Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 86: Ancient Sword Lake

Zhao Changhe said “I won’t hide my tracks on this journey” on purpose.

When he made that agreement with Han Wubing, everyone in the temple had been killed. Other than Yangyang, no one else knew of it. Han Wubing also had no reason nor energy to spare to tell other people about the meeting he had arranged with Zhao Changhe. Thus, outsiders were not supposed to know where Zhao Changhe was headed after he left the Cui Clan. In fact, outsiders should not have even known when he left.

So how was it that in such a short time after he left the Cui estate, a group of people had already found out he was headed to Ancient Sword Lake? Assassins had come after him. The Demon Suppression Bureau had also come, and they even knew of his plans, handing him information on Han Wubing.

How considerate of them.

There was only one possibility. Yangyang was not very vigilant when speaking to her family members and had ended up carelessly revealing to them where her Big Brother Zhao was heading. Afterward, this information was surreptitiously leaked to the outside world.

After all, Cui Wenjue had betrayed the clan, and he was a powerful man. It was thus not unthinkable for him to retaliate in secret. Just because he was unable to take revenge on the Cui Clan did not mean that he could not exact his revenge on a runaway bandit like Zhao Changhe.

Perhaps other than the Blood God Cult, Cui Wenjue and his side of the clan had raised some people outside to do their bidding. After all, trying to use a rope to trip his horse like that was not the kind of thing that people of jianghu would do.

That should be how things played out.

His enemies already knew his plans, and so did the Demon Suppression Bureau. Furthermore, he was carrying Dragon Bird on his back. Even if others did not recognize the outrageous saber on his back, would First Seat Tang be unable to tell what it was? Zhao Changhe’s heart was in great turmoil at this very moment.

First Seat Tang probably thought that Zhao Changhe would opt against continuing on to Ancient Sword Lake. After all, as long as he avoided that place, others would quickly lose track of his whereabouts, and it would be much more difficult for anything untoward to happen to him.

When men arrange meetings, they will go through hell on earth if that is what it takes to see things through. Women know nothing! “What? You’re not going to hide your tracks? What if you attract the attention of enemies you are unable to deal with?” Seriously now, that was for others to hear!

Zhao Changhe rode his horse haughtily on the government road. When he saw that his pursuers had already been thrown out of sight by Snow-Treading Crow, he suddenly pulled on the reins and dove straight into the wilderness.

Soon, it was already dusk. The sun slowly melted below the horizon to the West. Zhao Changhe lay hidden in the reasonably dense thicket to the side of the road.

Blood God Cult Leader Xue Canghai said with a gloomy face, “You said that he claimed he would not hide his tracks and that he rode straight along the government road?”

“Y-yeah, that’s exactly what he said.”

“I’ve been waiting here for three full hours. It will soon be dark, so where is he?”

“I, I don’t know. Maybe he took a nap in the woods by the side of the road somewhere?”

Sharp cracking sounds echoed as Xue Canghai angrily whipped his subordinate. “You fucking idiot! He fooled you! What a waste of my time!”

A familiar face watched him from behind. Instructor Sun was leaning against a tree trunk; his arms were crossed and his head raised upward as he watched the birds. A faint smile emerged on his lips.

“Old Sun.” An elder of the Blood God Cult who was right next to him asked in a hushed voice, “According to your knowledge of that traitor, where do you think he is right now?”

Instructor Sun was not strictly within the Academic Administration System of the Blood God Cult; instead, he was regarded as a direct subordinate of the Elder Chuangong. Since his immediate superior had spoken, he swiftly swept away his earlier lackadaisical look, stood at attention, and said with a smile, “I am truly unable to tell you. That little brat was a very polite young man initially. I was the one who pushed him to show some of that bandit spirit. I always told him that he has to speak louder. That’s how he became a man recognized by the entire world today, but who knows what kind of cunning rascal he actually was from the very beginning?!”

“Tsk.” Elder Chuangong whispered in a somewhat pained tone, “Do you not know that many in the cult are blaming you for this...”

“They’re blaming me?” Instructor Sun’s voice became louder as he said, “I simply fulfilled my responsibilities as an instructor and guided students on their cultivation. Those bandits I instructed can now use a saber properly. Does that not show my attitude toward my responsibilities?! So why are they not praising me for doing a good job?! Preaching is not my fucking job and neither is attracting believers! That is none of my business! I never fault others when their preaching is horrible and we lose out on some good seedlings, so what right do they have to fault me for doing my job well?!”

When Xue Canghai heard them, he turned to look at them. He also felt that Instructor Sun could not be blamed for his actions. In theory, the stronger Zhao Changhe was, the more it proved that Instructor Sun performed his duties well. And if he performed his duties well, he should indeed be praised, but that did not mean that he should go around boasting about his deeds like that. You can’t just brag about your performance when your performance is what created this massive problem.

This whole thing is seriously a huge fucking pain in the ass.

“Is that not unfair?! Huh? Have I ever filed a complaint against any of you? Are you telling me that I should do my job worse and delay the growth of new recruits? Also, did I not push for Zhao Changhe to come to the Head Altar? If things had gone the way I wanted, how could this mess have even happened?! Yet now that things have come to this point, you blame me? Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you?!” Instructor Sun’s voice grew louder and louder.

“That’s enough.” Elder Chuangong glanced at Leader Xue’s increasingly darkening face. If you continue like that, you’ll only make it seem like the leader didn’t do his job. At the end of the day, the leader could not withdraw an entire branch like that just because you filed a complaint.

He could only lower his voice as he said, “Even with all that in mind, you cannot deny that your disciple has gone rogue. For that reason, we must still bear the responsibility of dealing with him. No one here is more familiar with his methods than you. If you can catch him this time, you will naturally receive the rewards you deserve when you come back.”

Instructor Sun snorted and said nothing.

Deep down, he did not believe that Zhao Changhe could beat him. The limestone on Fang Buping’s face could still be seen when he went to get checked up. That at least showed that Zhao Changhe wasn’t some incomprehensible monster. As long as they were careful in dealing with him, capturing him should not be that difficult. But what can I say... I would really rather not do this kind of work.

No matter what, Zhao Changhe was indeed his proud disciple whom he had taught step by step. He had corrected the young man’s every move with his own hands. The relationship between them was not superficial. The better Zhao Changhe performed on the battlefield, the more impressive he would appear as his teacher. Not to mention that the others in the cult had their own selfish designs. In fact, a large number of them were just envious, and this could even be heard in their voices.

What are you all striving for? Are you all merely living to earn money in a cult?

“Alright.” Xue Canghai said calmly, “Sun Hengchuan cannot be held responsible for this matter. However, as Protector Ding said, Hengchuan should bear more responsibility for arresting that traitor. That traitor is clearly playing dirty. No one knows where he’s gone, and he may not even head to Ancient Sword Lake. Hengchuan, you know him the best out of all of us. Where do you think he’s headed?”

Sun Hengchuan felt that Zhao Changhe would definitely head to Ancient Sword Lake, but he still said, “Besides us, there are others who are messing with him along the way. He should know better by now... If I were in his position, I would definitely not continue that way. A martial arts agreement is not a big deal, so why risk your head over it? Of course, that’s what I would do. I’m not so sure what he would choose to do.”

Everyone could not but laugh, seeing how Sun Hengchuan immediately pushed the blame away from himself. But after being tricked by Zhao Changhe, most people here did believe that he would not make his way to Ancient Sword Lake anymore. They found what Sun Hengchuan said made sense.

Xue Canghai pondered for a moment and then said, “Right now, many of the higher-ups of the Four Idols Cult are at Ancient Sword Lake. It is not suitable for me to join in the fun there.”

In fact, I just don’t want to show myself before them only for them to order me around like a dog.

Then he added, “However, I believe that we should still leave some eyes at Ancient Sword Lake. It’s possible that Zhao Changhe will actually go there. This matter will be left to Protector Ding and Hengchuan. You can lead a few people and station yourselves in Sword Lake City.”

Elder Chuangong and Instructor Sun both cupped their hands and replied, “Duly noted.”

“As for the rest, scatter around and search for that traitor’s whereabouts. That’s all. I still have other matters to attend to.” After Xue Canghai finished speaking, he disappeared, leaving behind the members of the Blood God Cult gazing at each other at a loss.

At different intersections on different government roads, people who had waited in agony for a whole day finally dispersed, heading out to search the surroundings.

Zhao Changhe headed east through the wilderness and mountains, circling around two cities he encountered along the way. By the time he had gotten past the two cities, the sky had already gone dark.

Under the moonlight, Snow-Treading Crow looked up to the sky and neighed, then it suddenly turned south and ran toward Ancient Sword Lake.

Buzzzz~

At this moment, Dragon Bird lightly vibrated, and an overbearing murderous intent emanated from it once again.

As long as there were people who believed that he would go to Ancient Sword Lake, it was naturally impossible for him to shake all of his enemies off. If they were willing to stand guard at every passage, he would eventually run into them.

Of course, it was incredibly unlikely for those who waited in such a way to be at Xue Canghai’s level. And thanks to that, certain death turned into nothing more than a great opportunity to hone his own skills.

He had only just acquired Dragon Bird. In fact, regardless of what saber he acquired, it was impossible for him to grasp it perfectly right away. After all, even one’s arms and fingers must be honed through all kinds of training.

Zhao Changhe did not heed Dragon Bird’s warning and continued speeding along.

A blade of sword qi suddenly came slashing from his right.

In an instant, Zhao Changhe slid along the side of his horse, supporting himself in one stirrup and using the horse as a cover.

Just as the assassin rushed over his horse, Zhao Changhe silently raised his broad saber.

Snow-Treading Crow continued to gallop under the moonlight as the two halves of a corpse thudded to the ground.

Who said that you can only swing a saber like a club?

I hope that by the time I arrive at the sword lake, my horse will have become an extension of my legs, and my saber an extension of my arms.