Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 323: Fiery Kun Ridge

Ye Wuzong was not actually angry about being tricked by the two youngsters, and neither was he angered by the fact that he had chased after the wrong person first.

He merely felt a bit embarrassed about his wrong judgment, but in reality, the added difficulty only made the chase more enjoyable. And so, he eagerly went to look for Changhe in the mountains.

Zhao Changhe deliberately made minor diversions after entering the mountains. Every so often, he would break branches on a certain path but actually take another path. To a master thief like Ye Wuzong, these little tricks were clumsy and childish, but they still further piqued his interest.

It was winter, and the mountains were covered in snow. No matter how he tried to hide his tracks or walk on branches, his tracks were as clear as guiding lights to someone who knew what to look for.

However, the mountains were indeed vast. Quickly finding someone who was deliberately hiding was no easy task. Fortunately, they had agreed on a timeframe of three days. Ye Wuzong was confident that he could find Zhao Changhe within that time.

But as he chased further, he began to sense that something was off.

After crossing the two mountain peaks, he reached an area that had once been the site of a volcanic eruption. The rocks and terrain here looked much different than the surrounding area.

Normally, people would not be able to see any difference in the mountains or rocks as they would be covered with heavy snow. One might perhaps only notice something off if the snow melted.

Why is there no snow here? The snow doesn’t seem to have melted away naturally... It looks more like powerful experts had a fierce battle here, resulting in a large area of snow being forced away from here.

Which powerful experts fought here? Zhao Changhe is definitely not at that level. Those who fought here were at my level.

Yet, besides the missing snow, there were no traces of blood, bodies, or Zhao Changhe.

If Zhao Changhe was on this mountain, then Ye Wuzong should have been able to sense the sword pellet by now, but that was not the case.

Is he really not on this mountain? Hmm... This makes things quite a bit more troublesome. The tracks here are a mess. It’s almost impossible to follow them now.

Ye Wuzong stared at the setting sun in disbelief. He had just wanted to have some fun with some juniors, yet some masters suddenly came out to ruin the fun.

The sun has set. Am I supposed to just wander aimlessly in the dark and hope to sense the sword pellet by chance?

However, even if he strolled around trying to sense the sword pellet, he was destined to fail.

Unbeknownst to him, Zhao Changhe had already entered a secret realm.

*

When Xia Chichi took Yang Qianyuan to the Earth Deer of Liu, Zhao Changhe swiftly headed northwest into the mountains.

With it being the middle of winter, the mountains were largely deserted, making it difficult to obscure one’s tracks. Zhao Changhe felt that his footprints would definitely stand out in the snow that covered the mountains, but there was nothing he could really do about it.

Fortunately, he was very familiar with traversing mountains and ridges, and he moved very swiftly. It was now even easier for him to move around now that he could store Dragon Bird in the storage ring. The storage nullified its weight, lightening his load by a fair amount. Zhao Changhe had never experienced moving so fast with his movement art before. He leaped from treetop to treetop, light as a feather.

Before long, he had already neared the peak.

Who says I’m a clumsy bear? Which bear is as graceful as me?

By that time, the sun had already begun to set in the west.

Zhao Changhe found the scene quite beautiful. The setting sun colored the snow a breathtaking orange, while a mist shrouded the mountains. The sight rivaled that of the sunset over a river.

From afar, he heard a woodsman’s song drift over, “Cloudy peaks separating the shores of the mortal world; journeying and observing, within the flagon there’s a vast world...”[1]

As he listened, Zhao Changhe instinctively slowed his pace.

If Tang Wanzhuang was here, she would probably remind me to slow down and take in the scenery. I ended up in the middle of schemes right as I entered Kunlun. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten to stop and take in the scenery. What does Yuxu really look like? What about Kunlun?

Unfortunately, even though such thoughts crossed his mind, he could not slow down now. Important matters weighed on him. He did not have the time to spare at the moment.

When all this is done, I’ll come back and have a look around.

Ahead of him, an old woodsman carrying two baskets of firewood descended the mountain in the twilight.

The mountain air was biting cold, yet the woodsman wore only light clothes. This time, Zhao Changhe could not easily tell if this woodsman was an expert, unlike when he saw Ye Wuzong selling wontons. After all, chopping and carrying wood could make anyone sweat, so a woodsman would not necessarily feel cold. Judging from the deep footprints that the old man left in the snow, he did not seem to actually have high attainments in cultivation.

Zhao Changhe thought for a moment and then jumped up to the treetop. He used the Crane Controlling Art to pull out a coat from his storage ring, and then handed the coat to the woodsman. “Old man, it’s cold here. Please take this coat.”

The woodsman looked at him curiously, then smiled and said, “In this land of the wicked, why show such kindness?”

Zhao Changhe said, “My heart is my own. What does it matter where I am in this world?”

The woodsman laughed heartily. “Well said, well said!”

He put down the firewood, took out a wine gourd, and took a good sip. “I have my wine to keep me warm. I don’t need someone’s coat. Take it back, young man.”

Zhao Changhe did not insist, taking back the coat and unhooking his own gourd from his waist to take a sip. Damn, wait, did Tian Lingzi still have that gourd on him?

Seeing him drink, the woodsman smiled and said, “Young man, are you also keeping warm with wine?”

Zhao Changhe shook his wine gourd. “Within the flagon there’s a vast world.”

Heh, I know how to show off too...

The woodsman laughed heartily once more. “A heart impatient as if ablaze, just how vast can it really be?”

Zhao Changhe said, “It’s all for the sake of peace in the future.”

The woodsman nodded. “A heart ablaze with desire may bring one into evil’s embrace. The evils of Kunlun are no different. Tread carefully, young man, lest you fail to reach that future.”

Does this woodsman know where I’m heading? Or is it just a coincidence?

Zhao Changhe grew cautious and asked, “If the flame burning within me does become a demon, how should I deal with it?”

“External demons can simply be killed, but inner demons are difficult to restrain. The best way is to temper oneself through emotions.” The woodsman slowly picked up his firewood and continued down the mountain without saying anything more.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhao suddenly called out, “Once I’ve settled my matters, if I ever come back to visit Kunlun, I’ll be sure to look for you for a drink.”

The woodsman laughed and then said without turning back, “How do you plan to find me?”

Zhao Changhe said, “If you welcome me for a drink, then please leave me your address. Kunlun is a treacherous place, so it’s okay if you would rather not tell me.”

The woodsman continued down the mountain.

The mountain wind carried his song, “I dwell in a house by the waters with three rooms, amidst thousands of bamboo stalks in the moonlight and wind. Let the puppets make a racket on the stage, I gaze toward the peak of Kunlun. My body at peace, free from worries; journeying and observing, within the flagon there’s a vast world.”

Zhao Changhe watched the woodsman’s silhouette fade away, feeling a deep appreciation for the other party’s poetic conception rather than finding it pretentious. It seemed his literary nature was not entirely brought about by Tang Wanzhuang, but might actually be intrinsic.

Perhaps this is why I mesh so well with Tang Wanzhuang? Sadly, I have no time for leisure with everything going on. How long has it been since I last played the guqin?

Everyone’s the same; even Tang Wanzhuang is heavily burdened.

Zhao Changhe sighed, quickened his pace, and headed straight for the volcano.

Ye Wuzong should already be chasing after me. I really don’t have the time to savor the scenery here.

He’d barely crossed two more peaks and the sun had almost completely set. If the sword pellet’s guidance was correct, then the secret realm should be on the next peak, known in the legends of Kunlun as the Fiery Kun Ridge.

This place had been thoroughly searched countless times, just like the Ancient Sword Lake and Black Tortoise Lake. Countless people, not bearing the right fate, had found nothing.

If he had been searching on his own, Zhao Changhe would not have been that confident in finding the secret realm. He had not relied on himself to crack the Black Tortoise Secret Realm, it was largely thanks to Master Yuan Xing... But this time, with the sword pellet’s guidance, he felt hopeful.

Just as he was thinking this, flames suddenly erupted in the mountain ahead.

The raging flames looked like they reached up into the heavens, dyeing the sky above Kunlun a fiery red.

Of course, this was just an illusion, brought on by the overwhelming presence of the flames.

Focusing, he saw a woman surrounded by a group of thugs.

The fiery aura was not just emanating from the woman but from everyone around her. Some even had flame-shaped pupils, which made for a surreal and terrifying sight.

Flames seemed to replace their eyes

Zhao Changhe suddenly remembered the woodsman’s words... A heart ablaze with desire may bring one into evil’s embrace. Were these people driven mad by their inner demons?

Whether these people were originally already really strong or simply experienced a sharp increase in strength after going mad, these individuals were immensely powerful. Zhao Changhe felt that each one of them was stronger than himself. With a sweep of their long sword, scorching flames followed. With a single palm strike, a fire dragon would shoot out.

The heat waves caused the surrounding snow to melt and be forced away.

But the most terrifying figure among those ahead of him was the woman.

Fwoosh!

Her delicate hand passed right through the flames, grabbing hold of a person’s throat.

Fwoom!

Flames then erupted from her hand, turning the person she had grabbed into charred remains.

As swords and sabers approached her from behind, she slithered like a serpent and spread her wings like a bird, swiftly evading and turning another one of the thugs into a charred corpse.

The group of thugs, each of whom Zhao Changhe thought was stronger than himself, could not handle a single attack from her. It was a complete massacre! Her brutal aura pierced the skies, and the manifestation of her power created the fiery illusion that dyed the skies of Kunlun red.

As Zhao Changhe got closer, he could make out the woman’s face.

Beyond her flaming eyes, he saw Huangfu Qing.

1. This is an excerpt of “Wild Geese Have Come Down; Song of Victory” (雁儿落兼得胜令) by the Yuan Dynasty poet Zhang Yanghao (张养浩). ☜