Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 385: Grand Hunt in Jiangnan

Tang Wanzhuang stared straight ahead, but she was not really looking at anyone or anything. Her mind had already entered the illusion created by the Heavenly Tome.

She was expecting the Zhao Changhe in the illusion to extend his tongue, which gave her a sensation that she surprisingly found enjoyable.

However, the Zhao Changhe in the illusion actually never did that. From the beginning to the end, the one who extended his tongue was none other than the real Zhao Changhe right in front of her.

Unaware of this, Zhao Changhe only felt that this so-called master of his, who seemed like she wanted to push him away, was actually becoming more and more compliant. It was as if she was deliberately leading him along.

So as he unhesitatingly enjoyed the kiss, his hands starting to wander. Initially, he only touched her lightly, but seeing that she did not react, his boldness grew, and he began to caress her more boldly.

Baoqin stood at the doorway, her eyes wide in absolute shock.

Miss, are you really planning to carry out such disgraceful acts outside?

At this moment, Tang Wanzhuang had no idea what was happening. She genuinely felt a strong feeling of rejuvenation in her meridians, a sign that Zhao Changhe’s Rejuvenation Art had indeed improved.

Originally, Zhao Changhe would merely passively apply the basic Rejuvenation Art, but now, his newfound understanding of medical theory and pharmacology naturally enhanced his comprehension of healing techniques. His utilization of the Rejuvenation Art thus began to show a proactive and targeted ability to repair the meridians, albeit still very weak. Nonetheless, the feeling was indeed different.

Tang Wanzhuang’s long-neglected lung meridian, now receiving proper treatment, was akin to parched land receiving a nourishing rain. It was precisely because of that that she felt it so starkly. The profound comfort from the healing she was receiving involuntarily made her moan.

Zhao Changhe, startled, stopped in fear. After waiting for a moment and sensing no further reaction, he resumed his wandering hands.

Tang Wanzhuang actually had an excellent figure, it was just that it was usually concealed by her flowing sleeves. At this moment, however, Zhao Changhe discovered that her...

Tang Wanzhuang opened her eyes.

In the next moment, Zhao Changhe felt the world spin, and with a splash, he plunged into the pond by the rockery.

Leaning against the railing, Tang Wanzhuang cursed, “You lecher, go to hell!”

However, Baoqin could not help find herself in complete agreement with Zhao Changhe’s cries from the water: “You were baiting me!”

Although she had not heard the term before, she could understand the gist of it. Her young mistress had clearly been setting a trap.

Tang Wanzhuang stomped back into the room, grumbling, “Using the excuse of treatment to take advantage of me, what a scoundrel!”

Baoqin really could not hold herself back anymore and said, “But miss, you really were the one seducing him.”

“When did he bribe you? Traitor!”

With another splash, there were now two heads poking out of the water. They looked at each other’s drenched faces, both of them expressionless.

Tang Wanzhuang lay in her room, clutching her chest and gasping for breath. After a while, she suddenly realized it. Was everything I saw in the illusion real? Was I actually eagerly waiting for him to... I was twisting my body as he touched me....

Tang Wanzhuang buried her head under the quilt, covered her head with a pillow, and pretended to be dead.

But my condition is genuinely improving.... What should I do tomorrow?

* * *

The next morning.

Ying Five arrived in Xiangyang, eager to discuss the Maitreya secret realm with Zhao Changhe.

A convoy of food and supplies was already on its way, demonstrating their side’s sincerity.

However, despite the life-saving supplies, the top two officials in Xiangyang did not even bother to welcome him. It was Li Sian who came to greet them.

Feeling a bit frustrated, Ying Five asked, “Could it be that getting on the Ranking of Man has gone to his head?”

Li Sian, with his hands in his sleeves, replied, “While making it onto the Ranking of Man might not necessarily inflate his ego, making it inside the Ranking of Earth may just make him feel like he’s on top of the world.”

“?” Ying Five was puzzled. “When did he reach the Ranking of Earth?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“It’s too early,” Ying Five commented. “His meridians are still not even comparable to an average martial artist’s. He’s lacking this hard and set condition. If he fails to fix his meridians, the first layer of the Profound Mysteries will be his limit, and he won’t even be able to touch upon the second layer.”

“Mm-hm.”

As they talked, the two entered the main hall of the prefectural governor’s mansion.

The next moment, Ying Five changed his tune. “You’re right, he actually might do it soon.”

In front of him was the sight of Tang Wanzhuang sitting in the main seat, her face as cold as frost, holding a medical book as she lectured. Zhao Changhe sat below, diligently taking notes.

They appeared proper, serious, and beyond reproach.

However, Ying Five immediately noticed that Tang Wanzhuang’s complexion had a healthy glow, markedly different from the pale and frail appearance she had before.

While an ordinary person might not see the significance of this, Ying Five could hardly be further from an ordinary person, being a figure on the Ranking of Heaven and having reached the third layer of the Profound Mysteries. The results of being nourished through dual cultivation and the faint trace of the Maitreya Cult’s Pure Bliss Art were evident, almost impossible to conceal from his eyes.

Has he already made it inside the Ranking of Earth? Ying Five did not practice any woman-gazing techniques, so he could not really tell, but he thought that perhaps it may have already happened.

In fact, the reason Zhao Changhe and Tang Wanzhuang had refrained from welcoming Ying Five, or any other guests for that matter, was simply that they were too embarrassed to do so. They feared that someone might notice the subtle glances and hints between them, so instead, they held a class inside the main hall to cover it up. However, their attempt at covering things up only made things more obvious.

You claim to be a wise and deep-seated bureau chief, so what the fuck is with this?

“Ah, fifth lord, you’re here?” Zhao Changhe, feeling like he’d found his savior, put down his pen. “Please, have a seat...”

Tang Wanzhuang also gracefully bowed. “It is an honor to have such a distinguished guest. Fifth lord, please forgive us for not welcoming you earlier. Please, have a seat.”

Saying this, she calmly glanced at Zhao Changhe and said, “With a distinguished guest here, today’s lesson will end here. Remember to study diligently...”

Ying Five found it amusing. Your style as a master is just too much... Of course, he did not show his thoughts on his face, maintaining his usual merchant’s smile as he cupped his hand and bowed. “First Seat Tang, you look much better now than when we last met. I’ve brought some herbal medicine for clearing meridians and moisturizing the lungs. Although it might not cure your condition, it should at least provide you with some relief...”

Tang Wanzhuang said, “I appreciate your thoughtfulness, fifth lord.”

And then she said nothing more, leaving Ying Five a bit surprised when he heard Zhao Changhe take over the conversation. “Let her rest. How about you and I go for a walk?”

Ying Five glanced at Tang Wanzhuang. Seeing that she was not reacting, fully leaving Zhao Changhe to handle all the matters of Xiangyang, without even any intention of interfering, he was intrigued. Not only were they clearly involved with each other, but it seemed that they were in quite a passionate affair.

He did not really care about who was in charge. In fact, having Zhao Changhe’s manage things suited his needs better; who had the patience to deal with women’s fussing? So he made a gesture of invitation, and the two of them left the main hall together, heading into the back garden side by side.

Tang Wanzhuang maintained her cool demeanor, but her shoulders suddenly sagged a little. She felt incredibly exhausted.

There’s nothing going on, so why do I feel so tired? It must be his fault.

“Honestly, hearing about the incident at Kunlun was quite unexpected for me.” Ying Five strolled alongside Zhao Changhe in the back garden. “Chen One has been in Kunlun for years, and although it’s known that there are many small secret realms, he never found a single one. You’ve been there for how long, and you found two... You even managed to get the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng you needed and picked up a girl along the way. I heard it was the Fire Serpent of Yi? Impressive...”

One could only wonder how Ying Five would truly feel if he knew that the Fire Serpent of Yi was actually Vermillion Bird. Luckily, the information he received was only about the Fire Serpent of Yi. Zhao Changhe, unaware, replied modestly, “It was just good luck... In fact, Kunlun has an even bigger secret realm, and I’ve already explored it.”

Ying Five’s mouth twitched. “I can guess that there’s a larger secret realm. It must be inside Yuxu Peak... But knowing about it is one thing. Exploring it is another... I wouldn’t dare to venture inside, you know?”

“Well, that was luck as well,” said Zhao Changhe. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask, fifth lord. It did not seem all that relevant before... but now that we’re quite close, I feel that I should ask: how do you acquire these secret realms, and how do you use them? Are you able to combine them? And how can you be sure that they belong to you?”

Ying Five answered all his questions with a simple sentence, “There is a cultivation technique related to space.”

Zhao Changhe felt a stir in his heart as this cultivation technique sounded very advanced. “That cultivation technique, can I...”

“Don’t even think about it.” Ying Five gave a knowing smile. “Do I look like a fool to you? Forget it, go find Wang Daozhong.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

“I’ll try talking to Yuxu about the secret realm at Yuxu Peak... I came here to send you money and food, not to talk about that topic.”

Ying Five sighed, “As for Maitreya, don’t just focus on romance; have you already figured out how you’re going to launch a counterattack?”

Zhao Changhe said, “I received a message this morning by carrier pigeon.”

“From whom?”

“Tang Buqi,” replied Zhao Changhe. “For this counterattack, the commander of the troops will neither be me nor Wanzhuang, but Tang Buqi. Xiangyang only needs to stabilize and coordinate troop movements at the right time.”

Ying Five was stunned speechless for a moment. “So you just focus on romance and do nothing else?”

“...I’m treating her to ensure the combat power of the figure who’s ranked third on the Ranking of Earth.”

“Since I’m here, she can just sleep.”

“You can definitely deal with Maitreya, but what about the heavens?”

Ying Five narrowed his eyes. “So they really appeared? When I heard the reports, I thought it was a mistake... They almost never reveal themselves to the world.”

“They did.”

“Did they intervene to drive Tang Wanzhuang back?”

“Mm-hm...” Zhao Changhe asked, “It sounds like you’re quite familiar with them. Have you fought them before?”

Ying Five raised his head and seemed to fall into thought for some time, as if losing himself in some memories, before saying, “Back then, when my brothers fell one by one, wasn’t it because of them? So what do you think? ”

Zhao Changhe said, “Since you’ve survived their hands, it means they aren’t truly invincible, right?”

“They aren’t unbeatable... Of course, they aren’t all on the same level; some are stronger, some weaker.” Ying Five replied slowly, “If this one only managed to injure Tang Wanzhuang, then it might be possible to fight them.”

“If this god or demon were left to you, then what about Maitreya... Besides, you mentioned that there might be more than one of them.”

Ying Five asked, “How do you plan to arrange this?”

Zhao Changhe calmly said, “We must eliminate them in one blow. Half-measures will only bring us trouble. You, of all people, should understand this better than I do... This is not the time for playing games. Not only do I need to restore Wanzhuang’s combat power, but I also need to visit Hongnong. I want you, the Yang Clan from Hongnong, the Cui Clan from Qinghe, the Four Idols Cult, and the Demon Suppression Bureau to gather from all directions for this grand hunt in Jiangnan.”