Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 473: Ancient Spirit Secret Realm

Zhao Changhe struggled to his feet, feeling dizzy and disoriented, then looked up at the sky.

He had no idea how confused the others might be. All he knew was that despite killing an expert on the Ranking of Man, for the first time, he did not see the usual golden light that would appear when the Tome of Troubled Times made its announcements.

It seems that being inside a secret realm cuts off the Tome of Troubled Times. It’s possible that large, inhabited secret realms might contain beings with power comparable to or even surpassing those on the Ranking of Heaven, some possibly in the Profound Control Realm, but the Ranking of Troubled Times never reflected that.

The Tome of Troubled Times should be a separate page of the Heavenly Tome, and it’s unable to extend its reach to these places... If I were to reclaim the page of the Heavenly Tome associated with this place, would it be able to do so?

Is this part of the blind woman’s recovery process?

Zhao Changhe did not have time to ponder too much. His attention had already been captured by the vastness of the landscape before him.

Damn, did we really just crawl through a cave to get here?

An endless plain stretched before him, with distant mountains barely visible on the horizon. To the right, not far off, was a dense forest, and the sound of flowing water could be heard. Looking up, he could see blue skies and white clouds—this was nothing like the dark, oppressive secret realms he had encountered before.

More astonishingly, it had been night outside, but here it was daytime.

It felt like they had crossed worlds... But the pressing question now was, how large was this secret realm? And was it inhabited?

The three of them exchanged glances, and Zhao Changhe finally said, “We need to find a place to hide. This entrance may be hidden from others, but not from Shi Wuding. He could stumble in just by randomly banging against the cave walls. We need to hide first.”

Without hesitation, they headed straight into the forest to the right.

Zhao Changhe had a strong feeling that the blind woman had intentionally guided them here. There was likely something waiting for them in the forest. And if Shi Wuding did manage to enter, he might not even end up in the same location.

Zhao Changhe’s suspicions were not baseless. The blind woman had once transported him from the modern world to this one with pinpoint accuracy. Navigating a secret realm within the same world should be child’s play for her.

Of course, he could not count on the blind woman to actively help them ward off danger. But he could reasonably hope that she had placed him where he had the best chance to retrieve the next page of the Heavenly Tome.

They cautiously ventured deeper into the forest, following the sound of water. Soon enough, they began to see signs of human activity. From the direction of the stream, they could even hear the laughter of young men and women.

Crack!

Han Wubing stepped on a dry branch, and the sudden sound made the laughter stop abruptly.

Suddenly, they were surrounded from all directions. Archers perched in the trees, others crouching in the bushes, their bows drawn and arrows aimed, exuding a cold killing intent.

Despite the tense standoff, the atmosphere changed in the next moment as someone asked in surprise, “...Envoy?”

All at once, the bows and weapons were lowered. A group of men and women dressed in exotic tribal attire emerged from behind the trees and bushes, nervously and cautiously saying, “Forgive us, envoy. We thought it was a wild beast...”

Their faces were pale, and they all seemed on the verge of dropping to their knees in fear.

Zhao Changhe’s mind raced, and suddenly he recalled something Sisi had mentioned long ago: “To visitors from the forbidden land, our whole tribe serves as vassals.”

So, this is the Ancient Spirit Secret Realm!

They had entered through an unconventional entrance, different from the one Sisi used. The sacred land she had kept hidden from Zhao Changhe was now exposed before him, and he had entered it.

Uh...

In any case, this secret realm is completely isolated from the outside world. They have no enemies here, maybe just some wild beasts or perhaps mythical beasts. The biggest problems they have here might be some internal conflicts over trivial matters, like boundary disputes or whose goats trampled whose crops. After all, wherever there are people, there are conflicts.

But whenever they encounter outsiders, especially those dressed differently, it’s a different story. In their eyes, outsiders are “envoys from the forbidden land” because, for generations, no one else had ever entered.

If Shi Wuding was the one to meet them, who knows what kind of trouble he’d stir up?

Zhao Changhe was just relieved it was him who had encountered them first.

Ying Five had once told him, “Your luck is abnormal.”

At least one aspect of that abnormality was the blind woman’s presence...

Zhao Changhe held up a hand to stop Yue Hongling from speaking out of surprise, and calmly said, “There is no offense to be taken from the ignorant. Lead me to your village.”

The Spirit Tribe members let out a collective sigh of relief. One of them, who seemed to be the leader, bowed with a smile and said, “Honorable envoy, please follow me.”

Yue Hongling and Han Wubing exchanged bewildered glances, unable to comprehend how Zhao Changhe had suddenly become some sort of divine envoy.

Zhao Changhe maintained the demeanor of a dignified envoy as he walked with his hands clasped behind his back. “You should send word to the other villages. If you encounter a swordsman in white, he is a traitor. We are pursuing him. If you see him, do not engage directly—you are not his match. Treat him as an honored guest and notify us in secret so we can handle it.”

The leader immediately relayed the order, “Did you hear that? Go spread the word to all the villages, especially to the elders on the sacred mountain!”

Yue Hongling and Han Wubing kept their heads down, trying to hide their bewildered expressions.

At the same time, they understood that Zhao Changhe was not trying to set a trap for Shi Wuding but was actually protecting these people in the secret realm.

After walking for a while, they emerged from the forest and came upon a small village. It was modest, with only a few dozen households. There were elders and children alike, all of whom turned pale and fearful at the sight of Zhao Changhe and his companions entering the village.

The three of them exchanged worried glances.

The people here had clearly been oppressed by those who they claimed to have come from the forbidden land to a miserable extent.

From their living conditions, it was evident that this place was still in a primitive, hunting-and-gathering stage of development. Most of their clothing was made from animal skins, though there were also some roughly woven and dyed fabrics, mostly in shades of blue, which was similar to the style of the outside tribes. A few people were even wearing silk from Shu, a clear sign that Sisi’s trade with the outside world had brought some influence here.

As they took all this in, the group followed the village leader into the main tent. The leader did not dare to sit, bending low with a cautious smile. “Honorable envoys, please take a seat. I’ll have them bring some wine.”

“No need for wine, and you don’t need to serve us. Just prepare two rooms for us to rest, and make sure we aren’t disturbed. We need to head to your sacred mountain soon, so we don’t have time to linger here.”

The leader looked momentarily surprised, perhaps thinking that this group of envoys was more reasonable than those in the past. He cautiously added, “Then, honorable envoys, please have a good rest. I’ll have some roasted meat prepared and sent over.”

The leader retreated carefully, leaving the three alone in the tent.

Han Wubing slumped down, utterly exhausted, and collapsed on the ground, nearly passing out from fatigue.

Zhao Changhe squatted in front of him and handed him a pill. “Unless Shi Wuding somehow finds his way here, this place is completely safe. And in my opinion, there’s a good chance Shi Wuding won’t show up at this exact location. So, after this, you stay here and rest up. Hongling and I will go check out the sacred mountain. Don’t worry, it’s easy to play your part. You just need to act like a cold, silent envoy.”

Han Wubing smiled faintly. “So I’m just a burden now, huh?”

“Are you an idiot?” Zhao Changhe scolded, trying to keep a straight face. “I’m going to find a way to treat you!”

A glimmer of hope appeared in Han Wubing’s eyes. “Can I really be treated?”

Zhao Changhe did not answer immediately. Instead, he placed his hand on Han Wubing’s wrist, feeling his pulse with focused concentration.

Han Wubing looked puzzled. Does this guy know medicine? Well, he does look like that right now...

To his surprise, Zhao Changhe actually gave him a proper diagnosis. “While your internal energy is exhausted, this is already much better than if you had destroyed your meridians entirely. Even though your meridians and dantian have sustained some damage, they can still be treated. You’re quite lucky. This place should be the best possible location to have yourself treated.”

Han Wubing’s breath quickened. “Explain!”

“Getting impatient now?” Zhao Changhe smirked.

Han Wubing sighed. “Stop mocking me. I’m not like Xia Chichi and Yue Hongling. Just tell me what you know.”

Yue Hongling’s face tightened.

Did you have to bring up Xia Chichi at a time like this? It’s seriously a miracle that you’re still alive.

Zhao Changhe continued, “This place should be the Ancient Spirit Secret Realm, the place Sisi came from. The reason Shi Wuding needed such a terrifying amount of energy to try and break the spatial barrier was that this is a massive secret realm. The Ancient Spirit Tribe specializes in flesh and blood witchcraft, and they’re basically the ancestors of all the tribes in the outside world. Since your issue is with your body’s flesh and blood, if we can’t find a solution here, you can forget about getting help anywhere else. On top of that, right now, we’re treated as respected envoys, which gives us an advantage.”

“Then why can’t I go with you?”

“I said we have an advantage, not a free pass to everything,” Zhao Changhe replied. “We’re not here just to enjoy the perks of being envoys and then leave. The matter with the Ancient Spirit Tribe is something we will definitely have to get deeply involved in. In your current condition, it’s too dangerous. For now, it would be best for you to just rest here and recover.”

He paused for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. “Maybe you’ll meet a nice girl here to take care of you, and your illness will be cured just like that.”

Han Wubing frowned. “I’m sick.”

“Alright, alright. Honestly, this might end up being a blessing in disguise. That sword qi wasn’t really yours to begin with. If you can break through this setback and rebuild, it might actually turn out for the better. Stop walking around with that sour face.” As he spoke, Zhao Changhe circled around behind Han Wubing, placing his hand on his back and channeling the Rejuvenation Art. “Don’t worry, I got you. With me here, there’s nothing you’ve got to be scared of.”

Han Wubing, too weary to respond to Zhao Changhe’s teasing, silently accepted the treatment.

Their relationship had already evolved past the need for thanks. Whether it was Han Wubing helping Zhao Changhe by confronting Frost Hawk or Zhao Changhe saving him, there was no need for words of gratitude.

Yue Hongling stood with her arms crossed, observing the scene. She found the bond between men quite peculiar. By all accounts, these two should be close friends who have shared countless experiences, but in truth, she knew that they had not spent much time together. Han Wubing was particularly reserved, and if you added up all the conversations they’d ever had, it probably would not even take as long as others would have talked while having a single meal.

Yet, these two, who could be considered “not that close,” could trust each other with their lives.

Han Wubing was surprised to find that his body, which had been on the verge of total exhaustion and on the brink of collapse, was now rejuvenating as if spring had returned to his lands. Where moments ago he could barely stand, now he could feel that he had regained the strength of a normal person.

From behind him, Zhao Changhe could be heard sighing. “So it turns out that treating a guy really doesn’t require them to take their clothes off. Zhang Wuji[1] wasn’t lying.”

Yue Hongling turned her head away in exasperation

Han Wubing isn’t even seriously injured. The two of us are the ones who are really injured. If we’re all going to rest and recuperate before heading to the so-called sacred mountain, what’s the next step?

He says that treating a man doesn’t require the man to take off their clothes, but what about when it comes to a woman like me? Ah, right, earlier Zhao Changhe had already told the village leader to prepare two rooms. It was all planned out from the start...

1. Zhang Wuji is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (倚天屠龙记) by Jin Yong (金庸). ☜