Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 566: The Edge of the Sea and Sky

For a moment, everything fell silent. The onlookers were stunned, Lady Three included. She had almost forgotten they were still in the middle of a battle and instinctively scratched her head.

In the end, it turned out Hai Qianfan, once thought loyal, was the traitor, and Hai Changkong, who had pursued her as an enemy, was actually on their side.

How did Zhao Changhe figure it out? And how did they coordinate everything so perfectly?

Even the water figure froze in shock before it erupted in fury, “Hai Changkong, what are you doing?!”

Hai Changkong glanced at it. “For years, I’ve hidden my intentions. Pretending to want to kill those I didn’t wish to harm, pretending to cooperate with traitors I knew existed, while loyalists saw me as their enemy, secretly passing information to traitors to keep me out of the loop. And all this time, I protected those very people, to keep them from being discovered by you lot. Do you have any idea what that does to a person?”

The general who had tried to pass a message during the night raid, only to be stopped, stood dazed in the distance, slowly emerging from his confusion.

The army was rife with followers of the Sea Emperor—there were likely even members of the Sea Tribe among them. Before the Dragon King openly turned against the Sea Emperor, Hai Changkong could not reveal his true loyalties, lest it jeopardized the Dragon King’s plans.

The water figure snarled, “And you dare reveal them now?”

“If you haven’t figured out by now that His Majesty has decided to break ties with the Sea Emperor, then you’re not as smart as I gave you credit for...” Hai Changkong smirked. “Originally, I wouldn’t have revealed anything to you directly. After all, I’m not strong enough to defeat you. I would have waited until the battle was over before reporting back. But now, with Lady Three and Young Master Zhao here, you’re the one who’s about to die. So why shouldn’t I dare?”

Lady Three glanced at him, hesitating as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent. She suddenly lunged at the water figure.

What needed to be said had been said. There was no point in dragging out further conversation in front of the water figure.

In the next moment, Zhao Changhe’s sword and saber, along with Hai Changkong’s saber, joined Lady Three’s attack, closing in on the water figure from different angles. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Faced with the combined assault of all three, the already-wounded water figure stood no chance. Energy surged, waves scattered, and in an instant, the water figure was destroyed, leaving behind a single blue crystal suspended in the air.

Lady Three took the crystal, still lost in her thoughts, unsure of what to say. Zhao Changhe also had nothing in particular to add, so he casually tried to lighten the mood and said, “It seems like the Sea Emperor isn’t going to make a move again this time. I thought it wouldn’t be so easy.”

Lady Three replied, “The last time he intervened, he couldn’t crush us outright. There would be no point in him wasting his strength carelessly now.”

Zhao Changhe nodded, then added, “This water figure is supposed to have power at the third layer of the Profound Mysteries, but I feel like it can’t actually compare to a real Ranking of Heaven expert. Anyway, now we have three of these crystals...”

Lady Three nodded. “A construct is still just a construct. It has many limitations, like the fact that it’ll never have your devious mind for baiting enemies with hidden tricks.”

I was trying to lighten the mood, so why are you insulting me... Zhao Changhe smiled wryly, about to say something when Hai Changkong interrupted their banter and directly asked, “Princess, do you still hate me?”

Lady Three looked at him again. She had told Zhao Changhe before that she did not hold a grudge against Hai Changkong, but that did not mean she had no lingering resentment.

Since he had brought it up directly, she answered evenly, “In the past, you were just following orders, so there’s nothing I can say about that. But as Hai Qianfan said, killing me would solve many problems, and it’s no different for you. If I die, you’d have a much better chance of claiming Penglai. How do I know that you don’t still have such ideas?”

Hai Changkong chuckled. “Well, you have no interest in claiming Penglai, for one. In other words, you aren’t an obstacle to me. With that being the case, why would I bother creating trouble for myself? Besides, if His Majesty ever grows sentimental in his old age, he might look upon the one who harmed you with nothing but disdain. Who would I complain to then?”

Even Zhao Changhe could not help but give him a surprised look after hearing his reply.

He made a lot of sense, but very few people were this clear-minded about such matters.

It seems this marshal really is someone special.

Hai Changkong smiled casually. “I don’t mind if you dislike me, as long as personal feelings don’t interfere with what needs to be done. For now, I’ll clean up the battlefield and then take the two of you to Penglai.”

With that, he strode away toward the warships.

The naval battle was already nearing its conclusion.

The scene of their leader being beheaded had not gone unnoticed. The pirates were left stunned, unsure of what to do. The naval forces that were on the brink of being completely wiped out found their chance to break through and scattered, quickly disappearing from sight. Hai Changkong made no move to pursue. He still needed Lai Qi to spread the word of the sacrifice that had been carried out here, with the surviving soldiers from each nation as additional witnesses.

To shake the foundation of faith in the Sea God was the greatest blow that could be delivered against the Sea Emperor. The years of accumulation and worship would crumble at the news of his forsaking of his followers.

If you want to kill a snake, you have to crush its head. Hai Pinglan had been biding his time for years, and now, at last, he bared his fangs against the ancient god.

If Lady Three had not come, perhaps there would have been no complications, and Hai Pinglan’s plan would have gone off without a hitch. Hai Qianfan might have remained loyal to the end. Lady Three’s arrival had triggered his betrayal, but ultimately, nothing changed. The outcome remained unchanged.

If there was any difference, it was that it brought Shelly into Zhao Changhe’s arms.

Zhao Changhe tugged at Lady Three’s sleeve. “Are we heading to Penglai?”

Lady Three frowned. “You want to meet up with Chichi, don’t you?”

“Uh...”

Lady Three was annoyed. “Chichi should be out exploring that island. It’s unlikely she’d stay in Penglai for long. I feel like going there would be pointless. I originally came here to get the pirate crew to help find that island... but with one thing after another, I nearly forgot what I was doing in the first place...”

Zhao Changhe nodded.

Of all her identities, it was clear that the one Lady Three truly cared for, the one she felt most committed to, was the Black Tortoise of the Four Idols Cult.

Xia Chichi had begun a voyage to the Eastern Sea to locate the special place that Xia Longyuan had mentioned, one that could help her break through to the third layer of the Profound Mysteries. It seemed like it was only about her own progress, but being a saintess on the verge of reaching that level at such a young age was a major event for the cult, practically guaranteeing her position as cult leader in the future. Vermilion Bird had taken it very seriously, and Black Tortoise had come to help for the same reason. By comparison, the rebellion of the Wang Clan, though causing a stir, was insignificant to the Four Idols Cult.

Who could have guessed that Lady Three’s side quest would turn her into the main character, unexpectedly drawing her into a pivotal role? Even now, her head was still spinning.

Lady Three added, “I don’t want to dwell on grudges with Hai Changkong right now. Finding that place is impossible without their influence. I don’t really want to talk to him, so you should handle the questioning. This is really important for us.”

Zhao Changhe patted her head. “Got it.”

“Don’t pat my head!”

“Then how about somewhere else?” Zhao Changhe grinned, taking her hand. “We’ve got our own ship.”

“The Tang Clan’s ship, you mean? Who said it’s ours?!”

The two of them strode over the waves, hand in hand, their bickering drifting off into the distance until it faded from earshot.

* * *

As Hai Pinglan spoke with Xia Chichi, he suddenly turned to look out the window as if sensing an invisible current swirling in the sky before dissipating.

He stared for a long while before finally smiling. “The tides of fate are changing. From the moment the Sea Emperor blindly extended his reach to the mainland, scattering his focus and provoking your father, I knew this day would come sooner or later.”

Xia Chichi blinked.

Hai Pinglan stood up. “Let’s go, young lady.”

As he stood, Xia Chichi realized how tall he was. She could imagine the commanding presence he must have had during his prime, in the days when he roamed the jianghu. But perhaps due to the long years of old injuries, and the constant struggle against the Sea Emperor, his body seemed to have deteriorated badly. He looked frail and ancient—though he was only a little over sixty, he seemed more like eighty or ninety, as if he had aged an entire generation beyond Xia Longyuan.

Xia Chichi sighed internally, pretending to be oblivious. “Go where?”

“You’ve been having people search for a specific part of the sea. You couldn’t have possibly thought that you could hide that from me, did you?”

“I wasn’t trying to hide it from you, Uncle, but I didn’t ask for your help either...”

The term “uncle” left Hai Pinglan stunned for a moment before he burst into laughter. “I’ve never called Xia Longyuan my brother, nor do I intend to. There’s no need to use that term to soften me up. I’m not going to harm you, so why are you acting so cautious?”

Xia Chichi pouted in response.

She had not come here as an envoy to Penglai; her goal was to find a specific location.

In the first few days, Xia Chichi did not want to directly interact with Penglai’s officials. After her previous voyage, her general, Wood Flood Dragon of Jiao—whom Zhao Changhe had met a few times, and who was one of the Ranking of Man elders—had established a small outpost here. Xia Chichi had instructed him to look for a sea region that matched the visions shown by Xia Longyuan.

But it was a task far beyond the capacity of someone like the Wood Flood Dragon of Jiao, who was relatively new to the area. When he heard the request, he almost cried, and after searching in vain for some time, he simply admitted to Xia Chichi that he could not accomplish the task.

After hesitating for a while, Xia Chichi decided to meet Hai Pinglan. They were allies after all, and it was far easier to do things openly than to sneak around.

However, before meeting Hai Pinglan, Xia Chichi never imagined that the core of their conversation would revolve around Venerable Black Tortoise, nor that he would be so certain of her identity as Xia Longyuan’s daughter. Their relationship had taken on a strange twist, with discussions that went far deeper than any initial diplomatic meeting should have gone.

And she had not even mentioned the request to have her ally help search for a place; Hai Pinglan had brought it up himself.

She had thought that the sea was isolated, but it turned out that she herself was the one left in the dark. They knew far more than she did, while she was only just starting to understand them.

“If I’m not mistaken, there are only a few places you could be looking for...” Hai Pinglan said with a smile. “The legendary edge of the sea and sky, the place where the sun rises—do you want to see it?”

Xia Chichi blurted out, “Yes!”

Hai Pinglan chuckled. “Then let’s go. The journey will take quite some time.”

Xia Chichi was taken aback. “You mean... you’re coming too?”

“Of course. Xia Longyuan is using you as bait for the Sea Emperor, and I’m driving him to attack the wolf. If not now, then when?”

Hai Pinglan strode out, and from behind, for a moment, he looked like he was still in his prime.