Chapter 837: Pool of Life and Suspicious Tomb

Chapter 837: The Pool of Life and the Suspected Tomb

Piaomiao, distracted and infatuated, had forgotten one thing again...

Yiangyang didn’t need to see.

The little girl was humming a tune while bathing, the sound of splashing water filling the air. She paid it no mind at first, until a sudden sharp pain struck.

The little girl twitched in inexplicable agony, dumbfounded.

What was this? There was nothing dirty in the water, and she hadn’t felt anything touch her. Why did it suddenly hurt... and the sensation felt oddly familiar...

Yes, it was exactly like that first wedding night in Qinghe...

What followed felt even more familiar. Without realizing it, the little girl pressed her hand to her lower abdomen, her face flushing crimson.

What kind of torment was this? She had just woken from a faint and finally had a moment to bathe, and now it was starting again!

But she couldn’t see what was happening... Gritting her teeth, Cui Yuanyang swam closer, straining her ears, and faintly caught certain deliberately suppressed sounds amid the water’s noise.

Listen to this adulterous pair: “Turn around, hands on the edge of the pool...”

“Mm... go slow, slower... Yangyang will hear...”

So they were taking advantage of my blindness, sneaking around in the dark, were they? And Sister Piaomiao, with her ethereal, immortal air, had quite a few tricks unlocked.

Sneaking around was one thing, but giving me such a strong sense of participation—was this even sneaking?

“Wait... do you think Yangyang might share the sensation?” Piaomiao suddenly panicked, as if only just thinking of it.

Zhao Changhe’s movements abruptly stopped. His eyes behind him scanned around, quickly spotting the little white rabbit hiding nearby.

“We’re already halfway through; we can’t just stop now...” He resumed, his voice gradually less concealed, his movements growing bolder.

Cui Yuanyang curled up nearby, wanting to kick out but suddenly losing strength and falling backward, innocently rolling her eyes.

When Piaomiao had shared before, Zhao Changhe hadn’t paid much attention. This time, up close, it was especially amusing—it was like being with one person was like being with two. A move here, a tremor there, and she was desperately covering her little mouth, refusing to make a sound...

But no amount of self-deception helped. After a moment, a man’s hand reached out, grabbed her, pulled her close, and kissed her: “Since you’re here...”

So he had seen her all along...

Cui Yuanyang struggled weakly: “You shameless pair... mmm...”

Piaomiao was mortified and wanted to flee, but Zhao Changhe caught her by the waist and wouldn’t let go. She could only bury her head by the pool’s edge, too ashamed to turn back. Before long, she felt Yangyang’s familiar body being laid against her back.

Wasn’t this exactly what she had seen in the Soul-Capture Mirror, his inner thoughts? And now, so soon, it had come true.

Piaomiao couldn’t even muster a thought of resistance. In her daze, she wondered instead: if this was a mirror of truth and illusion, did it mean dreams could come true?

After who knows how long, the water sounds faded, and the dim space fell silent again. The absurdity ended. Zhao Changhe leaned back against the pool’s edge to rest, the two women nestled in the hollows of his shoulders, gasping for breath, too weak to lift a finger.

Heaven help them—when others took turns, at least one could rest. Here, taking turns meant no rest at all. No matter who he was with, the other felt exactly the same. Perhaps the biggest difference was that it excited him even more. Judging by the commotion just now, if it had been any louder, he wondered if the zombies outside could have heard it through the distorted space...

After resting for a while, Piaomiao finally found some strength and scolded, “I never thought you’d be such a debauched tyrant...”

“How is this being a debauched tyrant? Love between man and woman is only natural.”

What was natural wasn’t a threesome. Piaomiao held back for a long time, too embarrassed to say such shameful words, and knew it would be useless anyway... Finally, she changed the subject: “What kind of place is this? There are enemies outside, and we haven’t even figured out the depths of the Nine Abyss, yet you...”

“Fooling around elsewhere might mean nothing to the Nine Abyss, but in her bath, it means something. Imagine her coming back in a few days to bathe and finding... well, and then rubbing it on herself. Better yet, if she bathes a little too vigorously and splashes some into her mouth...”

Piaomiao was both amused and exasperated: “Though I’m not especially knowledgeable about humans, I’m sure you’re the most boring kind.”

Zhao Changhe said, “After all, her sister has tasted this... Since she wants to compare herself to her sister in everything, I’m just helping her complete this item. No problem, right?”

Piaomiao: “?”

Cui Yuanyang: “?”

What exactly is your relationship with Ye Wuming?

“Hey, wait.” Zhao Changhe rubbed his eyes. “Do you see light?”

“Sharing your vision, haven’t we always seen it?”

“Who keeps their skills active during... that, or while resting? I haven’t activated it at all.” Zhao Changhe sat up straight, looking curiously at the pool water ahead. Sure enough, it shimmered with ripples.

“Strange...” He examined it carefully and noticed traces of blood dissolving into the water... Where had the blood come from?

Oh, right. He had been so intimate with Piaomiao earlier that he had almost forgotten it was her body’s first time. Piaomiao had been quite meticulous, even arranging such details for her newly forged body...

So was it this blood that had caused some change in the pool?

Zhao Changhe had seen something similar before. Back then, on Mount Beimang’s back mountain at the Green Dragon Pool, his own blood had dripped into the water, unlocking the seal of the Water Curtain Cave behind the pool. Was this a similar blood seal? He hadn’t expected that his craving for Piaomiao’s freshly minted body would lead to a new discovery. He had just said Yangyang was lucky, but it seemed his own fortune was still intact.

However, with his knowledge, he couldn’t tell what the change in the pool meant. He sensed no special reaction.

Piaomiao was also examining it, her expression odd: “It’s not a blood seal... It’s because this body was ultimately formed from a lotus throne, possessing immense life force. And your... that thing, is also a source of life. Combined with the union of yin and yang, it has sparked an evolution of life.”

Cui Yuanyang was stunned: “Sister, do you mean this water is going to give birth to a baby?”

“No, it means the pool water has gained a new property. No matter how severe the injury, even if someone has just died, as long as they haven’t decayed, placing them in this water can revive them. Hmm... that effect isn’t enough. If we moved the lotus pool we made outside here and combined them, it might truly work.”

Zhao Changhe and Cui Yuanyang’s hearts trembled. Saving the dying was one thing, but reviving the newly dead was extraordinary: “Really? Could any ordinary pool water do the same with this operation?”

“No. Other pool waters don’t have such rich, pure spiritual energy, and...” Piaomiao paused, sighing, “One must admit that darkness and chaos are the origin of all things. Only water from the core of the Abyss has this effect of birth and evolution. Even the Heavenly River doesn’t.”

Zhao Changhe’s heart stirred again.

Darkness and chaos as the origin of all things... Following that logic, could Ye Jiuyou actually be Ye Wuming’s elder sister? Had anyone ever considered that? Was this related to his earlier failure to trace Ye Jiuyou’s origin?

This raid on Ye Jiuyou’s territory hadn’t yielded the expected results. He had hoped to uncover some secrets she might be hiding, but found nothing. Instead, he had stumbled upon something else, though he didn’t know if it was more valuable. Time would tell.

With a heavy heart, Zhao Changhe left the pool and dressed. This time, he truly had no more interest in such frivolities. After thinking for a moment, he decided on a brute-force approach. Ye Jiuyou had said that doing other things while bathing here was “common.” So he would trace back directly and see if he could glimpse something.

He went back to the stone with the Heavenly Dao inscriptions, gently touched the carvings, and silently traced his perception.

The space before him twisted. In the blurry image, Ye Jiuyou, draped in black gauze, stood quietly before the Soul-Capture Mirror, gazing at her own reflection.

The image was too hazy to see what she saw in the mirror, but he could discern her expression—desolate and cold, once again the legendary Nine Abyss.

Boundless darkness, a completely unadorned “boudoir,” a serene bath, an abrupt mirror, a pale, indifferent face.

It should have been a terrifying, chilling scene, but somehow, this time, Zhao Changhe felt an overwhelming sense of her loneliness. Perhaps because it contrasted so sharply with her usual demeanor in conversation?

“The capital plan has changed,” she suddenly spoke, her voice echoing in the empty space, making the surrounding silence even more profound.

A distant thought came from nowhere: “How shall it change? Please instruct, Master.”

“Send people to Kunlun. I have use for them.”

“The Four Symbols leaving the capital is the best opportunity. Why does the Master...”

“I said come to Kunlun. Do you not understand?”

“...Yes.”

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Then Ye Jiuyou spoke again: “What is the recent situation of the Tang family in Gusu?”

Another voice replied: “The Tang family’s activities around the Sword Emperor’s tomb have grown bolder. They are no longer as cautious as before. Time has dulled their vigilance. This is our opportunity.”

“No. Tang Buqi might let his guard down, but Tang Wanzhuang won’t. Either the Tang family is acting on their own, or Tang Wanzhuang has authorized it.” Ye Jiuyou paused, then said, “Halt the southeastern plan as well. Withdraw the personnel.”

“Why? We have prepared for so long, waiting to be the mantis stalking the cicada...”

“It’s most likely an empty tomb. A waste of effort.”

“Empty tomb? Apart from the outer perimeter, which was once explored by Zhao Changhe and his group, the core of the tomb has remained intact. Not even a mosquito could get in or out.”

"Because it was a false tomb from the very beginning." Ye Jiuyou said calmly. "The Heavenly Book is nearly complete, gods and demons are emerging, yet the Sword Emperor remains silent and without a trace—that is utterly impossible. The only explanation is that it was a decoy tomb; the Sword Emperor was never there. The recent actions of the Gusu Tang family can only mean that Tang Wanzhuang is testing the waters, not testing the Sword Emperor, but testing us. If my guess is correct, the elite warriors of the Demon Suppression Bureau have long been lying in ambush nearby, waiting for you."

"Knowing that the Sovereign is behind this, how dare she? Besides, Zhao Changhe hasn't spoken..."

"Because Zhao Changhe and the Four Symbols have all come to Kunlun. She knows I cannot extricate myself. If she doesn't take this chance to fish for you, when will she?" Ye Jiuyou said coldly. "Tang Wanzhuang has managed the Demon Suppression Bureau and shaken the martial world for over a decade. Now as the prime minister of the state, with the emperor away from the capital, she makes decisions on her own. Do you truly think she is merely a concubine who warms Zhao Changhe's bed, waiting for his every command?"

"Yes." The subordinate hesitated. "If it is a decoy tomb, then where is the Sword Emperor?"

"Tang Wanzhuang and I can guess it; others should be able to as well. His appearance is not far off." Ye Jiuyou said lightly. "He set up a decoy tomb, but I wonder who he intends to deceive... As it stands, the only one who hasn't figured it out is Zhao Changhe, still strutting around pretending to be so clever."

Zhao Changhe: "Damn."

"The Sovereign seems to have a particularly different attitude toward Zhao Changhe?" The subordinate was even more perplexed than Zhao Changhe himself. "Aside from Ye Wuming, I've never seen the Sovereign mock anyone in our presence."

Ye Jiuyou said indifferently: "Go and submit yourself to three days of tongue-pulling and bone-gnawing punishment."

"...Yes."

Ye Jiuyou turned, her slender hand resting on her belt, as if about to undress and enter the pool for a bath. But her movement paused, as if remembering something. She spat in disdain, stopped, and swept away without even bathing.

Judging by this, who knows how many days she had gone without bathing...

But if you're afraid of being traced while bathing, why aren't you afraid of your plans being overheard? Zhao Changhe scratched his head. It seemed that aside from canceling this and canceling that, there was no specific arrangement of what she intended to do. What he could glean was that she had indeed laid out many schemes as a great villain, with plots brewing everywhere, yet none of it showed on the surface when they interacted...

And she said the only one who hadn't guessed the Sword Emperor's tomb was a decoy was me... At least I guessed you had plans behind the scenes, not just sitting there waiting. Hmph.

Speaking of which, her spying on the Sword Emperor's tomb, given her nature, likely meant she had her eyes on the Sword Emperor's corpse. Now that the plan is canceled, she judged it a decoy and sensed an ambush from Wanzhuang... What was that capital plan she mentioned earlier, and why was it canceled?

Too bad using time trace once is so exhausting; I can't watch other fragments. Zhao Changhe had no choice but to stop, leaning tiredly against a rock to rest.

Two slender hands reached out from behind his temples, gently massaging him. Cui Yuanyang's voice sounded from behind, soft and questioning: "Any discoveries?"

Zhao Changhe nodded, then felt a bit awkward: "I feel she's already on guard. Damn it, she won't even bathe anymore. Last time, we scared the snake."

Piaomiao: "..."

"From the looks of it, the crucial things she'll probably leave this place to arrange, so I won't be able to trace them. There's nothing more to see here. Unless I want to look at events from earlier years, maybe from the last era, I might find something."

"How long do you need to rest?"

"At least a day... My mind is too exhausted." Zhao Changhe thought for a moment, then shook his head. "There are too many events from the last era. To pick out what's useful for the present, I'd have to watch for a long time. It feels like the gain isn't worth the loss."

"Do you want to leave, Brother Zhao?" Cui Yuanyang said softly. "To be honest, I really dislike this place. Too dark, heavy with deathly aura, it's suffocating. If you two weren't here with me, I'd have gone mad alone... When are we getting out?"

Zhao Changhe reached out and pressed the Soul-Capturing Mirror, sensing for a moment, then smiled: "The timing is just right. Let me rest a bit... The show is about to begin."