Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 439: Li Shentong

Li Shentong fiddled with the wine gourd, turning it over and inspecting it for a while. Leisurely, he pulled out the cork, took a sniff, and his expression shifted slightly. He took a small sip, as if savoring it, then paused as if in thought, smacked his lips, and downed a large gulp.

It looked like he had drunk nearly half of the gourd in one go.

Finally, with a thud, he set the gourd down beside him and re-corked it. “It’s so-so.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Li Shentong leaned back, relaxing in his chair, and said, “He wants to live detached from the world, watching the clouds and waters, yet he can’t avoid dealing with worldly matters. That’s the paradox of the old Daoist. It’s the same with this wine. He wants it to have a lingering misty and ethereal aftertaste, yet he can’t shake the strong boldness within, which strikes the mind with a jolt and lingers. Ironically, the aftertaste ends up being tied to that very intensity. If I told him I actually liked this unintended strength, I wonder what his reaction would be.”

I guess he really does know his wine. Zhao Changhe had drunk Yuxu’s wine before, and he had only ever thought it was fragrant and delicious, never sensing all these nuances.

Suddenly, Li Shentong’s gaze returned to the wine gourd, and he frowned, as if something had just occurred to him.

Perhaps what he was now contemplating was the true meaning behind this wine, but Zhao Changhe had no way of deciphering the hidden messages between these two senior figures.

He did not intend to dig into their personal bond and tried asking, “Do you have any message you’d like me to take back, senior?”

“No,” Li Shentong said coolly. “He didn’t expect me to send any message back either.”

He gave Zhao Changhe another look, as if lost in thought. “This isn’t freshly brewed; it’s been aged for three years. He’s surrounded by people; surely, in the past three years, he could’ve had someone else bring me the wine, yet he specifically asked you to deliver this. Clearly, he just wanted me to take a look at you...”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Li Shentong waved his hand dismissively. “I’ve seen you, and that’s that. I thought you’d be more robust, but looking now, you might not even be as strong as Situ Xiao. You have a scar on your face, which I thought would make you seem more manly, but upon closer inspection, you’re actually quite handsome. How boring.”

Zhao Changhe was flabbergasted.

Are you inspecting me like I’m some kind of race horse?

Li Shentong continued, “Since you’ve come bearing the gift of wine, I should offer something in return. What do you want?”

Zhao Changhe knew in his heart that his act of delivering wine did not count for much as a favor. This was instead due to his relationship with Yuxu... Yuxu had him deliver the wine as a kind of elder’s recommendation: Take this junior under your wing and look after him.

In the past, Zhao Changhe had actually thought about asking Li Shentong to help him deal with Maitreya. Given their connection and the fact that he had a friendly relationship with Situ Xiao, it seemed possible. But Tang Wanzhuang had cautiously shut down the idea as if she had some reservations about Li Shentong. The reason for her wariness was still unclear.

If he did not make such a request, what else could he seek from the Divine Brilliance Sect? Naturally, it would be guidance on body tempering. This might also be Yuxu’s true intention for the recommendation. Yuxu himself was not a body cultivator, and he could not provide much guidance in the area, so sending Zhao Changhe to the Divine Brilliance Sect for guidance made perfect sense.

The Blood God Cult’s inheritance was incomplete due to the missing parts of the array plate. It was not even certain which medicinal herbs were required for its body tempering, and he had to rely on the Heavenly Tome to fill in the gaps. As for the specific body cultivation techniques, it was even more lacking. Were the basic methods like horse stance, lifting stones, and soaking in medicinal baths still applicable to him today? Were there other secret methods he could use to temper his body? He had no idea. The Heavenly Tome only pointed out certain required materials, but the various experiences and insights gained during the training process were beyond what the Heavenly Tome could provide.

Up until now, Zhao Changhe’s body cultivation had basically come to a halt, except for forcefully improving by obtaining items like the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng. He simply did not know what to do next. Even with his current efforts to search for the Heavenly Blood Jade and Sharp Blade Grass, he felt quite lost. He did not even know why he needed them, or how to use them, which made it hard to stay motivated. Ultimately, he lacked a clear sense of direction.

But now, with such an important opportunity right in front of him, Zhao Changhe did not hesitate and spoke up, “I’d like to ask for your help, Senior.”

Li Shentong nodded. “Go ahead.”

“I have a close friend who went missing in Bashan. The last clue I have suggests she was likely injured... Right now, I don’t know where she is or what kind of powerful enemies she might have encountered, but it should be somewhere nearby. I hope you can keep an eye out for this matter, and if you could step in at a critical moment, I would be extremely grateful.”

Li Shentong paused, his gaze toward Zhao Changhe becoming somewhat curious. “Do you realize what you could have asked for instead?”

Zhao Changhe responded firmly, “It doesn’t matter.”

“Hah...” Li Shentong chuckled, “You don’t even know where this person is. Even if I agree, it could amount to nothing. I could simply claim I couldn’t find her, and wouldn’t that make this whole request pointless?”

Zhao Changhe replied, “How you choose to handle it is up to you, senior. I’m simply telling you what I want.”

“Hahaha!” Li Shentong finally burst into laughter. “Alright, I’ll take care of this matter.”

Zhao Changhe said, “Thank you, Senior. Oh, by the way, this friend is—”

“Yue Hongling,” Li Shentong said casually. “She passed by Emei. Considering your network of relationships, it’s obvious that you’re referring to her.”

Zhao Changhe was overjoyed.

If she passed through Emei, it confirmed that his judgment was correct—Yue Hongling had indeed headed to Miaojiang. This journey hadn’t been in vain.

And the fact that Li Shentong knew about this gave him even more confidence.

Zhao Changhe stood up and bowed, “Then I’ll trouble you to keep an eye on this, senior. Well, I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll take my leave now.”

Li Shentong smiled and said, “If Situ Xiao were here, he might keep you around for a few days. But since he’s not, I think you’d find staying here rather dull. The town right outside the mountain is mostly run by businesses under our Divine Brilliance Sect, so feel free to go there. Food and lodging are on the house.”

“Thank you, senior.” Zhao Changhe bowed once more and turned to leave.

Behind him, Li Shentong said, “Although you don’t need to do the horse stance, bow stance, running and stone lifting every day, you can’t completely abandon them. Training your muscles, as well as your blood and qi, will always have some effect. You may have neglected them for a long time, causing a sense of disconnect and stagnation in your body cultivation.”

Zhao Changhe stopped in his tracks.

Li Shentong continued, “The Blood God Cult’s methods lack targeted physical training and tempering. For example, external hardening techniques require constant exposure to various forms of attacks to temper your body into one of bronze skin and iron bones. If the Blood God Cult focuses on offense, have you ever practiced striking trees or rocks repeatedly?”

Zhao Changhe thought for a moment. The Blood God Cult did practice repeated chopping with the saber, but that was simply a fundamental practice of saber arts. While it did help build certain muscles, it could not really be counted as body cultivation.

After hesitating for a moment, he answered, “Using the Vicious Blood Art to guide our blood and qi, as well as vicious qi, can be counted, right?”

“Yes, that can also be regarded as training your muscles, blood, and qi,” Li Shentong said. “When you first started practicing this technique, you were probably always paying close attention to the changes in your blood and qi. But now that it has become second nature, have you continued to focus on actively triggering and observing these changes?”

The answer to this was both yes and no. Whether it was when eating the fruit given by Xia Longyuan or the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng later on, the process seemed natural and effortless. But in truth, it had followed the Vicious Blood Art’s energy flow, yet this was not something that Zhao Changhe consciously did. The foundation of the technique was already established, so this was what was natural for him. He had not deliberately observed the catalytic process of the energy of these natural treasures when they entered his body, nor did he actively guide them to induce specific changes.

It could not be considered active body cultivation. He had merely passively absorbed the energy of the natural treasures. It was, in fact, worse than even his early days of horse stance training and taking medicinal baths; back then, he at least actively focused on various parts of his body.

The methods of body cultivation had always been there, but Zhao Changhe had long since overlooked them.

With this reminder, Zhao Changhe quickly realized: if, back when he consumed the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng, he had consciously observed and guided the process, he should have been able to sense the gradual strengthening of his muscles, experiencing the Dragon Elephant Transformation as his power steadily grew. This was the process of body cultivation and mastering every detail of his body’s transformation. This was much more important than consuming the medicine per se.

By extension, if he were to obtain the so-called Sharp Blade Grass in the future, he should consciously guide its energy into his body and observe how it sharpens his strength, making his vicious qi as sharp as a blade, capable of turning a single strike into thousands. This process would be suited for the Bloodied Mountains and Rivers.

Meanwhile, the strength he had gained before was suited for Scattering the Gods and Buddhas.

In fact, every step was a clear progression, and suddenly, everything became crystal clear.

Zhao Changhe was struck with enlightenment and bowed deeply. “Thank you for your guidance, Senior.”

Li Shentong waved his hand. “I didn’t teach you anything. That’s your Blood God Cult’s own stuff. I just reminded you not to ignore it. Alright, go on.”

Zhao Changhe bowed and left.

As he stepped out, an elderly man entered, brushing past him. Zhao Changhe politely cupped his hands, and the old man nodded in return. Turning his head to watch Zhao Changhe leave, the old man slowly approached Li Shentong, looking somewhat puzzled. He asked, “Why give him guidance? Isn’t that like stabbing Situ Xiao in the back?”

“Situ Xiao needs strong opponents to compete with and gain something from. What glory is there in bullying someone who has no guidance from a famous teacher?”

“Well... He might not be as lacking in masters or teachers as you think. While his external cultivation may have been interrupted, he’s still clearly influenced by Tang Wanzhuang and possibly even the Four Idols Cult. Tang Wanzhuang has been teaching him relentlessly.” The old man emphasized Tang Wanzhuang’s name, as if reminding Li Shentong of something important.

“His meridians have some blockages. No matter how much guidance Tang Wanzhuang gives him on internal cultivation, his main focus will always be external cultivation,” Li Shentong responded, acting as though he did not catch the old man’s hint and was clearly uninterested in continuing that topic. “Why are you here?”

The old man looked outside the door again and lowered his voice, “Di Muzhi’s people are forcibly recruiting civilians again. If people refuse, they’re forced to pay, but how can they afford to pay? Even our outer disciples are coming to us, crying for help.”

Li Shentong’s expression turned cold.

“And the spring tax silver[1] from Miaojiang that’s being sent to Shu has already arrived nearby. Should we, this time...” The old man made a slicing gesture as he spoke.

The old man made a cutting gesture while speaking.

Li Shentong understood why the old man was somewhat wary of Zhao Changhe and why he had emphasized Tang Wanzhuang’s name. With Zhao Changhe staying at the foot of the mountain, the old man was even considering whether they should abandon this operation.

Because Zhao Changhe now gave off a strong impression of being close to the imperial court.

During the battle against the Maitreya Cult, though it seemed like Tang Buqi was the main commander and there were plenty of top-tier experts from the Rankings of Heaven and Earth, anyone who knew what was really going on understood the pivotal role Zhao Changhe had played.

What their Divine Brilliance Sect was doing was not much different from what the Maitreya Cult had been doing.

In theory, killing Zhao Changhe and framing Di Muzhi’s people for it would be what the Divine Brilliance Sect should do.

Li Shentong said nothing more. He only smiled faintly and replied, “Do what needs to be done. Why hesitate so much? The older you get, the more cautious you become.”

1. This is not a tax on the trade of silver, but rather taxes being paid using silver. In China’s late imperial period, silver was a common currency used to pay taxes. ☜