Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 448: More Potent Than Any Drug

Her words were far too provocative, and Zhao Changhe was getting increasingly flustered.

If Sisi had not gotten involved personally and only relied on the peculiar effects of the aphrodisiac, Zhao Changhe could still use the Moonglade Sutra he learned from Tang Wanzhuang to keep things under control. But with Sisi sidling up to him and whispering seductive words, not even a reincarnated monk could withstand the temptation.

She did not even need to touch him. Just her natural fragrance alone was enough to drive a man wild. The fragrance of a woman’s perfume has always been a man’s aphrodisiac, and Sisi’s natural fragrance was an intoxicating mix of flowers and poison, exuding the fatal allure of opium.

Moreover, her choice of words was simply too suggestive.

Combined with the drug’s effects, who could resist?

The only solace was that the drug Sisi used was not one of those that would cause him to burn alive if he did not detoxify it. It was not something that would cloud his mind or affect his thoughts, either. It simply stirred desire—making him want, desperately want—without any other negative effects.

Zhao Changhe knew this was just Sisi’s way of a playful, brutal revenge. If he truly could not resist and tried to pounce on her, she would probably slap him across the face and mock him, saying, “So much for all that acting earlier...”

He had no doubt in his mind that that was how it would go.

But what could he do? He was getting really anxious!

Well, if she’s stirring things up, might as well just handle it... It’s not like I haven’t done it before.

Completely unfazed, Zhao Changhe reached down to handle the situation himself.

Sisi: “???”

She was still in the position where she had leaned in close, her lips almost brushing his ear as she whispered seductively, thinking there was no way this guy could resist, expecting him to make a fool of himself. But when she saw what he was doing, her small mouth fell open in shock, unable to close for quite a while.

It looked like you could fit an entire Dragon Bird in her mouth at that point.

“Sisi...” Zhao Changhe said earnestly, “I don’t get the principles or mechanics behind whatever kind of witchcraft or gu poison this is, but yeah, it’s pretty strong. But you were right to want to learn martial arts from the Central Plains. You should study those vicious dual-cultivation techniques more—like the ones where you’ll explode if you don’t do it. Now that would be unbeatable. But this? What’s the point? No matter how strong the desire is, it can just be released. It’s not like I don’t have hands.”

Sisi was speechless for a long moment. She had been planning to turn up the seduction even more, but now she did not know if she was ruining his plan or just helping him out.

After a while, she finally spat out in frustration, “As expected of you, there’s no one more shameless than you in this world. And here you were, pretending to be all virtuous, having all those serious conversations earlier.”

Zhao Changhe calmly replied, “Well, it’s because it’s you. It’s not like you haven’t seen my unbeatable little brother before. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t be this shameless.”

“Ugh!” Sisi gritted her teeth, “Zhao Changhe, your mind sure works fast, doesn’t it? What if I’d poisoned you instead? Would you still be smiling?!”

“Hey, Sisi, there’s no need for all this... I haven’t done anything to offend you this time, have I?”

“You do realize the importance of adding ‘this time’ as a qualifier, don’t you? Have you never offended me before...?” Sisi trailed off mid-sentence. Talking about the past was pointless now. Both of them knew full well who had wronged the other more and who bore the greater guilt.

At the time, she had acknowledged her mistakes, which was why she had been so cooperative ever since.

But after all this time, meeting him again in such an exotic place, Sisi could not help but wonder if this seemingly proper man was the kind of person who could be easily seduced into forgetting everything, turning into nothing more than a drooling dog at her beck and call.

As it turned out, he was not.

From another perspective, though, could it mean that he was still holding a grudge?

So petty! It’s been so long, and it was just a small matter!

Sisi’s eyes twinkled mischievously, her voice becoming seductive again as she began to reach her hand into the water. “In truth, I know it was my fault before... Can’t we just forget it, master? Look at you, struggling like this all by yourself. Why don’t I help you out...?”

Zhao Changhe said, “Oh, so you mean this was your way of making amends?”

“Of course...”

Sisi’s hand had already dipped into the water. Suddenly, it was as if she had been electrocuted, her whole body twitching with a sharp, muffled gasp as one side of her went numb.

In the next moment, Zhao Changhe grabbed her wrist and gave a sharp pull, yanking her entirely into the water with a loud splash. Her face nearly brushed his little brother as she went under.

Sputtering, Sisi emerged from the water, glaring furiously at Zhao Changhe, who was looking back at her with an amused smile. “What do you think of the Central Plains’ martial arts now?”

Still fuming, Sisi snapped, “What the hell kind of technique is that? Why are you able to electrify me?”

“That wasn’t an electric shock, that was vicious qi. You stimulated my blood and qi, and the water then became filled with it. You can’t see or touch it, but I can control it. It’s part of my understanding of the first layer of the Profound Mysteries. If you haven’t reached this stage, consider this a lesson.”

Sisi bit her lip, her tone coy again as she whispered, “You’ve got me now, don’t you? So are you just going to hold onto my wrist and do nothing? You even stopped... you know...”

Zhao Changhe let out a weary sigh. “Sisi... It’s not that I insist on being all serious, but the truth is that all our previous flirting was just a game. Neither of us had any real feelings behind it, so why keep playing these games? Can’t we just return to a normal partnership and get what we both need?”

Sisi huffed, “Easy for you to say. You’re just mad at me, aren’t you? A whole year has passed, and you’re still holding a grudge—how childish.”

“I’m not,” Zhao Changhe said seriously. “I just don’t have the mindset for this right now. I’m not interested in playing around, nor am I wasting time dwelling on old grudges. The situation in the southwest is so complicated. Every step feels like walking on thin ice. This isn’t the time to be creating unnecessary problems.”

Sisi fell silent for a moment, then quietly said, “But isn’t the situation pretty clear? What’s so complicated about it?”

“Because although Lei Ao wants to kill Wang Daozhong and not me, why does he want to kill Wang Daozhong in the first place? Your previous explanation didn’t cover this, does it? What advantage does killing Wang Daozhong bring to his ambitions for independence? And why does the entire Sword Hut need to relocate if their only goal is to support the independence of the southwest? What’s the point? Why did Shi Wuding challenge Wang Daozhong? Whose orders was he following?”

Sisi’s eyes widened in surprise. “You were... You were actually thinking about Wang Daozhong and Lei Ao while... doing that?”

Zhao Changhe paused. “Uh... no. Damn it, when did your brain become so frivolous? You say I’ve become too serious, but it seems like you’ve become too... silly.”

“Why should I care about any of that? It doesn’t really have anything to do with me.”

“Are you sure it has nothing to do with you? If the southwest is forcibly united under one rule, wouldn’t you be one of the first to be affected?”

“I could just retreat to the Ancient Spirit Tribe’s secret realm. Who would know where I am or even care about me? What does it really matter to me what happens in the southwest? I’m not even from here.”

Zhao Changhe fell silent.

Indeed, Sisi was truly detached from all of this. The turmoil in the southwest was more of an experiment for her, a way to observe and test the waters. She had her own stance, but she wasn’t too invested, and that was why her thoughts seemed so carefree. Her interest in Zhao Changhe far exceeded her concern for the local events.

Yet, she had personally intervened, disguising herself as Yue Hongling to carry out an assassination. She had taken a real and significant risk, placing herself in real danger. If Zhao Changhe had not managed to stall Shi Wuding, things could have ended very badly for her.

So, maybe she did care about the southwest, at least to some extent.

After all, her culture shared roots with these people, and their heritage was intertwined.

Zhao Changhe noticed a flicker of emotion in her eyes. Gently, he said, “Maybe it doesn’t directly affect you... but you do want the people here to have better lives, don’t you?”

Sisi pouted. “What can I do about it? I already risked my life to carry out the assassination. If the sky falls, I can’t hold it up. I also don’t believe that you and Yue Hongling, just two people on the Ranking of Man, can change anything.”

Zhao Changhe’s thoughts turned to Li Shentong, his ancient and wise face flashing in his mind. “No... there are Ranking of Heaven figures involved in this.”

Sisi visibly shuddered. “You can bring in someone from the Ranking of Heaven to influence this situation?”

Zhao Changhe looked at her sudden surge of excitement, curious. “If I can, what’s your plan?”

Sisi bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before shaking her head. “Never mind. But if there are Ranking of Heaven figures involved, it does open up more possibilities. It’s something to think about.”

Zhao Changhe asked, “Are you thinking of having someone from the Ranking of Heaven help your Ancient Spirit Tribe?”

Sisi loudly retorted, “No! My Ancient Spirit Tribe doesn’t need help from anyone! Don’t get any ideas!”

Zhao Changhe smiled knowingly. “Fine, then think of it as helping me. Once things settle down here, I’d like to visit your Ancient Spirit Tribe. What kind of conditions would I need to fulfill for that?”

Sisi almost instinctively wanted to say it was impossible, but when she thought of his mention of Ranking of Heaven figures, the words got caught in her throat. Instead, she spat out angrily, “Unless you marry into the tribe, there’s no chance.”

The moment she said that, the atmosphere suddenly grew quiet.

The two of them were still in the bath, very close to each other.

Zhao Changhe was unclothed, his dragon bird ferocious, his body suffused with the effects of the aphrodisiac. His skin had a reddish hue, and his eyes were tinged with bloodshot veins. His breathing was heavy, and his hand still gripped Sisi’s wrist, sealing her blood flow, leaving her completely powerless, weakly leaning against him.

As soon as the silence fell, the tension became palpable. Zhao Changhe’s rough breathing was audible, as was Sisi’s own soft, anxious, and unsteady breathing.

If the condition to “marry” into her tribe was implied, it seemed that they were just a step away from having a pretext for that...

Yet Zhao Changhe released her wrist, turning his head aside, muttering, “You should leave. I... I still need to, well, resolve this.”

Sisi’s sealed energy began to flow again, her strength returning as her blood circulated freely.

She suddenly burst into laughter, her wrist twisting as she slipped a pill into his mouth. “I have the antidote. But if, after taking it, you still want to resolve something, that’s up to you. No one’s stopping you.”

With that, she leaped out of the bath, sending a cascade of water splashing into the air like a misty rain.

Sisi stepped out of the tent and, glancing back through the shimmering water droplets, softly chuckled. “Master Zhao truly is unbeatable—to think that after all that, it’s still so fierce... If it were to be directed inside someone, they might not survive...”

Her voice echoed faintly as her figure vanished into the night.

“Shit...” Zhao Changhe groaned, hunched over, feeling the intensity within. Even with the antidote, the burning heat was not fully subdued.

The desire was indeed not just from the drug—Sisi herself was more potent than any aphrodisiac.