Chapter 531: Changhe Goes to Sea

Chapter 531: The Long River Flows to the Sea

Zhao Changhe lingered in the capital for roughly three days.

There was no pressing need to rush. Tang Wanzhuang had sent someone to deliver a petal of the Lotus of Rebirth to Puyang, and Zhao Changhe was waiting to see how Cui Wenjing fared after waking up.

Meanwhile, staying at the Tang residence, he pored over the Demon Suppression Bureau’s overseas archives and previously surveyed sea charts, gaining a general understanding of conditions beyond the coast.

He cross-referenced these with the *Atlas of Mountains and Rivers*, which contained records of many overseas islands. He wondered if they still existed in this era—they seemed useful, and it was highly likely they had turned into secret realms.

Among them were records of various resources, valuable for cultivation, healing, or sword forging, quite different from those on land.

For instance, there was a kind of Profound Water Black Algae, extremely beneficial for treating Tang Wanzhuang’s condition.

Another example: sinews from dragon-like creatures, such as flood dragons, could be used to make bows that would rival the Ancient Sword Dragon Emperor in grade. Some special sea ores included the primary material used to forge the Ice Soul in ancient times.

Many of these items were highly advantageous for water-attribute cultivation. However, this water attribute was not the same as Tang Wanzhuang’s Spring Water Sword Intent; it was more aligned with the Five Elements Intent of the Four Symbols Sect. It felt like it should be Turtle’s domain, and he guessed that San Niang had likely roamed the seas in her early years.

And so on.

Add to that the scattered secret realms of this era—it was obvious even to a fool that there must be many in the sea. For a wandering martial artist seeking to improve himself, going to sea was certainly meaningful. The farther and deeper the sea, the more significant it became. But the merciless winds and waves deterred most from daring to go.

Zhao Changhe had been even more reluctant before. It was dangerous enough, and the sea clans were lurking. Back when he was at the First Secret Treasury, he truly didn’t dare. Now, his confidence had grown considerably. The most dangerous Sea Emperor was surely under Xia Longyuan’s watch, and as for the other sea clans, he had little to fear.

“Hey, Blind One.”

Blind One: “...”

“There’s definitely a Heavenly Book in the sea, right? Probably more than one page. After all, the sea is bigger than the land...”

“Don’t apply the logic that the sea is bigger than the land to this world. Wang Daoning might boast that way, but it’s not true.”

Zhao Changhe was taken aback. Oh, right—this world was likely a flat earth with a round sky. The sea might not actually be larger than the land, and there might indeed be an edge of the heavens.

“There is indeed a Heavenly Book in the sea,” Blind One said at last. “Two pages, in fact. One I can no longer sense—I estimate it’s already in the Sea Emperor’s hands. That’s why the Sword Emperor remains asleep while the Sea Emperor can start stirring up trouble.”

“Meaning the Sword Emperor and the Sea Emperor are on the same level?”

“Roughly, both are on par with the ancient Four Symbols.” Blind One said, “The other page is exactly where Xia Chichi is headed. I don’t know if Xia Longyuan sending her there harbors any malice at all.”

Zhao Changhe frowned.

Though he had mentally prepared himself, it was still hard to comprehend such thinking.

“By the way, can you explain the subsequent realm divisions? It’s not a secret, is it?”

“Actually, they’re all Imperial Realms, just like the Secret Treasuries—three levels for Secret Treasury, three for Imperial Realm.” Blind One said, “In truth, the Imperial Realm can already be considered divine. Soaring through clouds and mist, moving mountains and draining seas, projecting the yin spirit—these are all divine abilities in every sense. Of course, gods differ among themselves, so further subdivision is necessary. But generally, the ancient texts that survive don’t go into such detail. For such lofty matters, it’s already remarkable if they have any records about the Imperial Realm...”

Zhao Changhe was a bit surprised by Blind One’s attitude.

It was like boiling a frog slowly—now she was acting like a portable guide, but without any sarcasm or tsundere, answering so directly. For Blind One, that was quite rare. Well, she still looked down on the knowledge of modern people.

But the next page of the Heavenly Book was ahead, and he himself wanted to go. Blind One was in a good mood, so she became amiable. That’s how it was when one had a desire, whether human or god.

He wondered what she would say if he told her, “This Blind One, you wouldn’t want the next page of the Heavenly Book to be lost, would you?”

Of course, he kept that thought to himself and asked seriously, “So how exactly is it subdivided?”

Blind One, unaware of his frivolous musings, answered quite thoroughly: “The first realm is the initial condensation of the yin spirit, flying through the heavens and burrowing into the earth—you can think of it as riding the wind and clouds. The second realm is mastery over the laws you cultivate; wind, rain, thunder, and lightning are no longer things you merely use, but things you command. The third realm is naturally the master of all things, where the yin spirit transforms into yang, achieving immortality and eternal life. The so-called ‘imperial’ essentially means dominion—the extent and scope of your dominion define the dividing line.”

Zhao Changhe mused, “So cultivation progresses from the self to the soul, and the soul from yin to yang. The Night Emperor should be at the third realm, but he hasn’t fully succeeded. Does that mean he still needs to cultivate to the peak, or is there a realm beyond?”

In the void, Blind One folded her arms: “There is.”

“What?”

“The Heavenly Dao. To replace it. That’s even more imperial—imperial over everything.”

Blind One actually cracked such a joke, surprising Zhao Changhe greatly. After a long pause, he said, “Being imperial over everything will only harm you.”

Blind One: “?”

Zhao Changhe said, “But the Heavenly Dao can die. Didn’t you say the yang spirit is immortal?”

“Life and death are always relative... There is no absolutely immortal thing. Did your materialism go to waste?”

“Damn... Are you simultaneously splitting your soul in the modern world, constantly learning new knowledge? You’re talking to me about materialism in this fantasy world? Where would Newton’s coffin lid even stay put here?”

Blind One fell silent.

Zhao Changhe seized the chance to ask, “So how do I cultivate...”

Blind One cut him off: “Asking about concepts is one thing, but wanting me to teach you how to cultivate—wake up.”

“Is it that you don’t want to teach, or you can’t?”

Blind One still said nothing.

Zhao Changhe suddenly said, “With all these self-imposed restrictions, who is it that ‘imperials’ over you?”

Blind One said coldly, “It’s certainly not you.”

Zhao Changhe didn’t reply.

...

After two days of studying overseas materials, news came from Puyang: Cui Wenjing had awakened and was sent back to Qinghe. Many renowned physicians were attending to him, and with the Lotus of Rebirth delivered, his condition was improving.

Zhao Changhe breathed a sigh of relief. He figured that for the subsequent recovery treatment, he was no better than those famous doctors. He still couldn’t cure Wanzhuang’s illness either. It was time to go out and seek other paths.

These days, Tang Wanzhuang was busy reorganizing the capital. Though she no longer went out personally, there was still a mountain of work. She didn’t even have time to eat with Zhao Changhe. For the past two days, it was Baoqin who brought him tea and meals, already treating herself as the young master’s maid.

“Baoqin.”

Baoqin, who was boiling water and making tea in the room, turned around: “Huh?”

“Are the Tang family’s ships and crew ready?”

“They’ve arrived, but they can’t dock at the northern port directly. You’ll have to go south...”

“I know.” Zhao Changhe stood up, walked over, and ruffled her hair. “Take good care of your mistress... I won’t say goodbye to her. Parting sorrow is too sticky; I’m afraid it will affect her mood and worsen her illness.”

Baoqin: “... You’re a bit like that dog outside, licking my shoe until I kicked it.”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

Baoqin: “...”

Baoqin’s hair quickly turned into a bird’s nest. Zhao Changhe turned and left: “Wanzhuang hasn’t come to see me these past two days for the same reason. The bond between her and me—what would a little girl like you know?”

Baoqin shook her little fist behind him.

I’m not a little girl. I know you only have half a cup of tea left...

As if to confirm Zhao Changhe’s words, shortly after he left, Tang Wanzhuang, who had been “too busy to be seen,” appeared beside Baoqin: “Has he left?”

Baoqin nodded dazedly: “He’s gone. Miss, he has such presence now, except for his habit of turning people’s hair into bird’s nests.”

Tang Wanzhuang turned to look at the sky beyond the door and murmured to herself: “In every way, he has grown up...”

She looked down at the intelligence report she had just received, which matched Zhao Changhe’s prediction from yesterday exactly: “Urgent report from the Prince of Monan, Batu: In the high autumn with fat horses, Temur shows signs of a resurgence. Requesting support from Great Xia.”

In July, the Langya Wang clan marched on the capital but was blocked by the Qinghe Cui clan at Puyang. The Canal Guild rose in rebellion in Jianghuai; the Jiangnan gentry established separatist regimes; Li Shentong dominated Bashu; Guanzhong was in turmoil. The northern barbarians were reviving; sea clan gods and demons loomed. Xia Longyuan played a game of chess with the Sea Emperor.

Amidst this chaos, Zhao Changhe boarded a sea vessel and set sail for the Eastern Sea.