Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 74: After Hugging Thick Thighs

It was enough for the saber bestowed upon them by the emperor to be stored beside their ancestral hall, so Zhao Changhe felt it made no sense for the Cui Clan to store their own divine sword with it. Weapons were supposed to be used in a fight, not as ceremonial offerings to one’s ancestors. What if you’re unable to grab it in time when danger strikes?

Still, as one reached higher levels in this world, things were bound to become more fantastical. There were things that Zhao Changhe could not necessarily understand at his level. Whether or not there was something more to this, it was not for him, a guest, to get involved in. Zhao Changhe did not concern himself with it anymore and followed Cui Yuanyang into the Saber Hall.

Even though this was the Saber Hall, there were not many sabers inside. After all, the Cui Clan mainly used swords. Sabers were only considered side weapons. There were about thirty hung on the wall and on weapon racks. All of them were sheathed. Zhao Changhe could not tell if they were good or not.

However, Zhao Changhe’s gaze was immediately caught by a saber placed horizontally on a frame.

The blade measured four to five chi, almost as long as Cui Yuanyang was tall... It was extremely thick and broad; the hilt was long, clearly for two-handed wielding, and it came with a scabbard made of some material Zhao Changhe could not make out. Just by looking at the way it was displayed, he knew that the weapon weighed a few dozen jin.

This was the broad saber from his dreams! There really was such a weapon!

Seeing Zhao Changhe so fixated on that saber, Cui Yuanyang was a little shocked. “Big Brother Zhao, do you like that saber? Isn’t it too bulky...”

“Eh...” Zhao Changhe returned to his senses. “Indeed. It’s probably not a saber I can wield right now.”

Cui Yuanyang knew what he meant.

He could not wield it now, which meant that he intended to wield it in the future.

Well, she had to agree that it suited Zhao Changhe’s personality. His wild and furious fighting spirit was appropriate for this kind of saber. If he took a fighting stance with this saber in hand, she felt that any enemy who saw him would drop to the ground in fear. It was simply too intimidating...

No wonder Big Brother Zhao likes it so much.

Cui Yuanyang bit her lower lip and thought for a moment before softly saying, “This saber belonged to a great general from a different family that was on the Ranking of Earth. Father brought it back after slaying him. It’s said that that general didn’t look like a human at all. He was more than a zhang tall... Actually, the saber the emperor conferred upon us is a little similar to this one. It’s a bit smaller and lighter, only about four chi long, and weighs thirty jin. Perhaps it’s more suited for ordinary use...”

Zhao Changhe knew very well that he would not be able to take away the saber given by the emperor. Still, he was quite interested in it. “What’s it called?”

“It’s called Dragon Bird. The Dragon Bird of the Great Xia.”

“...” Zhao Changhe’s expression turned strange.

It’s a good name. Very grand. The problem is that this name also exists in the real world. It’s Helian Bobo’s Dragon Bird of the Great Xia[1], only that this Great Xia is quite low-level. Xia Longyuan, is this a coincidence or what...

Forget it. This has nothing to do with me. I’ll never be able to touch that saber.

Zhao Changhe’s gaze swept across the other sabers. He clearly knew that every saber here was multiple times better than his steel saber, but after seeing that broad saber, these regular sabers seemed paltry...

Cui Yuanyang felt Zhao Changhe acting like that was amusing. And you still call me a child. Big Brother Zhao, it looks like you’re quite childish yourself at times. It’s like you’ve lost interest in regular toys after seeing a fun one...

In the end, she picked out a valuable saber that was about as heavy and long as the one he was using and stuffed it in his hand. She was too lazy to even tell him its name. “Take this for now...”

As she said this, her gaze shifted toward the direction of the copper pavilion. She had no idea what she was thinking and bit her lower lip.

It’ll be rather difficult. If someone said there was a regular but valuable saber that would never break when used, I wouldn’t think them reliable. But if there is such a saber, then that’s probably the only one that fits the description...

*

“You’ve chosen your saber?” Zhao Changhe finally met Cui Wenjing at dinner. There was no one else around, only the father and daughter of the Cui Clan and himself. From the looks of it, Cui Wenjing also did not wish for other people to pick at Zhao Changhe or make unnecessary remarks. Indeed, the head of the Cui Clan knew how to treat people.

Seeing Zhao Changhe’s new saber by his waist, Cui Wenjing smiled. “I guessed you’d choose this saber. It’s very similar to your old one.”

Zhao Changhe cupped his fists. “This is a very good saber. I tested it out just now. It can even split hairs. Thank you, senior.”

“You deserve it.” Cui Wenjing laughed. “You can even receive more... I know you’re not greedy. What you want is extremely clear—you probably want a way to resolve the side effects of the Vicious Blood Art, and broaden your meridians and dantian so that your internal art can keep up with your cultivation of external arts.”

“It’s as you say! I don’t need anything else!” Zhao Changhe was delighted. “Senior, do you have a way for me to achieve all that?”

Cui Yuanyang snuck a glance at him. Didn’t you say you want money...

Cui Wenjing said, “Let’s first talk about the Vicious Blood Art. Its problem fundamentally stems from the fact that it uses one’s blood qi and vicious qi, so naturally, it’ll cause vicious qi to rush to one’s head and devour their body. If you want me to excise the vicious qi from your body, I can do it. However, your saber will never be as fierce or fiendish as before. It’ll mean giving up half of what strength you’ve been able to use thus far. Whether it’s worth it or not, you’ll have to ponder over it yourself.”

As expected, Cui Wenjing had more methods at his disposal than Yue Hongling. Even so, it was clear that Zhao Changhe could not have his cake and eat it too. He felt that this was a pain in the ass. “The Blood God Art should also be an art that cultivates one’s blood qi and vicious qi, so why doesn’t it have these side effects? Doesn’t that mean there should be a way to resolve them without giving up my strength?”

Cui Wenjing smiled contemptuously. “If the Blood God Art was really that miraculous, then Xue Canghai wouldn’t have lost to a nineteen year old girl of a lower cultivation.”

Zhao Changhe secretly thought to himself: Xue Canghai is really in a miserable state. As long as he lives, he’ll be haunted by that defeat... The Tome of Troubled times was a pain in the ass for this very reason and Zhao Changhe had gotten a taste of it himself.

Cui Wenjing said, “No one in our clan has interacted with anyone who practices the Blood God Art. I don’t know the specifics, but the Blood God Art must have some other side effects. Moreover, Yue Hongling must have acutely realized what it was and seized upon it. Her keenness in battle is really frightening. I never would have thought that Yuanyong would actually lose to her. What he’s learned is more than ten times better than what she’s learned.”

As he said this, glanced at Cui Yuanyang.

She was very happy seeing her father interacting pleasantly with her boyfriend and did not interrupt them, resting her chin on her hand as she listened. Then, she was struck by their conversation. She knew why her father looked at her when he said that. In the past, he would always talk about outstanding women in the jianghu that were of the same generation to inspire her, but she had always ignored him and continued doing as she pleased.

However, today, she actually felt unwilling to concede.

Yue Hongling stayed at his stronghold for such a long time. They might have already done it... Father, it’s one thing that you’ve never given her trouble, but now you’re praising her? Why did you praise her? Are you still my father!? So what if brother can’t defeat her. Don’t tell me... Arghhh, I can’t defeat her. Aieeeee!

Don’t I just have to train?! I had to swallow a big loss this time. I was going to train when I got back. Why did you have to bring up that woman and piss me off? You guys should continue talking about the Blood God Art!

Zhao Changhe remained quiet for a moment before asking firmly, “Since this is the case, I don’t need you to remove the vicious qi from my body. Isn’t it just a small bother? If in exchange for this huge strength in battle, I have to deal with it, then it’s worth it. Come to think about it, the Vicious Blood Art, without all these problems, is a pretty good martial art, right?”

“Other than this, it’s an excellent martial art.” This was the second piece of assurance Zhao Changhe received after Yue Hongling, and it was from a master on the Ranking of Heaven. Cui Wenjing continued, “If you can endure the side effects, there’s no harm in cultivating it as your main martial art. It’s worth learning. In fact, I have a feeling the Vicious Blood Art is the actual fundamental martial art of the Blood God Cult. It’s just that no one is able to train in it properly. The Blood God Cult might have come up with the Blood God Art as an alternative because they wanted to get rid of the side effects of the Vicious Blood Art. The upper limit of the Blood God Art might not be as high as that of the Vicious Blood Art.”

Zhao Changhe was pleasantly surprised. “Senior, are you certain?”

“Don’t you think your strength in battle is a little absurd? With just a trivial third-layer cultivation, you were able to force all sorts of illusions on Qi Bubi and you actually made him feel suppressed. Is that something someone at the third layer of the Profound Gate can do? Not even I could do that when I was at the third heavenly layer!”

After a moment of silence, Cui Wenjing stated his final conclusion. “If the Blood God Art was really stronger than the Vicious Blood Art, then why is the Blood God Cult a measly second-rate sect? Why hasn’t Xue Canghai entered the Ranking of Man?”

So you were already there when I was fighting Qi Bubi. Fuck you...

Zhao Changhe was too lazy to complain about this old fox. As his knowledge deepened bit by bit, the strengths of the Vicious Blood Art were gradually being unearthed and becoming more definite. Now, he was reluctant to part with it. From the looks of it, this martial art would be his main martial art for a long while. He did not know what would happen after he practiced it to a high level. Would he be able to break through to the ninth layer of the Profound Gate or peer into the Profound Mysteries?

The manual said it was possible. And now, it really looked like it was not just tooting its own horn. The problem was how he would break through to the Profound Mysteries afterward. The manual that Fang Buping gave him did not have anything written down about this.

Cui Wenjing could see what he was thinking about and said indifferently, “As for the matter with the Blood God Cult, I’ll get some people to keep an eye on them. If it’s appropriate, I’ll help make sure that they don’t make things too difficult for you in the future... Actually, I think even that Xia Chichi can help you take care of them. That is, if she doesn’t want to kill you.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Cui Yuanyang: “...”

“Now the only problem left is how to purify your body and expand your meridians.”

Just as Zhao Changhe thought he could latch onto the rich and powerful to solve all his problems, however, Cui Wenjing continued. “...We can’t do anything about this.”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

You said the matter regarding the Blood God Cult can be resolved by Xia Chichi. Is this to say that even if I latch on to the number nine person under heaven, you won’t do anything for me?

Cui Yuanyang became anxious. “Father!”

Cui Wenjing gestured with his hands and passed him a medicinal pill. “Don’t be so nervous. This pill will be of great use to you.”

1. Helian Bobo was the founding emperor of the Northern Xia dynasty (407-431 AD) from the Sixteen Kingdoms period in northern China. He wielded a saber known as the Dragon Bird of the Great Xia. ☜

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