Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 193: White Tiger and White Rabbit

Xia Chichi encountered the Cui Clan’s convoy not long ago. She had just discovered Cui Yuanyang’s whereabouts when He Lei was causing trouble at the Taiyi Sect.

Although Vermillion Bird had assigned her a random mission just to keep her occupied, the fact that she even mentioned such a mission casually reflected some of her inner thoughts. At the very least, it showed that she intended to have Xia Chichi investigate the situation. If, based on the situation, it was actually easy to kill Cui Yuanyang, then it could be carried out.

The doctrinal objective of the Four Idols Cult did not have much to do with worldly affairs and was actually very similar to the goals of martial arts sects. Of course, if the four idols were to come into this world, then they would naturally move to dominate it. Human emperors would mean nothing in their eyes.

Their beliefs were not aligned with those of the imperial court, thus branding them as a bunch of lawless evildoers who needed to be eradicated. However, they did not exactly fit in with the traditional definition of rebels either. Because of that, in specific situations, the two sides might even be able to cooperate.

Chichi’s mother had even tried to become family with Xia Longyue... If the Four Idols Cult could become a state religion, then why rebel?

But ever since she was killed by Xia Longyuan, the Four Idols Cult had been united in their hatred against the empire. They began working toward destabilizing the Great Xia Empire and avenging their saintess, essentially becoming true rebels. For them, acts like killing princes only counted as collecting some interest.

From the perspective of true rebels, the more chaotic the Great Xia was, the better. Such as in the current situation, if they were really able to instigate a falling-out between the Cui and Wang Clans, it would be like plunging another vicious knife into one of the Great Xia’s major arteries, essentially sealing its ominous fate.

Of course, killing a little girl who was merely coming to attend a banquet might not necessarily provoke a complete falling out between the Cui and Wang Clans. After all, it was not the Wang Clan who was committing the murder. At most, it might cause some tension between the two clans. However, what was certain was that both families would go all out to kill the culprit. This was why Xia Chichi felt that the mission did not make much sense, and why Elder You and the others believed that it was not necessary to force it. Only if it was actually easy to kill the target and the operation could be done without letting others know who had done it would it really make sense to go through with the mission.

This was the reason being low-key did not always mean safety, as doing so could also cause unnecessary trouble. It was only by declaring and proving one’s strength that one could truly avoid trouble.

In line with that kind of thinking, Cui Yuanyang did not move quietly. She brought with her the strongest guest elder of their clan, Lu Ya, who was ranked twelfth on the Ranking of Earth. She also brought along a team of bodyguards composed of a captain who was among those ranked in the sixties on the Ranking of Man, and guards that were all experts at the eighth or ninth layer of the Profound Gate. She was displaying the might of the Cui Clan as she moved.

Even the barbarians and the already rebellious Maitreya Cult would choose to avoid confronting such a force, so how many other forces would actually move to target a young girl? It would not be just nonsensical; it would be downright madness.

This was why Xia Chichi had actually pretty much completed her mission by finding out the situation surrounding Cui Yuanyang. She could simply report back to Vermillion Bird. However, Xia Chichi felt guilty. She was not sure if Vermillion Bird was testing her emotional issues. If it was so, then Vermillion Bird was probably observing her in secret, so she felt like she had to do something.

And so, she openly blocked the path of the Cui Clan’s convoy and shouted from afar, “Where is Miss Yuanyang? I’m an old friend and I have something to tell her.”

The convoy stopped, and a little girl stuck her head out of a carriage window, her big eyes blinking in confusion.

Who is this pretty big sister? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her before.

“Miss,” Lu Ya called out softly beside the carriage. “That person’s cultivation is not weak, and she seems to have some evil qi. When did you make such a friend?”

Cui Yuanyang scratched her head and said, “I only went out that one time...”

But then they heard Xia Chichi say, “I am Luo Qi from Beimang. I met Miss Cui when she came to the mountain stronghold.”

Cui Yuanyang was stunned for a moment, and her face involuntarily turned red. She quickly said, “Ah, so it’s Sister Luo! Come here quickly.”

The guards did not have an opinion. While they all knew about Xia Chichi, how could any of them know who Luo Qi was? If the young lady said that they knew each other, then they knew each other.

All of them knew that the young lady had made some foolish moves in Beimang and ended up getting held captive. None of them knew which bandits she had encountered back then, but they could not help but wonder since when there were such beautiful female bandits in Beimang.

Regardless, since this involved the young lady’s foolish deeds, it was better for them to remain quiet.

In fact, when Cui Yuanyang was caught breaking into the stronghold, Xia Chichi was not in Beimang anymore, but Cui Yuanyang knew the name Luo Qi very well. She had been very meticulous in learning about her brother Zhao’s past. When bandits from Beimang were captured later on, she would even specially arrange for them to be brought to the Cui Clan for interviews. Thus, she knew that Xia Chichi of the Four Idols Cult had slept together with him under the alias Luo Qi.

When brother Zhao said that he had a lover at that time, he was probably referring to her...and judging from his attitude, I don’t think they ever broke up...

Seeing Xia Chichi getting into the carriage with a smile, Cui Yuanyang subconsciously shrank into a corner, her face burning. For some reason, she felt like a mistress who had been approached by the actual wife.

Boo.... This big sister is indeed really beautiful. No wonder brother Zhao took a liking to her. Unlike me, her face is still round after all this time....

Xia Chichi looked at the blushing Cui Yuanyang with a strange expression. She endured and endured again, but she finally could not hold it in anymore and said, “Little girl, if I came here to kill you, you would already be dead!”

“Ah?” Cui Yuanyang said. “I...Brother Zhao and I, we, we never did anything, at least not yet...”

Xia Chichi facepalmed.

Don’t you know that I’m the saintess of the Four Idols Cult? Do you seriously think that I would come here to kill you because of your relationship with Zhao Changhe?

But then she heard Cui Yuanyang say, “You’re the saintess of the Four Idols Cult... The Four Idols Cult isn’t dumb; why would they exchange the life of their saintess for a comparatively insignificant little girl?”

Huh?

This time it was Xia Chichi’s turn to scratch her head. Oh, so she isn’t actually stupid, huh?

The two girls looked at each other, and Xia Chichi finally put on a straight face. “That’s right, I was just passing by when I saw your convoy and became furious. I came here to deal with a vixen! Young lady of the Cui clan, aren’t you supposed to be educated and courteous? How can you just go around snatching another’s man? Are you not ashamed of yourself?”

Cui Yuanyang subconsciously wanted to hug her own head again, but then she mustered up the courage to stand her ground and say, “You’re one to talk! You want to be a saintess and serve your gods, so you can’t even have him yourself. You can’t have him, yet you don’t want to let others have him? How can you be so unreasonable...”

Xia Chichi felt like her face was slapped but she remained expressionless.

I originally thought you were quite cute, but now you look more and more unpleasant. You’re already fifteen years old and you’re still pretending to be cute?! You think you know more than me, don’t you?

“My cult refuses him, but there is a solution. If he also joins the cult, then we might be able to be together,” Xia Chichi said with a straight face. “What’s the difference between you and me? Doesn’t your clan also refuse him? Otherwise, why would they have a three-year agreement? If he fails to make it to the Ranking of Man in three years, would you be willing to elope with him?”

“I would.”

With just two words, Xia Chichi was utterly silenced. Her eyes widened in surprise, and after a long while she could only say, “Anyone can talk.”

“Big sister...” Cui Yuanyang sniffed. “Actually, you’re right. We’re the same, so what exactly are we even arguing about here... I know where he was recently, and that old woman doesn’t have the same restrictions we do, and her family even really wants them to.... Well, maybe we’re all doomed anyway....”

Xia Chichi blinked again.

By “old woman,” is she referring to... Tang Wanzhuang?

Cui Yuanyang muttered to herself, “I haven’t actually served the entirety of my house arrest yet. I heard that Wang Zhaoling was inviting prominent figures from the Ranking of Hidden Dragons to his banquet. I’m guessing that he will be there, which is why I pestered my father until he allowed me to go. If we don’t meet again soon, he might forget about me...”

What house arrest? What pestering? I’m afraid that Cui Wenjing wanted you to come here as well. Xia Chichi suddenly felt enlightened. How cunning! Before, he did not matter much to you, but now that you saw Tang Wanzhuang personally stepping in to snatch him from your hands, you can’t hold yourself back anymore, huh?

Suddenly, she felt like an irrelevant passerby and she chuckled to herself. What am I doing? Am I really going to act like I’m here to confront a vixen? This is just an excuse to pass the time... But when I see this little vixen, I really can’t help but get angry, yet I’m incapable of handling her. It’s so frustrating...

In reality, in the other party’s mind, Xia Chichi had long ceased to be a real competitor. It was Tang Wanzhuang who truly made the Cui Clan feel threatened.

How interesting. I wonder if Cui Wenjing felt a little regretful about the three-year agreement that he made himself after learning that Tang Wanzhuang was stepping in.

On second thought, if Tang Wanzhuang has a predestined relationship with him due to his presumed identity as a prince, well, that identity is actually mine... When Xia Chichi thought of this, she suddenly felt the jade hairpin on her head gleaming brightly.

She became annoyed again and glanced sideways at Cui Yuanyang for a while before saying leisurely, “You’re right. Tang Wanzhuang is much older, and she won’t be as thin-skinned as a little girl like you. Maybe, they’ve even done everything already, all the while you’re still dreaming of a future with him...”

Cui Yuanyang’s little face turned red and bitter once more.

She felt the same way, but what could she do about it?