Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 298: The Secret Missed From the Beginning

“Are you really confident? Be careful not to end up like Wanzhuang...”

“Oh, how affectionate. Wanzhuang~”

“Can you focus on the main point?”

“I’m fairly confident... About seventy or eighty percent confident, in any case. No one can ever say that they are a hundred percent confident, even for the first layer of the Profound Gate. Having this much confidence is very solid.”

“Mm-hm...” Zhao Changhe asked, “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“No need. What can you even do?”

“...”

Lady Three smiled and said, “You’ve already done a great job in this matter. Your words were really nice to hear. Even though you obviously recruited me to deal with Ubalu, you made it sound like it was especially good for the Four Idols Cult, as if you were giving us a gift.”

Zhao Changhe sighed. “That was the truth. Even if I had not given you the gemstone, I could still have recruited you to deal with Ubalu. You were already trying to get him killed anyway. Who are you trying to fool here?”

Lady Three fell silent.

It was true that Zhao Changhe’s act of giving her the Black Tortoise Gemstone was not motivated by anything else; it was purely to help the Four Idols Cult.

Or it could be said that he did not want the Four Idols Cult to trouble him. After all, he had given the space to Ying Five. If she entered and found nothing left, not even the jelly, she would naturally come looking for him to demand things, and that would mean falling out.

He did not want their relationship to turn hostile, and since he did not covet the gemstone, he simply gave it away as a favor. At least that way, he could keep the storage ring he obtained, and they would not feel justified in asking for it back since the secret realm was found by him, after all.

After they got the gemstone, Vermillion Bird also remained silent. Even if she now knew he was probably not the heir of the Night Emperor, it was still hard for her to make up her mind to kill him now.

If he had used the Black Tortoise Gemstone as a betrothal gift to propose to Xia Chichi or ask to marry the Fire Serpent of Yi, it would have been quite amusing. But he had asked for nothing; he had truly given it away for free.

No matter how much of a demonic cult they were, they still had to recognize favors. This was why Lady Three was especially nice to him now.

Zhao Changhe suddenly smiled. “Alright, it’s good if you can improve. I’m looking forward to the day the Four Idols Cult steps into the Ranking of Heaven.”

Lady Three said, “Then it will be even harder for you to defeat Vermillion Bird.”

Zhao Changhe did not seem to care. He changed the topic, “The Four Idols Cult and I have too many personal ties. If we start talking about that, it will never end. How about we discuss something serious instead? I want a Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng. Did Ying Five find any clues as to where I might be able to get it?”

“Yes,” replied Lady Three. “In the far west, you can find the Kunlun Heavenly Pool. In the records from the previous era, the item is mentioned. However, it has not been seen in this era. It could be due to the changes in the environment or excessive human interference that the blood ginseng has not appeared in this era. If you can find any ancient secret realms in that area, you might be able to find some of the leftover blood ginseng from ancient times. Of course, the chances are slim. Secret realms aren’t exactly easy to find, and even if you do find one or two, they might not contain blood ginseng. Are you willing to travel thousands of li just to try your luck?”

Zhao Changhe was silent for a moment, then sighed, “What else can I do? I can only try. Since I don’t really have a fixed place I call home, it doesn’t matter where I go.”

“Alright, our people will assist you when the time comes.”

“Your people? Do you mean those from the Four Idols Cult or Ying Five’s organization?”

Lady Three smiled slightly. “Both, of course. But be careful. There are powerful forces over there, and even Ranking of Heaven experts.”

Zhao Changhe remained unfazed. “Got it. I’m not going there to cause trouble, so it doesn’t really matter if there are Ranking of Heaven experts there or not. They won’t kill someone just for being there. In fact, having major forces around could be beneficial. They might have the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng, and I could negotiate a deal with them.”

“I feel like you’re taking things too lightly,” Lady Three said expressionlessly. “That place is a haven for exiles and criminals. It’s a paradise for evildoers. Many demons who can’t survive in the Central Plains end up there, including those who are wanted or who have offended powerful enemies. It’s full of all kinds of unsavory characters, be it scammers, thieves, and worse. Countless heroes from Central Plains have vanished there without a trace. Even Tang Wanzhuang’s people don’t dare venture there lightly, and our Four Idols Cult does not dare to expand our influence there carelessly. If you, a stranger, were to show up, your head might just be taken before you even have a chance to make a deal with someone.”

“Then I’ll keep a low profile. I can even go and pretend to be Wang Daoning again.”

Lady Three’s jaw dropped.

In fact, she felt things were rather strange. Some things really seem to be just preordained by fate.

Chichi is heading to train there as well. The west aligns with the White Tiger. She’s working on unlocking the first layer of the Profound Mysteries there. It’s very likely that Vermillion Bird will also be going there, both to secretly protect Chichi and to prepare for her own breakthrough to the third layer of the Profound Mysteries.

And now, this guy, seeking the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng, is also heading there. I haven’t even mentioned this to Vermillion Bird and Chichi yet because it’s a part of Ying Five’s plan. Who knows what sparks will fly when all of them meet there.

Lady Three thought about this and felt reluctant to return to Huangsha Market.

What fun will there be in Huangsha Market now? There’s no way it’s going to be as exciting as watching everything unfold at Kunlun...

Unfortunately, I need to check out the Black Tortoise Secret Realm. It’s likely beneficial for my cultivation, so I can’t just leave for the time being. It truly is a pity.

“Oh, right...” Zhao Changhe knocked on his head. “Speaking of thieves, do you know where the Thieves Guild is located?”

“Why are you asking about them?”

“I just have a feeling that they’d like that kind of place. They just came to mind.”

“Yes, the Thieves Guild should be located somewhere there. No one knows their exact location. For all you know, what looks like an ordinary store could be their headquarters.”

“That’s enough of a lead for me.” Zhao Changhe felt a lot of his questions were answered, and he raised his cup in a toast, feeling quite pleased. “Lady Three, you truly are my lucky star.”

Lady Three clinked her cup with his with a smile. “Same to you. When do you plan to go?”

Zhao Changhe did a quick internal check.

Over the past few days, while teaching everyone, his injuries had indeed healed. Through the page of the Heavenly Tome, he had spent several days refining his saber arts and pondering on the blow from Vulture Break. He felt that he had made considerable progress.

As for breaking through to the ninth layer of the Vicious Blood Art... Upon some study, the blood token he got from Ying Five seemed to offer a possibility for breaking through to the ninth layer if he extracted the vicious qi within it. However, according to Cui Wenjing’s theory, relying solely on such a method would result in him becoming a half-baked ninth-layer martial artist. If he wanted to properly reach the ninth layer, he required further tempering and insight, so there was no rush.

The token could be regarded as a foundational piece. When the right moment came, he would not have to worry about where to find vicious qi to absorb; it would already be ready in advance. The downside was that he was carrying more and more items, and that wasn’t exactly convenient. His first task in the west might not be finding the blood ginseng but locating the Thieves Guild.

Thinking this, he said, “I could leave at any time... But before I go, could I ask one more favor from you?”

Lady Three looked puzzled. “What is it?”

“Could you have my subordinates here in the mountain stronghold over to the Blood God Cult? If you introduce them to the Blood God Cult, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Lady Three gazed at him meaningfully for a while, then smiled and said, “Little brother, you aren’t being honest with me, huh? Are you planning to take over the nest?”

Zhao Changhe just smiled back, saying nothing.

“I’ll write them a letter of introduction. Xue Canghai has to at least give me face.” Lady Three lazily stood up and stretched her body, creating a mesmerizing sight.

Zhao Changhe kept his eyes on his drink.

“Since you’ve added a request, I’ll add one as well.” Lady Three turned to leave. “Take me to see the Azure Dragon Pool.”

The Azure Dragon Pool, at the cave behind the waterfall.

That was the place where Zhao Changhe and Xia Chichi had solidified their bond. After Xia Chichi left with Vermillion Bird and Zhao Changhe became the leader of the mountain stronghold, he rarely came here, and when he did, it was to prepare for battle.

This was because when he did visit this place, it would bring back memories of Xia Chichi, affecting his progress in martial arts for some time.

Now, it was already the Beginning of Summer, and this was no longer an issue. Zhao Changhe wanted to visit the cave behind the waterfall again, to see if there was anything they might have missed back then.

He thus brought Lady Three to the small cave, which was every bit as cramped as he remembered. The central area housed a small altar meant for the Azure Dragon Seal, with nothing else around. The overall layout was very similar to the small space within the Black Tortoise Cave, indicating that it was part of the same system.

However, in the Black Tortoise Cave, the altar could be moved, revealing an exit underneath.

What about here?

Lady Three’s eyes also fell on the altar. Seeing that Zhao Changhe seemed to be about to push it away, she suddenly stopped him. “Don’t move it.”

Zhao Changhe was puzzled.

Lady Three frowned, staring at the altar for a long time before saying, “This place gives me a strange feeling. The energy here is a bit abnormal. In such a peaceful and ordinary place, I actually feel a sense of dread... You were lucky not to mess with it last time. If you had really pushed it back then, it’s likely the entirety of Beimang would have been decimated...”

Zhao Changhe took a sharp breath of cold air.

Could the reason Beimang moved north of the capital be hidden here? Does this mean that the big secret was actually hidden in the novice village?

Lady Three circled the altar repeatedly for a long time, then relaxed her frown. “Oh, it’s not that exaggerated. Ordinary people can’t even move it. Let me see...”

She gently rotated the altar, changing its position.

Zhao Changhe could hear a rumbling sound from beneath the ground, as if the gears of a massive mechanism were being engaged.

“The ancient Azure Dragon, the legacy of the Human Emperor...” Lady Three turned to look at Zhao Changhe, her eyes gleaming. “What do you think? Should I kill you and take the treasure for myself?”

Zhao Changhe replied dryly, “If I’m not mistaken, there should just be a tomb inside, and there’s probably someone in there trying to crawl out.”