Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 418: Lady Three Satisfied

The Black Tortoise mask was formal and serious.

It was well known that the head of the Black Tortoise was not that of a tortoise but that of a dragon. This mask was an abstract simplification of that, with a background design resembling the patterns of tortoise shells while the face of a dragon took the foreground. The dragon’s expression was very serious, even somewhat stern and cold.

If a member of the Four Idols Cult saw this, they might tremble with fear, knowing that this represented a peerless venerable whose defense was as steadfast as mountains and whose outbursts were incredibly fierce.

But knowing in advance that this was Lady Three, no matter how he looked at the mask, it just seemed like a little tortoise mask. Zhao Changhe really wanted to grab a pen and change the dragon’s head into a grinning cartoon character, which he believed would suit her character better.

“What’s with that look on your face?” Lady Three waved her hand in front of his face. “Oh no, don’t tell me you’re getting aroused just by looking at a mask, number one delicate flower?.”

Zhao Changhe snapped out of it and replied grumpily, “Getting aroused by your tortoise mask? I got more turned on by that cool punch you threw earlier. Hey, everyone’s drinking and celebrating, so what are you doing here?”

“What’s with that tone? Do we know each other that well?”

“You keep calling me a delicate flower and talking about me getting aroused, are we not familiar?”

“Not really. Who was it that helped you pair up with the Fire Serpent of Yi? And who was it that gave you that Fire Pig of Shi mask you’re holding?” Lady Three folded her arms and snorted. “Are you still the Fire Pig of Shi or not?”

Caught off guard, Zhao Changhe could only force a smile, “Yes, yes, of course I am.”

“The Fire Pig of Shi is directly under my command... Oh, by that, I mean that you’re my immediate subordinate, so how come you aren’t kneeling after seeing me?”

Zhao Changhe ground his teeth.

“Oh, look at that glint in your eyes,” Lady Three said as she stretched out her hand. “Do you want to return the Fire Pig of Shi mask then? I’d like to see what excuse you can come up with to cozy up with little serpent next time then.”

Zhao Changhe finally gave up and smiled awkwardly, “Dear Lady Three, I haven’t wronged you, have I...”

Gotcha!

Lady Three, feeling triumphant, placed her hands on her hips, “Call me Venerable.”

“Venerable.”

“I didn’t come here for any particular reason. I just thought that since that silly bird isn’t around, you should quickly report on your dual cultivation sessions with the Fire Serpent of Yi in detail.”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

Lady Three, in all seriousness, said, “What’s the matter? As your superior, am I not allowed to inquire about the specifics of my subordinates’ dual cultivation sessions? What if you two lose control and mess up your cultivation? I’m simply being responsible as your superior! Where else can you find such a good superior?”

“No, what? You’re not even...”

“Hm?”

“No, we didn’t even engage in dual cultivation!”

“Then tell me how she acted, what she said, and which parts of her were most sensitive?”

Zhao Changhe’s face twitched, “Lady Three...”

“Call me Venerable!”

“Okay, Venerable Lady Three...” Zhao Changhe cautiously probed, “You’re not lovesick or something, are you?”

Lady Three grabbed him by the collar, “What the hell do you know?! I helped you hook up with the Fire Serpent of Yi, but when that foolish bird found out, she tricked me into coming to the capital and gave me a beating. Do you think it’s been easy for me? It’s one thing if I can’t witness the thrill with my own eyes, but now I can’t even hear about it?”

“Why did Venerable Vermillion Bird beat you up... She’s the one who sent Qing’er to me. She even later arranged for her to go to the Yang Clan. I didn’t see her being opposed to our relationship...”

“Heh, Qing’er...” Lady Three suddenly burst out into laughter. “Tell me more, I want to hear... Hm, how did she call you again?”

Zhao Changhe blinked, “Hey, are you jealous because she’s the prized daughter of a military family, and you’re just Lady Yuan of the Mounted Brigand Brotherhood?”

Lady Three gritted her teeth, “Zhao Changhe, are you looking to die?”

She raised her fist, threatening to strike.

Zhao Changhe had no doubt that this punch could blow him apart, so he was about to huddle down defensively when suddenly, a burst of fire lit up beside him, accompanied by a waft of fragrant air.

Vermillion Bird stood coldly in front of Lady Three, her words squeezed through her teeth, “What are you doing here?”

Lady Three took half a step back, her eyes darting around craftily, “What? The Fire Pig of Shi is my subordinate. My subordinate got injured, so I came to check on him. What’s wrong with that? Oh right, piggy, here’s some medicine...”

Vermillion Bird snatched the medicinal pill from her hand, “Piggy? Aren’t you a venerable, how can you use such crass words?”

“Who cares what I call him?” Lady Three muttered, but she still sheepishly let her take the pill. “Hey, why aren’t you joining the banquet? I saw you and Tang Wanzhuang glaring at each other; wasn’t it fun?”

Vermillion Bird was not having any fun at all. As Venerable Vermillion Bird, staring down Tang Wanzhuang had lost its thrill long ago. She could not openly show her jealousy either, as her identity did not allow for that. What was there to fight over as Vermillion Bird? She could only plan to deal with her when she returned to the capital as Huangfu Qing.

Making my man fight for you, who do you think you are? Humph. And then there’s Cui Wenjing, that guy makes me feel uneasy. Who can understand me?

There’s also Ying Five! Although there isn’t anything between us anymore, I still feel a bit embarrassed from scolding him wrongly earlier.

She wanted to sneak away from the banquet to find her man, but realized that she could not do so.

There was no way Huangfu Qing could appear in this place, and she could not take off her mask to be affectionate with him. In front of him, she could only remain as Venerable Vermillion Bird. But how was she supposed to speak to him as Vermillion Bird? Was she supposed to praise him for doing a good job? offer him a few pills from the holy cult?

Hmm, that might work.

As she thought of that, she became restless. The banquet was unbearable, and she found an excuse to slip away.

From the beginning, she never noticed that her focus at the banquet had never once been the absence of her close friend. She was so used to the lazy tortoise being absent that she did not even bother paying attention to her presence. She had simply figured that she had never been around to begin with.

As a result, when she snuck near Zhao Changhe’s room and overheard something, Vermillion Bird was so furious that it felt like flames were shooting out from her hair, “What are you doing?!”

She took a deep breath, maintaining the cold and cruel image of Venerable Vermillion Bird in Zhao Changhe’s mind. She then said icily, “His relationship with the Fire Serpent of Yi was something I personally authorized. What favor are you trying to gain here?”

She immediately regretted saying that. The moment she did, Lady Three burst out into laughter, almost rolling on the ground. “Ha... Hahaha...”

Vermillion Bird’s heart sank.

No matter how many people guessed that Huangfu Qing was Vermillion Bird, as long as she never exposed it, they would never truly know. However, there was one person who knew from the start that Huangfu Qing was truly Vermillion Bird, without any doubt.

Saying that she personally authorized their relationship in front of Lady Three made her face burn with embarrassment. She felt like a complete fool.

Furious and humiliated, yet equally afraid that Lady Three would expose her, she lunged at her fiercely, “What are you laughing at?! Today, I’ll make sure you know who’s in charge of the Four Idols Cult!”

Bam, bam, bam...

They started fighting.

Of course, Lady Three would not expose her. Instead, she felt a little guilty for almost slipping up, and with a guilty grin, she dodged Vermillion Bird’s attacks, jumping out of the window as they fought.

Vermillion Bird chased her furiously, “Don’t run!”

Zhao Changhe, with his hands in his pockets, watched Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise fighting all the way out of the window. He felt like he was watching some kind of bizarre montage, completely clueless about what they were doing.

Where’s my medicine?

Aren’t you two supposedly here to check on me while I’m sick? Where’s my medicine?!

The two fought all the way to the foot of Kuaiji Mountain, panting heavily before they finally stopped.

Lady Three, grinning cheekily, said, “You beat me up in the capital, and now you’re beating me up again... Are we done yet?”

The previously aggressive Vermillion Bird suddenly softened, “Lady Three... Please don’t expose me... I’d be too ashamed to face the world...”

“Qing’er~” Lady Three gleefully teased, tilting Vermillion Bird’s chin up, “Smile for me...”

Vermillion Bird swallowed her pride and muttered, “He didn’t really call me Qing’er that much... We both find it disgusting...”

“Alright, Qing’er...” Lady Three turned her back and said, “Come on, give me a shoulder massage.”

She swayed her hips in such an exaggerated and seductive way that Vermillion Bird could not hold back anymore. She kicked her in the butt, yelling, “If you hadn’t set me up, I wouldn’t have ended up falling for a guy younger than me, and now you’re all smug about it!”

Caught off guard, Lady Three soared through the air with a shriek, “You birdbrain, just you wait!”

Vermillion Bird stomped and cursed, “No, you wait! You think you can mess with me for fun? You think I can’t get back at you?”