Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 434: The Vanished Sword Hut

The scene Zhao Changhe once mentioned to Tang Wanzhuang—Bashan, where the autumn rain fills the pools—arrived at last, though it was now early summer. The timing did not quite match the famous verse, and Zhao Changhe lamented that he was once again out of poetic inspiration, unable to craft a fitting line.[1]

He wondered if Bashan, aside from the Sword Hut, had a Daoist Gu skilled in the Forty-Nine Forms of the Willow Wind Sword.[2]

As he led his horse out of Kuaiji and passed beyond the reach of Tang Buqi’s influence, Zhao Changhe noticed that whether it was court officials or people from the jianghu who recognized him and the massive blade on his back, they treated him with great respect. At every town or city where he stopped to rest, the hospitality was remarkable.

This was especially true when he reached Xiangyang. After the Blood God Cult had finished the war, they did not return to their home in Wushan but instead remained stationed in Xiangyang, seemingly addicted to their new life of masquerading as officials and gaining power. Naturally, when Zhao Changhe passed through, he stopped by to see Cult Leader Xue and Instructor Sun, and the welcome they gave him was as grand as if he were royalty.

Yet, for some reason, Zhao Changhe felt less comfortable now than he had when Cult Leader Xue had cautiously eyed him before their duel.

After moving beyond Xiangyang, Zhao Changhe felt increasingly free as he left the territories connected to the powers he had previously dealt with. On the road, fewer people recognized him, and he felt liberated and much more at ease—like a dragon that had finally returned to the sea.[3]

Stepping onto Bashan felt like truly stepping back into the jianghu. The atmosphere shifted, and it felt like he was back home—or perhaps he just had a restless nature.

On his journey, there were no bandits or outlaws. The south, still in the early stages of stabilization after the chaos, was heavily policed by local military forces, all busily “clearing out remnants of Maitreya’s followers.” As a result, no bandits or thieves dared show their faces. Most of Zhao Changhe’s journey was by boat, and whenever he stopped in cities like Xiangyang, everything was calm, with no incidents occurring.

However, everywhere he looked was desolate from the ravages of war, and there was no telling when the land would recover.

The odds of recovery in the next few years seemed slim. as the local powers had already begun carving out their territories. The power dynamics were already shifting, with southern aristocratic families who had resisted Maitreya now holding more power than they should. At the moment, the Tang Clan’s exceptional performance in the war was keeping everyone in check, but if the Tang Clan encountered any problems, the ensuing chaos might be even worse than the Maitreya Cult’s uprising.

Tang Wanzhuang had spent the past few days discussing the affairs of Jiangnan with Tang Buqi, likely working through these issues. It was beginning to resemble the time when the coalition against Dong Zhuo disbanded, with each of the eighteen feudal lords staking out their own territory.[4]

If things continued down this path, Zhao Changhe wondered, would Tang Buqi end up declaring, “If I were not here, how many would proclaim themselves emperors, and how many would claim kingship?”

Enough of these thoughts. It’s time to focus on Bashan. And speaking of that, why are there no guards at Bashan? It makes it hard to feel like I’m back in the jianghu. Hmm...

Zhao Changhe furrowed his brow and cautiously approached.

Ahead, he could vaguely make out the eaves of a wooden hut, still damp from recent summer rains. This must be where Sword Hut was located. But as he listened carefully, there was no sound of people.

He walked forward, confirming the sight of a group of modest wooden huts, simple and unassuming, like the dwellings of reclusive monks.

Around the area, sword marks were visible on the surrounding trees—left behind by those practicing their swordsmanship.

But the huts were empty, devoid of any signs of life.

Where did everyone go?

Zhao Changhe tensed, his instincts on high alert as he slowly approached what appeared to be the main building.

The door was tightly shut, and upon touching it, he found no dust, indicating the inhabitants had not been gone for long.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhao Changhe suddenly unleashed a burst of internal energy and blasted the door open.

This was a rather large hall. On a wall hung a large calligraphy of the word “Sword,” its strokes sharp and filled with a fierce, murderous aura.[5] Apart from that, the room was sparsely furnished—just plain tables and chairs, extremely simple.

This should be their main hall...

No bodies, no blood, nothing. Did the entire Sword Hut relocate?

Zhao Changhe clicked his tongue in annoyance. Judging by the dust, they had not been gone long. If he had come here from Xiangyang right away instead of attending to other matters, he probably could have run into them. Unfortunately, there had been pressing matters he could not delay, and now he had missed them. Now he had no one to ask about the Sharp Blade Grass he needed.

I wonder if they cleared out their inventory...

Normally, when relocating, valuable items were brought away with extra care, and little was left behind. With little hope, Zhao Changhe began searching the place, eventually finding a locked storage room in the back. He broke the door to the storage room open.

The storage room was a mess, with standard-issue clothing and swords tossed aside. There were also sacks of rice and flour, but valuables like money had been thoroughly cleaned out—there wasn’t even a single copper coin left. It was a classic scene of a large-scale, orderly relocation, with essential items taken and the rest left behind. There was nothing unusual.

He searched more thoroughly and found the medicine storage. It was completely cleaned out as well, except for some basic remedies for bug bites and the like scattered about.

Zhao Changhe opened a few bottles, sniffed them, and tossed them aside, disappointed.

They really did relocate.

Shaking his head, Zhao Changhe turned to leave but, feeling reluctant, gave the place one last look.

Something caught his eye, and he froze for a moment.

Night uniforms?

He strode over and inspected them. They were indeed night uniforms, and not just one or two, but in bulk.

Aren’t they a group of serious, quiet swordsmen? Why would their standard gear include mass-produced night uniforms?

Suddenly, the Snow-Listening Pavilion suddenly came to mind.

Could the Bashan Sword Hut really be the Snow-Listening Pavilion? It’s been a while since anyone has heard of the Snow-Listening Pavilion making any major moves. Could it be that something had happened to them?

Yue Hongling mentioned that she wanted to visit the Bashan Sword Hut. If they were a legitimate sword sect, they would have definitely welcomed the Sunset Divine Sword for friendly sparring. But if they actually are the Snow-Listening Pavilion, then things would have probably gotten complicated.

After all, there are plenty of people who want to see Hongling dead. Her sense of justice has made her plenty of enemies, and there’s no shortage of bounties placed on her head by various figures of the underworld. Her bounty is probably even higher than mine.

Just like me, she’s notoriously hard to pin down. Her movements are unpredictable, and tracking her down for an assassination is no easy task. But if she just so happened to walk right into the headquarters of an assassin organization...

Zhao Changhe could almost picture Yue Hongling realizing the danger and immediately fighting her way out, escaping through the chaos. He knew that she was sharp enough to pull it off.

Could the Sword Hut’s relocation be related to that? Did they try and fail to kill Yue Hongling, leading to their exposure and forcing them to move?

It really seems possible.

With that in mind, Zhao Changhe abruptly turned and dashed off the beaten path, heading into the forest on a non-standard route.

If there was a fight, it would have taken place in the forest. They would have been darting through the trees instead of sticking to the main roads. There might not be any signs of battle on the main paths, but in the woods... there has to be something.

Sure enough, after a short search, Zhao Changhe found signs of battle. Broken branches, deep gouges in tree trunks—it was all there, clear as day.

Not far ahead, he spotted a corpse...

Zhao Changhe knelt to examine it. The man had been dead for quite some time, and the body was already rotting and crawling with maggots. But it was still intact enough for Zhao Changhe to recognize the trace of a single clean strike through the throat. Yue Hongling’s swordsmanship was unmistakable—he would recognize it anywhere, even if the body had turned to ash.

Quickly following the trail, Zhao Changhe came across more bodies and the faint, dried traces of blood leading out of the mountain. But once the trail left the woods, it abruptly vanished.

Zhao Changhe stood there, frowning in thought.

She should have gotten on her Ferghana horse right here. She must have escaped, injured but still alive. Shi Wuding probably wasn’t present at the time, so no one was able to stop Hongling. Then, when Shi Wuding returned and realized what happened, he must have ordered an immediate evacuation before going after her himself.

Now, the question is, with Hongling wounded and Shi Wuding being a top expert on the Ranking of Earth, if he caught up with her, would she be able to stay alive?

But this should have happened some time ago, and there hasn’t been any news of anything happening to Yue Hongling. Otherwise, the tome would’ve said something...

Zhao Changhe finally could not resist anymore. “Hey, are you there?”

Dragon Bird: “?”

“Not you, the blind woman!”

The blind woman did not respond.

“Damn it, don’t play dumb. I know you know! I just want to know if she’s safe. I don’t need any detailed information. We’re close enough that you can at least tell me that much, right?”

Finally, the blind woman responded, sounding irritated, “She’s fine. Figure the rest out yourself. Stop asking me.”

Zhao Changhe let out a long breath of relief. “Thanks.”

The blind woman paused for a moment, then went silent.

If Yue Hongling escaped, where would she have gone?

Without hesitation, Zhao Changhe returned to the main road, mounted Snow-Treading Crow, and spurred it southwest at full speed.

1. As mentioned in Chapter 379, this is a reference to Written on a Rainy Night (夜雨寄北) by Tang Dynasty poet Li Shanyin (李商隐). ☜

2. This is a reference to Daoist Gu, a martial arts master who lived in seclusion in Bashan, in Laughter of the Sword God (剑神一笑) by Gu Long (古龙). ☜

3. In Chinese mythology, dragons are not fire creatures like in the West but water creatures; they live in large rivers and on the bottom of the sea, and when they fly through the clouds, they cause rainfall. They are worshiped as helpful and mighty deities for this reason. ☜

4. This is a reference to the eighteen feudal lords that launched a campaign against Dong Zhuo in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. ☜

5. The character used here (劒) is a traditional form of the modern character for “sword,” 剑. ☜