Chapter 791: Number One Under Heaven, Eavesdropping Shelly

Seven days ago, when Zhao Changhe carried a severed head onto the sacrificial altar, taking the qi veins of this mountain as his own and shifting the qi veins of the entire Grasslands in his favor, he had, in essence, already achieved the symbolic act of “sealing Langjuxu.”

But official matters required an official manner of conduct. There had to be a grand ceremony, complete with formal rites, rewards for the troops, admonitions and arrangements for the various factions... At the very least, there needed to be towering red candles burning before the altar.

The ceremony was presided over by the supreme commander of the three armies, Huangfu Qing, and King Zhao, and they both solemnly performed the rites to honor heaven and earth.

Soldiers and civilians from both the Hu and Han factions watched in confusion. This ceremony was not quite what they had imagined...

Why are they bowing to each other?

It’s one thing for them to be bowing toward General Huangfu, but why is Old Sun from the Blood God Cult seated there as well? This seems a bit odd...

Speaking of which, wasn’t this same Old Sun present at the Cui Clan’s event as well? He always seemed to conveniently appear at every major occasion. Could it be that this was his greatest contribution in coming north?

As for the Tome of Troubled Times, whether intentionally or not, it referred to the Black Tortoise’s achievements simply as Black Tortoise’s, but when it came to the Vermillion Bird, it did not use the customary name. Instead, it explicitly named her as Huangfu Qing. Although everyone knew it meant the same thing, there was still a difference between saying it outright and leaving it implied. After all, Huangfu Qing was the empress dowager. The fact that she had personally led an army into battle as the supreme commander was already a shocking enough development. That was why there had been a need to cloak her actions under her identity as Venerable Vermillion Bird

.

But if the empress dowager was now performing a bowing ritual with someone else, one could only wonder what had become of the empire?

Zhao Changhe suspected that the blind woman had let a bit of personal emotion slip into her writing. She had likely overheard his conversation with Huangfu Qing in the command tent, where marriage had been mentioned, and was deliberately stirring the pot.

For all her claims of indifference toward the Four Idols Cult, the blind woman clearly still harbored some resentment over the cult’s downfall. Looking back now, the reason the names Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise had continued to be acknowledged in official records was likely that she had been covering for her former comrades. And now, she had stopped.

But so what?

No matter how controversial the empress dowager’s military campaign was, in the wake of a victorious war that determined the fate of the nation, it would only be remembered as a legendary tale of heroism. Who would dare to nitpick?

As for the supposed marriage, so long as it was not explicitly stated, there was nothing to debate. Even if everyone knew what was happening, as long as it was not formally declared, it did not matter.

Thus, the blind woman’s petty grievances were utterly meaningless.

Even Cui Yuanyong did not bother to comment. He merely stood with his arms crossed, watching with a cold glare for a while before his subordinates dragged him off to drink.

What does it even matter? Whether they’re actually getting married or not, if they enjoy the ceremonial aspect of it, so be it... After all, the first to have a proper wedding is still my little sister. That said, these two are really having it rough, even their wedding has to be disguised as a sacrificial rite to heaven and earth. Tsk.

Who would have thought that Vermillion Bird, a figure so feared and dreaded by all, would actually care about such rituals? Even Yue Hongling wasn’t this particular about it. I mean, look at Black Tortoise. She’s just sitting happily on the sidelines, munching on sunflower seeds. She could have easily joined in, yet she couldn’t even be bothered to do so. In that sense, Black Tortoise is actually closer to the divine, while Vermillion Bird is a lot more... human.

One thing Vermillion Bird and Yue Hongling had in common was that neither of them needed a specially prepared bridal gown for such a ceremony. Their usual red attire was, in essence, their wedding dress.

Under the warm glow of red candles and the gaze of thousands, Huangfu Qing stole a glance at her husband during the bowing ritual. His expression was gentle, and in her eyes, there was nothing but soft, flowing warmth.

Even if it isn’t explicitly declared as our wedding, this is enough.

“Look at that expression of hers. Tsk, tsk.” Lady Three sat cross-legged, drinking, raising her bowl to clink against Yue Hongling’s. “If someone had told me a few years ago that this fierce woman would one day be blushing and bashful like some gentle wife, I would have thought they’d lost their mind.”

Yue Hongling gave her a curious look.

What kind of relationship do we even have? Why are you acting as if we were old friends from the start?

Lady Three smirked. “That strand of sword qi helped us earn a massive achievement. Doesn’t that make us comrades?”

Yue Hongling nodded. She was not the type to dwell on such things anyway, so she merely chuckled. “Big Sister Vermillion Bird was never fierce in my eyes, not since the day I met her.”

Lady Three grinned mischievously. “I heard that back in the day, when you first saw Vermillion Bird soaring across the sky in a cloud of fire, you got so scared you ran for your life.”

“...Xia Chichi told you that?”

“Hehe.”

“I wasn’t running out of fear. I was... Well, let’s just say there was no enmity between us, so there was no need to provoke trouble!” She paused, then admitted, “Back then, her aura was rather terrifying... but she’s changed. It’s like she’s a completely different person now.”

Lady Three took a slow sip of her drink. “That’s because she’s gotten everything she ever wanted. When there’s nothing left to fight for, what’s there left to be fierce about?”

Yue Hongling’s expression darkened slightly. “And that Ancient White Tiger...?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Lady Three drank leisurely. “If we followed the old rules of our cult, Chichi would have to face them alone, which would be incredibly dangerous. But now? Changhe calls the shots. There’s no way he’d tolerate such ridiculous traditions. When the time comes, we’ll all swarm in together. Forget the ancient White Tiger, even if the Night Emperor shows up, we can hold our ground.”

She paused, eyeing Yue Hongling up and down. “Speaking of which, would you be interested in inheriting some of the White Tiger’s cultivation technique?”

Yue Hongling blinked, momentarily caught off guard. “What do you mean?”

Lady Three leaned in slightly. “After studying your battle formation, I noticed that it was incomplete. If the Night Emperor were to command the full Four Idols Formation, its power would be immeasurable. Unfortunately, we’re lacking one of the Four Idols right now. Chichi has always embodied both the Azure Dragon and White Tiger’s paths. She’s already mastered the Azure Dragon’s path and just needs time to refine it, but her mastery of the White Tiger’s path is largely incomplete. So, it would actually be much better if someone else assumed the position of Venerable White Tiger to complete the formation.”

Yue Hongling hesitated. “Then wouldn’t subduing the ancient White Tiger make everything perfect?”

“It’s impossible to subdue him. He would never recognize Changhe as the Night Emperor, and in his eyes, we’re nothing but traitors. And even if we could subdue him, there’s still another issue.”

“What issue?”

“The ancient White Tiger is a man. If an outsider were to be suddenly inserted into our formation, it would feel... off. But you, on the other hand, would fit right in.”

“...”

That actually makes a lot of sense.

Yue Hongling found herself momentarily speechless.

Lady Three continued, “White Tiger governs metal, and in martial arts, it represents the mastery of all weapons. Its path is one of pure combat. Among these, the sword is the king of all weapons, which aligns perfectly with you. You’ve taken on the Sword Emperor’s legacy, but the connection is shallow. From what I’ve seen, you’ve only really inherited a strand of sword intent. You’ve mostly relied on your own interpretations, which makes your style somewhat limited and one-dimensional. You need other sword arts to complement and refine it. Moreover, if you ever have to face the Sword Emperor himself, relying solely on the sword intent you inherited from him might leave you suppressed. You’ll need other techniques to stand a chance.”

Yue Hongling felt a stir of excitement. Lady Three’s words made a lot of sense.

She had always wanted to visit the Sword Emperor’s tomb, but she had hesitated for precisely this reason. Watching Yuxu face the Dao Lord, or Xue Canghai confront Lie, she had seen firsthand how overwhelming their suppression could be. These were practically battles that were lost before they even began. If Zhao Changhe had not carved out his own unique path, he would have been done for in that battle where Underworld Guide lured Lie into the fight against the Spirit Tribe.

If she were to face the Sword Emperor, simply cultivating harder would not be enough. She needed to expand the scope of her abilities, and the White Tiger’s techniques, being of the highest caliber, were an excellent choice.

But... wouldn’t I be stealing from Xia Chichi?

Yue Hongling hesitated. “Is this really okay? And do you even have the authority to make this decision?”

“This is a matter of the cult’s administration. And when it comes to administration, what I say carries a lot of weight. Even the cult master has to carefully consider my opinion.”

“You mean Changhe?”

“Changhe is just the god we put on an altar. He doesn’t care about our cult’s affairs at all, and we also don’t care about his opinions in this respect. He only memorized the sacred texts because he was punished into copying them. The actual cult master is Chichi.”

Yue Hongling: “...”

Lady Three gave her a sidelong glance. “My, Heroine Yue, could it be that you are chickening out? Are you too afraid to compete with our Chichi?”

Slam

Yue Hongling slammed her wine bowl onto the table. “Who says I’m afraid?!”

“Well, the true inheritance wouldn’t happen right away anyway. First, we have to defeat this ancient White Tiger. I’m just bringing this up as a possibility. If you’re interested, we can talk more later.” Lady Three winked. “Alright, I’ve got another matter to do now. We’ll chat again another time.”

Yue Hongling raised an eyebrow. “What matter?”

Lady Three replied with perfect righteousness, “Listening in on their wedding night.”

Yue Hongling: “...”

She turned her head to look, and sure enough, the newlywed couple had already disappeared.

Technically speaking, the grand sacrificial ceremony was still ongoing. The conferment of titles, the rewards for the army, the disciplinary orders for various factions—all of these responsibilities should have been handled by Huangfu Qing as the supreme commander and Zhao Changhe as King Zhao. Yet the two of them had no sense of duty as the highest-ranking leaders of this campaign. They treated the ceremony as their wedding and nothing more. The moment the bows to heaven and earth were completed, they left everything else to General Huangfu to handle and went straight to their wedding chamber.

The bridal chamber was inside the secret realm, and the entrance had been sealed shut once more, making it so that no one could eavesdrop. Yue Hongling watched as Lady Three darted to a secluded spot behind the mountain, flipping her delicate hand to produce a water mirror.

Her eyes widened in shock as the mirror displayed an astonishingly clear image of Zhao Changhe and Huangfu Qing tumbling onto the bed, locked in a passionate embrace and deep kisses. She was utterly dumbfounded.

Ever since she started following Zhao Changhe, she had been dragged into all sorts of chaotic situations, but openly peeping on someone’s wedding night like this? That was a first.

As expected of you people of demonic cults, each one of you is more outrageous than the last.

And I’m supposed to consider joining this insane cult?!

Lady Three, on the other hand, remained completely unfazed. “What’s with that look on your face? Isn’t it a great view?”

“That’s not it. How did you even manage to do this? They’re in a completely separate space!”

“I secretly left a soul fragment of mine inside earlier, just for this moment.”

Yue Hongling: “...”

Lady Three examined the scene carefully, her eyes glinting. “Look at that smoldering gaze. Tsk, tsk, she’s practically dripping with desire...” She suddenly let out a low whistle. “Oh ho, her hands are already reaching in... and she’s the one undoing his belt first! Tsk, tsk, what a lecherous woman...”

Yue Hongling twitched at the corners of her mouth. She had to admit that it actually was quite a captivating sight. And it was being shown in such high definition, too.

“Look at how eager she is, even kissing his chest,” Lady Three remarked with great interest. “I bet she’ll go even lower next. Out of all of us, she’s the one most willing to take the initiative... She acts all dignified and imposing every day, but deep down, she’s the one burning up the most, isn’t she?”

Yue Hongling stretched her neck for a better look, silently agreeing.

Sisi is pretty enthusiastic too, but that’s expected. She wears her passion on her face. But Vermillion Bird? Now that’s a contrast...

Wait a second. Why isn’t there any sound coming from the water mirror anymore?

Just as she was wondering about that, a sharp “Ah!” echoed from the mirror.

Inside, Zhao Changhe suddenly reached out and grabbed something unseen, and the next moment, a translucent wisp of something was yanked into his grasp. It was none other than Lady Three’s soul fragment!

Lady Three struggled frantically. “How did you find me?! I was using the Turtle-Breathing Technique!”

“You think I wouldn’t notice someone spying on me? If I couldn’t, I wouldn’t have made it this far!” Zhao Changhe’s expression darkened as he identified the culprit.

Seeing it was the damned tortoise, both he and Huangfu Qing were torn between amusement and fury.

Huangfu Qing cracked her knuckles menacingly, her smile ice-cold. “Alright, tell me, how do you want to die?”

Lady Three’s eyes darted about. “This is just a soul fragment, a soul body! What can you possibly do to me—hey, hey, HEY STOP!”

Her smug confidence shattered in an instant as the formless soul solidified all of a sudden, its ethereal clothing vanishing as it took full corporeal form. Huangfu Qing slammed her down into the mist, pinning her wrists with practiced ease. “I specialize in dealing with souls.”

“W-wait, you’re using Changes of Life and Death for this?! No, wait, this is Changes of Void and Reality, isn’t it?! Hey, hey, hey... Zhao Changhe, that’s my—

mmmphhh!

”

Huangfu Qing scoffed. “Oh? You’re enjoying yourself a little too much. Let me help you enjoy it properly!”

The would-be voyeur was instantly wrestled into submission by her own sister, pinned down, and left at Zhao Changhe’s mercy.

Meanwhile, outside, the real Lady Three, still holding the water mirror, was trembling violently, her face blooming into a deep crimson. Yue Hongling took a careful step back.

The soul fragment was tampered with, and the original body naturally felt the same. It was as though they were no longer separate.

These people from this evil cult truly are sinister. One of them possesses a clone and soul fragment technique that should only be available to those at the second layer of the Profound Control Realm, only to use it for eavesdropping on bedroom affairs, while another toys with the forces of life and death, manipulating others’ souls at will, and there’s yet another who can manipulate the intangible into becoming tangible, rendering souls into playthings. Together, they orchestrated a pincer attack and managed to turn the invincible Venerable Black Tortoise into a sieve.

The heroine could not bear it any longer and bolted.

The last thing she heard was Lady Three’s weary voice calling out from outside, “Open the door, I want in...”

The secret realm creaked open a sliver, and Lady Three slipped in of her own accord.

Yue Hongling suddenly understood that Lady Three had done this on purpose. She wanted in. Watching others celebrate their union had made her envious. She was seeking her own sense of involvement.

Inside, Huangfu Qing scratched her head, realizing that she had been utterly played.

There were now two Lady Threes—one seductive, one serene—flanking Zhao Changhe, each engaging him in their own way. Somehow, there was no longer a place for her.

You cultivated the Tortoise-Snake clones... just to claim a man for yourself? I get married, and you think you can take part in it too?!

“Yuan Sanniang! Merge back together right now! This is not how clones are supposed to be used! Get in line! You’ll have your turn later!”

Zhao Changhe actually wanted to say that this was

exactly

how clones were supposed to be used... but with Huangfu Qing in a fit of rage, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

In truth, Zhao Changhe also wanted to say that the real number one on the Ranking of Heaven should have been Lady Three.

The recent changes to the Ranking of Heaven had not just been a simple reshuffling to fill in gaps. Lady Three now sat in second place, but if one were to be truly objective, she could very well be first.

She had single-handedly fought against Tngri’s soul fragment, who was at the second layer of the Profound Control Realm, for several days. Then she clashed with the former number one, Timur, exchanging blows on even ground. When Timur was distracted, she even gained the upper hand. All it had taken was the added pressure of Ying Five, who had yet to break into the Profound Control Realm, and she had directly defeated Timur. With Yue Hongling’s hidden sword qi lurking nearby, they had nearly killed him outright.

Her Tortoise-Snake clones had granted her a glimpse into the second layer of the Profound Control Realm. If she could fully separate her clones into independent entities, a breakthrough would naturally follow.

Not to mention, in the battle, she had turned a vast desert into a quagmire, securing a decisive victory on the main battlefield. That was an accomplishment that no one else could claim. And yet, in the war reports of the Tome of Troubled Times, her contributions remained understated, as though the strongest warrior had left no grand achievements.

Of course, if one were to include River of Stars and Dragon Bird’s strengths under Zhao Changhe’s own, it was sometimes a three-against-one scenario. In that case, Lady Three might not necessarily be his match. If he was placed at the top, it would not exactly be undeserved either.

The real issue was that the blind woman’s rankings were becoming increasingly arbitrary. While the rankings still held credibility among the people of the world, Zhao Changhe himself had little faith in it. She had ranked him first, but who knew what kind of ulterior motive she had behind that decision?

Now, the very person whom Zhao Changhe considered to be the true number one stood off to the side like a neglected concubine, waiting in line to be favored. The absurdity of the situation was beyond words.

Only after sating Huangfu Qing did Zhao Changhe finally pull Lady Three into his arms. As he caressed her, he leaned in and whispered, “Hey, do you even care about your dignity...?”

“Dignity? How much is that worth?” Lady Three blinked, then beamed brightly. “Changhe, I missed you...”

“...”

“If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t bother... But since it’s Qing’er, what does it matter? She’s only pretending to be mad.”

Huangfu Qing: “...”

Lady Three wrapped her arms around Zhao Changhe’s neck, pouting. “You dumped me in the desert to eat sand for months. Can’t I be a little moody over it? I’ll say this now, no matter where the next battlefield is, no matter how the routes are divided... next time, I’m sticking with you. No one else gets to fight me for it.”

Zhao Changhe kissed her lips and murmured gently, “Alright.”

Lady Three immediately grinned mischievously. “Want me? I want all of you.”