Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 345: A Sincere Invitation

Night had fallen, and the mountain was blanketed in wind and snow.

Zhao Changhe did not receive an invitation to stay the night. He filled his gourd with wine, stashed another jug into his storage ring, and was then sent down the mountain.

Originally, Yuxu intended to keep him around for a bit longer to chat. He found himself becoming quite fond of the young man, but when the topic turned to the gods and demons, he knew that it would not be prudent to keep him there. If certain entities took notice, it could bring danger to Zhao Changhe.

When Zhao Changhe tactfully asked when it would be convenient to share another drink with him, it was actually just a subtle way of asking, “If you don’t want to find what they’re looking for, what are the prerequisites for me to come back and be able to take it away instead?”

So, while it seemed like a casual inquiry about when they could share another drink, Yuxu’s response, “When you reach the second layer of the Profound Mysteries and enter the Ranking of Earth,” was quite telling.

They mutually understood each other.

As long as one had enough strength, they could go wherever and get whatever they wanted.

Yuxu’s attitude was very interesting. His subtle hints implied that if Zhao Changhe were to come for that item in the future, Yuxu would make it easier for him. In fact, he could ask for it now, and Yuxu might even be willing to get rid of the hot potato. It was just that Yuxu felt Zhao Changhe was still too weak and would only get himself killed.

Zhao Changhe did not say more and descended the mountain.

This time, he did not leisurely stroll and enjoy the moonlit scenery. Instead, he used his movement art and sped down the mountain, arriving at a stable in the city in barely any time.

Snow-Treading Crow, well-groomed and shiny, stood in the stable looking at him.

Zhao Changhe smiled and patted his horse’s head. “A lot has happened since we arrived here, but it hasn’t been that long. Are you bored?”

Snow-Treading Crow neighed, seemingly in agreement.

Zhao Changhe laughed heartily, “Indeed, it’s only been a few days and you’re already restless. But I’ve gained a lot in these few days, hahaha.”

Snow-Treading Crow would have been speechless if it could speak to begin with.

What kind of person boasts to his horse...

Zhao Changhe patted Snow-Treading Crow’s head again. “There’s just one last thing I have to do. After that, we’ll have a good meal and head out. There’s no need to rush out in the middle of the night.”

Snow-Treading Crow stamped its hooves, as if saying, “Hurry up then.”

The last thing he wanted to do was to find the blind woman.

This time, Zhao Changhe did not passively wait for the blind woman to come to him while he slept. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed and spoke to the air, “If you want the page of the Heavenly Tome, there are two options. One, I can come back when I’ve made it onto the Ranking of Earth, and maybe Yuxu will help me then, but who knows when that will be. The other option, if you want it now, is for you to step in yourself, as I am simply not strong enough.

“I would never believe the ancient gods and demons to have been united. There must have been various factions competing against each other, and you’re just one of them.

“Xia Longyuan has broken free. I don’t know if you’ve chosen anyone else, but as it stands, it seems that I’m the only one extensively dealing with these matters.”

After saying that, Zhao Changhe climbed into bed and said, “I’m going to sleep now. Choose which option you prefer—you can come and tell me about your choice. If you don’t show up, I’ll assume you’ve chosen the first option, and I will leave after breakfast.”

The night was silent, with nothing but the sound of the wind.

Zhao Changhe lay with his eyes closed, and just before drifting off, he wondered if this counted as “sincerely inviting her to dream together”?

It probably did count, and not only did it count, it actually worked.

In his dream, the blind woman stood by his bed, staring at him intently.

Zhao Changhe smiled and said, “I suddenly thought of something.”

The blind woman had been ready for his usual sarcastic remarks and had prepared to keep a straight face, but she still subconsciously asked, “What is it?”

Zhao Changhe said leisurely, “I just realized that out of everyone, you’re the one who has slept with me the most.”

The blind woman remained expressionless. “Why don’t you just say that I’m the lover of your dreams? After all, I’m the one you’ve dreamt of the most.”

“Ha, that’s true. You’ve been to Earth, so you’d naturally be a lot more quick-witted... You know, I actually feel a sense of familiarity talking to you, it’s like I’m chatting with a modern girl. How come I never noticed this before?”

The blind woman sneered. “I’ve always kept a so-called modern tone when talking to you. You just didn’t notice it because you had issues with me before. Now that you think you’ve got the upper hand, you’re feeling cocky.”

“That’s great, this cockiness feels just right. Now I understand how Xia Longyuan felt when he talked to me. Is this a local dialect?”

“Yes, of course, it’s a local dialect, the Zhao Family dialect.” The blind woman did not want to waste any more time speaking nonsense with him and said flatly, “Let’s get to the point.”

Zhao Changhe chuckled. “Since you’ve come into my dream after just a few words, it means that you want to find the Heavenly Tome now, right? What else is there to discuss?”

“Do you know where it is?”

“I don’t, but you do. You can clearly sense that the page of the Heavenly Tome is in Kunlun... But this place is complicated, so you sent me here to explore. Now, as your eyes and ears, I’ve seen everything I needed to see. You can find the exact location yourself. If you can’t find it, don’t blame me.”

“...” The blind woman held back her words for a while before finally saying, “The Heavenly Tome is the ultimate treasure.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“It’s also very useful to you. Have you failed to notice how much the golden foil has already benefited you?”

“Of course not.” Zhao Changhe smiled. “But are you trying to say that finding this page in Kunlun is my responsibility?”

“Is it not? Who in the world would not want it?”

“Yuxu.”

The blind man opened her mouth, then closed it again.

“Everyone has their own ambitions,” Zhao Changhe sighed. “Actually, I haven’t used the golden foil much recently. No matter how much I reference other people’s martial arts, it ultimately requires my own understanding. The Heavenly Tome can analyze the martial arts of others, but it can’t help me comprehend it. When I was weaker, it helped me considerably, but as I seek my own path, it may only serve to blind me.”

The blind woman said coldly, “Do you think you’re Xia Longyuan or Yuxu? They can think like that, but you’re just a child learning to speak, naive and egotistical.”

Zhao Changhe: “...A bit more modern, please.”

“You’re trying to sound smart and you’re making a fool of yourself.”

“Well, damn.”

“The Heavenly Tome is crucial for you. Whether it’s killing that witch and returning home, or breaking the limits of space-time to return home. Without the Heavenly Tome, you can do neither. Even Xia Longyuan has a page of the Heavenly Tome. Otherwise, how could he reach his current level?” the blind woman said calmly. “If you consider me a guide NPC for this world, I can just give you the main quest right now, which is to collect the Heavenly Tome. Everything else, whether it’s martial arts or heroism, are just conditions for seeking the Heavenly Tome.”

She paused, revealing a hint of mockery. “You also know that multiple factions are competing. What do you think the competition is centered around?”

“The Heavenly Tome.”

“Exactly.”

Zhao Changhe raised his head and thought for a while, then sighed softly, “In that way, they’re all tomes of troubled times.”

The blind woman said coldly, “Do you think I personally want the Heavenly Tome? You’re wrong. It makes no difference to me whose hands it’s in; I just want it to be gathered together. The one who truly needs it is you.”

Zhao Changhe glanced at her. “Maybe. Then let’s go... Point the way.”

The blind woman said, “Are you sure that Yuxu won’t stop you?”

“I’m not sure, but I have sixty to seventy percent confidence that he won’t. It’s a kind of tacit understanding,” said Zhao Changhe. “Are you wary of Yuxu?”

The blind man remained silent.

Zhao Changhe let out a light laugh.

The blind woman knew what he was laughing about.

Back when Xia Longyuan pointed to the sky and cursed, she remained silent, proving her weakness.

There were some existences who could confront Xia Longyuan. Her silence or inaction may not necessarily mean that she was weaker than those existences. It may just be that Xia Longyuan was not at odds with her, and so she was happy to sit back and watch the tigers fight. This applied to her with Yuxu as well. She may not fear Yuxu but rather the entity behind him.

Zhao Changhe did not dare to underestimate someone who could manipulate dimensions and bring him to this world. Such an ability was top-tier in every sense.

But still, he could not help but feel that her influence was not as lofty as he once thought.

Even she had things she feared.

The blind woman said irritably, “What are you laughing at? If you keep stalling, it’ll be dawn soon. Are you going or not?”

Zhao Changhe said, “I’ve never seen you while awake, only in the modern world, I guess. I need to know what form your intervention will take when the time comes.”

The blind woman shook her head slightly. “You don’t need to know. Just focus on your fight. Unless you encounter something beyond this world’s understanding, the evildoers in this mountain can’t pose much of a threat to you.”

She paused, her smile ambiguous between mockery and lament, “Your strength is roughly within the top hundred in this world.”

She lamented his rapid progress.

She mocked how weak this world was.

Zhao Changhe opened his eyes. It was still pitch black outside, indicating that the “sleep” he had lasted only about half an hour.

Now was the best time to enter the mountain, during the deepest part of the night before dawn.