Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 425: Your Luck Is Abnormal

Vermillion Bird had originally come to say goodbye.

She had already fulfilled her part of the deal, gained combat insights, and extracted the information she wanted. She had not just come to work for Tang Wanzhuang for free. They had each gotten what they had come here for, and that was enough.

Watching her little man in front of her, knowing that she could not have him, and seeing him exchange flirtatious looks with Tang Wanzhuang—how could she possibly want to stick around? If not for wanting to say a final goodbye to him, she would have left long ago.

In the end, she was treated to this infuriating intimate scene, leaving her angry and at the same time pleased in a very twisted manner.

Looking at Tang Wanzhuang with her hair disheveled, her face flushed, and her eyes dazed... Well, if she could just imagine that Tang Wanzhuang was being toyed with by the Fire Pig of Shi of the Four Idols Cult, that thought...

But deep down, she knew that this was nothing but self-deception, which then only made her more irritated.

For someone who always prided herself on being decisive and ruthless, Vermillion Bird found it unsettling that she could not decide whether she wanted to see more or not. Ultimately, she figured it was best to just leave and stop watching.

Next time, I’ll confront the two of you with a different identity. Moving as Vermillion Bird in front of you just places me at too much of a disadvantage!

Seeing her leave, clearly distracted and out of sorts, Lady Three took the opportunity to sneak off as well.

There was no way she was going to stick around for Zhao Changhe to ask her for blacksmithing advice. She had come to enjoy the show, not be a part of it. Now that she had enjoyed the little show, she was satisfied and decided to leave.

However, Lady Three at least took care of some business before leaving. She removed her mask, changed her hairstyle, swapped out her outfit, and even changed her perfume. Then she happily went off to find Ying Five.

Ying Five was having breakfast when he saw the transformed Lady Three walk up to him. He could not help but laugh and playfully ask, “Weren’t you in Huangsha Market? What brings you to Jiangnan?”

“What, can’t a Jiangnan girl come home for a visit?” Lady Three played her role perfectly, even altering her voice slightly to be more languid and seductive—completely different from when she wore her Black Tortoise mask.

When she had the mask on, she carried the authority of Venerable Black Tortoise, with all the seriousness that entailed. She could punch with the force of thirty years of cultivation, and even Ying Five would not dare to block that punch directly.

Suddenly, Ying Five understood Vermillion Bird a little better.

And he also understood why Zhao Changhe could not recognize her. With a change in hairstyle, some people really could look like a completely different person. Women’s looks could change drastically with just a new hairstyle.

“Sit down. Want some porridge?” Ying Five said leisurely, sipping his own porridge. “How’s everything in Saibei? Now that spring is over, is there any movement on the Grasslands?”

Lady Three, without hesitation, helped herself to some porridge and replied, “Timur has barely made it. However, his previous injuries still have yet to fully heal. For now, there’s no conflict with Batu. Batu is also recovering his strength, and he’s cautious of Timur’s strength as the third strongest under heaven, so he doesn’t want to push too hard. Both sides are holding back, so nothing much has happened in Saibei in recent months. That’s why I came back to take a look at what’s going on here.”

Ying Five asked, “You’ve been away from Jiangnan for so long—do you still remember its charm? Does it feel strange to be back?”

Lady Three was lost in thought for a moment before sighing. “It’s not so bad. I haven’t forgotten everything. But if anything feels strange, it’s probably because of the devastation Maitreya caused. When I passed through Hangzhou on my way here, the place was in such a state that it was hard to believe that I was even in Jiangnan. It looked worse than Huangsha.”

Ying Five slowly remarked, “So are you angry? It’s rare to see you this fired up.”

“Hey.” Lady Three put down her bowl of porridge. “I’ve just arrived, tired from my journey. What makes you think I’m angry?”

Ying Five chuckled knowingly.

You’re a damn slacker. It’s not easy to see you explode with such intensity, but here you were, punching so hard that your mouth bled. When have I ever seen you fight like that?

He decided to let her act. After all, why spoil the fun?

Ying Five shook his head, smiling. “So, what brings you here?”

“Have you heard of something called Night Flowing Sand?” Lady Three asked expectantly.

Ying Five felt a headache coming.

He used to think that he was an expert when it came to anything related to the ancient era, but recently, more things cropped up that he had never heard of. Just a while ago, there was the Solaris Nimbus Leaf. The organization had spent a whole month scouring ancient texts, only to find a faint clue relating to Yunyang Mountain—and even then, there was no guarantee that the leaves could be found there, it could just be a coincidence in the name.[1]

Now there was this Night Flowing Sand. Ying Five did not even need to use his brain to know that it had something to do with Zhao Changhe.

It was bizarre. He had spent a lifetime dealing with ancient relics and rare items, but he had never encountered so many unknown things in such a short period. And yet, after meeting Zhao Changhe, all these obscure items started popping up one after the other.

Some would claim it to be fate or luck, but Ying Five could not shake the feeling that there was something absolutely abnormal, peculiar even, about Zhao Changhe’s luck.

It was as if everything was falling into place for him, as if it were all orchestrated. He wondered if Zhao Changhe himself realized this.

Back when Xia Longyuan rose to power, there was a similar sense of destiny about him. However, Xia Longyuan was far more arrogant and reckless, which eventually led to the current chaos. Zhao Changhe, while outwardly bold, was actually quite cautious inwardly. It thus made it difficult to predict how his path would unfold.

Of course, Ying Five was not bothered by being asked about such things—after all, this was his passion and pursuit. The rarer and stranger the item, the more intrigued he became. With that thought, he smiled and said, “I haven’t heard of it, but I’ll look for clues when I return to the main headquarters. No promises, though.”

Lady Three scratched her head. “When will you go back to check?”

She was just trying to gauge how long she would have to wait, but Ying Five heard it as if she was urging him, so he teasingly said, “I haven’t wandered around Jiangnan in ages. Now that Maitreya is gone and everything is reviving, I think I’ll be staying and enjoying the scenery for a while. I’m not sure when I’ll be heading back.”

Lady Three got anxious. “What scenery is there to see at a time like this? Defeating Maitreya is nothing! The world is about to change even more drastically, not stabilize!”

Ying Five could not help but laugh. “What kind of magic does Zhao Changhe have that even you’re...”

Lady Three: “?”

What? The Night Flowing Sand is for forging the Night Emperor’s sword. It’s a major matter for our cult. What does it have to do with Zhao Changhe?!

Ying Five, still smiling, said, “Oh? So you’re not asking about it for him?”

Lady Three opened her mouth but then closed it again.

Actually, can I even say that it isn’t for him? We’re going to be leaving the sword with him even when we do finish it...

Seeing her expression, Ying Five laughed even more. “Alright, I’ve got some things to discuss with him anyway. After that, I’ll head back. Don’t want my niece[2] getting angry at me.”

Lady Three, a bit slow to react, stood there frozen, realizing that her reputation might be taking a hit.

What made it worse was the sudden recollection that she could not leave just yet. She still had to teach someone sword-forging techniques.

* * *

When Ying Five found Zhao Changhe, the latter was lying in bed, drinking medicine.

Tang Wanzhuang was sitting beside him, feeding him medicine, while Zhao Changhe made a crummy face, clearly disliking the bitter taste of the medicine.

Ying Five thought for a moment that he was seeing things and instinctively backed out, rubbed his eyes, and then reentered the room. But then, he saw the same scene.

“What are you dramatic for? Is it bitter? So what? Do you want something sweet instead? Well, I’ve got no candy, so how about a slap?” Tang Wanzhuang continued feeding him, completely unconcerned about any pretense in front of Ying Five.

Ying Five clicked his tongue but suddenly felt like it was not such a big deal after all. He knocked lightly on the door frame. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Ahem.” Zhao Changhe responded, “Fifth lord, do you have any orders for me?”

“Hah, who would dare to order you around? It’s always you giving me orders. You had me looking for the Solaris Nimbus Leaf, and now you’re asking about Night Flowing Sand. And you didn’t even come to ask yourself...” Ying Five almost rolled his eyes. “I’m just curious about something. Where did you even hear about these names? Is it something you can share?”

Zhao Changhe hesitated before shaking his head. “Night Flowing Sand is something I came across in a sword-forging manual, and the Solaris Nimbus Leaf and Spirit-Weaving Grass come from medical texts. They don’t come from the same source. It’s just a coincidence...”

He could not very well reveal the existence of the blind woman. The consequences of that would be difficult to predict.

Ying Five stared at him for a while, clearly aware that he was withholding some information, but he did not press the matter. Instead, he said, “I’ve been thinking. Your luck is abnormal. Be careful not to take it for granted.”

“Is that the main reason you came, fifth lord?”

“Of course. Did you think I came here to feed you medicine? I don’t have candy either, but I’ve got two healthy hands and some experience slapping people. Want one?”

Tang Wanzhuang: “...”

Zhao Changhe struggled out of bed, bowing solemnly. “Thank you for the advice.”

Ying Five looked him over once more and suddenly smiled. “You’re better than Xia Longyuan.”

Without another word, he turned and left.

Tang Wanzhuang watched Ying Five’s departing figure and softly murmured, “A true hero from the grassroots.”

Zhao Changhe did not respond, instead laying back down on the bed, gazing at the ceiling, lost in thought.

A lot of his so-called “luck” was indeed due to the guidance of the blind woman. Naturally, it led him to encounter things that most people would not. Moreover, having transmigrated from another world, there were bound to be some unique aspects to his circumstance, like the cards he’d drawn from before his transmigration, which had resulted in the false prince incident and other related events. These were, to him, normal occurrences, so he had not thought too deeply about them.

But beyond that, was there something else?

For example, his peculiar connection with the Four Idols Cult. He kept encountering items related to them, so much so that even Huangfu Qing was surprised, and it was benefiting both Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise.

That did not seem to be related to the blind woman.

In fact, even the process of acquiring the golden foil, the first page of the Heavenly Tome, had not happened under the blind woman’s guidance—that had been sheer luck. On the contrary, it was only once he had obtained the golden foil that the blind woman seemed to hold him in greater regard and with more interest. Who knew how much of that had to do with the beauty serum?

Could all of this luck be somehow tied to the third card that the blind woman never explained? Or perhaps, besides the blind woman, there’s something else at play...

1. Just a reminder that Solaris Nimbus is the same as Yunyang, I just chose to name the leaves as such. ☜

2. He does use the word for niece here, but I don’t think they’re blood-related, it feels more like he’s referring to a close friend’s daughter. ☜