Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 187: Vermillion Bird and White Tiger

Following Xuan Chong to the main hall of the sect, Zhao Changhe was a little disappointed by what was enshrined in the hall. It was not a statue of the Daoist deity Zhenwu, but statues of the Three Pure Ones.[1]

Perhaps solving cases was not some destiny brought by the jade token after all. He had been the one to poke his nose into cases for no reason. Who could he really blame but himself?

In essence, solving the mysteries in this world was also solving cases.

In front of the statues of the Three Pure Ones sat an old Daoist with a white beard. He exuded an air of immortality and wisdom.

Seeing the other party sitting cross-legged, Zhao Changhe suddenly realized that he had been subconsciously cultivating in this posture. Both Xia Chichi and Yue Hongling said that the posture was for cultivating the mysteries of Daoism, and that not all arts required the practitioner to sit in such a way. However, ever since he began meditating, he instinctively chose this posture, which seemed to hold some significance to him.

The old Daoist had his eyes closed at first, but as soon as the two entered the hall, his eyes opened, and he smiled slightly, “Back already?”

He then nodded at Zhao Changhe and said, “Young hero, due to the evil arts you practice, everyone calls you a demonic bandit. But I have been observing your actions; you radiate vicious qi outward but uphold chivalry within. Xuan Chong has made a good friend. Your journey south must have been quite fruitful. Please, have a seat.”

Happy from just being complimented so well, Zhao Changhe temporarily did not bother to think about whether the old Daoist was Black Tortoise. He certainly would not mention that he and Xuan Chong were not that close either. He simply returned a gesture of respect and sat cross-legged on a cushion by the side. Soon, a young Daoist brought tea and then withdrew politely.

Although this hospitality was simple, it was more polite than that of the Cui and Tang Clans. In addition, coupled with the harmonious atmosphere of the sect, Zhao Changhe could not help but develop a good impression of the sect.

Xuan Chong said, “I’ve been clumsy and rude. During our trip to Yangzhou, besides assisting in capturing the followers of the Maitreya Cult, I was not able to do much else. Even the unraveling of the conspiracy involving the Maitreya Cult was initiated by brother Wan. It was then brother Zhao and brother Tang, together with Miss Yue, who charged into their temple. Meanwhile, I was completely unaware of the battle and did not participate in it at all.”

“It matters not... People like Young Hero Zhao are full of passion. His body is entwined with vicious qi, so he needs a calm mind. Yet look at how naturally he sits cross-legged right now! As for you, you have been in the mountains since you were a child, and you have always enjoyed a calm and peaceful mind. It is only reasonable that you are not as involved in worldly affairs. Just go through more experiences and understand the mortal world. After that, when you encounter something, you will think about it a little more. Once you do that, the person who will be the one playing a crucial role will be you. This is your worldly practice.”

Xuan Chong politely accepted the guidance. “I will keep that in mind.”

“This is why you should go and attend the Wang Clan’s banquet. Not only should you go, but if the young master of the Wang Clan desires to test his sword against you, you should try your best to win. Don’t be perfunctory with him.”

“...Yes,” Xuan Chong agreed. However, he could not help but ask, “Master, you also think that he plans to practice his sword?”

“He is testing the hearts of the people of the world,” Gui Chen smiled faintly. “They want to see how many are willing to bow down to the Wang Clan, to see what the Cui Clan’s views are on this, to see how other influential forces behind the scenes view it, to see if our Taiyi Sect is easy to bully, and so on. If they see that they have overstepped their bounds, then they can simply say that their young master was merely in over his head. Getting scolded a few times means nothing to him whatsoever.”

Xuan Chong was stunned for a moment, and his heart skipped a beat. “Are they planning to declare independence?”

“It’s hard to say. After all, the crown prince is dead...” Gui Chen said lightly, then fell silent.

Xuan Chong’s expression was not very good. If the Wang Clan were to declare independence, then their Taiyi Sect, which was close by, would indeed be the first one to have to declare their stance. It was either submit or relocate.

And with Master telling me to do my best if I were to be made to spar during the banquet...we likely won’t be submitting.

Xuan Chong cautiously asked, “Master, does your order to stop unknown people from entering the mountain have something to do with this?”

“It does indeed have something to do with the Wang Clan’s actions, but it’s not to guard against them,” Gui Chen smiled and said. “With the Wang Clan doing this, I believe many people can see their intentions. Don’t you think that someone might maliciously add fuel to the fire? For example, if something were to suddenly happen to our Taiyi Sect, how do you think others would view it?”

Even with Xuan Chong’s gentle temper, he could not help but curse. “What the hell...”

Zhao Changhe also thought to himself that this was indeed possible. Damn, they might really end up as collateral damage.

Fortunately, Gui Chen was a powerful figure ranked twenty-ninth on the Ranking of Earth. It didn’t seem like a very high ranking, but the fact of the matter was that there were only thirty-some people in the entire world who could defeat him. Even if someone did have malicious intent, they would not dare to act recklessly. If it had been an ordinary sect instead, they would have been considering fleeing at this juncture.

This only served to further reinforce the fact that having a strong fist in troubled times was the most logical approach. Whoever has the strongest fist suffers the fewest grievances.

Xuan Chong said, “But Master, what’s the point of having the disciples at the entrance check people’s identities? Wouldn’t it be better to just close the gates to all visitors altogether?”

“There’s no difference. If a strong person wanted to sneak in, none of you could stop them. When such powerful figures act, they’re after my head,” Gui Chen said in a plain tone, as if discussing dinner rather than his own life and death. “The task I’ve given to the disciples at the entrance is merely a message to the outside world. It means that I am prepared, and those who want to cause trouble should think twice. And since I am prepared, they will think that I have likely already communicated with the imperial court and the Wang Clan. Whether I live or die won’t make much of a difference. There’s no need for us to do things forcefully.”

Xuan Chong was dumbfounded. “Why do I feel like I’ve been practicing a fake path since my youth? Are those really considerations that us Daoists should have?”

Gui Chen smiled with a hint of sadness, “Naive child, how can there truly be peace in troubled times?”

Xuan Chong could not help but mutter, “Then... Why not just leave?”

“Because besides being cultivators, we are also martial artists. Avoiding trouble is our choice, and we do it whenever we can. I can simply stop advancing, but you cannot. From now on, I will be the one to live up to your name. When you make it onto the Ranking of Man, then you can take it up once more.”[2]

Xuan Chong remained silent for a while before kowtowing solemnly. “I understand.”

Zhao Changhe sat silently by the side throughout their conversation, saying nothing from beginning to end.

It seemed that there was no need to solve any cases. It was not that type of situation.

The old Daoist understood the situation better than anyone else, so what cases were there to solve? Moreover, many of his words also deeply resonated with Zhao Changhe.

Indeed, it is necessary to travel the world and meet its many heroes. This trip was not in vain. Also, he is definitely not Black Tortoise. The Four Idols Sect would only think that the world is not chaotic enough. And with that in mind...among those who might maliciously cause trouble, could there be anyone from the Four Idols Cult?

For some reason, even under this tense atmosphere, Zhao Changhe inexplicably sensed a hint of the air of a bloody battlefield...

Perhaps this was because he was the bloodthirsty Asura.

*

In the dead of night, the moonlight shone down on the pine hills.

Two figures stood quietly under the moonlight, silently looking at the faintly visible buildings of the Taiyi Sect in the distance.

“Experience truly does count for something. Gui Chen is already prepared, so this plan won’t work,” said the person wearing a firebird mask under the moonlight, the mask shining an eerie red similar to the flickering flames.

Her red lips parted slightly within the eerie glow, and her chilling words were delivered in a tone that did not lack a hint of languid allure.

Standing beside her was a woman wearing a white tiger mask. The mask looked fierce, but its roundness added a touch of cuteness, diluting its murderous intent.

One was graceful, while the other was exquisite, each of them exuding their own charm. Unfortunately, their true appearances remained hidden.

The beautiful eyes beneath the white tiger mask glanced at Vermillion Bird. Xia Chichi could not help but feel that Venerable Vermillion Bird was a very beautiful big sister, but unfortunately, with her current status, she could not even catch a glimpse of her true face.

In fact, Venerable Vermillion Bird was not always present in the cult. She appeared and disappeared often, only occasionally showing up for important matters such as this time. Nobody knew what identity she assumed in her daily life. Despite searching through all the stories in the jianghu, there was no similar figure that corresponded to her character. It was truly strange.

Xia Chichi always felt that she was being duped. Even with the mask on, it was likely that everyone in the world knew that she was the new White Tiger. She was thus unlikely to do any undercover work in the future. She felt like she had been taken in by Vermillion Bird specifically to handle administrative affairs. Thinking back to Vermillion Bird’s initial delight, could there have been another layer to it?

But regardless, despite not being formally master and disciple, the bond between the two of them was genuine. She respected Vermillion Bird deeply.

Hearing Vermillion Bird’s intention to give up, Xia Chichi breathed a sigh of relief, “Actually, I also felt that this approach wasn’t quite right. It’s too crude and could lead to unknown consequences, all for nothing. We have not reached a point where we need to be this reckless... Besides, these kinds of things are what barbarians do. If barbarians like doing it, then we shouldn’t do it.”

“In the eyes of the gods, there is no difference between us and the barbarians; to them, we are all merely human. You need to change your mindset,” Vermillion Bird criticized. However, she did not press the issue, because she did in fact agree with Xia Chichi’s opinion. “However, the barbarians believe that their shaman will live forever, which is not aligned with our path. If they truly enter the Central Plains, they will treat us as demonic cultists. From this point of view, we are indeed enemies with the barbarians. The Maitreya Cult is truly blind to this, even I cannot understand what they’re thinking.”

Xia Chichi chuckled, feeling relieved once again.

She had gotten news that Zhao Changhe had entered the Taiyi Sect during the day, which was why she was so relieved.

But then Vermillion Bird said, “But isn’t the young lady of the Cui Clan coming to Langya at this time? I believe that this task suits you perfectly.”

“Eh?” Xia Chichi’s eyes widened in surprise.

1. Zhenwu (真武, literally “True Warrior” or “Truly Valiant”) is also known as Xuanwu (玄武, literally “Dark/Mysterious Warrior”), which is the name of the Black Tortoise. ☜

2. As said in the previous chapter, the name Chong (冲)means “charge” or “assault.” ☜