Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 886: Mom, Dad, Please Stop Fighting

During the collapse of the previous era, the Night Palace remained mostly intact. Only a few outlying corners of the palace had collapsed; its main structure stood whole.

And so, Zhao Changhe came to understand the true meaning of the phrase “the richest woman across the three realms.[1]”

Even a single tile from this place could serve as a treasure for artifact forging. The very ground beneath his feet brimmed with energy so dense it seemed to vibrate through his bones. In theory, Xia Chichi commanded the wealth of the world. But when it came to relics from the ancient era, not even the entire human realm combined could compare to a random janitor’s closet in the Night Palace.

The flora was no different. Just as he had seen before in that little corner of Ying Five’s garden. This place was a complete botanical haven. There was a sprawling garden filled with rare spiritual herbs preserved in a timeless stasis. Like in Ying Five’s cherished garden fragment, these, too, had escaped decay, blooming in perpetuity.

Zhao Changhe followed Ye Wuming through the palace in a daze, occasionally having to grab the starry-eyed River of Stars by the collar and drag her back to his side.

The girl clearly wanted to bolt into the garden and roll around in it.

Thinking about the trash-tier pills her master used to give her, Zhao Changhe felt a pang in his chest. No child deserves to be shortchanged like that. Is she really going to get snatched away by this second-generation rich kid who’s flaunting all her wealth?

No wonder Jiuyou hated Ye Wuming. The gap between their childhoods is just absurd. It’s like one of those melodramatic web novels where the legitimate daughter is abandoned in the countryside, left to fend for herself, while the mistress’s daughter is raised in silk and pearls like a little princess. When the legitimate daughter returns for revenge, it’s an entire novel’s worth of drama.

This was why when he saw how Jiuyou had lived, it stirred something in him. And of course, he wanted to protect her.

But when he looked at this damned blind woman and her grand palace, he just wanted to punch her.

And yet now, this grand, lavish palace held only one resident. It was empty and dead silent. Ye Wuming lived here alone.

They walked in silence until they reached a familiar place—the pond where he and Piaomiao had once snuck in to steal the lotus platform.

He had barely gotten a glimpse back then. What stuck in his memory was the towering astronomical observatory beside the pond. Now, he saw the full view. Pavilions and terraces scattered around the waters, indeed the kind of setting one would savor wine and flowers in. Everything was steeped in refined elegance.

Ye Wuming took a seat at a stone table in one of the pavilions. With a flick of her hand, a full tea set appeared out of thin air. She poured a cup for Zhao Changhe and, for the first time, spoke a single word, “Please.”

Zhao Changhe sat across from her. He stared at her pouring the wine and, for a moment, found himself dazed.

Ye Wuming glanced up. “What’s on your mind?”

Zhao Changhe finally responded, “This is the first time you’ve spoken to me as a real person. Not a phantom in a dream, nor a sudden pop-up giving cheat codes. A genuine, face-to-face conversation. It feels both familiar and completely foreign.”

Now it was Ye Wuming’s turn to fall silent.

Truthfully, setting Dragon Bird aside, Ye Wuming was the one who had spent the most time with Zhao Changhe, three years in total. Even subtracting the period when they lost contact, that was still two and a half years.

And yet, she felt like the most distant of them all, as their interactions had never been normal. She was a system, an add-on, a quest guide, or a gameplay narrator. She was never simply... a person. It was only after today’s battle that they finally got to speak as equals.

Zhao Changhe raised his cup in a toast. “Though I was always angry that you never asked for my opinion before dragging me out of my peaceful life, throwing me into a blood-soaked world... I’m still grateful. You gave me a wild, brilliant life, and companions I’d die for. So here’s one to you.”

Ye Wuming gave him a long look, clinked her cup against his, and replied dryly, “I never imagined you’d end up chasing girls while dancing on the edge of a blade. That kind of pressure would’ve driven most people mad. When you first arrived, didn’t you say women would only serve to slow you down? Didn’t you even hope that Xia Chichi was a guy to make things easier?”

Zhao Changhe grinned. “A complete life in the jianghu must have blades and wine, enemies and allies... and women.”

They both drained their cups.

Ye Wuming poured another round. “You once blamed me for the rift between us, for never explaining things properly. I admit that’s true. But think about it, if I had told you everything upfront, how would that have worked? If I’d told you I wanted to drag you away from your family and your modern life, throw you into a world where death waits around every corner... would you have agreed? People talk big when they read web novels, but when it’s their own life on the line? Hardly anyone would say yes. If I’d sat you all down for a fair discussion, it wouldn’t have worked. This was manipulation. You’re right to hate me for it, but you know why I did it.”

Zhao Changhe said quietly, “I understand... But once we got close, once I had the strength to stand on my own, you should’ve told me. You’ve long since known that I’m the type of person to deal with external matters first and settle scores later.”

Ye Wuming said calmly, “No matter what traits you believe I embody, at my core, I was once an emperor. And no emperor ever reveals everything, especially not one who has lived for so long in a world where trust is a luxury.”

“You know my nature. Do you truly think I’d ever align myself with the Heavenly Dao?”

“I killed Piaomiao, who’s to say who you’d side with after learning that fact?”

Zhao Changhe said nothing in reply. He silently sipped his wine. His gaze drifted to the pond, to where the lotus platform had once rested.

Ye Wuming said, her voice even, “In my eyes, all primordial demon gods had to die. Be they the Four Idols, Piaomiao, Jiuyou... or even myself.”

Zhao Changhe still remained silent.

Her actions had already proven her conviction. Whether right or wrong, at least they were not false.

Ye Wuming went on, “I was well aware, of course, that I couldn’t truly kill someone of Piaomiao’s level. She was bound to awaken again someday. That’s why the method I used to kill her was... unique.”

“The Dao of life and death...”

“Correct. I embody the Four Idols, after all. Naturally, I possess the Vermillion Bird’s essence,” Ye Wuming said. “So while others resurrect with fragmented souls, Piaomiao was reborn through reincarnation. I wanted to see whether her intrinsic nature as a primordial demon god could be altered or influenced if she lived a new life as a mortal. I did, of course, also have a contingency in the case that reincarnation failed, or if her reborn self still craved a demon god’s body; I had prepared an artifact to serve as a vessel to see if an acquired, postnatal form could circumvent her original nature.”

Zhao Changhe’s heart stirred. “The lotus platform...”

“That’s right,” Ye Wuming replied plainly. “I originally prepared the lotus platform for Piaomiao. My plan was to keep it sealed here in the Night Palace and, when the time came, deliver it to her myself... Whether or not it would resolve our enmity, at least it might cool her anger a little. But I never expected you two would end up traversing time to the ancient era and stealing it yourselves.”

Zhao Changhe suddenly let out a long breath.

Ye Wuming gave him a curious look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Zhao Changhe said slowly, “I used to wonder... If you killed Piaomiao because she stole the lotus platform, and you found out. If that were the case, the entire cause and effect would’ve become a mess... But I’m relieved to know it wasn’t.”

“So that’s why you’ve been hesitant to mess with ancient history?”

“Mm-hm. I’ve been afraid of interfering with cause and effect, of creating muddled outcomes, or worse, spawning parallel timelines. Better not to stir trouble if there’s no need.” Zhao Changhe paused, and then he suddenly asked, “Did you know back then that the other person was me?”

“Mm-hm.”

“...You definitely didn’t know that when you pulled me into this world. When did you find out?”

“Come on,” Ye Wuming said with a faint smirk. “My eyes were on you the whole time. I watched you and Piaomiao go back.”

Zhao Changhe facepalmed.

“But truthfully, I suspected it even earlier,” Ye Wuming said. “The moment I calculated that the man came from the future, something struck me as odd. His intent was far too similar to mine. It was uncanny. Then, as you gradually inherited the mantle of the Night Emperor, I began to suspect that man... was you. Once Cui Yuanyang was exposed as Piaomiao’s reincarnation, it confirmed it.”

Zhao Changhe said, “So that’s why you went silent back then?”

Ye Wuming said coolly, “Indeed. Your relationship with Cui Yuanyang made it clear, so Piaomiao wasn’t going anywhere. And if you two were destined to break into the Night Palace and confront me together someday... how could I still trust you?”

Zhao Changhe fell silent.

Ye Wuming lowered her eyes and took a sip of wine. That excuse was flawless. It completely sidestepped the real issue, which was the fact that she had been avoiding his feelings for her.

Zhao Changhe had likely meant to ask her about that. But after everything she had just said, he could not bring himself to voice it. To push any further now, to ask whether she was dodging him because of romantic entanglements... would be too pathetic of him.

They drank in silence for two more rounds before Zhao Changhe finally reopened the conversation, “The Heavenly Dao’s cultivation, your cultivation, what exactly is going on there?”

Ye Wuming’s brow furrowed in frustration. “As you guessed, both Jiuyou and I appear to have broken through the barrier, but in truth, we have not. Strictly speaking, Jiuyou may be even further from the mark. Her understanding of the outside world is secondhand, it’s only what she’s gleaned from you. I, on the other hand, have experienced everything directly. Nothing is missing. By all rights, I should’ve broken through already. And yet... something’s still missing. I’m still one step away.”

“That’s why the Heavenly Dao is so desperate to strike again,” Zhao Changhe muttered. “It fears that if you truly break through, He’ll lose His last chance to reclaim this world.”

“Obviously,” Ye Wuming replied. “Right now, I’ve already replaced the Heavenly Dao’s authority over this realm. I’ve banished Him into the infinite void. He can’t find me. Even if He locates the general region, there’s nothing He can do in the short term. So He’s trying to use River of Stars as a backdoor to break through from the inside.”

Zhao Changhe’s voice rose suddenly. “Since you still haven’t reached His level, then tell me—what the hell made you think you could drag Him down with you thirty years ago?!”

“Why are you shouting?!” Ye Wuming slammed her palm on the table. “Because I was wielding the power of the realm itself, the Heavenly Tome! As long as I was willing to self-detonate my soul, it couldn’t survive it! You think the Heavenly Dao could endure a direct hit from His own artifact? That’s like you trying to block Dragon Bird or River of Stars smashing into your skull!”

Zhao Changhe slammed the table right back. “You knew your cultivation was still a step short, and you still didn’t come find us to fight alongside you? If I hadn’t come here today, would you still just be planning to blow yourself up the next time He appeared?!”

“And how’s that any of your business?! Your wives are all dying to see me dead anyway!”

“What do you mean it’s none of my business? Your life is mine. Without my permission, who said you’re allowed to die?”

“Have you been reading too many domineering CEO novels?!”

“Mom, Dad, please stop fighting...” came a small, trembling voice from the table.

They both froze.

River of Stars added timidly, “Every time you slap the table, I bounce. My poor heart’s about to burst...”

“Ahem.” Zhao Changhe took a sip of wine to cover his awkwardness. “The craftsmanship on this table’s pretty solid...”

Ye Wuming, face taut and expressionless, muttered, “I’m not your mother. Don’t call me that.”

“But you are my mother...” River of Stars replied, aggrieved.

Zhao Changhe cut in, “She’s just a deadbeat mom, Yu’er. We don’t need her.”

Ye Wuming gave him a withering glare, then looked down at the sword. Who has a child that’s literally a sword? What’s there to raise? Is it going to become a longsword? She could not help but ask, “So where’s the actual Ling Ruoyu? Why is she back in sword form again? Zhao Changhe, what exactly did you do?!”

Zhao Changhe vanished in a flash. “You’ll figure it out if I step aside.”

Ye Wuming blinked. Then, she stared, dumbfounded, as a young girl was suddenly “pulled” out of the sword—naked, curled up on the tabletop with her arms crossed over her chest, looking pitiful and helpless.

Ye Wuming swiftly conjured a set of clothes, wrapped the girl up, and cradled her protectively in her arms like a hen shielding her chick. “What happened? What happened?! What did that pervert do to you?”

“It’s not Dad’s fault...” Ling Ruoyu gave a brief explanation, but her mind was elsewhere, finally understanding why her master’s husband had insisted she call him “Dad” in front of Ye Wuming.

Because once she appeared as Ling Ruoyu instead of a sword, Ye Wuming’s reaction changed completely.

Someone like Ye Wuming should, in theory, have seen through such things long ago. She was not one to be swayed by mere appearances. Yet when a living, breathing girl sat there calling her “Mom,” rather than a cold blade, her response was radically different.

The girl’s features were not an exact mirror of Ye Wuming or Jiuyou, but the resemblance was undeniable. The inheritance of bloodline, aura, even intent was all there. Looking at her, the feeling was impossible to describe.

When faced with a sword, one could rationalize that it was just something that had been forged. For a sword to call a blacksmith father or mother was absurd.

But when that sword turned into a girl who bore her likeness and earnestly called her “Mom”... it suddenly became a lot more difficult to rationalize things in the same way.

Ye Wuming remembered clearly that back when she used the Heavenly Tome’s sight to record the Rankings of Troubled Times, the first time she saw this little girl venture into the jianghu, sword in hand, her gaze was practically glued to her. It was absurd. It was worse than when she used to follow Zhao Changhe’s every move.

Who dares contend with my daughter for first place in the Rising Dragon rankings? They can all die in a ditch.

What bias toward Zhao Changhe? Ever since Ling Ruoyu stepped into the world, the bias that the Tome of Troubled Times expressed for her was much, much greater.

And yet, Ye Wuming genuinely did not believe she was playing favorites. River of Stars had manifested into human form. Naturally, her potential was unmatched. So were her rankings then not only logical?

After listening to the girl explain her state, Ye Wuming spoke smoothly as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “It’s quite simple. In your current state, you’ve stepped outside the boundaries of this world. You can manifest a physical body or return to your origin at will. The reason you can’t bring material items with you is simply because you haven’t fully developed River of Stars’ world. That’s easily solved. Come here, let me show you. It’s just like this, like this... Ah, and here, I’ll give you something useful—”

“I, I don’t want anything from you,” Ling Ruoyu murmured, lowering her gaze and gently pushing away the fruit Ye Wuming had offered, stepping back with a hint of resistance.

Ye Wuming was struck again by the memory of that day above Tiger Hill—the girl’s struggling limbs, that sorrowful glint in her eyes as she resisted, and the way she had shouted, loud and clear: “I’m not going with you!”

She slowly withdrew her hand.

Ling Ruoyu stepped back again, eyes downcast. Mother and daughter stood in silence.

Zhao Changhe reappeared with a whoosh, dropping into his seat and scrutinizing the expressions of the two women. After a moment, he said, “What now? Trying to kidnap her again?”

Ling Ruoyu naturally leaned toward him, her voice soft, “No... Mom just taught me a few things.”

Ye Wuming watched the girl explain on her behalf, only to lean even closer to Zhao Changhe as she did. Her heart twisted with a flood of complicated emotions. She was feeling so many emotions that she could not even name them.

Zhao Changhe added, “Tell me, Blindie, why do you want River of Stars so badly? Are you feeling the urge to finally take on some parenting duties?”

The real reason Ye Wuming wanted River of Stars was twofold. First, to prevent the Heavenly Dao from using her as a conduit for invasion. Second, to avoid this exact scene of Zhao Changhe showing up on her doorstep.

But in actual truth, these were one and the same. What she really wanted was to ensure that everything remained under her control.

Nowhere in that equation had she ever factored in the notion of raising a child. Yet at this very moment, facing the expression on Ling Ruoyu’s face, she found herself unable to deny it. She forced herself to say, “Yes.”

Zhao Changhe sighed. “That’s too much, Blindie. When River of Stars was little, I was the one raising her. Later, it was Hongling who taught and guided her. And you? You did nothing. You just forged a sword blank... No, wait, you produced a fetus and then vanished. And now you want to come snatch her away? Have you no shame? I can’t beat you right now, so go on, take her if you dare. Let’s see if Ruoyu doesn’t come to hate you for it!”

Ye Wuming said nothing.

Yes, she could take her. Right now, she could absolutely take her. However, the memory of Ling Ruoyu’s desperate resistance echoed in her mind. And for the first time, the Night Emperor, who had always made decisions unilaterally, who had always manipulated the fates of others without hesitation, could no longer act at will.

1. This isn’t really a common phrase, so I’m not sure why this sentence was worded this way. ☜