Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 590: Controlling Light, The Flying Dragon in the Heavens

Chapter 590: Controlling Light, The Flying Dragon in the Heavens

By now, the moon had passed its zenith; it was already the latter half of the night.

When Xia Chichi first arrived at Skyrim Island and the final battle commenced, it had also been midnight. They had fought until dawn, moved here, and now it was night again. It had only been one day and one night, yet it felt as if ages had passed—a vast shift akin to oceans turning into mulberry fields.

Gods had been defeated and a figure on the Ranking of Heaven had fallen. The world was set to undergo an immense upheaval, whether on the seas or land. The power dynamics of the Wang Clan, the Grasslands, Penglai, and the Sea Tribe would all undergo changes. The mere thought of all that might transpire gave one a headache, and Zhao Changhe could not be bothered to think too deeply about it.

The most obvious change, however, was that for the first time, Xia Chichi could sit openly next to Zhao Changhe, under the moonlight, in front of one of the Four Idols Cult’s venerables.

The last time they had done anything befitting a young couple was back in Kunlun. They had merely taken a stroll, had some wontons, and bought a gourd... and that was a year ago.

Other than that, they had never really spent much time together. Whenever they met, it was because of circumstances that brought them together, and as soon as the issue was resolved, they would part ways again. They never had the luxury of even spending an extra night together. At times, they were surrounded by others, and they could hardly find even a private moment to be affectionate.

Xia Chichi often wondered if, out of all Zhao Changhe’s women, she was the one who had spent the least amount of time with him. If her time spent disguised as a man did not count, then it was likely true.

Perhaps this was why, whenever the opportunity arose, things always ended up heading in that particular direction. In truth, with her unique cultivation techniques and years of using weapons like Iceheart, she did not have much of a natural inclination for such desires. Zhao Changhe, similarly, was not always ruled by that urge. Yet, it always seemed as if the circumstances pushed them there.

So, she never regretted letting her defenses down before him. On this long and unpredictable journey through the jianghu, she truly believed that she had no right to expect him to remain all in his lonesome waiting for her.

Even if it did make her jealous.

But this was nice. The two of them, leaning against each other under the moon, with a gentle night breeze and the sweet scent of flowers all around. It was left unspoken, but Zhao Changhe certainly would not do anything indecent. That was never meant to define their relationship.

“Changhe, how long has it been since we first met?” Xia Chichi asked softly, looking up at the moon, her voice as light as a dream.

“It’s been exactly two years. I left Zhao Village two years ago in the tenth month, and it’s that same month of the year yet again.”

“Really? All I remember is that it was just the start of winter, and by the time we reached Beimang, it was already very cold. How do you remember the exact date so clearly?” Xia Chichi sounded surprised.

Zhao Changhe smiled. “How could I ever forget the day I first saw you?”

“Yeah, right...” Xia Chichi was skeptical, not buying a word of that sentiment. “You’ve changed, you know? These days, you’ve got all these cheesy, cliché lines ready at the tip of your tongue. And if that’s not enough, you don’t even try to be like those elegant, refined young gentlemen who wrap their words in clever innuendos—you just go straight for the sappiest stuff.”

Zhao Changhe laughed. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. Even though I know some poetry, I can never recall a single line when I need it. I’ve completely wasted all that time learning them.”

“I don’t need you to recite poems. Save that for Tang Wanzhuang,” Xia Chichi said wistfully. “Two years... When you think about it, it isn’t that long. There are people who leave to take the imperial exams, and they’re gone for two or three years. So, in that sense, our time apart wasn’t so long at all.”

“Yeah...” Zhao Changhe mused inwardly. Though two years was not an eternity, it felt far richer and more transformative than the first twenty years of his previous life.

Now, he was a completely different person. If he were to return home, his family and old classmates might not even recognize him.

The saying that once you step into the jianghu, time seems to fly by really does seem to ring true.

“You’ve been cultivating so quickly... How much of that is just to be with me openly?” Xia Chichi asked, her voice carrying a hint of playfulness. She quickly added, “No sappy love lines this time. Even when you thought I was a man, you were serious about your training. I know it’s not all about me.”

Zhao Changhe paused for a moment to think. The main reasons for his intense cultivation were to eventually return home—or to put it differently, to free himself from being a mere pawn in the blind woman’s game, to take control of his own fate, much like Xia Longyuan. But to say that Xia Chichi had not been a motivator would be untrue as she had been a significant part of what motivated him to get stronger faster.

Who could stand by while their girlfriend was threatened by a fearsome figure like Vermillion Bird, with talk of serving gods and forcibly tearing them apart? If he could take on Vermillion Bird, he would have confronted her long ago.

In a way, one of his key milestones in cultivation had become overcoming Venerable Vermillion Bird herself.

So he answered honestly, “To be honest, at least half of it is because of you. I want to make sure that Venerable Vermillion Bird can’t stop us, that she has no choice but to watch me hold you right in front of her.”

A soft giggle came from the middle of the pond. Both Zhao Changhe and Xia Chichi looked over to see Lady Three sprawled out in a starfish position, sound asleep atop the giant lotus leaf, even smiling in her dreams.

They could not quite decide whether her position made her look more like a tortoise or a frog.

Seeing her like this, Zhao Changhe and Xia Chichi both could not help but chuckle, their expressions full of a gentle, amused fondness. Xia Chichi said, “You know, I don’t think you need to use your blade to win over the venerables anymore. Just use your... uh... spear instead.”

Xia Chichi had never imagined that gaining the tacit acceptance of the esteemed Venerable Black Tortoise could happen in such a way. On the surface, Lady Three seemed fierce and imposing, but behind that, she clearly had her own vulnerabilities.

Looking at Lady Three’s unusual sleeping posture, Xia Chichi’s expression turned a bit quirky. “Hey, is she sleeping or cultivating like that?”

Zhao Changhe shrugged. “I really don’t know. It seems like that’s just how she cultivates...”

“I never imagined that the legendary, mysterious, dignified Black Tortoise could look like this...” Xia Chichi mused, an incredulous look on her face.

“When I first met her, she was very seductive and mysterious,” Zhao Changhe admitted honestly. “She was fierce and impressive in battle—every bit as dashing as Hongling. But lately, she’s been acting more and more like a tortoise. It feels like the difference between how she acts in front of others and how she is in private is really extreme. Sometimes I even worry she might be splitting into different personalities. She once mentioned something about cultivating through splitting her soul... Do you think that kind of thing is reliable?”

“That’s only how she acts in front of you,” Xia Chichi sighed. “Maybe you’re the only one in front of whom she can truly be herself.”

“And what about you?” Zhao Changhe asked. “I can’t even tell if the real you is the one who gets jealous or the one who gives me a knowing look to calm her down.”

“Of course, the jealousy is real. Getting you to calm her down is for the future. If I truly pushed her too far, our lives would be difficult in the future... If I really drove her away, you’d be upset too, wouldn’t you?”

“Uhh...”

“This arrangement works out perfectly,” Xia Chichi said with a mischievous smile. “Now she and I can cover for each other, and it will be harder for Venerable Vermillion Bird to catch me.”

A soft giggle echoed once again from the lotus leaf.

Zhao Changhe sighed helplessly, “Are you awake?”

Lady Three pretended to talk in her sleep, “I’m dreaming. Just go on.”

“There’s no need to continue,” Xia Chichi said. “The venerable is right—no matter how wonderful this place is or how much I wish to spend some leisurely time here with you, we can’t stay here for long... I’ve already gotten most of what I can from this place, and what I need now is time to digest it all. I can do that anywhere. If the venerable has finished her cultivation too, it’s time we prepare to leave.”

Whoosh!

Lady Three, who had claimed to be dreaming, suddenly appeared right beside them. “How do we leave?”

Xia Chichi slowly rose from Zhao Changhe’s arms, turning her head to look east.

Almost as if responding to her movements, the stars of the mansion of Jiao, the “horn” of the Azure Dragon’s seven mansions, seemed to shine through the treetops to the east.

Lady Three’s heart stirred.

No wonder Chichi said she’s already gotten most of what she could from this place. She really has grasped the essence of this place, this profound resonance between the heavens and earth... It’s almost like the Azure Dragon itself is raising its head.

“Come on, let’s go take a look outside.” Zhao Changhe also recognized the significance, taking both of their hands and leaping over the trees, heading straight for the boundary.

Arriving at the place where they had earlier buried Hai Pinglan, they could clearly see the Azure Dragon constellation slowly rising from the east. The mansion of Xin shone like a small sun, gradually emerging from below the horizon—just as Xia Longyuan had once shown Xia Chichi.

As the Azure Dragon constellation emerged fully, it looked like a dragon surging out of the abyss.

Zhao Changhe thought of Xia Longyuan’s name—Long and Yuan, literally meaning “dragon” and “abyss”—and how fitting it was for this place. Perhaps the blind woman’s choice had carried this intention all along. It seemed likely that Xia Longyuan had been here before, which explained how he wielded Azure Dragon’s power and used it to charm Chichi’s mother.

But that did not matter now.

What mattered now was the celestial phenomenon before them. It was a reflection of the stone sculpture in the pond. The fourth line of the hexagram: nine in the fourth place, wavering over the abyss.

This seemingly slow process was actually quite swift. As the three of them watched, they could clearly see the entire Azure Dragon constellation rising from the waters, reaching higher and higher, with the mansion of Xin’s radiance passing over the thick forest, illuminating the ocean surface in shimmering waves.

Even the distant sky seemed to reflect its light.

“It’s time.” As the mansion of Xin rose before them, Xia Chichi quickly reached out and pressed her hand against the heavens.

The power of the Azure Dragon, resonating between this place and its distant reflection, seemed to create a bridge. A beam of light arced across, forming a radiant rainbow.

Xia Chichi spoke swiftly, “Changhe, you know what to do, right?”

“Yes.” Zhao Changhe held both their hands and stepped directly onto the rainbow.

Lady Three stomped her foot in astonishment.

It’s clearly just some fake and illusory light beneath our feet, so how is he walking on it? Is this some control over light that the Heavenly Tome granted him?

She looked up to see the Azure Dragon constellation still rising, approaching the zenith. Meanwhile, the three of them were being pulled along by the shrinking rainbow bridge, gradually drawing closer to where its reflection touched the ocean—as if they were treading across the rainbow.

When they finally reached the site of the earlier battle, the Azure Dragon constellation had reached its zenith, now spanning east to west, surveying the earth below.

Nine in the fifth place, flying dragon in the heavens.

The rainbow bridge contracted to its end, and the three descended directly to the sea, landing atop a shattered fragment of flood dragon scales—the remains of the Sea Emperor’s body.

In the east, the sky was beginning to lighten, the sun slowly rising as the stars vanished.

The day and night spent in the land at the edge of the sky had ended as suddenly as it had begun, fading like a dream, and they had abruptly returned to reality.