Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 536: The Fire Pig of Shi Under the Black Tortoise

Zhao Changhe quietly poured himself a drink while extending his senses to observe his surroundings.

The Back Eye that had once brought him so much joy was now being kept under control. Instead, he now had a kind of bird’s eye view, granting him vision of everything around him as if he were monitoring it from above.

Theoretically, this was a result of his recent cultivation breakthrough and had nothing to do with the Back Eye. It was part of preparing for an eventual detachment from the blind woman. Only the power that was truly his own would not leave him vulnerable.

But Zhao Changhe could not shake off the feeling that this was all somewhat dreamlike and surreal. None of the Ranking of Earth experts he knew seemed to have such a clear overhead view, and even if they did, it usually required deliberate effort. It was not something that they could just turn on and off like their own eyes.

So Zhao Changhe was not quite sure whether this ability was due to his advancements in cultivation or some evolution of the Back Eye. Maybe it was still the Back Eye... or perhaps the eye of gods and demons.

The blind woman watched from the sidelines, never commenting on the matter, leaving Zhao Changhe unsure if she was secretly mocking him.

He pushed these thoughts aside. After all, an overhead view was useless in a confined space; it could not go beyond the walls of the room, and it was not like he had X-ray vision. It was mainly his enhanced hearing that was useful, allowing him to hear all the surrounding sounds and even “isolate the audio channels.” He could drown out the loud chatter throughout the main hall, making it sound distant, while the noises in the hallway and neighboring rooms stood out more clearly.

He heard the soft footsteps of embroidered shoes steadily approaching down the hallway.

Zhao Changhe felt a shiver run down his spine, and his right hand instinctively reached for his ring, his true qi wrapped around Dragon Bird.

He could sense that whoever was approaching was a top-tier expert.

They were not using any movement arts, just strolling casually, yet the way their light footsteps resonated on the wooden floor carried a heavy and powerful impact. It was an unintentional but natural manifestation of great power, and Zhao Changhe had no doubt that if this person stomped on him, his body would be smashed to mush.

At this level, the only figure who could compare to them on land is Li Shentong... How could this random island have someone of this caliber?

Beads of sweat began to appear on Zhao Changhe’s forehead. He had not expected to run into such a powerful opponent. Was I too reckless this time? A surge of true qi gathered within Dragon Bird as he prepared to unleash Army Breaker at any moment, prepared to make a quick escape.

Creak.

The door creaked open, and a voice called out with a laugh before she even entered, “Sorry to keep you waiting, your king crab is here... Oh...”

The voice trailed off as the figure holding the crab dish turned and bolted.

The tension in Zhao Changhe’s body instantly dissipated. He withdrew his true qi from Dragon Bird, hurling a Crane Controlling Art at the door in frustration.

“I thought it was some top-tier expert, but it’s just you, Shelly.”

“Aren’t I a top-tier expert?” Lady Three did not even flinch at the Crane Controlling Art; it was as if it had hit an invisible wall, leaving Zhao Changhe’s wrist aching from the backlash.

...Well, I guess she really is a top-tier expert. Why do I always forget that when I see her face?

Lady Three glanced back and teased, “What kind of lousy technique is that? Are you trying to grope someone from a distance? Don’t you have any shame? Here, grope this crab!”

She tossed the platter, and the Crane Controlling Art only managed to catch the crab as she darted out of the room.

Zhao Changhe snapped, “If you keep running, I’ll make sure the whole world knows that someone is playing the madam of a brothel!”

With a swoosh, Lady Three seemed to teleport as she suddenly appeared sitting straight across from him. The door slammed shut on its own, even though there was no wind.

“The only one who plays the madam of a brothel is your beloved Tang Wanzhuang!” Lady Three tapped on the table. “This is an inn, an inn!”

“Sure, sure,” Zhao Changhe replied lazily, cracking open a crab leg. With a loud crack, the shell turned into powder, revealing the tender crab meat inside.

Heh, the greatest advantage of martial arts!

Zhao Changhe handed the crab meat to Lady Three with a smile. “So, this is a spinoff of Huangsha Market? You’re the spinoff madam? Back then, you called me stingy for not treating you to peanuts, now I’m treating you to king crab. This should be good enough, right?”

Lady Three responded, “You’ve got to pay for it! Don’t think just because we’re familiar, you can get it for free.”

“Alright, alright.” Zhao Changhe could not help but laugh. “Were you avoiding me earlier because you thought I might dine and dash?”

“Hmph.” Lady Three took a big bite of the crab meat, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the plate, waiting for Zhao Changhe to crack open more shells.

Zhao Changhe rolled his eyes. “Do you only show this greedy side of yours when you’re playing the role of the innkeeper? You were so classy back in Kuaiji....”

“That’s because, back in Kuaiji, I was wearing the Black Tortoise mask, so I naturally had to act the part.” Lady Three tapped the table. “Enough talking. I want the crab roe.”

Zhao Changhe paused for a moment, then silently cracked open the crab shell and scooped out the crab roe for her, saying nothing more.

What came to his mind was Huangfu Qing. When she wore the Fire Serpent of Yi mask, her demeanor was different from when she took it off. And when she wore the pig mask, she seemed to shed all pretense, revealing a side of her that was like a young girl in the misty rain by the lakeside, a side that only appeared at those moments.

Unfortunately, since reappearing as the imperial noble consort, she had never shown that version of herself again.

As Lady Three savored the rich crab roe, she sighed. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had something this delicious.”

Zhao Changhe was puzzled. “You’re the innkeeper. Haven’t you had any?”

Lady Three replied, “First of all, I just got here.”

“...So you’re not actually using some clone technique, huh? I thought that you’d already be able to split yourself up into a tortoise and a snake that can move independently.”

“Eh? How did you know I plan to cultivate in that direction?”

“...Why don’t you just get on with your next point?”

“Secondly, it’s too expensive. I’m too stingy to eat it.” Lady Three grinned. “It’s not everywhere that you find a sucker willing to foot the bill for the innkeeper.”

Zhao Changhe leaned back in his chair, sipping his drink. “You should know what I really want to ask is why you’re here and why you’ve become the leader of a pirate crew. From what I know, you’re a descendant of one of Ying Five’s brothers. Has your Mounted Brigand Brotherhood managed to expand its business out to sea?”

“Don’t ask too many questions, kid. This is none of your business. Eat up and then be on your way, alright?”

“Your people were planning to seize my fleet, and you claim this is none of my business? Also, I doubt you came looking for me with good intentions. You were planning to either kill me or bring me under your control, right?”

“...” Lady Three knew she was in the wrong. Her mouth was full of crab as she mumbled, “We really were just trying to have you turn back. We don’t intend to rob or kill anyone. Haah, it really is true that no good deed goes unpunished.”

Zhao Changhe retorted, “If it wasn’t for the strength of the Tang Clan’s fleet, that so-called advising us to turn back would have involved looting us clean and then forcing us back. Pirates are pirates, same with Ying Five’s mounted brigands. Don’t try to tell me they are all good guys.”

“Well, that’s true,” Lady Three replied with a cold smirk. “Ying Five is a bandit, and the Four Idols Cult is a demonic cult. The way pirates survive is through plunder. What do you expect? Keep whining, and I’ll rob you right now!”

Zhao Changhe banged on the table. “Before you rob me, let’s talk about the rules of the jianghu. Whether you’re pirates or bandits, do you still honor the code of the jianghu?”

While typical pirates or bandits might not care about honor, at the level of Ying Five or this pirate crew, there was a certain pride among the strong, and they generally would not go back on their word. Lady Three responded, “Oh, did you make some kind of agreement with Hua Zhenming?”

Zhao Changhe smirked, “He said all the money and women on the ship are mine. Can I claim them now?”

Lady Three’s eyes widened, and she instinctively blurted out, “I wasn’t on that ship, so you can’t claim me!”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

Lady Three: “...”

“When did I say I wanted you?”

“Why did you call yourself Zhao Shouyi then?” n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Zhao Changhe was momentarily confused, then realized what she meant and was left speechless.

The phrase that he referenced his made-up name from just so happened to match Lady Three’s surname, Yuan...[1]

But that name is something I just made up casually...

He had been so full of righteous anger but suddenly lost all ground he had to stand on. Now, he was being looked at like some kind of pervert. Zhao Changhe could not believe the kind of mess he had gotten himself into.

“Wait...” Zhao Changhe suddenly thought of something. Seasky Island, Penglai Kingdom, the surname of the king there is Yuan, right? So it wasn’t the Yuan of Yuanshen, but Third Lady Yuan’s Yuan![2]

Lady Three squinted at him for a while before slowly saying, “Do you acknowledge yourself as the Fire Pig of Shi of the Four Idols Cult?”

Zhao Changhe: “...I do.”

“Since you do, then you should know that the Fire Pig of Shi is one of the seven directly under my command. Will you follow my orders?”

“Uh...”

Lady Three got serious. “There really is a reason as to why we’re having merchants and fishermen turn back... But since you’re the one in charge, I’m commandeering this fleet. So, are you willing?”

Before Zhao Changhe could answer, Lady Three continued seriously, “If you don’t agree, that’s fine. Just turn back right now. The Fire Pig of Shi has always been just a bit of fun between us. If it turns out you don’t actually follow the Four Idols Cult, then from now on, you will no longer be the Fire Pig of Shi.”

Zhao Changhe said, “You getting all serious like this... It’s a bit much for me.”

Lady Three: “......”

Zhao Changhe grinned. “Whether I’m Zhao Changhe or the Fire Pig of Shi, if you need my help, you don’t need to do all this. Just ask, and I’ll do it.”

Lady Three did not seem touched at all. She eyed him for a moment, then went back to eating her crab. “Gross. Save that act for your sweetheart back home. You’re just the Fire Pig of Shi, the underling of the Black Tortoise.”

1. As mentioned in a previous chapter, Zhao Changhe referenced his made-up name from 抱元守一, 元 is Lady Three’s surname. The “抱元” part of the phrase can be literally translated to “embracing Yuan.” ☜

2. He’s basically referring to the surnames 原 and 元, which are both pronounced the exact same way. ☜