Chapter 515: Chaotic Situation of the World

Chapter 515: The World in Chaos

Humans are always fond of taking things literally... Whether the names of the Heaven, Earth, and Man Rankings originally carried special meanings or not, in the eyes of the world, they are always understood according to their literal interpretations.

Most people believe that the Hidden Dragon Ranking is for rising stars, while the Man Ranking represents the mortal grandmasters.

The Heaven Ranking is beyond human, belonging to legendary figures dwelling in the clouds.

The Earth Ranking lies in between, a ladder between heaven and earth, a step on the path to ascension.

No matter how exaggerated people’s understanding of the Heaven and Earth Rankings might be, if Cui Wenjing and the others knew they were regarded as legends, would they laugh or cry? In any case, that’s how the world sees it. Even Zhao Changhe himself, back when he was ignorant, had looked upon the Vermilion Bird as if she were a demon god.

In other words, the number one on the Man Ranking is the strongest among “humans.” Those above are no longer quite considered human.

Once someone tops the Man Ranking, their status in the martial world becomes absurdly high.

However, in the past two years, three figures on the Earth Ranking had fallen in succession, and the top spot on the Man Ranking had changed hands like a revolving lantern, diminishing its former sacred aura. Zhao Changhe’s ascent to the top wasn’t even as sensational as when he first claimed the Hidden Dragon Ranking’s top spot. After all, this guy kept topping the rankings so often that the world had grown numb to it, as if they had long expected this day to come...

“What Chaos Chronicle? It’s just a Zhao Changhe Chronicle!” Tang Buqi was grumbling in his own mansion. “Every time his evaluation comes out, it’s either ‘First-Rate’ or ‘Slayer of Blossoms.’ Why not just call him the ‘King of Flowers’ outright? Or maybe ‘Flower Shame’ would be better.”

This was his mansion in the capital. The Tang family had indeed moved out of Suzhou, unwilling to sit on the powder keg of the Sword Emperor’s tomb. But poor Tang Buqi still had to keep an eye on the situation in Jiangnan. This trip to the capital was actually for another important matter.

Xuan Chong was visiting his mansion at the time. Hearing Tang Buqi’s complaints, he shook his head with a wry smile and didn’t chime in.

In truth, the Chaos Chronicle had previously given high praise to Yue Hongling and Han Wubing as well. Zhao Changhe often received superlative descriptions simply because he kept taking first place—there was nothing to argue about. Xuan Chong remained unruffled.

But using flowers as metaphors every time did feel a bit mischievous...

In his view, there was another, more pressing issue. He wondered why Tang Buqi wasn’t bringing it up. So Xuan Chong did: “I never expected Li Shen Tong to actually rebel... And this time, Zhao Changhe has sided with the rebels. Such a grave matter, and all you can do is nitpick over this?”

Tang Buqi was silent for a moment before slowly replying, “Even my aunt hasn’t said anything. What stance can I take?”

“Tang Shouzuo didn’t say anything?”

“What could she say? Li Si’an’s report made it clear: the people of Shu have long suffered under Zhai Muzhi. Even the Miao border unrest can be blamed on Zhai Muzhi’s oppression. My aunt had a feeling back then that Zhao Changhe wouldn’t be able to tolerate it. No matter whose name you invoke, it wouldn’t have worked.”

“...”

“To be fair, that kid has always said he leans toward the rebels. He never hid it. Yet he still had the patience to fight the barbarians and the heretics. We can’t ask for more.” Tang Buqi sighed. “It’s just that my aunt had thought her dream was about to come true, only for it to shatter. Who knows how this will end?”

Xuan Chong twitched his mouth. How would it end? The way he said it made it sound like Tang Shouzuo had already been devoured clean...

Tang Buqi took a sip of his wine and sighed again. “I don’t think she has the mind to deal with the southwest anymore. This Great Xia, patched up here and there, is suddenly leaking everywhere. There’s no more patching to be done.”

Xuan Chong knew what he was talking about. This trip to the capital was precisely for this reason.

Consort Huangfu Qing and Empress Wang had, for the first time, collaborated to push forward a single initiative: abolishing the canal system in favor of maritime transport.

This was the most critical part of the collaboration between the Four Symbols Sect and the Wang family. After a year of secret plotting, countless officials had been bribed and exchanged, and now the matter had finally been brought to court.

The livelihoods of a million canal workers were at stake. It was almost predictable what the Canal Guild’s reaction would be.

The Canal Guild was no simple organization. It was tied to countless official powers along the canal routes. In reality, this wasn’t just about the Canal Guild rebelling—it was also about countless officials rising in opposition, shaking the very foundation of Great Xia’s rule.

But there were a few subtle points to this matter.

First, in the long run, maritime transport was a good thing—something that had to be done sooner or later. Exploration overseas had long been advocated by the wise. If this had happened during Great Xia’s heyday, with proper coordination with the canal system, it wouldn’t necessarily have harmed the canal’s interests. The two could have coexisted.

Unfortunately, in these turbulent times, with the matter being forced through and Consort Huangfu deliberately stirring trouble, the outcome couldn’t possibly be ideal.

Second, this was beneficial to the Tang family. The Tang family itself was a coastal clan... The Tangs actually agreed with this.

Now Tang Wanzhuang was in a massive headache. Outside, she was locked in a constant battle with Consort Huangfu, nearly coming to blows. But when she returned home, from the elders to the younger generation, everyone was subtly urging her to agree. Tang Wanzhuang was overwhelmed and had recently refused to even leave her room.

Tang Buqi had come to the capital because the Tang family was in an uproar. As an important figure now stationed in the southeast, he naturally had to attend the family council. Besides, Wan Dongliu of the Canal Guild was his friend, which made his feelings even more complicated.

Of course, Tang Buqi had no idea that Wan Dongliu, as the Zhenshui Yin of the Four Symbols Sect, had wanted to rebel all along. This move was merely meant to force his father, Wan Tianxiong, to make a decision.

Nor did Tang Buqi know that this whole scheme had been suggested by Zhao Changhe to Consort Huangfu. If he did, his worldview might collapse entirely.

“Venerable One, was this really Zhao Changhe’s idea?” In the Four Symbols Sect’s capital villa, where Zhao Changhe had once stayed, Xia Chichi asked incredulously, staring at the Venerable One, whose face was hidden behind a firebird mask. “How could he come up with such a scheme to destabilize the state?”

The Vermilion Bird was in a good mood, lazily crossing her legs and leaning back on a soft couch. “Oh? Do you know him that well? No matter what, he’s still our Four Symbols Sect’s Shi Huo Zhu. Is it so strange for him to offer advice to the Holy Sect?”

Xia Chichi muttered, “He wasn’t a Zhu back then... It was that seductive Consort who turned him into one.”

The “seductive Consort” in question had her good mood nearly ruined. She glanced up and down at her disciple, thinking about finding another book for her to copy.

But inwardly, she had to marvel at the girl’s talent. From the moment she could resonate with both the Azure Dragon and White Tiger symbols, it was clear her talent surpassed both the Vermilion Bird and San Niang. Yet the Vermilion Bird hadn’t expected that, after sending her overseas to train for a while, she was already on the verge of the Second Hidden Treasury.

How old was she...

But her shock didn’t last long before it was shattered by the Chaos Chronicle’s announcement. That little man had already broken through the Second Hidden Treasury, surpassing Chichi.

Damn it, that was a miracle. Though Zhao Changhe was older than Chichi, how long had he been training? The Vermilion Bird felt this defied her understanding of martial arts. If he were an outsider, she’d probably want to dissect him...

But since it was Zhao Changhe, her feelings turned into pride. “My man is amazing.”

Then she looked at her disciple and found her annoying in every way.

Yet Xia Chichi insisted on showing off her understanding of Zhao Changhe: “If Changhe proposed this, it wasn’t just for rebellion. He must have had other reasons. He probably thought this would be a beneficial direction, something that could be coordinated with the Canal Guild... It’s just that, under the current circumstances, it happens to be a good way to force Wan Tianxiong’s hand.”

The Vermilion Bird squinted at her and finally said, “Yes, you’re right about everything.”

Xia Chichi felt the atmosphere shift. She shrank back and fell silent.

The Vermilion Bird couldn’t find a way to nitpick her. She couldn’t very well accuse her of stepping with her left foot first. So she said, “You just returned from overseas. Why ask so many questions? Tell me what you found out there.”

“There are people living overseas, but they aren’t the other races or civilizations we imagined. They’re just Xia people who fled abroad in earlier times to escape war... They also believe in a Sea God, but it’s hard to tell if such a deity truly exists or if it’s just a spontaneous belief born from the coastal people’s fear of the waves.”

If Zhao Changhe heard this, he’d be even more certain of his worldview.

A pure, quasi-Chinese fantasy world, not a quasi-Earth civilization. No Westerners.

This might be a meaningful discovery for Zhao Changhe, but for the Four Symbols Sect, it was utterly useless. Xia Chichi’s overseas trip had two purposes: to temper her Azure Dragon intent and to investigate the sea tribes in preparation for the upcoming fallout with the Wang family. The first goal was accomplished well, but the second yielded nothing.

Of course, Xia Chichi hadn’t gone far. The Four Symbols Sect wouldn’t let their Holy Maiden travel months or years away. What if something happened? So the lack of results was expected.

With important matters at hand, the Vermilion Bird had no time to nitpick. She frowned for a long time, then muttered to herself, “Knowing oneself and the enemy is crucial... I’m not afraid of Wang Daoning, but that yin energy from before... If we can’t figure out this so-called sea tribe business, we can’t recklessly fall out with the Wang family.”

Xia Chichi chuckled. “Wang Daozhong is now a loyal minister of Great Xia. He repelled the Helai, fought Maitreya, was wrongfully imprisoned, and then traveled thousands of miles to suppress the Miao rebellion. I’m so moved I could cry... Venerable One, do you think the Wang family might just follow this path and not rebel after all?”

Knowing she was joking, the Vermilion Bird still answered seriously, “The Wang family can’t go back. The Chaos Chronicle only needed four words—‘Intends to Ally with the Black Miao’—to turn all of Wang Daozhong’s seemingly loyal acts into a joke. Anyone with half a brain knows what Wang Daozhong was doing in the southwest... Before this, the Wang family could only be said to have ‘revealed rebellious intentions,’ but they hadn’t actually raised the banner. The court could still pretend to be deaf and dumb. But this time, they can’t pretend anymore. Tang Wanzhuang secretly met with Xia Longyuan last night and argued that they must strike first, wiping out the Wang family’s influence in the court.”

“The Consort knows all this? Then what did Xia... Xia Longyuan say?”

The Vermilion Bird said flatly, “I don’t know.”

Xia Chichi pursed her lips and muttered, “Truly a book of chaos... In other words, whether the canal abolition can be implemented or not, whether the Canal Guild rebels or not, the Wang family will definitely rebel. And with Li Shen Tong conquering Bashu, Xiang Simeng consolidating the Miao territories, Wan Tianxiong rising in Jianghuai, all backed by our Four Symbols Sect... The separatist regime Maitreya created in Jiangnan hasn’t been resolved yet. Fires are breaking out everywhere. Tang Wanzhuang can no longer patch things up... This is the true beginning of chaos.”

Her tone carried a hint of lament, tinged with complexity.

The Vermilion Bird glanced at her sideways, feeling equally complex.

If Chichi were the true princess, such feelings would indeed be hard to put into words.

She suddenly wondered, when Zhao Changhe stepped out of the information-blocked Bashu and saw the world had become like this, what would he think?

“What will he think?” Xia Chichi murmured.

The Vermilion Bird sighed. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Xia Chichi looked up at the Venerable One in surprise. The Vermilion Bird smiled faintly. “If you want to see him, just wait here. If I’m not mistaken, his next stop will definitely be the capital.”