Tome of Troubled Times
Chapter 872 (2): The Girl Who Braves the Wind and Waves

Chapter 872 (2): The Girl Who Braves the Wind and Waves

Clang!

A sword burst like a dragon through a ring-pommel sword[1], sending a hulking brute crashing into the river.

The boat deck was littered with corpses, while many others had been made to rest at the bottom of the Grand Canal.

This had been Ling Ruoyu’s twenty-seventh duel in just a few short hours. She had already consumed several of the pills that ancient senior had given her just to keep going. If it were not for those pills, this endless gauntlet of combat would have crushed even a seasoned veteran.

“Your last strike was too restrained,” Zhao Changhe commented from the side, swirling his wine. “Had you chopped rather than thrust, the outcome would’ve been cleaner.”

He never guided her mid-battle, as that would only be a distraction. Instead, he offered pointed, succinct critiques after each encounter.

“Ah, that guy with the soft whip earlier... Why’d you engage him at range? You should have rushed him. Whips are useless up close.”

“There were frogmen swimming beneath the hull. Good thing this is a ship of the Demon Suppression Bureau and your subordinates handled it. If you’re traveling alone next time, keep that in mind.”

“And your temperament is just too rigid. Your sword intent is upright but stiff. You need to learn to feint. Your master, back in her day, wasn’t above throwing a bunch of hidden weapons when needed. She wasn’t nearly as uptight as you are.”

Panting, Ling Ruoyu quietly absorbed every word. Her respect deepened with each correction.

This was not empty lecturing. These observations were keen and precise, and his timing and judgments were simply flawless. In just this short span of real battles, with his insights layered atop her own training, she had deepened her grasp of combat in ways she could feel in her bones.

He was doing what a true master would.

That in itself was frightening. Few even knew her master had once used hidden weapons. She herself had been surprised when her master taught her how to use them. What kind of records did this ancient demon god read?

After so many intense fights, she could feel the bottleneck to the Profound Mysteries beginning to loosen.

Morning sunlight shimmered off the long river like liquid gold.

Master’s Setting Sun Ravages the Sky looked just like this.

Whoosh!

A sudden chill swept across the deck.

A cloaked figure materialized on the prow. Their face was hidden, but they emitted heavy, near-tangible demonic qi.

Ling Ruoyu’s eyes narrowed.

Zhao Changhe, still leaning on the railing with his wine gourd, sat up slightly. So they’re finally here...

He had not come just to smack down small fry. Half of this was to let his little disciple get some real experience. The other half... was to fish.

Anyone coming to snatch Dragon Bird likely was not from the righteous path, and letting Ling Ruoyu cleave her way through them would bring much-needed experience. However, those with a real interest in Dragon Bird and River of Stars had to be among the Heavenly Dao’s sleeper agents. Rooting them out before they learned he was awake was the true purpose behind his early return.

He did not believe for a second that Yue Hongling or Tang Wanzhuang had remained idle. With River of Stars having appeared, they were definitely already at work across the world.

“You truly live up to your title, Miss Ling,” the cloaked figure rasped with a twisted chuckle. “Braving the wind and waves, testing your sword across a thousand li. You remind me of the young Zhao Changhe. But unfortunately, you’re no Zhao Changhe, and Dragon Bird obeys no one but him. If it could be so easily wielded, none of us would’ve dared come.”

Zhao Changhe took a swig of wine and said nothing.

Ling Ruoyu answered coldly, “So the Heavenly Demon Society really is backed by evil demons like you. What exactly is your aim?”

“Initially, we only wanted Dragon Bird, but after watching you through the night, we’re not so sure anymore. Perhaps you yourself are just as valuable as Dragon Bird.” The cloaked figure laughed, then continued, “How about you come with us?”

Even as he spoke, Ling Ruoyu suddenly gasped. Her spiritual sea roiled, her spiritual platform in turmoil.

Spiritual attacks were too far beyond her level to defend against. She was wide open, and her opponent might well be in the Profound Control Realm.

However, Zhao Changhe remained seated. He simply watched and continued drinking, not lifting a finger.

The cloaked figure’s demonic qi surged into Ling Ruoyu’s spiritual sea, confident in an easy victory... only to be met with a blazing sun suspended high above, flooding the heavens with its radiance.

The sunlight burned like lava cascading in countless waves down the slopes of a volcano. Against it, the invading demonic qi was as helpless as a grain of sand in a storm-tossed sea. Within moments, it was utterly annihilated, not a trace of it anywhere to be seen.

After all, Yue Hongling would not have sent her fledgling disciple into the jianghu without a single safeguard. A strand of her sword qi lay hidden deep within Ling Ruoyu’s core. Even a Profound Control Realm cultivator would be reduced to ash upon triggering it.

And in that exact moment, this strand of sword intent perfectly synchronized with Ling Ruoyu’s own recent insight—sunlight reflecting upon the river. The young girl’s Niwan Palace opened, the aura of heaven and earth came pouring in, and she unlocked the door to the Profound Mysteries.

A blazing sword qi erupted from her like the noonday sun, cutting a golden arc across the Grand Canal.

Clang!

Her sword pierced the evil demon’s body. He shrieked, and a wisp of demonic qi broke loose, fleeing into the air.

“Stay,” a woman’s voice rang out. A figure stepped lightly across the water, hand lifting a cloth bag. With a practiced motion, she scooped the fleeing qi into it and tied it shut with deft fingers.

Ling Ruoyu, having spent the last of her strength unleashing the most powerful strike of her life, collapsed at the bow. Seeing the woman stride across the waves, she exhaled in relief, her voice faint but grateful:

“Lady Baoqin, you’re here... Good... I, I don’t think I can move...”

“Pfffft!” Zhao Changhe choked on his wine. What did you just call her?

The so-called “Lady Baoqin” landed on the boat but did not praise Ling Ruoyu’s feat. Instead, her piercing eyes immediately locked onto Zhao Changhe.

He looked back at her with a half-amused, half-conflicted expression.

They stared for a long, silent moment.

Then, suddenly, she stomped her foot and erupted in fury, “There! It’s the worst demon of them all! Why is no one arresting him?! Look at him! He’s sitting there so smug like he owns the place!”

Ling Ruoyu blinked. “There must be some misunderstanding, Lady Baoqin. This senior has helped me greatly. How could he be a demon?”

“I said he is, so he is!” she snapped. “With a sword heart like yours, how can you not sense he’s a lecher?”

“...I don’t sense anything.”

Baoqin reached forward and grabbed Zhao Changhe by the collar. “You even dare lay eyes on her? Do you have any shame at all? If I don’t beat you to death right now, I—”

Before she could finish, an arm wrapped around her waist. In a single pull, she was dragged into a tight embrace.

Ling Ruoyu stared in disbelief as the revered, awe-inspiring Baoqin—the one who enforced the Prime Minister’s edicts and had cowed countless heroes into silence—was now flailing in a man’s arms like a little girl.

In broad daylight and under clear skies, the ancient demon god who was holding Baoqin like a child lowered his head and kissed her softly on the cheek.

He whispered in her ear, his voice low and intimate, “I’ve never once had designs on her... I do have some designs on you, though.”

Ling Ruoyu watched as the legendary Lady Baoqin’s cheeks flushed crimson. Her struggles weakened, turning from resistance to... something else. Her lips quivered as if on the verge of tears. “You’re always like this... Always bullying me... I hate you... I don’t want you anymore...”

Ling Ruoyu was stunned.

What kind of evil mind-controlling art is this?! Why is Lady Baoqin, who once thundered down imperial decrees across the land, now look like a heartbroken girl? And wait a minute, didn’t he say he was interested in my master?! Just what is going on?!

Zhao Changhe said softly, “I really didn’t mean for things to go like this... But it’s still my fault. Whatever scolding you want to give me, I’ll take it.”

Baoqin only cried.

He cast an awkward glance at Ling Ruoyu, then whispered to Baoqin, “I’ve got a lot I need to ask you. Can we talk... in the cabin?”

Baoqin sniffled and said nothing, but neither did she resist as he, without the slightest hesitation, swept her up and carried her inside.

Judging by her dazed expression, she looked like she would not even object if he devoured her on the spot.

The river wind howled and Ling Ruoyu gave an involuntary shiver.

Am I in some illusion made by that spiritual attack earlier? Why does it feel like I’m dreaming?

In the distance, the faint silhouette of Yangzhou had begun to emerge on the horizon.

If nothing went wrong, the Marquis of Wu would meet them there soon. This journey of hers, slicing through winds and waves and cutting down all that stood before her, was drawing to its end.

And yet... as Ling Ruoyu gazed back at the blood-soaked waters behind them, a strange thought took root in her mind.

Wasn’t this journey... a little too short?

She had forgotten that she was covered in wounds, she had long since exhausted the last of the pills the “old senior” had given her.

Above, the heavens shimmered once more with golden light.

Ling Ruoyu, carrying the sacred saber, challenged all who stood in her way as she sailed south.

In twenty-seven consecutive battles, she stood alone against many, each battle equivalent to a duel between those of the Ranking of Man.

Among them, six notorious figures from Qingxu, Jianghuai, and Huaiyang fled wounded, and over thirty others perished. The Grand Canal ran red with blood all the way to Yangzhou.

Through these battles, Ling Ruoyu broke through, touching upon the Profound Mysteries.

Ranking of Man, Rank 18: Ling Ruoyu.

In a single day, she had soared from the Ranking of Hidden Dragons to the eighteenth place on the Ranking of Man.

Her bid for a moment of glory in the jianghu had reverberated louder than her master’s rise years ago. She had become famous in a single battle.

Thousands of li away, in the desolate sands of a desert, Yue Hongling cleaved through the neck of a vicious beast with one clean strike. Then, she paused and turned her gaze southward.

“...Fine. For the sake of how well you’ve taught her... I’ll let those thirty years of resentment go. But stop using her as bait. Can’t you see? She’s not meant to shine this brightly. Not yet.”

1. This is a type of single-edged sword with a ring-shaped pommel, commonly used during the Han dynasty as a military weapon. ☜