Tome of Troubled Times
Chapter 800 (1): Sorry, We Have a Child

Chapter 800 (1): Sorry, We Have a Child

Actually, Lady Three had gained quite a bit from this session as well. In fact, everyone benefited immensely from this session, including even Tang Wanzhuang, who had remained outside the formation as a protector. Every single one of them had made notable progress.

The one who gained the most, however, was undoubtedly Xia Chichi, who had the lowest cultivation among them. At this moment, she had naturally entered a deep meditative state. Judging from her condition, it was entirely possible that she would awaken having broken through to the Profound Control Realm.

Single-element cultivation was inherently limiting. The system of the Four Idols, where each individual’s power intermingled and reinforced the others, provided benefits beyond imagination. If Xia Chichi had previously been held back by the burdens of the throne and lacked the necessary trials, then at this moment, all of their collective experiences were flowing into her, transforming into her own understanding.

The principle was strikingly similar to dual cultivation... However, this was essentially two second-layer Profound Control Realm experts and three first-layer Profound Control Realm experts working together to help someone on the verge of breaking through. Even the ancient founders of dual cultivation techniques could not have foreseen something this outrageous.

And yet, the benefits were not exclusive to Xia Chichi. Every single one of them had gained something, and those who were still at the first layer of the Profound Control Realm had now witnessed the process of breaking through to the second layer firsthand. Just the insight from that alone was beyond priceless.

Of course, the optics of this whole situation were not exactly ideal. If the blind woman saw this, she would probably be so furious that her chest would ache. Would she then still be writing the Tome of Troubled Times or would it then be the Tome of Troubled Ties?

Unfortunately for the blind woman, none of the participants were burdened by such trivial thoughts. If anything, Zhao Changhe thought it would be hilarious if it did piss her off.

Glancing at Xia Chichi, who remained in deep meditation, Zhao Changhe quietly said to Lady Three, “Something is still missing... The Four Idols Formation remains incomplete—it’s still flawed. The issue lies with me. There’s something I haven’t fully grasped.”

Lady Three nodded. Given their level of understanding, it was obvious to all of them. What was missing was the very concept she had asked Zhao Changhe about before—time and space.

When the Four Idols formed a true grand formation, it had to incorporate the principles of time and space. However, Zhao Changhe had never truly delved into that aspect.

Aside from River of Stars, which carried some spatial properties, everything Zhao Changhe had studied so far lacked a direct connection to time and space. And even then, the essence of space in River of Stars was not something he had mastered himself. It was an inherited will, something he could not yet wield on his own.

They did not even need to move forward with live combat testing; just from the flow of energy within the formation, it was clear that the final step could not be completed. And what was missing was not some minor piece but the very core of the formation’s integrity.

Looking back on his journey, Zhao Changhe had encountered nearly every single one of the governing laws and principles of the world—life and death, existence and nonexistence, karma, qi veins... These were all esoteric concepts that were elusive and profound. Yet time and space, despite being a fundamental force in any fantasy world, was something he had never even touched upon.

Now that he thought about it, there were a few areas where the blind woman had been rather insistent, pushing him to study certain principles. But time and space? She had never even mentioned it.

Perhaps she had been worried that if Zhao Changhe grasped the concept of time too early, he might find a way to return.

“Jiuyou said I was Ye Wuming’s puppet... Tch. At first, I thought I wasn’t, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like I kind of am.” Zhao Changhe smirked, his expression open and untroubled. “But then again, she admitted herself that she’s meddled with my karma before. It’s just that not everything worked out the way she wanted.”

Lady Three and Huangfu Qing exchanged shocked glances. “She actually admitted that to you?”

“Yeah.”

“Did she mention anything specific that didn’t work?”

“...She should have tried to stop the two of you from ending up with me. Clearly, that didn’t go as planned.”

Both women immediately shot to their feet, eyes blazing with fury. “Who the hell does she think she is?! We originally thought we had no personal enmity with her. In fact, we even considered her as someone who passed down a legacy, but now? If we don’t beat her senseless, we’d be letting ourselves down!”

Zhao Changhe chuckled and pulled both of them into his arms, speaking in a gentle tone, “But I’m actually really happy about it... It means that even with all that she’s capable of changing or affecting, she still couldn’t change us being together.”

The two big sisters felt their faces heat at his words, though they covered it up with an exasperated glare.

Lady Three pinched his waist. “If you had left out the ‘us’ and just said something about me, maybe I’d be a little touched. But since you didn’t, then get lost! Shoo! We need to meditate and absorb what we’ve gained.”

Zhao Changhe, whose waist was now too resilient to be affected by their pinches, simply kissed both of them lightly before stepping away. “Alright, alright. Everyone, take your time digesting your insights. I’ll reflect on something else.”

“Ugh, get out of here.”

With that, the group settled into meditation. Zhao Changhe sat cross-legged, placing River of Stars and Dragon Bird across his lap. He let his consciousness sink into the depths of River of Stars.

Since it was the only thing he possessed that contained the essence of space, it was naturally the best place to start exploring.

But the moment his consciousness entered the sword, he nearly jumped in shock.

Little Starry floated silently beneath the vast night sky, her dark, inky eyes staring straight at him.

The scene was incredibly eerie.

A strange feeling crept up from within him. He was hit with a sudden realization about the Ye sisters. If someone told him that this was what Ye Wuming and Ye Jiuyou had looked like as children, he would absolutely not doubt it. This quiet, enigmatic presence—their very nature and abilities—it all fit perfectly.

But now... he could not even recall when Ye Wuming had started showing emotions, when she began smiling, frowning, or expressing any kind of personal sentiment. It felt like it had been a long time. And Ye Jiuyou? Not only did she smile often these days... she was even getting a little flirty.

Zhao Changhe leaned in toward Little Starry, lowering his voice as he said, “It’s been a while since your dad came to see you. Has Dragon Bird been picking fights with you again?”

Dragon Bird: “...”

Zhao Changhe had assumed Little Starry would ignore such an obvious attempt at small talk. But to his surprise, she actually answered,

“When you killed Timur, she was a bit noisy. She kept bouncing around, saying she had completed the most fundamental mission of her creation. But then she got quiet not long after.”

“She stopped quickly?”

“Mm-hm. I just thought her ambitions were too low-level. She got really discouraged and quieted down after that.”

“...Then what’s your ambition?”

Little Starry replied calmly, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do, Dad.”

“Uh... no, that’s not what I meant. Like, when Dragon Bird was born, it was forged as Old Xia’s war saber during his conquests. It carried an innate mission to drive back the northern invaders and bring peace to the land. Do you have a—wait, hold on a second... what did you just call me?”

“Dad.”

Zhao Changhe froze.

In the past, whenever he jokingly referred to himself as her dad, Little Starry had completely ignored it. Even when he had tried to tease her into calling him that, she had only ever addressed him as Master. That was normal—after all, in the mind of a sword spirit, the concept of a father probably did not exist. The only role that mattered was that of a master.

When did that change? And why did she say it so naturally?

Zhao Changhe suddenly had the eerie feeling that he had lost a fragment of his own memories.

Little Starry continued, “If my master thinks Dad is the right term, then I shall call him Dad. It’s just a different word.”

“But Little Starry is so smart. You’ve been with me for so long. You’ve seen and heard so many things. You should know that those two words mean very different things.”

Forget anything else, just seeing the relationship between the Cui father and daughter should have been enough for her to understand that a father and a master were entirely distinct roles.

Little Starry remained unfazed. “They are different. You’re Dad, not Master.”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

No way... I’ve been ridiculously busy. I’ve barely even spoken to you lately, and our most extended period of interaction had been back when I was resting at the Spirit Tribe’s secret realm. I’ve neither raised you nor taught you anything, so why the hell do you suddenly see me as your father?

Little Starry continued, “It doesn’t matter how I see things. What matters is that you see me as your daughter and said you would never give me to anyone. That was your promise, so you are my dad.”

Zhao Changhe blinked rapidly, and then the memory clicked.

It was before the northern campaign, back in Chang’an, when Jiuyou had wanted to take River of Stars. The exchange she had proposed... was to help him obtain Ye Wuming.

And he had refused.

That’s why Little Starry sees me as her father?

“That...” Zhao Changhe suddenly felt guilty. “I... I haven’t really done my part as a father. I’ve barely spent time with you, left you alone without guidance... and even now, the only reason I came was because...”

“Because you needed to understand space?”

Zhao Changhe wanted to crawl into a hole. Yes, that was the reason. At the end of the day, he had only ever treated her as a sword. What right did he have to call himself her father?

Little Starry, however, did not seem to dwell on any of this. She simply said, “I possess the essence of space, but I don’t know how to guide others in beginning their cultivation in this aspect. If you can find an external foundation for spatial cultivation first, then come back to me, I might be able to help.”

Ah, so it’s like someone who’s naturally good at math but can’t convey the concepts in an educating manner.

Zhao Changhe stroked his chin. An entry point into spatial cultivation... That’s doable. Ying Five should know quite a bit about space. Asking him for basic guidance shouldn’t be a problem. Once I’ve got a solid foundation, I can return to my... daughter for the more advanced aspects.

This was a far better alternative than learning everything through the Heavenly Tome, which would inevitably keep him tethered to Ye Wuming.

But while space could be addressed this way, what about time? And theoretically, were time and space not interdependent? Would he need to study both simultaneously?

Before he could spiral too deeply into the question, Little Starry interjected, “Dad, if you’re studying the Four Idols Formation, you don’t actually need to worry about time. That’s not what it’s meant for in the first place. Using it for battle would be like trying to kill a mosquito with divine judgment.”

Zhao Changhe’s heart stirred. “Then what is it meant for?”

“Transcending to the other shore[1].”

“What does that mean?”

For the first time, Little Starry seemed uncertain. She scratched her head as she was met with a rare moment of confusion. After a long pause, she hesitantly said, “Ultimate liberation beyond all constraints?”

Zhao Changhe narrowed his eyes. “Little Starry, how do you know so much? And some of the words you use...”

“Mom told me.”

“...”

1. The term “other shore” generally refers to the world of the dead, paradise/utopia, or in general a world beyond reality. ☜

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