Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 534: Uphold What Unity

“I think I’ve given myself away.”

Zhao Changhe, uninterested in basking in the admiring gazes of the Tang Clan sailors, returned to the cabin and sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. In truth, he was conversing quietly with the blind woman, “They definitely realized that the techniques I used, from the Wind and Lightning Palm to the movement arts, were distinctly different from their sea-based martial arts. I should have used the Heavenly Sea-Suppressing Palm of the Wang Clan. At least that would have matched their martial arts.”

Surprisingly, the blind woman actually responded this time. “Using the Wang Clan’s techniques would have been foolish. If you use land-based martial arts, then so be it. That kind of exposure isn’t a big deal. At most, they’ll speculate that your achievements haven’t been significant enough to get you on the Tome of Troubled Times. Why would you need to pretend to be from the sea? If you use the Wang Clan’s techniques here, you’ll be in endless trouble. You really should be careful not to get too addicted to impersonating Wang Daozhong.”

“Fair enough.” Zhao Changhe seized the opportunity to ask, “But why is it that these guys from the sea are excluded from being listed by the Tome of Troubled Times? I understand that those in secret realms can’t really be recorded, but the sea isn’t exactly a secret realm, is it? With this many omissions, what credibility does the Tome of Troubled Times even have anymore?”

“It’s a deliberate form of isolation,” the blind woman explained. “You must remember that the page of the Heavenly Tome in the sky is just one part of a whole. If someone else possesses another page of the Heavenly Tome, they can naturally create an isolated area as well.”

Zhao Changhe was intrigued. “If it’s the Sea Emperor, why would he do that? Does he really need to go so far as to conceal the power of the entire population in the sea just to hide himself?”

“To evade the scrutiny of the heavens, it would indeed make sense to isolate the entire area—especially if he’s engaging in something clandestine,” the blind woman responded with a chuckle. “In fact, the inhabitants of the sea prefer it this way. Not everyone enjoys having their every move recorded and revealed by the Heavenly Dao.”

Zhao Changhe added, “I completely understand that sentiment. So, next time, can you not record my actions either?”

The presence replied, “Firstly, I don’t control it, so telling me is useless.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. Secondly, do you really not enjoy the Tome of Troubled Times helping you show off?”

Zhao Changhe fell silent.

Of course, he liked it—he loved it, even—provided he kept winning. If I keep winning, then it will indeed remain a way of showing off, but once I lose even once, well, Old Xue knows best how that feels.

Also, could it only capture the moments when I’m fighting and leave out the rest? It’s a complicated feeling...

Never mind, it isn’t worth arguing with the blind woman. Her words are always filled with half-truths, and it’s pointless to expect her to fully disclose everything.

With nothing better to do on this long journey, Zhao Changhe decided to study the new martial arts he’d stumbled upon—techniques that were influenced by the sea.

Zhao Changhe allowed his consciousness to immerse itself within the Heavenly Tome’s illusory realm, watching each of Hua Zhenming’s moves, slowed to a pace he could analyze and dissect.

It had been some time since Zhao Changhe had used this method to learn someone else’s martial arts—mostly because, until now, he had not encountered anything worth learning. Most were too random and lacked practical value.

The last person he encountered who was worth studying was Shi Wuding, but he had decided against learning Shi Wuding’s sword art. It was not that he did not want to unravel Snow Owl’s secrets through Shi Wuding’s sword art, but he was concerned that by learning it, he might fall into the Snow Owl’s trap.

But the martial arts of these fighters of the sea genuinely delighted Zhao Changhe. The ways they combined their martial arts with the properties of the ocean did not just enhance his understanding of martial arts, it was also invaluable in his contemplation of the concept of dominion. In the end, this, too, was a form of control, albeit at a lower level.

As Zhao Changhe observed the illusory demonstration, his hands instinctively began to mimic the motions. Gradually, his movements diverged from the form of Hua Zhenming’s martial arts, adopting elements of the Divine Radiance Sect’s Wind and Lightning Palm. Slowly, these gestures transformed again, coming to bear a resemblance to the Heavenly Sea-Suppressing Palm. Eventually, all notions of heaviness and explosive power dissipated, morphing into the fluid elegance of Azure Waves Clear Ripples. Finally, even that essence shattered and melded into something entirely new.

A novel martial art, a fusion of fist and palm arts, was beginning to take form.

Who said one has to learn My Fist or Tyrannical Saber? Zhao Changhe had not even considered asking about those despite knowing that Chichi had learned about them. With his current level of understanding of martial arts and his standing in the jianghu, he should have long since started creating his own techniques—much like how Tang Wanzhuang had devised Azure Waves Clear Ripples on the spot by improvising with her guqin-playing techniques.

The blind woman let out a soft sigh.

Who said the second layer of the Profound Mysteries is the time to create new techniques? Tang Wanzhuang only did so because she already possessed similar grappling skills, so she modified and merged them for a specific purpose—to spark your interest in playing the zither. It wasn’t truly an original creation. As for you... you’re really on the brink of creating something entirely your own.

Zhao Changhe was breaking down and absorbing the very fundamentals of what others did, making their techniques wholly his own rather than simply mimicking and modifying them. It was akin to learning how to write and then creating one’s own essay rather than merely putting together lines copied from a bunch of books.

Once he took this step from zero to one, creating his own martial arts would become much easier.

In terms of talent, Zhao Changhe was indeed a genius. His only shortcoming since the beginning was his restricted meridians. In terms of martial arts comprehension, he had always been an absolute genius—a stark contrast to his academic prowess.

* * *

“You were defeated?”

Elsewhere, on a remote island, a woman sat languidly on a rock, watching the waves crash against the shore. Behind her stood Hua Zhenming, his hands respectfully at his sides as he reported the outcome of his latest expedition.

“Yes,” Hua Zhenming admitted. “Tang Clan’s ship was formidable, and they even had ballistae on board. Their strength is enough to conquer a small nation—they were far beyond our capabilities to take down.” He glanced at the alluring figure of the woman in front of him but quickly lowered his gaze, not daring to stare.

The woman spoke lazily, her tone tinged with curiosity. “Who would’ve thought Tang Wanzhuang would secretly build such a great ship? It doesn’t quite align with her usual display of loyalty. Or is it Tang Buqi and his people’s doing? Yeah, that is probably it. Tang Buqi’s ambition seems to have grown...”

Hua Zhenming’s tone carried a hint of respect as he said, “That Zhao Shouyi... His prowess was remarkable, and he had an impressive bearing as well. I must say, the Tang Clan lives up to its reputation as one of the great clans of the Great Xia Empire. The reality surpasses the rumors.”

The woman sneered. “How would the Tang Clan raise such a powerful expert? Do you think I don’t know their family? He’s probably just a recent recruit... Tang Buqi must have his eyes set on expanding into the southeast.”

Hua Zhenming fell silent. Their knowledge of the matters of the mainland was limited. They knew of the Tang Clan mainly due to their past maritime exchanges. It was natural that they would not understand certain intricacies like their third leader—she had lived on land for an extended period and had only returned recently for a family visit.

The so-called third leader was an elusive figure. Most of the time, she was not present at all. But whenever she returned, she was unquestionably the third leader.

“Lady Three,” called out a voice from afar. An elderly man approached, his face covered in a dense, bristling beard that had begun to turn white, showing the marks of passing years.

The woman turned her head, her alluring and bewitching face adorned with sparkling eyes, bright as stars.

If Zhao Changhe were to witness this, he might well drop his jaw to the ground in disbelief, exclaiming, “My god, Shelly, do you have an ability that lets you split yourself in two...” n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Because this was none other than Black Tortoise, Third Lady Yuan.

The elder approached with a hearty laugh. “Lady Three, since you want them to turn back, let’s continue on that course. Since Zhenming couldn’t defeat them, I’ll handle it myself.”

Lady Three asked lazily, “Where are they headed? Penglai?”

Hua Zhenming quickly replied, “When Xia people sail out, they usually go to Penglai first. Judging by their course, they might stop at Taiping Island[1] for resupply.”

Lady Three stretched lazily and stood up, “Taiping Island is pretty much under our control, right?”

“Indeed, everyone on the island, from the workers to the newborn babies, is one of us.”

“Then I’ll go act as an innkeeper and gambling den hostess,” Lady Three said, a mischievous grin on her face. “I’ll have a nice meeting with this formidable Zhao... Zhao—how come his surname is Zhao, too?”

Hua Zhenming helpfully quipped, “Zhao Shouyi.”

Lady Three huffed, her lips curving playfully. “Uphold unity? I’ll make him change his name! What unity is he trying to uphold—does he even have the right?”

Hua Zhenming exchanged glances with the elder, both unable to help but laugh. They found their third leader’s thought process baffling. Is this just how women are?

Lady Three walked barefoot on the beach, leisurely heading toward the distant ship. “In any case, the Tang Clan has managed to bring in such a powerful guest, and his surname is Zhao. If I manage to poach him, there’ll certainly be some who are displeased and others who will be very happy.”

1. I doubt this is actually referring to the same Taiping Island (太平岛) in the real world. In the real world, Taiping Island, also known as Itu Aba, is in the Spratly Islands, which is south of China, making it not match the story. At the end of the day, though, it’s possible that the geography is just a bit different. ☜