Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 259: Overlaps

Zhao Changhe directly took out a piece of silver and placed it on the table.

Lady Three’s eyes lit up as she pocketed the piece of silver, a mischievous smile surfacing on her face. “Actually, they don’t really do anything special. They regularly sell grain here, then transport goods like jewelry to the Western Regions to sell. Even though it’s not on a huge scale, they’ve likely made a tidy profit over the years.”

Zhao Changhe said speechlessly, “I can see that much without you having to tell me.”

“Then what exactly did you want to know about?”

“Their strength, the forces they’re connected to here, and their connections in the Central Plains—that is, if you know.”

Lady Three chuckled and said, “Hey, are you from the Great Xia’s Demon Suppression Bureau?”

Zhao Changhe said expressionlessly, “If I want to uproot them completely, then I’ll naturally need to know this information. What does that have to do with the Demon Suppression Bureau?”

Lady Three knocked on the table and laughed. “How am I supposed to know so much about them? I’m just an innkeeper.”

Zhao Changhe observed how she knocked on the table and smiled slightly. “Then I won’t disturb you any further.”

Lady Three cast an interested glance at him before leaving with a smile.

When he finished his meal, it was already dark outside, but the market was illuminated throughout. Standing at the window of his room, Zhao Changhe could see countless lights stretching for hundreds of li.

It was not an exaggeration; if anything, it might even be an underestimation.

The market itself was already quite massive, but it was further surrounded by numerous camps of caravans, each bustling with activity as they unloaded and loaded goods. Torches flickered, voices filled the air, and even from a distance, the buzzing sounds of the market could be faintly heard.

Zhao Changhe withdrew his gaze from the distant campfires and looked down at the street right outside the inn.

He expected the two merchants from the Qiao Clan—one missing teeth and the other with a broken hand—to retaliate against him right away. But to his surprise, they did not show up.

Zhao Changhe did not believe that they would bring a thousand-man army to storm the market. The garrison that Timur had stationed here was no joke. But gathering a few dozen people to come in and stir some trouble should not have been difficult.

It seemed that Lady Three had been speaking the truth earlier. Her deterrent power did indeed seem quite effective.

Inside the inn, she could ignore minor scuffles and brawls, but if someone actually dared to come and try to harm her guests... well, it seemed nobody actually dared.

Zhao Changhe raised his arm and rotated his shoulders. In fact, even he was surprised that he had been able to break someone’s hand with just his arm earlier today. It was clear that the changes brought about by the fruit he had gotten from Xia Longyuan, which had allowed his external cultivation to break through to the seventh layer and laid the foundation for the Blood Asura Body, were greater than he had originally imagined.

External cultivation focused on one’s physique. It essentially referred to one’s physical strength and resistance to strikes to the physical body. Generally speaking, these two went hand in hand. If one’s physique improved, then both their offensive and defensive capability would improve as well. It was simply due to the different orientations of cultivation techniques that various characteristics emerged.

For example, while Zhao Changhe leaned more toward offense, someone like Situ Xiao could lean more toward defense. But in terms of concrete strength, the differences were not that pronounced. Assuming Situ Xiao’s defense was 100 points, his offense would still be 80 or 90 points; just because Situ Xiao specialized in defense did not mean that he had a weak offense. Meanwhile, Zhao Changhe was simply the other way around.

After all, everyone still lay within the realm of humans, and their bodies could not differ that much.

But from now on, there would be more significant distinctions between Zhao Changhe and others.

He had definitely not been anywhere near this strong before. Moreover, this massive increase in strength could not be attributed to him having broken through a single layer of the Profound Gate. It could only be understood as the effect of the initial transformation of his body. This transformation seemed to be the first step on his road to limitless strength, taking his body far beyond human limitations.

It had to be taken into account that he had only just broken through to the seventh layer of the Profound Gate. What about once he peered into the Profound Mysteries? Or even higher realms of cultivation? Could he eventually move mountains and reclaim land from the sea?

It was conceivable that while he developed toward limitless strength, someone like Situ Xiao would develop toward invincibility, causing there to be an increasingly stark difference between their offensive and defensive capabilities. It was reminiscent of the difference between Big Brother and Third Brother.[1]

Is it also possible to develop certain characteristics for one’s internal cultivation? It probably is. I’m finally starting to understand how Xia Longyuan was able to do what he did.

Zhao Changhe silently cultivated for a while, keeping track of time. As the night grew deeper and the torches in the distance were extinguished, he slowly stood up and walked out of his room.

He headed to the dining hall.

The customers had already dispersed, and Lady Three, bored and idle, leaned on the counter with her chin resting on her hands, lazily nudging a Persian cat at her feet. Every time she nudged it with her foot, the cat would tremble, but it would stubbornly refuse to leave, much like the customers who lingered by her side in the evening.

Hearing someone come in from the back door, Lady Three lazily looked up to see who it was and saw that it was Zhao Changhe. She then propped her head back on the counter and said, “What, here to buy some wine? Or are you perhaps craving some Jiangnan food?”

Zhao Changhe said, “Can’t I come here just to chat with you?”

“Oh, come on. You even said that my scent would ruin your appetite.”

“But you invited me, didn’t you? And here I am.”

“When did I ever invite you?”

“When you knocked three times on the table,” Zhao Changhe said with a smile. “Since there aren’t any customers left, and you seem quite bored, why not go to the gambling den you mentioned to try your luck?”

“It’s too noisy, just like it is here during the day. It’s hard to have a decent conversation with anyone there.”

Zhao Changhe nodded. “I think so too.”

Seating himself at the counter, he placed down a piece of silver. “For two flagons of osmanthus wine. The one I had earlier was quite authentic.”

“Why two flagons?”

“I’m treating you to one.”

Lady Three’s languid look quickly vanished, replaced by delight as she turned to fetch the wine.

Zhao Changhe remarked with a smile, “Do people rarely treat you to a drink? Why do you seem so happy to be treated?”

“No matter how many times it happens, who would complain about getting treated?” Lady Three, resembling a lively young girl, quickly brought out two flagons of wine and gave one to Zhao Changhe.

Zhao Changhe thought of the various brand new, unopened smartphones on Xianyu[2], and indeed, he would not mind having more.

Just as he was thinking this, he heard Lady Three add, “Just like how you men don’t mind having multiple women.”

Zhao Changhe was taking a sip of wine and nearly choked upon hearing this. His face flushed a little under the disguise. “I really did not come here to flirt with you!”

“I know,” Lady Three replied leisurely. “There are many people who come here to buy information, especially during this time. There are many people from the Central Plains who have been coming here, each one eager to ask about the movements of the barbarians. Some time ago, there was a drunkard carrying a heavy sword who lingered here for nearly a month, completely wasted every day. It took me pouring a whole bucket of urine over him to finally get him to leave, and now who knows where he’s ended up.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Lady Three glanced at him. “Do you understand? We don’t dare to sell just anything here. After all, we have to make a living. If we don’t want to die, we have to keep our mouths shut. When it comes to military intelligence, we won’t sell it no matter how much you offer.”

Zhao Changhe said, “I understand. But can we continue with what we were discussing earlier?”

“They have connections with the manager of the Huangsha Market, Ubalu, a trusted and favored general of the khagan. In the past, they generally transported their grain directly to Huangsha Market. But recently, for some reason, they’ve only been coming here with empty carriages. Presumably, they’ve been unloading their goods elsewhere along the way.”

Zhao Changhe pondered for a moment, then passed another piece of silver. “Is information about Ubalu’s strength considered military intelligence? Many people should know about him, right?”

Lady Three scoffed sarcastically. “He’s just an ordinary guy at the sixth or seventh layer of the Profound Gate. He’s pretty much useless in battle. But what can you do? He’s a confidant of the khagan. He doesn’t go to the frontlines to fight. Instead, he oversees the market in the rear, gathering supplies and enjoying women. That’s power and privilege for you.”

Zhao Changhe silently concluded, At least I can be sure that you’re not one of his people.

Just as he was contemplating what kind of opportunities this information might provide, Lady Three suddenly asked, “What’s your name?”

Zhao Changhe replied, “Wang Daozhong.”

“As in Wang Daozhong from the Wang Clan of Langya? Or are you just someone with the same name?”

“Guess,” teased Zhao Changhe.

Lady Three scrutinized him suspiciously for a while before suddenly saying, “If you really are from the Wang Clan, I suggest you run away as fast as you can.”

Zhao Changhe blinked. “Why’s that?”

“He Lei sent a message to his tribe a while back, saying that his affairs had been disrupted by Wang Daozhong. He warned the khagan not to trust any envoys from the Wang Clan. Now that He Lei has died at the hands of Vermillion Bird, all the tribes are speculating whether his death has something to do with the Wang Clan. It’s said that during the Langya Sword Conference, the saintess of the Four Idols Cult was also present, suggesting that the Four Idols Cult and the Wang Clan may have formed an alliance.”

Zhao Changhe nearly burst out in laughter, but he managed to suppress it. With a serious expression, he asked solemnly, “What does the khagan think about this?”

“I don’t know what the khagan thinks. All I know is that if the Warring Lion Tribe finds out you’re here, they’ll do whatever it takes to claim your life.”

“Is the Warring Lion Tribe nearby?”

“Not only are they nearby, but they’ve been having a tough time recently, with various factions eyeing them greedily. If I’m not mistaken, the batch of grain that the Qiao Clan brought this time was supposed to be sold to the Warring Lion Tribe... But where is it now, I wonder?”

Zhao Changhe suddenly found the world to be quite amusing.

It was fascinating how even seemingly unrelated matters could end up inexplicably connected as if there were invisible threads linking everything together.

And this Lady Three... Didn’t she say that she did not dare speak about any military intelligence? Doesn’t this count?

1. This is a reference to Calabash Brothers. Big Brother has super-strength, while Third Brother has invulnerability. ☜

2. This is Taobao’s second-hand market. ☜