Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 504: Yue Hongling's Sword

In the end, Zhao Changhe’s combination of sword and saber was still broken by Yue Hongling. Her long sword was at his neck, and he had no choice but to raise his hands in surrender.

Yue Hongling did not feel particularly proud. After all, she was at the second layer of the Profound Mysteries, and Zhao Changhe had not yet broken through. She was not like Xue Canghai, who could be easily challenged by someone below his level. Winning this spar was only expected.

Despite the difference in their cultivation, the fight had been difficult to win, making her victory that much less impressive. But at the same time, she was comforted by how much stronger her little man had become.

Though, in another area, he seemed even more formidable...

The benefit of having a heroine as a partner was that not only could they spar with you and help you master new skills, but she could also help find issues and provide valuable insights and suggestions.

After that, they could strip off their clothes and bathe together like a pair of mandarin ducks.

And then, in the bath, he could make the heroine surrender.

There was more than one way to win a fight.

“You... Mmf...” Yue Hongling held herself up with one hand against the edge of the bathtub, the other gently biting her fingers, trying to keep her voice down.

Then, with a hint of grievance, she looked back at him. “Is this your way of getting revenge...”

“Of course not...”

“Then why use such an embarrassing position? You’re not done yet? Mmh...”

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“Uh...” Actually, if you didn’t look back at me like that while biting your fingers, the position wouldn’t be so embarrassing. When you do that, you’re just making me more eager...

Though they were like an old couple now, and what they were doing could already be considered routine, Zhao Changhe always managed to make Yue Hongling feel the same shyness they felt when they first fell in love.

The modesty of a heroine was still incredibly endearing.

Yue Hongling realized that every time she protested, it only spurred him on, so she could only bite her fingers and keep silent.

It must be because I beat him earlier. Now he wants payback. How typical of him.

Fine, I won’t make a sound. Let’s see how smug you can be.

Yue Hongling did not realize that whenever she resolved not to make a sound, the outcome was always particularly tragic for her. It was to the point where she could not even hold back from biting her fingers anymore.

* * *

The rain cleared, and the clouds parted. Yue Hongling lay lazily in his arms, her entire body glowing with a satisfied blush. Only at this moment did the two of them begin leisurely washing each other.

“Stupid bear,” Yue Hongling said, her fingers lightly tracing the scars across his body, her voice soft. “Since you could even reshape your meridians, why didn’t you remove your scars? Are you going to say that it’s proof of being a man again?”

“It’s simply because reshaping my meridians took too much energy, and I didn’t have enough energy to spare for anything else at the time. As for now, I just don’t feel like it. Maybe later.”

In truth, Yue Hongling thought there was no need to deliberately remove the scars. Whether the ones on his face or body, they really did add a rugged charm to him.

Scars truly could be considered badges of honor for a man, and they fit perfectly with the aesthetics of someone of the jianghu.

It was likely that when Sisi saw his body covered in scars, her heart would turn even softer, making her willing to do anything for him... Well, in truth, his numerous scars this time were entirely because of Sisi, and winning her heart was almost inevitable. Yue Hongling found herself not feeling much jealousy toward Sisi—perhaps it was because she understood, or maybe it was because she was long accustomed to the idiot getting entangled with other women...

That was why she even willingly created opportunities for them to be alone together, though she did not know what had come of those opportunities.

“So, what happened when you went to see the tombs?”

Aw, look at how cleverly she asked the question. Zhao Changhe could not help but smile, reaching over to playfully rub her.

Yue Hongling slapped his hand away in annoyance.

Zhao Changhe roughly recounted the situation over there and added, “I think that this place could offer a glimpse into the ancient past. It may not directly benefit cultivation, but it will certainly help in exploring the secrets of the ancient era. I plan to build a dwelling here for a month or two, also to reflect on and consolidate what I’ve recently learned. Will you stay with me?”

Yue Hongling thought for a moment and then shook her head. “I’m not particularly interested in pursuing ancient secrets. I’ll go with you tomorrow to see the place, and if I find it helpful for cultivation, I’ll stay for a while. But if it doesn’t seem relevant to my path, I’ll take my leave. I’ve stayed here long enough.”

That was just her nature. She found it difficult to stay in one place for too long. Zhao Changhe was used to it and did not insist, only nodding in agreement.

Yue Hongling, feeling that their separation was approaching, wanted to give her man some parting advice, “Your combination of the sword and saber is something you’ve completely developed on your own, and it still has a lot of inconsistencies. I don’t think you should stay here too long either. When you return to the Central Plains, you should visit some relevant sects to learn about techniques for using both hands simultaneously. After all, following the path paved by those who came before can save you a lot of trial and error.”

“There probably aren’t many of those, right? Most involve twin blades or twin swords, which isn’t quite the same as my situation...”

“You can still use them for reference. And speaking of that, you should also start preparing to create some techniques of your own. I noticed that you were already interested in doing that for a while. You claimed to have created something called Listening to the Spring Rain in a Little Pavilion at Night, but anyone can see it’s just a modified version of Hell on Earth. Still, it shows you’re thinking about creating your own techniques, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve felt that I need something of my own for a long time. If I only inherit the techniques of others, I’ll never reach the top. Besides...” Zhao Changhe hesitated for a moment, wondering if the blind woman was listening. Then, he decided he did not care and said it anyway. “Besides, if I only learn from others, I’d be at a disadvantage if I ever have to face them.”

“Exactly.” Yue Hongling was pleased. “That’s why I never use other people’s techniques. I only took parts of the Zhenwu Sword Stone, and even the Sunset Divine Sword, whether or not it’s from the Sword Emperor, isn’t the same as its original form. I’ve combined it with my own Sunset Sword Art and have been walking my own path for a long time. Now that I have an even newer sword intent, it’s become even more unique.”

Zhao Changhe genuinely admired this about Yue Hongling. Coming from humble beginnings, she had managed to carve out her own path using some remnants she had come across in secret realms. She was a true top-tier hidden dragon.

She knew about Zhao Changhe’s possession of the Heavenly Tome but never asked about it. She did not seem interested, perhaps even less so than she was in observing exotic beasts.

Even her lack of interest in the secrets of the ancient past stemmed from this attitude. Among the people Zhao Changhe knew, those most interested in pursuing ancient secrets were the Four Idols Cult and Ying Five, while others seemed to be less concerned. Back in the sword chamber, Han Wubing’s interest in the lingering sword intent far surpassed his interest in the woman’s identity or Iceheart—it was the same kind of mindset.

It was not that they did not want to pursue the power of the previous era, but rather that they focused on cultivating their own swords. No matter how strong the ancient secrets were, they could not compare to forging their own path.

Unfortunately, Zhao Changhe was not like them. Due to the blind woman’s presence, whether she guided him or not, ancient secrets had become one of his main pursuits. This was likely why he had ended up growing so close to the Four Idols Cult and Ying Five.

Thinking of this, Zhao Changhe scooped up a handful of the white, viscous substance still floating in the water and smeared it on the Heavenly Tome.

The Heavenly Tome: “...”

Yue Hongling had no idea what he was doing, but seeing him fiddling with his ring reminded her of something. She reached out and picked up Dragon Emperor, which had been placed by the side of the pool, and handed it back to him. “This belongs to the Four Idols Cult, right? I’ve borrowed it for the past few days and almost forgot to return it.”

Zhao Changhe looked at her expression, clear and unbothered, without a trace of reluctance. He could not help but ask, “Your own sword broke, and you gave Shi Wuding’s sword to Wubing. You don’t have a good sword now, right? Are you really not interested in this divine sword even when it’s already right in front of you?”

“If it were your sword, I’d take it without hesitation. But this belongs to the Four Idols Cult.” Yue Hongling smiled faintly. “I don’t feel like owing them any favors.”

“What are you going to use then?”

Zhao Changhe rummaged through his ring, but the bone sword had already been returned to Sisi, and there was only the unfinished sword of the Night Emperor left—there were no other swords in his ring.

“Me?” Yue Hongling lazily rose from the pool, tying her long hair into a ponytail. “I’ll just ask Sisi for a decent-quality sword. I’m really not that interested in those ancient swords that are infused with others’ spirits.”

She smiled and said, “A swordsman should imbue their sword with their own sword spirit. Thousands of years later, I want future generations to pursue Yue Hongling’s sword. That’s what I want.”

Compared to the way she looked back while biting her finger earlier, her smile now was extraordinarily beautiful.