Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 377: A Fairy Tale

“Please come in?!” Tang Wanzhuang blushed outside. “This is a secret room! No one can enter if you don’t open the door.”

“Oh...” Zhao Changhe jumped off the bed and went to open the door. “I forgot about that. Alright, here, come in quickly.”

Seeing his somewhat eager expression, Tang Wanzhuang blushed even harder.

What is going on in your head? What is it that you think I’m here for...

But after Zhao Changhe closed the door, his next words were, “How are you? I saw you cough up blood after going against Maitreya. Your face back then was as white as paper. Why are you still forcing yourself to work instead of resting?”

Tang Wanzhuang did not know what to feel now and could only helplessly say, “Well, someone has to take charge. Am I supposed to just let Wang Daozhong handle everything? Or Yang Jingxiu?”

“And now?”

“They’ve already left. Yang Jingxiu did leave a message before going, hoping that you will attend his birthday banquet next month...” Tang Wanzhuang’s beautiful eyes lingered on his face for a moment, and then she suddenly smiled. “He clearly values you more than he values me.”

“Let’s talk about that later. Right now, I just want to know the extent of your injuries. I’m worried about you dying out of nowhere as soon as I turn my head.”

Tang Wanzhuang chuckled. “It’s not that serious.”

Despite her words, her face was visibly pale, indicating that she was in poor health. There was even a faint trace of black qi coming from her. Since Zhao Changhe had learned the Rejuvenation Art, he had gained a vague understanding of human physiology, and seeing her condition made his heart race with concern.

He grabbed her wrist with a serious expression.

She did not resist, simply quietly watching him as he checked her condition.

Holding her hand, Zhao Changhe felt her soft but cold skin. Without indulging in the sensation, he carefully channeled his qi to examine her condition.

Upon closer inspection, he sighed in relief.

Although she had coughed up blood, that had just been a normal result from clashing with a powerful opponent. Zhao Changhe himself had coughed up countless mouthfuls of blood and did not think much of it. It was no wonder why Tang Wanzhuang seemed so unconcerned.

He did notice, however, that her meridians were thick and her dantian was vast.

His recently expanded, normal-sized meridians seemed childlike in comparison to hers—a true example of excellent foundation and talent. This was why she could learn any cultivation technique quickly and the reason why her bursts of qi were far more powerful than Zhao Changhe’s; her meridians simply had much greater capacity.

With her seemingly endless and robust qi supporting her frail body, she could manage a lot of work despite being injured.

If this were a normal situation, even during her coughing periods, it would not be a big deal. With some medicine and a couple of days of rest, she would be fine.

But the problem was that this was not a normal situation.

As Zhao Changhe continued his examination, the relief on his face gradually turned into a dark scowl.

Previously, she had been suppressing her cultivation at the third layer of the Profound Mysteries. According to the blind woman, her main issue was not with her lung meridian but with her soul. This was why even Xia Longyuan could not solve her problem. The so-called damage to her lung meridian was actually a result of her suppressing her power that was supposed to be at the third layer, which, lacking an outlet, was forced to flood a meridian. This constant flooding severely damaged her lung meridian.

Originally, if she continued this way for another year or so, the meridian would be completely ruined, and she would die.

This time, she tried to fully release the seal, which would no longer involve just one meridian handling the flood but an overwhelming explosion of power. This might have allowed her to kill Maitreya and solve the crisis at Xiangyang, but it could have also resulted in her body being completely destroyed by the rampant power, causing her to explode and die.

Fortunately, Zhao Changhe stopped her in time, and she only managed to unseal her cultivation a little bit.

Yet even this small portion of unsealed power was enough for her to crush Maitreya, who was otherwise on par with her.

However, this small release of power also aggressively overloaded her already overburdened lung meridian. Now it looked like a rope gnawed by rats—full of pits and ready to snap at any moment. If in the past it could have held out for another year, now that time was halved.

Adding on the shock and the blood she coughed up this time, she might now have less than three months left to live.

You have at most three months left to live! How can you still smile and laugh like that?!

Zhao Changhe was furious and said angrily, “Do you know the state your body is in?!”

Tang Wanzhuang felt the peculiar sensation of rejuvenation in her body, seeming to heal her recent injuries. Although the effect was weak and not very meaningful, akin to treating a minor cut in a body riddled with gashes, Zhao Changhe still continued to pour his energy into healing her, oblivious to the fact that he himself was injured, with blood still seeping from his shoulder.

He was scolding her, his face filled with anger, but his hands continued to treat her, anxiously trying to send all his energy to her.

Tang Wanzhuang smiled again and softly said, “I do.”

“Then why are you still smiling?” Zhao Changhe was anxious. “I can’t heal you with my limited skills!”

“What does it matter?” Tang Wanzhuang whispered. “Life is short. If I can do what I want and see things get better, what is there not to be content with?”

“How have things gotten better? Maitreya escaped, the south is unstable, and the north is about to fall into chaos once more. Furthermore, don’t you know what Wang Daozhong is up to?!”

“But...” Tang Wanzhuang whispered, “now... I have you...”

Zhao Changhe stared at her with wide eyes.

Tang Wanzhuang looked up at him, her eyes glistening, the true meaning behind her words unclear.

Zhao Changhe’s voice grew cold, “Is that really how you see it?”

Tang Wanzhuang pursed her lips together and remained silent.

Zhao Changhe said coldly, “When I said I’m here for you, it’s because I worry about you. If you weren’t in this world, why would I do any of this?”

Tang Wanzhuang shook her head slightly. “You would still do it because you can’t stand to see things go wrong.”

Zhao Changhe flared up in anger. “Believe it or not, as soon as you die, I’d immediately join the Four Idols Cult and become a rebel leader!”

“It doesn’t matter. At that time, you would still be doing things to make the world better...”

Zhao Changhe was momentarily speechless, knowing that Tang Wanzhuang was right.

But the anger in his eyes did not diminish.

You have found someone to carry your legacy, and perhaps with the weight of the world on their shoulders, you think they might achieve more. So, you’re ready to die, aren’t you? Am I just a means to that end in your eyes? What do you even see yourself as?

“If you don’t even respect your own life, don’t talk about respecting the world. That just makes you sound hollow,” Zhao Changhe finally said, his tone now calm. “Actually, it’s a bit too optimistic of you to think that I’ll continue to act as you expect if you die.”

Tang Wanzhuang looked at him quietly.

Even she did not know how much truth there was in her words... But if her condition could not be cured, what else could she really say?

Should she express her sadness and reluctance, and let him watch her die in pain and despair?

What would be the point of that?

But seeing him with such anger behind his calm facade, Tang Wanzhuang felt her heart ache as well.

But what could she do? Even the emperor could not cure her, and Zhao Changhe’s methods were equally inadequate.

But then, Zhao Changhe said, “Do you know that if it was not for Yue Hongling, the chivalrous and righteous Zhao Changhe might not have ever existed? He would have just been a bandit, waving the banner of justice but committing violent acts in the name of righteousness.”

Tang Wanzhuang’s eyes flickered.

“And do you know that if there was no Tang Wanzhuang, I might have merely become a second Xia Longyuan?” Zhao Changhe said slowly. “Many people have said this about me. Even the innocent Yangyang could see it—I spoke in the dialect of the Zhao Family and looked at this world with cold eyes, as if you all were merely characters in a book, with your joys and sorrows having nothing to do with me... Did you not see that?

Tang Wanzhuang finally said, “Yes, I saw that. However, that is not the case now, is it?”

“Then why do you think I even involved myself in all this?” Zhao Changhe said loudly. “Can’t you see that?”

Zhao Wangtang.

It seemed as if everything had already been out in the open long ago.

Tang Wanzhuang lowered her head slightly and said softly, “You and I have an agreement... no romance between us... You promised you had no interest in me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. Why would I be romantically interested in someone that looks like an average aunt?” Zhao Changhe retorted coldly. “I don’t look at you with romantic interest. I look up to you because you’re someone who lets me feel that there’s actually some light in this dark, chaotic world. But have you ever thought about if I’d still want to continue acting in the way I have if you died a terrible death?”

Tang Wanzhuang was stunned. She had not expected an answer from this perspective.

“Those who bring warmth to others should not freeze to death in the wind and snow,” Zhao Changhe finally softened his voice and said slowly. “Whether it’s for the public good or for chivalry, such a person should not meet a terrible end... Maybe some people think that’s profound. I say to hell with profound shit. I just want a fairy tale. I only work hard for a perfect fairy tale, not to toil my entire life for some shattered illusion.”

Tang Wanzhuang’s heart stirred as if something had struck it, sending ripples through her.

A fairy tale... Who isn’t an idealist...

“You’re so focused on your ideals. Have you ever thought that you might be shattering mine? Or do you think that this smelly bear’s ideals are not even worth mentioning?”

Tang Wanzhuang blurted out, “It’s not like that.”

“You probably don’t know what a man looks like when his ideals are shattered.” Zhao Changhe seemed not to hear her, scrutinizing her shapely figure. “Anyone can indulge in their desires. I want to indulge myself as well. Look, you’re about to die. How about giving me some pleasure before you go?”

Even though she knew that he was just provoking her, Tang Wanzhuang still raised her eyebrows, and she instinctively wanted to slap his face.

Zhao Changhe anticipated this and swiftly grabbed her wrist. “You’re already this injured, and you’re still putting on airs.”

Bang!

He took a step forward, and Tang Wanzhuang felt a strong force push her back, her back hitting the door of the secret room.

Zhao Changhe leaned in close to her pale lips and whispered, “Without you, I may become just like this in the future... First Seat Tang, you wouldn’t want to see that, would you?”

Tang Wanzhuang could not tell if shew as more angry or amused, but his overwhelming presence made her heart panic. She weakly replied, “I told you, it’s not like that...”

“Just because your condition can’t be cured, you spout such self-destructive nonsense?”

“Because it can’t be cured.”

“Do you want to be cured?”

“...I do.”

“Okay, then cooperate,” said Zhao Changhe. He then suddenly lowered his head and kissed her lips fiercely.

Tang Wanzhuang was caught off guard by the kiss, and her mind suddenly went blank.

What’s going on? Didn’t I already say it wasn’t like that? Do you not understand that I can’t be cured? Why did you kiss me anyway?