Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 340: The Contents of the Ring

When Xia Chichi spoke harshly of the Fire Serpent of Yi’s dress, it was just because she saw the other party as a rival and wanted to put her down. In truth, Yue Hongling’s red attire was chic and elegant, and the red ceremonial robes of Vermillion Bird and the Fire Serpent of Yi were equally mysterious and enchanting—they were not at all tacky or gaudy, and they were actually quite stunning.

However, the current set of clothes before her was genuinely gaudy. If it were a wedding dress, it might be forgivable or understandable, but this was supposed to be regular clothing, yet it somehow managed to look like a wedding dress. Xia Chichi could not fathom where Venerable Vermillion Bird had found such a thing. If she were to wear this outside, she felt that the cult members outside would surely laugh at her.

The venerable must be getting old... What kind of taste is this?

Despite feeling pitiful, Xia Chichi bathed and put on the “lovingly chosen” red clothes that her master had given her, feeling that she still had to show her appreciation for the gift.

During dinner, Vermillion Bird took small bites of rice, glancing at her disciple every now and then, “Not bad, not bad. Chichi, you look quite pretty in that red dress.”

Xia Chichi forced a smile. “Venerable, you’ve got great taste.”

Seeing her poor disciple wearing something she clearly did not like but still having to express gratitude was quite satisfying, but not entirely.

Her comment about Chichi looking quite pretty was not completely sarcastic. To her surprise, Xia Chichi really did manage to still look quite good even in such gaudy clothes. The Earth Deer of Liu and the other cult members just found it a bit odd since the saintess usually did not wear red, but they did not think much of it otherwise.

Vermillion Bird was not familiar with terms like “buyer’s show” and “seller’s show.”[1] A beautiful person could make pretty much any outfit look good. Unfortunately, because of how beautiful Xia Chichi was, the effect that Vermillion Bird wanted to achieve was not quite achieved, and so she did not feel as satisfied as she had expected to be.

Instead, she even felt a bit envious.

This little witch really is beautiful. Her youthful vigor alone is enviable. No wonder he likes her so much. I’m getting old... I’m already turning twenty-nine this year.

The thought of crossing the thirty-year mark was enough to send chills down a woman’s spine.

He was right. She had not really lived for herself much. In the blink of an eye, her youth had passed, and she had not even gotten to taste certain pleasures of life.

Unconsciously, Vermillion Bird’s mind drifted to the intimacy she shared the previous night—that domineering advance as he held her...

“Umm... Venerable?” Xia Chichi’s cautious voice from across the table interrupted her thoughts.

Vermillion Bird snapped back to reality, glaring at the little witch across her with fierce eyes, “What is it?”

“I... I’ve finished eating. I’m going to copy down the scriptures.”

“Mm.” Vermillion Bird collected her thoughts and sighed. “Chichi...”

“Yes?”

“If you unlock the second layer of the Profound Mysteries, I will no longer forbid you from enjoying romantic entanglements.”

Xia Chichi was stunned, then overjoyed. “Really?”

Despite having made the decision out of softness, seeing Xia Chichi’s elated expression made Vermillion Bird feel irked again. With a stern face, she said, “When you’ve surpassed everyone without question, the rules of the cult can be changed for you. But until then, you must rid yourself of all distractions. The second layer of the Profound Mysteries is much harder to grasp than the first, and it isn’t something you can achieve in your sloppy state.”

Xia Chichi stood at attention and saluted, “Rest assured, Venerable, I will achieve it!”

Vermillion Bird side-eyed her for a while before slowly saying, “Judging by your gleeful reaction at the mere mention of a man, it seems you’re really not afraid of me anymore. Alright. Go and copy everything twenty times.”

Xia Chichi: “...”

*

Xia Chichi’s miserable life of getting caught in traps and wearing unfashionable clothes, even during meals, seemed endless. Meanwhile, Zhao Changhe went to see Chen One, relayed the information about the secret realm, and then focused on his own cultivation for one entire day.

What Ying Five was interested in was the secret realm itself, which generally would not conflict with anyone else’s interests. After all, who else would want it? This allowed for a harmonious and profitable partnership. Local snakes such as Daoist Yuxu and Ye Wuzong likely would not contest Ying Five over it, so there was nothing that he had to worry about.

Thus, his first cooperation with Ying Five concluded successfully. Ying Five had provided him with clues about the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng, and in return, Zhao Changhe had delivered him a secret realm, and both parties were satisfied.

Zhao Changhe had also benefited a fair bit from Ying Five’s people. They were reliable. Without Chen One’s reminder, he might not have realized that Tian Lingzi was not trustworthy.

With a successful and pleasant first collaboration, Zhao Changhe looked forward to what valuable leads Ying Five might offer next.

But that was for the future; for now, he focused on his own affairs.

Ever since he received the Crane Controlling Art from Ye Wuzong, Zhao Changhe had only learned the basics, only learning enough to facilitate the use of his storage ring. Ye Wuzong had emphasized that the technique itself was more important, a truth that Zhao Changhe understood but had not had the time to focus on.

Right after obtaining the Crane Controlling Art, he was immediately thrust into the game with Ye Wuzong. He then headed straight for Fiery Kun Ridge, entered the secret realm, broke through to the ninth layer of the Profound Gate, and then got entangled in romantic affairs. How could he have the time for anything else? Right now, the Crane Controlling Art was only useful for grabbing large objects like Dragon Bird; smaller items were still difficult to handle with accuracy with his current level of mastery.

Chichi’s advice about not spending too much time on romantic affairs was right. Distractions like that left little time for proper training. Countless seniors, including Vermillion Bird, had stressed the importance of not getting entangled in romance, a lesson generally born from experience.

Not only had he neglected the Crane Controlling Art, but there were also items in the ring—the sword and book—that he had not yet retrieved. Though he had learned the Crane Controlling Art, he still had not taken a proper look at those items.

Now, with his spirit stronger and more refined than before, he could observe the space inside the ring more clearly and in greater detail. The interior seemed to be in an independent vacuum state, with all items floating in mid-air. Dragon Bird occupied the central position, arrogantly claiming the prime spot. Zhao Changhe had initially worried it might clash with the sword, but it seemed to completely ignore it.

No wonder it paid it no attention, the sword isn’t even a proper sword. It’s just an unrefined blade.

Using the Crane Controlling Art, Zhao Changhe nudged the massive Dragon Bird aside from its central position. His true qi extended like a physical arm, but it lacked the dexterity of his own hands. Its movements were extremely rough and consumed a significant amount of energy.

This level of awareness in using the technique was something he had not even previously considered. He truly had to practice this technique a lot in order to achieve better control of his true qi. At a certain point, it could even prove invaluable in combat situations.

Zhao Changhe even had a vague feeling that this might be a prerequisite for sword-controlling techniques or perhaps even flying on a sword.

Leaving that for later contemplation, Zhao Changhe cautiously enveloped the half-forged sword with his true qi and swiftly extracted it from the ring. He noted that even this simple task had nearly completely depleted his true qi. If he wanted to perform more complex maneuvers, how much more true qi would he require?

Shaking his head, he shifted his attention to the sword.

Since it was an unfinished sword, it naturally did not have any engravings or patterns, and it lacked a spirit to even provoke Dragon Bird’s pride. However, Zhao Changhe still quickly noticed that the forging was top notch; with the will of the heavens and the stars laid within, the groundwork for sword intent was already prepared.

This ring had been enshrined on an altar inside the Black Tortoise Secret Realm. It made sense for it to contain the will of the stars, as it was likely a sword that the Black Tortoise of the previous era forged for themself and it was left unfinished due to the cataclysmic collapse of that era.

Zhao Changhe wondered if he should hand it over to the Four Idols Cult, but it seemed pointless to do so. After all, it was an unfinished sword. Finishing it was likely a complex task, and those of the current era were unlikely to possess the ancient methods and capabilities to do it. Moreover, Black Tortoise already had the ancient sword of the Dragon Emperor. He thus felt it best to keep it for now and consider if he should hand it over to them later.

Zhao Changhe put the unfinished sword back into the ring and took out the book that looked like a manual.

He expected it to be another thing related to the Black Tortoise, but he was surprised to find that it was not even a manual at all.

It was actually titled Atlas of Mountains and Rivers.

Flipping through the pages, he found that each page depicted bizarre landscapes and recorded strange beasts and treasures, most of which were unknown in the current era. The locations of the mountains and rivers were largely unrecognizable, and the creatures unknown. The only familiar entry was the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng, but it was simply noted to originate from Kunlun.

Zhao Changhe’s first thought was that it resembled the Classic of Mountains and Seas of the modern world.[2] However, unlike the Classic of Mountains and Seas, this Atlas of Mountains and Rivers seemed to document actual places and creatures from the previous era.

His eyes fell on one particular page, which read, The Shiwan Mountain, home of the Gu Tribe. They call themselves the Spirit Tribe, practicing witchcraft and gu arts. Their methods involve mysterious blood and flesh rituals, and their techniques are strange and difficult to defend against. They possess an essence of origin that is worth studying. Their customs differ greatly from those of the Central Plains. When a man and woman fall in love, they use the heart-bonding gu. If one party becomes unfaithful, the resulting death is horrendous to behold.

1. There isn’t really a proper translation for these terms into english, so I just went with a direct translation for them. If you’re wondering, these terms are 买家秀 and 卖家秀. It’s basically just good-looking people acting as live advertisements for certain products. ☜

2. This is a Chinese classic text and a compilation of mythic geography and beasts ☜