Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 103: Spring Water Sword Art

Zhao Changhe hesitated for a while. He had originally planned to leave Sword Lake City today, but after thinking about it, he decided to visit the brothel and find Tang Wanzhuang first.

Well, he was already a familiar face at the brothel now. The gatekeeper in the rear courtyard recognized him and let him in without even questioning him when they saw him coming.

“Is... First Seat Tang still here?”

The gatekeeper said, “I heard that she is preparing to leave today, so you came at just the right time.”

Zhao Changhe could not help but feel strange when looking for someone he was familiar with in a brothel... Does she really not care about what others might think of her when she’s staying at such a place?

When he arrived at the bamboo building, the burly men around him glanced at each other but ultimately did not stop him. Zhao Changhe walked upstairs directly.

Tang Wanzhuang was still writing something at her desk. Beside her, her maid was busy packing and tidying up, clearly preparing for their departure.

When Zhao Changhe appeared at the door, the maid, who was holding a guqin, turned around in surprise. “You, you, you... Why are you here?”

As she spoke, her face turned a little red and she muttered, “Wandering rascal.”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

So you really were monitoring my inn, huh?

Tang Wanzhuang put down her brush and said, “Don’t bother listening to her words, all we know is that Xia Chichi left your inn in the middle of the night. She was just making all kinds of guesses herself.”

Zhao Changhe glanced at the maid and said, “She made all kinds of guesses, but what about you?”

Tang Wanzhuang replied, “You two used to share a room for such a long time... What’s weird about her coming out of your room? There’s nothing worth guessing about.”

“Are you choosing not to interfere anymore?”

“It’s pointless,” Tang Wanzhuang said, signaling that she did not want to continue discussing this topic. She then asked, “I thought that you were going to leave today. What brings you here?”

Zhao Changhe cupped his fist and said, “You’re ranked third on the Ranking of Earth. This means that you are incredibly strong. I’ve come to ask for guidance.”

Tang Wanzhuang was momentarily taken aback.

Actually, she had considered giving Zhao Changhe some pointers before, but she had retracted that idea. The ways of the imperial court were different from those of the jianghu. While Yue Hongling could teach Zhao Changhe however she pleased, if she did the same, it might be seen as her overstepping her boundaries and attempting to become an imperial tutor, and that could lead to trouble.

She had not detected any intention from Zhao Changhe to seek her guidance in the past, and she interpreted it as him not wanting the relationship between them to deepen. He probably did not want to owe her a favor for teaching him. Because of that, today’s visit was... rather unexpected.

From the look on her face, Zhao Changhe could tell that she had somehow misunderstood him. He said helplessly, “First Seat Tang, I am merely saying this from the standpoint of a traveler of the jianghu. I only want to compare our martial arts to see how strong the person ranked third on Ranking of Earth is and understand just how big the gap between us is. If you find it meaningless, then you can call out Brother Wu Weiyang. He might not have appeared on the Tome of Troubled Times, but his strength should also be close to the top of the Ranking of Earth. I would be grateful if you let him spar with me.”

Tang Wanzhuang looked at him for a while, nodded, and suddenly extended her index finger like a sword, pointing it straight at Zhao Changhe’s throat.

Zhao Changhe felt that he had never had such a strange fight since he began practicing martial arts. Her jade-like finger appeared slow, and its trajectory seemed clear. However, when he instinctively tried to dodge, he found himself too slow by several beats, and the finger was already pressed against his throat.

If someone were to see them right now, they would probably think that it was her who had attacked him out of nowhere and Zhao Changhe had just been caught by complete surprise.

Zhao Changhe exclaimed, “What was that? Domain? Aura?”

Tang Wanzhuang said slowly, “No, to be honest, it’s nothing special. Just a word of caution: do not trust your eyes and ears too much. Sound and sight can be used to deceive you.”

She cleared her throat again, then continued speaking with a slightly softer voice, “What you need is a real fight, not a sparring session. Even if sparring with Han Wubing felt dull to you, suddenly coming here to have a spar does not make any sense. It is simply unreasonable. There must be another reason for you to come here. You might as well speak openly. I will try my best to help you if it’s within my capabilities.”

This woman is so smart... Zhao Changhe decided to be frank and said, “It’s just that I feel like I’ve hit a bottleneck with no one to guide me.”

Tang Wanzhuang pondered for a moment and said, “I’ve inquired about your battle with the Vice Branch Master Huang of Beimang, when you first appeared on the Tome of Troubled Times. Don’t look so surprised, the Demon Suppression Bureau obviously has some people within the ranks of the Blood God Cult. We have a lot of information on the things that you did during your time in Beimang, including various reliable and unreliable rumors... For example, the stronghold mistress actually being Yue Hongling.”

Zhao Changhe sighed and said, “Fine.”

“In your battle with Vice Branch Master Huang, you used some clever moves. At that time, it may have been a cunning move born out of necessity due to your insufficient strength. As your strength improved, you became more fond of heavy blades and the domineering style of relying on overwhelming power. Since then, you have stopped using those clever moves, right?”

“I can still shave my beard using a broad saber!” rebutted Zhao Changhe.

Tang Wanzhuang shook her head. “That is not the same thing as using those clever moves in actual combat. You know that very well.”

Zhao Changhe relented and sighed. “So, you’re saying that a balance between soft and hard is the way to go?”

“I know you like the feeling of overwhelming power, and your personal nature won’t change, nor should it. However, you must understand the principle that extreme hardness will lead to brittleness, and it is also difficult to maintain for extended periods of time,” explained Tang Wanzhuang. “The concept of balancing softness and hardness can be interpreted in many ways. Even if you pursue a path of extreme hardness, it does not mean that you cannot incorporate any softness into your moves.”

Zhao Changhe responded, “What you’re saying honestly sounds a bit too profound for me...”

Tang Wanzhuang continued, “Think of it like a river breaking its banks. This is naturally due to the overwhelming pressure behind its flow. However, the river itself is still water, and no matter what kind of blade or weapon tries to block it, it’s pointless because it’s unstoppable.”

Zhao Changhe felt as if he had gained some valuable insight.

Tang Wanzhuang said, “This is just an ordinary exchange of martial arts knowledge. I have not really taught you anything.”

Zhao Changhe chuckled and said, “I understand.”

Tang Wanzhuang tilted her head and thought for a while, then suddenly said, “If I were to suggest that you read, write, play music, and paint, would you find it strange?”

After pondering for a while, Zhao Changhe replied, “It might be the right suggestion, but now might not be the right time for it... Someday, I will heed your advice on that.”

Tang Wanzhuang nodded slightly and said nothing more.

Zhao Changhe’s talent and insight were among the best in the world. Otherwise, how could he have achieved his reputation today without a renowned teacher or top-notch martial arts techniques? She had only given him a slight nudge, yet he had already found his way.

Zhao Changhe was just about to take his leave, but he realized that it would seem strange to come all this way just to exchange a few words and then leave. And so, he changed the topic and asked, “What’s the situation with the Maitreya Cult?”

This was his way of proactively finding something to do, as well as hinting at what he wanted as his next mission.

He had noted down the Maitreya Cult’s desire to kill Chichi, and it seemed like a suitable mission for him. After all, it aligned with Tang Wanzhuang’s previous directive of dealing with demonic cults.

Tang Wanzhuang said, “Most of the demonic cults propagate twisted and evil doctrines to deceive people. Among them, the Four Idols Cult, the Blood God Cult, and similar cults truly believe in gods, with their goals oriented toward the descent of divine beings and a return to ancient heavens. On the other hand, there are also cults like the Maitreya Cult, which merely use the identity of a cult as a guise. They are often involved in swindling, amassing wealth, or engaging in immoral activities. While both eventually lead to rebellion and chaos, there might be a difference between them in your perspective.”

“Indeed, there is,” Zhao Changhe nodded and said. “I have never heard of the Maitreya Cult during my time in Beimang, nor have I heard of them in Hebei... Was it because I had not been in those places for long enough? Where do they mainly conduct their operations?”

Tang Wanzhuang replied, “Jiangnan.”

Zhao Changhe nodded and said, “In that case, I will be heading to Jiangnan next. I had no involvement with them during the battle at the sword lake, so they probably did not take note of me, right?”

“They probably didn't,” Tang Wanzhuang assured him.

“Great, I've been wanting to see the sights of Jiangnan for a while,” Zhao Changhe remarked.

Tang Wanzhuang said, “You have the Demon Suppression Bureau token with you. If you ever find yourself unable to handle the situation, remember to use it. Also, the Tang Clan is in Gusu.”

Zhao Changhe glanced at her and suddenly smiled, saying, “Hm... Then it must not be a backwater place. After all, it was able to nurture a beauty like you.”

With that, he turned and began heading off, saying, “Farewell.”

Tang Wanzhuang watched Zhao Changhe leave and did not say anything. The maid, still holding the guqin, chuckled and said, “Young miss, his last words... Do you think he was trying to flirt with you?”

“He wasn't,” Tang Wanzhuang smiled slightly. “He's just trying to live a little more freely.”

Meanwhile, back at the inn, Zhao Changhe took out the gold foil. He had sought guidance from Tang Wanzhuang to test this item out.

Sure enough, the gold foil began to repeatedly replay the moment when Tang Wanzhuang pointed her finger at him. This confirmed that the item could record and replay scenes in real-time. He did not need to wait until the next day to see the scenes. However, with the emergence of this new recording, his previous duel with Han Wubing occurred much less frequently, only occasionally appearing.

It seems that this item isn't able to store the scenes for too long. I will need to digest what I can quickly, or else the new recordings will overwrite the old ones.

As for that finger...

In this slow-motion replay, my movement appears to be as slow as a turtle's crawl, while Tang Wanzhuang's pointed finger still moves at a normal speed. By comparison, it is clear that her movement was unnaturally fast, even faster than Cui Wenjing's sword, which had surpassed the speed of sound. So, at that time, why did it feel so slow? I felt like I could have dodged it easily, yet it was already pressed against my throat the next moment...

“Do not trust your eyes and ears too much. Sound and sight can be used to deceive you.”

The meandering spring water, with its shimmering ripples, appears shallow on the surface, with fish swimming about. But when you reach out to catch them, you realize that they were not where you thought they were.

The person ranked third on the Rankings of Earth... She has already started to delve into the understanding and applications of light?