying dragon in the sky phenomenon from earlier? Or could it be related to the forces between man and the world?

If it’s the latter, then with Xia Longyuan still alive, it doesn’t make much sense for Chichi’s dragon qi to be this strong...