Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 311: Exotic Romance

The young couple changed their clothes and leisurely went for a walk.

Zhao Changhe casually changed into a different outfit, just to distinguish himself from his “Wang Daozhong” attire. He was now strolling with his wife with his true appearance. He reserved the “Wang Daozhong” identity for other occasions.

Xia Chichi did not quite understand Zhao Changhe’s strange obsession. It seemed that when he was with his woman, he had to be using his true appearance, especially during intimate moments.

If he just always uses that yellow-faced disguise, then nobody would know who he is. I really don’t get why it’s so important to him. He’s still a yellow-faced man even now. Hmph.

Xia Chichi also changed back into female attire. The dashing young master transformed into a delicate little witch, yet she still had those sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding a faint heroic spirit.

After all, she had just used her male disguise when killing someone and fleeing earlier. Tarantula was most likely searching the entire city for that “young nobleman,” so she had to let her male persona disappear.

Anyway, the young couple held hands as they strolled through the night in Kunlun City. They felt incredibly happy as they walked around hand-in-hand.

They had been in love for a year but rarely ever met. Even when they did meet, it was always rushed and they hardly had any time to talk. The lack of time often led them to go straight to intimacy to relieve their longing for each other. It almost seemed like their relationship was just about that, and perhaps that was why Vermillion Bird was so disapproving of it.

This was the first time they had ever walked openly, hand in hand, and using their original appearances. Together, they shared a goal in this remote city of villains on this snowy night.

“Wait, who said we’ve got the same goal?” Zhao Changhe said. “You don’t need to find The Thieves Guild.”

“But I do need to find Tian Lingzi,” Xia Chichi replied with a mischievous smile. “Tarantula offended me. Since she tried to make use of me to deal with Tian Lingzi, that means that Tian Lingzi is a potential ally, so I should go and meet him.”

Who really offended whom? Also, you were even thanking Tarantula earlier.

Zhao Changhe did not expose her, knowing that Xia Chichi was just looking for an excuse.

There was an old man selling wontons by the side of the street. His clothes were thin, and snow and wind brushed past, yet he seemed unfazed by the cold. He hummed a little tune leisurely as he worked.

The classic trope of an old man selling wontons being a hidden master sounded very wuxia, but in reality, Zhao Changhe had never seen such a character. He had seen killers acting as streetside vendors, though. Anyway, the old man fit perfectly in this city of villains. Who knew which former great villains now lived in seclusion in this city.

Zhao Changhe did not avoid the old man, even showing some interest in him. He pulled Xia Chichi to sit by the stall and said, “Two bowls of hot wontons, please.”

Xia Chichi nudged him quietly. “Aren’t you afraid of poison?”

Zhao Changhe smiled and said, “Why would he poison us for no reason? If everyone thought that way, who would dare buy his wontons? People here have to eat too.”

The old man selling wontons chuckled. “With that attitude, I might just poison you for real.”

Zhao Changhe sighed. “Come on, old man, give us a break...”

The old man burst into laughter. “Hahaha! You’re quite intriguing. I’ve never seen someone like you in this city. These two bowls of wontons are on the house. It’s up to you whether you think they’re poisoned or not.”

As the wontons were served, Xia Chichi, who had just expressed suspicions of them being poisoned a second before, was actually the first to dig in. She showed no fear of them being poisoned at all.

The old man’s eyes gleamed with understanding.

He knew that it was not that Xia Chichi was fearless. She was extremely cautious and distrustful at heart. Her actions were to protect her fearless, foolish lover by testing the food first.

In this city filled with wicked people, encountering such devoted lovers was indeed rare

But just before she could take a bite, Zhao Changhe snatched the spoon and ate the wonton himself.

Then, he yelped as if he had been burned.

Xia Chichi punched him painfully as he panted like a dog. As he panted from his mouth being burned, she leaned over to blow on another wonton for him.

Then, they began to playfully feed each other, each of them blowing on wontons before feeding it to the other. They laughed as they had a wonderful time.

The old man, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, suddenly felt like a third wheel.

Fuck, I should have poisoned them for real.

But despite having such thoughts, he could not help but smile.

Ah, to be young...

“Old man, your wontons are great,” Zhao Changhe said. He did not accept the free meal and placed a piece of silver worth a year’s supply of wontons on the table. “Too bad we might not have the chance to come back. Well, I guess we can only leave it up to fate.”

Pft. Did you even taste the wontons at all?!

The old man, feeling like he was watching a love story instead of two people enjoying his wontons, could not help but hide his smile and grumble as he accepted the money. He looked at the sky and pretended not to care.

As the couple walked away, he could still hear their playful banter.

“Why are you throwing money around like that? Paying for wontons with silver? If you keep wasting money like that, I’ll beat you up!”

“Carrying copper around is so inconvenient! They’re bulky and noisy. I’d really love to be able to use storage rings...”

Their voices faded as they walked away, perhaps discussing more serious matters and starting to converse using voice transmission.

Storage rings, huh? The old man smiled slightly and went back to cooking wontons.

Meanwhile, the young couple continued their playful banter.

“So, where did you get the money from this time now? Was it from someone surnamed Cui or Tang?”

“...My money ran out in the north. That was a parting gift from General Huangfu. He didn’t really give me much. Well, he isn’t exactly that wealthy. Actually, you could say that some of the money I’ve got is from your cult’s funds. Come on, give me a smile.”

Xia Chichi was not in the mood to smile. So, the rumors about you and the Fire Serpent of Yi having an affair were true? You’ve got some nerve to be flaunting it to me! Oh, wait, just what was that about the Fire Serpent of Yi being the imperial noble consort? That’s really odd. Why hadn’t I heard about such important news before? I only knew that the venerable often stays in the capital.

Whatever. This is the worst possible time to talk about other women.

Xia Chichi leisurely looked at the shops along the street and clicked her tongue. “This city might be quiet, but it’s got everything. It’s even got a general store. The quietness might just be because it’s a snowy night; maybe it’s more bustling during other times.”

Zhao Changhe glanced around and smiled. “Since people live here, they will naturally make sure to have daily necessities available. The thought of a bunch of villains just lurking gloomily in their homes isn’t realistic. It’s not like they’ve achieved immortality or something. The only difference between this place and an ordinary town or city is that the shopkeepers here might be some notorious villain hiding from society. You never know who you might be facing. That is also why nobody really dares make any big moves here. If they do, they usually try getting outsiders to do so for them, just like how Tarantula tried to trick you into going after Tian Lingzi.”

“Exactly. As long as you’re cautious, this so-called city of villains isn’t really all that dangerous,” Xia Chichi said thoughtfully. “I wonder what Daoist Yuxu was thinking by setting up a place like this.”

Zhao Changhe was not interested in Daoist Yuxu’s motives. As long as the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng was not in Yuxu’s hands, he really did not care.

Xia Chichi also did not seem to be very interested in Daoist Yuxu. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she pulled Zhao Changhe toward a shop.

“Hey, why are we going?”

“Stop asking questions, I’m buying you something,” Xia Chichi said as she dragged him into the store. “You really haven’t replaced that old gourd I got you, huh? It’s old, worn, ugly, and starting to break apart... Just how can you keep using it?”

Zhao Changhe chuckled and said, “No matter how old it is, I’d still use it.”

Xia Chichi felt happy. As long as that gourd was around, other women would feel hindered and annoyed. Just imagining those scenarios where they could not say anything about it made her happy.

She was overthinking it, though. Few people noticed the gourd, and those who did just thought Zhao Changhe was sentimental, which only made them like him more, such as a certain rabbit.

“I can’t let those bitches think that I mistreat you,” Xia Chichi grumbled as she examined the gourds hanging in the store. “Only I can replace your gourd, right? “

Zhao Changhe looked at Xia Chichi’s smiling face, his heart softening. He replied softly, “Mm-hm.”

Xia Chichi knocked on the counter and said with a smile, “Shopkeeper, I want a wine gourd. I’m looking for one made of special materials, light but durable and not easily damaged.”

The shopkeeper looked bemused. “Miss, are you cultivating immortality? Do you want it to have endless space for wine too? Where am I supposed to find such gourds? Even if the materials to make such gourds exist, no one would use them to make a gourd.”

Xia Chichi chuckled. “You’re right. It might be hard to find in regular places, but beautiful jade comes from Kunlun[1], the Yukun Pavilion should have some available.”

Zhao Changhe came to a realization.

So this shop belongs to the Yukun Gang. No wonder the Earth Deer of Liu said that the Yukun Gang’s goods are diverse. They really do seem to have everything. Their range of goods is far too extensive to be sourced through regular channels.

Laughter came from upstairs as a voice asked, “Are you here to buy something or were you looking for our Yukun Gang?”

“I was originally looking for Tian Lingzi,” said Xia Chichi with her hands on her hips. “But now I want a gourd. The gourd comes first. Everything else is secondary!”

“If you really want a gourd like that, it’s not impossible to get one.” A man descended the stairs with a smile on his face. “But what price are you willing to pay?”

Xia Chichi’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “How about I catch a spider for you?”

The man was startled. He looked at the two of them before saying solemnly, “Please follow me upstairs.”

1. This line is literally translated from “玉出昆冈.” The line actually has the same characters used for the Yukun (玉昆) Gang. ☜