Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 366: True Character Revealed

However, the good thing about officials was that they would not outright rob you just because your horse looked impressive, so the situation was still somewhat better than it was at Kunlun.

Well, at least they would not rob you openly.

Zhao Changhe could not be bothered to argue over the entrance fee and simply paid it to enter the city.

In a city that theoretically still belonged to the Great Xia, the Demon Suppression Bureau would have a presence. However, Zhao Changhe could not be certain if the local division of the Demon Suppression Bureau was still on his side.

Ying Five’s people were much more reliable in such matters, but Ying Five’s organization was semi-secret. In some key locations, it was easy to guess where their base might be as they needed to connect and trade information with others. Generally, they used gambling dens or houses. However, in some other places, they were highly secretive and rarely revealed their identities. For example, Lady Three ran an inn, and Chen One ran a restaurant.

With Lu Shiheng’s presence in this city, it was likely that their base of operations here was not a gambling house. So, how was Zhao Changhe going to find them?

In the jianghu, it felt like he had friends everywhere, but in the mundane world, he found himself without connections. It was quite interesting to think about. It was no wonder it was so difficult for ordinary people to find mentors or masters, and it was why these organizations tended to only exist in legends for most people.

Zhao Changhe did not dwell on it and casually found a tavern for a meal. “Tavernkeeper, give me a hero’s meal.”

The tavernkeeper was puzzled. “What’s a hero’s meal?”

“Oh, two jugs of wine and a pound of cooked beef.”

“The slaughter of cattle is prohibited here.”

Zhao Changhe was taken aback. He had found out about this issue when he first transmigrated, but after going around for so long, he had never encountered a place that did not sell beef, so he had long forgotten about it. It was only now that he ended up running into a place that did not offer beef.

This was actually a reflection of the abundance or scarcity of resources. Cattle were still regarded as valuable tools of production, and so they could not be slaughtered casually. If resources were plentiful, it would not have been this severe. This showed that the time had gone from “troubled times are approaching” to “troubled times are here.”

And this was an area where war was hitting the hardest.

Not only did the tavern not serve beef, but there were also very few customers. In the large tavern, only three tables were occupied, and it looked like they were barely managing to stay open.

Zhao Changhe did not insist and casually said, “Then just bring me a bowl of noodles.”

While eating the noodles, Zhao Changhe used his powerful senses, enhanced by his cultivation that was now at the Profound Mysteries, to secretly listen to the idle chatter of the few customers that were in the tavern.

His hearing was truly extraordinary right now. If he concentrated, he could even hear the breathing of people several zhang away. Combined with his Back Eye and Moonglade Sutra, the entire environment of the tavern’s main hall was in his view, and he could even hear the sounds beyond the tavern’s walls.

Having unlocked the Profound Mysteries, while his strength itself might not be significantly greater, his overall power was vastly different from that of ordinary humans.

It was very likely that if his senses continued to grow stronger, they could eventually become the legendary “divine sense,” but for now, they were still within the realm of mortals.[1]

“These days are tough... there’s no business at all,” a customer lamented.

“These days?” his drinking companion sneered. “The real problem will come in autumn! Right now, it’s spring plowing season, and the city lord is conscripting soldiers everywhere. The villages outside don’t even have enough people for spring plowing. What are they going to harvest come autumn, the northwest wind?”

“Aren’t the conscripts being sent directly to the fields?”

“The fields they’re working on produce military rations, but what about us? Are we supposed to eat the northwest wind and still pay taxes?”

“Hush, be quiet,” his friend sighed. “In the end, this is all because of the Maitreya Cult’s rampage. We can’t blame the city lord.”

The other man sneered and muttered, “It’d be better if the Maitreya Cult just won already. What are we even resisting for?”

“Shh!” His friend was alarmed. “You can’t say things like that.”

The man shut his mouth.

Was the cause of the dire situation here really the Maitreya Cult’s rampage, or were some people using this as an excuse to raise their own troops? It was difficult to say.

Right now, the immediate cause was indeed the Maitreya Cult, but if you were to trace back further, what was the true origin of all the problems?

The man finally could not hold back and cursed, “Damn, that foolish emperor.”

His friend, while having tried to stop him from welcoming the Maitreya Cult, actually agreed with this and echoed the sentiment. “He deserves to be childless. Even if he has a son, may that son be born without an asshole.”

“And may his daughter find a dog husband and give birth to a pig son.”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

These guys are just venting and cursing, nothing worth listening to.

However, the attitude of the people in Xiangyang could be glimpsed from this. While they openly cursed the emperor, they still considered welcoming the Maitreya Cult as something taboo.

Lu Shiheng’s attitude was clear. Although he opposed the Maitreya Cult, he held no respect for the Great Xia.

One of them seems to be a merchant and the other a landlord with a farm. Both of them are middle class and they’re full of resentment. From their words, it seems that the lower class must be having it even worse.

Zhao Changhe sighed again. No matter how he looked at it, even if the Maitreya Cult was taken down, Great Xia would still be in turmoil.

Now, the Four Idols Cult likely had two goddesses at the third layer of the Profound Mysteries. They might have previously felt that they lacked top-tier combat power, but now they had it. If there was only one of them, the Four Idols Cult may have still been manageable, but with two, there were few who could withstand them. Xia Longyuan was tied up dealing with gods and demons, and he was unlikely to be able to deal with two Ranking of Heaven powerhouses.

Seeing the Blood God Cult’s thousands of troops ready to move, Zhao Changhe felt that it was only a matter of time before the Four Idols Cult ignited a war in Jiangbei.

Huangfu Qing’s father was still the Great Xia’s strongest general, commanding the most elite border troops.

What will Wanzhuang do then?

As he pondered this, another table of customers happened to discuss Tang Wanzhuang. “Hey, Da Zhou, didn’t someone say that First Seat Tang has already arrived in Jiangnan?”

“Yeah, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Why hasn’t there been any news? I thought she would lead the battle and counterattack, but there hasn’t been any movement.”

“War isn’t that simple,” Da Zhou said irritably. “Do you think it’s like some one-on-one duel in the jianghu, where she’d just call out Maitreya to have a fight and be done with it?”

“Tang Wanzhuang should know military strategy, right?”

“Actually... when it comes to war, she might only have theoretical knowledge. She might not even be as good as her nephew Tang Buqi.”

“Why do you say that? Tang Buqi has been quiet for even longer. I heard that in two months, he will reach the age where he’d leave the Ranking of Hidden Dragons.”

“He’s gone through plenty of battles, defending Gusu against countless sieges by the troops of the Maitreya Cult. If you haven’t seen those scenes, you wouldn’t understand...”

“You’re talking as if you’ve seen it yourself.”

Da Zhou did not respond to this but answered the earlier question about Tang Wanzhuang. “In my opinion, I don’t think Tang Wanzhuang came to Jiangnan to command the troops...”

“Then what’s she here for?”

“First, to confront Maitreya, and second, to unify the various factions. With her here, others won’t dare to act rashly. Even if she’s coughing heavily, if she wants to take someone’s head off at night, few can stop her. Besides, the Great Xia still has some residual influence here. Her position as the head of the Demon Suppression Bureau is significant, and Tang Buqi can’t replace her.”

“You’re just a guy who makes braised ducks; how do you know so much?”

“Screw you, I need to get back. I haven’t finished making today’s braised duck.”

Zhao Changhe was intrigued.

There’s something off about this Da Zhou... For a braised duck maker, his knowledge of Jiangnan affairs is quite impressive. Moreover, he’s even promoting the Tang Clan and the Demon Suppression Bureau, unlike the other customers.

Seeing Da Zhou pay and leave, Zhao Changhe quietly finished his noodles, got up to pay, and discreetly followed him.

If his guess was right, Da Zhou might be someone from the Demon Suppression Bureau. As for his praise of Tang Buqi, Zhao Changhe thought it was probably just flattery. After all, that nephew of his...

Just as this thought crossed his mind, a golden light suddenly flashed in the sky.

Zhao Changhe looked up in surprise:

Late into the first month, Tang Wanzhuang fought Maitreya at Taihu Lake, defeating him and forcing him to flee.

Tang Buqi, having gained experience in commanding troops and having reached the seventh layer of the Profound Gate, bypassed the Maitreya Cult’s Celestial Maiden Bewitchment Array during the battle between figures on the Ranking of Earth. While he was crossing the array, he killed three of the Maitreya Cult’s top celestial maidens, and led his troops to a great victory over the army of the Maitreya Cult at Taihu Lake. Maitreya’s general Fa Chi escaped alone, while the rest fled in disarray. Countless warships were destroyed. The forces of the Tang Clan of Gusu advance south toward Hangzhou.

The Ranking of Hidden Dragons has changed.

Rank 9: Tang Buqi.

True character revealed amidst waves, a gentleman not to be constrained.

1. The line between divine sense and spiritual sense has yet to be drawn in this novel, so it is uncertain what exactly is the difference between them. ☜