Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 39: The Yue Hongling in His Heart

“I already told you not to run around. If this mountain stronghold really was a bandits’ nest, how would you have wanted to die? It’s a good thing that these pits are new. We haven’t placed any spikes at the bottom. Otherwise, it would have been hilarious if Yue Hongling, the 2nd Hidden Dragon, died here. I wonder if the Tome of Troubled Times would crash...”

Zhao Changhe was alert and did not let anyone stand around the pit and look at her. He only helped her out after he chased everyone away. She learned her lesson on the way back to the hut.

“Other bandits’ mountain strongholds aren’t full of holes like this! And isn’t this mountain stronghold a bandits’ nest as well? What did you mean by stronghold mistress?” Yue Hongling grit her teeth, no longer caring about the sharp pain from the sword qi within her body and glared at Zhao Changhe.

“What else was I supposed to say? There’s a thief in my building! Men, capture this reckless woman!?” Zhao Changhe was not in a good mood. “Big Sister Yue, you’re injured and you don’t have the strength to resist. You’d be dead if a group of people took up pikes and jabbed them into the hole. If I didn’t tell them you were one of our people, what else was I going to say?”

Yue Hongling was stumped.

Indeed, there was no way she could refute what he said. The only way out of that situation was for Zhao Changhe to say that she was one of them. Moreover, if a woman is in your room, can you really say that she’s just an ordinary friend? Anyone that hears that will think there’s something suspicious going on. The only thing I can do is respond with an “oh~”. The only thing it can mean then is that you are the stronghold mistress...

“I didn’t think that the sword qi would act up at that moment. It wasn’t like this when I sneaked in... It shouldn’t have turned out like this...” Yue Hongling’s gaze looked a bit foolish.

It’s over. The rumors that will spread about me—

They should have nothing to do with this damn place.

Zhao Changhe cast a sidelong glance at her. His impression of her was basically turned on its head in an instant. However, the unusual thing was that he did not feel that his image of her was shattered. On the contrary, he found the whole thing rather adorable.

“Alright, alright. Don’t make that face.” Zhao Changhe handed her a cup of water. “In any case, no one knows you’re Yue Hongling yet. If you don’t go to the feast by the bonfire, hide in this room for the time being and leave in a few days, who’s going to know it’s you? At worst, they’ll just think I brought back some woman from a low-grade brothel to have fun with for a few days.”

Yue Hongling had a blank expression. “If you omitted that last part, what you said would have still counted as reassurance.”

Now other people think I’m a woman from a low-grade brothel that you’ve been hiding in your room to play with for a few days?

Die.

Zhao Changhe did not know whether to cry or laugh. “If I can’t say I was hiding you in my room, then what? Am I supposed to tell them you’re my good sister?”

One could feel the ridicule in his speech with him calling her big sister twice. He was practically mocking her, as if saying “how could I have blindly called you big sister when this is what you’re like?”

Yue Hongling gnashed her white teeth in anger. “Give me a set of clothes from your stronghold. I’ll put on some makeup and just go out to eat and drink with them. How does that sound? There are many people in this world who look alike. How is it a guarantee that I’m actually Yue Hongling? I’m called Lin Hongyue. What do you think?”

Why are you acting like Luo Qi...

“Changing your clothes and putting on makeup is fine, but not so that you can go out to drink. You’re injured. Don’t try to show off.” Zhao Changhe stood up and patted her on the shoulder. “You’re going to put on makeup so that you can move around normally, go out when you need to, and beat up someone if you have to without needing to constantly hide. The Yue Hongling that has to constantly conceal herself is not the Yue Hongling in my heart. We’ll proceed with this. I’ll get you a set of clothes. Someone left without taking away her belongings. Her figure is about the same as yours.”

Looking at Zhao Changhe searching through a box at the end of the bed, Yue Hongling had a strange expression on her face.

The Yue Hongling in his heart... What does that mean?

Very soon, he threw her a set of clothes. To her surprise, it gave off a slight fragrance. “You take a rest. I’m going out to drink with them. Whatever the case, it’s the new year. It wouldn’t be a good look if they think their stronghold master wants to play with a woman in his room instead of celebrating with them.”

What do you mean by playing with a woman!? How rude. There’s nothing between us, but those bastards are talking as if we’ve already done the deed. Wait, whose clothes are these? Why do they give off the fragrance of a woman? He really is an uncouth mountain king who’s brought back women to play with!

Yue Hongling’s head began to hurt, and she started rubbing her forehead. However, as she saw Zhao Changhe stride away, she could not get angry.

How very interesting. He has a Yue Hongling stashed in his heart and when the real Yue Hongling doesn’t match with the one in his heart, he unexpectedly tries to preserve his image of her. Ugh...why do I even care so much? Whatever, I’ll go pee first. I’ve been holding it in for too long.

Yue Hongling’s gaze circled around the room and she hurried to the toilet like she was meeting a close relative.

*

The night grew darker. All around the stronghold, bonfires were lit and the clamoring inside shook the heavens.

There were not many small fry at the mountain stronghold. In total, there were about three to four hundred people, but the scene of this many people gathering to drink together was spectacular and they passionately cheered as one.

The stronghold master’s hut was situated much higher than the plaza. Yue Hongling went outside with her new clothes and looked down at them clamoring from above.

At the side was a large banner fluttering in the wind. She could make out the large words written on them: “Carrying out the Will of Heaven.”

Yue Hongling sized up the banner with interest. This was the excuse that many bandits used to justify their actions. However, it appeared to her that Zhao Changhe was not intent on carrying out the Will of Heaven; he wanted to follow his own path.

Her eyes darted back and forth as she looked at the scene below and quickly found Zhao Changhe. He was too eye-grabbing.

Zhao Changhe carried a large wine gourd and drank with everyone all over the place. All were welcome to drink with him. His voice was incomparably loud and could be accurately picked out even in this sea of noise.

“So few cups. Are you even a man!? Drink more and stop pretending!”

“A drinking challenge? Alright! Not a bad idea at all! You guys split into groups. I’ll add a reward. The winner gets money and the loser has to drink!”

“You think calling him boss doesn’t sound good? Then what do you think we should call him? King? Don’t try to be funny, alright? Eh...family head? You might as well call him supreme treasure.”

“When will I reach the second layer of the profound gate? I don’t know. Who cares?”

Yue Hongling even heard a few people talking about her. Someone asked, “Boss, Yue Hongling passed by Beimang these days. Do you think she’s still nearby? What should we do if such a strong person comes to wipe us out?”

Zhao Changhe gestured with his hand. “Whatever! I’ll personally face her!”

Yue Hongling: “...”

“Eh, Boss, where’s our sister-in-law? The more I think about it, the more I feel like she looks a little similar to Yue Hongling.”

“Why don’t you go sober up? If it was really Yue Hongling in my room, I wouldn’t be here talking to you guys. I’d be in there having some fucking fun.”

Yue Hongline: “...”

The bandit sighed. “I didn’t say that she is Yue Hongling, only that she looks like her. Boss, don’t tell me that you chose her because she looks like Yue Hongling?”

“What? So what if I chose her because she looks like Yue Hongling? Is there anything wrong with that?”

“So this is your type, Boss...”

Someone on the side added, “The fuck do you mean by that? Yue Hongling is so beautiful, who in the jianghu wouldn’t want to make her bite the pillow!?”

Yue Hongling: “......”

“Hahaha, you’re definitely right!” A whole group of people began licking Zhao Changhe’s boots. “Boss Zhao, you are definitely worthy of taking Yue Hongling. Let’s hope it happens soon!”

Zhao Changhe, who had been skillfully navigating his conversations so far, could not take it anymore. “Drink up and stop fucking fantasizing! If you can’t drink, then sit at that table like a good dog!”

Of course he could not take it anymore. Heaven knows if Yue Hongling can hear what they’re saying. The senses of someone at the eighth layer of the Profound Gate are nothing to joke about!

There was even someone who spoke with even less tact. “If Boss chases Yue Hongling then what about Saintess Xia... Eh...”

“What the fuck...” Zhao Changhe blushed a deep red. He did not know how much of it was from his drink and how much was from his nervousness.

The bandit then hurried said, “Boss, lay off on the drinks a bit. Sister-in-law is still waiting for you in your room... What Yue Hongling? What saintess? Everyone’s just joking. Don’t actually take it seriously.”

Amidst their laughter, Zhao Changhe retreated in a sorry state. “Enough. I’ll go back and have a look. I can’t be bothered with you, assholes. Drink as much as you want.”

As he reached his hut, he saw Yue Hongling standing outside. When her beautiful eyes glanced at him, he had no idea how much humiliation and anger were in them.

Zhao Changhe almost wanted to run away. She heard everything they said... Come to think of it, that sword qi in her body isn’t constantly disrupting her. If she really comes at me with her sword in anger, I won’t even last a single attack...

It was good that Yue Hongling did not ask him how he would play with her if she was actually in his room—this was something that he had no way of responding to. On the contrary, she suddenly smiled. “The pool is too shallow. Among everyone in the mountain stronghold, you’re actually the only one at the first layer of the Profound Gate. You’re clearly far-sighted and have big aspirations. Why are you content with remaining here? What’s more, you know that there is no future with a demonic cult, so why do you still stay?”

Zhao Changhe heaved a sigh. The Yue Hongling now, with her current attitude, was more like the Yue Hongling in his heart. His mood brightened up and he earnestly replied, “For the time being, this place still suits me pretty well... Yes. I guess it can be considered a safe starting location? Everyone around is only at the first or second layer. They’re very suitable for me to fight... With my current strength, if I were to rashly wander the jianghu, I could very well die if I bumped into the wrong person. A demonic cult, however—”

He paused and suddenly smiled. “Only small fry come to give me trouble. No actual cultivators following the demonic path come to bother me, and no actual bounty hunters come knocking on my door. This is because I’m part of the Blood God Cult... Not everyone dares to offend the Blood God Cult.”

“You’re right...” Yue Hongling nodded. “After all, you haven’t even been training in martial arts for two months. It’s rare to see someone at your level only after training for such a short time... Maybe it’s because you’re too imposing and you give others the impression that you’re already an established master.”

As she said this, she furrowed her brow. “Your future prospects are also strange... You’re wanted by the court and cannot walk the orthodox path. With that said, if you rashly leave the demonic cult, then not even another demonic cult will accept you. There won’t be any place that will accept you when that happens.”

Zhao Changhe laughed. His road was indeed filled with many obstacles. He was suspected of being a prince. Even though First Seat Tang knew this, she did not dare to retract his arrest order. Otherwise, if clever people noticed, they would know something was up and Zhao Changhe would be in even greater danger. This meant that until he accepted the emperor as his father, the wanted posters would not go away.

If he did not want to go down that path and remain as he was, once he betrayed the cult and left for the jianghu, there really would not be any place, orthodox or demonic, that would accept him. His road would be full of thorns. This was one of the reasons he hesitated when deciding whether he should leave this shallow pool.

Of course, if he had enough strength, none of this would be a problem.

“That’s exactly why I was thinking...” Zhao Changhe suddenly grinned. “Can you train me, big sister?”

Yue Hongling’s gaze flickered.

Both of them looked at each other with complicated expressions. Under the moonlight, amidst the sea of noise, the entire scene looked like a still painting.

After all these twists and turns, things were still just like before.

After a long while, Yue Hongling smiled as well. “Alright.”