Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 276: Innate Dao Body

In the darkness, Yue Hongling leaned lazily against Zhao Changhe’s broad shoulders, drawing circles comfortably on his chest.

As a heroine who dared to love and hate, she gave herself to him without any restraint, unlike a bashful young bride. Her past experiences in the jianghu, especially with the Maitreya Cult, had led her to believe that such matters were uncomfortable for women, with them only enduring it only to please the men they loved. But to her surprise, after the initial pain, it was not like that at all. In the end, she only wanted to reward him with a kiss.

Seeing his diligent efforts, she did not think he had enjoyed himself that much. He truly did look like he was working hard to make it enjoyable for her.

However, she did end up surrendering and embarrassingly begging for mercy at the end...

But despite begging for mercy just moments earlier, she lazily leaned against his shoulder immediately after. His apparent exhaustion amused her a fair bit.

“Are you tired?” she finally asked with some amusement.

“Well, not tired exactly, but my wounds hurt a bit. I seem to have moved a bit too much... The injury under my ribs hurts when I move my hips...”

“Tsk, why are you men so impatient?” Yue Hongling gently stroked his wound, feeling puzzled. “You’re injured and tired, yet you still insist on doing that. I was begging for mercy earlier, but you wouldn’t stop.”

“Uh...” Why are you asking these philosophical questions? How am I even supposed to reply to that?

“Speaking of which, your wound is no longer bleeding.” Yue Hongling looked at the fingertips after touching his wound and she saw no blood. “Is the energy here really so effective at stimulating our recovery?”

Zhao Changhe suddenly wondered if she would also recover down there, making it feel like the first time every time.

But purely in terms of natural effects, the recovery effect of the energy here was probably not actually that powerful. Just now, they had unintentionally dual cultivated, which had combined with the surrounding energy for a rather impressive healing effect.

Not only was this time their first time making love, but it was also their first genuine session of dual cultivation, and it was done with both of them still having possessed their vital yin and vital yang essences.

Dual cultivation carried out with vital yin and yang was completely different from ordinary dual cultivation. This was likely why the effects of this dual cultivation session had been astonishingly good. Not only had it allowed his external wounds to heal, but his internal injuries that were caused by the rampant saber qi had also mostly healed back up.

Moreover, his previously withered and dried-up true qi was now flourishing again, with his reserves being restored to half-capacity. He had fully recovered from his earlier weakness. In this state, even if an army came searching for them, Zhao Changhe felt confident that he could charge through them, slicing his way through with Dragon Bird.

Bathing in the energy of this natural heavenly treasure while engaging in dual cultivation was likely far more effective than taking any amount of medicine.

If it were not for the fact that most of the energy they had gained from dual cultivation had been used to heal their severe injuries, their strength would have most likely undergone a significant increase. Unfortunately, as it was, their power had not changed much.

It seemed like it might be a good idea to stay here longer and cultivate for some time. He could even teach Yue Hongling proper dual cultivation techniques so that they could both benefit and advance together.

Yue Hongling had no idea what he was thinking about. Seeing him lost in thought, she asked, “What’s on your mind?”

Zhao Changhe said nonsensically, “I was wondering if the Tome of Troubled Times would make a comment on how I made you beg for mercy after just defeating a martial arts expert on the Ranking of Man. If it actually went and raised my rankings, what would we do then?”

Yue Hongling’s eyes widened.

Zhao Changhe looked at the sky.

“The Tome of Troubled Times only takes battles into consideration. If this counts as a battle, then whoever is in charge of writing the entries into that tome must be extremely perverted!” Yue Hongling said angrily. “Besides, at most, this counts as a spar!”

Zhao Changhe laughed out loud. “You really took me seriously, huh?”

“Hmph...” Yue Hongling sat up, lazily running her fingers through her hair. “People say men change after they get what they want, now I see what they mean. You’ve definitely changed. You’ve become worse. You were so respectful before, but look at you now...”

Zhao Changhe watched intently at the way she brushed her hair, her gentle movements and slight tremors creating an incredibly beautiful sight.

He had proved her right with his actions, and he had indeed become even more mischievous toward her.

Yue Hongling could not be bothered with him. She grabbed her clothes and got dressed before finally turning her gaze to the natural treasure.

The treasure was right in front of them, yet neither of them had even bothered to take a proper look at it. For them, expressing their emotions was far more important than any treasure. They never worried about such gains or losses. They firmly believed that there was no chance of any kind of infighting between them, unlike other people who might have long since fought over the treasure as soon as they caught sight of it.

If she wanted to claim the treasure for herself, Zhao Changhe would undoubtedly just wave his hand and tell her to take it as long as it was useful to her.

Zhao Changhe also put on his clothes and said with a smile, “You mentioned that the energy is quite good at stimulating our recovery. In fact, I’ve experienced it before. It repaired some of the lingering hidden injuries that I incurred from battles over a long period of time, and it even slightly expanded my meridians.”

Yue Hongling asked curiously, “What is it? It actually has such miraculous healing effects!”

Zhao Changhe replied, “I don’t know what it is exactly, but I do know that it isn’t truly meant for healing. It’s actually meant for the transformation of the body. It’s supposed to help you acquire a physique called the Innate Dao Body.”

Pausing for a moment, he added curiously, “Do you cultivate your physique? I feel like your body is quite ordinary. Just a little exertion and you were already...”

Yue Hongling glared at him fiercely, making Zhao Changhe awkwardly cough and turn his head away.

Yue Hongling said angrily, “I never have. The small sect I’m in never had such concepts in mind! I’ve heard about it while wandering the jianghu, but I never knew how to train my body myself!”

Zhao Changhe leaned lazily against the side. “Well, isn’t this quite the coincidence? The Innate Dao Body does not seem to fit someone like me. Using the jelly it produces to enhance my physique a little is good enough for me. On the other hand, it seems to fit you quite well, so you can have it.”

I knew it. He doesn’t care about who gets the treasure at all. Even though it could benefit his meridians, he still wants to give it to me because he feels that it would suit me better. Yue Hongling’s lips curved into a smile. She realized at this moment that there might never be another man so in tune with her.

She was not polite and walked over to the glowing floating gemstone for a closer look.

It emanated a profoundly mysterious aura, immense and vast. It was undoubtedly a top-notch heavenly treasure, so why had not those who were here before them taken it?

Upon closer inspection, she noticed a small chip on the stone; it was not intact.

Zhao Changhe, standing nearby, rubbed his chin and commented, “Perhaps when someone from the previous era came here, they did not take it away as it was still growing. When the era collapsed, this space shifted north, leaving only a few fragments in the Eastern Sea, which eventually resulted in the bits of marine clay that the Wang Clan acquired, all the while the main mass was here.”

Yue Hongling sighed softly. “The person who left the treasure probably died along with the collapse of the era, but the treasure continued to nurture itself and grow over the long years.”

This seemed like a reasonable deduction.

And both of them had the same figure in mind as to who might have been its previous owner: the Black Tortoise of the previous era.

It could only be them.

Zhao Changhe felt a strange emotion... Chichi received the inheritance of the Azure Dragon, while Hongling got something left behind by the Black Tortoise.

He had been with both of them during their searches.

His connection to the Four Idols Cult was indeed peculiar. Could he really have some connection with the Night Emperor?

Yue Hongling was a little hesitant. If this was the Black Tortoise’s, then it should belong to the Four Idols Cult. If she took it, would it not be a bit...

But heavenly treasures like this were on a first-come, first-served basis. Who claimed that this was reserved for whoever was the Black Tortoise right now?

Her cultivation had indeed reached a bottleneck. The ninth layer of the Profound Gate was the pinnacle of conventional martial arts, especially in terms of physical strength and quality of true qi. Even someone like Hu Lie, who had already unlocked the Profound Mysteries, was not significantly stronger than her in terms of pure strength. Wherever one went, whomever one challenged, this was already the peak. It was understood that the Profound Mysteries mainly enhanced the spiritual connection with heaven and earth. In order for her to further increase her physical strength, she would need to obtain one such special physique.

In other words... she really did need it.

This Innate Dao Body sounds good, but does it really suit me? Doesn’t Zhao Changhe need it more to resolve the issues with his meridians?

Yue Hongling hesitated for a moment, then reached out and touched the gemstone.

An immense yet gentle and substantial energy slowly seeped into her body.

As Zhao Changhe said, this treasure was transforming her physique toward what the gem considered perfect. It focused more on the physical body, which technically made it a treasure pertaining to the external martial arts system. It would not significantly improve Zhao Changhe’s meridians, and the marine clay he used before had likely only slightly improved them because of the overall transformation of one’s body brought about by the powers of the gem.

It can’t completely resolve his meridian issues... but it can improve his situation a little.

Yue Hongling quickly turned and shouted, “You should come over here too. It’s useful for your meridians.”

But when she turned around, she saw Zhao Changhe squatting in the corner, digging into the jelly.

Yue Hongling was dumbfounded. “What are you doing?”

“I’m digging out some of it so that I can lie down in it and cover myself up. This jelly is enough to transform my meridians. That gem or core isn’t suitable for me, so I won’t touch it to avoid any potential conflicts.”

Yue Hongling: “...”

Zhao Changhe continued digging and said, “Besides, I have a hunch that this place filled with jelly used to be hollow. There might be something else here, like a legacy from the Black Tortoise of the previous era, such as their techniques or even weapons. I might be able to find something by digging through this jelly!”

Yue Hongling watched him for a moment, then shook her head and smiled. “You never cease to surprise me.”

She walked back to the glowing gemstone and resumed absorbing the energy it released. The transformation was subtle yet profound. She could feel her body changing, becoming stronger and more resilient.

Meanwhile, Zhao Changhe kept digging, determined to uncover any hidden secrets that could possibly be underneath the jelly. He was not lying; his intuition had often led him to unexpected discoveries, and he felt that this time would be no different.