Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 745 (2): Reputation Ravager

Li Eight’s smile vanished.

Zhao Changhe chuckled.

“And with you as eight and me as nine, look at that—aside from the fact that Old Two and Old Six[2] don’t sound too great, aren’t we just missing a five? Tell me, Lady Eight, do you know where Five is?”

Li Eight’s expression remained indifferent. “It’s just a coincidence, nothing more. Why insist on finding a five?”

Zhao Changhe shrugged. “Chang’an is so lively. Shouldn’t we complete the set?”

Li Eight studied him for a long moment, eyes flickering with subtle amusement. Then, she finally spoke, “You won’t complete it. He can’t come here. And besides, he has other matters to attend to.”

Zhao Changhe’s gaze sharpened. “He can’t come here... because he killed Li Gongsi?”

Li Eight’s lips curled into a brilliant smile. “Since you already know, why ask?”

“Because I want to know what other matters he’s attending to.”

“Sweeping across the Hexi Corridor, severing the roads into Guanlong.” Li Eight’s smile deepened. “After all, isn’t he a mounted brigand at heart?”

Zhao Changhe commented, “And yet, here you are, openly using such an obvious name in Chang’an. Are you not afraid of getting yourself killed?”

“This was my name to begin with. I’m from a collateral branch of the Li Clan. It’s not like I pulled it out of thin air.” Li Eight looked at him as if he were an idiot “. I told you already, there are countless people with numbers for names. Do you think every single person named Five is Ying Five? You’re just lucky and happened to step on a dead rat that won’t bite. If I were truly loyal to the Li Clan, I’d have captured you right here and now.”

Zhao Changhe chuckled. “You may chalk it up to luck if you want, but you should know better. You were far too obvious when you were probing Young Master Dai. Textbook intelligence gatherer.”

Li Eight sighed. She knew that to someone with a keen eye, her methods were too easy to read, so there was no point arguing further. Lowering her voice, she spoke seriously, “If you’re sent here by Zhao Changhe, then pass this message along: Big Brother Five and King Zhao have always been allies. That has never changed. The reason things have been a bit awkward lately is because... well, there’s the issue of him having killed Xia Chichi’s father. Vermillion Bird was also involved in that battle, but her circumstances are different. She is Xia Chichi’s master. That’s a matter that can be settled privately behind closed doors. But for us outsiders, it’s much trickier.”

Zhao Changhe nodded in understanding. “That makes sense.”

Li Eight continued, “Big Brother Five’s stance is this: if the Great Han does not hold this matter against him, then we remain allies. He’s never been involved in politics. Who ends up uniting the world has nothing to do with him. He’s just a mounted brigand. The only reason he runs gambling houses is to gather intelligence on secret realms. He has no interest in anything else. That said, if you ask about his inclinations, of course, he prefers the Great Han. To put it bluntly, he saw King Zhao as an investment from the very beginning. The ideal outcome for him had always been for King Zhao to take over the Xia dynasty. And right now, it seems like it’s actually happening... one way or another. Besides, after killing Li Gongsi, he is now an irreconcilable enemy of the Li Clan. That makes him a natural ally of the Great Han.”

Zhao Changhe smiled and said, “And that is exactly why I came here—to be direct. There’s no need for us to dance around our relationship anymore. Lady Eight, you may also pass along this message to the fifth lord: the Great Han does not dwell on past grievances. We are still allies.”

As he spoke, he reached into his sleeve and withdrew a Demon Suppression Bureau jade token, placing it on the table as proof of his identity.

Li Eight let out a relieved breath, her smile returning together with that same easy-going, amused expression. “That’s good to hear. Truth be told, even without direct communication, we’ve all naturally been working together. Don’t be fooled by Chang’an’s current prosperity; it’s largely due to the Silk Road. Now that Big Brother Five is running rampant and cutting off those trade routes, Chang’an should already be feeling the pressure. Right now, the biggest debate within the court is whether to march east through Hangu Pass first or head west through Yumen Pass to eliminate the mounted brigands before focusing on the Central Plains.”

Zhao Changhe chuckled. “I see. But mounted brigands aren’t so easy to wipe out. They’re like ghosts, elusive and unpredictable. The Li Clan’s control doesn’t extend that far, does it?”

“That’s true, but on the other hand, mounted brigands are just mounted brigands. Their power lies in disrupting trade routes, not in laying siege to cities. So, if anyone is expecting a pincer attack from both sides, they’re fooling themselves,” said Li Eight. “In fact, the fifth lord believes that if the Great Han opts for a long-term war with Guanlong, it might actually be to its advantage.”

Zhao Changhe pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “That’s a discussion for later. Right now, I came to see if you have any noteworthy intelligence, especially regarding the fifth lord’s whereabouts. But since he’s not here, let’s talk about any unusual happenings in Chang’an.”

“There’s only one thing you need to know.” Li Eight’s expression grew serious. “Don’t underestimate the Li Clan’s high-level combat strength. People think they lack top-tier experts, but in reality, they are extremely powerful... A few days ago, they mysteriously welcomed back a young lady from somewhere unknown. But looking at her, I’d hardly call her their young lady. She’s more like their ancestor. The entire Li Clan bows at her feet. And her strength...? Let’s just say that I took one look at her and my scalp went numb.”

Zhao Changhe’s fingers tightened slightly around his teacup. “She came from outside?”

Li Eight nodded.

“Mm-hm. I told you, I’m from a collateral branch of the Li Clan. I’ve been around for years, and I have never heard of this cousin before. Yet suddenly, she’s their Li Clan’s young miss?”

Jiuyou’s shadow flickered in Zhao Changhe’s mind.

It has to be her.

With her ability to control minds, or worse—her ability to raise the dead—becoming Li Clan’s young miss would be effortless. Maybe the Li Clan isn’t walking on the edge of a blade after all. Perhaps they truly do have nothing to fear... Since they have their own trump card. Or rather... They’re simply Jiuyou’s agents in the mortal realm.

Wait... A sudden thought struck Zhao Changhe. His expression stiffened, then he asked, “So... does the Li Clan have any other young misses or ladies? Any unmarried daughters?”

Li Eight tilted her head slightly, puzzled by the question. Then she shook her head. and said, “If we’re talking about direct lineage, they’ve all been married off. The only unmarried one left... is this new one.”

Zhao Changhe’s expression turned very strange.

Huangfu Qing had casually thrown out the idea of a marriage proposal, clearly not thinking too deeply about how many unmarried daughters the Li Clan actually had.

Which meant that, as things stood... she had just proposed a marriage between Zhao Changhe and Jiuyou.

...Well. That escalated quickly.

And it was already too late to stop it. Because while Zhao Changhe was still talking with Li Eight inside the gambling house, dawn had already begun to break outside. And at that very moment, a galloping warhorse thundered into Chang’an’s gates. Its rider sat tall, dressed in Han envoy robes, bearing an official decree, “I am a messenger of the Great Han, delivering a formal diplomatic letter!”

Chang’an trembled with the weight of those words.

Inside the grand hall of the Li Clan’s estate, Clan Head Li Boping personally received the envoy. He broke the wax seal, unrolled the letter, and skimmed its contents. His face immediately turned green.

...Venerable Vermillion Bird of the Four Idols Cult is hereby dispatched to Chang’an and will arrive shortly. We formally seek the hand of the esteemed young lady of the Li Clan in marriage, forging an alliance between Qin and Jin to bring peace and unity. We shall cease internal strife and focus on resisting the northern barbarians together.

Li Boping sat there, completely stunned.

This letter was not just a diplomatic move—it was a masterpiece of political entrapment. With a single announcement, the Great Han had secured all the moral high ground. The moment the contents of this letter spread, the world would hear that the Han dynasty was demonstrating great foresight, willing to put internal conflicts aside in order to unite against the barbarian invaders. It was perfectly designed to force the Li Clan into a corner. After all, the Great Han is already offering peace and cooperation, so what about you, Li Clan? Are you still going to side with the barbarians? There are still barbarians living in Chang’an, right? How will you respond?

And the most infuriating part was that this was obviously a trap. Li Boping could bet his life that the Han dynasty had no real intention of following through. He was certain that if Vermillion Bird actually arrived, she would make outrageous demands, forcing the Li Clan to reject the offer. And the moment they refused, they would publicly be labeled as collaborators to the northern barbarians and traitors to the Central Plains.

At that time, there would be no escape. Even the official seal on the letter looked like it had been carved from some random radish, probably made on the spot. However, it did not matter. The moment that Vermillion Bird showed up in person, her mere presence was already proof enough. Arguing over the authenticity of the decree would be pointless.

This is bad.

Li Boping could have stomached it if it were just a political game. If they really had an unmarried young miss, he could simply sacrifice her, go through the motions, and maneuver his way through the situation. Such marriages were carried out all the time. The important thing was controlling the narrative.

But there was just one small problem...

The only “unmarried young miss” they had was not actually a young miss but their ancestor!

Are you seriously asking to marry off my ancestor?!

Breaking out in a cold sweat, Li Boping rushed to the rear residence of the Li Clan estate. When he arrived, he was already soaked through, practically dripping as he reported to Jiuyou.

Jiuyou’s snow-white face turned ashen.

Meanwhile, high above in the void, a certain blind woman was rolling around in the clouds, laughing so hard she could barely breathe. “So you also get to experience such days. It looks like you’re finally getting a taste of it. Has no one ever warned you? Don’t get too close to Zhao Changhe, he’ll utterly ruin your reputation.”

Of course, Jiuyou could not hear her. But what the blind woman failed to consider in her gleeful mood was that out of everyone in the world, the one who had spent the most time near Zhao Changhe... was herself.

Meanwhile, at the gambling house, Zhao Changhe remained unaware that his messenger was already riding through the city. He continued his conversation with Li Eight, digging deeper for more intelligence. “Aside from the unusual matter of Miss Li, is there anything else?”

Li Eight thought for a moment before saying, “A while ago, the barbarians launched a lightning raid on the capital, hoping to take it by surprise. But they were ambushed and completely wiped out. Since then, things have been strangely quiet. During this lull, the Li Clan took the opportunity to strengthen its ties with Buddhism and Daoism, trying to shake off barbarian influence. But just recently, the barbarians have started acting aggressively again. If my guess is correct, it means that Bo’e has entered Chang’an in secret. The barbarians in Chang’an are starting to organize themselves yet again. This means that they finally have a proper leader in the city. If you’re planning any assassinations against the barbarians, you should hold off for now. If you accidentally run into Bo’e, you’ll be kicking an iron board.”

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Yue Fenghua knocked on his disciple’s courtyard door. “Hongling. There’s movement from the barbarians.”

Creak~

The door creaked open, revealing Yue Hongling, who had been meditating all night. She stepped outside, bathed in the glow of the rising sun, her expression serene yet sharp. She smiled and asked, “Where?”

“On Vermillion Bird Avenue, at the court of state ceremonial[3].”

Yue Hongling chuckled. If it’s the court of state ceremonial, then of course there are barbarians there. No need to even say it.

The fact that her master had specifically mentioned it meant that the barbarians had already evacuated overnight, or they had set a trap for her.

“Got it.” Yue Hongling nodded knowingly, then stepped out. “Master, there’s no need for you to get involved. I’ll handle this myself.”

Just as she was about to leave, she heard whispers in the streets. A messenger from the Great Han had arrived.

Yue Hongling paused in surprise. Stepping to the side of the road, she watched and waited. Moments later, she saw a striking figure galloping into the city. A woman clad in red robes, her face concealed behind a vermillion bird mask.

Behind her, a group of attendants rode in formation.

This was the first time Yue Hongling had ever laid eyes on Vermillion Bird.

Sensing a gaze upon her, Huangfu Qing turned her head slightly. For a fleeting moment, their eyes met across the street. Two red-clad rivals locked in silent acknowledgment. A spark of tension crackled between them, electric and unspoken. Neither looked away. Neither said a word.

1. If you remember, the Jiu in the alias is just the number 9. ☜

2. This isn’t really apparent in English, but in Chinese Old Two (老二) can refer to penis, while Old Six (老六) is a more modern derogatory term for certain selfish and/or unsightly people. ☜

3. This is one of the nine courts in ancient China, though I’m fairly certain that there are just branches of them throughout this world. In ancient China, this court was in charge of managing and conducting all major state rituals, ceremonies, and sacrifices. ☜