Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 764 (2): Wandering Divine Sense

Xue Canghai’s hands trembled, and his wine bowl slipped from his fingers.

Zhao Changhe caught it mid-air, and even he looked a little surprised. He had caught the bowl... This meant that his soul was solid enough to physically interact with objects.

Suddenly, past mysteries clicked into place, like the time he had felt the cool, jade-like sensation of the blind woman’s delicate hands. That had not been her actual body. It had simply been her spiritual form, so perfectly condensed that it felt real.

He tested it out. While he could physically grasp the bowl, eating and drinking seemed beyond him. Smiling, he shoved it back into Xue Canghai’s hands. “Old Xue, Happy New Year. It’s not just me, you’ll soon be meeting Venerable Vermillion Bird as well. Let’s see if you can still keep that straight spine then.”

With that, he cupped his hands in a greeting to Instructor Sun before vanishing once more.

Xue Canghai: “?”

He turned to look around, only to find Instructor Sun and the other Blood God Cult followers all staring in slack-jawed disbelief as if trapped in a dream.

So it wasn’t just me... Was that... divine descent?

A shudder ran through Xue Canghai, sobering him up instantly. He had not even said anything bad! Just a bit of boasting behind her back, was that really worth such divine intervention?

Before the group could recover from their stupor, a commotion rose outside the camp gates. The guards were bowing in greeting. “Welcome, General Huangfu.”

Huangfu Shaozong’s voice followed. “I’ve brought the Supreme Commander to visit the troops.”

Still dazed, Xue Canghai looked out toward the entrance. Striding in beside Huangfu Shaozong was Venerable Vermillion Bird, clad in a suit of soft armor, her signature mask in place, moving around with effortless grace, as if she owned the place.

“Hello, General Xue,” Huangfu Shaozong greeted him with familiarity before introducing the woman beside him. “This is Venerable Vermillion Bird of the state religion. Starting tomorrow, she will be the supreme commander of the northern campaign. She’s here today to get acquainted with the camp and extend her New Year’s greetings. Oh, actually, you should be quite familiar with her, no? I recall you once served under her...”

Vermillion Bird’s eyes, filled with a subtle amusement, locked onto Xue Canghai. “Cult Master Xue, I trust you’ve been well.”

The bowl of wine Xue Canghai had just retrieved slipped from his fingers once again.

Just moments ago, had he not been boasting about facing her with his head held high? It hadn’t even been a full minute yet, and she had become his direct superior. All I did was brag a little. Is this level of retribution truly necessary?

Hidden in the shadows, Zhao Changhe had yet to fully depart. Instead, he lingered, taking in the sight of Vermillion Bird, his gaze brimming with admiration.

She actually has her own armor, as expected of a family of generals. Clad in silver-soft armor and draped in a crimson cloak, she looks... stunning. And she carries a spear. Huh. This was the first time Zhao Changhe had ever seen her armed. That battlefield-hardened spirit, shackled for years, was stirring at last.

Vermillion Bird’s gaze flicked briefly toward Zhao Changhe’s unseen presence, a faint smile curving her lips.

Others could not see him, but how could she not?

Their eyes met across space, a conspiratorial exchange. Zhao Changhe blinked, then playfully blew her a kiss. Vermillion Bird’s expression immediately hardened. Zhao Changhe bolted.

Heh, so even clandestine affairs like this are possible.

Unfortunately, there were too many people here, and he did not want to cause trouble on the Vermillion Bird’s first day inspecting the military camp. It was better to let it go.

A brief test had already revealed that an out-of-body yin spirit state was a rather dangerous condition. He could clearly feel how his defenses were practically nonexistent. His physical body essentially served as armor for his spirit. As long as his spiritual platform safeguarded him, external threats were not likely to invade, but running around like this in an exposed state was incredibly risky. While it seemed that physical attacks could not harm a yin spirit, what opponent at this level did not possess some kind of soul-related techniques? If his soul was injured, the damage would be far worse than any physical wound.

That explained why Tngri had been forced into splitting his soul and self-destructing under Xia Longyuan’s assault. Judging by this sensation alone, it must have been far more excruciating than any bodily injury, so it was no wonder he still had not recovered. This was also likely the reason Bo’e had been losing ground in his power struggle against Timur. In the rivalry between military authority and religious influence, Bo’e originally had the backing of a god, making him a revered figure in the Grasslands. Even Timur, despite commanding an army of hundreds of thousands, had to show him respect when it came to mediating inter-tribal conflicts. But now that the god was in seclusion, nursing its wounds and unable to manifest, Bo’e’s voice no longer carried the same weight.

This was one of the primary reasons for the proactive decision to launch a northern campaign. The internal stability of the Grasslands was weaker than before, which meant there would not be much movement from them in the short term. However, if Tngri—clearly a second-layer Profound Control Realm demon god—were to fully recover, the situation would become exponentially more troublesome.

Speaking of which, isn’t soul-splitting precisely the difference between the first and second layers of the Profound Control Realm?

Zhao Changhe could separate his yin spirit from his body, but he certainly could not split his soul into multiple autonomous fragments. If transitioning from a single-core to a multi-core operation marked the transition to the second layer, then advancing to infinite cores was likely what defined the blind woman’s third layer.

The path of gods and demons was becoming clearer.

With a shift in his consciousness, Zhao Changhe reappeared in the main hall of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Tang Wanzhuang was issuing instructions to her subordinates, distributing the previously compiled list and sending people out to track down each name. Meanwhile, Baoqin sat in the corner, sniffling as she copied a book by hand.

Zhao Changhe leaned over for a look. It was Romance of the Western Chamber, and she appeared to be copying it for a second time. Clearly, this was a punishment. He had no idea how many times she had been forced to write it.

His expression turned odd as he suddenly understood the reasoning behind this.

Even though Tang Wanzhuang had intentionally given Baoqin an opportunity, from another perspective, Baoqin had used this book as a symbolic act of defiance, openly competing with the lady for her husband. While Tang Wanzhuang had ultimately chosen to tolerate it, she had still handed down a punishment in private. You love Romance of the Western Chamber, don’t you? Fine, let’s see how much you love copying it ten times!

He found drifting through the world in his soul form and observing things beyond his direct involvement to actually be really fun.

Since Tang Wanzhuang was busy with work and the hall was bustling with people, Zhao Changhe did not linger. With another shift of thought, he found himself in the imperial study.

Xia Chichi was hunched over her desk, working as well. Unlike Tang Wanzhuang, who was handling direct operational tasks, she was reviewing memorials, overseeing financial reports, contemplating court appointments, and organizing the upcoming imperial examinations.

Saying that Xia Chichi and Tang Wanzhuang were running the empire was no exaggeration; that was precisely the case. Ruler and minister working in harmony, both exhausting themselves for the sake of this nation.

Zhao Changhe manifested into form. “It’s the first day of the new year, you’ve just had a meal... You should take a break.”

Xia Chichi looked up in shock, rubbing her eyes. “Am I so exhausted that I’m seeing illusions?”

“No, I’m just borrowing your father’s old divine descent technique,” Zhao Changhe said as he stepped forward, nudging her slightly with his hip and signaling her to make room. Xia Chichi shifted over just a little, watching as Zhao Changhe slid in beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist as the two of them squeezed into the same chair.

Zhao Changhe flipped through the documents spread across the desk, then sighed. “Alright, things aren’t that urgent. What’s wrong with taking a day off? Besides, it’s not like there’s no one else in court to handle affairs. Take the spring imperial examinations, for example. Just let them organize everything, then review the final report. This is still just a draft. Why are you micromanaging at this stage?”

Xia Chichi replied, “This is the first time we’re opening the imperial exam to commoners. We have no precedent to follow, so it requires careful discussion... It’s not like I personally oversee every single detail of every matter.”

Even as she said that, she no longer reached for the documents, instead pouting as she leaned against Zhao Changhe’s chest. “Besides, with a whole bunch of vixens circling around you, what else can I do? I might as well focus on work.”

“Didn’t I come to steal a moment with you?”

“I am the empress. Do I need to sneak around for romance?”

Zhao Changhe leaned in and kissed her earlobe. “Do you want to?”

Xia Chichi’s breath hitched, her voice softening into a sultry whisper, “I do...”

Zhao Changhe trailed kisses down, his hands roaming.

Xia Chichi melted into his embrace, letting out small, pleased murmurs. “Just thinking about how you ran here from Yue Hongling’s side to find me makes me happy. The rest of those vixens are one thing, but her? She always parades around as a righteous hero, yet she blends right in with a harem full of women. She doesn’t even blush; she acts all natural about it.”

“Being righteous doesn’t mean being rigid,” Zhao Changhe replied. “Hongling is free-spirited. She doesn’t dwell too much on these things. Her mind is mostly focused on her swordsmanship. Half the time when she’s just sitting quietly, she’s meditating on the way of the sword. You really don’t need to hold such hostility toward her.”

“Who’s hostile toward whom?” Xia Chichi huffed. “She’s the one who once pointed a sword at me. I never did that to her.”

“Ugh, still stuck on that? It’s just old history. You’re both straightforward people. How are you still hung up on this?”

“Because... That was the first time in my life that I was competing with another woman for a man...” She gasped as his hand wandered further. “Y-you... Can you even do it like this? I want to try....”

Zhao Changhe froze awkwardly. The truth was, he was unable to do that in this soul form.

But there was a way. If they both entered a state of spiritual connection, it would be possible, just like that unintentional moment he had shared with Yue Hongling and Huangfu Qing before.

His form gradually faded, slipping into Xia Chichi’s spiritual consciousness. “You haven’t broken through your barrier to the Profound Control Realm yet. Let me see if I can help.”

Within Xia Chichi’s spiritual sea, a young girl sat hugging her knees, blinking as she watched the approaching intruder.

The blind woman, observing from afar, suddenly felt an inexplicable chill run down her spine.