Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 456: Blade and Gu

Zhao Changhe’s words were so arrogant that even the tribal chiefs, who had been quarreling amongst themselves, were now at a loss for words. All of them turned to stare at Zhao Changhe in unison.

Yue Hongling sat on a small stool, resting her chin in her hand, watching Zhao Changhe’s bold stance with great interest.

There was a slight tinge of jealousy in her heart, but not much. She was particularly fascinated by this lone swordsman challenging all the warriors around him, and she wished she could join in. Unfortunately, this jerk had already closed that option by saying “whoever defeats me” instead of “whoever defeats us.”

What a shame. But I guess it’s fine. He looks really cool right now.

Her little brother had really grown up now, maturing right in line with her aesthetic tastes. His lone figure with the sword held slightly tilted, standing proudly, looked just great.

Sisi pursed her lips and quietly tugged at Zhao Changhe’s sleeve. “Hey, don’t be too arrogant. Even though the people here don’t have techniques as refined as yours, the Miaojiang’s gu arts can make up for that. The Ranking of Troubled Times doesn’t reflect it, so you could easily misjudge and lose.”

Zhao Changhe smiled, “Isn’t this perfect? I’ve been wanting to experience Miaojiang’s gu arts. What better way than in a one-on-one duel?”

Yue Hongling smiled slightly, agreeing with him.

Back when she assassinated Lan Tiankuo, the reason she got trapped was that she encountered gu arts she was unfamiliar with. Fortunately, she escaped unharmed in the end. She had prepared in advance by consulting Sisi, but experiencing it firsthand was different. If she could have a one-on-one challenge with various experts, it would be a dream come true for a swordsman seeking to experience all forms of techniques the world had to offer.

Of course, such an endeavor required both courage and confidence. Gu arts could completely alter the power dynamics.

Sisi stomped her foot. “I couldn’t care less about you! I’m worried if you lose, I won’t get a seat!”

“Worry not, saintess,” Zhao Changhe glanced around, then whispered, “Hey, is there a pre-battle ritual? Like the saintess bestowing a blessing?”

Sisi paused for a moment, then her eyes curved into crescent moons. “Hey, you used to pretend to be all serious around me, but now that Big Sis Yue is by your side, you’re teasing me instead? So, you like doing things in front of others, huh? Is it no fun when no one’s watching?”

Zhao Changhe, speechless, replied, “I was just joking. Where do you come up with all these ideas?”

Sisi snorted, “Oh, there’s a pre-battle ritual alright. You just have to kneel down and lick the saintess’ feet.”

Zhao Changhe instinctively glanced at her feet.

Even though she walks barefoot through the mountains, her feet remain pristine and radiant. Maybe her true qi protects them now, but what about in the past? Her feet should’ve been pretty rough, right?

Sisi smiled mischievously at him. “Like what you see?”

Dammit, no matter how nice they are, I’m not licking them! Has the maid gone mad?

Before Zhao Changhe could respond, a voice interrupted from behind, “Protector Si... Protector Si?”

Zhao Changhe turned around to see a young man in black standing in the arena, looking at him in exasperation. Are you here to challenge everyone or to flirt with your saintess in front of everyone?!

Zhao Changhe, unfazed, said, “I thought you were all still discussing, so I was just asking my saintess for some guidance...”

The young man replied, “I’m Meng Tai from the Dong tribe, here to learn from you, Protector Si.”

Zhao Changhe confirmed, “So, you’ve all agreed to this duel format?”

The White Tribe’s chief said, “Indeed. Since the Spirit Tribe proposed it, we discussed it and found it to be a clear and straightforward method. It’s hard to judge the overall strength of the tribes, but strength will be respected.”

In this world, I guess this approach would indeed be pretty common... Luckily, they aren’t testing people on their knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics[1].

Zhao Changhe nodded, instinctively about to salute Meng Tai by holding the sword hilt with both hands in the usual custom of the Central Plains, but realizing that was inappropriate here, he instead flourished his sword and said, “Let’s begin.”

Meng Tai’s face flushed with anger. The Hundred Tribes had their own customs, and Zhao Changhe’s gesture was seen as disrespectful.

Angrily, he rushed forward. With a sharp whoosh, his long saber cut through the air, slicing toward Zhao Changhe’s neck. “Watch out!”

Meng Tai used a regular saber.

Although Zhao Changhe did not yet have full confidence in the sword arts, when it came to the saber arts, he was easily one of the top experts in the world. He understood saber arts and intents thoroughly, not that there were many variations anyway. Without even needing to look, he could predict all of Meng Tai’s follow-up moves and knew the exact leverage points where he would adjust his strength for further changes.

Swish!

Zhao Changhe’s sword flashed like water, targeting Meng Tai’s wrist.

He struck precisely at the leverage point where all of Meng Tai’s potential changes would begin, cutting off all possible follow-up attacks.

Seeing just this one stroke, experienced fighters like Lei Zhentang and Yue Hongling were visibly moved.

What mastery!

However, Meng Tai remained calm. His wrist twisted almost as if it had no bones, and Zhao Changhe’s sword slid past, narrowly missing its mark!

Meng Tai’s saber, after only a brief delay from the twist, resumed its path toward Zhao Changhe’s neck.

Zhao Changhe, having misjudged the follow-up, could not easily retract his sword after committing to the strike. The saber was already at his throat, and he had no choice but to quickly pull back his sword and evade, relying on his sharp reflexes. He narrowly avoided the slash.

With just one move, he had already fallen into a disadvantageous position.

He was thus reinforcing a lesson he’d learned earlier. In Miaojiang, where many things defied common sense, it was easy to misjudge situations.

From behind, Sisi transmitted a warning: “That’s the Spirit Snake Gu. It allows his body and bones to be as flexible as a snake’s. Don’t rely on conventional thinking to predict his limb movements. Also, this type of gu conflicts with other gu like those that enhance strength or harden the skin. This means he prioritizes agility and might lack in other...”

Before she could even finish saying “in other areas,” Sisi’s eyes suddenly widened in shock.

Zhao Changhe, who had been at a disadvantage, suddenly started moving with increasing ease. Meng Tai, who had been pressing him with faster and faster strikes, now seemed to lose his agility. It was as if he had fallen into some kind of quagmire. He felt like he would be electrocuted if he moved left, and he felt like he would run into a wall of blades if he moved right. He hesitated in every direction, finally resorting to a frustrated, frog-like leap, slashing out with anger. “What kind of witchcraft are you using?”

A gu art user accusing someone else of witchcraft almost made Zhao Changhe laugh.

Facing the frog leap, Zhao Changhe felt nostalgic. “That frog jump looks familiar... But you’re not doing it stylishly enough, and you didn’t put enough strength into it.”

As he spoke, his longsword, though slower to move, reached Meng Tai first, pointing directly at his dantian. Sword qi seeped into Meng Tai’s body, locking down all the energy in his dantian.

Meng Tai’s saber lost its strength. Zhao Changhe grabbed his wrist and pushed him away. “Your Spirit Snake Gu is interesting... Let’s spar again some time in the future.”

Meng Tai stood silently, feeling the true qi within him completely sealed. He was amazed. “What kind of witchcraft did you use just now?”

Zhao Changhe did not mind sharing. “It’s a sword qi formation. Each time I parry, I leave behind a trace of sword qi. The longer we fight, the more sword qi accumulates around you, making it feel like you’re trapped in a sword formation. No matter how agile you are, it becomes impossible to move freely.”

Meng Tai exclaimed in shock, “How is that even possible? Why doesn’t the sword qi dissipate in the air?”

Zhao Changhe smiled. “That’s a secret of the Spirit Tribe.”

Meng Tai bowed respectfully. “I’ve lost.”

Sisi felt very proud. Well, at the same time, she was rolling her eyes.

The Spirit Tribe doesn’t know such secret arts either... That technique must be Tang Wanzhuang’s!

When Tang Wanzhuang analyzed the battle between the Dragon Bird and the Dragon Emperor, she used a similar technique. Her version was far more refined. Her sword qi flowed like water, creating a deep pool that immobilized weapons. In contrast, Zhao Changhe’s sword qi was still just sword qi, dense like a forest, lacking the same subtle application. But it was more than enough. Against this kind of opponent, this technique was the best solution. Sisi had not needed to offer any advice.

The hall fell silent.

Zhao Changhe did not recognize Meng Tai and did not know his reputation... but Meng Tai was not just any swordsman. He was a renowned expert from the Dong tribe, highly skilled in both saber arts and gu arts. He was well known across the southwest.

Yet, in just a few exchanges with him, the match was decided. Si Laoye had not even used any gu arts, relying solely on sword arts!

For a moment, no one else stepped forward. The atmosphere grew heavy...

Is the Spirit Tribe really so strong?

Lei Zhentang, his face dark, finally said, “In a duel within our Hundred Tribes, relying solely on sword arts feels a bit strange. People might think we’re conducting a Central Plains sword duel.”

Zhao Changhe replied, “Don’t our tribes train in the saber and sword as well? Chief Lei, is your Miao saber just for show?”

Lei Zhentang said, “Blade and gu together is our way.”

“Actually, I also use gu. It’s strange that a grandmaster like you couldn’t tell.” Zhao Changhe grinned and suddenly flexed his arm, which swelled with an uncanny amount of muscle. “See? Giant Strength Gu.”

Lei Zhentang’s face twitched, and he remained silent.

“But using brute force to bully others doesn’t look very good. So I’m sticking to sword art to engage with the Hundred Tribes—that’s all.” Zhao Changhe relaxed his arm, returning it to normal, and pointed his sword forward. “Anyone else want to come forward?”

The crowd looked at him in silence, noticing the excitement in his eyes. He genuinely seemed eager to spar with more people, as if he wanted to experience the techniques of the various tribes.

It was as if he was not fighting for the interests of his tribe, but instead to explore the unique techniques of the world and to search for the path forward for his sword.

Sisi stepped back and sat down on a small stool, leaning on her hand beside Yue Hongling. She mumbled quietly, “Big Sis Yue, it looks like he’s taken over your journey of honing your skills.”

Yue Hongling, hinting at something, replied, “A journey of honing skills is one you undertake yourself. There’s no such thing as someone taking it from you... But I’m more worried that someone might be trying to steal something else...”

1. The Four Books and Five Classics are authoritative and important books associated with Confucianism, written before 300 BC. They are traditionally believed to have been either written, edited, or commented on by Confucius or one of his disciples. ☜