Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 250: Family Matters

The sun was rising, yet the drizzle continued falling. Two seemingly contradictory natural phenomena occurring simultaneously, yet not seeming out of place to observers.

It was a sunshower.

An old man leisurely walked along the main road with his hands behind his back, while a young man led a horse behind him, following closely.

The scene looked much like a father and son going out to work.

It was only after the old man stood up would one realize just how tall he was. Even though age had definitely taken its toll, and his muscles were no longer well-defined, one could still see traces of youthful vigor from his frame. Though old, he remained upright, sturdy as a mountain, with a dignified bearing that only served to enhance his aura.

And then there was the tall young man, carrying a broad saber, appearing somewhat aggrieved as he led the horse. They gave off the impression that they were indeed a family.

In terms of facial features, they did not actually look too similar. But if one were to search for commonalities with a predetermined mindset, one would inevitably find some similarities, at least in terms of their dignified and handsome appearances. It could easily be imagined that the old man was also quite the handsome young man in his younger days, but now he appeared more restrained, while the young man behind him exuded more vigor and boldness.

While Zhao Changhe was leading his horse, he could not help but think about how Chichi truly did carry the old man’s genes, especially when she dressed up as Luo Qi.

Only a handsome old man could have such a beautiful daughter. Although in terms of age, he could probably be considered Chichi’s grandfather at the very least.

Who would have thought that this old man would proudly claim the status of my father-in-law? Zhao Changhe had considered thousands of different scenarios for meeting Xia Longyuan, but he had certainly not foreseen this one, so he could only follow along with an honest heart.

Xia Longyuan, on the other hand, seemed quite relaxed. He surveyed his surroundings wordlessly as he walked on the main road as if admiring his empire.

Zhao Changhe eventually could not hold back any longer. He had countless things he wanted to ask Xia Longyuan about, but he had to find a way to broach the subject. He decided to start with what seemed like a relatively light-hearted family matter, “So, you know Chichi is your daughter.”

“What’s weird about that?” Xia Longyuan pondered for a moment, then tapped his head. “Oh, I guess others might indeed find it hard to figure out. Suddenly there’s someone like you, and Chichi willingly gives her identity to you, with both of you misleading countless eyes... If I were in Tang Wanzhuang or Cui Wenjing’s shoes, I might be at a loss too, haha...”

Zhao Changhe had no expression on his face.

I don’t get why you’re laughing. Didn’t a lot of this mess end up happening because your daughter doesn’t want to recognize you as her father? But it seems that you just find it amusing to have everyone running around in circles...

“But those two are also cunning foxes,” Xia Longyuan said with a smile. “Do you really think they believe that you’re my child? Once they set their sights on you, it doesn’t matter who you really are. They can make you out to be whoever they want you to be. If Chichi were to stand before them and claim her rightful identity, they would probably kill her.”

This was considered a blatant deception of the ruler, yet the emperor spoke of it with a smile, as if it did not concern him at all. Zhao Changhe’s heart was pounding as he cautiously probed, “That won’t happen. You’re overthinking it.”

“Why deceive yourself?” Xia Longyuan replied. “Wenjing’s choice could be considered selfish, but Wanzhuang’s isn’t. Even if I were angry at Wenjing, I would not even be mad at Wanzhuang. You don’t need to be so fearful.”

I’m terrified just thinking about what might happen if you truly were angry at Cui Wenjing. If you and him were to take your feud to extremes, then you might just become the Bloodthirsty Asura instead of me.

Zhao Changhe had a lot on his mind, but he did not know how to articulate it. Xia Longyuan knows everything, so why isn’t he doing or saying anything? Does he just see everything as a game?

Xia Longyuan continued, “Isn’t it strange? I don’t know what you and Chichi have discussed, or rather, I don’t know what Chichi and her mother have discussed... They probably see me as the ultimate scoundrel. It would be better to hear both sides’ perspectives.”

Zhao Changhe: “???”

What are you trying to say with this...

“Did her explanation leave out a key premise, specifically why Chichi’s mother wanted to assassinate me?” Xia Longyuan smiled. “The Four Idols Cult’s doctrine is unacceptable to any ruler or monarch, and anyone in power would label them as heretics. But back then, they were still young. They had not even laid the foundation for breaking the dimensions to allow for the gods to descend to our world. They were merely a bunch of fools who were dreaming aloud, and there was nothing really wrong with that. In other words, although we opposed each other, there was not any fierce conflict just yet. So why would she suddenly attempt to assassinate me? Have you ever thought about that?”

Zhao Changhe scratched his head. “I can’t say I have. At the time, I just thought that it was normal for those from demonic cults to want to assassinate the emperor. I was more confused about why she had the confidence to assassinate the most powerful person in the world.”

“She did not start out with assassination in mind. She disguised herself as a maid from the Luo Clan to get close to me. She simply infiltrated the palace on behalf of the Four Idols Cult. It’s not much different from what they’re doing now,” said Xia Longyuan. “ Originally, this kind of mission should not have fallen to a saintess of theirs. The Four Idols Cult could have sent anyone, like a serpent or a pig. However, she took matters into her own hands because she was the princess of the previous dynasty, and she intended to kill two birds with one stone.”

“...Damn.”

“So later, she did not dare to go back to the cult after failing the mission. Her unauthorized actions, coupled with her defilement and childbirth as a saintess of their cult, would have made her death even worse. In the end, she fell ill and died, and the cult had no idea what happened to her. This caused a lot of problems, as many responsibilities were left unattended. For example, the exploration of Beimang was put on hold, leaving the Four Idols Cult in a predicament.”

Zhao Changhe suddenly became enlightened. The lingering doubts about why Chichi had not returned to the Four Idols Cult when her mother was still alive, nor had been brought back by anyone from the cult, finally made sense.

“I actually had no interest in her.” Xia Longyuan smiled. “I mean, just think about it. The crown prince was already ten years old at that time. Why did I not have another son? I had already severed all worldly ties for seven or eight years at that time. Where would I suddenly gain the interest to bear another child?”

Zhao Changhe commented, “I previously guessed that you deliberately wanted to cause a rupture in the Four Idols Cult.”

“I already told you, you all think so highly of yourselves, thinking that you’re worth scheming against. Was the Four Idols Cult back then even worth scheming against? Are they even worth scheming against right now?”

“...”

“I was simply intrigued by the Night Emperor revered by the Four Idols Cult, and I also came to wonder whether my techniques were actually of the Azure Dragon’s lineage. I wondered if I could replace the Night Emperor, since I was so powerful. So I wanted to give it a try, and the best way to try was through dual cultivation, as only then could we peer into each other’s deepest secrets. Since she had been trying to seduce her way into the palace anyway, it all just happened naturally.”

“...Did you figure anything out?”

“It was ambiguous. The will of an emperor is generally just aligned with the will of the Azure Dragon. After all, the ancient Azure Dragon was also an earthly emperor. To be honest, the doctrine of the Four Idols Cult is somewhat lacking. If I really claimed to be the reincarnation of the Azure Dragon, it would not have been impossible to succeed. In fact, Chichi’s mother even seemed to genuinely believe that to be the case, and she was ecstatic,” said Xia Longyuan. His tone finally became tinged with some regret as he said, “At that time, she really thought that she could recruit me into joining the cult, and then everything would have been perfect just like that.”

Zhao Changhe considered his words carefully and said, “Actually, it’s not a bad idea. You could deceive her with good intentions, and who knows, maybe you could even subdue the entire Four Idols Cult.”

“If I could truly embody all the four idols, then I would not have minded becoming the leader of the cult just as the Night Emperor once did. Unfortunately, after trying, I found that it was not feasible. I could not accommodate the White Tiger Divine Art, so even if I did join the cult, I would have only become a venerable at most. That is simply not what I want.” Xia Longyuan suddenly smiled. “Why have you consistently refrained from joining the Four Idols Cult? Is it also because you don’t want to be tied down? If you could be the leader, would you join it?”

Zhao Changhe was silent.

“We’re the same.” Xia Longyuan laughed. “And actually, I believe you might just be able to do it...”

Zhao Changhe shook his head, avoiding the topic, and he instead asked, “After you found out that she was pregnant... Since these matters had nothing to do with the child, why didn’t you bring her back? Was it because of their bloodline being of the previous dynasty?”

“At first, it was indeed because of that. You could easily guess what the consequences would be if officials from the previous dynasty, like those of the Huangfu Clan, were to find out about this. Furthermore, the empress’ views on the matter would only complicate things unnecessarily as her appearance would conflict with the crown prince, and could destabilize the empire. So, I just left her a jade pendant, both as a token and a legacy. If it was a boy, he would inherit my techniques and be able to roam the world freely without having to get involved with the affairs of the palace; if it was a girl, it would not be much of a problem. I would welcome her into the palace and personally guide her in cultivating a more suitable cultivation technique rather than predetermined ones that may ruin a perfectly good seedling.”

Zhao Changhe was dumbfounded.

I thought he favored sons over daughters. But according to this explanation, it’s actually the opposite! So when he told Chichi’s mother that he would come to pick her up, he actually meant it. But why did he not come?

“Are you confused about what happened later?” Xia Longyuan smiled slightly. “At that time, my mindset was still that of an emperor who was considering the empire’s interests. But shortly after, some things happened, and my perspective changed. If I was even considering whether to kill the crown prince, why would I bother bringing back a daughter?”

Zhao Changhe’s heart skipped a beat, realizing that for them, discussing family matters would inevitably evolve into discussing matters of the empire.

Damn it, did you really kill the crown prince yourself?