Chapter 816: Making the False Seem Real

Chapter 816: When Falsehood Becomes Truth

“Why let Brother Zhao watch Ye Jiuyou bathe? I don’t want that!” In the ethereal sea of consciousness, the awakened Cui Yuanyang was rolling around: “You’re cuckolding me! You’re tricking me like this by letting my body do this!”

Piaomiao soothed: “That one is originally your family’s concubine, sooner or later.”

Cui Yuanyang: “?”

How could it be sooner or later? Wasn’t that so-called concubine just something we made up to annoy Ye Jiuyou? Who among the parties involved actually acknowledges it? How could Ye Jiuyou be bound by a fake Miss Li identity?

Don’t bully me, Yuanyang, I understand. In this cooperation of theirs, on the surface they seem sincere, but both sides harbor ulterior motives. Zhao Changhe would never accept an evil god representing chaos and annihilation as a partner, let alone a wife; Ye Jiuyou would never let a man who has touched and seen her continue to live. The current cooperation is merely because they both feel they can’t defeat Ye Wuming and need to pull in allies… Later, they might even fight to the heavens and earth over other matters.

Piaomiao said: “You don’t understand. Even if it’s a false identity, the karma born from that false identity will still reflect back on oneself. One must find a way to sever it; if not severed, a result will surely come. Look, who has a deeper understanding of karma, Zhao Changhe or Ye Jiuyou? When the time comes, Ye Jiuyou will definitely run into trouble because of this false identity she thinks can’t bind her.”

“That makes sense… Hey, wait…” Cui Yuanyang asked curiously: “Why are you helping Brother Zhao?”

Don’t tell me you’re trying to cuckold me before Ye Jiuyou does?

“What’s strange about me helping him?” Piaomiao said calmly: “It is my duty to help today’s Great Han unify the land. The Guanlong region was originally vulnerable, but entirely because Ye Jiuyou backed it, the Great Han couldn’t attack. Helping Zhao Changhe subdue Ye Jiuyou seems like a convenient path…”

Cui Yuanyang was stunned: “If your goal is unification, why don’t you help Ye Jiuyou destroy the Great Han?”

Piaomiao was a bit speechless: “I represent the veins of mountains and rivers. It’s not about just picking any chaotic force to support for unification and calling it the veins of mountains and rivers. Even a three-year-old knows that today’s Great Han is the true mandate of heaven, which is what I support.”

Cui Yuanyang suddenly realized: “Our country’s sacrifices to heaven are actually sacrifices to you.”

“You finally understand, my Yuanyang… From a certain perspective, Zhao Changhe marrying you to stabilize Hebei was the key to breaking the Great Han’s deadlock, the moment when the veins of mountains and rivers began to converge upon him. From that moment on, the fragmented nation moved toward unification with astonishing efficiency.”

“…So marrying you actually meant obtaining you. Because I am you. The karma lies here.”

Piaomiao fell silent.

Understood that way… it is and it isn’t. For now, we are still two people, but the karma can indeed be confirmed from this.

Even the karma from a false identity inevitably stains oneself, let alone ours.

Piaomiao was very troubled. She looked up at Ye Jiuyou and Zhao Changhe; the two were staring at each other, not continuing at all.

Ye Jiuyou absolutely refused to let Zhao Changhe watch her bathe again. Zhao Changhe, having gained insights today, no longer needed to keep studying the celestial book. The two stared at each other for a while, then Zhao Changhe spoke expressionlessly: “Give me two more days to consolidate what I’ve gained, then we’ll go find Bo Xun.”

“Fine.”

“By the way, if nothing unexpected happens, my wives should also be heading toward Kunlun around this time. Their main target is the White Tiger. If I’m busy with Bo Xun then, could you look after them a bit?”

Ye Jiuyou said coldly: “You think too much. Not killing Zhuque and Xuanwu is already out of consideration for our cooperation. Their lives are their own business, none of mine.”

Zhao Changhe said: “You said it… Piaomiao bears witness.”

Piaomiao hummed in agreement.

“You…” Ye Jiuyou fumed: “You don’t trust me.”

Zhao Changhe smiled: “I do. But since it concerns my wives, I need a more reassuring answer.”

Trust what should be trusted, but some things cannot be taken lightly. Saying “look after them” was a test; he only needed Ye Jiuyou’s promise not to interfere. As long as Ye Jiuyou didn’t act recklessly, Zhao Changhe was confident his wives could handle the White Tiger.

Ye Jiuyou certainly had no good intentions toward the Four Symbols, especially Zhuque, with whom she had conflicts over the path of life and death. It was hard to say if Ye Jiuyou might take the chance to do something… But this time, the Han Emperor was leading the campaign in person, and Piaomiao would certainly not stand idly by. Trusting Ye Jiuyou’s promise was less reliable than trusting Piaomiao.

Seeing Ye Jiuyou’s angry expression, Zhao Changhe felt a bit strange. Isn’t it normal for us to be wary of each other? Why are you so angry?

After a moment’s thought, he softened his tone and explained: “Today’s Four Symbols are different from ancient times. They don’t listen to Ye Wuming; they listen to me… Your enmity with Ye Wuming, and thus with the Four Symbols, doesn’t need to extend to them. On the contrary, they are allies against Ye Wuming.”

Ye Jiuyou sneered: “What makes you so confident? Because of so-called feelings?”

Zhao Changhe said: “Yes. Precisely because of that.”

“I’ve seen two epochs. That kind of thing is the least reliable.” Ye Jiuyou said coldly: “I wonder if Ye Wuming abandoned you early because she thought you were too naive in this regard, not fit to achieve great things.”

Zhao Changhe smiled and didn’t argue.

Ye Jiuyou was irritated by that smile: “One day, you will regret it.”

…

Whether he would regret it, Zhao Changhe didn’t know and couldn’t be bothered to think about.

He simply continued to settle, digesting the insights gained about time and karma. Throughout the day, he didn’t exchange another word with Ye Jiuyou or Piaomiao.

The two were also cultivating separately, ignoring him. Apart from Piaomiao, Ye Jiuyou herself hadn’t fully recovered to her peak state and needed more rest—partly Zhao Changhe’s fault, as he had disrupted many of her plans.

It wasn’t until deep night that Zhao Changhe opened his eyes from meditation. He looked at Piaomiao, who stood silently on the mountaintop gazing into the distant mist, and sighed.

Dealing with Piaomiao was more exhausting than dealing with Ye Jiuyou. Because although Ye Jiuyou resembled Blind Girl, she wasn’t exactly the same—you could still tell they were different people. But Piaomiao wore Cui Yuanyang’s body entirely. Heaven knows how hard it was to resist the urge to hold her, forcing himself to speak calmly, as if to a stranger.

In the quiet of the night, this should have been the time to embrace his wife in warmth, but now he could only watch from close by, unable to do anything.

Staring so long, Piaomiao naturally sensed it. Even with her back turned, she could feel the tenderness in his gaze, as if a thousand words wanted to be spoken but were separated by a chasm.

Piaomiao’s calm cultivation heart could no longer stay still; it became a mess.

She knew he wasn’t looking at her, but at Yuanyang… Yet that gaze was truly hard to bear.

Haven’t you seen enough? How much longer do you want to look?

No one knew how long passed. The sky gradually brightened. Zhao Changhe looked up, estimating it was about six o’clock, still far from the so-called chen hour, seven o’clock.

Never mind. He would just wait like this until the chen hour.

Piaomiao: “…”

He actually stood there staring fixedly, all the way until the chen hour.

Exactly on time, just before the chen hour, footsteps sounded behind her—Zhao Changhe’s, impatiently approaching.

Piaomiao sighed helplessly: “You two talk.”

Just as she was about to yield the body back to Cui Yuanyang, she found that Cui Yuanyang was asleep and couldn’t come out.

Before she could call out, Zhao Changhe’s arms had already wrapped around her: “Yuanyang…”

He was far too eager.

Piaomiao: “?”

Wait, wait a moment…

Feeling her struggle, Zhao Changhe asked in surprise: “What’s wrong, Yuanyang? Piaomiao said we could talk, so it shouldn’t still be Piaomiao, right?”

He couldn’t know he was holding Piaomiao… Piaomiao suppressed herself, imitating Cui Yuanyang’s tone: “No, Brother Zhao, I just woke up and didn’t react. I thought someone was taking liberties.”

Zhao Changhe breathed a sigh of relief: “On Jiuyou’s turf, who else could it be?”

Piaomiao said: “That’s not certain. Her abyss hides many powers she hasn’t shown us.”

“Even if they came out, they wouldn’t dare hug you.” Zhao Changhe laughed and kissed her neck: “If they dared, I’d chop them to death.”

Piaomiao’s whole body broke out in goosebumps, but she still instinctively struggled: “Don’t kiss… Piaomiao is here.”

Ye Jiuyou looked over from afar, her expression strange.

Piaomiao was indeed here…

Zhao Changhe was saying: “She’s not sleeping this time? What’s she being a big lantern for?”

Piaomiao was furious inside: “She said sleeping is useless; she’d still feel everything when she wakes up. Self-deception.”

“That’s true.” Zhao Changhe said helplessly: “But just because of her, we can’t be intimate at all? Even if we don’t do those things, can’t we hug and kiss? What did we do wrong to be kept apart like this, unable to be close?”

Piaomiao racked her brains for an excuse: “Brother Zhao~ Do you only want to do these things with me? Can’t we talk about something else?”

Night Jiuyou laughed.

Zhao Changhe laughed too. "Wasn't it you who said you didn't want face, only intimacy? A woman's mouth changes on a whim—maybe I fed you too well last night."

"I always feel that when you say these things, you're just jealous of your own father."

Piaomiao seized the chance. "How is my father?"

"I gave him some leads to break through the Imperial Realm; it's up to fate. Breaking through is something no one else can help with—if you can, you can; if you're stuck, you're stuck, maybe for a lifetime. Honestly, I never realized before that your father wasn't that interested in martial arts... Anyway, if it really doesn't work, let him return to the court; he says he prefers that."

"He won't go back now, not entirely because he's cooperating with you to suppress the great families and cede power, but more because he doesn't want to kneel and swear fealty to Xia Chichi. He has his pride—how could he kneel to his daughter's rival?" Piaomiao was grateful that over this long time, she had shared many of Cui Yuanyang's memories; she knew almost everything.

Zhao Changhe: "...I forgot about that layer. Then let him enter the court without bowing, be praised without naming, and be given a seat in the hall."

"Won't Xia Chichi object?"

"How could Chichi refuse me this little face? Besides, Chichi knows your father's value... Hey, something just occurred to me."

"What?"

"Now Wan Zhuang no longer oversees the Demon-Suppression Bureau; it's been handed to Qin Dingjiang. I think Qin Dingjiang is loyal enough, but his ability is average—better as a general than a commander... The same goes for the other talent reserves in the Bureau, like Wu Weiyang. It feels like because Wan Zhuang used to handle everything herself, her subordinates lack the ability to stand alone; they always want to report and ask for instructions. Without someone above to set the tone, they're like headless flies."

"What are you getting at?"

"A long time ago, you wanted to join the Demon-Suppression Bureau, even came to arrest me as a wanted criminal. I think after you go back, maybe you could train there, and when the time is right, take charge of it?"

Piaomiao couldn't help but laugh. "None of them are good enough, but I... can be the commander?"

"You come from a family with deep knowledge; you just never had the right stage to shine. Actually, you've had no lack of experience—during the battles at Puyang, Langya, and Hangu, you led your own direct units, didn't you? Though that was still as a general... Try it later; give yourself a chance to stand alone. Maybe you really can do it? If not, we'll talk then."

Piaomiao smiled. "Alright, I'll try later."

Zhao Changhe felt her reaction was strange. Normally, Yuanyang would have jumped for joy, because this was exactly what she liked, what she'd wanted to do from so early on... And working for the Demon-Suppression Bureau was even the beginning of her fate with him. Why was she so indifferent?

"What's wrong? Lost interest in the Bureau now?"

Piaomiao realized her reaction was off and quickly said, "No, it's just... Xia Chichi is the emperor, and I'd become her subordinate... Nothing to get excited about."

"Oh, what's that? It's about responsibility to the state. If you're not suited, I won't force you, so we'll try first. Speaking of responsibility to the state, it can also be seen as responsibility to Piaomiao."

Piaomiao hesitated a moment, then said softly, "You... take responsibility for Piaomiao?"

"Yeah. But now her heart is full of Ye Wuming—whether she can still represent what she once stood for is very questionable... The most dashing moment of Piaomiao in my mind was when she split the four swords to guard the mountains and rivers, struck across realms, killed the demon god in one blow, and protected the human realm—so cool. I think she's never been able to recover her peak state; maybe it's not just about the soul being fragmented, but more because she's now strayed from the will of mountains and rivers she once embodied. How could she have her former power? Even if we want to take responsibility for her, does she deserve it?"

Piaomiao was silent.

"Alright, enough about her. We only have an hour." As Zhao Changhe spoke, his hand around her waist began to wander upward. "My Yuanyang's face might have shrunk back, but other places haven't—really nice..."

Piaomiao, caught off guard, found herself firmly in his grasp. For a moment, she was stunned, unsure how to handle it—if she struggled violently, she'd definitely give herself away; if she didn't resist and let him fondle her, how could she?

Night Jiuyou nearly laughed herself into a fit.

Deep in her sea of consciousness, Cui Yuanyang, who had just woken up, stared dumbfounded at the sight of her husband fondling Piaomiao, looking even more bewildered than Piaomiao.

What... are you doing?

Piaomiao quickly realized Cui Yuanyang was awake. Furious and humiliated, she shoved Cui Yuanyang forward to take control of the body, then fled back into the depths of the sea of consciousness, shutting herself off.

Cui Yuanyang didn't understand what had happened, but since her body was now under her control, and it felt so nice being held by her husband, why overthink it?

So Zhao Changhe found his wife in his arms starting to take the initiative: "Brother Zhao~ kiss me."

"I knew it, you little vixen, pretending just now—a couple of squeezes and you're feeling it, huh?" Zhao Changhe readily turned Cui Yuanyang's shoulders and bent down to devour her.

...Little vixen pretending just now?

Cui Yuanyang blinked, and in her sea of consciousness began to catch the cheating: "Sister, if you like him, you can say so. Is it because you're afraid I'll be jealous? It's really fine... If you think I'm in the way, I can leave..."

Piaomiao, fully feeling the sensation of being kissed and then questioned like this, was so angry she nearly fainted, unable to utter a single word.

Cui Yuanyang started stirring up trouble again: "Brother Zhao..."

Zhao Changhe pulled back from her lips, cupped her face, and rubbed it. "What's wrong?"

Cui Yuanyang's voice was muffled by his rubbing: "Do you like Sister Piaomiao?"

"Huh?" Zhao Changhe was baffled. "I've barely spoken a few words with her—how could I like or dislike her?"

Cui Yuanyang said, "I think you're pretty good to her..."

"She's a good person... Mainly because she's good to you, so naturally I won't treat her badly."

"Have you seen what she looked like back then?"

Zhao Changhe said, "Yeah, she looked a lot like you now, but not exactly the same... You still have some traits from your parents."

"Then... is Sister Piaomiao beautiful?"

"Of course. She's a spirit born of mountains and rivers, the essence of heaven and earth's favor—how could she not be beautiful?" Zhao Changhe said helplessly, "But asking this is pointless. Beauty has nothing to do with liking; I really don't know her well."

Cui Yuanyang sighed. "Brother Zhao, you've turned bad... She's been seen all over by you, and you don't feel the slightest bit of responsibility?"

Piaomiao jumped up from the sea of consciousness: "When did he see me? Seeing you doesn't count—my body back then wasn't like this..."

Cui Yuanyang ignored her completely and continued, "During the flashback in the Qinghe Sword, I was there too... We both saw Sister Piaomiao bathing. I remember it clearly—Brother Zhao, are you trying to pretend it didn't happen?"

Piaomiao: "???"

Night Jiuyou's eyes sparkled.

Zhao Changhe's mouth hung half-open, his expression blank.

You stupid rabbit, are you out of your mind? Why would you bring that up? I've never seen anyone try to shove another woman into their own husband's arms—is this what they call self-cuckolding?

The air was still for a long moment before Zhao Changhe awkwardly changed the subject: "Miss Ye, I think I can set off now. Where's Poxun..."

The transition was so clumsy that Night Jiuyou didn't even want to acknowledge him.

But after blinking for a while, she replied, "You can. But I suggest Piaomiao go with you."

Zhao Changhe was exasperated. "Why should she go with me? Earlier, you wanted me to go alone—what's this new twist?"

"When I told you to go alone, you hadn't yet communicated with Piaomiao. Later, you said Poxun might help separate Piaomiao. I think that makes sense. But that help might not necessarily be a treasure—it could take an unpredictable form, maybe something you can't bring back. If you don't take her along, you'll miss the chance."

"Though what you say seems reasonable... I don't think that's your real motive."

"Of course." Night Jiuyou sneered. "I want to know whether you're more eager to achieve the goal of separating Piaomiao from Cui Yuanyang, or more eager to keep her here to spy on me so I don't go after your wives. Giving you a headache of a choice is the price you pay for not trusting me."