Chapter 803: Journey to the Western Regions

Chapter 803: Journey to the Western Regions

No matter how sparkling, one could not linger in public—their reputations would be utterly ruined. Zhao Changhe departed quickly.

In truth, as long as it wasn't so blatantly in the open, slipping inside to do something was hardly unprecedented. Tang Wanzhuang dearly hoped Zhao Changhe would quietly return after leaving, but even Baoqin knew he would not.

From the capital to the Western Regions spanned ten thousand miles. The three days agreed with Ying Wu meant at least half a day on the road, with variables to account for. Thus this was Zhao Changhe's last night in the capital; he had to leave at dawn. That night, he still had to exchange views with Huangfu Qing and the others, make arrangements—he couldn't linger here forever.

Sure enough, the next morning, Tang Wanzhuang went to the palace before dawn. At the Grand Temple, she saw Zhao Changhe was already gone.

The Four Symbols were all present, seemingly practicing a simplified Four Symbols formation without Zhao Changhe.

Tang Wanzhuang glanced and noticed that overnight, Huangfu Qing had also reached the Second Layer of the Imperial Realm.

"Yesterday, when everyone gained their own insights, I didn't see any sign of your breakthrough. Did you break through last night?" Tang Wanzhuang was astonished. "These days, breakthroughs are like cabbages for you all. If just dual cultivation with Changhe does it, why can't I?"

"There was another situation last night." Huangfu Qing's face showed no pride; instead, she pouted slightly, with a hint of petty grievance at being favored.

Tang Wanzhuang found it amusing: "Hey, he helped you break through, and you're acting like a resentful wife?"

San Niang giggled: "Changhe used the power of the firmament to take her on a spirit journey ten thousand miles to the land of Southern Brightness Lihuo. She absorbed the Southern Brightness Lihuo, pushing her Vermilion Bird power to its peak. Then he left, like he was rushing to the next stop... Someone thought her breakthrough would come with a perilous tale of companionship, but it was just this—a huge disappointment."

Tang Wanzhuang laughed even more.

What is this? This is a breakthrough to the Second Layer of the Imperial Realm, the perfection and peak of the Vermilion Bird law—the pinnacle every martial artist in the world dreams of. What did you think it was for? To stay there and let you and Changhe have a romance?

Besides, the Southern Brightness Lihuo had been discovered long ago. It had already been used to forge swords, proving it was ownerless with no special guardians. All Changhe needed was a finer perception to find the exact spot and go directly. It was already considered a prize in the bag—how could it be earth-shattering or epic?

Of course, Tang Wanzhuang could fully understand the desire for a story-worthy experience, but that shouldn't be Huangfu Qing...

Is this still the former Vermilion Bird Venerable? Has she been spoiled rotten?

Xia Chichi pressed her hand to her lips, pretending to shield her words from her master, and leaned sideways to whisper to Tang Wanzhuang: "She thinks we had a happy day being accompanied yesterday, and she didn't get the same treatment. She's jealous."

"Xia Chichi, you traitor!" Huangfu Qing glared. "Who's jealous over something like that? I spent the whole journey with him on the grasslands, sleeping together. Jealous of your half-day? And you, Tang Wanzhuang, sharing a ruler and a servant—aren't you ashamed?"

Tang Wanzhuang finally burst out laughing and couldn't be bothered to reply.

You and your disciple share a man—that's practically mother and daughter... Who knows if Changhe has done that yet? It's only a matter of time. And you dare to talk about me?

Huangfu Qing knew her act wasn't convincing and didn't want Tang Wanzhuang to channel Baoqin and expose her other flaws, so she quickly changed the subject: "The ancient Four Symbols only reached the peak of the Second Layer of the Imperial Realm, unable to break through to the Third Layer. That's the limitation of the Four Symbols themselves—pushed to the apex, that's it. If we want the Third Layer, we need to forge our own path. Any ideas?"

No one answered her.

What ideas could there be? Not everyone in the world seeks the ultimate Dao. Below the Third Layer, there are traces to follow; everyone has their own heritage and direction. With talent and effort, it's achievable. But at the Third Layer, the limit of laws, it's more about qi and fate—somewhat predetermined. Effort doesn't guarantee results.

Forcing it might lead to obsession and unpredictable consequences.

If the Night Emperor sought to replace the Heavenly Dao, that's obsession on a higher level. Who knows if the chaos of the era stems from that—that's a world calamity... This is the most typical example.

Huangfu Qing herself knew this; there was no point in discussing it. But if anyone among them was most interested in such matters, it used to be her, the Vermilion Bird Venerable. Now, judging by what she was jealous of just now, it was clear that wouldn't happen.

Xia Chichi acted as if her master didn't exist and continued to Tang Wanzhuang: "I'll go to court with you later and arrange matters for the coming days. From now on, my main focus will be practicing the Four Symbols formation. You'll handle state affairs. I'll make one last appearance for the spring examinations, hold the palace exam, and then we'll leave."

Tang Wanzhuang performed a ruler-minister bow for the first time in private: "Rest assured, Your Majesty."

In her heart, she sighed a little—it was all about seclusion or departure. If the late emperor had also arranged things in advance and finished important tasks before leaving for seclusion or long trips, the situation would never have been like before.

But Xia Chichi's response was: "Are you being so serious just to make him more excited next time?"

San Niang and Huangfu Qing's gazes all fell on Tang Wanzhuang's face, with expressions of "We get it, you're really into it." Tang Wanzhuang flicked her sleeves and left.

San Niang sighed: "You're still pouting over there. The one who should really pout is me. A few days ago, he said that no matter how we split up on the next campaign, he'd go with me. But now, the ones with me are still you detestable vixens. Men are all liars."

...

Zhao Changhe rode the Dark Steed, already past the Qinling Mountains.

To the north was the Nine Nether-shrouded Guanlong region; to the south was Bashu, waiting to be taken over.

Li Shengtong wanted either himself or Tang Wanzhuang to take over; he didn't trust anyone else in the court. Unfortunately, neither was free. Tang Wanzhuang definitely couldn't leave now. Though he was passing by, this was a territorial merger, not something one person could settle with a few words...

He'd have to leave it for now and take over later... Zhao Changhe thought it over and decided to first head south to check on Li Shengtong's injuries.

"You came alone to take over Bashu?" Situ Xiao greeted Zhao Changhe, who had descended from the sky, with utter disbelief. "Are you playing house?"

"No, just passing by to visit Senior Li."

Situ Xiao led him to the back hall, asking curiously: "So, do you want Bashu or not?"

Zhao Changhe patted Situ Xiao on the shoulder: "I'll appoint you as the Governor of Shu Commandery first, or maybe the Inspector of Yizhou? Just change the banner, change the banner, ha."

Situ Xiao's expression was like he'd eaten something foul: "So you really are playing house?"

"What, you don't want it?"

"If I knew how to be some Governor of Shu Commandery, why would I hand the place over to you?" Situ Xiao was exasperated. "Do you really think I'm surrendering to you? We thought you could govern it better, and now you're shoving it back at me—what kind of nonsense is that?"

Zhao Changhe looked him over and suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I'm saying, while the heroes of the world fight to the death over a piece of land, here we are, acting like we're disgusted with each other."

Situ Xiao rolled his eyes: "Who the hell fights over land?"

"Alright, alright. I'm saying, don't insist on Wanzhuang coming. She really doesn't have time. How about this: I see you're familiar with Li Si'an—he's Wanzhuang's trusted man. I'll send him, how about that?"

"Fine, fine." Situ Xiao asked curiously: "I thought you had nothing much to do anymore, so why are you so busy?"

"Indeed, I'm busy. You don't know a damn thing about state affairs. If you did, you wouldn't have given me the land."

Situ Xiao had no retort, so he said: "You just crushed the barbarians and shook the world. Why not rest and enjoy the world's reverence? Why are you passing through here?"

"Reverence my ass. I didn't see you bow. And when I returned to the capital, the few people I met were laughing."

"Laughing? In the capital, someone dares to laugh at you?"

"They dare. An auntie's smile."

Situ Xiao: "...Are you still a ruler who has unified the realm?"

"No, that's my wife." Zhao Changhe answered as if it were the most natural thing.

As they spoke, they reached the inner hall. Zhao Changhe was startled to find Yu Xu also there, sitting across from Li Shengtong, playing chess.

You call yourselves enemies, not friends. I think it's better to call you a pair of sweet bickering lovers—keep fighting, and you might end up in bed.

Zhao Changhe grumbled inwardly, but Li Shengtong and Yu Xu didn't even acknowledge him, absorbed in their game. Zhao Changhe watched for a while. Li Shengtong's injuries had healed quite well—aside from the lost arm, the rest had long recovered. But his strength was slow to return... And as a cultivator who emphasized body tempering, losing an arm meant that even if his cultivation recovered, his combat ability would never again reach its peak.

Similarly, Yu Xu, though his foundation wasn't damaged and he could rebuild, was old. His recovery was as slow as a turtle's crawl.

Zhao Changhe sighed, took out the Taiji Diagram, and returned it to Yu Xu: "Senior's diagram... The other day, our Four Symbols sect used it for formation research, and I relied on it for my personal breakthrough. Thank you, Senior."

Yu Xu didn't take it: "Keep it. I see a gloom between your brows—something's happening again. You might need it. This old Daoist won't be fighting anymore. What use is it to me?"

Zhao Changhe said: "For self-defense... And in my hands, it can't achieve the effect it had in yours. Giving it to me would be like casting pearls before swine."

"To defend against the chaos of gods and demons, to protect our peace—that's your duty now. Besides, we're on Mount Emei, of little value. They won't bother to kill us for no reason." Yu Xu said leisurely: "As for this diagram, I'll teach you something. Look at it when you have time. Two Poles give birth to Four Symbols. The new Night Emperor of the Four Symbols sect says yin and yang, the Two Poles, are of little use to him—that's enough to make the whole world laugh."

With that, he tossed over a Daoist scripture, then tucked his hands back into his sleeves and focused on the chessboard, saying no more.

Zhao Changhe: "..."

He felt that Yu Xu's last words sounded like he was saying he was the father of the Four Symbols sect.

Li Shengtong likewise tossed over a body-tempering manual: "Take it and play with it. But I must warn you: the body's defensive power is the last line after all other defenses. Don't recklessly use your body as a shield, or you'll end up like me."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

"Go, go, go, don't disturb our chess game. I'm going to kill that damned Taoist today if it's the last thing I do."

Until he rode away from Mount Emei, Zhao Changhe's face still twitched. He had been worrying about the injuries of those two, yet they themselves were as if nothing had happened, with an air of complete abandonment.

But... he was a bit envious.

He didn't know when his own journey would ever cease.

Zhao Changhe reined in his horse and looked back. From Mount Emei southward, he would soon see Sisi... he longed to see her... but this trip, a brief meeting and then departure, would it only add to the sorrow of parting?

A thousand miles away, Sisi was cultivating in the holy temple. Suddenly her heart stirred, and she smiled sweetly: "He is thinking of me, and so intensely... He fears that a brief meeting would only make me more miserable, and he also fears that if he does something, I might mistakenly think he only wants to use me for lust... He actually thought of this..."

Sisi rose to her full height, turned, and knelt before the statue of the ancestral god, praying softly: "My husband is about to face danger again. May the ancestral god protect my husband, that he may soon overcome his powerful enemies and return to be with me for a long, long time."

...

Zhao Changhe led the dark steed into an area of buildings with a strong Western Regions style. He walked slowly, leading the horse, his eyes wide as he looked around.

This was Ying Wu's stronghold... During the divine descent earlier, he had no mind to observe the surroundings and had directly slipped into Ying Wu's house. But now, looking closely from the outside, what the hell—wasn't this supposed to be a bandit lair? How could it be such a magnificent, palace-like building, surrounded by tall and sturdy soldiers, hands on their waist knives, staring intently at the lone traveler leading his horse.

From afar, he could hear the sound of silk and bamboo instruments coming from the hall, a style utterly different from the Central Plains.

Probing with his spiritual sense, he could clearly see a group of enchanting Hu girls, wearing only silk scarves, revealing their slender waists, dancing gracefully. Ying Wu was reclining on a soft chair, drinking wine, squinting as he watched the dance. His clothing style was different from what Zhao Changhe had seen before; he looked like a wealthy Western Regions merchant, only the ever-smiling, business-friendly expression on his face remained as iconic as ever.

"Halt." The guards half-drew their waist knives, blocking Zhao Changhe who was leading his horse: "Master Wu is hosting a distinguished guest today. No unauthorized persons may enter."

Zhao Changhe said, "How do you know that the distinguished guest isn't me?"

Whether he was a distinguished guest or not, the guards did feel that this man was likely their boss's contact in the Central Plains, so they asked, "Code number."

Code number... Zhao Changhe twitched the corner of his mouth: "Zhao Si."

"Pfft..." Ying Wu, who seemed to be watching the dance but was actually watching Zhao Changhe's performance, suddenly spat out his wine and coughed violently.

The guards' eyes widened.

The code numbers of the Western Regions bandits were all in the thousands and beyond, sounding like livestock tags. The first hundred numbers were all Central Plains people, and the first nine were the oldest brothers who had risen with Ying Wu, most of whom had died, with their numbers inherited by later generations. So it didn't mean that numbers one to four were above Ying Wu; in terms of actual power, they might not even be as good as number two hundred and fifty, but that didn't stop others from treating these numbers as top-tier guests.

The problem was that Zhao Si didn't exist; number four was Li Si'an, and he was Li Si.

"You dare to impersonate?" The guard's hands trembled: "Do you know what the consequences will be?"

Zhao Changhe blinked: "So impressive."

From the hall came Ying Wu's voice: "Hey, if you really dare to be Zhao Si, then I really dare to acknowledge it. Let Si'an step aside for now."

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Zhao Changhe laughed: "Master Wu is a man of honor; being brothers is quite good."

Ying Wu was silent for a moment, then laughed: "Today, the only distinguished guest was you. There's no need for this game."

The only distinguished guest... The guards on both sides instantly parted left and right, bowing, revealing a long red carpet in the center leading to the main hall: "Welcome, honored guest."

"I wasn't playing games." Zhao Changhe casually handed his horse to a guard and strolled in: "I just went to see Yuxu and Li Shentong... Their injuries haven't healed yet, and it's hard to say how many years it will take for a full recovery. Seeing the old Heavenly Ranking masters withering away, and then seeing you, Master Wu, in good health, I can't help but sigh."

"So you voluntarily tied your fate, linking your qi channels slightly with our Brotherhood—is this to protect me?"

"Mm... The seniors who have cooperated with me all seem to have suffered. I don't want that to happen again."

Ying Wu laughed heartily.

Zhao Changhe stepped into the hall on the waves of laughter. His eyes took in the splendor of jewels and treasures, the brilliance everywhere, the decadent music and dance, a sea of dazzling white flesh.

Zhao Changhe, as if seeing nothing, sat directly at the lower seat beside Ying Wu, picked up a slice of Hami melon, and bit into it, saying casually: "Weren't you supposed to be an ascetic? You used to pursue Zhuque, but after becoming ascetic, you lost interest. Could it be fake? Still have thoughts?"

Ying Wu rolled his eyes: "Can't you see? This was arranged for you?"

As he spoke, a Hu girl sidled over, meekly pouring wine for Zhao Changhe. The light gauze on her body was almost transparent, revealing the spring scenery clearly.

Zhao Changhe laughed: "Then Third Lady will fight you over this. You're not much older than her, but in terms of seniority, you should be an uncle, right? I'm your nephew-in-law, how about that..."

"I don't think she'd care about that. She's even willing to share with her own sect sisters, so why worry about a little fun on the side? Don't worry, when men entertain guests, what do women have to do with it? I won't tell her. Have your fun."

"She would care..." Zhao Changhe smiled: "Send them away. No need."

Ying Wu was surprised: "Changed your nature?"

"Not to mention that I never liked this, so it's not a change of nature... Even if it were, with Yangyang's situation weighing on my heart, how could I have the mood for pleasure?" Zhao Changhe said: "Although I don't know why Fifth Brother suddenly tested me for no reason, this kind of test gives me a headache. We've been cooperating for so long, and you still don't understand me..."

Ying Wu sipped his wine, looking at him with a smile, then suddenly laughed: "Alright, alright, send them away."

The music and dance in the hall stopped abruptly. The Hu girls quietly withdrew, and the hall soon became cold and silent.

Ying Wu said leisurely: "I believe in all your abilities and character. The only thing I don't believe in is your resistance to beauty. What do you mean by not understanding you? Ask anyone in the world—who doesn't see it that way?"

Zhao Changhe was a bit helpless: "Why test this? Is it related to the enemy this time?"

"I don't even know who the enemy is, but I at least know that Mara is still in Kunlun, and might be involved... You might say you beat him up in Chang'an, but it's different. A split soul is just a split soul, and home ground versus away ground are two different things. You're experienced enough; I don't need to explain."

"So Mara was indeed a split soul back then. No wonder he didn't die..."

Ying Wu smiled: "I've been thinking, your raw strength, battle wisdom, instincts, and will are all impeccable. If anyone could counter you, it would probably be two types... One is the kind like Mara, who can evoke inner demons—very typical."

Zhao Changhe recalled Mara's illusions back then and sighed: "I admit that. What's the second type?"

"Women."