Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 185: King of Hell

The captain was furious after being slapped, but he endured it, covering his cheek and remaining silent.

The Cao Gang was not actually too afraid of the Wang Clan, but they might not want to escalate things over a minor scuffle involving their subordinates, so if he retaliated and got beaten up, nobody would do anything about it.

The cavalryman’s gaze swept across the bow of the ship, and the first person he saw was Xuan Chong. “So you really were here, Daoist Priest Xuan Chong.”

Xuan Chong was astonished. “From your words, it seems as if you expected me to be here?”

“Yes, we went to Mount Tai a few days ago. Our master mentioned that you have been traveling around the southern regions for quite some time, so we went to look for you in the south. As we were moving around, we happened to hear someone say that they saw you on the bow of the Cao Gang’s ship, so we came to see if it was true.”

Xuan Chong frowned slightly. “What’s so urgent for you to look for me so intently?”

The cavalryman took out what seemed to be an invitation and said, “It will be our young master’s birthday soon, and he specially invited peers on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons to the banquet. Our group has been tasked with inviting ten or twenty distinguished individuals.”

“That’s it? You intercepted a boat, boarded it forcibly, and even resorted to violence over such a small matter?”

“A mere boatman dared to defy the will of our Wang Clan. If he gets hit, it’s nothing but his own fault.”

Xuan Chong’s expression turned grim. This was because it seemed as if his friend’s subordinate had ended up getting hit because of him, so he felt extremely frustrated.

However, the Taiyi Sect and the Wang Clan were both situated in Langya Commandery. Although they were not very close, they were still in the same vicinity. Getting into a fight would only bring trouble to both sides, so he gritted his teeth and refrained from taking action. He merely waved his sleeve and said, “I have no intention of associating with Young Master Wang. I won’t be attending this banquet of his. Please leave me be.”

The man sneered. “Just because someone is on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons doesn’t mean that they can attend our young master’s banquet. You should know that the so-called Ranking of Hidden Dragons only assesses potential, not actual strength. But what’s the point of potential if you don’t do anything with it? If our young master’s intention is to invite those with nothing but empty fame for their so-called potential, then it would be better to not invite them at all.”

Even clay figurines would have been enraged by such words, and Xuan Chong finally became furious, “Do you mean to say that you intend to test my worth before you even consider giving me an invitation?”

The cavalryman arrogantly replied, “Exactly. If you can beat me, then even if you aren’t on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons, you’ll be qualified to attend the banquet. But if you can’t defeat me, then it’s no longer a matter of whether or not you accept the invitation. It’s about... qualification!”

Xuan Chong had no intention of accepting the invitation anyway, but he could not hold back his anger from the blatant provocations of the cavalryman from the Wang Clan. With a swift motion, he drew his sword and coldly said, “Then it seems I’ll be snatching an invit—”

Before he could finish speaking, a burly man who had been sitting quietly beside a chessboard suddenly stood up and threw a kick at the cavalryman’s groin.

The cavalryman was taken aback and twisted his hips to dodge, but the swift kick seamlessly turned into a graceful step, allowing the burly man, who look like a clumsy bear, to skillfully maneuver to his side. Like an unfolding fan, the burly man’s palm swiftly moved toward the cavalryman’s face.

The cavalryman urgently tried to dodge again.

But then, the palm turned into a blur, and the burly man’s fingers blossomed like a flower and brushed against the acupoints on cavalryman’s chest.

The man instantly went numb and found himself losing all his strength.

The burly man leisurely grabbed his collar with his left hand, and delivered a series of slaps to his face with his right hand, knocking out one of his teeth in the process.

He then laughed and said, “Oh my, and here I thought you were someone capable. After all, you dared to measure yourself against the heroes of this world. But in the end, you’re nothing but a joke! Pathetic!”

In the next moment, the cavalryman felt as if he were flying through the clouds as he was sent flying through the air before he eventually fell into the river with a loud splash.

The burly man clapped his hands and spat into the river. “When the northern barbarians came knocking at Yanmen Pass, why didn’t your young master measure himself against Chi Li? Go crawl back home and tell your young master to keep his banquet to himself and fuck off with his invitations! What a fucking prick!”

Splashing around in the water, the cavalryman shouted angrily, “Who are you to provoke the Wang Clan? Do you dare say your name?”

Xuan Chong finally laughed out loud. “Ha! You’re responsible for inviting ten or twenty distinguished individuals, no? Then you can’t say that he provoked you. After all, you said with your own mouth that you were going to see if he was qualified. It’s just that the assessment was carried out a bit earlier than you planned.”

The other riders on the shore looked at the burly man’s face in astonishment, suddenly recalling a certain someone.

“Bloodthirsty Asura Zhao Changhe...”

His name cast a shadow on their hearts.

In fact, most of the people on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons did not have many notable achievements. Many were recognized by the Tome of Troubled Times for an outstanding feat they accomplished in their early years. But afterward, they would often not have any more remarkable deeds. Wan Dongliu and Tang Buqi were typical examples of this, with one being low-key while the other stagnated.

With that in mind, there was nothing wrong with these envoys measuring the actual strength of such distinguished individuals before properly offering them an invitation. Xuan Chong had not shown his prowess in quite some time, and it was said that he had even been embarrassingly suppressed by Chi Li. Naturally, others could not help but wonder if he was merely living on past glory.

But someone like Zhao Changhe, who had been riding his horse around the world and cutting down his opponents for the past half a year, was a true demon drenched in blood. Moreover, just a few days before, he had escaped unharmed after cutting down several enemies right in the middle of an enemy camp, including the Ten Abodes Bodhisattva, who was at the sixth layer of the Profound Gate.

In such an environment, not to mention cutting down someone at a higher cultivation level, even if he had merely sliced a watermelon, it would have been enough for him to boast about for a year. If they had known that he was here too, they might not have dared to mention measuring his strength. His weighty feats spoke for themself.

But this guy isn’t carrying his broad saber on him, and his moves actually looked elegant and refined. Who would have recognized him?

The cavalryman who had been slapped and sent into the river did not speak up anymore. He obediently let his companions pick him up and only spoke up once more when he reached the shore, saying, “Young Master Zhao, if we knew that you were here, we would not have dared to measure your strength.... Our young master instructed us to just invite you over.”

“What the fuck...” Xuan Chong was so angry that he laughed in exasperation. He shook his head and sat back at the chessboard, too stumped to say anything else.

Zhao Changhe chuckled in annoyance, “I actually prefer the unruly way you were acting just now. Anyway, your young master’s behavior makes me suspect him of being a complete idiot. I’m afraid of being infected by his idiocy, so I won’t be going.”

The cavalryman rubbed his cheek, feeling that they might actually end up failing their task. His mind raced thinking about measures to mitigate the damage, and a bright idea suddenly struck him. “But there will be quite a few of your acquaintances who will be attending the banquet. Won’t you go to see them?”

Zhao Changhe said, “Yue Hongling is no longer on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons. Besides, I doubt that she would be in the mood for such nonsense. As for Xia Chichi, I doubt that you would even be able to find her. And even if you managed to do so, she probably wouldn’t bother attending either. Is there anyone else? Cui Yuanyong? Han Wubing?”

The cavalryman smiled apologetically and said, “Young Master Cui will probably not be going because he’s engaged to our young lady, and according to etiquette, they can’t meet before the wedding. However, Miss Cui Yuanyang will be attending.”

“...” Zhao Changhe had not expected Cui Yuanyang to be allowed to go out so soon again. He had not even considered her, so he was caught off guard. After a while, he gestured with his hand and said “We’ll see what happens.”

His expression seemed to transcend the world, and he revealed a kind and comforting smile.

Indeed, it’s been quite a while since we last met. I really want to see that little girl again. I wonder if she’s still as cute as before.

The onlookers could not help but think, We also prefer your unruly attitude just now....

And thus, the farce came to an end. The other cavalrymen helped their leader back onto his horse before leaving in a dejected manner.

The boat captain stepped forward and expressed his gratitude, “Thank you both for speaking up for me.”

Xuan Chong waved his hand and said, “I’m ashamed. I couldn’t actually bring myself to confront them. I only drew my sword when I couldn’t hold back my anger. I’m nowhere near as bold as brother Zhao. He didn’t give the Wang Clan any face at all.”

“I’m too lazy to wait for them to come and confront me with their petty intentions. What a joke,” Zhao Changhe said. “Since you seem to know the Wang Clan fairly well, do you know why they’re sending out invitations to a banquet? Is it just purely to have fun with guests like us? They can’t be that stupid, can they?”

Xuan Chong chuckled and said, “It’s more probable that they’re inviting such figures to be sparring partners. After all, it’s not very convenient to venture out alone for training, so they invite talents such as those on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons for practice. Similar incidents have taken place before, and someone has even been killed by mistake. In a sense, this invitation could be considered a summons from the King of Hell....”[1]

Zhao Changhe was astonished. “This is outrageous! Are they trying to offend the entire world?”

“Generally speaking, it’s considered an honor to receive an invitation from the Wang Clan. Going to become a sparring partner does not necessarily mean that they will end up getting killed by mistake. If one can form a good relationship with them, it would be very beneficial for them in the future,” Xuan Chong sighed. “Not everyone is like you, having connections with the Cui Clan right from the start. Looking up to these top-tier clans. most people are more inclined to fear and flatter them.”

“Hmph, how arrogant. It seems like the Cui Clan has much better manners.”

Xuan Chong secretly thought that that might not necessarily be the case. Cui Yuanyong or Cui Yuanyang might be alright, but what about others?

Individuals could never represent the entire clan. In the eyes of outsiders, there was not much of a difference between the Cui Clan and the Wang Clan. The Wang Clan’s actions might not matter much to the Cui Clan either, especially since they were even intermarrying.

Besides...the Wang Clan was the empress’s family, the birth mother of the deceased crown prince.

The truth behind the crown prince’s death was still unclear, with at least a hundred different theories circulating. Tang Wanzhuang had never brought this matter up with Zhao Changhe, and she might not even have a clear understanding of it herself.

Seeing Zhao Changhe lost in thought, Xuan Chong said, “Of course, whether this is actually the purpose of the invitations is hard to say. I’m just guessing. It might not be the case in the end. Are you really considering going?”

Zhao Changhe came back to his senses, then grinned and said, “It would be best if there was something to it. I’d like to see what kind of Kings of Hell they really are!”

1. This seems to be a reference to a Chinese proverb that states “If King Yan calls upon you at the hour of the rat, who dares tarry till the hour of the tiger!” meaning that if the overseer of hell wants you dead at the hour of the rat (11pm-1am) then you can’t live until the hour of the tiger (3-5am). It’s as much an inevitable invitation as it is undesirable. ☜