Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 121: The Magistrate Assassinated

Zhao Changhe felt that this big sister of his was becoming increasingly tsundere.

He was not the same inexperienced young man that he had been when he had first arrived in this world. He could somewhat sense and understand the turmoil in Yue Hongling’s heart.

The atmosphere clearly indicated that they were now in a kind of situationship where he was pursuing her and she accepted that. Even though she had said “It’s just the first step,” now that she had expressed her hope of adventuring together with someone in the future, it was clear that, in a way, they were starting to work toward that goal. The feeling of suddenly entering such a relationship must have taken her by surprise, and it seemed that she had not been mentally prepared for it.

Heh... She looks really cute with her head tilted like that.

She was no longer the indomitable heroine that had been deeply rooted in his mind. At that moment, with her slightly flushed face and her bashful and evasive gaze, she was more like the clear moon in the water rather than the one high up in the sky—still bright and untouchable, but closer, and giving off a gentle, rippling radiance.

Zhao Changhe did not know how much of what he had said today was scripted and how much was genuine. He also had no idea if he would have the opportunity to make a few more advances...

After all, this was Yue Hongling. The person he respected the most in the world, the reflection of his chivalrous dreams.

Even though she was a little younger than him, he did not show the slightest hint of disrespect toward her and was even willing to call her “big sister.” While he dared to talk freely in front of Tang Wanzhuang, he did not dare do the same with Yue Hongling. Without the teasing and the urging from those people, the words he had said earlier may have never been uttered.

But all he knew right now was that he really wanted to hug her.

“Weren’t you going to go look for a bow? What are you doing staring at me like that?!” Yue Hongling finally could not withstand the way he kept looking at her side profile, and she turned her head angrily. “I told you that it’s just the first step! We both clearly know—”

“I know, I know,” Zhao Changhe interrupted her rant before it started. “Let’s go and find Wan Dongliu... No, actually, let’s find Tang Buqi. I’ll borrow a bow from him, and I can also ask him to help us. Chi Li isn’t easy to kill, and those of the Tang Clan can command the Demon Suppression Bureau here, which would be a great help.”

Seeing that he was getting back to the matters at hand, Yue Hongling finally calmed down a bit. With her mind still in a bit of a mess, she asked, “Why not find Wan Dongliu instead? He’s the real local expert here. Besides, I saw that he really wanted to kill Chi Li just now.”

“Wan Dongliu is a bit unpredictable... It’s hard to say whether he wants to kill Chi Li because he’s a foreigner or out of revenge for creating trouble in his territory. With the magistrate overseeing things, he might not be willing to take action. On the other hand, I trust the Demon Suppression Bureau when it comes to matters involving foreigners and the Maitreya Cult.”

Yue Hongling playfully rolled her eyes and chuckled softly, responding with a soft “Mm-hm.”

Having someone to discuss things with is... quite nice.

It was not difficult to find the place where Tang Buqi was. He had his quarters nearby, in the mansion of the Wu family, a large local family in Yangzhou. At the moment, he was lying in the garden, with two young maids feeding him grapes, and he looked like he was having a pretty good time.

When he was informed that Yue Hongling and Zhao Changhe were visiting, Tang Buqi said, “Invite them in.”

He was in a great mood. He had actually been the one to tease and provoke Zhao Changhe the most during the banquet earlier. Zhao Changhe’s relationship with Yue Hongling was still unclear, but when it came to his aunt, he felt certain that there was absolutely no chance that Zhao Changhe would be in a romantic relationship with her. Aunt, this is as far as your nephew can help you.

The two were quickly led into the garden. Zhao Changhe felt sour when he saw Tang Buqi lying on the deck chair, being fed grapes by the young maids. Damn it, this guy is living the life! Meanwhile, the best thing I’ve gotten since reincarnating is the freedom to do whatever I want.

“Hey, little nephew, is this how you treat your guests? You just lie around like this even when they’re right before you? I want to eat some grapes too.”

Tang Buqi glanced at Yue Hongling and said leisurely, “Everyone has their own grapes. There are some grapes that even I would never dare to have any ideas about. I’d like to see if you have what it takes to get the good ones.”

Yue Hongling: “?”

Tang Buqi said, “Miss Yue, I’m four years older than this guy. Do you know the reason why he calls me ‘nephew’ all the time?”

Yue Hongling was stunned for a moment. “I don’t know. Is it a joke?”

Zhao Changhe glared at Tang Buqi, but Tang Buqi ignored him and said leisurely, “I have an aunt who is incredibly beautiful and talented. With him calling me ‘nephew,’ what do you think he’s up to?”

Zhao Changhe’s teeth were grinding against each other so hard that it sounded like they might just shatter. Damn it, I was just joking around to break the ice between us. He’s taking it too far!

Yue Hongling, on the other hand, paused for a moment and then suddenly burst into laughter. “How interesting! Your aunt must be... hoho, First Seat Tang herself! Well... they are indeed a perfect match! Perfect match, indeed!”

Tang Buqi’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw how she reacted. He was so shocked that a grape got stuck in his throat, and he nearly choked to death.

Zhao Changhe could not bear watching and looked away.

A woman’s heart is as deep as the sea. You think she’s like Cui Yuanyang, but I think all she wants right now is to kick me away.

However, when Tang Buqi heard what she said, all he thought was, What a magnanimous woman! Where can I ever find a woman like her?

Tang Buqi was on the verge of tears as he finally managed to cough up the grape that got stuck in his throat. Gasping for breath, he asked, “What are you two here for? Do you want me to feed you grapes or what?”

Zhao Changhe asked, “Do you have a good bow?”

“Why?”

“We’re dealing with Chi Li. Do you want to help or not?”

Tang Buqi immediately jumped to his feet and ordered those around him, “Go find Uncle Wu and borrow the best bow he has!”

He hurriedly straightened his disheveled clothes and asked, “What’s the plan? Should I gather more people?”

“There’s no need to rush. Wait until it gets a bit later into the night. It’s still the dog hour.[1] Our dinner ended quite early,” Zhao Changhe said. “We suspect that they might be hiding in the magistrate’s residence. The Tang Clan and the Demon Suppression Bureau are not suitable for this task. We just need someone to provide us with support and cover on the outside.”

Tang Buqi hesitated for a moment. “You... You can’t just go and kill the magistrate.”

Zhao Changhe glanced at him. What can you possibly do with you this way?

However, he did not say a word. This was the difference between their thinking and that of the Tang Clan. Tang Wanzhuang had numerous matters that she had to deal with but couldn’t because of all kinds of considerations.

Zhao Changhe actually did intend to kill the corrupt official should the opportunity present itself. If Chi Li was not there, he did not want to return empty-handed. In that case, he would just kill the magistrate. It would be a swift affair.

“Alright, it’s still early. Do you have any quiet rooms you can lend us?”

Tang Buqi’s eyes flickered between the two of them. “What... What do you plan to do in a quiet room at this time? Hey, you—”

Yue Hongling could not bear it anymore and said angrily, “I need to take care of my injuries!”

“Ahem, yes, sorry.” Tang Buqi turned to Zhao Changhe awkwardly. “What about you?”

Zhao Changhe said expressionlessly, “I want my own quiet room. I got quite excited while you were enjoying grapes, and I might need to take care of things myself. So, keep this in mind, if there’s anyone who peeps into my room, our friendship is over.”

Yue Hongling tilted her head, while Tang Buqi said with exasperation, “Who would want to peep at you doing that stuff? Alright, follow me.”

Of course, Zhao Changhe did not actually plan to do anything indecent in the private room. Since they were going to be dealing with Chi Li, he wanted to review the scenes on the gold foil to gather information.

He trusted Tang Buqi not to spy on him. At the very least, he believed that he would not be bored enough to do so.

In the quiet room, Zhao Changhe took out the gold foil.

As expected, different scenes appeared on the gold foil.

There was a recording from the day before, showing Tang Buqi’s thrust and his counterattack with his saber.

There was a recording of his battle with Batu, which also included the moment when he intervened to save Tang Buqi from Batu’s saber.

There was also a recording of the duel between Chi Li and Yue Hongling, as well as the entire process of him throwing his saber between them.

As for the earlier battles, they had been overwritten.

But some things were missing... For example, the battle between Batu and Tang Buqi, as well as the part when Xuan Chong saved Tang Buqi and was intercepted by Chi Li.

Clearly, only the parts where he participated would be displayed. The gold foil was not a video recorder, but rather his personal battle recorder.

In the battle between Yue Hongling and Chi Li, his intervention had a significant impact on the battle, so the gold foil probably considered him a participant in their battle and recorded it, even going as far as recording the entire battle. As for the battle between Batu and Tang Buqi, it had actually been disrupted by Xuan Chong. Since he had not actively participated in the fight, but only intervened to save Tang Buqi, it had only recorded that particular moment.

The internal logic of the gold foil was quite clear.

He had not been certain at first, but he now knew for sure that throwing his saber between them had been a great decision.

Watching their battle in slow motion allowed him to study and learn to his heart’s content without the pressure of real-time combat. He knew that, sooner or later, he would catch up to them and even surpass them.

As he watched Yue Hongling’s skillful and resolute swordplay, Zhao Changhe became deeply absorbed in learning whatever he could from the recording.

He also tried to understand the nuances of Chi Li’s scimitar. He could not figure out whether the scimitar just had some illusory effects or if it was genuine spatial manipulation. The way the blade formed a circle seemingly instantly was incredibly mysterious.

It soon came time for them to begin moving.

There was suddenly a knock on his door, and Tang Buqi’s voice sounded. “Why are you taking so long to rub one out?!”

“...”

Zhao Changhe put away the gold foil. “I’m almost done, you can go ahead.”

“What the fuck do you mean go ahead?!” shouted Tang Buqi. “The magistrate has been assassinated. Yangzhou is in chaos!”

1. Traditional Chinese timekeeping has twelve hours, each lasting two standard hours. The dog hour is between 7PM and 9PM. ☜