Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 758 (2): Changan Unseen

Not long after Li Bozhong left, Wei Changming arrived.

Seeing his longtime friend, Yue Fenghua finally allowed himself a breath of relief. “Brother Wei, about Li Bozhong...”

“Oh, that? It has nothing to do with you. He’s just shortsighted.” Wei Changming casually glanced around the mountain village before suddenly calling out, “A’Xiong, A’Xiong, come here.”

A few of Luoxia Mountain Village’s senior guards stepped forward. “Greetings, Clan Head.”

“You’ve been at Luoxia Mountain Village for quite a few years, haven’t you? Do you want to go home?”

“Hah, we’ve been wanting to for a while.”

“Then go. Oh, and take back all the fine swords, medicines, and body-strengthening herbs I loaned to brother Yue. Also, brother Yue, please settle their final wages.”

Yue Fenghua: “...”

Before that matter was even resolved, a few disciples shuffled forward hesitantly. “Master...”

Yue Fenghua’s face darkened. “What is it?”

One of them forced a smile. “Well, a family member of mine is sick... I probably won’t be able to continue full-time training. I need to take care of them, so I’ve come to take my formal leave.”

Yue Fenghua turned his sharp gaze to the others. “Are your family members sick too?”

“Uh... my wife just gave birth.”

“My mother gave birth...”

Before long, the murmuring grew louder as more disciples found their own excuses to leave.

Then, as if an avalanche had begun, maids, servants, and house staff also approached nervously. “Master... our families...”

Yue Fenghua exploded in fury. “GET OUT! ALL OF YOU, GET OUT!”

Wei Changming stood to the side, arms crossed, his expression an amused smirk.

A small handful of people might have known about Yue Fenghua’s betrayal of his disciple. But most had no idea. Rather, they were just being practical—they had come here because of Yue Hongling, and if she was dead, then what was the point of staying? Was Luoxia Mountain Village such a stupendous place? Yue Fenghua himself had never been all that impressive. Some of his disciples had been training under him for ten years, and they were barely at the third layer of the Profound Gate. Even in a minor cult like the Blood God Cult, a mere branch instructor needed to be at least at the fourth layer.

What was the point of wasting their lives here?

If Yue Hongling had stayed with him all those years ago, she would not have amounted to anything either. Why should they?

Wei Changming had predicted that Luoxia Mountain Village would decline. What even he had not expected was just how quickly it would happen.

The Tome of Troubled Times had just broadcast, yet the collapse had already begun... Or perhaps it was simply proof of how much credibility the tome held. It had merely used a vague phrase, and the world had already taken it as pure, absolute truth.

Wei Changming did not care to stick around any longer. Others did not know the details, but he was well aware of how deeply Yue Fenghua had offended his disciple, and Wei Changming knew all too well that disciple’s terrifying power and even more terrifying backer. The sooner he cut ties, the better.

And just like that, in mere moments, the once lively and bustling Luoxia Mountain Village became desolate.

The grand mountain village, once filled with people, now had only a handful of lingering souls. Even the traveling merchants who used to set up outside its gates had disappeared.

With no traffic, no reputation, and no future, why would they bother wasting their time here?

Yue Fenghua stood in the cold, desolate mountain village, his hands trembling as he looked upon the ruin of his once-bustling household.

High above, perched on the clouds, Zhao Changhe and Huangfu Qing sat cross-legged, munching on steamed buns and watching the scene unfold like spectators at a theater.

Yue Hongling had long since woken up and was brimming with vitality. There was not even the faintest scratch on her body; she looked nothing like someone whose “life and death was uncertain.” Yet as she stood beside them, watching the scene below, she had no appetite for the food. She sighed, her voice laced with mixed emotions. “This is the revenge you spoke of?”

“Mm-hmm.” Zhao Changhe chomped noisily on his bun. “Isn’t this just the consequences of his own actions? He did raise you for a few years, so we can’t just kill him outright. But he had to learn a lesson, don’t you think?”

“...I suppose.” Yue Hongling hesitated before asking, “But how did you even pull this off? Do you write for the Tome of Troubled Times?”

Zhao Changhe nearly choked on his food. “No, no! That was just a coincidence. But if the person writing the announcements is a woman, she must be a peerless beauty. If it’s a man, then he’s undoubtedly a dashing, roguish genius, devastatingly handsome beyond belief. They definitely aren’t like me, with my scars and all.”

The blind woman: “...”

“I really feel like there’s something wrong with your head,” Yue Hongling muttered, shooting him a glare. She did not have the energy to press further. Instead, she continued watching the mountain village below, her expression carrying a deep sense of nostalgia.

But as she watched, her face slowly changed.

It was not just the emptiness of the mountain village. Something else was happening...

Below, Yue Fenghua was still ranting in frustration when a large crowd gathered outside the gates of the mountain village. Shadows stretched across the entrance, figures from Huashan’s neighboring sects and guilds, all converging as one. “Village Leader Yue, spending New Year’s alone?”

A cold feeling gripped Yue Fenghua’s heart. “What do you all want?”

A voice answered, dripping with malice, “Nothing much... It’s just that, for years, you relied on the Wei Clan’s backing to oppress and extort the sects around Huashan. We thought we should stop by and repay you for your generosity.”

Another snarled through clenched teeth. “Yue Fenghua! Return my master’s life!”

Yet another man stepped forward, eyes burning with rage. “You always played the righteous gentleman, refusing to remarry for the sake of appearances. But behind closed doors, you and your son engaged in rape and plunder! My daughter leaped off the mountain to escape your clutches, and you called it an accident. I tried taking you to court, but you were too powerful. Now, let’s see if your fists are as strong as your mouth!”

Up in the clouds, Yue Hongling’s fingers tightened around her sword hilt.

At first, she had felt a brief impulse to descend and intervene. But as the accusations piled up, the more she listened, the more her body stiffened. She had never heard these things before. And the more she heard, the more stunned she became until, finally, she felt no urge to go down at all.

“Let’s go,” she murmured. She turned away, ready to leave.

Zhao Changhe tilted his head. “I think there’s still more worth watching.”

Yue Hongling hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper, “I’m afraid to listen.”

She was afraid to hear more, yet the words reached her ears regardless.

“...Yue Fenghua, your wife tried to stop your crimes, yet you turned on her in rage and killed her. She was the wife who suffered with you through thick and thin. How could you do such a thing?”

“You slander me!”

“Slander? Don’t you see who this is? This is your wife’s handmaid, the very same person you sent your men to hunt down for two years. What, do you not recognize her now?”

The shouting and accusations gradually faded, replaced by the rising clamor of battle. Blades clashed, and the voices demanding blood echoed through the mountain, drifting all the way to the sky.

Yue Hongling watched blankly as her master faltered, struggling against the tide of enemies. And suddenly, she understood. Her master had never been blind to the fact that his prosperity was tied to her. He had still chosen to betray her. It had not been out of short-sighted greed, but out of fear.

From the moment she returned home, the person in all of Chang’an who had been the most terrified of her... was Yue Fenghua[1].

It had been a deadlock from the start. If she survived, then sooner or later, she would learn the truth and he would be doomed. And if she died, then without her backing, he would still be doomed, as was clear right now.

Regret was irrelevant. He had never had a choice. The only thing he had not expected was how quickly the retribution would come.

The realization lifted something from her heart. The weight of the past two days, the clouded thoughts, the silence... all of it scattered. Yue Hongling smiled, her first real smile in days. “Let’s go. We still have buns left to eat.”

Zhao Changhe looked at that smile and cautiously asked, “You’re... okay?”

“I actually feel like my sword intent has become even sharper.” Yue Hongling chuckled. “If I put it in cultivation terms, I suppose this would be called severing worldly ties, wouldn’t it?”

“Uh...” Zhao Changhe’s face twitched. This is what makes a protagonist? What kind of nonsense is this?

Yue Hongling sighed. “Too bad my worldly ties are already bound to you. Doesn’t seem like I can sever those. Should I test it by chopping your head off?”

Zhao Changhe smirked. “The big head or the little head?”

“Get lost.” Yue Hongling grabbed him by the collar, hauling him up. “Let’s go. You promised me. With the heavens as our father and the earth as our father, we’ll bow atop Langjuxu... and the Temple of Tngri will be our bridal chamber.”

Huangfu Qing shuddered, rolling her eyes. “No matter how poetic you two make it sound, this time, you’re not galloping off to Saibei on your own like last time. Both of you, back to the capital. We have a war to plan.”

Zhao Changhe let out a sharp whistle. A black steed neighed from the sky, its hooves treading upon the clouds as it arrived.

The three of them did not mount. Instead, they led Snow-Treading Crow along leisurely, basking in the final warmth of the last day of the year as they walked eastward.

Behind them, the cries from Huashan continued, echoing faintly like a song of farewell.

Zhao Changhe glanced down at the numerous palaces and pavilions of Chang’an, his voice carrying on the wind as he hummed a song.

These pavilions grand and palaces high, Are not the dream I held inside. Once I imagined a painted scene, A vision lost in time unseen... That year I left, the past untold, The river’s song grew faint and cold. Does my village stand the same? Or has it faded with my name? From a thousand li away, I turn once more, A longing deep I can’t ignore. But time has swept the road behind, And left no path for me to find...[2]

Both women turned their heads toward him.

You can sing?

And... you’re pretty good at it.

Whether or not Chang’an was as he had imagined did not matter anymore. In three days, they had overturned its power. Bo’e had fled, and gods and demons had scattered. The once-mighty Guanlong was now an empty shell. It was no longer capable of disrupting their northern campaign.

Tomorrow was the New Year. The time of renewal. The iron hooves of the northern barbarians would descend upon them soon.

The battle for Saibei was upon them.

1. If you remember, there was a note about his name and Huashan being a bad omen in chapter 738, but we left the reference for later due to it being something of a spoiler. It seems to be a reference to Yue Buqun, the leader of the Huashan Sect (a.k.a. Mount Hua Sect, and by the way, please check out our novel The Regressor of Mount Hua) in Jin Yong’s novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. He is considered a veritable scholar and gentleman and even nicknamed “The Gentleman Sword,” but as it turns out, he is in fact a power-hungry hypocrite with no morals who is willing to do anything for power. Go figure. ☜

2. This is an excerpt from the song Chang’an Unseen (不见长安) composed by He Tu (河圖). ☜