Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 535: Taiping Island

“Young Master Zhao!” Tang En knocked on Zhao Changhe’s door. “We’re almost at Taiping Island. Everyone’s gonna head down for some rest and supplies. Are you coming with us?”

It had been nearly ten days of sailing. During that time, Zhao Changhe had not once stepped outside of his cabin. He remained cross-legged, utterly still, requiring neither food nor water, nor even a chamber pot. This was something that utterly baffled the Tang Clan’s sailors.

Does he just relieve himself on the bed? And if he truly doesn’t need anything, then is he still human?

Zhao Changhe was known to be first on the Ranking of Man—nothing about his strength would come as a surprise. The sailors did consider that he may have already reached the second layer of the Profound Mysteries. Yet even at that level, the crew had seen others, such as First Seat Tang, still require sustenance and, naturally, other necessities.

Zhao Changhe opened his eyes and exhaled a deep breath.

Even in the clear, brisk autumn sea air, his breath emerged like a thick fog, as if it were the depths of winter.

“How many days have we been at sea?”

“This is the thirteenth day,” Tang En replied, full of admiration. “Young master, you can really hole yourself up like that, huh? You’re really like some kind of immortal.”

Zhao Changhe rose from his bed, stretching his limbs, which felt slightly fatigued. He needed to replenish his energy, showing that he was not, in fact, an immortal.

These days, he had been in a state akin to deep, meditative hibernation, wherein his metabolism slowed to a crawl, his energy needs were minimal, and he absorbed the energy of heaven and earth around him—the energy flowing into the top of his head and down to the bubbling springs of his feet—sustaining his cultivation needs.

Ever since he had reshaped his meridians and his internal cultivation made a massive breakthrough, he had become capable of such feats. Top martial artists often shut themselves away in meditation for long periods, and it was precisely because of such abilities that they could do so.

In normal circumstances, no one would push themselves to such extremes without reason—food was still necessary. However, in desperate situations, such as being stranded on an isolated island or thrown into the sea, possessing this level of mastery meant survival was possible. Those at the first layer of the Profound Mysteries dared not venture to sea, while those at the second layer had the confidence to do so. The key reason lay here: even if their ship capsized, he would have little to fear.

Of course, this confidence did not apply to facing the apex beings of the Sea Tribe directly. Regardless of their state, even if they could not match Baoqin in sheer strength, they could not be confronted directly, for their understanding and control over the forces of heaven and earth were on an entirely different level.

The Sea Tribe’s secret art that had afflicted Cui Wenjing, causing the water element within his body to erupt violently, was beyond the means of ordinary members of the Sea Tribe. Few among them could compare to Wang Daoning, but if one did reach such a level, Zhao Changhe knew he would be no match, and he would not be able to withstand even a single move.

Cui Wenjing, on the other hand, managed to survive despite being hit by the secret art. He had even been caught off guard, having already been injured and having never faced such an attack in the past. If he had been prepared, he would likely have been able to fare much better. In other words, reaching the third layer of the Profound Mysteries and being prepared for it would allow someone to somewhat confidently face an entity like this head-on.

I’m still not strong enough... I thought I was climbing quickly, but now that I can see what’s ahead, it doesn’t look like I’m anywhere near the peak. The rate I’ve been advancing doesn’t seem to be quite keeping pace with the strength of the enemies I face.

I wonder how much my cultivation will advance after this trip... As of now, I’m still quite a ways away from even reaching the threshold of the third layer, let alone breaking through.

Zhao Changhe opened the door and stepped out of his cabin, catching sight of an island in the distance. From the outline of the island, he could see what seemed to be buildings.

Tang En stood nearby, waiting for him. When he saw Zhao Changhe come out, he grinned and said, “That over there is Taiping Island. We usually stop there for a brief rest.”

Zhao Changhe was not familiar with these things, so he asked, “Are we running low on food and water?”

“We actually have enough to reach Seasky Island, but it’s always good to resupply along the way, just in case we get lost or something,” Tang En explained with a chuckle. “Besides, you might not have noticed while you were meditating, but sailing on the sea for a long time can really get to you. Seeing the same scenery every day can mess with people’s heads. Not all of the sailors and soldiers are seasoned hands. There are quite a few rookies that came with us this time, and they need to unwind a bit. Stopping to rest is really important for them.”

Zhao Changhe understood and laughed. “Hah, I’m guessing there’s a place for you all to indulge and have some fun, right?”

Tang En blinked. “If you come along, we’ll keep our mouths shut. I won’t breathe a word of it to the young miss.”

“Hey, hey, who said I have anything to do with your young miss?” Zhao Changhe muttered to himself. He had not exactly been flaunting his relationship with Tang Wanzhuang... Has word gotten out about them strolling hand-in-hand in the capital? Or did Baoqin or Tang Buqi let something slip?

Tang En grinned mischievously. “The way the young miss treats you is just special. All of us oldies in the family can see it. Even the old master pretends to be blind, but he’s actually quite pleased about it.”

He then lowered his voice and said, “After all, you’re the prince.”

Zhao Changhe muttered, “Emmm...”

Is it really that obvious...?

Ever since Xia Chichi and Xia Longyuan had reunited, even though the father and daughter still acted strangely, Zhao Changhe had felt that his role in this whole affair had been handed back to Xia Chichi. He wondered if Old Master Tang and the rest of them would be terribly disappointed when that became clear.

Tang En continued, “Anyway, back to Taiping Island—it’s not exactly a dedicated resupply stop or anything. This route doesn’t really see many ships, after all. If one or two fleets pass by in a year, that’s already something. The island is mainly inhabited by Xia refugees, fishermen who fled from war and oppressive taxes, similar to many of the smaller overseas nations. But they’re few in number—just a group of islanders fishing and living their lives. Occasionally, a fleet passes by and buys supplies from them, so they’ve set up inns and gambling dens. The prices are high though since they’re only open a few times a year, and the brothels, well, that’s even more expensive...”

Zhao Changhe suddenly asked, “Fishermen running brothels? Where do they get the girls? From their own village?”

Tang En blinked, clearly never having thought about that before, and did not know how to respond.

Zhao Changhe continued, “If pirates are brazenly stopping ships even near shore, that tells you how rampant piracy is. How could some simple fishermen be living happily on a small island? Would they even get to spend the money they earn?”

Tang En’s mouth dropped open. He was stunned.

What had seemed like a perfectly normal fishing village now suddenly felt like a tiger’s den, just from a few casual words from Zhao Changhe. He had been to that brothel several times over the years, and it was a miracle he still had his kidneys intact.[1]

After a moment, he snapped out of it and hurried to give orders, “Don’t dock at Taiping Island, we—”

Before he could finish, Zhao Changhe grabbed his arm. Tang En turned to see Zhao Changhe looking amused. “If you didn’t have any trouble before, then most likely you won’t this time either... I’d actually like to check it out and see just what kind of tiger’s den this really is.”

Look at his detective itch acting up again...

The blind woman crossed her arms and thought to herself. You said you wanted to throw away that jade token back then, but it’s obvious that you enjoy this kind of thing. Of course, it’s a quality that suits my needs perfectly fine. Xia Longyuan was right about that.

Tang En was exasperated. “If you know it’s dangerous, there’s no need to go...”

“Why not? If the pirates want to turn us back, I’m curious about what their reasons are. Aren’t you curious?”

“...Not at all.”

“Well, we’re going anyway. Eat, drink, enjoy yourselves.”

Thud.

Amidst the back-and-forth, the fleet came to dock at the island.

The sailors cheered as they disembarked, rushing toward the banners of inns. The seemingly quiet island suddenly became lively.

Zhao Changhe, having been in seclusion, truly could not understand what it was like for the sailors to stare at nothing but the same sea for over ten days. Naturally, he did not share in their excitement.

As he strolled among the crowd, his mind was instead focused on observing the surroundings with great interest.

He had thought it would just be a tiny island, a small village, maybe one or two little inns. But seeing it for himself, there were inns, gambling dens, and brothels stretching as far as the eye could see—the sheer scale of these entertainment establishments alone could almost make up an entire town.

Then again, it made sense. A fleet usually had a lot of people, and one or two little inns would not be enough. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

But the larger the scale, the clearer it became that this wasn’t something a bunch of fishermen could put together by themselves. There was definitely something shady behind it all.

Zhao Changhe casually followed the crowd into an inn. Inside, the air was filled with laughter and flirtatious greetings as a group of women swarmed over. “Welcome, gentlemen!”

It seemed this establishment was an inn and brothel combined into one.

Zhao Changhe didn’t mind. He said to the madam, “Let these brothers of mine have their fun. I don’t need anything—just find me a quiet, private room where I can have a drink by myself.”

Meanwhile, in the courtyard at the back of the brothel, Lady Three came running in, all excited. “I heard Zhao Shouyi came into this one, right? Which room is he in? I want to meet him.”

No matter which inn, gambling den, or brothel Zhao Changhe entered, the boss would always be Lady Three—this was her turf!

Hua Zhenming tried to dissuade her. “Third leader, you should still be careful... That guy is really strong. Don’t underestimate him.”

Lady Three was brimming with confidence. “He’s just some little scumbag who hit the brothel right after getting off board a ship—how could I be afraid of him? Once I take him down, the Tang Clan’s fleet will be ours.”

1. No, he doesn’t fear his organs being harvested. In traditional Chinese medicine, the kidneys are responsible for producing semen and vaginal secretions in males and females, respectively. They are also essential for the overall reproductive functions, male virility in particular, and the energy cycles of the kidneys determine sexual maturity, among other aspects. Basically... the man was properly drained. ☜