Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 514: After I Bloom, All Flowers Wither

This was Sisi’s first public appearance before the world and also the Spirit Tribe’s debut on the global stage.

Against the backdrop of decisive warfare, tribal rivalries, and Ranking of Earth assassination attempts, it was evident to the keen observer that she would stir up storms in Miaojiang, becoming a pivotal force... Yet the commentary that followed was strangely out of place—a tender lament, a love poem steeped in melancholy.

As Sisi read the words displayed in the sky, there was not a trace of triumph nor pride in her expression at ascending the Ranking of Man. Her face flushed red to the tips of her ears. What is the tome even saying... He just left, so how could I have already lost weight from missing him? Also, I’m not shy...

People in Yangzhou were equally bewildered, wondering how the events in distant Miaojiang were related to them whatsoever.

Only Yue Hongling, leading her horse under the moonlight, almost stumbled. For the first time, she felt the unsettling impression that beneath the Heavenly Dao, nothing was hidden. It seemed to be tracing all the way back to the entanglements that began in Yangzhou, summarizing their connections until now...

Could it be that even when we were doing that, the Heavenly Dao was watching?

Both the real and the fake Yue Hongling had the same malicious thought: You best hope we don’t reach a high enough level of cultivation, or we’ll poke your heavenly eyes out.

Tang Buqi shouted, “Which bastard swore to me that he wouldn’t involve more people? What is this?”

Smack!

His aunt gave him a whack on the back of his head. “What are you mumbling about? Zhao Changhe is risking his life in Miaojiang, and you’re still doubting him.”

Tang Buqi laughed in exasperation. “Even the Tome of Troubled Times has already said that it’s all thanks to Wang Daozhong. What does it have to do with Zhao Changhe? Aunt, you’re just making things up for him... Risking his life? Was that when he made Xiang Simeng feel like she was in heav—OUCH!”

Tang Wanzhuang retracted her foot, having kicked her nephew aside, and looked up at the last line of the commentary. Her gaze gradually grew misty.

What a beautiful poem.

Dedicated to one’s kin, yet now grown thin. Unbound by propriety, yet now feeling shy.

Does the Heavenly Dao really have a spirit? Who wrote these lines?

Meanwhile, Sisi finally tore her gaze away from the sky, took a deep breath, and whistled again.

An eagle flew by, signaling the army that had been lying in ambush outside the mountain. Troops surged forward, filling the entire mountain.

Pan Wan and the others were taken aback. “Saintess Xiang, you...”

Sisi turned and glanced at them, her usual smiling expression turning cold. “Might makes right, does it not? If the Black Hmong can do it, why can’t the Spirit Tribe?”

Dao Qingfeng spoke up. “Does the Spirit Tribe wish to become an enemy of all the tribes? You don’t seem to be strong enough to take on all of us.”

The cold look on Sisi’s face quickly disappeared, replaced once more by her characteristic smile. “It would be one thing if others said such words, but you, Chief Dao? This is the best opportunity to eradicate the Black Hmong and end your grudge once and for all.”

Dao Qingfeng narrowed his eyes. The White Tribe and the Black Hmong Tribe were indeed long-time enemies. From the start, it was clear that while uniting against the Great Xia was acceptable, allowing the Black Hmong to become the ruler of all Miaojiang was not.

If Miaojiang is destined to have a ruler, then anyone would indeed be better than the Black Hmong. But why can’t we be the ones to rise? We’re no weaker than the Spirit Tribe.

Just as he was having such thoughts, Sisi’s voice floated across the battlefield, seemingly casual yet carrying great weight. “Did everyone see the curse I used just now?”

Dao Qingfeng was startled. “That was...”

“An ancient shamanic technique from the previous era, a secret art that links heaven and man. If everyone works together to eliminate the Black Hmong, I’m willing to share it with everyone. Have you ever wondered why Miaojiang has such few masters in the Profound Mysteries? Perhaps it’s time to reflect on that.”

Before Dao Qingfeng could respond, the leaders of several minor tribes, having heard her offer, were already ecstatic. “Can we trust you?”

Sisi said softly, “Of course.”

“The Black Hmong are unjust! We are willing to pledge our allegiance to the Spirit Tribe as the alliance leader!” the chief of a small tribe shouted passionately. “Follow me to ascend the mountain! Exterminate the Black Hmong!”

Watching as the Spirit Tribe’s forces and members of other tribes surged up Cangshan in a powerful, unified movement, Dao Qingfeng and Pan Wan exchanged a glance. They both knew the Black Hmong were doomed. Not only were the Black Hmong done for, but the entire situation in Miaojiang was now in Sisi’s hands, and no one else could hope to compete.

As they beheld Sisi standing bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, her beauty otherworldly, an identical thought flashed across the minds of both chieftains. She’s clearly an incredibly cunning and ruthless witch. How could the Tome of Troubled Times described her as delicate and tender? Can someone like her even feel shy?

* * *

As the battle raged on Cangshan, fierce combat was in full swing in front of Di Muzhi’s camp.

Li Shentong and Snow Owl had long since moved away from the center of the battlefield, their fight taking them to unknown locations. Both parties seemed to understand that a duel at the forefront risked injuring their own men.

The Divine Brilliance Sect had another figure on the Ranking of Earth, Elder Shi, but he had not appeared this time, likely holding down the fort at their base.

Meanwhile, the long-absent Situ Xiao suddenly reappeared. He seemed almost too embarrassed to greet Zhao Changhe, choosing instead to dive straight into the fray. He took over his master’s place at the forefront of the attack, charging into the enemy lines, with the forces of both sides clashing in a chaotic melee.

Meanwhile, within the camp, the commander of the Shu army found himself caught in a direct confrontation.

Zhao Changhe’s saber danced wildly as he fought Di Muzhi, exchanging over ten moves in an instant, neither side gaining a clear advantage.

Lu Shouyi stood awkwardly on the sidelines. He did not know how to persuade them to stop, nor was he in a position to intervene.

The practical matters he had brought up were only a pretense to shield Di Muzhi, nothing more than a high-sounding excuse. However, the Tome of Troubled Times had absolutely wiped out any chance of using such an excuse. Lei Zhentang had been wounded once more, and Miaojiang was plunged back into chaos. At least in the short term, they would not be able to unite with Li Shentong...

It seems the crown prince will have to decide for himself. Is it even possible to talk of the rules of the imperial court with him? He just does not recognize them in the slightest, even going so far as to call himself a bandit.

Even when I plainly stated that the emperor ordered that Di Muzhi be protected, he still refused to relent. What the fuck can I do now?

Lu Shouyi thought for a moment, then decisively chose to slip away. Whether Zhao Changhe was truly the crown prince or not, there was no reason for him to get involved. If this ultimately threw Shu into chaos, that was the Xia family’s problem, not his—a distant matter for the Lu Clan of Fanyang.

With Lu Shouyi gone, Zhao Changhe felt the pressure lift immediately.

The reason he had been holding back, using only Dragon Bird to fight, was precisely because he sensed that Lu Shouyi’s cultivation was also far from insignificant.

Though Lu Shouyi ranked only toward the lower end of the Ranking of Man, somewhere around sixty, that number could not be taken at face value. Di Muzhi had already reached the second layer of the Profound Mysteries, suggesting that many of these figures on the Ranking of Man who had been there for quite some time had already advanced significantly. Lu Shouyi was very likely near the threshold of the second layer, and his strength was probably comparable to Zhao Changhe’s.

It was already a challenge to fight Di Muzhi amid his circle of personal guards. If someone as formidable as Lu Shouyi joined in, Zhao Changhe would be left hoping for Situ Xiao to break through the camp gate sooner rather than later to rescue him. How embarrassing would that be?

So Zhao Changhe had been concealing his strength, biding his time. He was planning to suddenly surprise Lu Shouyi with his newly developed combination of sword and saber. But then, Lu Shouyi just... left.

Zhao Changhe blinked, looking at Di Muzhi—who had been evenly matching his attacks all along—and grinned.

Di Muzhi understood what Zhao Changhe was smiling about. Who did not hold back at first? Until now, Di Muzhi had been cautious due to Zhao Changhe’s identity, and with Lu Shouyi acting as a mediator, he had not been fighting in earnest either. But now that Lu Shouyi was gone and things had reached this point, it did not matter whether Zhao Changhe was the crown prince or the emperor; killing him would resolve everything!

Simultaneously, both of them decided to unleash their full power.

Zhao Changhe’s arms swelled, his eyes began to turn red, and the strength behind the strikes he launched with Dragon Bird multiplied—more than tenfold compared to before!

Likewise, Di Muzhi’s sword sent gales roaring across the battlefield, changing the entire dynamic of the fight. “They say Zhao Changhe only knows three basic moves, and it seems that’s true... You have yet to reach the second layer of the profound Mysteries. Today, you will die here!”

In an instant, the entire battlefield was engulfed in a storm of killing intent. The sounds of battle, clashing weapons, and howling winds converged into a cacophonous symphony—a demonic melody that pierced the ears. Sword light flashed like lightning, rushing toward Zhao Changhe’s throat.

A master of the second layer of the Profound Mysteries had power such that every motion, every movement, embodied the force of heaven and earth.

Previously, Zhao Changhe had merely sensed their overwhelming power without truly understanding it. But now, he had fully grasped its depth.

With a flick of Dragon Bird, a surge of vicious qi erupted around the battlefield, forming a blood-red barrier that completely dispelled the sonic assault that Di Muzhi had unleashed.

Like a skilled butcher dissecting an ox, Zhao Changhe sliced through it with a single stroke.

At the same time, his saber slashed like lightning along the side of the opponent’s sword, then instantly shifted into a horizontal cut aimed at Di Muzhi’s throat.

As Zhao Changhe pushed forward with his saber, the world fell silent—nature stilled as though nothing else existed but the light of this single strike, emerging from the very act of creation.

Hell on Earth!

Clang!

As the sword and saber clashed, Di Muzhi felt a jolt of terror.

Zhao Changhe clearly had not yet broken through to the second layer of the Profound Mysteries, yet his comprehension, power, speed, technique, and vision all exhibited the complete mastery of someone who had.

He’s just a step away! If he’s able to command the surrounding vicious qi as though he’s moving his own arm... Forget it. What’s the point of thinking about that? There’s no way he’s going to survive this combined assault!

Indeed, Di Muzhi was not dueling Zhao Changhe one-on-one. He was at the second layer of the Profound Mysteries, as well as ranked first on the Ranking of Man, and he was fighting someone ranked thirty-seventh. Yet even then, he did not fight alone.

In the instant their weapons clashed, several long swords formed into the Sword Hut Sword Formation around Zhao Changhe, each aimed at a vital point.

Facing both Di Muzhi and this sword formation simultaneously, it seemed as though he had fallen into an inescapable trap, a death sentence.

But a smile appeared on Zhao Changhe’s face. Just as Dragon Bird clashed with Di Muzhi’s sword, his left hand moved, suddenly bursting forth with sword light.

This was not the sword light of Di Muzhi’s guards, but rather the dazzling gleam of Dragon Emperor.

Swish!

The sword light split into nine, completely different from the brutal force of Dragon Bird. The precise sword qi struck simultaneously at the swords that made up the surrounding formation, each bolt so meticulously targeted that it seemed as if each strike had been executed by another person entirely.

It was One Sword Fells Nine Geese of the Luoxia Mountain Village Sword Formation, the very move that Zhao Changhe used when he first met Yue Hongling.

He even had the extra strength to split off a thread of sword qi to sneakily jab at Di Muzhi’s abdomen.

Di Muzhi’s expression grew graver. He twisted his sword and also threw multiple strikes, attacking Zhao Changhe’s left and right wrists.

Hmph, it’s impossible to coordinate such opposing intents perfectly. There’s bound to be a fatal flaw!

But the saber in Zhao Changhe’s right hand suddenly turned gentle, sweeping across to slash the throat of a guard on his right.

Listening to the Spring Rain in a Little Pavilion at Night.

Meanwhile, the sword in his left hand rose like a tempest, waves crashing onto shore, the surging waves of a raging ocean.

Sea-Suppressing Sword Art!

Clang!

Di Muzhi’s scattered sword light was completely suppressed, while on his right side, blood sprayed out as the guard fell with wide eyes, too shocked to comprehend why someone had died in the middle of a battle where their commander clearly had the upper hand.

Di Muzhi roared in fury, “Zhao Changhe!”

A rush of intense rage filled his heart, and a torrent of vicious qi seemed to overwhelm his mind. His vision turned red, the entire world around him transforming into an expanse of blood.

Di Muzhi realized something was wrong.

Have I fallen into a trap?

From afar, a deep sigh seemed to echo in his ears. “Yes, that’s right. You’re angry, aren’t you? I’m angry, too. The heads of those Xia villagers, the cries of those innocent women... You claim loyalty to the Great Xia? But what is the Great Xia? The Great Xia is the people of the Great Xia.”

Who is spouting this fucking nonsense?

This thought flashed through Di Muzhi’s mind, but the next moment, he found his vision filled with an upturned sky, as if the heavens themselves had been inverted. A headless body was spraying blood skyward, torn apart, dying a brutal, dismembered death. It was an utterly gruesome death to behold.

Bloodied Mountains and Rivers.

“The vicious qi of the battlefield, your rage, your violence, your killing intent... My saber drinks blood, drawing in the malice...

“The so-called mastery is like detaching oneself, looking down from a high vantage point, overlooking all beings as ants.

“How could such a perspective ever be consumed by vicious qi?

“When the eye that gazes behind becomes one that gazes from above... The so-called path to the heavens is truly an inhuman path.”

Zhao Changhe—the second layer of the Profound Mysteries.

He slowly turned his head, the blood-red hue in his eyes fading quickly.

The surrounding guards looked as though they had seen a ghost, turning to flee.

A saber flashed and several heads flew simultaneously, their souls following their prefectural governor to the underworld.

It was only at this moment that the battlefield understood what had happened, and a shout suddenly erupted, “The prefectural governor is dead! The prefectural governor is dead!”

“That bastard is dead! What are we still fighting for then?”

“Turn around and fight them instead!”

“Take down that vanguard general! He’s from the Di Clan! Don’t let him get away!”

Situ Xiao stared dumbfounded as the tens of thousands of troops from Shu fell into chaos, turning against their leaders without a moment’s hesitation.

Zhao Changhe was also looking for the traitorous vanguard general. He had just spotted him attempting to flee on horseback, but before Zhao Changhe could catch up and kill him, a group of disheveled soldiers dragged him off his horse, hacking him into a bloody pulp. “Die, you piece of shit!”

Everyone had gone mad!

Situ Xiao stopped his attack and turned to Zhao Changhe, who looked right back at him.

After a long while, Situ Xiao suddenly smiled. “The resentment of the people of Shu is like a dam that has broken—it will inevitably flood this commandery. I never thought you’d stand on our side... Damn, I’m not as good as you.”

Zhao Changhe gave no response. Holding Di Muzhi’s severed head, he strode forward, hanging it above the camp gate.

From afar, Snow Owl’s deep voice echoed, “Zhao Changhe, I will remember you.”

Zhao Changhe calmly replied, “Good. I will be waiting.”

A golden light flashed in the sky.

In the sixth month, Di Muzhi led his army into Miaojiang. Li Shentong personally led three thousand disciples of the Divine Brilliance Sect, launching a surprise attack on the camp.

Zhao Changhe exposed Snow Owl’s identity. Snow Owl, the master of Snow-Listening Pavilion, appeared before the world for the first time and fought Li Shentong on the banks of the Litang River.

Di Muzhi and his personal guards surrounded Zhao Changhe, but Zhao Changhe used the battle to hone himself, breaking through into the second layer of the Profound Mysteries. He then slew Di Muzhi amidst the encirclement, hanging his head upon the gate of their camp, and annihilating his followers.

Snow Owl fled, Shu’s forces mutinied, and Li Shentong absorbed the remaining soldiers, advancing toward Chengdu. The rebel forces across Shu rose up, responding to the call of the Divine Brilliance Sect. Cities collapsed, officials were executed, and so too were the nobles. The entirety of Shu plunged into chaos.

Zhao Changhe ascends to the top of the Ranking of Man, with no one left to challenge him.

Rank 1: Blood Asura Zhao Changhe!

Waiting for autumn to come on the eighth of the ninth month; after I bloom, all flowers wither![1]

When it came to major events, the Tome of Troubled Times often contained a certain ambiguity in its phrasing, making it difficult to determine its exact meaning.

This line was from a well-known subversive poem and did not necessarily imply anything specific would happen on the eighth of the ninth month.

It seemed to be referring to Li Shentong sparking an upheaval in Shu, with countless heroes rising in response, the anger of the people who had long been suppressed erupting. The bones of nobility were trampled, the flowers in their gardens left to wither.

And it also seemed to hint at Zhao Changhe’s meteoric rise.

In just two years, he had reached the top of the Ranking of Man. Like a young dragon soaring over the world, his vibrance caused all other flowers to pale in comparison, all opposition falling silent.

[END OF FIFTH ARC]

1. This is a line from “Composing Chrysanthemums After Failing the Imperial Examination” (不第后赋菊) by Huang Chao (黄巢). ☜