Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 596: Pulling the Tortoise Back From the Gates of Hell

Lady Three had a dream.

In her dream, she was a small, round, chubby spirit, drifting upward like a balloon, floating aimlessly into the sky. As she drifted higher, she became more and more hazy, and so did her thoughts. It was as if she were about to dissolve into the wind.

A cloud floated by. When her head bumped into it, she surprisingly found herself failing to pass through it.

Lady Three touched her round head. It did not hurt. She grumbled softly, clambering onto the cloud and flopping down onto it. It was soft and cozy, like lying on a cushion.

She was about to fall asleep...

Deep down, she vaguely understood what was going on—whether drifting away on the wind or succumbing to sleep, it all meant she was gravely injured, on the brink of death.

That so-called cloud was Zhao Changhe’s medicine and Rejuvenation Art, keeping her soul from dissipating and helping it become more substantial.

But at the moment, her mind was not focused on such things. She simply wanted to sleep. She felt so tired.

It felt like there was nothing left to worry about. While there had been an important matter to deal with before, that was now dealt with... The baby turtle had done an amazing job, so now it was time to sleep.

In her dazed state, she felt something cool being injected into her body, a watery essence that seeped into her soul.

Ugh, that stupid pig is injecting something into my body again, disturbing my sleep.

The coolness made her mind clearer, but there was also noise from below, making it difficult for her to rest.

She perked up her ears and listened. Someone seemed to be shouting, “Sea God, protect us...”

Hearing those words made Lady Three instinctively annoyed. It’s bad enough they’re bothering me, but invoking the Sea God? Do they want to die?

The tortoise squirmed, inching to the edge of the cloud, and peeked over.

She saw many people scattered below, bowing blindly in every direction, without any real target. Threads of energy scattered with their prayers, drifting aimlessly into the sky. But strangely, a portion of that energy floated toward her, as if insisting on entering her body.

Lady Three had no desire for these things to invade her... It felt like something that was meant for the Sea Emperor, and she wanted nothing to do with it.

But then the energy abruptly formed itself into a golden ingot in front of her.

“Mine!” Lady Three suddenly sprouted two small hands from her round, plump spiritual form, quickly pulling the ingot into her embrace.

If this is meant to be the Sea Emperor’s wealth, then it deserves to be taken!

As soon as she grabbed it, the golden ingot melted into her small spirit body, and her blurry form began to solidify.

Lady Three soon understood that even though it was the power of faith, it was something she had stolen from the Sea Emperor. Realizing this brought her joy and she opened herself to absorbing the energy freely, even reaching for the scattered threads to claim them all.

Suddenly, a distant call echoed through the void, “Exalted Black Tortoise...”

Shelly looked up, seeing threads of energy streaming from all directions, like a thousand shooting stars rushing toward her.

She stretched out her hand to catch them. “This... This is truly mine!”

The moment she extended her hand, there was a sudden “boom,” and her small spirit body grew an arm, smooth and jade-like. Her spiritual form expanded, taking on its original shape—elegant, curvaceous, and full of life.

This is how a lady should be. Full, firm, and shapely, made to nurture. As for Xia Chichi? Hah, she’s still just a brat. She’s no match for me.

Lady Three stood on the cloud, looking down. Countless people kneeled in devotion, kowtowing. “Sea God...”

This feeling... so exalted, so lofty. It felt so wonderful that sleep was the last thing on her mind.

Is this what those gods pursued? To be high above the clouds, looking down upon the world, with the masses like ants beneath them?

Handsome men and beautiful women free for their taking? That sounds more like something a mortal ruler would want. But while gods might not care for such, Lady Three certainly did.

Lady Three waved her hand, her presence commanding the heavens and earth. “Where is my little pig?”

Boom!

Zhao Changhe popped up beside her.

As expected of divine power—whatever she wanted, she got. Theoretically, this was her dream, and in her dream, she was the master, the god!

Lady Three was feeling cocky. “Come and lick my feet!”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

In the next moment, Shelly was caught off guard, flipped over, and pinned across his lap, her backside raised as Zhao Changhe’s large hand slapped down hard on it. “How dare you risk your life without even consulting me?!”

The crisp sound of slaps echoed through the skies. Shelly was so stunned that it took her a moment to start wailing, “This is my dream! Why can’t I beat you here?”

“This isn’t a dream, idiot! This is your spiritual sea!”

Spiritual... spiritual sea? Lady Three’s mind churned, and she finally understood what was happening.

Her spirit and soul had been on the verge of dissolving. Zhao Changhe must have used the technique left behind by the Sea Emperor, channeling that power of faith into her, giving her soul a massive boost—solidifying it and restoring her original form. It was a powerful technique—no wonder the Sea Emperor had been able to recover so absurdly quickly. Especially before reaching the higher demands of the Profound Control Realm, it allowed rapid recovery. Regardless, after this, it would likely still take quite a lot of time to fully recover.

Did I actually just tell him to lick my feet... Did Xia Chichi hear me? Feeling she’d died a social death twice over, Lady Three stammered, “I, I wouldn’t have done it if you could kill him on your own!”

Smack!

Zhao Changhe struck her harder, his voice filled with fury, “The battle had just begun! It wasn’t like we had no options left. Who said this was the only way?! And even if he escaped, I could beg for help, get others to join the fight—Old Xia is still alive, and there are other gods and demons waiting on the sidelines. It wasn’t a hopeless situation! Who gave you permission to just throw your life away?!”

Lady Three’s mind was slower, unable to argue back, and she could not break free either. She had only just regained a bit of her strength—how could she possibly be a match for him?

“No matter if it’s revenge, slaying a god, or getting the Heavenly Tome or divine artifacts... compared to you, none of that matters.” Zhao Changhe, worried about her weakened state, dared not strike her again. Instead, he gently hugged her, whispering, “I just want to see that carefree tortoise lying there, happily resting and watching us. Risking your life isn’t for you... leave that to me...”

So he was considering risking his life too. It’s just that I beat him to it. Hmph, how shameless of him to scold me for it...

But Lady Three did not feel like mocking him. His words softened her completely, and she relaxed against his lap, not wanting to move.

Compared to you, none of that matters... Heh.

Finally, she spoke in a gentle voice, “Alright, don’t be mad. I’ll listen to you from now on.”

Zhao Changhe said nothing.

She had said that a few times before, and she truly did mean it. Zhao Changhe could not really blame her for what she had done this time. This was ultimately a blood feud that involved her parents. If he were in her shoes, he would have likely acted even more recklessly. He had spanked her out of anger and concern; it was not that he didn’t understand her.

And truthfully, it did not really hurt. This was her spirit, not her actual body. Instead, she could feel a gentle energy flowing through her. It was his Rejuvenation Art working within her, mending her injuries from the trident.

He was simultaneously connecting to her soul and using the Rejuvenation Art to heal her physical body. He was truly going all out for her.

Lady Three opened her eyes.

She was met with the sight of a room of water, Zhao Changhe holding her, their foreheads touching, their souls intertwined.

Her hand, though, was being held by another soft, cool hand. The healing energy of the Rejuvenation Art was not actually coming from Zhao Changhe but Xia Chichi...

Xia Chichi wore a stony expression, clearly uncomfortable with the closeness of Zhao Changhe and Lady Three. She seemed annoyed by their foreheads touching, knowing that their souls were intertwined and possibly even sharing a deeper connection. Yet, despite her discomfort, she was earnestly helping her aunt-master recover.

This wretched tortoise is infuriating, but no matter what, she’s still my aunt-master.

Lady Three stared at her for a while, feeling moved, before speaking her first words upon waking: “Tonight, he’s all yours.”

Smack! Smack!

Both sides of her rear got slapped at once. Xia Chichi stood up in anger. “Even if you wanted to compete, do you even have the strength for that right now?!”

Zhao Changhe, equally exasperated, placed Lady Three down on the water bed and threw a page of the Heavenly Tome over her face. “This is the page of the Heavenly Tome concerned with the power of faith. I was just helping to guide it, but for it to work effectively, you’ll need to learn and use it yourself. No one else can do much for you. Since you’re awake, study it well. I’ll go prepare some medicine to heal your physical wounds.”

Her bodily injuries were severe. There was no perfect remedy immediately available. He would have to make do with what they had. Fortunately, they had gathered many precious herbs and resources on Skyrim Island. With Zhao Changhe’s medical knowledge and skill, he could concoct something effective. Combined with his Rejuvenation Art, they might be able to truly pull the little tortoise back from the gates of hell.

Reflecting on their brief visit to Skyrim Island, Zhao Changhe felt it was almost as if it had been a prelude to this battle. They had only stayed a day, but every single thing they did there ended up playing a part in this fight.

As Zhao Changhe prepared the medicine, he found himself in thought.

None of this was orchestrated by the blind woman. Aside from the Dragon Soul Wood, which the blind woman taught me about because I asked, everything else was Lady Three’s decision. Collecting certain herbs was my own choice, and the archery techniques from Hai Pinglan were part of his heritage. Everything lined up so perfectly—perhaps it’s all a matter of fate.

This page of the Heavenly Tome isn’t just connected to faith but also to fate, karma, and other ephemeral forces. It seems worth studying more deeply. It seems like there’s still a lot more to be gained from it.