Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 459: You Wish to Conquer Me?

Sisi’s peach blossom eyes stared unblinkingly into Zhao Changhe’s, both pairs of eyes deep and unreadable, like bottomless pools where no emotions could be discerned.

Yet everything around them seemed to fade into the background; even Yue Hongling, who was watching the scene with amused interest, resting her chin in her hands, began to blur.

Sisi heard her own voice, distant as if in a dream, “Laoye~ You’ve worked hard. What reward do you want?”

As soon as she said this, it was as if she suddenly came to her senses. She quickly glanced at Yue Hongling, then instinctively tried to tuck her little feet under the small stool.

But the stool was too small to hide her feet, and in her awkward attempt, she almost tumbled forward with an “Ah!”

Zhao Changhe, without missing a beat, reached out and gently supported her by her shoulder. “My arm injury is nothing serious, saintess. There’s no need for such concern.”

From others’ point of view, it really did look like Sisi had leaned forward to check on his arm...

Sisi took a deep breath and finally sat back down, calming herself. She said lightly, “I’ll grant you a reward later.”

Zhao Changhe smiled slightly. “Alright.”

Lei Zhentang had been mulling over the situation for a long time, filled with frustration at not being able to sabotage the Spirit Tribe’s claim to the fifth seat. But given the current circumstances, he could not find the words to oppose it. In the end, he decided to bide his time and deal with it later. “Everyone, the selection of the five-tribe council is an important milestone for Miaojiang. It’s getting late, and there are many wounded among us. Why don’t you all rest in Dali for the night? We can discuss further details tomorrow.”

He did not even bother to host a banquet, showing how displeased he was. His only thought was to drag things out, hoping to manipulate Sisi’s small tribe during a private meeting the next day or perhaps even stir up something tonight.

Everyone could see his intentions, but no one pointed them out. With their own thoughts in mind, the crowd gradually dispersed

Before leaving, Pan Wan gave Sisi a hug and threw a playful, flirtatious glance at Zhao Changhe. “Protector Si, I’ll be counting on your care in the future.”

Sisi, standing right in front of Zhao Changhe, instinctively tiptoed to block Pan Wan’s gaze, almost jumping in place to shield him from her view.

Pan Wan laughed and could not help but pinch Sisi’s cheek. “You look like a little fox, but you’re actually just a...”

Sisi bared her teeth.

“...Well, a little fox indeed.” Pan Wan turned to leave, leaving a reminder, “He’s deliberately stalling for the night. I suspect there will be trouble later. You don’t have many people—be careful tonight.”

After Pan Wan left, the chief of the White Tribe approached, performing a gesture Zhao Changhe was unfamiliar with. “Protector Si, you’re a true hero. Let’s keep in touch.”

Sisi quickly transmitted her voice to Zhao Changhe, “That’s Dao Qingfeng, the chief of the White Tribe.”

Does he have a sister named Dao Baifeng[1]...

While his thoughts wandered, Zhao Changhe still returned a formal bow. “Thank you for all your help, Chief Dao.”

Dao Qingfeng’s expression turned slightly odd, his gaze shifting between Sisi and Zhao Changhe. He thought to himself, “Something seems off with these two... Who’s the saintess, and who’s the protector? Why does it feel like one is the maid and the other is the master?”

He did not voice his thoughts aloud but instead glanced at Lei Zhentang with a cold smile. “As long as it’s not them taking control, everything will be fine... But you better be careful tonight.”

Two tribal chiefs in a row had warned them to be cautious that night. It was almost clear to everyone at this point what Lei Zhentang was planning.

Sisi, however, did not seem bothered in the slightest, smiling brightly. “Got it. We’ll be heading back now.”

As the crowd dispersed, Lei Zhentang secretly sent men to ambush the path between Dali and Xizhou, lying in wait the entire night without seeing a trace of the Spirit Tribe. It seemed like their so-called return had led them somewhere else entirely.

What made it worse was that the group had completely disappeared from Dali as well, as if they had vanished without a trace.

Sisi was not the naive, inexperienced saintess from a small tribe that she appeared to be on the surface. She was a cunning little fox, capable of stirring up trouble as a young girl when she ventured alone to Kunlun, the Central Plains, and Jiangnan. As for Yue Hongling and Zhao Changhe, both of them were seasoned veterans of the jianghu, so it was second nature to them to obscure their tracks.

Though she had said, “We’ll be heading back,” they actually mixed in with Dao Qingfeng’s large group, taking a detour around the southern part of Erhai. They ended up in Fengyi Town, which was under White Tribe’s control.

While Lei Zhentang’s men were still searching high and low for them, Zhao Changhe was already resting in the White Tribe’s guesthouse, receiving their utmost hospitality. He was surrounded by a few of the trusted girls that Sisi had brought along, and they were eagerly tending to his wounds.

“Ahem.” A cough suddenly sounded from outside the courtyard, followed by Sisi strolling in with her hands behind her back, swaying slightly as she walked. She asked, “How are his injuries?”

One of the Spirit Tribe girls, surprisingly bold, asked, “Saintess, didn’t you already bring another man into your tent the night before?”

What?

Sisi’s eyes widened in fury. “What business is that of yours? Out, out!”

The girls, feeling smug, thinking that they had successfully sown enough seeds of doubt, walked away in content. Before leaving, they all threw flirtatious glances at Zhao Changhe, as if to say, “The saintess isn’t as pure as she seems—she already has a man. Protector Si, you’re better off with us...”

As the door closed, Zhao Changhe and Sisi looked at each other and then burst into laughter.

Zhao Changhe laughed, “They actually dare to compete with their saintess for a man; your authority doesn’t seem to be very well-established.”

Sisi huffed. “Are you feeling proud of yourself? Planning to sneak into one of their tents tonight? I doubt they’d say no...”

“I’d rather not risk it. If I get hit with a gu and dragged back here, I won’t be able to handle it. Those things are dangerous.”

Sisi stared at him for a long moment before flashing a sweet smile. “So, Protector Si doesn’t even dare to ask me for a reward, hm?”

Zhao Changhe replied, “The reward is just something you say for others to hear... But if the saintess insists on giving one, just stop calling me Protector Si and call me by my name.”

Sisi: “...”

Zhao Changhe looked up at the sky.

Sisi finally sighed, moved closer, and sat down on a stool beside him. Then, she began helping him bandage his arm. “Do you really want to be the master... or is it that you want this kind of relationship between us so you can benefit from the Spirit Tribe?”

Her fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose. Usually playful and seductive, Sisi now had a serious expression as she meticulously applied medicine and wrapped his wound. Her eyes seemed a bit distant, carrying a hint of melancholy and longing.

Her expression reminded Zhao Changhe of Tang Wanzhuang.

It turned out that once burdened, people began to exhibit certain similarities.

Zhao Changhe said, “I consider you a friend, so why wouldn’t I care about your tribe’s well-being? I’m not the calculating type, and you know that. If I have any ulterior motive, it would be that I want to test my sword against the various tribes. I enjoyed the duels earlier. If anything, it feels like I borrowed the Spirit Tribe’s identity, and now we’re even.”

Sisi quietly responded, “You really think of me as a friend? The first night I met you, I used gu on you...”

Zhao Changhe smiled. “That was just a prank, wasn’t it?”

Sisi did not bother mentioning that when he had grabbed her wrist and sealed her blood and qi flow back then, it was actually because he treated her as a potential enemy. She felt that bringing that up now was pointless—whatever unclear tension they had once shared had already dissolved, and this was a new chapter in their relationship.

He said that he had no ulterior motive, but perhaps he did, though even Zhao Changhe himself might not have consciously thought it through at the moment. In the past, when Tang Wanzhuang had decided to form an alliance with Sisi, she had planted a seed that might prove useful later. Now, that seed had sprouted and was bearing fruit.

Miaojiang had begun their revolt, and even the White and Yao tribes had not firmly opposed it. It had pretty much become a foregone conclusion.

But now, with one of their own placed within the rebel alliance, things were still within control. Now, the White and Yao tribes could still be swayed.

The question was, would Sisi recognize him as one of her own?

“I’ve told you before, rebellion doesn’t benefit my tribe. We have very few core members out of the secret realm, and we’re still in the middle of gathering strength and establishing our foundation. If we get involved in such a major conflict now, we’ll be crushed by the tide and forced to retreat back into the secret realm,” Sisi said, finishing with the bandage and giving it a satisfied pat. “But your actions have given me an opportunity to grow stronger.”

Zhao Changhe raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “What do you mean, grow stronger? Can different tribes really merge into one?”

“Some can. For instance, many remote villages and small settlements are so mixed that it’s hard to say which tribe they belong to. There are also people from tribes that have been wiped out, who, after intermarriage and blending in with others, have been absorbed into new tribes. And there’s still a lot of that going on.” Sisi smiled. “Finally... if the Southwest fully expels the Xia influence, what happens to the Xia people who have lived here for generations? Will they be killed, driven away, or just hide their identities and join one of the local tribes?”

Zhao Changhe nodded, “From what I’ve seen, the Sword Hut seems to have fully allied with the Black Hmong, though I’m not sure why. But in any case, they’ve been able to absorb Xia people, and so can you. There are actually a lot of Xia people living here. With the influence of the fifth seat and a conscious effort to bring them in, you could quickly grow in strength, like a snowball turning into a real fifth major power.”

Sisi said softly, “By absorbing a large number of Xia people, this force would inevitably become pro-Xia over time. As the leader, I would have to follow that current. There wouldn’t be any need for you to claim friendship, for Tang Wanzhuang to build alliances, or for certain people to keep dreaming about conquering me and turning me into their maid.”

Zhao Changhe felt a bit awkward. “I really didn’t mean it that way, I was just joking...”

“Really?” Sisi, who had been talking normally for a short while, quickly reverted to her usual playful tone. Her voice turned sultry again. “So, if you don’t want to conquer me, does that mean you’re still hoping for a reward?”

Zhao Changhe kept his expression stern, but his eyes, almost instinctively, drifted down to her delicate feet.

She did not bother to hide them, casually stretching them out in front of him, making them within his reach.

In the moonlight, her pink toenails gleamed with a soft, pearl-like glow.

Zhao Changhe could not resist asking, “You’ve been barefoot this whole time, yet your feet are still so smooth and flawless, without a single callus. How is that possible?”

“Teehee... I have gu to protect me, you see...” Sisi bit her lower lip, leaning back slightly, her foot seemingly powerless as it landed on Zhao Changhe’s leg.

Zhao Changhe: “...”

What gu? There’s nothing on your feet?!

With a seductive tone, Sisi whispered, “As for what kind of gu... would master like to feel it for himself? Maybe personally investigate and examine it?”

Before Zhao Changhe could even begin to struggle with his thoughts, the door suddenly burst open with a loud bang, and Yue Hongling strolled in nonchalantly. “It would be better if it was this protector who examined you instead, saintess. It would not look too good if word got out that the saintess had her feet touched by a man.”

1. This is a character from the wuxia novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils by Jin Yong. She is from the Duan family of Dali. ☜