Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 198: Impossible, Absolutely Impossible

Vermillion Bird was so angry that she nearly ground her teeth to pieces, thinking to herself that the thought processes of Zhao Changhe and Xia Chichi were remarkably aligned. No wonder they were so in love with each other, both their minds were fixated on this one thing.

At first, you mentioned that you wanted to resolve the issue with your meridians, which, although a high demand, can still be considered a normal condition or ask. So, how the hell did the conversation end up on this topic?

Suppressing her frustration, Vermillion Bird gritted her teeth and said, “Do you think that the Four Idols Cult is like some Myriad Flowers Tower? That we’re here to pick girls out for you? You might as well go look for Tang Wanzhuang. She’s the one who runs an actual Myriad Flowers Tower!”

Zhao Changhe sighed. “Who do you think taught me to play the guqin?”

“Are you saying that you’re entertaining offers from other factions?” snapped Vermillion Bird.

“It’s not like that,” Zhao Changhe said seriously. “First Seat Tang has been very kind to me. I would not use her as a bargaining chip.”

Vermillion Bird said, “However, the imperial court is in conflict with our Four Idols Cult. Since you are so loyal to Tang Wanzhuang, then there’s no need for us to negotiate.”

After a moment of silence, Zhao Changhe slowly said, “Times change, and people change as time passes. Half a year ago, Venerable Vermillion Bird would not have even thought of recruiting me to join the cult. Just two months ago, the Four Idols Cult was out for my head due to my relationship with Chichi. But look at the situation now.”

Vermillion Bird fell silent. She felt regret when such events were brought up. Zhao Changhe had been right under her nose. Back then, she could have easily taken him into the cult. He would have probably even been very grateful for being provided with guidance and shelter. It’s just that, she never thought...

But then again, that version of Zhao Changhe might not have ended up the same or even similar to the one standing before her at this moment.

Zhao Changhe said, “It seems that Venerable Vermillion Bird’s philosophy is heavily aligned with those of demonic cults. Why are you in such a rush? We can simply spend some time getting to know each other first. This will allow me to better understand your doctrines and ideologies, and you can see if I’m a good fit once I’ve become more familiar with everything. We can easily make a decision then, can’t we? With things being as they are, you’re uncomfortable, and so am I. Besides suggesting to loosen the restrictions between Chichi and me, what else can I ask for?”

Vermillion Bird responded indifferently, “That’s easy for you to say. Where are we supposed to find the time to familiarize ourselves with each other? As for being together with the saintess, just forget about it. She will always say good things about you regardless of how long you spend with one another, which basically renders it meaningless.”

“How about letting me get to know someone else? I think you’d be a good fit.”

Vermillion Bird could not help but retort, “Do you two share a brain?”

Hmm, interesting.... So Chichi also made this proposal?

As expected of my wife.

Now that I think about it, based on the information you guys have on me, Chichi’s father is actually technically my father as well.

Vermillion Bird snapped irritably, “We wear masks precisely because we can’t be seen with you. Unless, of course, you are willing to be directly associated with the Four Idols Cult.”

“What if you take off your mask and reveal your true identity? Others wouldn’t know who you are then, right?”

“But then you would know, wouldn’t you? My true identity has its own status and its own uses. Do you really think that I would reveal it to you just because you asked? Besides, I don’t have the time to spare for you,” Vermillion Bird said calmly. “Let’s leave it at that for now. I understand your intentions and I will convey them to the venerable. Directly negotiating terms does indeed seem rather crude, it’s not as shameless nor as silent as what Tang Wanzhuang is doing.”

Zhao Changhe couldn’t find the words to retort.

“Alright, I will be on my way. Based on my analysis, at least during the Wang Clan’s banquet, the venerable is unlikely to concern herself too much with your relationship with the saintess, so make good use of it.” As she spoke, her voice turned somewhat flirtatious and amused. Then, she vanished in a blaze of fire.

Zhao Changhe shook his head slightly. He was not particularly bothered by the event just now and went back to playing the guqin. In his view, the Four Idols Cult was truly just a basic contact. It was a coincidence that they all came to Langya at the same time and began communicating. Anyway, they had not even properly started discussing anything yet, so he would likely have more in-depth exchanges with them in the future.

Little did he expect that before he could finish playing another piece on the guqin, Venerable Vermillion Bird would arrive.

Zhao Changhe looked at the seductive and charming red lips of Vermillion Bird speechlessly, and sighed. “Venerable, is there anything I can do for you? Have you come to listen to some music at the Daoist temple?”

Vermillion Bird said calmly, “I heard from Fire Serpent that you’re currently troubled by your meridians for your internal cultivation?”

“Indeed.”

“Don’t place your hopes on dual cultivation too much, or you’ll just end up very disappointed,” Vermillion Bird said lightly. “Your meridians are already set to be narrow. Long-term dual cultivation may indeed somewhat improve your condition, but just making use of it to make breakthroughs is horrible behavior. It’s no different from the actions of the Maitreya Cult. Dual cultivation has never been some miraculous method of cultivation, it’s just an auxiliary art. I hope you keep this in mind.”

Zhao Changhe said, “You seem to be competing with First Seat Tang on who can teach me better?”

“I can’t teach you, but I can give you a taste, at least to show you how beneficial it is to join our holy cult.”

With that, Vermillion Bird suddenly reached out and pointed her finger between Zhao Changhe’s eyebrows.

Zhao Changhe did not even have the time to react before he was touched. He reluctantly accepted the reality that if Vermillion Bird wanted to kill him at this moment, it would quite literally be as easy as lifting a finger.

As her finger touched the point in between his eyebrows, a vague sense of enlightenment emerged in his mind, and he suddenly saw a sky filled with countless stars.

These were not actually stars, but the acupoints all over his body. They were shining as bright as stars.

In fact, he had felt this sensation when he first began practicing internal arts. The dantian was like the moon, while the acupoints were like stars. It felt as if his body was its own universe.

Unfortunately, that was merely a display of the overall framework of his body when he was just starting out. As he progressed in his cultivation, he could no longer sense this macroscopic experience. Instead, he had to slowly uncover it piece by piece, hoping that he could one day see that entire universe once more.

Now, with the single touch from Vermillion Bird’s finger, he was once again brought back to the macroscopic view of his body’s framework.

The difference from his initial experience to the one brought about by Vermillion Bird was that she emphasized the forms of the four idols. The brightest stars in the night sky formed the shapes of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise. When it came to these acupoints, he had actually already lit up some of them himself, while most were still unlit.

“This is the principle of the Four Idols Cult’s cultivation technique. For the system of cultivation that you are compatible with, you will simply need to follow the series of star charts. For example, I embody the Vermillion Bird, while Chichi embodies both the Azure Dragon and White Tiger,” Vermillion Bird’s voice echoed in his ears. “My purpose in showing you this star chart is not to teach you a cultivation technique but to provide you with a way to circumvent your issues.”

Zhao Changhe took a deep breath and said, “Please advise me.”

Vermillion Bird replied calmly, “Assuming that you can resonate with your star position, you can use the power of your position to rush through the Profound Gates that you have yet to overcome. There is no need for you to exhaust yourself by strictly following a single meridian all the way through. To some extent, this can help you avoid the problem with your narrow meridians.

“You can picture it this way, when dealing with a strong opponent, a volley of arrows is generally more effective than a single arrow. The question now is, can you resonate with your own constellation? If you can’t, then everything is off the table. It simply means that you are not destined to join our Four Idols Cult.”

“And if I manage to do so?”

“Then that position is yours, and we can discuss further terms. This would be the so-called familiarization process that you suggested.”

“Okay. How do I go about resonating with a position?”

“Your cultivation has not reached those acupoints, so you would originally not have been able to resonate with them. However, since I’ve activated your star chart for you, you only need to immerse your consciousness into it and sense these acupoints. The ones that resonate with you will naturally light up on my star chart, and then I’ll know which one you resonate with.”

As her words trailed off, the four idols star chart that had just been lit up went dark.

Zhao Changhe quietly focused inward, attempting to sense and relight those acupoints.

He soon realized that this not only tested his martial arts talent but also his memory. With so many stars, how could he recreate the pattern that he had seen just now? He discovered that he had already forgotten everything. He was now troubled about how to go about remembering the patterns.

Forget it, it doesn’t matter, no matter what shape it is, I’ll just try feeling out all of the stars and light up as many as I can. I’ll pretty much just leave it up to fate. Vermillion Bird probably thinks that this should be how I got about it as well.

Zhao Changhe tried to light up a star in the lower corner and found that it was not difficult. They lit up instantly.

Vermillion Bird’s eyes flickered with intrigue. This at least indicated that he was well-suited to practice the cultivation technique of the Four Idols Cult, and that he would face almost no obstacles.

Then, a second star lit up, then a third....

Gradually, the southern region was lit up entirely, including the pattern for the Vermillion Bird and nearby stars that did not belong to the Vermillion Bird’s constellation.

Vermillion Bird’s bright eyes widened. What does this mean?

I’ve never seen anything like this before. It does not fit with the patterns of our four idols at all. Why are they all lit up?!

In the context of the Four Idols Cult, each star actually represented a type of martial arts, and the four idols were especially emblematic of four distinct types. It was impossible for someone to encompass them all.

The only exception to this had been the Night Emperor!

Zhao Changhe did not know why, but he felt that this was very easy. It was like watching a live demonstration of the Sword Emperor in the illusory world created by the Heavenly Tome. He could choose which part he wanted to be demonstrated, and in the same way, he could choose which star to light up.

After a few moments, the stars shimmered in the sky, fully lit.

Vermillion Bird suddenly stopped and took two steps back in shock.

Zhao Changhe opened his eyes in confusion. “Is something wrong? If all the stars are lit up, then doesn’t that mean I contradict the meaning of the four idols?”

“Yes... yes.” Vermillion Bird’s voice trembled slightly. “This is probably... the meaning of an emperor. This does not coincide with the four idols... You and me....”

She wanted to say that it was contradictory, but she could not properly articulate herself. She was trembling, unable to speak properly.

It might not necessarily be contradictory. There was another possibility: the Night Emperor.

Of course, if all the stars were lit and could be utilized, then all the martial arts in the world were at the cultivator’s disposal.

Is that possible? No... no way, absolutely impossible....

Zhao Changhe inquired, “As you said, I have not actually cultivated these acupoints yet. Even if I can sense and light them up, how do I make them empower me and help me break through?”

“They inherently contain power. It’s just that ordinary people can’t sense them at all. Since you can sense them, you can try to call upon their power to assist you in breaking through using the technique I imparted to you...” Vermillion Bird secretly hoped he would succeed. But if he did not, then that was honestly fine with her as well.

Zhao Changhe closed his eyes. The myriad acupoints within him shone brightly. Then, it was as if countless threads of energy descended from all directions in the sky and rushed toward the fifth Profound Gate.

At the same time, he operated the energy within his dantian according to the Six Harmonies Art in full force, having it advance along the central meridian and straight toward the Huagai acupoint.[1]

There was the sensation of a loud boom as the fifth Profound Gate was forcefully shattered.

Zhao Changhe opened his eyes, meeting Vermillion Bird’s gaze.

Vermillion Bird’s eyes looked as if she had seen a ghost.

1. The Huagai acupoint is at the center of the manubrium (the upper extremity of the sternum). ☜