Chapter 417: A New Stage

Chapter 417: The New Stage

The sun had not yet fully set, and many were still at their evening meals.

From household to household, people raised their eyes to gaze upon the broadsheet of the Book of Troubled Times, a scene mirror-imaging how Zhao Changhe’s family used to gather around the dining table to watch the evening news before his transmigration.

Well, though it had been many years since he last watched it.

The Book of Troubled Times rarely broadcasted such intricate, multi-sided military engagements. If it were a war, it would often suffice with a single line of grand, sweeping narrative, whereas a duel between masters qualified for the Rankings of Troubled Times seldom featured so many combatants simultaneously, unfolding across multiple fronts at once, to the point that even the broadsheet found it difficult to describe.

Within a mere dozen days, a similar situation had occurred twice; the previous incident at the Yang family home had seemed like a rehearsal, where the Book of Troubled Times had barely managed to clarify the battle in dry, unadorned terms, yet this instance was even more absurd—how was the Book of Troubled Times to broadcast this?

It mattered not that the phrasing was vague; everyone would search for the key points themselves.

Counting at random, how many names from the Heaven and Earth Rankings were there... ordinary folk rarely chanced upon a single one in their lifetimes, yet here, Maitreya and the gods and demons behind him were fortunate enough to be beaten to a pulp by so many in unison.

Whom exactly had they provoked...

Ah, rebellion had provoked Xia Longyuan, so it was likely organized by the Emperor; seeing the presence of Cui Wenjing and Yang Jingxiu, it became understandable.

But if it were organized by Xia Longyuan, what was the matter with Ying Wu? And even setting Ying Wu aside, what was the matter with Xuanwu and Zhuque?

Even if the appearance of Xuanwu and Zhuque could be overlooked, Zhuque and Tang Wanzhuang joining forces to strike Maitreya?

Over these years, how many battles had the Demon Suppression Bureau and the Four Symbols Cult fought... do not think that Tang Wanzhuang fighting Maitreya four times this year was a lot; in previous years, Zhuque and Tang Wanzhuang had probably fought more than ten times.

These two joining forces to strike Maitreya?

If there were someone penning the Book of Troubled Times, could that person have gone blind?

Regrettably, the credibility of the Book of Troubled Times over all these years remained formidable... people might dissent from the rankings, grumbling that someone who had never fought could somehow fill a vacancy on the Human Ranking, or that someone’s potential was higher than another’s... yet regarding what events had transpired, there had never been word of an error.

Zhuque had truly joined forces with Tang Wanzhuang... so, had the Four Symbols Cult been granted amnesty and enlisted by the court?

The paradigm of the world seemed about to shift...

The most severe transformation was not the suspected amnesty of the Four Symbols Cult, but rather that the might of ancient gods and demons, never before revealed to the world, had finally unveiled a corner of the iceberg.

"Zhao Changhe severed the head of Maitreya"—from this phrasing, the primary merit belonged surprisingly to one from the Human Ranking... though impressive, it was not the critical factor; the critical factor was the proof that so many from the Heaven and Earth Rankings joining forces had not won an easy victory, but had instead been locked in a stalemate, which was why the Human Ranking became the scales that tipped the balance between victory and defeat.

The vast majority of people did not know that gods and demons of the previous era still lived, believing them to be mere legends... this time, not only did they learn that such beings truly lived, but that they were also so powerful that an ambush by so many familiar, ferocious figures had actually resulted in a stalemate!

Could this be a god or demon of the highest tier even in ancient times? Surely there could not be many... if there were many, and they emerged to ravage the lands, who could again organize such a hunt?

One might as well continue to suspect that the Book of Troubled Times was the premier flatterer of Zhao Changhe, deliberately highlighting him. With so many fierce figures present, he had actually received a solitary verdict!

"No need for pale green or deep crimson, it is naturally the first class among flowers..."

In truth, quite a few people discerned the flavor within; this meant precisely that he did not possess martial might or renown as dazzling as the others, yet he remained the one who played the most vital role.

Or perhaps it could be said that he was the most outstanding among the younger generation.

Yet few were willing to believe this, preferring instead to say he possessed excellent luck in romance...

Back during the Hidden Dragon Ranking, thirty-eight was played out and abandoned, was it, and this time on the Human Ranking it was thirty-seven.

Did it signify three wives and seven concubines?

Over there, the rumors concerning Xia Chichi and Yue Hongling still lingered, and here the pact of the Human Ranking was fulfilled; Cui Wenjing was at the scene, so how would the father-in-law and son-in-law fare upon meeting...

No one knew that Tang Buqi, who arrived at the mountain peak while also reading the ranking, looked back and forth between Cui Wenjing and Zhao Changhe with a wary expression.

To his mind, this scoundrel's "three wives" might well include his aunt...

Even fewer knew that Sanniang, beneath her tortoise mask, looked toward Zhuque with eyes that turned full of smiles.

...

Wang Zhaoling led the clan’s troops southward, and before they had covered a few hundred li, a scout from ahead arrived to report: "Young Master, Yang Bugui has entered Xuzhou with great fanfare."

"With great fanfare," Wang Zhaoling repeated, gazing into the distance toward Xuzhou in silence.

For a power reputed to span provinces and link commanderies, the imperial court would not simply lie down and allow you to connect them at will.

Xuzhou, the closest major stronghold south of Langya, would not have its chief official appointed from the Wang family, but rather from the old retainers of the Yang family. This sort of interlocking, basic checks and balances had to exist.

And if Langya wished to go south to Su and Yang, it essentially had to pass through Xuzhou.

When Yang Bugui entered Xuzhou with great fanfare, he was fundamentally delivering a message: the path for you to head south and stir up trouble has been blocked by my Yang family.

Regarding the matter of the Yang family’s birthday banquet, the Wang family was naturally aware; while rescuing Wang Daotong, Wang Zhaoling leading the multitude southward was of course done with the readiness to clash with the Yang family.

For a moment, he sighed slightly; his previous relationship with Yang Bugui had been quite good... times change, and in the end, they met with weapons drawn.

"March on, arrive before dark..." Before his words could fall, a rider galloped swiftly from the west: "Young Master, Cui Yuanyong has stationed troops in Puyang."

Wang Zhaoling’s expression finally changed.

If the Yang family turning their backs fell within expectations, then the Cui family pressing their troops against the western line so resolutely was the worst item among everyone's contingencies.

He knew not how many troops Cui Yuanyong had brought... indeed, there was no need to know.

As long as this attitude was displayed, the Wang family had to deliberate whether they still dared to go south!

Wang Zhaoling hesitated for a moment; taking charge for the first time only to face such a decision was truly a test.

While he hesitated, a golden light flashed across the sky, as the Book of Troubled Times proclaimed to the mortal world.

Wang Zhaoling raised his head to stare blankly, and after a long while, he let out a long sigh: "How swiftly Maitreya fell... what a Tang Buqi, what a... Zhao Changhe."

He no longer tangled himself in doubt, turning his horse around to rein it in: "Withdraw the troops!"

There was no longer any need to hesitate; he had originally felt that the other side would confront each other for a period with various offensive and defensive deployments, and as long as the Wang family pressed their troops north of the river, the Tang family would be thrown into utter disarray. Yet Tang Buqi had launched a surprise raid—one Maitreya had not expected, and one their Wang family had not expected either.

What was even less expected was that within half an hour, the battle was finished... Maitreya simply could not hold out.

Who could hold out against so many from the Heaven and Earth Rankings? It was practically bullying... Wang Zhaoling glanced once more at the name of Cui Wenjing, knowing in his heart that Cui Yuanyong’s stationing in Puyang was not strange in the slightest... with his own father facing danger on the front line, how could he allow outsiders to backstab them?

Was this Cui fellow taking the side of his son-in-law, abandoning the marriage alliance on this side?

Or was it merely because of the shadow of gods and demons, which Cui Wenjing held in particular regard?

Wang Zhaoling was momentarily disinclined to consider it, leaving it for his father to ponder... at this moment, what revolved most in his heart remained the verdict regarding Zhao Changhe.

Among the younger generation, that man was indeed the most outstanding, whether during the time of the Hidden Dragon past, or now commanding the Human Ranking.

What of them?

Wang Zhaoling, Cui Yuanyong, Yang Bugui. Three pinnacle families, three former friends, three top Hidden Dragons, facing each other in a triangle, meeting with weapons drawn.

Among them, Yang Bugui had lain down to become the top Hidden Dragon a few days ago, and just now had lain down to fill a vacancy on the Human Ranking.

Including Tang Buqi, who had left the ranking due to exceeding the age limit... on this day, everyone was no longer a Hidden Dragon.

It seemed also to declare that the hidden dragons had emerged from the abyss; the outstanding talents of the younger generation in this era had fully stepped onto the stage to stand on their own.

Wang Zhaoling looked back toward the south, murmuring softly to himself: "We have no dazzling achievements on the ranking, merely because we seldom clash with others. But now the winds and clouds of the world have changed... the most brilliant branch among the hundred flowers in the future may not always be you, Zhao Changhe."

...

Regardless of how much turmoil existed in the world, or how many lamentations Wang Zhaoling held in his heart as a peer, at this time in Kuaiji, Tang Buqi was arranging the cleanup work in the city, so busy he lacked even the time to relieve himself, while Cui Wenjing, Yang Jingxiu, and the others were laying out wine to celebrate, and Zhao Changhe was convalescing.

The others were not injured, at most slightly overextended like Tang Wanzhuang; though several like Zhuque and Xuanwu had blood seeping from the corners of their mouths, those were very ordinary concussive injuries, and for people of the martial world, bearing such injuries was akin to being unhurt.

There were truly only two casualties. Ying Wu possessed thick vitality, and the slight injuries from being blasted could not be seen after he popped a few pills himself; he went to drink as cheerfully as if nothing had happened, and the only one truly injured to the point of immobility was Zhao Changhe, whom the Book of Troubled Times had just dubbed the first class among flowers.

After every major battle, he always seemed to lie in the room like a dead dog, unable to participate in the celebrations of others, unable to drink even a mouthful of wine, indeed resembling a delicate flower.

That time at Yanmen could not be helped, as he truly could not defeat Vulture and Lieya. This time he could, yet purely to buy time and free his hands at the fastest speed to unleash Longque, he had been forced to endure a blade from Fachi.

The gold foil he usually kept on his chest as a heart-protecting mirror had been taken away; this time without it, he was slashed horribly, one of his ribs nearly broken.

Last time, his place was bustling with visitors, several coming to deliver medicine; this time, no one paid him any mind. Last time, Yue Hongling, hard-mouthed but soft-hearted, helped with dual cultivation; this time, no one could help.

Let alone Tang Wanzhuang, who was still stubbornly refusing to admit her feelings; even if she were willing, in front of so many people, she couldn’t really run in and be shameless with him—did she still want to keep her dignity?

So there was no one; he couldn’t count on San Niang, could he… Zhao Changhe, feeling wronged, activated the Return Spring Technique himself to heal his wounds; at least it was somewhat useful…

Just as he was thinking this, the window creaked open, and San Niang, wearing a turtle mask, jumped in with a “thud.”

“…” Zhao Changhe opened his mouth, his first reaction not to guess San Niang’s intentions, but to feel that he must find a description, first to describe her mask…