Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 175: Take Care of Yourself, Only Then Can You Take Care of the World

Now that Sisi had left, it was also time for the tomb of the Sword Emperor to be sealed once again.

This was actually proposed by Zhao Changhe from the beginning. The tomb of the Sword Emperor could not be left exposed indefinitely. If someone were to accidentally stumble inside and end up awakening the Sword Emperor, that could lead to a catastrophe. Moreover, with the possibility of Maitreya launching an uprising and Gusu being right on the front lines, if he were to ever occupy it one day, there was no doubt that he could cause a calamity.

Tang Wanzhuang fully agreed with him. Thankfully, Sisi gave the Demon Suppression Bureau tremendous assistance with this matter, helping them look for the various spatial nodes that they could use to re-conceal it into a dimensional fragment.

The Demon Suppression Bureau had done similar things in the past, so they had some experience in this regard. Thanks to Sisi’s familiarity with the restrictions in place in the tomb, they eliminated the need to meticulously survey everything. Today was the day that they were going to implement the plan.

Sisi left without even saying goodbye to Tang Wanzhuang because everything had already been settled. It seemed as if she had only been staying here to wait for Zhao Changhe’s latest sword manual.

Or perhaps it was just to see him once more and throw out a harsh line about wanting to enslave him before finally leaving?

No one knew.

After their falling out a few days ago, Zhao Changhe did not feel anything particularly special in his heart. He thought her antics were within his expectations, and breaking off their relationship was a natural outcome. What feelings could he have?

He just felt slightly regretful that there was no one he could tease and flirt with as openly anymore, but getting to experience having Tang Wanzhuang stay by his side for a while was not any less satisfying, and that greatly helped him alleviate that regret.

However, when Sisi really left, Zhao Changhe occasionally recalled those fleeting moments when her eyes spoke so loudly. As he watched her leave, he felt the urge to speak out with some anger and resentment.

Thus he realized that he ultimately still had some regrets toward her.

Because she was also involved in looking for treasure and conflicts, he had somewhat hoped to see another Xia Chichi, but she was not Chichi after all.

Boom!

The tremors ahead of him awoke him from his thoughts.

On the edge of the pit left over where the sword pond had been, the Demon Suppression Bureau had assembled a hundred people. They had gradually carved out array diagrams and placed various objects of unknown use around the area over the past few days to construct a huge array.

Tang Wanzhuang stood at the core of the array with a divine sword in hand. She was suspended low in the air, her clothes fluttering.

She can really float, I wonder if she can actually fly if she goes all out, thought Zhao Changhe.

Not only was she floating in the air, but she was doing something that looked quite mystical to the viewers.

A soft light that resembled water spread around her, diffusing into the surroundings, linking up with the nodes of the array. Suddenly, massive energy erupted at the center, and amid the rumbling sound, light that resembled water filled the sky. The refracted light was in fact the effect of a distortion in space, and the passage suddenly seemed to twist and turn, its end no longer visible.

The pit was filled with this light that resembled water, to the extent that it became hard to tell whether it was just light or if it was actually water.

Tang Wanzhuang stood at the center, like Fairy Lingbo[1], or like a lotus that bloomed in the water and later transformed into a stunning nymph that left the mundane world.

Zhao Changhe believed that he would find it hard to forget this scene for many years to come. It was the most mystical and beautiful sight he had seen not only since he had transmigrated into this world, but in his entire life.

But when he looked around at the members of the Demon Suppression Bureau, he saw that none of them showed any looks of admiration. Instead, they all knelt down on one knee and solemnly said, “Bureau chief, please take care of your health.”

Tang Wanzhuang had just stepped onto solid ground when she suddenly staggered, then clutched her chest and coughed violently. As she coughed, she clearly spat out some blood, staining her snow-white chin with droplets of crimson red.

Almost instinctively, Zhao Changhe rushed over to support her. “Are you alright? Did you overexert yourself?”

Tang Wanzhuang gasped for air and gently wiped the blood from her lips. She glanced down at where Zhao Changhe was supporting her arm, but decided not to bother about it. Instead, she just softly said, “Help me back.”

Her subordinates looked at each other in surprise, but none of them said anything. They quietly stood up and watched as Zhao Changhe helped Tang Wanzhuang slowly descend the hill.

The guqin-carrying maid was standing not too far away. She was still holding a pose as if she had wanted to go forward and assist as well, but at the moment, she could only stare blankly at Zhao Changhe as he helped the young miss back. She was unsure whether she should follow them or not.

*

“Where’s your maid?” Only when he had already helped Tang Wanzhuang back to her waterside pavilion did Zhao Changhe realize that it might not be appropriate to enter a lady’s boudoir like this. He realized that it would be best to leave this to a maid. However, when he looked around, he did not see the guqin-carrying maid at all, nor did he even see any of the maids who usually worked in the pavilion.

“I don’t usually stay at home, and there are no maids specifically assigned to my pavilion. The ones you saw were all just temporarily assigned here. They don’t stay here,” Tang Wanzhuang said softly. “Just help me in, there’s no need to fuss. Why bother with appearances?”

Zhao Changhe thought about it and realized that there was indeed no need to be fussy, so he helped her into her bedroom.

...This was the first time in his life that he had entered a woman’s bedroom. Half an hour ago, he would never have imagined that the first boudoir he would enter would be Tang Wanzhuang’s...

As he smelled the fragrance in the room, he felt inexplicably nervous, and his face turned red unconsciously. He did not even dare to look around at the furnishings, and he just focused on quickly helping her sit on her bed. When he turned his head, he saw a teapot on the table right next to him and promptly poured a cup of tea, handing it to her. “Do you want some?”

Tang Wanzhuang shook her head slightly. “Drinking it will make me cough... Just resting is fine.”

“You really seem to be in horrible shape. Is there any medicine here that will help? I’ll go get it.”

“It’s no use...” Tang Wanzhuang said softly. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing grave... It’s just that I exerted myself a bit too much, causing disturbance to my lung meridian. I just need some rest.”

No wonder why even though she had been ranked higher than Maitreya before her breakthrough, she was still only evenly matched with Maitreya even after she had broken through. She simply could not afford to exert herself too much, or she might just end up coughing before the fight even started.

From what he had just witnessed, her full power was truly terrifying. His original idea for re-sealing the tomb had just been to plainly conceal it and place some illusions around it to make it harder to find. What she had actually done was on a completely different scale—she had folded and distorted space, truly isolating the tomb from the world once again.

Even though she did have the help of the array and the combined efforts of many people, her immense power could not be denied.

It was a pity that she could not act rashly, otherwise Zhao Changhe felt that she could have just gone and chopped off Maitreya’s head at her level. No wonder everyone is deterred by the person ranked first on the Ranking of Heaven. If Xia Longyuan were to go berserk, who could stop him? But then again, that wouldn’t solve anything. The nation is decaying. Relying on individual martial strength to kill the leaders of other forces would not address the root of the problem.

As these thoughts circulated in Zhao Changhe’s mind, he found himself not knowing what else to say for a moment, so he could only go for some platitudes. “Then you should rest more. I think that besides pushing yourself too far in your cultivation, you’ve also been overworked mentally. That must have also had an impact on your well-being.”

Tang Wanzhuang remained silent.

Of course it had an impact, and quite a significant one at that.

Zhao Changhe continued, “You told me to tone it down for a while and suggested I learn the four arts. Well, I think that you should take it easy yourself, too. You shouldn’t bother with the Maitreya Cult in Jiangnan for a while. Just listen to the guqin, read books, and have a good rest.”

Although Tang Wanzhuang knew that Zhao Changhe was accustomed to talking nonsense and flirting and that he wasn’t a child, she could not help but feel slightly amused by his words. She felt as if she was an adult looking at a child admonishing them. She chuckled and asked, “Listen to the guqin? Who’s going to be playing it? My maid or you? “

Zhao Changhe replied calmly, “If you want to hear me play the guqin, then I’ll play it for you. I hope you will be entertained.”

Tang Wanzhuang was taken aback for a moment and looked at him with a strange expression.

Zhao Changhe remained expressionless. “You always say that others are like children, but I think you’re the one acting like a child right now. You should take care of yourself first. Only then can you start paying attention to others, and then you can take care of the world. Just look at those in the Demon Suppression Bureau. I honestly think that if the Great Xia did not have you, barely any of them would still be willing to serve it.”

Tang Wanzhuang suddenly said, “And what about you?”

“I don’t plan to serve the Great Xia, but as long as you’re here, I at least won’t oppose it. So, live well, first seat.”

Tang Wanzhuang’s beautiful eyes lingered on his face for a while before she gently coughed and whispered, “Then... play the guqin for me.”

Zhao Changhe was stunned for a moment. At this moment, the guqin-carrying maid peeked in from the doorway.

Without even turning her head, as if having sensed her presence, Tang Wanzhuang asked, “Have you fixed the string?”

“...Yeah, but...” The guqin-carrying maid cautiously glanced at Zhao Changhe. “Won’t he just break it again if he were to play it... Maybe I should just play for you instead, young miss. I’ve gotten quite good at it!”

Tang Wanzhuang smiled slightly. “Even if the strings break, it’s still music. What’s the point of worrying about good or bad? Let him play it.”

1. An Chinese mythological figure who lives in the heavens and is said to be the incarnation of daffodils. ☜