Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 488: Pain Transfer Gu

Zhao Changhe did not know how long he had been unconscious.

This time, the injuries were worse and more painful than after the battles at Yanmen and Kuaiji. At least before, he had only blacked out momentarily.

This time, the impact from the Blood Ao had left his bones nearly shattered, which would have been bad enough. But that was just the beginning.

The excruciating pain from being torn apart from within, enough to shred the Blood Ao’s powerful body from the inside, was something he could channel outward, sparing his life. However, the agony of the sword qi piercing through his entire body was not something humans were meant to bear.

It was an unbelievable feat, incomprehensible even to those who had witnessed it.

Yet, that was the kind of man that Zhao Changhe was. He was a warrior who would do anything to win. In the heat of battle, he would have likely chopped off his own head if it meant victory.

But afterward, the consequences hit hard. Even in his unconscious state, he felt immense pain, and he curled up on the bed, his body trembling uncontrollably. No matter how he lay, it hurt.

Even worse, the vicious qi within his body, which had not flared up for some time, erupted with full force this time.

Previously, Zhao Changhe had absorbed a large amount of the vicious qi affecting the Heavenly Blood Jade to return it to how it once was. It had been truly beneficial to him, strengthening an aspect of his power that was sorely lacking. Without that vicious qi, he might not have been able to hold back the opponent’s Bloodied Mountains and Rivers.

But now, with his blood and qi extremely weak, this immensely powerful vicious qi had nothing to balance it, and even the sutra he had gotten from Tang Wanzhuang could do nothing to contain it.

So, the vicious qi raged through his body, which had just been tempered and sharpened. He was thus subjected to another round of excruciating pain, and he felt like his body was being sliced apart again.

Even while unconscious, he curled up tightly, groaning involuntarily.

Sisi sat by the bed, carefully removing his tattered clothes and applying a cooling ointment to his wounds.

The touch startled Zhao Changhe, and he instinctively pushed her away, causing her to stumble as the ointment fell from her hands.

Sisi quietly picked it up and continued applying it.

The young maids nearby could not bear to simply watch by the side any longer and said, “Saintess, let us help you.”

Sisi ignored them, continuing to apply the ointment herself.

Seeing her persistence, the maids exchanged glances, feeling that their saintess might be in trouble. Finally, one of them gathered the courage to say, “Saintess, he is a man of Xia.”

Sisi’s hand paused for a moment.

Whether he was someone from Xia did not matter that much to her. Many of the people in Sisi’s faction were refugees of Xia who had found sanctuary in Miaojiang, and the Xia forces had played a significant role in the recent battle.

In terms of the tribe’s power structure, of course, it would become a problem if people from Xia dominated. However, the Xia that she had taken in were outcasts from Miaojiang, and they depended on the Spirit Tribe for survival. Once she unified the secret realm, their tribe’s power would skyrocket, and the Xia would remain only a small faction within the larger force, thereby having little impact.

But Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling were different.

Especially Zhao Changhe... He was compatible with the Heavenly Blood Jade, able to break seals, found the forbidden land no one knew about, traversed the sacred paths as if they were his own, and, finally, unraveled the mystery of the Blood Ao, even suppressing its power of vicious blood qi. To a keen observer, his actions seemed almost guided by a divine hand, revealing a profound familiarity with the Spirit Tribe’s secrets.

Some might even say that Zhao Changhe seemed more like the saint than Sisi did as the saintess. It was something that would truly be believed and widely accepted if spread.

If Sisi were a woman with real ambition, the logical choice now would be to make him disappear quietly rather than treat his injuries.

Fortunately, neither Sisi nor even the maids, who barely knew Zhao Changhe, would do something like that. He had sustained these severe wounds for their sake; none of them were so heartless as to turn on him.

Still, seeing Sisi’s tender care for him, they could not help but worry.

None of them had the heart to kill him, but they also wished she would not elevate his status too much...

The younger members of the tribe had ventured out to Miaojiang, dealing with the powerful tribes like the Black Hmong, struggling to build a foothold, all because they did not want to be anyone’s servant. But if things continued this way, they feared they would go from refusing to serve the forbidden land to becoming lackeys for the Xia.

“Everyone, leave,” Sisi suddenly said, breaking the silence.

“Saintess...”

“What, he’s lying here exposed. I don’t mind being intimate with him. Do you all want to stay and watch? Fine, anyone who wants to can take a step forward and become a chambermaid.”

“...”

Sisi sighed. “I know what you’re worried about, but he won’t...”

One of the maids could not help but interject, “We cannot place our hopes on others.”

Sisi glanced at her, then unexpectedly pulled out a gu and placed it in Zhao Changhe’s mouth. “Happy?”

They hadn’t clearly seen what kind of gu it was, but they assumed it must be one of a certain kind. A look of relief and excitement spread across their faces. “Then we won’t disturb you. We wish you and the sacred envoy happiness.”

Sisi replied calmly, “So, you’ve acknowledged him as the sacred envoy?”

“Actually...” The young girls lowered their heads. “He really does seem to be one. Even though we don’t understand why theAncestral God chose a man from Xia, perhaps it’s simply because we’re not good enough...”

Sisi chuckled and blinked at them. “So, if you truly recognize him as the sacred envoy, are any of you thinking of stepping forward now?”

The girls quickly scampered off, saying as they left, “The saintess can personally attend to him.”

Shaking her head, Sisi returned to applying the ointment.

At that moment, Zhao Changhe was lying still, no longer curled up or trembling, looking more at peace. However, the vicious qi was still raging within him. His arms and chest visibly swelled up and hardened, faintly radiating a dark red qi. The vicious qi was so intense that insects passing by might just drop dead on the spot.

Sisi’s hands, still applying the ointment, slowly moved to the more hardened areas of his body.

She hesitated for a moment, then slowly lowered her head toward his body.

* * *

Zhao Changhe falling unconscious was his body’s way of protecting itself from excessive blood loss, but he had a vague awareness of what was happening.

Especially the feeling of being overwhelmed by vicious qi, as though he had become a beast driven only by violence and rage, like he had become the Blood Ao itself. This was the inevitable result of the vicious qi backlash. It had nothing to do with the Blood Ao specifically. Any lifeform dominated by the desire to kill would experience this.

Fortunately, his body was so battered that it was worse off than a torn rag. He could not cause any trouble even if he wanted to. Any slight movement brought unbearable pain, and even lying down was torturous. The unconsciousness was his mind’s way of shielding him from the agony.

He had no idea how long it would take to recuperate... Without the ability to act on his own, he couldn’t even use the Rejuvenation Art, and there was no miracle medicine to heal him quickly.

Vaguely, he thought he saw the blind woman.

“Hm... Quite the hero.”

Zhao Changhe, dazed and half-lucid, did not have the patience to deal with her. “I feel like killing right now, so stay away from me.”

The blind woman moved a little closer and sniggered. “Are you even capable of moving?”

“Damn you...”

“I really don’t understand how someone so reckless with their own life has managed to survive this long,” the blind woman mused, tilting her head and resting her fingers on his cheek. “You’ve been incredibly lucky so far. Each time you’ve been seriously injured, some treasure has managed to smooth over the hidden damage for you. Otherwise, with your body, you’d be on a steady decline in a few years, let alone trying to reach higher levels. As for this time, who knows if you’ll—”

Zhao Changhe said, “Just shut up. I’m full of vicious qi right now, and I’m extremely irritable. We can discuss this later.”

“We can’t wait.” The blind woman sighed. “If the Heavenly Tome falls into the wrong hands, everything you’ve done so far will have been for nothing.”

“I don’t consider what I’ve done to be pointless. If it saved lives, I’m content.”

“And if he takes the Heavenly Tome and retaliates?”

“What do you expect me to do about it? You know I’m too injured to move! Sisi can handle herself.”

As he spoke, he could feel a cool sensation on his body, gentle hands applying ointment to his wounds.

But the sting of the ointment on his injuries was unbearable, and he instinctively pushed the person away. He continued, “From what I understand, you’re only restricted by the secret realm’s space, unable to enter casually. If you could get in, you’d do it yourself instead of bothering me.”

The blind woman could not help but laugh. “Sisi can indeed handle herself, but I fear that handling it her way will make all your efforts futile. A hero? In this world, do you really think there’s any place for a hero? It’s laughable.”

Zhao Changhe glared at her, feeling extremely irritated.

In his heart, Zhao Changhe vaguely suspected that this was not the blind woman entering his dream but simply a dream reflecting his own worries...

Because the blind woman would not come to sow discord. It was not in her nature to do so, and she had nothing to gain from it.

But the thought only flashed by briefly. Something was then pushed into his mouth, and Zhao Changhe could not resist.

The effect was incredible, beyond any divine medicine he knew about. The pain subsided significantly in a very short time, and he even felt a bit stronger.

It was odd. His injuries had not healed, yet the pain had lessened... Could it be an anesthetic? But anesthetics don’t usually give strength.

As the pain faded, his senses sharpened, and he became more aware of the explosive force of the vicious qi surging within, his muscles taut, blood and qi brimming, desperate for release.

The blind woman in the dream seemed surprised by this change and continued, “Sisi is now the leader of the tribe. Her actions can’t be guided by emotion alone. She will have many other considerations that she must keep in mind...”

Before she could finish, Zhao Changhe reached out aggressively, pulling her close. “Stop trying to sow discord. Compared to Sisi, you’re the one truly devoid of emotion!”

Surprisingly, the blind woman did not struggle, allowing Zhao Changhe to grab her and press her to the ground.

It was indeed a dream.

The real blind woman would not act like this.

The real blind woman floated in the void, watching Zhao Changhe’s fanciful imaginings with a bemused expression, then watching Sisi’s gentle hands apply medicine.

The scene felt strangely surreal!

The next moment, Sisi leaned closer to Zhao Changhe.

The blind woman: “????”

How could Zhao Changhe’s dream somehow align so well with reality? This isn’t my doing!

Wait—doesn’t this mean that, in Zhao Changhe’s dream, it’s me who’s doing this?

No way.

Zhao Changhe felt a sudden warmth, as if the pent-up blood and qi had finally found an outlet, bringing him immense relief. Initially, he was passively enjoying it, but gradually, as he regained some strength, he pulled the blind woman up, stripping her bare.

Sisi, caught off guard, was pinned down, and she instinctively struggled, but a wave of pain swept over her, leaving her weak.

The young girls could never have guessed what the gu Sisi fed Zhao Changhe was—it was one known as the Pain Transfer Gu.

The reason Zhao Changhe no longer felt pain was that she was enduring it for him.

Sisi panted heavily, looking softly at him as he tore at her clothing, and then slowly closed her eyes.

The blind woman’s hair stood on end with anger. Suddenly, she reached out and knocked both of them out, leaving them unconscious on the bed. “This is to ensure your first time is truly your own. There’s no need to thank me.”