Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 180: Azure Waves Clear Ripples

It was not like she had not met any other princes before. The recently deceased crown prince had not only been a prince, but also the true heir to the throne. However, their interactions had been purely for official business.

A few years ago, when the crown prince had not gotten married, Tang Wanzhuang had just joined the Demon Suppression Bureau. While they did have interactions, it had been strictly business.

At that time, the crown prince had some inappropriate thoughts toward her, but she simply did not bother with it and never took any action. She did not have a good impression of the crown prince; in fact, she even felt repulsed.

Fortunately, at that time, the Tang Clan had not produced any prominent figures, and their status was ordinary. Because of that, they never even entertained the thought of marrying into the imperial family. Later, when the crown prince got married, he could no longer afford to have any improper thoughts about Tang Wanzhuang. As a result, their interactions only became more formal.

Eventually, when the crown prince’s wife died, the Tang Clan finally produced a prominent figure... and that figure turned out to be Tang Wanzhuang herself.

It was quite ridiculous when one thought about how messy a situation it was.

When her thoughts reached this point, she realized that her thoughts had diverged too far. The past was not important, what was important was that the precedent had been set. The fact of the matter was—and Tang Wanzhuang knew it very well—that she would not treat just any prince this favorably.

Because not every prince would care for her and tell her not to worry about so many things, or play nursery rhymes for her, or advise her to enjoy life.

A prince, and especially the crown prince, would only hope that she would do more to protect their empire.

After a long while, Tang Wanzhuang slightly tilted her head and said, “There’s one more thing. The guqin fingering art that I promised to give you. There isn’t a manual for it, so I’ll have to teach it to you right now.”

As for the question that Zhao Changhe had asked just now, she skirted it as if he had never asked it at all.

Zhao Changhe did not push her either. Her silence was an answer in and of itself.

“How do I practice the art?”

“It’s actually a set of acupoint manipulation techniques, and it’s elusive and difficult to defend against. Once you’ve sealed your enemy’s acupoints, this technique is special in that it is difficult to undo its effects using conventional acupoint techniques. Watch closely...”

Tang Wanzhuang’s slender fingers moved as if picking flowers or swaying willows, like someone playfully brushing their hand over their lover’s chest.

With the subtle movement of her fingers, the acupoints on Zhao Changhe’s chest had been sealed without him even noticing.

Tang Wanzhuang’s mind wandered slightly as she casually asked, “Did you see how I executed that move just no—huh?”

Before she could finish speaking, her wrist was suddenly caught in Zhao Changhe’s grip. “Being absent-minded like this can lead to trouble, you know?”

Huh? Why does he seem to not be affected at all?

Tang Wanzhuang was shocked, and a distinct possibility appeared in her mind. He can’t possibly be thinking about making advances right now when we’re about to part ways, right? Could his mind have been affected by the dream he had just now?

However, just as she was about to pull her wrist out, she suddenly felt a gentle and vast aura enter her meridians, flowing upward along her Taiyuan acupoint to her Taiyin lung meridian.

Tang Wanzhuang was no stranger to the nature of his true qi. It was produced by the Six Harmonies Art, with its quality at the fourth layer almost matching the quality of others at the sixth layer. It was as vast and inclusive as the heavens and the seas, embodying an imperial will.

But the way he’s using it is quite peculiar, it’s as if... he’s having it blend and exchange with my own aura, going back and forth? Hey, wait a moment.... Is this dual cultivation?!

“Technically speaking, this is actually dual cultivation. It’s probably not something you’d do normally, but I hope you will not refuse me this time,” Zhao Changhe said calmly. “For so many days, I’ve only seen you thinking about official affairs, other people’s affairs, and my affairs. You never seem to have paid any care to your own condition. Well, you might ignore it, but I don’t want to. This bit of true qi is only at the fourth layer of the Profound Gate, and it might just be a drop in the ocean for someone at your level, but doing this, even if it’s of little use, makes me feel a bit better.”

Tang Wanzhuang, who had just been about to retract her hand, let him continue.

She silently observed as his true qi moved toward her lung meridian, trying to aid her. However, just like drops of rain falling onto a burning mountain, it would completely evaporate instantly. It was indeed a drop in the ocean.

Nevertheless, he kept pouring it in. He continued tackling the problem head-on with a solution that barely did anything, yet he remained persistent, unwilling to give up.

Tang Wanzhuang bit her lower lip tightly, feeling a slight sourness in her nose for some reason.

“This is really useless...” Tang Wanzhuang spoke softly, her voice a little hoarse. “Dual cultivation is just an auxiliary thing, it’s not some all-powerful divine technique. If you had peered into the Profound Mysteries and you had the assistance of a masterful doctor, then you might have been able to do something. But right now, what you’re doing is no different from wasting your true qi.”

Zhao Changhe did not say anything, continuing to stubbornly waste his true qi.

Tang Wanzhuang stopped talking and silently observed his true qi.

The quiet summer night became even quieter.

On this summer night, a man was holding a woman’s wrist while she had her head lowered. From a distance, it looked exactly like that cliché scene in dramas where the female lead wanted to break up but was pulled back by the male lead.

The sound of footsteps shattered the night, and Tang Buqi’s anxious voice sounded, “Brother Zhao, I... Uh...”

The two of them turned their heads at the same time and saw Tang Buqi slowly retreating outside the courtyard until he eventually vanished into the darkness.

Tang Wanzhuang said slowly, “Come in. It’s unbecoming to be so flustered and lack composure at this age. You’re not a child anymore, yet you still don’t know how to remain calm.”

Tang Buqi cautiously peeked his head in through the courtyard gate.

You’re still holding hands? Aren’t you planning to let go?! Actually, as far as the Tang Clan is concerned, this is not even a problem. It’s just that...didn’t you, bastard, make me tell my father that you refuse the marriage alliance?!

Zhao Changhe finally let go of Tang Wanzhuang’s wrist. “You’ve come out of seclusion? Have you reached the fifth layer of the Profound Gate?”

“Mm...” Tang Buqi uttered an inarticulate sound, not knowing at all why he had been told to come here and what to say. It was as if he had been made to come out of seclusion specifically so that he would see them brag about achievements.

Tang Wanzhuang said calmly, “You came here to inform your friend of Maitreya’s uprising in hopes that he could help you, right? No chance. I’ve already told him to leave. What is there for him to stay here for?”

It’s obvious that you were trying to drive him away, and then he grabbed onto you like a stubborn mule, and now you’re wavering. Well, that was what Tang Buqi thought, but he did not dare to say any of this aloud. This happens quite often to young masters when they’re out chasing girls outside. It turns out that my aunt is also a woman, who would’ve thought?

Tang Wanzhuang added, “Actually, now that I think of it, you came just in time. I was actually going to look for you to talk to you about something. Recently, while exploring the Sword Emperor’s tomb, I managed to decipher some restrictions and obtain some ancient pills, medicine, and treasured swords. They are all of high quality. Sisi only took a small amount of medicine, and I’ve also set aside some to be distributed to the public. The rest belongs to our Tang Clan. After all, the tomb is located in our back mountain. It would not be fair for our clan to not receive anything from the tomb at all.”

Tang Buqi was overjoyed. “I wanted to talk to you about this too! I was afraid that you would be too focused on serving the public and end up giving everything away. If you did that, then we would have suffered a huge loss! Why must we give everything away? Those things were obtained from our property!”

Tang Wanzhuang said angrily, “I’m not a saint, and I still have my own selfish desires. The portion that’s left for the Tang Clan isn’t any less than the portion that will be given to the public, and it may even be more useful. Also, Changhe has compiled some sword arts. You can ask him to see if he’s willing to share them with the Tang Clan. We ultimately must take care of our own future, we can’t just rely on external help.”

Tang Buqi said, “That should not be a problem. Aunt... Brother Zhao will definitely agree...”

Zhao Changhe nodded in agreement.

Tang Wanzhuang’s beautiful eyes finally focused on his face again, but amidst the flicker of her gaze, it was impossible to discern what emotions were hidden within.

After a long time, she whispered, “Buqi, if you’re done speaking, then leave. We still have things to discuss.”

Tang Buqi felt like crying.

I came here to talk about serious matters, but you just stuff my mouth with food and kick me out the door. You two scoundrels!

Zhao Changhe, who had been filled with the sorrow of parting, could not help but laugh and say, “Buqi is really amusing.”

Tang Wanzhuang smiled charmingly and said, “He’s always been funny ever since he was a child.”

After they exchanged these words, the atmosphere returned to normal. Tang Wanzhuang smiled again and said, “Alright, I really don’t have much time, so I must get to teaching you the acupoint art right away.”

Zhao Changhe also stepped back a bit and said seriously, “Please instruct me.”

“Remember, this is one of the Tang Clan’s ultimate arts. It’s called Azure Waves Clear Ripples, meaning that when a person is in the water, ripples move in all directions. While the ripples appear gentle and harmless, they cover all of the vital acupoints of the body, carrying a concealed killing intent, invisible and traceless...”

Zhao Changhe took a while longer to learn this set of acupoint techniques compared to the ultimate techniques for the saber or sword.

This was because his martial path had indeed been largely focused on the saber, and he lacked unarmed combat skills. This set of acupoint techniques was not just ways to poke people with his finger, but a complete set of unarmed martial techniques. With his weak foundation and the fact that the style was completely opposite to what he was used to, it naturally took him longer to learn.

It was also that...there could be some hidden intentions behind the slow teaching and clumsy learning.

Nobody knew for sure.

The only thing that was certain was that in the midst of teaching and learning, their arms intertwined and their gazes locked, creating a strange and indescribable atmosphere.

If someone were to ask Zhou Botong and Ying Gu[1], they would definitely say that such delicate grappling skills should not be taught between master and disciple of the opposite sex, especially when they involved acupoints.

This was because it would be hard to tell if they were really practicing martial arts or feeling each other up.

By the end of the lesson, whether it was because of heat or something else, Tang Wanzhuang’s face, which was usually pale, was flushed with a tinge of redness. She hurriedly left as if escaping for her life after saying, “This...this technique really isn’t that suitable for you. If you have the chance, you should look for a more aggressive style of barehanded martial arts... I... I have to go to Jinling. Farewell.”

Before her words even reached Zhao Changhe’s ears, she actually jumped over the wall and left, not even bothering to open the gate.

Zhao Changhe looked up at the wall that she had just jumped over and saw the sun beginning to rise above the horizon.

He looked down at his own hands, still carrying her scent.

1. These are fictional characters from The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong ☜