Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 732 (2): The Last Night

Sisi shifted closer, her waist twisting as she leaned in and pressed her lips to Zhao Changhe’s ear. “What do you think, Master? Want to have a child of your own? I can make that happen...”

Yue Hongling’s face flushed red as she jumped to her feet. “This is outrageous! Do you have any idea what’s at stake? You’re supposed to be ready to lead your troops at any moment! How can you even suggest something like that?”

Sisi found her reaction amusing. It was the first time she had ever seen Yue Hongling genuinely flustered and worked up. Apparently, some things were universal among women. Yue Hongling might not care about many things, but when it came to the matter of who would bear the “firstborn heir,” even this unshakable swordswoman had a stake in it.

Sisi chuckled. “I don’t necessarily need to lead the army personally, you know. If I go, it would be called a royal expedition. It’s not something I’m required to do. I have capable generals under my command... Xia Chichi doesn’t lead her troops personally either, does she?”

Yue Hongling could not argue with her logic and huffed in frustration. She spun on her heel and stormed off. “I’m going to train with my sword. You two can do whatever you want!”

“Hahahahaha...” Sisi bent over, choking with laughter.

Zhao Changhe sighed helplessly. “Why are you teasing Hongling?”

Sisi grinned mischievously. “Who says I was teasing her? I could have been serious.”

Zhao Changhe kissed her cheek and smiled. “You and I are bound by the Heart-Bonding Gu. While I can’t read your exact thoughts, I could sense that you were just being playful.”

Sisi sighed dramatically. “Great, now I have no privacy at all...” She then bit her lip, lowering her voice. “But you’re really leaving soon, aren’t you?”

“MM-hm... I’d hoped to break through to the Profound Control Realm before leaving, but it looks like I’m still just short a little step. At this point, staying here to train won’t make it happen. I’ll need to seek the kind of insight that comes through battle.” He paused for a moment, drew a deep breath, then added, “These past weeks have been incredibly fruitful. Come to think of it, every time I stop to consolidate my progress, it’s been here—and always at critical junctures. Last time, it was for the Profound Mysteries Realm, and now it’s for the Profound Control Realm.”

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Sisi mused, “That means this place is your lucky place. Maybe when you face an even greater challenge in the future, you’ll need to come back here again.”

Zhao Changhe chuckled. “You might be right. I can vaguely see threads of karma now, and the ones tying me to this place are quite thick.”

Sisi looked pleased but didn’t linger on sentimentality. “With everything happening right now, I won’t waste time acting like a lovesick girl. The Kingdom of Dali has just been established. Whether it’s the Spirit Tribe or Miaojiang as a whole, this is the most dynamic period we’ve had in decades. The people are eager to act. Tell me what you need from me, and I’ll make it happen.”

“There’s no need for too much,” Zhao Changhe replied. “Raise an army and make it clear that you’re prepared to march north to Bashu at any moment. If Li Shentong has any sense, he should already have spies reporting Dali’s recent developments. He just needs to confirm that you’re capable of fielding a force that can threaten him. That should be enough to get him thinking.”

“By that logic, shouldn’t he have already sent people to disrupt things here? Or even earlier, supported rival factions in Miaojiang? As long as this region remained unstable, it would benefit him. So why hasn’t he done that? Is it because he lacks strategic vision, or is he genuinely a good person?”

Zhao Changhe looked thoughtful. “Earlier, when he didn’t support the factions here, it was probably due to a lack of strategic foresight. Now, the reason he hasn’t sent anyone to cause trouble is that he genuinely isn’t that kind of person. It doesn’t have to be one or the other; these two things are not mutually exclusive.”

Sisi smiled softly. “You have a lot of faith in his character.”

“I trust my friend Situ Xiao, and Situ Xiao trusts Li Shentong. Although I haven’t interacted with Li Shentong much, even small glimpses can reveal larger patterns.” He sighed. “But in all fairness, people can change. This trip to Bashu might not be as smooth as I want it to be.”

Sisi leaned against him silently for a moment, then said in a soft voice, “Things are different now. You’re no longer just a lone martial artist wandering the world. Your safety affects so much more. You have to be careful.”

“Mm-hm.” Zhao Changhe then said, “Enough about me. Do you need anything from me before I go?”

“I actually do,” Sisi replied without hesitation. “Whether it’s Bashu, the north, or Kunlun, if you happen to have the time, help me search for rare and special beasts. It doesn’t matter what abilities they have, as long as they’re extraordinary.”

“Haha,” Zhao Changhe chuckled, seemingly pleased. “Alright, as long as it helps you, I’ll do it. Hmm... I could also send word to the capital and have them look into it as well.”

“You...” Sisi leaned in and kissed his cheek softly, her voice dropping to a tender murmur. “You’re always so focused on helping others. You never stop to think about how they might help you...”

“That’s not true. I need your help all the time. For instance...” Zhao Changhe teased.

Zhao Changhe had intended to write to the capital anyway. The letter would update them on Miaojiang’s situation, request Xia Chichi to dispatch an envoy with an official decree establishing Dali as part of the Han court, and suggest that Wanzhuang consider setting up a Demon Suppression Bureau in the region. He doubted he would receive a reply, as by the time it arrived, he would likely be far from Miaojiang.

Sitting at the desk by the window, he focused on his writing. Yue Hongling poked her head through the window and said, “Huh? You’re not... busy? Where’s that vixen?”

Zhao Changhe kept his head down, diligently writing, and did not answer.

Yue Hongling glanced around before stepping through the window. She was about to lean down to read the letter when she noticed a pair of eyes blinking at her from under the table.

Her jaw dropped.

Sisi emerged from under the table, casually wiping the corner of her mouth. For once, even she looked flustered. Snatching the letter off the desk, she declared, “I’ll take care of delivering this!” Then she bolted out the door.

Yue Hongling turned back to see Zhao Changhe calmly fastening his belt with an utterly serious expression. Her anger boiled over. “You shameless scoundrel!”

Zhao Changhe stood, pulling her into his arms. In a low voice, he said, “We’re really leaving soon.”

Yue Hongling lowered her head, remaining silent.

This was the first time Yue Hongling had stayed in one place for an extended period, sharing a home with a man. She had never once felt the urge to leave, even as the days stretched on. A quiet contentment had settled over her, a reluctance to disrupt this life. She just wanted to stay by the thatched cottage, sparring and discussing martial arts with him, occasionally practicing dual cultivation, nurturing the sword spirit, strolling hand in hand through the air, and watching the sun rise and set.

But reality had intruded on the dream, reminding her of the countless storms still raging in the outside world—storms they needed to face together.

For a fleeting moment, an uncharacteristic thought crossed her mind: Sisi’s too efficient. She unified Miaojiang too quickly. We could’ve stayed a few more days...

But then she quickly dismissed the thought, shaking her head. When did I become that kind of person?

While she was lost in her musings, she suddenly felt herself lifted off the ground. Zhao Changhe had scooped her up and was carrying her toward the bed. “This might be our last night here...”

Though long accustomed to their relationship, Yue Hongling was not one to refuse a moment like this. After all, who knew when they would next have such peace? She wrapped her arms around Zhao Changhe’s neck, responding warmly to his kiss. Before long, she climbed atop him, her movements confident as they came together.

“Why are you so enthusiastic tonight?” Zhao Changhe asked, slightly taken aback.

Yue Hongling bit her lip and murmured, “Both of us are so close to breaking through to the Profound Control Realm. Maybe we just haven’t done enough dual cultivation...”

Zhao Changhe could not help but laugh. Dual cultivation could enhance one’s cultivation base, but it could not grant the insights needed to break through a bottleneck. If reaching the Profound Control Realm were as simple as that, it would hardly be such a monumental milestone.

Yue Hongling’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Tonight was supposed to be Sisi’s turn... I barged in and scared her off. I have to make it up somehow.”

Zhao Changhe found her earnestness endearing. Did she really think Sisi would give up so easily? As if on cue, the faint scent of Sisi’s fragrance wafted through the room. Moments later, Sisi peeked through the bed curtains, her head tilted inquisitively.

Startled, Yue Hongling jumped, clutching her chest. “What are you doing?!”

Sisi grinned mischievously, climbing onto the bed. “Big sis, your figure is amazing...”

“Get off me!” Yue Hongling struggled to push her away.

But Zhao Changhe made a playful move, causing Yue Hongling to lose her composure entirely. Her strength drained, and she collapsed into Sisi’s embrace.

“I’ve been saying it all along. Big sis, you could have just joined us if you wanted,” Sisi murmured, her voice sultry as she began unfastening her clothes. She leaned close to Yue Hongling’s ear and whispered, “This was bound to happen eventually...”

Yue Hongling groaned in exasperation. “Xiang Simeng, you’re shameless. Some queen you are!”

“This is just how us Miao women are... Please, guide me well, oh noble swordswoman.” She bent down, brushing her lips against Zhao Changhe’s chest. In a softer tone, she added, “Perhaps from the moment we met in Yangzhou, the three of us were already destined to end up this way eventually.”

She might have spoken casually, but Zhao Changhe felt a profound resonance in her words. It was not just sentiment—he could see the threads of karma manifesting before him with growing clarity.

Under the enhanced awareness provided by dual cultivation, the hazy strands of karma came into sharper focus. Zhao Changhe suddenly realized he could distinctly see the threads connecting himself to Sisi and Yue Hongling—thick and intertwined like chains.

Marriage was, after all, one form of karma. The initial conditions of their meeting had sown the seeds, which had now grown into the bonds between them. Each thread branched into countless possibilities, representing different futures. Although he could not yet discern the outcomes of those paths, the mere fact that he could perceive the cause marked a significant breakthrough.

Memories flickered like a slideshow: their first meeting in Yangzhou, the battles during his previous journey to Miaojiang, and countless other moments shared with Yue Hongling and Sisi. Even details long forgotten resurfaced vividly, as if they had happened just yesterday. Among them, the presence of the Pure Bliss Art loomed large, its significance intimately tied to his connection with the two women.

This was the essence of tracing the effects back to their cause. He was truly beginning to grasp the Dao of karma.

As Zhao Changhe returned to the present, the scene before him was one of playful chaos. The real Yue Hongling and the persistent Sisi were now entangled in an awkward embrace, with Yue Hongling pinning Sisi beneath her in what looked like a desperate bid for dominance. Meanwhile, Zhao Changhe, unbothered by their antics, continued his “work” with the diligence of a busy butterfly.