Chapter 174: Sisi Leaves

Chapter 174: Sisi Departs

In these days, Zhao Changhe felt as if he had returned to the Beimang of old.

When no one was around, he hid in his room with the Celestial Book, learning the Sword Emperor's methods step by step from the basics upward.

When Tang Wanzhuang came, he would spread out paper and grind ink, with her adding fragrance to his sleeves as she wrote sword formulas and drew diagrams.

No battles were fought; the blade was settling.

No need to listen to the zither; his heart was already at peace.

It was exactly like those days when he went out to learn the blade from Instructor Sun and returned home to eat with Chichi.

He had once thought that entering the world meant being in a den of bandits, his mind tense and matters urgent. But when he looked back, he realized that was actually the most peaceful and stable period of his cultivation.

When accumulation reached a certain point, it surged like a great river, cascading from the nine heavens.

"Your calligraphy is getting better and better." Tang Wanzhuang ground the ink, watching the smooth strokes flow from his brush, feeling a joy like watching a child improve.

She hadn't taught Zhao Changhe much about calligraphy—only a few tips on brush techniques and some aesthetic considerations for structure and layout. Nothing more detailed.

Zhao Changhe's heart wasn't in it, and his talent in this area was rather poor. Sometimes, a single sentence had to be explained for ages before he understood, making him even denser than Tang Buzhi as a child. If anyone tried to teach him in detail, they would surely be driven to fury—his aptitude for this was the complete opposite of his martial talent.

But having learned, he had learned. One could clearly feel his characters becoming more skilled and rounded, and sense the calm within him, the restless sharpness growing more restrained.

In terms of pure aesthetics, Zhao Changhe and she also had significant differences. His writing was bold in layout and unrestrained in structure, making it clear that he would never be associated with the elegant and refined prince of a royal house. One could also glimpse, beneath the calm surface of these days, the restless wildness lurking within.

But that was fine. That was Zhao Changhe.

"You said she would leave in a couple of days, but it's been seven or eight days now. Is that okay?" Zhao Changhe asked casually, not lifting his head as he wrote the sword manual.

"I just said that to urge you to hurry. She has no fixed time to leave. Learning an entire system of sword techniques—how could that be so fast? I know you're clever, but you're not a god."

"And you? You told your nephew ten days, and that's about right too." Zhao Changhe asked. "You've been appearing and disappearing these days, suddenly showing up to keep me company for a while, drawing a picture, then vanishing again. Is there so much to explore in the mausoleum? Aren't you afraid to go inside?"

"Not the mausoleum... We've been preparing to reseal it, and the preparations are almost done." Tang Wanzhuang sighed. "What's been occupying my mind is mainly the Maitreya Sect."

Zhao Changhe paused his brush slightly and turned to look at her.

Tang Wanzhuang said calmly, "The Maitreya Sect in Gusu has been purged these past few days, but the entire Jiangnan region is brewing a storm. I know some things are unavoidable."

"So you're staying in Gusu? This place is actually more convenient than the capital."

"It's not much use. The Demon-Suppression Bureau only handles matters of the martial world. I can't mobilize troops or conquer cities. Aside from gathering intelligence and reporting it to the capital, all I can do is watch helplessly."

Tang Wanzhuang's eyes were empty, staring blankly at the inkstone, as if she were watching the storm gathering over Jiangnan. She knew where it came from, but could do nothing.

Although the affairs of the martial world largely represented the balance of power, they weren't entirely consistent. No matter how much the Demon-Suppression Bureau did, it couldn't ultimately change the tide.

Zhao Changhe suddenly asked, "Is the emperor actually handling matters? Does he show himself?"

"He does, but not much."

"More time in seclusion?"

"Yes..."

"He must know the situation, right?"

"He does, and he has issued some orders, but with little effect. Not to mention other things—just the laziness in governance and the slackness in the military that you've seen—these can't be reversed by a few decrees now. And there are plenty of people who pay lip service while disobeying, all waiting for the right moment. When that time comes, they may no longer follow imperial orders."

Zhao Changhe continued writing the sword manual. "Since you know it's this rotten, and the emperor isn't completely neglecting things but it's still useless... then what's the point of your patching things up? You might as well take Suzhou and Hangzhou for yourself and become a warlord."

Tang Wanzhuang glared at his profile, speechless. This wasn't the answer she wanted. "Do you know what 'the right moment' I mentioned refers to?"

"Old Xia is still the best in the world, so his deterrence remains. But he's old, and I hear he might have run into trouble. Others may be restless, but they can wait a few years. The so-called right moment is the day he dies. With no heir, won't there be chaos?"

"So you know all this."

"I also know that if you look at it coldly, the Maitreya Sect rebelling now, before that moment, is actually a good thing. Great Xia hasn't completely breathed its last yet. It can still suppress the Maitreya Sect."

"Why do you say 'look at it coldly'?"

"Because in the end, it's the common people who suffer."

Tang Wanzhuang was silent for a moment, then said quietly, "So why do you think I'm patching things up? No matter how rotten it is now, it's still better than a world in chaos."

Zhao Changhe sighed. "But it's useless. The tide is unstoppable. How can one person stop it? It's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—you'll just be crushed under the wheels."

Tang Wanzhuang stared fixedly at the ink in the inkstone, and after a long while said, "There always has to be someone like that."

With that, she seemed unwilling to continue the topic. She stood up and began organizing the manuscript Zhao Changhe had just finished. "This sword technique of yours is already at the level of a hidden treasure. Can you perform it?"

"I can barely use its form, but it has no real power. Drawing a diagram for you is still doable." Zhao Changhe didn't pursue the subject further and changed the topic. "Relying on my own strength to organize a branch of sword techniques—I can't do that now. The deeper parts are beyond my current level of understanding. For now, this might be the limit... I don't know if it's enough for Sisi."

"Even if it's not enough, it's still better than her past efforts of stealing bits and pieces here and there. And there's infinite potential for the future, a stable source. But compared to her stealing the sword seal, the gap is a bit large..."

"The sword seal isn't hers." Zhao Changhe said. "If she didn't use tricks, following normal exploration and legitimate acquisition, that thing should have been yours, and the distribution should have been decided by you. She knows that, which is why she schemed."

"Once something is in hand, losing it again—few people can be so clear-headed about it. Speaking of which, don't you need to talk to her yourself? You haven't seen each other for days. I don't think you need to be so petty. She's really been well-behaved lately."

Except for being too scared to kiss me.

Tang Wanzhuang pouted almost imperceptibly. She really didn't dare.

Why should she dare?

"I'm not being petty. I'm still doing my best... Anyway, I really can't handle the rest. Let's go see her today and ask if she needs anything else."

...

"I don't need anything." When Sisi was seen, her expression was very calm. "If the sword seal had been given to me, with my current knowledge of martial arts, I would never have been able to decipher such a systematic sword technique. And if I handed it to my clan elders to decipher, I would lose control and dominance. Looking at it now, this outcome actually serves my interests best. I got what I wanted, and the follow-up is still in my hands."

Zhao Changhe looked into her eyes. The peach-blossom charm and the star-bright radiance that once shone there were now hidden deep, blurred and indistinct.

Her face still wore a smiling expression, but it was no longer the deliberate, ingratiating smile of a maidservant, nor the bright anticipation of listening to stories. It looked very polite... yes, very businesslike.

Once, it was Tang Wanzhuang who was businesslike. Now it was her.

"Since I have obtained this, I should go." Sisi sighed. "I've been away from home for a long time. Actually, I miss home too... The Divine Land is not a good place. The men here are more annoying than the last."

"..." Zhao Changhe couldn't be bothered to argue. He didn't know what he felt at that moment, so he just asked, "When I decipher higher-level sword techniques later, how do I give them to you?"

"I'll come find you myself." Sisi smiled faintly. "A long river surges, unstoppable. I believe that as long as I enter the Divine Land again, I'll hear news of where you are at any time."

Zhao Changhe said, "And you? Are you and your kind not recorded in the Book of Chaos?"

"Possibly. Otherwise, the rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Man might change... But since I've entered the Divine Land, the Book of Chaos knows me now. Next time, I might have a place." Sisi's smile turned a bit sharp. "Zhao Changhe, don't let me catch up to you."

Zhao Changhe didn't understand what that meant. "So what if you catch up? There are plenty of people ahead of me..."

"Heh... I spent so long as your maidservant, letting you take every advantage, because I lacked strength and had to play along. If I ever gain power..." She paused, and a hint of her former charm flickered across her face. "I wouldn't mind having an extra slave to wash my feet."

With that, she turned and walked away from the mausoleum passage. "You like the businesslike type so much, don't you? Well, here it is."

Zhao Changhe watched her alluring figure depart, feeling that she was being tsundere...

Like children who say they've broken up, each putting on a stern face.

Tang Wanzhuang, watching from the side, felt that Zhao Changhe was the same.

She had a feeling that these two, both outstanding figures in their respective clans, might stir up even more storms with this "breakup."