Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 394: Control

At this moment, Huangfu Qing did not care at all if Tang Wanzhuang and Cui Yuanyang thought of her as a maid warming a bed.

How well the Fire Serpent of Yi and the Fire Pig of Shi get along is none of their business, especially when he’s walking a path that makes even my heart beat fast.

She turned her head and kissed him passionately, whispering, “Do you want... me?”

As she spoke, she took his hand and placed it on her chest, where her heart was pounding. “Are we really just focusing on business? We are a man and a woman, alone in a room...”

Zhao Changhe was stunned, his hands tingling, and for a moment, he did not know how to respond.

You were just hitting me, and now this? The change is too quick...

“Isn’t it a bit inappropriate to do it here...” Zhao Changhe asked in slight embarrassment. “You, you came here on official business, right? Shall we talk about the Yang Clan?”

“All you talk about is business. Isn’t this more enjoyable? Why is it inappropriate here? Is it because they’re next door? If they have the guts, then let them come and see, let it drive them mad.”

“...No, this is Yang Clan. There are eyes and ears everywhere... You’re the imperial noble consort, what if you’re discovered...”

“You’re such a coward.” Huangfu Qing pouted, but in fact, she herself felt that this was not the right place. She sighed a bit regretfully and said, “Did it hurt earlier? I used some force... I was angry when I thought you were flirting.”

“Uh, uh...” But I’m still flirting now. Nothing’s changed...

Seeing Zhao Changhe’s dazed look, Huangfu Qing chuckled. “Alright, let’s talk about the Yang Clan. Originally, the venerable did not want you to interfere in the Yang Clan’s affairs. The Blood God Cult listens to you now, and the Yang Clan is leaning toward you, making us feel like we’re being poached. Of course, if you’re one of us...”

Zhao Changhe hurriedly said, “I really am one of you!”

“The matter with the Yang Clan should actually start with Xia Longyuan,” said Huangfu Qing leisurely. “It’s normal for the emperor to suppress the aristocratic families overtly and covertly. Whether it be the Cui, Wang, or Yang Clan, they are all prepared for this. Under normal circumstances, such suppression would not reach a severe level as long as the emperor still wants to have a stable empire...”

Zhao Changhe’s lips twitched.

The problem with Old Xia is that he doesn’t care about stability at all, so there must be something wrong with the suppression of the aristocratic families.

Could the reason why the Wang Clan dared to raise their flag early be because of this?

Huangfu Qing whispered, “The most precious aspect of an aristocratic family’s heritage is their divine artifact. It is from their divine artifact that all their inheritance originates. Whether the Wang Clan also has issues is unknown to us for now, but we have a high-ranking member who successfully infiltrated the Yang Clan and discovered, unexpectedly, that the Yang Clan’s sword may have lost its spirituality. The decline of the Yang Clan is directly related to this.”

Zhao Changhe’s heart skipped a beat.

It isn’t just the Yang Clan—the Cui Clan’s Qinghe Sword was the same. The only difference is that Old Cui concealed it well, and Xia Longyuan gave them the Dragon Bird to help cover it up, allowing the outside world to remain unaware.

Wait, during the Cui Clan’s internal strife, Cui Wenjue tried to overthrow Cui Wenjing using this very issue. At that time, I questioned why Cui Wenjue even knew that the Qinghe Sword had a problem. Could there have been someone pushing him from behind...?

Sure enough, Huangfu Qing said, “After we learned about the Yang Clan’s problem, we also tried to figure out what was going on with the Cui and Wang Clans. It just so happened that Cui Wenjue was ambitious, so we hinted to him that the Qinghe Sword may have lost its power. Cui Wenjue seized the opportunity to act, and we were able to observe and confirm the situation. But you ruined it, didn’t you? You made me so mad...”

She pulled her hand away, brushing his hand aside—no longer allowing him to touch her.

Zhao Changhe did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Sure enough, the incident at the Cui Clan was a classic case of running into witches of a demonic cult secretly plotting in the shadows while wandering the jianghu. It was a shame that he only realized it now.

These witches were always behind the scenes, stirring up trouble, yet never directly getting involved.

“Even though you disrupted that plan, we were still able to conclude that the Cui Clan’s sword must have encountered the same problem. It’s just that Cui Wenjing managed to reach the third layer of the Profound Mysteries before the sword spirit dissipated, allowing the Cui Clan to hold up much better than the Yang Clan.” Huangfu Qing smiled slightly. Her voice then even began to carry a hint of malice, “A sword spirit does not dissipate on its own. There must be a reason behind it.”

Zhao Changhe, worrying about Cui Yuanyang possibly overhearing, gently pinched Huangfu Qing, signaling her to keep her voice down.

Huangfu Qing blushed under his touch, gritting her teeth. “You’re just bullying me now, aren’t you? Why don’t you go and pinch them instead of me?!”

Zhao Changhe awkwardly replied, “Let’s focus on the matter at hand, okay?”

Huangfu Qing pouted, “Is there even any need to explain? Use your brain! Outsiders have no right to touch those ancestral swords... If it was just one clan having that problem, then maybe it was their own issue, but if it’s happening to multiple of them, who else could it be?”

Of course, it can only be Xia Longyuan. He’s probably the only one who could touch each clan’s sacred swords without restriction. The sword spirits did not just dissipate on their own; it was Xia Longyuan who tampered with them.

This makes much more sense than Old Cui’s theory that the sword spirit dispersed out of resentment toward their owners, though it could be a combination of both.

Based on Zhao Changhe’s understanding of sword and saber spirits, they did exhibit behaviors of going on strike when displeased with their owners or masters—Dragon Bird’s attitude toward Xia Longyuan was a prime example of this, as it showed clear signs of disapproval toward him. However, whether a strike would lead to complete dissipation lacked direct causality. On the other hand, if Xia Longyuan manipulated them in some way, it would make perfect sense.

Huangfu Qing continued, “But the sword spirits have not completely dissipated. If they had truly vanished, then the swords should have shattered or at least rusted and lost their luster. But the swords of the various families showed no such signs—they are merely without spirit, yet their sharpness remains among the best in the world... According to our... venerable’s analysis, it’s more likely that the sword spirits have fallen into a deep slumber. To awaken them, there are probably only two ways...”

Zhao Changhe interjected, “I only know of one way, which is to have the spirit of the divine artifact feel a deep connection with its master, just as it was when it was first forged.”

The Cui Clan was hoping to use such a method to revive the Qinghe Sword’s spirit, and it was a noble way.

As for the Yang Clan...

“Not bad,” Huangfu Qing said. “The Yang Clan’s Lianshan Sword is known for its solidity, strength, and unyielding nature. How many people today can truly resonate with such qualities? Hoping for it to awaken on its own might be a long wait—long enough for the Yang Clan to fade away. So we offered them a solution.”

Zhao Changhe did not know whether to laugh or cry.

So this birthday banquet is another one of your schemes—it’s like I’m in some classic plotline where the protagonist stumbles upon the demonic cult’s plots. Just that you’re on my side, so I’ll have to support you.

“What’s the plan?”

“Healing it.”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

“This is a plan we came up with after you gave us the Rejuvenation Art. Although none of us, including the saintess, can fully grasp the Rejuvenation Art, we deduced that its healing powers can extend beyond the body to the soul, and a sword spirit is a type of soul.”

Zhao Changhe knew better than anyone that the Rejuvenation Art could indeed heal the soul. He was already carrying out such treatment for Tang Wanzhuang, albeit on a basic level.

“If none of you can use the Rejuvenation Art, then how do you plan to heal the sword spirit?”

“Idiot, the Rejuvenation Art isn’t the only way to heal souls!” Huangfu Qing continued, “The Yang Clan, under the guise of celebrating a birthday, has also invited many renowned doctors, claiming that Yang Jingxiu has been facing some trouble advancing his cultivation and needs attention. If they can find someone who knows how to heal souls and combine that with the Yang Clan’s vast collection of spiritual herbs, the sword may really be saved.”

No wonder Ying Five mentioned that the Yang Clan has Spirit Weaving Grass—they themselves have already attached great importance to collecting anything that could heal souls, hence the widespread search that Ying Five noticed.

So this time, the witches’ plot isn’t exactly villainous. In fact, it can even be considered quite righteous.

Although their end goal is still to rebel, uniting with the Yang Clan in order to form a greater force... But if the Xia Longyuan was the one who caused a problem to arise with the Yang Clan’s Lianshan Sword to begin with, then no one can blame the Yang Clan for rebelling.

“So, what are you and Tang Wanzhuang doing here at the Yang Clan?” Huangfu Qing asked with a smile. “Are you hoping to get the Yang Clan to help you fight Maitreya? Or at least keep an eye on Jiangbei while you do, so they don’t stab you in the back together with the Wang Clan? It’s a good idea, but this time the Wang Clan is well prepared. Wang Daozhong might really lend a hand—what can you do about that?”

Zhao Changhe’s expression became very strange, and after a while, he said, “If I manage to resolve this, would you consider it me trying to steal your people?”

Huangfu Qing said indifferently, “If you truly consider yourself as a member of the Four Idols Cult, then whether it’s the Blood God Cult or the Yang Clan, how could that be considered stealing? Even if you wanted to play with the imperial court’s First Seat and noble daughters from prestigious families... we’d only help you.”

“Really?” You say you’d help me, yet you’re still brushing me off...

Huangfu Qing glanced at him. “What can you even do to help? Are you planning to use your Rejuvenation Art that’s only good for treating minor injuries and resisting?”

Zhao Changhe was silent for a moment. “What if I can really do it?”

“If it’s a choice between the Wang Clan succeeding or us, of course, I’d prefer our Four Idols Cult to come out on top. If you can pull it off, it’ll be a great achievement for you, and I’ll reward you.” Huangfu Qing’s voice became sultry, “And if it allows us to control them, then the reward can be whatever you choose...”