Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 741 (1): The Reformed Heroine

Yue Hongling was not about to be trapped by such words so easily. She simply smiled, and when she answered, her tone was light and unbothered. “I’m just a wandering swordswoman. I don’t want to be involved in power struggles. As long as the outside invaders are kept at bay, I don’t care whether it’s someone surnamed Xia or surnamed Li ruling the divine land. If I stay here, it will just be to have a drink at my senior brother’s wedding.”

Yue Fenghua sighed. “Hongling, when war comes and innocent people suffer, can you really just stand by and do nothing?”

“If soldiers start harming the common people, then I’ll step in,” Yue Hongling replied. She paused briefly, then added with a half-smile, “That includes the Li Clan, if they cross into Guandong.”

Yue Fenghua was momentarily speechless. He exchanged a look with Wei Changming, but neither of them seemed to know what to say.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Unless he ordered her as her master, there was no way to force her to take a side. But could he really do that?

Beforehand, he had thought of ways to use his authority as her master, even testing whether she still respected him after all these years. The answer was clear: she did. But once she stood up, everything changed.

She was no longer the young girl from years ago. She was now a well-known martial artist who had been through countless battles. Her very presence was overwhelming. Without realizing it, even Yue Fenghua and Wei Changming found themselves instinctively lowering their tone, like she naturally took charge of the conversation.

In her eyes, Wei Changming was probably just another political figure trying to buy loyalty with favors.

Just as Yue Fenghua was about to speak again, Yue Hongling suddenly said, “Actually, I do have a reason for coming back now.”

Yue Fenghua had to swallow his words and quickly adjusted his tone, “Oh? What is it? If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know.”

“I could use some help,” Yue Hongling said with a small smile. “I heard the barbarians raided past the passes, and some of them are still causing trouble in Guanlong. I want to get rid of them and bring peace back to the region. But I can’t track them down alone. Seeing as the sect is pretty strong now, could you help me gather some information on them?”

Wei Changming opened his mouth as if to say something but then hesitated and closed it. Yue Fenghua also froze for a while before forcing out an awkward laugh. “That is a noble cause! But the barbarians are strong. You might struggle to handle them alone. Let’s take some time to plan things out. I’ll have people look into their whereabouts first. Knowing the enemy is key to winning.”

Yue Hongling smiled. “Master, you are truly thoughtful.”

Wei Changming let out a dry chuckle. “Then, Miss Yue, please rest well. I’ll be heading back... Ah, before I go—your return is a big event in Guanlong. If we hold a banquet in your honor, would you be willing to attend?”

Yue Hongling shook her head slightly. “I appreciate the kindness, but I don’t like banquets. I’ll pass.”

Yue Fenghua said, “I’ll see brother Wei out.” Then, he turned to the disciples nearby. “You, take your second senior sister to the guest quarters so she can rest.”

The young disciples, unaware of the strange tension in the conversation, were simply thrilled. “Yes, Master! We’ll take good care of Senior Sister!”

“There’s no need for so many of you to lead the way for me.” Yue Hongling casually pointed to a young girl and smiled. “This junior sister can accompany me. That’s enough.”

The little girl practically jumped three chi into the air with excitement and immediately took Yue Hongling’s hand, leading her toward the rear courtyard. “Senior Sister, come with me!”

Seeing the young girl’s boundless energy, Yue Hongling felt her heavy mood lighten a little. She followed with a faint smile. Just as they reached the doorway, she glanced back—Yue Fenghua and Wei Changming had already disappeared beyond the hall.

She let out a quiet sigh and lowered her voice. “I want to visit Master’s wife first.”

“Oh.” The little girl scratched her head. “Then this way...”

At the grave behind the mountain, Yue Hongling bowed solemnly in respect before slowly rising to her feet. She gazed at the tombstone and asked in a low voice, “Was she bedridden for a long time? Why didn’t anyone in the jianghu send word to me?”

The girl shook her head. “No, it happened suddenly. She fell ill and passed quickly...”

“What illness was it?”

“They said it was an ulcerous disease.”

There were many types of ulcerous diseases—some of them, in the modern world, would be considered cancers. If that was the case, it would not be too surprising for even a martial artist like her to have died.

Yue Hongling shook her head slightly. Scenes of her master’s behavior earlier flashed through her mind. Even with her rational mind sorting through the facts, her intuition as a Profound Control expert told her something was still... off.

“Who is the intended bride in the marriage discussion?”

The little girl glanced around, then lowered her voice and replied, “It’s a young lady from the Li Clan.”

Yue Hongling smiled faintly. She had expected as much. It seemed to be a topic people hesitated to discuss outright in front of her. Even Wei Changming had been vague about it, but there was no hiding it—once the topic of marriage was brought up, everyone would know. She could ask anyone and get the same answer.

Her return might have been a surprise to some. But to others, it was a shock.

At the very least, her presence now made this Li Clan marriage alliance feel... strange.

On the surface, there was nothing particularly wrong with her senior brother marrying a lady from the Li Clan. Why would he not be able to? But when she thought about it more carefully—why was the Li Clan marrying into Luoxia Mountain Village? Did they really think the sect was prestigious enough to deserve such an honor?

No, it was obvious. This was about her.

It had nothing to do with Luoxia Mountain Village’s status. The bride might not even be a direct descendant of the Li Clan. It was more likely that she was a branch relative—or worse, she could be a mere servant girl elevated in status for convenience.

This was nothing like the Cui-Wang alliances. Those unions, no matter how they were arranged, never dictated what Cui Wenjing or Wang Daoning could or could not do. They were the ones who arranged other people’s lives, not the other way around.

But if Luoxia Mountain Village allied with the Li Clan, how much say would they really have? Would they not then just become another vassal, completely under the Li Clan’s control, forced to obey whatever command was given?

Once the marriage was sealed, when the struggle between Guanlong and the Han escalated, would Yue Hongling still be free to choose a side?

If things went poorly, the sect could use this to pressure her, forcing her to stand with Guanlong’s aristocracy.

It was obvious that this entire arrangement was about her, not the sect.

If Yue Fenghua had even a shred of consideration for his disciple—not wanting to put her in a difficult position, or even just basic respect for her—this marriage would not have even been discussed. At the very least, someone would have reached out to her first to ask her opinion.

The Tome of Troubled Times had just documented her presence in Miaojiang, mentioning her slaying of the Black Hmong King. Her whereabouts were no secret. Sending someone to find her would not have been difficult.

Yet, not only had they made no effort to contact her, but even now, with her standing right in front of them, they avoided speaking plainly.

So it was clear as day that they knew this marriage was a scheme centered on her. And they knew she would not like it. That was why they were avoiding the subject.

Taking the reputation she had fought for, using the connections others sought with her, and turning it all into their own bargaining chip—did they really think they were scoring big by marrying into Guanlong’s ruling aristocratic family?

Yue Hongling turned, looking at the now-prosperous mountain village, and let out a soft sigh.

If that was all, she would not care much. She had no intention of being pressured into anything. She could not care less about whatever social ladder they wished to climb—it had nothing to do with her.

What really concerned her was what came after.

For example, the barbarians she had just mentioned.

Why send people out to “gather intelligence” when the northern barbarians already had people stationed right here in Chang’an?

Were they all just pretending not to see?

Was this the righteous path they had taught her since childhood?

If she insisted on staying and hunting the barbarians, it would put Guanlong’s elite in a tough position. They would not waste time trying to win her over anymore. At that time, they would be looking for a way to get rid of her.

And if she went ahead and started killing barbarian warriors now... what was the most likely outcome? They would set a trap and have her unfortunately die at the hands of the barbarians.

Just as these thoughts ran through her mind, footsteps sounded behind her.

Yue Fenghua stood there, sighing. “Hongling...”

Yue Hongling turned and cupped her hand. “Master.”

Yue Fenghua spoke in a low voice, “If you go after the barbarians now, you’ll be in serious danger. And you even spoke of it in front of Wei Changming...”

Yue Hongling’s heart stirred. “Master, are you saying...”

“No matter what their reasons were for letting the barbarians into the pass—whether they thought they were too weak to stand alone, whether they wanted to use them to eliminate those still loyal to the Xia dynasty, or whether they just wanted to get rid of anyone who was not fully aligned with them, the fact of the matter is that right now, they still need the barbarians. The world isn’t settled yet. They can’t afford to turn against them. If you start attacking here in Chang’an, it will put them in a very difficult position.” Yue Fenghua’s voice lowered further, “If they do take the throne, then you can kill the barbarians as much as you want. At that point, everyone will support you.”

Yue Hongling’s eyes dimmed with disappointment. “I understand.”

Some were out there distributing land and building schools, truly thinking of the people. And some... only thought about how to seize the world.

She took a deep breath. “Like I said before, I’m not going to involve myself with politics.”

“But have you thought about this...” Yue Fenghua hesitated, then finally spoke, “If you insist on going your own way, you might be able to walk away unscathed, but what about the sect? How will we survive here in the future?”

Yue Hongling’s tone remained calm. “Setting aside all the northern barbarians’ past killings, let’s talk about now. They rampaged through Guanzhong, and many innocent souls fell to their blades. And this is what you’re worried about? There are already rebel forces hiding in the mountains across Guanlong, fighting back. You are at the ninth layer of the Profound Gate, yet you fear them so much?”

It was not a threat to his very life that he feared, it was losing his status and comfort.

Yue Fenghua was silent for a long moment before speaking again in a low voice. “Are you planning to contact these... rebels?”

“And what if I am?”

“To stab the Li Clan in the back while they’re fighting the Han?”

Yue Hongling stared at him, her disappointment reaching its peak.

Neither Zhao Changhe nor she had ever even considered that. If they were to reach out to the rebels, it would only be for the sake of fighting the barbarians. But right now, there were too many powerful forces at play in Guanlong. The presence of gods and demons loomed over the land. Neither she nor Zhao Changhe would drag ordinary martial artists into this chaos. It was never part of their plan.

And yet, this was how her master thought.

Finally, Yue Fenghua said, “Hongling... I’m not asking you for much. Just... while you’re in Chang’an, if you see the barbarians, please hold back. Don’t act recklessly.”

Yue Hongling looked at him for a long while until Yue Fenghua finally averted his gaze. Then, suddenly, she grinned.

“What if I disguise myself and assassinate them in secret? That way, the sect won’t get dragged into it.”

Yue Fenghua hesitated, then admitted, “That... would be acceptable.”

“Then, can I trouble you to help me find a good target? Perhaps information on which barbarian leader is stationed here, as well as where they frequent?”

Yue Fenghua let out a sigh of resignation. “Fine. Wait for my word.”

With that, he hurried away.

Beside her, the little girl watched the entire conversation with wide eyes, admiration shining on her face. To her, both master and disciple were heroes.