Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 899: Three Letters and Six Protocols

The letter Zhao Changhe saw read as follows:

The Heavenly Dao’s covetous gaze grows ever stronger. War is on the brink. You and I remain in this ambiguous state, neither close nor distant, and that bodes poorly for the coming fight. Now with Ruoyu in the picture, I also find it unpleasant to watch her play mother-daughter with Yue Hongling while I remain nothing but an outsider.

We’re long past the age of playing coy. Some things should be laid bare and discussed.

You desire me out of lust, not love. But I am Ye Wuming, I am not a trophy of someone’s craving. You lack the means, and so this deadlock will persist forever.

If you truly do possess the means, I might just acknowledge it. If not, then why not pursue me the human way, by means of three letters and six protocols?[1] With that established, Ruoyu would be free to come and go at the Night Palace. When it comes to matters of the Heavenly Dao, I’ll work with you. Beyond that, we go our separate ways with the Milky Way between us, and we never have to meet again.

That was all. There were no more words after that. It was succinct and sharp.

Zhao Changhe scratched his head.

The letter sounded very much like Ye Wuming to him.

Whether it was the writing imbued with the essence of the night sky, or the overall tone reminiscent of her announcements on the Tome of Troubled Times, it could not have sounded more like her. Except here, the wording was plainer and more casual. After all, there was no need to be so pedantic for a private letter.

The content also fit Ye Wuming’s character, as these were things she might very well think, though she would never say them aloud. Still, to an outside eye, the letter felt... incredibly real.

At least for now, Zhao Changhe did not suspect a thing. It never even crossed his mind that Ruoyu would dare impersonate Ye Wuming.

But even if the earlier part truly mirrored Ye Wuming’s inner thoughts, the latter section, specifically the part talking about the three letters and six protocols, was utterly impossible.

That part was clearly Tang Wanzhuang’s personal touch. She wanted to see how Ye Wuming would react if Zhao Changhe actually pursued her by way of three letters and six protocols.

And hidden within the letter was a subtler message: You desire me out of lust, and I, Ye Wuming, won’t entertain that. But what if it’s love instead? What then?

The words stopped just shy of a confession, leaving room for interpretation.

Now Zhao Changhe was well and truly lost in thought, dazed and motionless for quite some time.

Is that truly how she feels?

He had long pursued Jiuyou with open tenderness, and their feelings had finally aligned. Ye Wuming had watched that play out. Was this her way of saying that if he were willing to show her that same devotion, then perhaps... she would give him a chance too?

But that path never seemed to be open.

Zhao Changhe could not even sort out his own feelings toward Ye Wuming. The grudge between them still lingered. She had never apologized, and he sure as hell was not in the mood for romance. Not to mention that there was still a blood feud between her and Jiuyou and Piaomiao. What place was there for love in any of that? Every meeting between them ended in arguments and cold words.

And even now, in this letter, Ye Wuming offered no hint of apology or compromise. The deadlock remained.

Three letters and six protocols? This honestly just seems like bait. Is she trying to get me to lower my head to her? What the hell for? Why should I lower my head to her and carry out the three letters and six protocols?

Still, that line, “If you truly do possess the means, I might just acknowledge it,” lingered in his mind.

Tang Wanzhuang had merely added a few words, yet the poor critter found himself caught in an endless spiral of conjecture, re-reading the letter over and over in his head.

Ling Ruoyu was watching her Master Zhao closely, eyes shining with curiosity. “Master Zhao... W-what did it say?”

Snapping out of it, Zhao Changhe coughed. “Oh, nothing important... You didn’t read it?”

“Mom wrote a private letter to Dad... How could I dare look?”

From the side, Dragon Bird gave her a sideways glance, clearly biting back the urge to speak. At the same time, she was doing her best to keep her own thoughts from being sensed by her master.

Still, Zhao Changhe could clearly feel the saber’s seething emotion: This. Little. Bitch.

He shot a glare at Dragon Bird. Ruoyu’s brave, clever, and considerate. How dare you curse her behind her back, especially when you’re supposed to be sisters?

Dragon Bird: “...”

“Oh, well, it’s nothing.” Zhao Changhe gave Ling Ruoyu’s head a gentle rub and asked softly, “Be honest with me, Ruoyu. Do you want to stay with Ye Wuming?”

Ling Ruoyu hesitated for a moment before answering quietly, “She’s... still my mother. And during this trip to the Night Palace, as well as to the city beyond our world, she actually treated me really well... From what I can see, it doesn’t seem like there are any true, irreconcilable grudges between her and everyone...”

Her voice grew softer the more she spoke until she could barely even be heard. Truthfully, when it came to the grudge that Zhao Changhe held and even the deep-seated enmity Ye Jiuyou carried, they really were not all that insurmountable when laid bare. But even so, forgiveness was not something anyone could offer on Piaomiao’s behalf.

“Forget it,” Zhao Changhe said, slipping the letter into his storage ring. “Let’s talk about it after we get out.” 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The moment they stepped out of River of Stars, both father and daughter froze.

Dawn had already begun to break... but now, the sky had reverted to deepest night, not a trace of light to be seen.

A pair of pale, jade-like hands reached out from the darkness. Zhao Changhe’s storage ring, usually sealed tight, might as well have been an ordinary bag. The hands slipped right in, reaching straight for the letter, ignoring everything else.

So the terrifying, heaven-shaking arrival of Ye Wuming... had been just to read a letter.

The ring Zhao Changhe wore had come from the Black Tortoise’s secret realm. It had once held the Night Emperor’s token and River of Stars back when it was still a sword blank. In truth, it was Ye Wuming’s ring to begin with. It had always been hers.

Zhao Changhe had no idea what Ye Wuming was even doing. Is she regretting her words? What does she think this is, FMail? YouChat? Does she think that she can just delete a message after sending it?

There was no time to dwell on it. On instinct, Zhao Changhe snapped his left hand back and thrust his right palm forward, aiming for Ye Wuming’s upper body to try and force her back.

But at that exact moment when Ye Wuming appeared, at the witchcraft altar far away, Ye Jiuyou gave a slight smile. “It’s time.”

Ye Jiuyou, Piaomiao, and dozens of high-ranking witches from the Spirit Tribe had gathered around a bronze vessel that held a strand of Ye Wuming’s hair. As one, they activated the spell they had prepared.

Zhao Changhe’s palm drove toward Ye Wuming’s upper body. She did not seem too bothered. Her left hand casually moved to parry while her right plucked the letter from the air.

But that careless parry did not stop him at all.

Their palms met, and Ye Wuming suddenly felt her body go soft. The strength in her arms dissipated as if drained away. Zhao Changhe’s strike, unexpectedly, broke through with ease and landed squarely... between her two peaks.

Ye Wuming: “?”

Zhao Changhe: “¿”

Even he had not expected the palm strike, which was meant only to push her back, to succeed so thoroughly. This was Ye Wuming, a woman who could change heaven and earth with a single wave of her hand!

Fortunately, Zhao Changhe had long since mastered the art of restraint. The moment his palm touched that... unfortunate location, he instantly withdrew most of his strength. What had been a potentially damaging blow now had about the force of swatting a fly.

But from Ye Wuming’s perspective, it would have been better if he had not held back. Being harmed and suffering damage would have been far less mortifying than the electric, tingling sensation that coursed through her body now.

Her limbs had already gone weak from the spell’s subtle influence. And now, with this accidental contact, her body was not just soft, it was burning with desire. This was something utterly foreign to Ye Wuming until this moment, and it erupted from the center of her chest and surged upward to her mind and downward to her core. It consumed her.

She tried to retreat, staggering backward, but her knees gave out beneath her.

Zhao Changhe was not about to miss that opening. In an instant, he closed the distance and pulled her into his arms.

Ye Wuming instinctively leaned into his firm chest. That brief contact, his familiar scent, and his steady warmth pushed the spell’s effects into overdrive. Her vision had taken on a pink hue, and Zhao Changhe’s familiar aura now felt overwhelmingly masculine. Her heart pounded, her breath quickened, and her thoughts scattered.

Far off in the distance, the ones who had started all this—Ye Jiuyou, Piaomiao, and the witches—were stunned by the unexpectedly perfect outcome. The moment just happened to coincide with close contact between the two, triggering a chain reaction with the spell’s effects.

Ye Wuming gritted her teeth, summoning the last shreds of her will. With a twist of space and time, she vanished without a trace.

Zhao Changhe had already pulled out the Soul-Shackling Chain and tried to trap her, but he was still a second too late. Ye Wuming was simply too powerful and managed to slip free.

Ye Jiuyou swiftly transmitted her voice into Zhao Changhe’s ear, “Chase her! Strike while the spell is fresh! If she breaks free of it on her own, all this will be for nothing!”

Zhao Changhe instantly realized that Ye Wuming had been ambushed by some witchcraft. He did not really care to sort out the details just yet and shot into the air with Dragon Bird in hand, flying straight toward the Night Palace.

Ling Ruoyu shaded her eyes, watching her parents vanish with growing anxiety. “He even brought Birdy... T-things will be fine, right...?”

Nearby, Piaomiao said, “Changhe brought his saber with him. Maybe we should all go now and take her down together. This is the perfect chance.”

Tang Wanzhuang stood beside her, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “If we all rush her at once, it may backfire. It’s better to let Changhe handle it himself. The timing is too perfect. He’s just finished reading that letter. Who knows what effect it’s had on him?”

“So what should we do?”

“Nothing. Just keep the spell going. That’s all we need to do.”

* * *

With nowhere else to flee, Ye Wuming had no choice but to return to the Night Palace.

The Night Palace had powerful defenses she had built up over two eras. These defenses were powerful enough to withstand even the descent of the Heavenly Dao. She could not just up and flee outside this world at this moment; doing so would only invite greater problems.

She stumbled onto the astronomical observatory, her face still flushed and desire still raging through her body. Drawing in deep, steadying breaths, she swiftly formed hand seals and used inner sight to examine what had gone wrong.

Something like this was absolutely not normal.

Sure enough, her inner sight immediately revealed the problem. She was under the effect of a witchcraft spell cast using her own hair.

“Ye Jiuyou, Piaomiao...” Ye Wuming gritted her teeth. “You really think this is enough to deal with me?”

As it turned out, even the combined might of Jiuyou’s sacrificial refinement, Piaomiao’s support, and a full-scale witchcraft ceremony could only achieve temporary success. For someone like Ye Wuming, unraveling it was still child’s play. With a bit of time, she would be able to stabilize her condition.

This was assuming, of course, that she faced no disruptions.

Unfortunately, even that simple condition was impossible to guarantee... No matter how powerful the Night Palace’s defenses were, they meant nothing against Zhao Changhe.

Because Zhao Changhe’s spatial lock-on to the Night Palace had been set using River of Stars, which gave him the coordinates to the very core of the Night Palace, namely the astronomical observatory. His arrival bypassed every outer defense, and he directly appeared right next to Ye Wuming.

Ye Wuming: “...”

The man was crouched directly in front of her, face so close she could feel his breath on her lips.

Her tenuous grip on her mind shattered instantly. The desire she had just suppressed surged back with a vengeance. She bit down a mouthful of rising blood, clenched her teeth, and forced back the wild urge to throw herself into his arms. Through ragged breath, she growled, “Zhao Changhe, have you really sunk to using such shameless tricks to get a woman? I truly misjudged you.”

Zhao Changhe crouched there, studying her with great interest. The sight of Ye Wuming—face pale, hair in disarray, fury in her eyes—was so rare it nearly overturned everything he thought he knew about her.

The Ye Wuming he knew was serene and unfathomable, her gaze sweeping across the rise and fall of eras, playing the long game with the world’s masses as her pieces. Life and death meant little to her. She had never once shown urgency, let alone panic.

And yet here she was, truly panicking... panicking that she might be taken by a man. To her, that might perhaps even be worse than death.

Hearing her words, Zhao Changhe chuckled. “After watching me for so many years, how could you still not understand me?”

“I know enough. However, your morals, when it comes to women, are hardly reliable. You admitted you desired me. What else would you be here for?”

“Er...” Zhao Changhe scratched his head. “Honestly, I’m not sure myself. Maybe it’s just... since they set this whole thing up and went through all that effort, it’d feel wrong if it didn’t amount to something.”

Ye Wuming flared. “What the hell are you planning to have it amount to then?”

Zhao Changhe rubbed his chin, amused. Honestly, just seeing her like this made the whole trip worthwhile.

Of course, he could not say that aloud. If he did, Jiuyou and Piaomiao would murder him for it. All that effort, just for him to gawk?

So instead, he said, “Do you really feel no guilt over the things you’ve done to others?”

Ye Wuming’s gaze turned frosty. “None at all.”

Zhao Changhe leaned in even closer, their noses nearly touching.

Ye Wuming was not paralyzed. She could move. She simply could not bring herself to.

Because the thing she was really struggling to suppress was not some magical restraint but the overwhelming need to throw herself into his embrace, to kiss him, and to go even further.

It took everything she had just to resist that urge. As for the idea of retreating, it did not even cross her mind.

Still, she forced herself to speak. “If you dare take advantage of me like this, I’ll despise you for the rest of my life.”

Zhao Changhe reached out, lifted her chin gently, and whispered, “You’re beautiful. Does this count as taking advantage?”

Ye Wuming gritted her teeth. “Lower your head.”

“I won’t take advantage of you, not like this. No matter how much I want to.” Zhao Changhe’s smile faded, and his voice turned serious. “But I will drag you back in front of Jiuyou and Piaomiao, so that they can mock you for the rest of your life.”

Ye Wuming very nearly snapped. You might as well screw me while you’re at it! But she held herself back. All she could do right now was glare daggers at him.

Zhao Changhe said slowly, “All I ask is that you apologize to them, especially Piaomiao. I’ve wanted to ask this for a long time, even when you were at the height of your power. But back then, you would’ve just ignored me. Now, with you like this... can’t we finally talk?”

Ye Wuming drew a long, shaky breath. “And you’re doing all this just for Piaomiao? What about your own grudge? Your hatred for me?”

Zhao Changhe reached out and gently tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear. His voice softened as he said, “What’s between us is ours. It has nothing to do with them. And if I wanted to settle it, I’d never rely on someone else’s schemes to do it.”

Ye Wuming’s lips pressed into a tight line. After a long moment, she finally said, “And if I still refuse to apologize?”

Zhao Changhe suddenly lost his temper. “Are you insane? For someone as sharp as you, how can you not see it? If this grudge isn’t resolved, then forget about those three letters and six protocols!”

Ye Wuming’s mouth fell open slightly, her lust-clouded mind struggling to process his words.

Wait, what? Why are you suddenly talking about the three letters and six protocols?

1. This refers to the ceremonial etiquette for a traditional Chinese marriage; the latter half is a bit difficult to translate and has been rendered as “six rituals” or “six etiquettes,” but “ritual” is inaccurate and “etiquette” is simply not used that way in English. The three letters are the letter of betrothal, gift (the list of gifts to be given to each side), and wedding (the formal acceptance of the wife into the husband’s family). The six protocols are proposing, birthday matching (asking an astrologist), presenting betrothal gifts, presenting wedding gifts, picking an auspicious date, and the wedding ceremony. ☜