Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 92: Tang Wanzhuang

Luckily, he did not enter the brothel through its main entrance. Otherwise, if someone were to see him and word reached Xia Chichi that Zhao Changhe entered a brothel... He really might just end up not knowing how he died.

As he made his way through the backdoor, what he saw was surprisingly none of the things commonly seen in a brothel.

Surprisingly, behind the brothel was a small bamboo forest, and the corner of a small bamboo house could be seen in the distance. The area had a faint fragrance and gave those within it an incredible sense of serenity. Occasionally, insects buzzed and birds chirped; all the while, the sound of a guqin came from the bamboo house. The person playing the guqin was clearly someone of the imperial court, and they were able to expertly create the sound of a secluded valley.

There were well-dressed tall men hidden throughout the bamboo forest. When they saw Zhao Changhe enter, they all stared at him like tigers fiercely eyeing their prey.

Zhao Changhe continued walking without even sparing them a glance.

The sound of his footsteps resounded throughout the small forest, but when he reached the veranda of the bamboo house, the playing within the house halted.

Zhao Changhe stood by the entrance and looked at the woman inside. For some reason, the high-ranking people that Zhao Changhe knew did not like to use servants to entertain their guests. Back then, Cui Wenjing had been waiting for him in the pavilion alone, and now Tang Wanzhuang was also sitting alone in this bamboo house.

This time, her attire was not as thickly layered as it had been on their first meeting. Instead, she was wearing a plain dress and a long skirt. Her long hair hung down to her waist, and her appearance radiated elegance. The only fault lay in her particularly pale face and the sorrow hidden in her expression. He did not know why exactly, but his bearing and temperament seemed to improve as he looked at her.

Tang Wanzhuang stopped playing the instrument with her delicate hands. She then turned around, looked at Zhao Changhe, who was standing at the entrance, and smiled slightly. “Please come in.”

Her smile was like a feeble plum blossom in winter, calling upon a warm spring breeze while flowers bloomed in all directions.

Zhao Changhe, who believed himself to be a resolute straight man, could not help but feel his heart skip a beat. He silently thought about just how truly beautiful this woman before him was. She was so beautiful that it was impossible to associate her with a position like the head of the Demon Suppression Bureau. Her sickly and fairy-like appearance made it especially inconceivable that she possessed the strength to stand before Venerable Vermillion Bird so stoically back then.

However, he had witnessed the event with his own eyes. At that time, he had feared that she would kill him, a disciple who betrayed his master, with a single swing of her sword.

Only half a year had passed, yet it felt like a lifetime

Zhao Changhe made his way through the door, while Tang Wanzhuang moved to the coffee table, where she began brewing tea.

Zhao Changhe sat quietly opposite her, enjoying the fragrance of tea that gradually began to fill the room. The misty steam that rose as she made tea made Tang Wanzhuang appear even more like a fairy among the clouds.

Zhao Changhe had a lot to say, but he found himself unable to speak a single word. He had a bellyful of poetic inspiration, yet found himself unable to put out a single line of poetry, so he simply remained silent. It seemed that in front of such a woman, no matter how restless the rivers and lakes[1] were, the atmosphere would inevitably return to calm. The river quietly flows eastward under the setting sun.

Tang Wanzhuang similarly observed him as he did her. This young man, who had once been young and unruly, was now sitting before her carrying a huge saber on his back. While his unruliness still remained, his youthfulness had completely faded. Additionally, he was now as strong as a tiger.

She carefully served him a teacup and said with a smile, “Why are you not saying anything, Mister Zhao? Are you still perhaps bearing a grudge for me having placed a bounty on your head?”

Zhao Changhe clicked his tongue and said, “When in the presence of people like you... It just does not feel right to speak freely.”

Tang Wanzhuang smiled. “True bandits of the jianghu only know to call ladies beautiful and tell them to clean themselves and wait. When do they ever care for whether or not the atmosphere inhibits them from acting freely?”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

“It appears that Mister Zhao is indeed rather well-read, which is why you are able to sense the artistic dimension of the bamboo forest and the river flowing under the setting sun,” said Tang Wanzhuang. “Perhaps you even have some poetry in mind, it’s just that you are not voicing it out.”

Zhao Changhe said matter-of-factly, “I do indeed have some lyrics in mind... However, I do not feel comfortable voicing them out as they may not be much different from telling you to wash yourself clean and wait for me.”

Tang Wanzhuang did not take offense and instead said curiously, “I would like to know more.”

“I dare not speak too loudly, lest I startle the immortals in the sky. [2] Do you feel that I am flattering you when I say this?” asked Zhao Changhe with some annoyance in his voice. “I honestly am quite vexed. I can only say that being beautiful really is cheating. I was a little angry with you, but I could not express it. Instead, I became somewhat weak. It’s annoying.”

Tang Wanzhuang softly repeated the poem, ignoring everything he said afterward. There was some surprise in her eyes.

Zhao Changhe asked, “Is this line not in the classics? Why are you surprised?”

Tang Wanzhuang smiled but did not reply.

It is one thing if a verse is in the classics and an entirely different matter if you can memorize the verses by heart and use them in a suitable situation.

This person’s scholarly aura is evident from just this line alone, and no amount of banditry in the jianghu can hide it. Even if we were to say that he studied every second of the day right after reaching adulthood, developing such an aura in half a year is more difficult than practicing martial arts to become the 88th Hidden Dragon in half a year.

Was he really born in the Zhao House in the countryside?

She thought for a few moments and just said, “Then why do you dare to speak now, and even become more straightforward the more you speak?”

Zhao Changhe replied, “Now that the conversation has started, the artistic dimension has been broken, so it no longer matters. This is why I sincerely suggest that you act mute and sit there and play the guqin. The Vermillion Bird and the White Tiger may just turn around and leave when they see you... Oh, wait, they’re all women, so they may not share the same experience I did. They are more likely to want to tear your face off when they see you.”

As he said that, sorrow filled his heart. The current White Tiger was Chichi. If she knew that he was meeting with such a beautiful woman in private, the possibility of her tearing him apart was incredibly high.

This woman is so damn beautiful. Zhao Changhe could not help but wonder if there was a ranking of beauties in the Tome of Troubled Times. If there actually is a ranking of beauties, then this woman must be number one! Unfortunately, the Tome of Troubled Times is actually just a page of the Heavenly Tome, recording the matters of this world related to martial arts. If someone really wanted to start troubled times, then making a ranking of beauties is definitely the right way to go.

While countless thoughts flashed through Zhao Changhe’s mind, Tang Wanzhuang said, “So you are in fact angry about the bounty I placed on you.”

“No, that’s not it. I was mentally prepared when you put me on the wanted list. I killed someone right in front of the head of the imperial court, after all. It would be weird if I wasn’t placed on the wanted list. This is the path I chose, so why would I blame you for it? I should actually be thanking you for canceling that warrant for my arrest. By the way, you did a good job painting me.”

The smile in Tang Wanzhuang’s eyes grew brighter, and she found Zhao Changhe increasingly interesting.

Zhao Changhe finally picked up the teacup and took a sip from it, then he smacked his lips as if his mouth had been burned. “I just don’t want to be akin to a piece on a chessboard, with someone looking down from high above, dropping a new piece from time to time, watching the changes on the chessboard like watching an interesting show. You are such a person, and there is another person who is even more so. My resentment is largely targeted at that person; as for you, I merely hold a bit of annoyance. That is why I often make crude remarks but I can’t actually say anything hateful.”

Tang Wanzhuang did not ask who the other person was, nor did she defend her previous behavior. She simply raised a toast to him and said, “In that case, I would like to accompany you, Mister Zhao.”

Zhao Changhe was really angry, yet he could not express his anger. He raised his hand in return to clink cups dully. “I have spouted nonsense to you several times, so I must apologize. There is no need to argue with a rough man like myself.”

Before this meeting, he had felt that he did not know how he was going to die, but things turned out to be quite simple.

When the other party is magnanimous and holds lofty ambitions, there is no need to bother with some pointless flattery. Instead, one just has to be the first to apologize. A true man is amenable to friendly persuasion but not coercion; he naturally takes the initiative to apologize and settle matters when given the opportunity.

Their two cups collided and made a crisp clinking sound, which seemed to announce that the grudge between them was now buried in the past. Now, what they wanted to discuss was the future.

Tang Wanzhuang drank the tea in the cup. When she put down her cup, she suddenly bent over, covered her mouth, and coughed violently. The elegant temperament she had just now collapsed instantly, and she was so sick that it seemed she would collapse in the slightest breeze.

The pitiful Zhao Changhe had never been in such a situation before. He blankly stood there with his cup. Is an expert like her really choking on her tea? No... It’s probably because she has internal injuries that have not healed! What do I do?

It’s obviously inappropriate for me to go up to her and pat her back, so what should I do? Do I just watch from here?

He thought for a good few moments before he remembered that he still had some medicine from the Cui Clan in his pocket, including medicine for internal injuries. He did not know if it would work, but he still took one out and handed it over. “This medicine should be very useful for healing internal injuries. I was kicked in the dantian before, but I was completely fine after applying this medicine...”

Tang Wanzhuang coughed hard before gently panting. She then waved her hands gently and said softly, “It’s useless... I rushed my breakthrough and injured my lung meridian. Even His Majesty is unable to resolve this issue...”

“Fuck, is he really number one on the Rankings of Heaven?” Zhao Changhe blurted out. “Why do I sometimes think he is awesome, and sometimes think he is just a fool?! And you, you look like such a calm and collected lady, so why would you rush your breakthrough? Would the Great Xia collapse if you were to fail to raise your cultivation?”

Tang Wanzhuang looked at his violent outburst with a strange expression and whispered, “You must not be disrespectful to His Majesty.”

“I’m just a mountain bandit. He’s the one who’s being disrespectful. Is he going to bite me?”

“...Of all people, you really shouldn’t be disrespectful.”

Zhao Changhe choked. “What do you mean, of all people? How am I different?”

“You’re not?” Tang Wanzhuang looked at the Dragon Bird on his back: “Then... Why does Dragon Bird seem so happy because of you?”

penguin’s thoughts: yeah, history suggests that putting together a ranking of beauties is indeed a surefire way to start a decade-long conflict. Source: the Trojan wars.

1. 江湖 is used here, which can refer to either jianghu in the martial arts sense or simply the literal rivers and lakes. ☜

2. This is a verse in the poem “夜宿山寺” by Li Bai (李白), a famous Tang dynasty poet. ☜

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