Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 85: Honing the Saber

The rain stopped as Zhao Changhe left the inn. Zhao Changhe’s mood improved slightly. Seeing that his beloved horse was not stolen and was comfortably eating hay, his mood improved even more.

After thinking about it in more detail, of course no one would dare to steal his horse. You guys can see how scary that saber on my back is, can’t you?

Zhao Changhe paid the stable hand a piece of silver, but as he was about to mount his horse, he suddenly thought of something and put his foot down. He leaned down and meticulously checked the stirrups and saddle for anything strange.

His days in the Cui estate had been comfortable—a bit too comfortable, it seemed. He had almost forgotten his previous caution.

Seeing that there was nothing wrong, Zhao Changhe heaved a sigh of release and finally mounted his horse.

The middle-aged man from the Demon Suppression Bureau watched him from the entrance of the inn. Seeing Zhao Changhe’s actions, his expression was full of admiration as he passed him a piece of paper. “These are Han Wubing’s details.”

Zhao Changhe bluntly accepted it. “Thanks.”

The middle-aged man said, “My name is Wu Weiyang. Perhaps we’ll meet again in the future. The Demon Suppression Bureau will not intervene in the storm you’re riding to. Be careful on the road.”

After he said this, his figure flickered and he disappeared without a trace.

Judging by that speed, he's at least at the eighth layer of the Profound Gate... The Demon Suppression Bureau sure has their means. Zhao Changhe was not too impressed. Well, whatever. I drank tea with the man ranked ninth on the Ranking of Heaven. Why would I care about something like this?

He felt that there was a hidden implication to Wu Weiyang’s words. “The Demon Suppression Bureau will not intervene in the storm you’re riding to. Be careful on the road.” Huh. What about afterward? Does that mean if I need some help in the future, I can approach the Demon Suppression Bureau?

Zhao Changhe stopped thinking about this for the moment. As Snow-Treading Crow moved forward on the public road, he took a look at the information Wu Weiyang gave him.

-Han Wubing. 19 years old.

He’s actually younger than me. Back at the ruined temple, I couldn’t tell at all with that grim face of his.

-Originally a disciple of the Mount Ba Sword Hut. His aptitude is nothing exceptional, but he is a hard worker. He is solitary and only likes training in the sword. After putting in assiduous work into his swordsmanship, he rose to the middle echelons of the sect. He does not have any deep relationship with other people and his presence is unremarkable...

Three years ago, everyone from the Sword Hut came to Ancient Sword Lake to try their luck searching for the legendary ancient sword left behind from the previous era. Han Wubing was at the third layer of the Profound Gate at the time and followed a team to the lake.

The legend of the divine sword at Ancient Sword Lake was so attractive not only because it had been passed down by elders, but also due to the magic and mystery that surrounded it. Occasionally, terrifying sword qi rose from the lake, almost invariably causing explorers searching for the sword to die instant deaths. However, investigations after the fact had never revealed anything; this was a complete mystery. Nobody knew where the sword qi emanated from.

It was precisely because of this that everyone believed there was something magical about the lake, but no one had the strength to willingly stay there long-term and search for the sword. Everyone was afraid that they would meet with a strange death. Thus, no one claimed Ancient Sword Lake for themselves. However, over the years, there were always people who traveled there on occasion to try their luck.

After so long, though, nobody discovered anything. Cui Yuanyang mentioned that the Cui clan had also organized people to search for the sword multiple times, but they had always returned empty. Cui Wenjing’s strength, intelligence, and influence were first-rate in the empire. If even he could not find anything, what chance did other people have? Thus, the larger powers also gradually gave up searching for the sword, feeling it was a waste of time.

The big powers may have given up, but that did not stop people from the jianghu wanting to try their luck and coming to the lake in droves. No one dared to stay near the lakeside, but the appropriately-named Sword Lake City, located a few dozen li from it, was incredibly prosperous and lively. Nowhere in the empire were there as many inns, brothels, taverns, and casinos, not even in the capital. There were simply too many travelers.

With these things going on, it became a place where powers of all sizes and affiliations flourished, and fishes and dragons mixed around together. It was extremely complicated, and indeed, not somewhere a third-layer jianghu newbie could casually go to.

When Han Wubing followed the team to the lake, he was, of course, accompanied by elders and his fellow disciples as they went to gain more experience. This could also be considered a group expedition in the jianghu. However, Han Wubing did not have good relations with people and did not partner up with other disciples, deciding instead to search the lakeside by himself. However, he did get to know a good friend. They got along the moment they bumped into each other and began searching together.

How did it happen that someone who did not have good relations with anybody else became like an old friend with someone he had just met? The Demon Suppression Bureau’s information had no way of knowing. After all, there was no way Han Wubing would accept any interviews about the incident. They could only give cursory information.

They did not find the ancient sword, but Han Wubing and his friend found the remains of a senior who had died there, by dumb luck, and gained a treasured sword along with a sword art. His friend got the sword and Han Wubing took the sword art manual. Everyone was happy.

But then, some other disciples of the Sword Hut bumped into them. They took advantage of their seniority and said that, whether it was the sword or the sword art, they both belonged to the Sword Hut.

In the end, Han Wubing’s friend was killed and the sword was snatched away. Afterward, Han Wubing tore apart the sword art manual in rage and broke away from the Sword Hut. From then on, he began wandering the world, turned even more unsociable, and began making a living off bounty hunting.

The matter was very simple. The Demon Suppression Bureau presented the facts as they were and did not embellish any of the details; it did not have much of an effect on Zhao Changhe’s mood. He thought to himself, I was curious about Han Wubing’s story for half the day, but it turns out his tale is one commonly found in the jianghu. A disciple left his sect in rage after being kicked around by those with more power, had his treasures stolen from him, and his friend was murdered. Ten years ago, this was a popular template for webnovels.

However, Han Wubing turned out to be a truly virtuous person. In the three years that followed, he tested his sword in the jianghu and reached the fifth layer of the Profound Gate; during the Qingming festival, he went to pay respects to his friend and slew all his enemies. How could one not find delight in such a story?

Zhao Changhe could not help but open his wine gourd and take a sip. “How delightful. Only an opponent like this will give me something to look forward to with our battle, unlike those other goblins littering the roads. They’re nothing but annoying flies.”

After saying this, he hung the gourd at his waist and suddenly shot out a copper coin from his hand.

It whizzed through the air toward the tip of a tree by the roadside. Suddenly, someone shrieked in pain and fell down.

“Do you really believe that just because I’m reading, I can’t tell that people are around?” Zhao Changhe laughed and urged his horse forward. “A rain of blades? Pft. I am the blade, and you guys are nothing more than whetstones!”

Swoosh!

Numerous swords appeared before him; sharp, hissing sword qi pierced toward his face.

As Zhao Changhe darted forward on horseback, he reached behind and grabbed the hilt jutting out from behind his shoulder.

The swords and his horse met in the middle.

Clang!

Dragon Bird flew out of its scabbard, drawing a broad line across the air.

The assassins that came for him were all overwhelmed with shock. How were they supposed to dodge his saber in midair? The range of this single slash covered all of them.

The saber collided with many swords as it traveled forward. But rather than the shock of a metal striking metal, the sound was more reminiscent of vegetation being crumpled. All the swords snapped and blood rained down from the skies.

As Dragon Bird cut through flesh, Snow-Treading Crow galloped forward, leaving the blood rain in the dust. Dragon Bird screeched with excitement.

There were still some assassins ahead that wanted to strike, but after seeing the scene that had just played out before them, were all dumbstruck. How would they dare make a move after that?

Further ahead there was someone waiting in ambush, holding a rope and getting ready to pull it taut as Zhao Changhe approached. However, Zhao Changhe managed to spot it and directed his horse to rush to the side of the road.

Snow-Treading Crow’s speed far exceeded the ambusher’s expectations. Before he had enough time to pull up the tripwire or release it, the horse was already before him.

The saber and its attack range exceeded his expectations even more... The people behind looked on helplessly as a deep red arc streaked across the treeline. The man was split into two.

He stood there with a dumbstruck expression, tripwire still in hand. Before his half-split corpse fell to the ground, Snow-Treading had already rode out a few dozen zhang.

“I don’t care if you people are from the Blood God Cult or the Snow-Listening Pavilion, or if you’re just some thieves who want to steal my horse...” Zhao Changhe sheathed his saber and spurred on his horse, laughing. “I won’t hide my tracks on this journey. Whoever wants to come at me is free to try!”

Wu Weiyang stood behind and watched from afar. He clicked his tongue. “He’s so brave, yet the first seat is still worried he’ll meet with danger on the road... When he said he didn’t need our help, he meant that his only worry is that the people he bumps into would be too weak, not too strong.”

One of his subordinates by the side sighed. “If someone like him doesn’t fall prematurely in the jianghu, he’ll definitely be able to march through the world unhindered.”

Wu Weiyang did not respond. He knew what his subordinate was implying.

For someone like him, the chance of falling prematurely is higher... But as he recalled the caution Zhao Changhe had shown during his inspection before he mounted his horse, Wu Weiyang felt that it was actually rather unlikely for him to die.

Don’t judge him by his bold appearance. He’s cautious. Anyone who takes him for a fool is already six feet under.

“Go back and report to the first seat. I don’t know if she’ll personally come to meet him, but we have to tell her anyway.” Wu Weiyang paused for a moment, then muttered in bewilderment, “It’s strange. The amount of attention she is giving him is out of the ordinary.”