Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 169: Please Compensate Him Yourself

“Why bother waiting until next time?”

Sisi had already taken a detour and began slipping out through an opening when Tang Wanzhuang’s voice suddenly echoed from behind her.

Sisi froze in place.

When she peeked out of the opening, she saw the elite members of the Demon Suppression Bureau blocking her way out. The way out was completely blocked, and it was impossible to escape even if she were to turn into a fly.

Her eyes darted around and she quickly began crawling back through the opening.

Crash!

The crumbling sounds of terracotta warriors being broken echoed with each swing of Zhao Changhe’s saber.

After Sisi got back through the hole, she was lifted up by the collar by Zhao Changhe. Then, a pair of delicate hands quickly brushed over her body. Tang Wanzhuang had pressed multiple acupoints across her body in an instant.

Sisi tried to control the terracotta warriors, but she could not muster any strength, and they all merely stood in a daze.

Zhao Changhe said, “Brother Wu, can you throw a rope over? We can’t simply rely on pressing her acupoints to incapacitate her.”

Sisi: “...”

A length of hemp rope was thrown in through the opening.

Zhao Changhe grabbed Sisi’s hands, while Tang Wanzhuang tied her up like a dumpling before throwing her to the side.

In an instant, the little witch went from a successful thief to a prisoner. She was in a state of shock, still having not even reacted to what had happened.

“You guys keep acting and plotting, but did you seriously think that the head of the Great Xia’s Demon Suppression Bureau is just some greenhorn you can toy with?” Tang Wanzhuang coughed lightly and sighed. “If that were really the case, then what exactly would the Four Idols Cult and the Maitreya Cult have to fear about me? Foreign witch, it seems you’re underestimating the heroes of the divine land a bit too much.”

Sisi: “...”

Tang Wanzhuang said, “The sudden tremors today made me suspicious that someone was up to something, and out of everyone, you were the most likely suspect. Considering your previous efforts and Mister Zhao’s favor toward you, I did not want to confront you directly, and I even went through with bringing you in... I’ve already hinted to you that I told Weiyang to get rid of the body outside, hoping you’d understand that continuing would be futile and give up. But it seems that you were too fixated on the sword seal, and you failed to understand what my words truly meant...”

It was only now that Sisi realized—if the members of the Demon Suppression Bureau had gone to deal with the corpse at the entrance, why would they just up and leave? Were they supposed to give the people inside privacy?

Of course not!

They would naturally station themselves at the entrance, ready to respond to any emergencies.

But the intense fighting just now, and Tang Wanzhuang’s refusal to have anyone come in with them gave her the illusion that there was nobody outside...

Sisi’s face turned purple with frustration.

“Since that’s the only exit here, as long as the Demon Suppression Bureau stands guard outside, we can handle any situation that comes up...” Tang Wanzhuang coughed, her face still flushed as she forcefully suppressed the effects of the aphrodisiac. She continued softly, “ I truly did not know that you were so familiar with this place. You knew the location of the sword seal and even the nature of the sword guardian. But if I wanted to deal with this sword guardian, it would really not have been as hard for me as you probably assumed. I’m sure you know I’m strong, but let me tell you: you have no idea just how strong I am.”

Sisi said, “Oh, so the reason why you were taking your sweet time with the sword guardian was that you were waiting for me to retrieve the sword seal?”

“I don’t know what Mister Zhao was thinking, but that is indeed what I was waiting for. After all, I don’t know that much about the defensive mechanisms in place here, and I’m not the kind of person to act rashly. Since you seem to understand this place so well, then letting you retrieve it for me was the best option. I still don’t know why you thought that a group of terracotta warriors could block the passage, and why you still leisurely told your story rather than taking the opportunity to escape... Is it because you like him? Were you trying to justify your actions? Well, at least there’s no need to interrogate you now, you’ve already explained things very clearly.”

Sisi did not dare to look at Zhao Changhe’s expression right now. Her face turned redder and redder as she remained silent. Indeed, she had underestimated the heroes of the divine land, especially this seemingly sickly woman.

Her appearance was truly deceptive, and it felt as if she was easy to bully. But in fact, she was one of the most terrifying people in Great Xia. She was single-handedly supporting the decaying structure and suppressing the demonic forces; was that really something that just anyone could do? Upon further thought, kindness really did not have much to do with her. Those who were truly that kind or easy to deceive were simply unfit for the position that she held.

“In fact, none of this matters. We were also planning on exploring the sword tomb ourselves anyway. Since we’ve obtained the sword seal and the sword tomb is intact, we can ignore your deception and let you go. And since you seem to still have some remorse, you’re not beyond redemption,” Tang Wanzhuang said calmly. But her tone then suddenly changed. “But what is unacceptable...is using me to compensate for your guilt by drugging me and offering me to Mister Zhao to play with. Using my innocence as your bargaining chip? That’s just a little too much, young lady.”

Sisi pouted. In terms of her view of right and wrong, she really did not care much about others.

The only one she cared about was Zhao Changhe.

Tang Wanzhuang smiled faintly and said, “Do you care about his feelings? Do you not want him to hold a grudge against you? But when you did this, did you ever care to ask about whether he wanted it or not?”

Sisi glanced at Zhao Changhe, who had been standing silently by the side. When he noticed her looking at him, he huffed and turned his head away.

Sisi felt that Zhao Changhe likely wanted it as well, but whether he admitted to it or not was another matter...

Tang Wanzhuang finally stopped smiling. “Since you feel guilty, then... please compensate him yourself!”

After saying that, with a flick of her delicate hand, all of the poison that she had been suppressing was forcefully gathered into her palm. Then, with another motion, she shot her palm at Sisi’s mouth and expelled all of the poison.

“Mmh! Mmh!” Sisi, who had been calm and resigned just now, began to twist and struggle violently.

Zhao Changhe’s first reaction was that Tang Wanzhuang was truly formidable, much stronger than Yue Hongling...

The poison that Sisi had used was probably some special concoction from the Ancient Spirit Tribe. Zhao Changhe’s poison resistance, quite incredible in other circumstances, felt inadequate against it, so it was no wonder why Sisi was confident that it would work against Tang Wanzhuang. Yet, even though Yue Hongling had been unable to handle the low-grade aphrodisiac of the Maitreya Cult, Tang Wanzhuang not only managed to suppress a much higher-grade one, but also force it all out.

If Sisi had made many mistakes, the biggest one among them was that just as mere mortals could never understand the true capabilities of gods, ordinary martial artists could never understand the true capabilities of someone who had unlocked three Profound Mysteries. The disparity in power was greater than that between a human and a chicken, so how could her schemes have possibly succeeded?

The same went for himself... How could Sisi have known about his poison resistance? How could she have any idea about his Back Eye that was enhanced by the Heavenly Tome, which made him like a fish in water inside the sword domain?

Sisi was poisoned by her own aphrodisiac. In an instant, her eyes became hazy and seductive, her body twisted unconsciously, and she began moaning softly.

As she was bound by the rope, her twisting and struggling only accentuated her figure, causing hearts to race just by watching her.

Tang Wanzhuang glanced at Zhao Changhe, then coughed lightly. “You can interrogate her however you wish. Whether you decide to release her, kill her, or whatever... it’s all up to you.”

She turned her head and raised her voice. “Members of the Demon Suppression Bureau, come in and survey the surroundings, identify the spatial nodes, and prepare to seal this place back up. Pay extra care not to touch any of the restrictions.”

The members of the Demon Suppression Bureau entered through the hole one after the other. None of them spared a glance at the bound Sisi as they all began to explore the area.

Tang Wanzhuang squatted in front of the sword guardian who was bound by the spring water sword qi before turning to look at him and say softly, “There’s nothing left for you to do here. I’m not like that foreign witch who just willingly destroys valuable things for no reason. You’d best return to your guest house for now. If I find anything, I’ll share it with you later.”

Zhao Changhe did not hesitate to heed her words. He picked up the squirming Sisi and swiftly left the sword tomb.

Tang Wanzhuang is truly magnanimous... Not only did she hand Sisi over to me to handle, but she also never took the sword seal from Sisi. She’s letting me decide what to do with it.

Zhao Changhe felt very grateful but also troubled.

Now, how exactly should I deal with this little witch?

Thud!

He threw Sisi onto the bed in the guest house, and then he closed the door behind him.

Sisi was still tied up. She writhed uncomfortably on the bed, her eyes filled with intoxicating allure as they glanced at Zhao Changhe, who was standing quietly by the door. Her eyes were hazy yet filled with incomprehensible complexity.

She knew that Zhao Changhe was not like Tang Wanzhuang. The latter had simply forced out the poison, but Zhao Changhe was incapable of doing that. He had simply been suppressing it the entire time.

But now... was there still a need to suppress it?