Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 338: Defeated by Tang Wanzhuang

Huangfu Qing really wanted to test him this time.

This guy has indeed been very good to me... When I was in a berserk state, he risked being killed by me. He let himself be wounded and he almost bled out, yet he still swung his saber to fend off an ambush for me. When faced with the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng, which was crucial for the refinement of his physique and possibly irreplaceable, he didn’t hesitate to give the ginseng liquid to me, just so that I could recover from my overexertion.

That moment truly touched her heart, and Huangfu Qing knew her initial affection for him had turned into genuine feelings. She was willing to be held in his arms, and she was willing to help him alleviate the aftereffects of the blood ginseng.

The events back then had certainly been driven by the atmosphere, but she had still willingly reciprocated his advances. She wanted to be intimate with him, to kiss and embrace him... even in a setting filled with blood and mud.

She liked him, but she did not want him to only relate her to such things. She did not want to exist solely for him to satisfy his desires, no matter how cozy the bed or how fragrant the bath was.

If that were the case, Huangfu Qing would be deeply disappointed and would truly sever the absurd relationship between them that should have never existed in the first place.

So they entered the bed together, Huangfu Qing deliberately not putting on any nightclothes, truly intending to see if he could restrain himself.

Anyway, skin-to-skin contact did not feel weird anymore, and his muscles were indeed attractive to her. Huangfu Qing leaned into his shoulder, gently stroking his chest, thinking to herself that she had often heard of noblewomen in the capital seeking young lovers. It had seemed incomprehensible before, but now she understood that it could be quite appealing. Women could be just as lustful as men.

Zhao Changhe’s voice broke the silence, filled with helplessness. “Big sister...”

“Hmm?” Huangfu Qing continued to caress him.

“Are you trying to make things difficult for me?”

Huangfu Qing pouted and withdrew her hand. She then wrapped her arms around his waist again, adjusting her head on his shoulder to find a comfortable position. “Then let’s go to sleep.”

Even just that made it incredibly difficult for him.

With a soft and warm body in his arms, the sensation of touch alone was intoxicating, and the fragrance that lingered on her body from the bath slowly made its way to his nose. It would have been difficult for him to maintain control even if he was in a normal state, let alone in the state of arousal that he had been left in earlier from Chichi and from meditating on the Azure Dragon Divine Art. He felt like he was about to explode.

It was torturous. It was no less difficult than enduring the effects of the blood ginseng.

Zhao Changhe lay there with his muscles tense, staring straight at the ceiling. He recalled a joke about being a beast or being worse than a beast[1], but he also knew that it did not apply here.

She definitely would not want to be treated as a mere tool, and he could not see her as one either.

Zhao Changhe hugged her smooth shoulders, took a deep breath, and forced himself to focus on the Moonglade Sutra, clearing his mind of all thoughts, and closed his eyes.

Sensing his previously agitated heart calming down and even surging blood and qi beginning to settle, Huangfu Qing was surprised and glanced at his side profile in surprise.

Is this Tang Wanzhuang’s technique?

That woman’s cultivation technique does have its merits. This calming effect surpasses even the cultivation techniques of the Four Idols Cult. However, using such a top-tier sutra for this situation feels a bit like cheating.

Wait, why am I analyzing this right now...

Hold on, is he using Tang Wanzhuang’s sutra against me?

Huangfu Qing did not even know what she was thinking, but on impulse, she reached her hand out mischievously, letting her hand wander.

Zhao Changhe, who had just closed his eyes, almost jumped out of his skin. What is she doing?

The next moment, he felt a warm sensation on his chest as Huangfu Qing’s hair brushed against him, and she slyly licked his chest.

Can Tang Wanzhuang’s sutra handle this? Ha!

Zhao Changhe’s whole body tensed up and thought to himself: This isn’t right. Is she really testing me, or does she want this herself?

Could it be that if I don’t move, she’ll become even worse than a beast?

So, he decisively rolled over, pinning the impulsive Huangfu Qing beneath him, and kissed her deeply.

“Ehh?” Huangfu Qing was startled. “No, wait... mmph, mmph...”

Things had gotten out of hand.

Once he took the initiative, it was as if a dam had broken. Huangfu Qing felt a suffocating intensity, and she was unable to gather her thoughts for a while.

It was a strange experience for her. Although she was clearly much stronger than him, she felt incredibly weak and powerless, completely unable to resist his advances.

In the darkness, their bodies entwined, the sound of their heavy breathing gradually filling the room.

The night grew even more hazy.

Suddenly, Huangfu Qing came to her senses and pushed him away, panting, “No, no... this isn’t right...”

Everything was a mess. She had intended to test his intentions, but now she was debasing herself. What was the point of testing him then?

Zhao Changhe, genuinely frustrated this time, said, “Are you playing with me, big sis?”

“No...” Huangfu Qing, feeling guilty and weak, her voice sounding like a mix of pleading and coquettishness, said, “Don’t be like this, okay? It was my fault earlier. I was just being naughty...”

Zhao Changhe really did not understand what she was thinking. She had initiated things, but now she was backing out. It drove him crazy. He thought about it and decided that she probably needed some coaxing, so he said, “I’ll just...”

“Cut it off already.” Huangfu Qing was both amused and annoyed. Trying to coax a little girl was one thing, but to do the same to a nearly thirty-year-old witch who had roamed the jianghu for over a decade was simply laughable.

But this time, he really could not be faulted. He had genuinely decided to just sleep, even using a top-tier sutra to calm himself. It was her teasing that had caused the misunderstanding. Who knows what had gotten into her head earlier.

“It was my mistake...” Huangfu Qing whispered in his ear. “Let’s just do it like we did in the secret realm, okay?”

“That’s not enough. How about a bit more?”

Huangfu Qing pouted, feeling wronged, and whispered, “Fine... I’ll serve you, Your Highness.”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

She slowly slid down.

Zhao Changhe let out a long breath and lay still.

Huangfu Qing secretly glanced at his expression, wondering if she should give him a pass. Had he endured the test? Yes, he had. Had he failed to endure it? Also yes, but at least he was willing to stop.

I’ll just consider him to have passed. After all, once he used that woman’s sutra, he really was able to rid himself of all thoughts and focus on going to sleep.

In this, she admitted defeat to Tang Wanzhuang.

*

Neither of them knew when they fell asleep.

After the incident, there was only the quiet sound of their heartbeats left. Huangfu Qing once again nestled into his shoulder, no longer caring where his hands were, and they both fell asleep without realizing it.

Actually, Huangfu Qing hardly ever needed to sleep, only doing it on rare occasions. But lying in the nook of his shoulder, a sense of unexplainable peace washed over her. Listening to his calm and steady breathing and looking at his side profile, she felt a mix of amusement and sweetness.

This guy can be quite adorable and reliable at times.

Before she knew it, she actually fell asleep.

When they woke up in the morning, they found themselves in the same position as when they had fallen asleep, except now her leg was draped over him, and she was hugging him tightly like an octopus.

She looked up to see that he seemed to have been awake for a while, but he was staying still so as not to disturb her sleep.

Huangfu Qing gazed at him and smiled again.

Sensing her gaze, Zhao Changhe looked down at her and also smiled. “You’re awake.”

Huangfu Qing smiled and said nothing, her expression gentler than ever before.

It felt truly wonderful—sharing a bed and waking up together, suddenly seeming like an old married couple.

She could suddenly understand why Chichi had developed feelings for him so quickly and why she was so effortlessly intimate with him later on. It was not just because the little witch was spontaneous or casual. The feeling of sharing a bed, even when nothing was said, naturally made feelings deeper; it made them feel... at home.

If they lay together in bed like this for another two or three days, she felt that she would probably be fully won over. In that sense, Chichi’s setup had ultimately achieved its intended effect.

Huangfu Qing deliberately said, “Your Highness, did you enjoy yourself last night?”

“Hey, don’t call me that. It gives me a headache.”

Huangfu Qing lazily said, “Avoiding it won’t help. You’ll have to face it sooner or later.”

Zhao Changhe fell silent. It was clear that this issue had been on his mind.

Trying to persuade the Four Idols Cult to leave the palace had not worked, and it was unlikely to work even if he talked directly to Huangfu Qing. She was just an executor. Perhaps he needed to meet with Vermillion Bird in person to explain the pros and cons.

Huangfu Qing did not say anything more. She lazily got up and combed her hair, not shying away from his clear view of her body in the morning sunshine.

There was a knock on the door, but Xia Chichi did not wait for a response. She opened the door herself and strolled in with her hands behind her back. She poked her little head around the screen and said, “Did you two lovebirds sleep well?”

Huangfu Qing leisurely dressed herself and said, “Saintess, do you plan to visit Yuxu Temple? Let me advise you: it’s fine for Changhe to go alone. As a junior in the jianghu, it’s common courtesy for him to pay respects to a senior. With no stakes involved, nothing bad should happen. But if our Four Idols Cult visits, it changes the nature of the visit, potentially affecting what Changhe wishes to accomplish.”

“You’re calling him Changhe now?”

Huangfu Qing gave her a mischievous glance. “Isn’t this what you wanted, Saintess?”

Xia Chichi, not noticing the malice in Huangfu Qing’s eyes, suppressed the rising jealousy and said, “I’ve considered that as well. I’ve decided not to go to Yuxu Temple. Daoist Yuxu’s attitude toward the Four Idols Cult is unpredictable. Our business in Kunlun is finished, we can return today.”

Huangfu Qing said, “Yesterday, you said we should leave together. But after thinking about it, I believe we should take different paths. Saintess, you should head to Hongnong, while I will return to the capital...”

She paused and smiled charmingly. “I truly enjoyed this pleasant night you afforded me. I will take my leave now to give you space to act coquettishly.”

Xia Chichi: “...”

Huangfu Qing adjusted her clothes, turned around, and kissed Zhao Changhe on the lips very naturally. Then, she said softly, “I really have a lot to do, and I can’t stay long, so I must go.”

Zhao Changhe knew that she had more things to do than anyone else, so he nodded with some reluctance and said, “Take care.”

Huangfu Qing turned around and left coolly. “The world is full of temptations, but don’t let others drain you first, little brother. If we meet again in the future, even if you don’t want me, I will take you.”

1. . Beast, at least when said as qínshòu (禽兽), which is what is used here, sounds quite similar to “using one’s own hands,” which in Chinese is qīnshǒu (亲手). ☜