Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 304: Wang Daozhong Shakes the Valley of the Wicked

In the past, when he used the name Wang Daozhong, he had done so in an ambiguous manner. He left people guessing whether he was the Wang Daozhong from the Wang Clan of Langya or just someone with the same name.

This time, he was much more direct, explicitly adding “Langya” to his false identity.

One had to admit, the effect was astounding.

The Wang Clan of Langya! Someone on the Ranking of Earth!

No matter how much Zhao Changhe antagonized the Wang Clan, it was still one of the most powerful clans in the world. Their influence spanned multiple regions, and they had countless experts.

Zhao Changhe’s casual demeanor around Ranking of Heaven and Ranking of Earth experts could make one easily forget the fact that these experts were still the strongest fifty individuals in the entire world. Such figures commanded unparalleled respect and fear among ordinary people.

A dragon from Langya entering Kunlun could truly shift the power dynamics. Facing such a powerful figure, how could these small street gangs possibly even dare to make a move?

The crowd fell silent instantly, even the man who had his arm broken off stopped screaming like a pig. He feared that this Ranking of Earth expert might just kill him on the spot with a casual slap. He knew that if such an event were to take place, no one would even entertain the thought of avenging him.

Zhao Changhe himself was surprised by how much of an effect his claim had. He wondered if maybe he had been interacting with high-level people too much, to the point where he failed to realize just how much prestige the words “Wang Daozhong of Langya” had toward ordinary people.

The burly man wiped his cold sweat and said with an apologetic smile, “So it’s Mister Wang, our eyes must have been failing us that we failed to recognize you. I’m sorry for earlier...”

Zhao Changhe said coldly, “Whatever my identity, what reason do you have to attack a stranger upon your first meeting?”

The burly man apologized and said with a smile, “Well, it’s just that your horse is too eye-catching... We wondered who could own such a handsome steed and dared to come to Kunlun alone... Now that we know that it’s yours, it all makes much more sense...”

That’s it? Without saying a word, they directly tried to kill me just because of my horse? This place is much more brutal than I thought. At least those bandits I encountered on the road made it clear that they were out to rob me. But here, they just launch their attacks out of nowhere. This place truly deserves its reputation as a land of extreme evil.

To Zhao Changhe, the word “Kunlun” carried a certain divine connotation, making this stark contrast rather difficult to accept.

But in the end, twisted though it was, there was still some logic behind killing for a horse. It was not a completely irrational act.

Knowing the reasoning behind the attack, Zhao Changhe knew how he was to handle the situation. He sneered and said, “Well, I don’t think ignorance is enough to pardon you, don’t you think so?”

The group trembled in fear. The burly man glanced at the man with the broken arm, and his eyes suddenly revealed a fierce gaze. He drew his saber and beheaded the man before the other party could even let out a scream.

Holding the severed head in his hand, the burly man bowed deeply and said, “It was this man that offended you, sir. I have executed him for you.”

Zhao Changhe glanced around at the crowd, who all seemed to take this as completely normal. No one spoke up for the dead man. Internally, Zhao Changhe was shocked by the atmosphere here. Compared to this place, Sword Lake City and Huangsha Market were as pure as white flowers.

Outwardly, however, he nodded calmly and said, “You’re quite sensible. I’m new here and need some people to do my bidding. It’s good that you’ve come to me.”

The burly man was delighted. “We are willing to serve you to the best of our abilities, Mister Wang! We run this carriage business and inn. If you don’t mind, you can rest here. We can tell you about whatever you want to know!”

Zhao Changhe swaggered over. “Lead the way!”

They really did run a carriage business and an inn. They fed horses and provided meals, though the conditions were very simple. These people did not seem like they were actually running a proper business. Instead, it seemed it was all a front for more nefarious purposes, and it was possible that they were even serving food made with human meat.

Zhao Changhe did not care, casually tossing the reins of his horse to someone nearby. “Feed my horse.”

The man was overjoyed, profusely bowing as he said, “Yes, sir! I’ll take good care of your horse.”

He could clearly see the group behind him exchanging glances and making gestures. None of them dared to whisper, fearing that the Ranking of Earth expert might hear them and kill them.

In fact, Zhao Changhe did not need to hear them to know what they were plotting. They were thinking of either feeding his horse some croton seeds[1] to make it fall in the middle of the road, or simply stealing it and running away. They might even be contemplating whether to test if he really was Wang Daozhong or just an impostor.

However, he knew these people did not dare do anything too extreme. As long as they were not certain they could kill him, they would not dare to tamper with the horse or test him. They would genuinely take good care of him, as what had happened to the thin man earlier served as a warning.

In a place where fists did all the talking, Zhao Changhe simply needed to play his identity as a Ranking of Earth expert convincingly. He could not show any timidity or fear.

No one could tell another’s true cultivation level just by looking at them. They could not see through him to determine if he really was someone on the Ranking of Earth, and he could not gauge their levels either. For all he knew, the burly man could be a hidden Ranking of Man expert. It was best to avoid fighting if possible. If a fight broke out, the outcome was uncertain, and it might attract the attention of other forces, ruining his purpose for being here.

Furthermore, he had a rough idea of the thin man’s strength after their brief encounter. That guy had been at the third layer of the Profound Gate. In the Blood God Cult, having such a cultivation level meant that he could live as a vice branch master and live a life of luxury. But here, he was just a lowly servant. Moreover, it was not like in the case of the assassins of the Snow-Listening Pavilion, who were merely disguising themselves as servants to have a better chance to kill their target; he was truly just a servant.

This was the highest-level area Zhao Changhe had come to so far. The standard for strength here was so high that it no longer felt like he was still in the mortal world.

The reason was that this place was not a normal area to begin with. This place was a refuge for fierce criminals who could not survive in the Central Tribes or among foreign tribes. It was a magnified version of the Valley of the Wicked.[2]

But then that begs the question—why do so many wuxia or xuanhuan worlds have such places? How are such places any safer for criminals? They could die here just as easily, if not easier, than in the Central Plains or wherever they lived before. If they really want to live, they would probably be better off hiding in some remote village where no one could find them. Why come to such a treacherous place, competing and scheming against other martial artists of considerable strength? Even those at the third layer of the Profound Gate have to act as lowly servants here, are they all masochists?

There has to be an incentive.

Maybe Kunlun has many treasures? And maybe if you’re lucky enough to find something, you might be able to make a comeback.

But Kunlun has Yuxu Temple, and Daoist Yuxu is ranked fourth on the Ranking of Heaven. Can he not just monopolize the area and prevent others from searching for treasures?

Or is it simply that Daoist Yuxu is the one sheltering these criminals, leaving the officials of the Great Xia powerless and Tang Wanzhuang unwilling to focus her efforts here? This possibility seems more likely. But why would Daoist Yuxu do this? If he’s sheltering them, why not establish rules that would allow him to use them rather than letting them kill each other freely?

Zhao Changhe really could not figure it out. Lady Three did not seem to know either, as she had spoken of matters here very vaguely. The Four Idols Cult’s influence did not extend to the area, and even Ying Five’s people likely did not have it easy here, leaving them with incomplete information.

While he was thinking, the burly man served wine and meat. He stood at the table with a placating smile. “Please enjoy, sir.”

Zhao Changhe lifted the wine cup, inspecting the wine as if appraising it. He then glanced at the burly man with a faint smile. The other party chuckled sheepishly and said, “I swear there’s no poison, sir. You can rest assured.”

Only an idiot would poison the wine at this time. The right time to poison you would be when your guard is down.

“Actually, a bit of poison isn’t so bad,” Zhao Changhe said with a slight smile. “For example, the arsenic[3] hidden under your fingernail. If it weren’t so filthy, it might make a good seasoning.”

The burly man’s face turned pale, and he said hurriedly, “Sir, you’ve misunderstood... It’s for the claw technique that I practice. It’s not to poison you...”

How did he know I had poison under my fingernails without even looking?

“Ha...” Zhao Changhe sipped the wine leisurely and said casually: “This wine is a bit sour. If you add some heartbreak grass[4] juice, it can reduce the acidity and astringency. You should try it sometime.”

The burly man was now sweating profusely. “We, we don’t have your strength that would allow us to just use poison as seasoning...”

In reality, Zhao Changhe had never experimented with such flavors, nor did he have any intention to. In any case, seeing that he had successfully intimidated the other party, he calmly asked, “You are certainly not some random nobody in the Central Plains. Who are you?”

The burly man hesitated a little, but he ultimately dared not lie. In a low voice, he said, “I’m Yang Qianyuan.”

Zhao Changhe’s eyes flickered slightly.

This man was not an expert on the rankings of the Tome of Troubled Times, but he was certainly infamous. The reason for his notoriety was simple—his face was plastered on wanted posters everywhere, just like his face had been a year ago.

Yang Qianyuan, the bastard son of a concubine of the illustrious Yang Clan of Hongnong, had poisoned and killed three legitimate brothers over several years in a bid for the family inheritance. When his last attempt was caught by a sister-in-law, he raped and murdered her before fleeing a thousand li.

Suddenly, the Yang Clan became a laughing stock, and Yang Qianyuan’s infamy spread across the world.

This land of villains really lives up to its name. Bumping into someone here meant running into individuals on Tang Wanzhuang’s must-kill list.

Zhao Changhe had met Yang Bugui of Hongnong during the sword conference at Langya. At that time, Yang Bugui had been Xia Chichi’s opponent. He was a man of few words but decent manners. It was said that Yang Bugui had not always been so silent, it was just that the events that took place in his clan had had a big impact on him.

He had assumed that Yang Qianyuan had gone into hiding under a false identity, but it turned out that he had actually just gone to Kunlun and led a carriage business.

The wanted posters of Yang Qianyuan still showed him as a young noble, but at the moment, he was a rough-looking brute. He was truly unrecognizable from his posters. This made Zhao Changhe wonder about the effectiveness of those wanted posters.

1. Croton seeds and their oil are used as a remedy for constipation, due to their powerful irritant effect on the stomach and intestines. ☜

2. This is a reference to a place called “Valley of the Wicked” (恶人谷) in a wuxia novel written by Gu Long (古龙), titled Handsome Siblings (绝代双骄). ☜

3. For those who want more information, he actually uses a wuxia term, 指红砒, that refers to asadin, which is arsenic trioxide. It’s an industrial chemical largely used for the manufacturing of pesticides and wood preservatives. ☜

4. This is a poisonous plant found in China and other Asian countries with the scientific name gelsemium elegans. ☜