Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 836: Seeking Jiuyous Secrets

Ye Jiuyou truly had neither a bedchamber nor a temple, yet she did possess a secluded residence, cut off from the outside world by warped space. It could be called a cave-dwelling or an immortal abode, as the common folk might put it. In more vulgar terms, one might indeed call it Ye Jiuyou’s boudoir...

The space was not unguarded. Lurking around the perimeter were withered skeletal figures, some emanating a formidable aura. It was impossible to tell which ancient demon gods had been turned into corpse puppets by Ye Jiuyou to serve as her silent sentinels. Judging by their presence, they were comparable to beings like Venerable Duoluo or Xue Wu. There could be any number of them stationed here.

Thus, layered atop the original darkness and silence was now a chilling, malevolent air. The stench of death pervaded the space, making it truly feel like the stronghold of a great villain.

Even this mere glimpse revealed how much power Ye Jiuyou still held in reserve. The deaths of figures like Dark Oblivion or Underworld Guide had likely meant next to nothing to her. Or perhaps, in her domain, death was never the end. The fallen might simply be reclaimed and used anew.

Zhao Changhe and the other two, watching from the shadows, could not help but shiver at the thought. If she treated her subordinates this way, what would she do to her enemies? Such souls would truly find no escape, likely to be denied both life and death and cast into eternal torment.

Breaking into this place was no easier than their prior intrusion into the Night Palace. It was perhaps even more difficult to do so here, as Piaomiao’s power was heavily restricted in such an environment. Fortunately, Zhao Changhe did not have to brute-force his way in. Using the Soul-Capturing Mirror to anchor their position, they bypassed the defenses entirely and phased directly into the heart of the space.

“Ying Five’s method really is top-notch... No wonder he managed to tunnel his way through so many places over the years.” Zhao Changhe stretched out lazily by the side of a still, shadowed pool, dangling his foot into the water.

The place felt familiar. This was the very same pool where he had once caught a glimpse of Ye Jiuyou bathing. This was clearly her most private sanctuary.

Beside him, Cui Yuanyang was also soaking her feet, eyes wide with surprise. “I always thought there was something mysterious about this water... but it’s just clean, refreshing, and rich with spirit qi. No wonder Ye Jiuyou bathes here. It’s probably great for cultivation too.”

Piaomiao remarked, “In the last era, this pool was legendary. It was the birthplace of the Primordial Blackwater Flood Dragon. Every time that beast emerged in the mortal realm, it would leave wastelands stretching for thousands of li. Later, the creature was slain by Ye Wuming’s own hand, marking one of Ye Jiuyou’s most devastating defeats in their eternal struggle. After that, the waters were purified. The darkness and oblivion were gone, but the purest essence remained. If you’re interested, Yangyang, you should bathe here too. It would benefit you greatly.”

Cui Yuanyang happily jumped in. “Perfect! I’ve been feeling all sticky for quite some time. I’ve been wanting to wash up for ages!”

Piaomiao turned her head away, not wanting to watch.

They were all sticky... And if Yangyang found out why, there would be no end to the teasing.

Zhao Changhe cleared his throat awkwardly. “You weren’t around in the ancient era, right? But you seem to know a lot about this place?”

“I’d naturally know about these rare wonders of heaven and earth. As for what Ye Jiuyou later did with them... Well, that’s something only you would know. I am not in the habit of peeping.”

“...”

“As for the so-called purification... It’s quite likely Ye Jiuyou absorbed all the residual darkness over years of soaking here. Her cultivation path differs from ours. What’s poison to us is great nourishment for her. On the other hand, the pure spirit qi we value may be useless or even detestable to her.”

Zhao Changhe found his scalp itching just hearing this. Sometimes he really felt a strange disconnect. He knew Ye Jiuyou was the classic big bad boss, and yet that smiling, sweet-faced woman just did not match the image.

Piaomiao had said that Ye Jiuyou had been smiling more in this era and showing much more emotion. It was an oddity compared to what she once was. But why was that the case? Was it truly because she was on the cusp of attaining the truth? Or had the Soul-Capturing Mirror influenced her in some way?

Cui Yuanyang, still splashing in the pool, mused aloud, “Ye Jiuyou seems no different from some ascetic monk... no joy, no indulgence... Living like that for so long, what’s the point?”

Piaomiao replied, “To the primordial demon gods, their existence is merely the embodiment and representation of laws. Personal desires barely register. That includes myself.”

Cui Yuanyang sighed. “That just sounds kind of... sad.”

Piaomiao: “...”

A third-layer Profound Control Realm ancient demon god being pitied by a little girl... Does this child even know what she’s saying?

But all jokes aside, looking back now, whether or not one could call it pitiful, there really was not anything worth reminiscing over.

As the two women chatted, Zhao Changhe had not forgotten his true purpose. He had come here seeking Ye Jiuyou’s secrets. He rose and began circling the area, only to find confirmation of a sobering truth. Ye Jiuyou truly lived like an ascetic. Nothing a woman might own could be found. There was no vanity, no jewelry, no ornaments. Thinking back on her appearance now, she truly did wear only a single set of black robes, no makeup, nothing else.

She did not even have spare clothes. That black robe of hers was not for beauty; it was a dark spiritual garment born with her at the moment of her creation, and it was far more valuable than it appeared.

After searching the entire perimeter of the pool, he found nothing but the prominent Soul-Capturing Mirror and the water itself. There was not a single treasure or even a single herb here.

“Don’t tell me she doesn’t collect any treasure or medicinal items? That’s insane.” Zhao Changhe scratched his head in disbelief. “Or maybe... her stash is hidden somewhere else?”

“Big Brother Zhao, come here! What’s this?” Cui Yuanyang suddenly called from the water. “There seem to be some characters carved into that stone by the edge of the pool.”

Zhao Changhe paused, then hurried over. He ran his fingers across the stone where Cui Yuanyang had been resting her head beside the pool, and sure enough, there were markings carved into its surface—odd, unfamiliar patterns.

But they were not like anything he recognized. There was no detectable energy, no sign of enchantment or latent power. They did not seem to be part of an array, nor did they suggest some kind of treasure. It was more like they were idle carvings done out of boredom.

Or perhaps they were a kind of ancient script that recorded a history long forgotten. freёnovelkiss-com

Piaomiao came over as well, gently brushing her fingers along the engravings. After a moment of contemplation, she murmured, “These are primordial characters. They’re a form of writing. I can only make out a few. After all, I wasn’t born with the world itself. By the time I came into being, this script had already faded into obscurity.”

“The Ye sisters would probably recognize it,” Zhao Changhe mused, stroking his chin. “Could it be that Ye Jiuyou carved these during her baths, recording her thoughts? Or perhaps they were carved by the Heavenly Dao long ago, and Ye Jiuyou placed them here to study day after day?”

“Both are possible,” Piaomiao said. “It’s hard to decipher them properly here. Let’s make a copy and study it outside.”

“Mm.” Zhao Changhe pulled out a cluster of condensed energy, which came in the form of a jelly-like mass, and used it to take an impression of the carvings. Then, he gave Cui Yuanyang’s head an affectionate pat. “Yangyang really is our lucky star. Another merit earned.”

Cui Yuanyang beamed. “Just wait till I’m done bathing, I’ll help you look for more! Maybe I’ll find something else.”

Zhao Changhe chuckled and ruffled her hair. The girl could not even see anything without sharing his vision, and yet, somehow, she had been the one to discover the carving. Maybe she really did carry a bit of fortune with her.

He did not dwell on it further and walked straight toward the Soul-Capturing Mirror. The mirror was unmissable. It was tall as a man and stood right by the edge of the pool. Judging by the placement, Ye Jiuyou must have often looked into it after bathing.

It was clear this mirror was cut from the larger stone wall they had seen before. Its effects were identical, albeit greatly diminished in this smaller form. Zhao Changhe could now face it head-on and endure its bewitching effects with conscious effort. This meant that Ye Jiuyou, with her mastery, could likely gaze into it without even feeling a ripple.

Once the bewitching effect was suppressed, what the mirror revealed was indeed the “truth of one’s inner self.”

Zhao Changhe had seen it countless times before. After his trials in the Heavenly Demon Illusion Realm, he had become almost desensitized to it. The images flickering across the mirror’s surface were the same—desires long known, but also weakness, dependence, retreat... all traits others would not believe Zhao Changhe to possess.

This time, watching for longer, he caught glimpses of something new: latent bloodlust, a thirst for slaughter, violent impulses.

He stared quietly for a while and murmured, “This is what it means to be human: duality. To have these darker feelings is to be whole. As long as they remain buried and do not rule us, we’re still ourselves. There’s no need to fear having them. The Heavenly Demon simply magnifies these emotions to manipulate or harm others. That’s his trick, and it’s nothing more.”

Piaomiao joined him at his side, eyes also on the mirror. She nodded and said, “Exactly.”

“So... Do you think Ye Jiuyou changed from how she was in the ancient era because she saw some part of her true self in the mirror?”

“Perhaps.” Piaomiao gazed distantly. “I used to have none of these feelings. But now I do, though it has little to do with the mirror. It’s because I’ve come to know love and hate.”

“You’ve gone from divine to mortal. Whether or not your power is the same as before, your heart now carries vulnerabilities a god would never have. Do you regret it?”

Piaomiao replied softly, “I became mortal for your sake. I have no regrets.”

Zhao Changhe wrapped an arm around her waist and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

Piaomiao pouted slightly. “That’s all I get after saying something like that?”

She can even act spoiled now... Zhao Changhe chuckled but then shook his head. “I was just thinking...”

“Thinking what?”

“I was wondering... Could this be considered the ‘death’ of Piaomiao the ancient demon god?”

Her heart jolted. She turned to face him, and he looked back. Both of their eyes flickered with a strange, complex light.

Could this... be what Ye Wuming intended all along?

They stood in silence for a moment before Zhao Changhe finally said, “I don’t think Ye Wuming could have calculated this far ahead. Don’t forget, when we stole the lotus platform, she really tried to kill us. If we’d been any weaker, we’d have died on the spot. That shows she didn’t even foresee us stealing the thing. She’s admitted before that her manipulations regarding my karma have rarely succeeded. I doubt she needed to lie about that. She’s not omnipotent. And if she were, she wouldn’t need me. There’s no reason to overestimate her.”

Piaomiao nodded slowly. “Just now, I thought... Maybe we should change how we look at this. If this is the death of the demon god Piaomiao, then maybe that means we don’t have to follow Ye Wuming’s grand design. Maybe there’s another path forward, one she hasn’t foreseen.”

They shared a small smile, still holding each other as they stared into the Soul-Capturing Mirror.

The images continued to flicker with glimpses of their truest thoughts and emotions. Even just watching it for amusement had its charm.

Zhao Changhe laughed. “Honestly, keeping this thing around to occasionally check in on yourself and see if there’s anything buried you haven’t noticed can actually be pretty useful. It really does fit as the Mirror of Illusion and Reality. It’s no wonder even someone like Jiuyou could be thrown off by it.”

Piaomiao gazed into the Soul-Capturing Mirror, observing the image of Zhao Changhe fleeing through the Heavenly Demon Illusion Realm with her slung over his back. Her eyes softened. “You know, when I went mad in front of that stone wall, it wasn’t just because of what I saw about Ye Wuming. When you reversed time, your blade severed the vision too quickly, so you didn’t see the other thing.”

“Huh? What other thing?”

“I saw that... I liked you. Back then, I found it shameful. I didn’t want to admit it. When I fell to madness and became corrupted, at least half of it was because of that.”

Zhao Changhe burst out laughing. “So your first reaction after turning was to beat the hell out of me? You completely ignored the enemies attacking you because you wanted to murder your own husband?”

Piaomiao tilted her head. “You already have me now. What more do you want?”

“I have you, huh?” Zhao Changhe tightened the arm around her waist. “I don’t recall getting to enjoy this new body yet...”

Piaomiao quietly stepped on his foot and twisted hard, her voice grinding out from between clenched teeth. “Yangyang’s still bathing behind us. Have you no shame?”

Zhao Changhe, thick-skinned as ever, paid her stomp no mind. His arm pulled her tighter into his embrace. As he slowly leaned in to seek her lips, Piaomiao’s lashes trembled. Then, obediently, she closed her eyes.

After all, Yangyang was not an outsider...

Her newly created lips were soft and fragrant, parting slightly as she melted into the kiss. Compared to her ethereal soul body before, this sensation was a hundred times more vivid and intoxicating.

Eyes hazy, Piaomiao half-opened them, catching sight of the Soul-Capturing Mirror at the edge of her vision. It reflected nothing but her and Zhao Changhe entangled in each other’s arms.

This was what it meant to fall in love, to become addicted to the taste. Deep down, she had always longed to cling to him like this... All that “Yangyang’s right there” talk had only ever been half-hearted resistance. A tease.

The mirror even showed what she had not admitted to herself, that her earlier possessiveness in front of his other wives had all been jealousy, a declaration of her place.

She had truly, fully become mortal. Whether or not this was within Ye Wuming’s plans did not matter. At this moment, there was no regret.

A long while later, their lips parted.

Piaomiao raised a finger to his lips, whispering, “That’s enough... Yangyang really is here. If you want to... wait until she’s asleep. I’ll be with you.”

Zhao Changhe hesitated, struggling not to say something lingering in his mind. Piaomiao, for all her power, was still pure in many ways. She would not think about how his wives had already explored all sorts of... configurations. Moreover, given her connection with Yangyang, was there even anything to avoid?

And right then, the Soul-Capturing Mirror obligingly displayed an image of Piaomiao and Cui Yuanyang entwined together.

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Piaomiao: “!!!”

Zhao Changhe bolted. “This mirror is cursed! It shouldn’t be allowed to exist in this world!”

“You’re blaming the mirror?” Piaomiao hiked up her skirt and gave chase around the pool. “Zhao Changhe, stop right there!”

Cui Yuanyang hugged her knees, head turning as she watched them run in circles. Of course, she could not see any of this. “What are you two doing over there?”

Piaomiao turned back with a furious glare. “Just keep bathing, you little rascal! You’ve completely ruined my dignity!”

Cui Yuanyang blinked her big, innocent eyes. What did I do? You’re the one flirting with my husband. Why are you yelling at me...

Zhao Changhe, whose cultivation was no match for Piaomiao’s, failed to outrun her. Soon enough, he was tackled and pinned by the side of the pool.

With a sharp motion, Zhao Changhe twisted his body. Piaomiao, though powerful, could not match his raw strength in this new body. She lost her grip, and the two of them toppled together into the water.

Before she could even struggle, Zhao Changhe had already wrapped both arms tightly around her beneath the surface, pulling her close. At her ear, his voice whispered, low and intimate, “Yangyang can’t see anything... not a thing.”

Held in his arms, the water curling around them, Piaomiao’s body instantly softened. She had no strength to resist. Her mind dulled, hazy. In that moment, everything he said seemed utterly convincing.

Right, Yangyang can’t see.

It was only now, with a real, physical form, that she realized how vulnerable she was before him. Weaknesses she had never imagined now existed—her lips, her ears....

This damn mortal body... It’s better not to have one at all.

“Yangyang’s all clean and fragrant now... don’t you want to wash too?” Zhao Changhe’s voice was like a spell, and his hands were no less enchanting. Somehow, without her noticing, her robes began to loosen.

To her shame, Piaomiao discovered that the idea of Yangyang being nearby yet blind to everything only made things more exhilarating.

It was clear that Zhao Changhe had been particularly obsessed with this newly created body, constantly looking for excuses to get handsy, unable to focus on proper matters.

But the truth was, she felt the same. She, too, had been distracted, daydreaming about getting closer to him.

So why not just give in?

With that thought, her taut frame relaxed slightly. Like a thief, she glanced over toward Cui Yuanyang and murmured, “Just... be gentle.”

Zhao Changhe obeyed like it was a divine edict, slowly covering her body with his own.

The sound of flowing water echoed around them like a bath, and under the splash of the pool, subtler noises faded into the current.

A faint trace of blood blossomed into the water unnoticed, spreading with a strange shimmer, as if glowing in the dark.

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