Chapter 763: Matters of the Dinner Table

Here sat some of the most exceptional women of their time. Each of them had their own temperament, their own thoughts, and none of them relied on anyone else for survival. To expect such a group to coexist in perfect harmony, let alone engage in some kind of cooperative arrangement for Zhao Changhe’s benefit, was something even the most delusional novels would not dare dream of.

Even among those who had already shared a bed, such as master and disciple, there was still no shortage of snide remarks behind closed doors—remarks such as “useless little brat” or “old hag with no taste.”

Sisi, for all her carefree attitude as an exotic foreign enchantress, was only open to such matters because it was with Yue Hongling. If it were anyone she was not familiar with, Zhao Changhe would not even put it past her to resort to poison; being open-minded did not always mean such in a good way.

To this day, Zhao Changhe still did not dare proclaim anyone as his official wife... though he did have a little rabbit somewhere. He feared it would trigger an all-out war. He was not planning to think about it in the future either. If he could play dead on this matter indefinitely, that would be ideal. He would much rather simply pretend that there was no hierarchy.

Yet, despite their differing tempers, none of these women were the type to stir up drama at the wrong time. Thanks to Zhao Changhe’s deft handling of the situation, this was the first time that these normally clashing factions were able to sit down together and have a peaceful New Year’s banquet.

Not everyone was present, but it was a rare and valuable rehearsal.

When Xia Chichi had called for this banquet, even she had not expected such an outcome. In her mind, there was bound to be a round of snide remarks and subtle jabs, maybe even a real fight before they begrudgingly agreed to a ceasefire for his sake. There was always a real possibility that things would turn physical... And yet, everything had remained eerily calm.

Xia Chichi thus could not help but fall into thought.

His control has grown terrifyingly strong. And even in terms of pure strength, he’s probably reaching the very top now. If he keeps going at this rate, maybe—just maybe—one day, he really will be able to bring everyone together under one roof...

The dishes arrived, flowing onto the table in a steady stream.

Zhao Changhe casually reached over to place food on Baoqin’s plate, then picked up a damp cloth from the table and wiped the streaks of oil off her face, smiling as he said, “Silly girl.”

Baoqin snapped out of her daze, baring her teeth. “You’re the silly one!”

Zhao Changhe laughed heartily. “Good, keep up that spirit. Don’t get pushed into the support role just yet.”

Baoqin: “???”

Zhao Changhe then turned and placed a serving of food onto Xia Chichi’s plate as well, his voice casual as he spoke, “You mentioned a lot of things earlier, but I think you left out two of the most important military updates.”

Xia Chichi came back to the present. “You mean the situation with Aunt-Master?”

“Yeah. And what’s happening over at Yangyang’s front?”

“No changes on either side. Batu was rescued by Aunt-Master and fled west with his remaining forces. Timur was unable to fully eradicate them, so they opted for a strategy of isolation, trying to cut Batu off from supplies and leave him to freeze and starve in the wilderness over the winter. But Aunt-Master was formerly a part of the Mounted Brigant Brotherhood, so she simply reached out to Ying Five. With Ying Five lending a hand, Batu managed to survive the winter just fine.” Xia Chichi grinned. “Hardship really does forge a person. When Batu was in a strong position before, his cultivation was slow. But after all this suffering, he suddenly experienced a breakthrough. Aunt-Master said that he’s already reached the first layer of the Profound Mysteries.”

Yue Hongling mused, “So even Batu has unlocked the Profound Mysteries now... Thinking back to the days when we were still all hidden dragons, quite a few of them have made it. The Tome of Troubled Times wasn’t lying after all.”

Among the group that once competed on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons, reaching the Profound Mysteries was now as common as breathing, but in the grand scheme of the world, such individuals were still rare. It was no small feat. Almost everyone recorded by the Ranking of Hidden Dragons had proven to be extraordinary—even Young Master Dai, who could be easily dismissed by someone who didn’t know better, was in truth quite impressive. It only underscored the blind woman’s ruthless precision in selecting talent.

However, those with keen senses had noticed something unusual about the Rankings of Troubled Times in recent years. Tang Wanzhuang pointed it out, “Ever since Cui Yuanyang made the list, the last hidden dragon added was Ji Chengkong. That was about a year and a half ago. Before that, there was never such a long gap. Historically, the longest interval between updates was less than a year. Is this because the younger generation simply isn’t catching the Heavenly Tome’s eye anymore, or... is there something wrong with the Heavenly Tome itself?”

Zhao Changhe muttered inwardly,

“Blindie, my wife is worried that you might be sick.”

A voice, distant yet resonant, echoed in his mind,

“You of all people should know that the Heavenly Tome has become increasingly complete. With cultivation advancing across the board, the previous criteria for latent potential no longer fit the times. I’ve been intentionally observing the younger generation for the past few months. Right now, I have at least thirty names under review. There’s no need for you mortals to trouble yourselves over it.”

Despite knowing full well that the blind woman was probably busy with something else at the moment, Zhao Changhe could not help but tease,

“I don’t believe you. You’ve definitely been fixated on me, following me around all day. No time to look at anyone else.”

“Scram.”

“Oh please, like I don’t know you. You’re totally bluffing. If you’ve got a list, let me see it.”

A moment later, names began surfacing in his mind.

Without hesitation, Zhao Changhe announced them at the table: “Lin Yongle from the Lin Clan of Minzhong, Zhang Ziyun from Mount Longhu, Zhong Pei from Foshan... Oh, Yang Bugui’s cousin, Yang Bujiu, and Wei Zhijie from the Wei Clan of Jingzhao...”

The women at the table all stared at him in shock. “Where did you get these names from?”

Zhao Changhe grinned. “Trust me. Send people to take a look at those people. If they’re decent, recruit them quickly... Ow, what the f—!”

Before anyone could react, Zhao Changhe had jumped up from his seat, clutching his backside in pain.

Across the void, the blind woman withdrew her foot with a huff, vanishing in a flash of irritation.

Not only do I have to act as your radar, but now I have to be your talent scout too? Is this what you think ‘the deepest desires of your heart’ are for? Cheating?

Meanwhile, Xia Chichi quickly snapped to attention, turning to the palace maids. “You, write down the names King Zhao mentioned!”

A palace maid promptly recorded the names, while the women at the table fell into a peculiar silence, each one staring at Zhao Changhe with an expression that could only be described as... indescribable. Maybe they were contemplating whether they should try to persuade him to use the Heavenly Tome’s influence to make their own reputations shine a little brighter...

So this is why he keeps insisting the Heavenly Tome has nothing to do with him? No wonder he’s the number one braggart! Now the real question is, what gender is the tome’s spirit? If it’s female, there’s a chance that certain other parts are being flattered as well...

For the first time in their lives, the women at the table found themselves contemplating the possibility of having a book as their sister. The expressions around the table ranged from bemused to exasperated to completely given up on life.

The blind woman saw their faces and immediately knew what they were thinking. Her own expression turned just as colorful.

Zhao Changhe quickly defended himself. “What are you all looking at me like that for? It’s just information I gathered while traveling the

jianghu

...”

But even he knew that was not going to fool anyone. Without missing a beat, he changed the subject. “We were just talking about Batu making it through the winter. Does that mean he’s ready to coordinate an offensive?”

“Yes, he can, but his tribe has little strength left. They might be able to pull off a raid or two, but don’t expect them to be a main force like before,” said Xia Chichi. “This time, the real battle will have to be fought by us.”

“What’s our troop count?”

“Not terrible. Between the forces surrendered by Langya, the troops of Hebei, and the troops of the Central Plains, all currently undergoing training, including the former capital garrison, we have about 150,000 troops. Adding the former forces from Yanmen, and we have over 200,000 soldiers fit for battle. As for Jianghuai and Jiangnan troops, I didn’t bring them up north since they might not adapt well to the climate. Instead, I’ve reassigned them to help defend Hangu, given that we’ve pulled troops from the Central Plains.”

“You’re also clearing the stage for the Cui and Yang Clans’ forces, aren’t you?”

“That’s part of it. In any case, after what you did in Guanlong, I doubt Li Boping has the spirit left to launch an attack. But it’s always best to be prepared.” She casually picked up some food and continued, “What’s interesting is that the barbarian forces haven’t moved yet. Minister Tang and I analyzed the intelligence and believe it’s not just because they’re waiting for the snow to melt. There’s a fairly high possibility that there are internal issues on their side.”

Tang Wanzhuang joined in, “Previously, the Tome of Troubled Times meddled in their ranks, elevating Timur above Bo’e...”

She glanced at Zhao Changhe as she spoke, but Zhao Changhe feigned ignorance. Tang Wanzhuang smirked and continued, “Bo’e originally held an unshakable position among the northern barbarians. Even Timur had to respect the temple’s authority. Normally, someone like Bo’e wouldn’t stoop so low as to personally infiltrate Chang’an. Such a task is undoubtedly beneath him. The fact that he did suggests internal instability. He may have been trying to consolidate power for himself.”

Xia Chichi nodded and said, “That means the barbarian forces are divided. Given this, we may not need to wait for them to invade. If the situation is favorable, we should consider taking the initiative and striking first. We could split our forces. One army would still march from Yanmen under General Huangfu’s command. The other... we could loop around through Beimang. We were considering putting you in charge, with support from Cui Yuanyong, Huangfu Shaozong, and the battle-hardened generals of Langya. What do you think?”

Zhao Changhe’s hands waved so fast they nearly left afterimages. “I don’t command armies. It doesn’t matter who supports me; it simply won’t work out. This isn’t something to joke about. I’d rather have someone else lead while I provide support.”

Xia Chichi said, “No one here is qualified for you to support. That would just create an awkward dynamic in the army. Besides, they haven’t kept up in cultivation either. What are you going to do, be their bodyguard? That makes no sense. You could at least take the title of commander and leave the actual formations to the others.”

Zhao Changhe looked around, gauging reactions only to notice Huangfu Qing quietly eating her meal, seemingly lost in thought.

A thought struck him, and he called out, “Qing’er.”

Huangfu Qing snapped out of her reverie and smiled. “Hmm?”

“You’ve been awfully quiet. Why haven’t you said anything?”

“Nothing much. I only just got back from traveling with you. I don’t know all the latest details yet, so I figured I’d listen first.”

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

“If I remember correctly, when you were younger, you trained with your father’s army. You’re a general’s daughter, so you grew up studying military strategy and military formations.”

“That’s true.”

“Have you ever considered leading this campaign yourself? I’ll support you. Venerable Vermillion Bird should soar across the skies, not be caged within the palace.”

Everyone at the table paused, momentarily stunned.

A spark of brilliance flickered in Huangfu Qing’s eyes.