Chapter 565: Chapter 549: A Woman with a Story is More Charming

Zhao Changhe knew that Vermilion Bird and Tang Wanzhuang had fought many battles over the years, yet he hadn’t realized they had started as early as fourteen or fifteen years ago. They must have been only fourteen or fifteen then, right? San Niang was slightly older, probably sixteen or seventeen.

Those moments of their prime… How he wished he could travel back and catch a glimpse of them at that time.

The imagined scene was quite beautiful, but in reality, it was overflowing with the stench of gunpowder.

Zhao Changhe didn’t know that it was also Huangfu Qing’s first encounter with Tang Wanzhuang. At that time, Tang Wanzhuang had not yet gone to the Capital to study and had never met Huangfu Qing. In other words, Tang Wanzhuang actually knew Vermilion Bird first.

Huangfu Qing had been sent to the Four Symbols Sect for cultivation from a young age; the White Tiger Saintess was their princess, with deep and fateful ties. Xia Longyuan’s distrust of Huangfu Yongxian was not surprising at all. The “dissent” was indeed real; although Huangfu Yongxian was loyal to his duty to protect the land, he might not be loyal to the Xia Family.

But the older generation of the Four Symbols Sect was really nothing extraordinary. It took the dense Four Symbols Sect a full two years to find out that the White Tiger Saintess had an incident at Luo Family Manor. By then, Huangfu Qing had finally completed her training, taken over the role of the White Tiger Saintess, and began to plan and expand the sect’s influence in Jiangnan as the Vermilion Bird Saintess.

The young Wan Dongliu was coaxed into joining the sect by his elder sister at that time, playing the role of the Red-Water Worm—Vermilion Bird had always disdained Zhao Changhe as an “older single youth” because his values were already set and it was not easy to establish faith; starting from childhood was best, or at least during the teenage years.

Once in Gusu, hearing that Miss Tang from the Tang family had the same watery temperament, Huangfu Qing decided to test her out, wondering if there could be a predestined connection with their sect?

Thus, this meeting took place.

At that time, the young lady Tang Wanzhuang was playing and composing poetry by Tai Lake when a fiery bird approached her out of the blue, boasting impressively that she had long heard of the rich water attribute of Miss Tang and came to witness it, suggesting they might become sisters one day.

Tang Wanzhuang, recognizing the mask, knew this was the Vermilion Bird Saintess from the Four Symbols Sect. Back then, the Sect had not yet shown its rebellious nature and was referred to as the Demon Sect. A young lady from a distinguished aristocratic family like Tang Wanzhuang, who’d relish being sisters with a cult? Plus, this foolish bird was so arrogant—what was there to be arrogant about?

The young and spirited Miss Tang from the Tang family battled the Vermilion Bird over Tai Lake. A female pirate with a bandit-like aura watched the battle for a long time while biting on a reed, then scoffed, saying that their fighting wouldn’t kill anyone.

Back then, the world was not yet chaotic. Vermilion Bird’s experience in the Worldly Society was quite limited, and Tang Wanzhuang, who had only ever sparred with the handsome and skilled youths of Jiangnan, was not much better than Tang Buqi. Although both were geniuses and learned top-notch cultivation techniques, how could they compare to San Niang’s life, who had emerged from a stormy life amid dead bodies?

To San Niang, their fighting seemed pathetically ineffective.

Actually, at that time, the two girls could not do much to each other and harbored a sense of mutual admiration, but then an outsider came and mocked them. Their supposed admiration, in the eyes of a stranger, appeared as nothing more than chickens pecking at each other. The two girls couldn’t stand it. Synchronizing their moves, they turned their attacks on San Niang: “Let’s see if you can kill someone?”

Regrettably, even together, they were thoroughly beaten by San Niang; she did it with such ease that she didn’t even flinch.

This was the first meeting of the three top female grandmasters in the Chaotic World Book, which ended with the young girl Guigui winning a two-against-one fight.

Afterward, their choices diverged.

After being beaten, Huangfu Qing was not angry but delighted; she realized that the vigorous and resolute energy of this sister was the perfect material for the Xuanwu, and she promptly coaxed her into joining the sect. San Niang, who had just come ashore, was deceitfully recruited by cultists, confusedly attending and passing the selection, and became the Xuanwu Saintess.

Vermilion Bird and Xuanwu, a dual presence, rose to prominence in Worldly Society for more than a decade thereafter, launching fierce campaigns in the north and south, quickly climbing the Human List and the Earth List, causing the Four Symbols Sect to rise like a comet.

After her embarrassment, Tang Wanzhuang was spurred by shame into determination to travel and gain life experience; the following year, while studying in the Capital, she encountered Huangfu Qing.

Nobody understood why the typically tranquil Tang Wanzhuang would be incompatible with Huangfu Qing to the point of fire and water… Insiders revealed that it was actually Tang Wanzhuang who provoked Huangfu Qing first, which was utterly baffling—this remained an unsolved mystery in the Capital to this day.

Of course, it was because the fiery bird resembled her too much; Tang Wanzhuang wanted to try if they were the same person.

In the end, she couldn’t tell. In the Capital, Huangfu Qing had her own Xia Family martial arts, and Tang Wanzhuang didn’t dare to truly fight in the Capital, obviously unable to force the real skills to surface. As she kept causing trouble, Huangfu Qing refused to swallow this humiliation and similarly started to provoke in return, adding a new attraction to the Capital.

In fact, Tang Wanzhuang never resolved her suspicions about Huangfu Qing’s identity, especially as the Chaotic World Book’s rankings kept flashing, alternating her position with that of Vermilion Bird and Xuanwu. Yet Huangfu Qing was never involved, which to Tang Wanzhuang was as clear as day.

Later on, one became an Imperial Concubine and the other became a sect leader. The political nature was undeniable; no matter how obvious it was, without “conclusive evidence”, it could not be voiced, even up to today.

Now, it was Tang Wanzhuang who didn’t want to speak up, coldly watching Vermilion Bird performing. The eminent Vermilion Bird Venerable being manipulated and still thinking no one knew—it was a farce hard to find even on stage. If not for fear of coughing, Tang Wanzhuang could laugh for an hour every day at home.

And what drove Tang Wanzhuang to force a breakthrough, injuring her foundation, was not so much the imminent chaotic world or her impatience, but rather almost half of it stemmed from the pressure from San Niang.

She could rank just above Vermilion Bird in the Chaotic World Book, but no matter how hard she tried, the unobtrusive Xuanwu always ranked higher. Tang Wanzhuang, remembering the woman who had beaten her and Vermilion Bird together upon their first encounter, felt an overwhelming psychological pressure.

Like the immense shadow of the Mystic Turtle, majestically settled at the North Pole, head lowered in contemplation, imposing and mocking.

She still had no idea that the figure she perceived as a looming, oppressive shadow was actually just a “happy-go-lucky” Mystic Turtle.

…

Zhao Changhe, naturally unaware of these past events, couldn’t help but exclaim after hearing San Niang’s brief introduction, “Vermilion Bird Venerable truly has a broad mind and extraordinary resolve. To think that after clashing with you, she decisively allowed you to join as Xuanwu. I’ve heard that the previous Four Symbols Sect was pretty lousy, but this generation’s rise to power really owes much to the Vermilion Bird Venerable.”

“You think that dimwit bird had any good intentions? When she recruited me, while I wasn’t yet the Holy Daughter, she was my superior. She sure put me through the wringer with all the little ways she found to trip me up, and she gave me a good thrashing more than a few times,” San Niang grumbled, waving her liquor gourd in agitation. “Later, as her combat capabilities improved, she became even wilder. She’d pick fights with me out of the blue. I’ve never seen such a vindictive woman! Let me tell you, your little lover, the Holy Daughter, had better not offend her, otherwise I can already foresee her miserable life ahead.”

Zhao Changhe said nothing, then switched topics, “Let’s talk about why you believe in the Four Symbols, though. Your experiences don’t really seem to fit with it, do they?”

San Niang sipped her drink with a grunt, “Why wouldn’t they fit? Haven’t the Stars and Sea always been spoken of together?”

Zhao Changhe was silent.

San Niang gazed at the starry sky and murmured softly, “Because I too, need something to hold onto, a belief. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know the meaning of my life…”

Zhao Changhe’s heart skipped a beat, thinking to himself that indeed… everyone has different reasons for developing a belief, and San Niang’s reason is quite common among many people. With the ordeal that San Niang had faced, she was someone who had seen the vicissitudes of life at a very young age.

What was her reason to live? To avenge her mother? Her adversary might be her father. This father was not like Chichi’s, whom she had never met. From her childhood, although her father was hurt, he had held her, played with her, watched her grow, and taught her martial arts. They had a close relationship, and he likely held a grand image in her heart.

Wasn’t her avoidance to harm the pirates and her decision to flee to the land to seek refuge with the Bandit Brothers a form of escape? An escape from the confusion of her crumbling worldview.

In times of such bewildered escape, falling into the clutches of a cult is all too easy… With that mindset, once someone adopts a belief, they can become extremely fanatical, to the point where even Vermilion Bird who recruited her might not understand it as well as San Niang does, evidenced by Vermilion Bird seeking advice from San Niang on matters concerning Emperor Ye, despite the ambiguity.

San Niang continued to mutter to herself while looking at the stars, “If divine beings were to descend upon the world, what would all earthly matters amount to? Whether it’s Great Xia or Penglai… What is a king, and what is an emperor? Who is truly the greatest in the world? In the face of divine wrath, everything turns into dust. I’m very curious to see the day when they realize that all their struggles and conflicts are merely a joke in the end.”

Zhao Changhe looked at her profile for a long while before clinking his jade flask filled with water against hers, “Come on, let’s drink.”

San Niang came back to her senses, glanced at him, and said with a smile, “What’s this? Are you afraid I’ll start preaching to you, afraid that it’s ignorance?”

“Not at all,” Zhao Changhe replied with a smile. “I just think that a woman with a story is more captivating. The San Niang in my mind has come to life.”

San Niang’s eyes danced as she playfully nudged him, “Hey, who do you think is prettier, me or your Qing’er?”

Zhao Changhe didn’t hesitate, “Of course, she’s prettier.”

“Hmm?” San Niang looked displeased.

“She’s my wife, and you are my boss. There’s no reason to say that the boss is prettier than the wife—that would surely be harboring ulterior motives.”

San Niang’s face turned sour, “You harbor ‘proper’ motives? Who was it that was lying on top of me, sucking and licking?”

Zhao Changhe bent down to add wood to the campfire.

San Niang didn’t press further and looked up at the starry sky again, speaking languidly, “Apart from the descent of the divine, nothing in this world holds much significance… Better to live for the moment and get drunk while we can, finding joy is the most important thing, don’t you think?”

Zhao Changhe responded, “No.”

“Oh?” San Niang was curious, “Why not?”

Zhao Changhe said earnestly, “Because you’re not someone who lives purely for fun.”

San Niang disagreed, “I clearly am.”

“You went into battle knowing you might be no match for the octopus, risking defeat, all for the sake of the pirates behind you… That tells me that there are many things you find meaningful,” he retorted.

After a long pause, San Niang turned to look at him again and suddenly smiled, “What about you then? You could have left with the Tang family’s fleet without a backward glance, but you insisted on struggling like this. For what reason? For me?”

Zhao Changhe paused, looked up as if in deep thought for a long time, and then nodded, “Yes.”