Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 141: Mirror Image

Tang Buqi was equally baffled by this sudden request. You’re someone who roams the jianghu. What are you going to bring a maid with you for? Wouldn’t bringing her be more of a burden to you? I just said yesterday that I should not have brought maids with me when I left home, yet here you are today asking to take one of my clan’s maids. Are you actually planning to switch roles with me like you said?

But for Tang Buqi, a maid from the guest house who he could not even recognize truly wasn’t much of a concern. In the end, he could not be bothered to think about it too much. He just waved his hand and said, “If you want her, then she’s yours. It’s not a big deal. I’ll just inform the steward later to arrange for her to be transferred to you.”

Zhao Changhe winked at Sisi, implying that she should now address him as “young master.”

Sisi kept a straight face and did not say anything.

This was troublesome. None of this bode well for her. If Tang Buqi were to actually go to the steward and ask her to be transferred, they would then find out that there had never been anyone named Sisi employed in the guest house, or anywhere else for that matter.

What on earth is this man doing? What does he need a maid for?

Fortunately, Tang Buqi did not seem to really care that much about this matter. He did not order anyone to handle the transfer. Instead, he sat in the guest house and said, “I’ve arranged for breakfast to be brought over. Let’s eat together. Later, we can go for a stroll to the Lu Clan at the southern part of the city.”

Sure enough, servants soon brought over pastries and porridge for breakfast. Tang Buqi wasted no time and immediately dug in. “After a hangover, porridge really is the best.”

Zhao Changhe picked up a bowl and handed it to Sisi, then he passed her a piece of pastry, “Sit down and eat, why are you standing there like an idiot?”

Sisi: “?”

“You are my maid now, do you understand? As long as I’m here, you won’t go hungry.”

“...”

Zhao Changhe completely ignored her reaction and he got his own bowl of porridge. He then asked Tang Buqi, “Why do you seem to be more concerned about this vicious qi matter than me? You even came to me so early in the morning despite being hungover. Have you always been this diligent? Or could it be because you want the treasure of vicious qi? Or is it because I want it?”

“It’s because Lu Shaoxiong can be considered a friend of mine. I would naturally want to go and see him after returning. If the root cause of the issue really is related to that treasure of vicious qi, and you’re the expert who caught that ghost of a monk, why not take advantage of the situation to show off and gain some prestige?”

Zhao Changhe said in admiration, “It seems that you really are an expert in showing off.”

“You didn’t find anything in the sword pond yesterday, right?”

“Nope, nothing. I’ll have to go take another look when I have the time. I feel like I need to explore its surroundings a bit more to get a better feel for it.”

Tang Buqi was speechless. “I already told you that there’s nothing there. You should really stop wasting your time on it. Are you cultivating vicious qi or stupidity?”

Grinding his teeth, Zhao Changhe retorted, “Are you looking for a beating?”

Tang Buqi took a sip of his porridge, then said, “I just gave you a maid, and this is how you repay me?”

“...” Zhao Changhe thought to himself: God knows what this woman is here for. Maybe I’m actually saving your stupid ass and you don’t even know it.

Of course, he did not actually say that out loud. Zhao Changhe finished the porridge in a few mouthfuls, then grabbed his saber and stood up. “Alright, alright, to repay you for giving me a maid, I’ll help you catch the ghost of the Lu Clan.”

Sisi hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should follow him or not. Zhao Changhe turned around and said, “Follow me. You’re mine now. Or do you still want to stay here and keep serving guests?”

Sisi: “...”

She remained silent and followed Zhao Changhe out the door with a peculiar expression on her face.

Zhao Changhe did not want her lingering around the Tang Clan, fearing that she might cause trouble when she was out of sight. However, Sisi precisely wanted to investigate the mystery of the vicious qi. She was debating whether stubbornly tagging along with him might cause confusion, but then Zhao Changhe unexpectedly invited her to follow him, as if handing her the very opportunity she wanted on a silver platter.

Does he really regard me as one of his own? Sisi felt very strange and almost scratched her head in confusion.

The two of them were not on the same channel, each pursuing their own objectives. Meanwhile, Tang Buqi, who was oblivious to everything, idly tapped his folding fan against his palm and said, “You seem quite fond of this girl, huh? It’s really strange. Since you already have your sights set on someone as stunning as Yue Hongline, how can you still become interested in such an ordinary maid? Apart from her figure being similar to Yue Hongling, what else does she have that compares to Yue Hongling?”

Zhao Changhe could not be bothered to answer him.

Tang Buqi clapped his hands as if he had a sudden realization and said, “I got it! You must have gotten carried away last night because you were drunk, right? What exactly happened? Tell me. Hehe~”

“Right, right,” Zhao Changhe replied irritably. “It seemed like you were making some progress last night, but now your mind has reverted to thinking about these things, eh?”

“What? I can’t even talk about the things you’ve done now?”

Watching the two men bickering, Sisi suddenly remembered a rumor.

All the women who have gotten involved with Zhao Changhe end up with worse reputations, and there had not been an exception so far. Even Tang Wanzhuang, who was a person of great honor in her own right, had her reputation affected when he said “Clean yourself and wait for me.” Because of that, there was now some gossip surrounding her. As long as Zhao Changhe, who made the comment, was not arrested by the Demon Suppression Bureau, the gossip would not stop.

Sisi really did not know how Tang Buqi had such a big heart. He was actually making friends with someone who had made such rude remarks to his aunt, even going as far as bringing Zhao Changhe to his home and letting himself be called “eldest nephew” so affectionately.

Although she was internally complaining, her mind did not wander. Seeing a fork in the road ahead, with Tang Buqi intending to bring Zhao Changhe to the Lu Clan, Sisi suddenly called out to Zhao Changhe, “Young master...”

Zhao Changhe did not react, but Tang Buqi turned his head, “Huh?”

The corners of Sisi’s mouth twitched, and she cautiously said, “I wasn’t talking to you. You just gave me away to someone else, so you aren’t my young master anymore.”

Tang Buqi: “...”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

He suppressed the awkwardness he felt from being called “young master” for the first time, cleared his throat twice, and then he turned around and said, “Since I’m the eldest here, you have to call me master.”

Tang Buqi snorted. “You really are full of it.”

Suppressing her laughter, Sisi said, “Master, we’ve taken the wrong path. The young master of the Lu Clan doesn’t stay at the Lu Clan’s estate anymore. He has been moved to the Tranquility Hall over there, I heard they wanted to help him calm down and dispel the vicious qi.”

Zhao Changhe glared at Tang Buqi angrily, and after a while, Tang Buqi stammered, “Oh, I knew that, I just forgot for a moment. The Tranquility Hall is just close by. Follow me.”

The Tranquility Hall actually used to be a temple called the Tranquility Temple. However, due to Gusu’s strong opposition to the Maitreya Cult under the dominance of the Tang Clan, all the local temples were searched one after the other, making it difficult for them to operate. They either became deserted, with very few worshippers, or they simply changed their appearance and purpose to no longer worship religious figures.

Nevertheless, they still served vegetarian meals and recited scriptures daily, with the sound of the morning bell and evening drum still playing on time. There was also still the clacking of wooden fish[1] and the scent of incense that lingered within them. This environment provided some peace for the residents and attracted some poets and scholars seeking inspiration.

Now, however, there were no visitors in the Tranquility Hall as it had been wholly rented out by the Lu Clan. Countless burly men stood guard at the entrance door, and inside were the former nuns of the temple, reciting scriptures nonstop, in hope to help the deranged young man who was held within.

Tang Buqi’s arrival was unexpectedly blocked by the burly men. “Young Master Tang, please forgive us for our rudeness. No weapons are allowed inside. Your sword and that... fuck, what is that saber?! Anyway, that thing definitely can’t be brought inside.”

Tang Buqi was furious. “Do you think I’m here to assassinate your young master?”

“Young Master Tang, please forgive us. It’s not that we’re afraid of anyone assassinating our young master, but that weapons generally contain vicious qi. I’m afraid that they are simply not suitable to be brought in, lest they irritate our young master.”

“Rubbish! Sabers and swords are but dead objects. Also, this is the Azure Waves Sword. It’s renowned for purifying the soul and it should even be beneficial to your young master. What the hell do you know?”

“Uh... Young Master Tang, please don’t make things harder for us. We’re just following orders...”

“Enough! I’ve seen this kind of trick of adding something to orders many times. That’s definitely not what your master said. Your supervisor probably added something, and then when it got to you guys, the order was probably completely changed. Do you think I’m stupid? Get out of the way!”

Tang Buqi forced his way past the big guard and walked in proudly with Zhao Changhe, fully leveraging his status. The burly men guarding the gate exchanged looks and dared not stop them. Although Gusu did not belong to the Tang Clan, the young master of the Tang Clan was still not someone anyone could afford to offend.

Zhao Changhe silently followed behind him, Dragon Bird still on his back. He quietly gave his eldest nephew a thumbs up.

In fact, what the guy at the entrance said was not entirely without merit. While it might indeed be fine if Tang Buqi’s Azure Waves Sword was brought in, Dragon Bird was a saber that had paved a blood-filled path for the founding of the empire. Countless people had died to it, and it was truly full of vicious qi. There was a non-negligible probability that it would actually affect the condition of the young master of the Lu Clan.

However, ever since Dragon Bird had first joined him in his journey in the jianghu, it has been quite obedient, only really acting on its own to prompt him of incoming dangers. It had never lost control, whether it was due to the special treatment from Cui Wenjing because he had deliberately followed Han Wubing’s advice and refrained from using Dragon Bird’s special powers.

He hoped that it would not cause any complications in this place full of vicious qi.

Just as he was thinking this, he felt Dragon Bird quiver excitedly on his back.

Following the qi, he soon saw a temple ahead of him where the sounds of iron chains rattling could be heard coming from inside. There were occasionally also some low, bestial roars. At the same time, scriptures were being recited and wooden fish were being struck, seemingly in an attempt to suppress the rattling and the roars.

Tang Buqi’s expression grew solemn as he slowly ascended the steps with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Zhao Changhe and Sisi followed behind him, and upon reaching the top, they saw a young man bound by iron chains. His once handsome face was now contorted into a beast-like grimace. His eyes were filled with madness and savagery, bloodshot.

The way he bared his teeth and let out those guttural roars, he truly resembled a wild beast, or perhaps even a real demon.

Tang Buqi instinctively glanced at Zhao Changhe, whose expression was equally grim.

To an outsider, this state, especially due to the color of his eyes, looked terrifying similar to the frightening look that Zhao Changhe had when he used Scattering the Gods and Buddhas.

However, Zhao Changhe himself knew even more clearly that this state was not like when he was using Scattering the Gods and Buddhas, but was more like when he used No Man’s Land. At this moment, it was as if he was seeing a mirror image of himself from back then.

Such an appearance could frighten an experienced warrior to the point of being petrified, and they would probably run for their life right after. It was perhaps even the reason why Cui Wenjing had mobilized his killing intent. The only one who did not mind staying and helping him wake up from such a state was Yangyang.

This was what it looked like when the vicious blood qi invaded one’s soul. This was the appearance of someone who had cultivated Vicious Blood Art to its maximum power. As for whether this “perfect form” allowed the user to unleash any other ultimate skills, that was another matter.

This Lu Shaoxiong has definitely been invaded by a massive amount of vicious blood qi... Where did such a serious vicious blood qi come from in such a peaceful place like Gusu? Is this even something that can be transmitted from person to person? And if it is, then why does everyone else seem unaffected?

1. Woodblocks used as ceremonial percussion instruments. ☜