Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 246: Just You and Me

I used to think that I was teasing the little serpent, but now I realize that I’ve been getting toyed with by a thousand-year-old serpent demon all along.

Seeing her look at him as if she was playing with a child, Zhao Changhe finally sighed, “Big Sis Piggy...”

Huangfu Qing replied lazily, “What is it?”

She actually did not mind the nickname anymore.

Zhao Changhe continued, “You said before that the venerable would not give someone as valuable as you to someone else to play with, right?”

“Right.”

“But you’ve also been explaining to me that your status as the imperial noble consort isn’t actually real... So, does that mean that we shouldn’t really care about what the venerable thinks? Does your identity not matter at all, and it all just depends on how we perceive it ourselves?”

Huangfu Qing blinked her eyes, and her smile became even more charming, “Your reasoning does seem to have some sense to it.”

In fact, it had more than just some sense to it...

Why would she bother explaining the secrets pertaining to the imperial noble consort to him when he had not even joined the cult yet? This was originally a major secret of the cult. If it were not for the fact that she herself was Vermillion Bird, if it were instead the real Fire Serpent of Yi before him, she would not even have the right to decide to reveal such a secret. She would first have to report and request for permission.

Was this hurried explanation that she had given him because she was afraid that they would become distant and she would no longer be able to enjoy their adorable interactions when they had their pig masks on?

Huangfu Qing knew that the period when she laughed most freely and joyfully truly was when she was wearing the pig mask. It was then that she had been the most relaxed in her life. She did not want it to end like this, turning into a relationship that treaded on thin ice.

She felt like that would be a real shame.

But then Zhao Changhe sighed, “Now I understand why the imperial noble consort could leave the palace for so long... Originally, I thought that you were in such a hurry to come back because you were afraid that there would be a mess in the capital should it be found out that you were missing. But now it seems that nobody in the palace can control you at all. Whether you’re there or not doesn’t really matter. It’s just that you don’t want to be away for too long because you have important matters to deal with in the palace. Having been gone during these two months could mean missing out on a lot of key information...”

Huangfu Qing was taken aback. How did the conversation suddenly end up here? “That’s right. I can leave at any time, but it’s indeed not advisable to be away for too long.”

“But I’ll be leaving soon, are you sure you want to continue following me?”

Huangfu Qing was silent.

It was very important to observe what was going on in the palace. But observing the peculiar star chart that Zhao Changhe had shown was no less important. In a sense, it might even be more important....

Zhao Changhe continued, “You followed me originally to figure out the secret of my star chart, right?”

“Mm-hm...”

“I think following me won’t help with that. Even I don’t really know what’s going on with it myself, so it’s likely a waste of time for you to follow me for a year or two just because of that. How about this? I promise you that if I do figure it out, I’ll tell you everything without reservation. What do you think?”

Although it seemed like a considerate gesture, Huangfu Qing’s eyes once again flashed with the fierceness typical of Vermillion Bird. “You’re tired of me, aren’t you?”

“No, I just don’t want you to follow me for that reason. Just like how I don’t want to keep feeling a sense of yearning because of the thought of the venerable seemingly giving you to me,” Zhao Changhe said seriously. “I can go back to being Zhao Changhe, and you can stay as Huangfu Qing...”

Huangfu Qing interrupted, “Childish.”

Many things required one to make an excuse, and that excuse was used as a step to convince oneself. When that step was removed, one would find themself experiencing a turbulent heart—what Zhao Changhe would term “cognitive dissonance,” though she had no way of knowing those words.

Just like how she could freely laugh when wearing the pig mask, even though she was still herself underneath.

“Childish?” Zhao Changhe walked to the balcony, leaning on the railing to gaze at the rain falling into the lake outside. He spoke softly, “In fact, there’s not much of a difference. If you need an excuse to stay with me, I can give you one.”

Huangfu Qing’s interest was piqued. “Oh?”

“For example, as the imperial noble consort, you can support me as the prince and openly compete with Empress Wang. This kind of relationship is more straightforward and aboveboard. You can openly state your intentions to your brother, and I can do the same with First Seat Tang. I would not even need to reside in this secret residence of the Four Idols Cult. I could openly stay at the residence of your Huangfu Clan.”

Huangfu Qing smiled slightly and said, “But the premise for doing this is the prince becoming one of us... a member of the Four Idols Cult.”

“Won’t it be enough to have an alliance?”

“No.”

“I really don’t believe that to be the case. Ask Venerable Vermillion Bird.”

Huangfu Qing wanted to say that there was no need to ask, but then she just closed her mouth and smiled instead.

“It is not impossible for me to join the Four Idols Cult, but perhaps even Venerable Vermillion Bird can’t make up her mind right now. She likely still has to discuss it with Venerable Black Tortoise. After all, cults are different from sects, and my situation is too special”

“True.”

“If Venerable Black Tortoise also agrees, and I join the cult, becoming the Fire Pig of Shi or something like that, then we can openly be together. Would there be any problem with that at that time?”

After pondering for a moment, Huangfu Qing realized that there indeed was no problem with his words. The only issue was that the White Tiger Saintess might want to beat him to death.

Zhao Changhe turned his head and smiled brilliantly. “See, there are ways for us to be together everywhere you look!”

Huangfu Qing was no longer angry now. She asked curiously, “Why bother with such trivialities? Does it even really matter?”

“Because my purpose in coming to the capital was simply to understand the emperor’s situation, and now I’ve pretty much already gotten what I wanted. I don’t think I can uncover any deeper insights at the moment. I’ve made some big movements in the capital, and even if there were no reactions before, there should be some now. I should leave before they make a move. I especially need to be wary of the empress. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to handle things if she gets serious.”

Huangfu Qing smirked inwardly. Everyone thought that you came here to stir trouble, but it turns out that you just want to run away after causing some noise!

Zhao Changhe continued, “So I’m leaving. Will you come with me right away? Wouldn’t it be a bit awkward? Actually, there really is no need for you to follow me. Compared to the star chart and such, I’d rather you continue to figure out what’s going on with the emperor.”

Huangfu Qing chuckled, “The way you say it, you sound just like Venerable Vermillion Bird, assigning me missions and all.”

“Just do whatever you want. There’s no need to be tied down by the excuse of figuring out the explanation behind my star chart. I’ll just let you know once I’ve figured it out myself. There’s no need for you to waste your energy.” Zhao Changhe winked. “Saying I’m giving you missions is like saying I care about you...”

“Tsk, spare me your attempts. Save those for Tang Wanzhuang instead. She’s the one who needs someone to care for her.”

Ignoring her comment, Zhao Changhe continued, “There’s another reason that I’m leaving, and I don’t know if you want to hear it.”

Huangfu Qing smiled and said, “Go ahead.”

“It’s because if I leave, then the mission Vermillion Bird assigned to you for you to accompany me will be rendered meaningless. In other words, it would just be me and you. This way, I can be sure that when you flirt with me, it’s not because Venerable Vermillion Bird told you to, but it’s because it’s your own intention. I don’t care if you call me childish, but I consider this very important!”

Huangfu Qing blinked rapidly three or four times.

So much for not being childish.

Certain things require the right atmosphere, but you’ve laid it all out so plainly that the atmosphere is all gone.

What’s the point of flirting with you now? With your approach, it’s no wonder you haven’t had many romantic encounters! It’s clear that you haven’t figured a lot of this stuff out yet!

As they exchanged glances, the atmosphere became unbearably awkward, with both of them wearing expressionless faces.

Zhao Changhe realized that not only was the other party not flirting with him anymore, but he could not even bring himself to say anything flirtatious now. The natural atmosphere they had before was now completely gone.

Sure enough, there were some things that could not just be laid out so plainly.

Huangfu Qing sighed, shaking her head as she turned around to go back inside. “I thought you were smart, but it turns out you’re just a fool...”

Before she finished speaking, the wind started blowing on the lake.

A fairy descended from the moon, dancing across the waves.

Seeing Zhao Changhe standing on the balcony, leaning on the railing and looking at the lake, Tang Wanzhuang breathed a sigh of relief and transmitted a message from afar. “That woman is full of secrets. No matter what promises she makes to you, don’t take them lightly...”

Before she could finish speaking, Huangfu Qing, who had been about to leave, suddenly stopped in her tracks. Instead, she gracefully wrapped her arms around Zhao Changhe’s neck, as if she was about to kiss him.

Tang Wanzhuang’s eyes widened. “You witch, let him go!”

Swish!

Spring water sword light shot straight toward them.

Huangfu Qing was, who had only been making a gesture to kiss him and had not actually done it, swiftly dodged the attack with a smile. “Oh, it’s the pure and virtuous First Seat Tang! What, did you come here to steal a man?”

Zhao Changhe’s face twitched, and he was left speechless.

It turned out that if the atmosphere was lost, it did not need to be meticulously recreated. There was no need to rack one’s brains on how to fix what was broken; sometimes, all it took was a new atmosphere.