Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 907: This Night, the Wind is Drunk

Zhao Changhe’s words landed differently between them.

To Ye Jiuyou and Piaomiao, it felt like he had taken advantage of Ye Wuming’s weakness, pressing in when she was most vulnerable. It did not seem all that satisfying, and it certainly was far from conquest. They felt that Ye Wuming would not truly accept it, and Zhao Changhe was definitely not the kind of man to take pleasure in that kind of hollow dominance.

But to Ye Wuming herself, hearing his words left her feeling complicated.

She could hear how Zhao Changhe truly saw her beneath his words. There was something different in how he spoke of her.

She was not just one more woman. She was something elevated in his eyes. This was what he meant when he referred to her as his final boss, and a role such as that simply carried a kind of sacredness.

Once that image was broken, once the boss fell from her pedestal, it would not be the same. He would not want that version of Ye Wuming anymore.

It was like gamers back on Earth. Some would brag about beating a dungeon boss before it got nerfed, while others who came after, when it was easier, found the victory tasteless. They were given the same rewards and got the same outcome, but it was not the same, and the difference here was extremely difficult to explain to non-gamers.

Ye Wuming had consumed plenty of media from Earth, but she had never played games. She did not quite understand that particular sentiment. To her, it sounded simply like affection—he liked her enough that he did not want to see her diminished.

That, too, was a kind of sacredness.

Meanwhile, Ye Jiuyou continued, “Fine, I never liked being fused with her anyway. Who wants to fuse with a bitch?”

Ye Wuming: “...”

“I only insisted out of spite. Seeing her flustered and furious was just too damn funny,” said Ye Jiuyou. “But since even you think we should split, then fine, we’ll give it a try. Just don’t expect it to be easy without external help.”

Piaomiao sipped her wine, clearly in a good mood. “Changhe split me and Yangyang once. He knows more than anyone else on the matter, but he’s still injured right now, and he probably won’t be able to manage it for the time being. The Night Palace has a trove of medicines, but unfortunately, they’ve all been locked away by Ye Wuming. Who knows if she’s willing to share?”

Locked away? Piaomiao, is this really how you talk now? Ye Wuming clutched her chest in silent agony.

What hurt even more was the fact that Piaomiao, unlike Ye Jiuyou, actually knew what was stored in the Night Palace. Back in the previous era, they had been close. Piaomiao had visited often, and she had explored more of its halls than even Jiuyou. Even the wine in her cup now came from a place filled with old memories. Who knows how many memories it stirred?

Ye Jiuyou said, “Well, she doesn’t have a choice. Changhe got hurt trying to save her. Would she dare withhold the medicine?”

Then, from within their shared spiritual sea, she called out, “Hey. Where’s the medicine? Why didn’t you bring it out earlier?”

Ye Wuming snapped back, “He was unconscious! What was he supposed to do, swallow pills in his sleep?”

“I could feed it mouth-to-mouth. Or you could, if you’re into that.”

“Screw off.”

“What’s with the act? You looked pretty into it earlier. Your cheeks were all flushed, and your eyes were even glistening.”

Ye Wuming wanted to charge her with slander. She had clearly been murderous the entire time, not aroused, and that was including now. “Whatever I owed him, I paid it back just now. You want me to hand over medicine now? Dream on.”

“Giving him medicine will help us split up sooner. Are you saying that you don’t want to split up?” She grinned slyly, then added, “Ah, I get it now. No medicine means more dual cultivation. You’re hoping the three of us will keep it going, so you can enjoy the ride from inside my spiritual sea?”

“...Go ask Ruoyu for the medicine.” Ye Wuming threw the words out like a door slammed in someone’s face. Then, she promptly shut down, mentally curling up in a corner.

Ye Jiuyou turned to Zhao Changhe and relayed cheerfully, “Ye Wuming says we should dual cultivate more.”

Zhao Changhe shot her a suspicious glance. Ye Wuming said that? Allow me to politely doubt.

But anyway, dual cultivation can indeed help me recover, but it can’t do a damn thing about my white hair. That’s still a problem. There’s no way I can meet up with the rest while looking like this. They’re surely going to beat me up for it.

Something he had not even known about was that the entire episode with Ye Wuming had been broadcast to all his women. They had all seen how white his hair was.

He was definitely going to get beaten up sooner or later.

Still, the hair was not that big of an issue. It was just a matter of vitality. A bit of time in the lotus pool in the Abyss of Jiuyou should fix it right up.

At that thought, Zhao Changhe suggested, “How about we return to the Abyss of Jiuyou? If we’re going to dual cultivate, the effects there would be far stronger than anywhere else.”

Piaomiao immediately understood what he wanted and smiled. “No need. The hair is a minor issue. The lotus platform originally grew within the Night Palace. Some of its essence still lingers in the lotus pool here. For something so minor, there’s no need to travel that far. Besides, it’d be a nostalgic visit.”

This got Zhao Changhe’s interest. Back then, sneaking into the Night Palace with Piaomiao had been a perilous venture, with every step laced with tension. He had nearly been pulverized by Ye Wuming’s fist.

And now, he could stride in openly, brazenly making love in that very spot, while Ye Wuming could do nothing but glare.

If only for that feeling, then it was worth the trip.

Piaomiao really had changed. Who knew how much of her current degeneracy was from Yangyang’s influence....

* * *

The moon was bright and the stars few.

Ye Wuming was currently sitting shoulder to shoulder with Ling Ruoyu in the astronomical observatory. Their heads were close together as they pored over the Heavenly Tome with Ye Wuming providing Ling Ruoyu with guidance in her cultivation.

Ling Ruoyu had trained under Yue Hongling, and her skills were heavily focused on the sword and nothing else. That, to Ye Wuming, felt like a waste. For River of Stars to possess such innate qualities yet lack the matching cultivation? It was a massive waste. More than that, it was a wound to her pride. She, Ye Wuming, was peerless under heaven, and yet she had never taught her daughter anything.

She had tried to bring Ruoyu to the Night Palace and teach her herself before, but the girl had refused, almost to the point of falling out with her.

Now, with Zhao Changhe moving in and bringing those two harlots with him, there was at least one benefit among all the disgust, which was that it allowed Ling Ruoyu to stay in the Night Palace comfortably without having to choose sides.

And while, technically, control of the Night Palace had passed to Ye Jiuyou after their fusion, in truth, she was far from having true control over it. She did not even know where the medicine stores were. She did not understand the deeper mechanics of the palace. If Ye Wuming wanted to, she could activate the palace’s restrictions and throw all those damn degenerates out.

She endured it all, bore the dogs nesting in her domain and defiling her air, for one reason only. She wanted to spend time with her daughter, to finally, truly teach her something only a mother could.

This moment where mother and daughter shared a book under the moonlight was beautiful. A rare peace settled in her chest.

Ruoyu’s talent was astonishing. Anything she was shown, she absorbed effortlessly. Watching her learn was like breathing fresh spring air.

Ling Ruoyu asked, “So... by weaving together the laws of time and life shown in the Heavenly Tome, it’s theoretically possible to reverse Dad’s white hair, right?”

Ye Wuming paused.

This child was studying all this... to find a way to help Zhao Changhe’s hair recover?

That damned bear of a man. It isn’t enough that all the women around him bent toward him. Now even the child is on his side?

She sighed and answered, “In theory, yes.”

Ling Ruoyu continued, “But since you and Aunt Jiuyou are merged right now, and you’re both so strong, it should be easy for you to treat him, right? Or is it that your condition isn’t optimal, and you’re too weak to help him?”

“...Not quite,” Ye Wuming explained gently. “Everything is relative. On the surface, Zhao Changhe’s condition seems simple. However, what he’s suffering from is the power of the Heavenly Dao itself, so his matter is much different from what you might be thinking. Our strength can contend with Heavenly Dao, but to truly affect the balance, we need to tip the scales with something else, the most convenient being some form of external aid. That’s where medicine comes in. This is why in most, if not all, cultivation worlds, medicine is incredibly valuable.”

Ling Ruoyu considered. “If we introduced more talismans, pills, and magical treasures into our system, could we elevate our entire world’s level?”

Ye Wuming gave a rare, satisfied smile. “No. Those things already exist in our world; they’ve merely been sealed or suppressed. Their full return would just be the complete unfolding of the Heavenly Tome. But even that won’t trigger an ascension or leveling up of our world. From the cosmic perspective, the Heavenly Tome is just a single magical treasure. It doesn’t possess the authority to alter the fundamental level of a world.”

“So we need to go beyond.”

“Yes. When I named you River of Stars, it was never about the stars of this world. It was about the endless starry skies of the universe. When we finally transcend this world, lie beneath the night sky, and lie drunk amidst the river of stars, then we’ll have achieved my wish.”

“I understand now.” Ling Ruoyu nodded earnestly. “In the past, you always wanted to perish alongside your enemies. But deep down, you were entrusting your dream to Dad, letting him carry it forward in your stead. It’s just like when you passed the mantle of the Night Emperor to him. It’s because you knew his will matched yours. The more you watched him grow, the more you believed in that future.”

Ye Wuming froze for a moment. “What nonsense are you spouting? What does what I said have anything to do with him?”

“No matter what you think, Mom... I believe that’s how Dad sees it. That’s why he’s always treated you differently.”

Ye Wuming fell silent, her thoughts drifting.

Is that really how he sees me?

Truth be told, even she could not say for sure if she had those feelings or not. But hearing Ruoyu say it like that, she began to suspect that her subconscious may indeed have played a role.

So after all this time, I wasn’t actually nurturing a daughter but a son? What in the world...

“Take some time to process the things I just taught you,” Ye Wuming murmured. Her mind unsettled, she rose and stepped to the edge of the astronomical observatory, gazing down at the lotus pool below.

Her slender fingers drifted absently up to her neck and collarbone, brushing over the telltale signs left behind—several unmistakable hickeys.

Seriously, I didn’t even notice him kissing me here. I thought it was just the mouth... When the hell did he get to these spots?

That feeling of being pinned down, utterly powerless, swept through her again. The weight of him, the breath-stealing pressure—it had not felt that suffocating even when she was on the verge of self-destruction in the past.

However, the most terrifying part was that all she felt now was fury and shame, not disgust.

Even after everything, with lips and tongues entwined... she had not felt disgusted.

The fragment of her soul began throbbing painfully again. She clutched her temples, trying to force the storm back down.

A sudden gust of wind brushed past. She reacted on instinct, lashing out with a palm. Zhao Changhe emerged mid-step, raised his arms to block, and was knocked back several paces by the sheer force.

Ye Wuming drew back her hand. “What do you want? Did you come for another round?”

“I can’t even beat you right now. You sent me flying with a casual slap. What could I possibly be up to?” Zhao Changhe replied casually, dusting himself off as he strolled over beside her. He stood beside her, shoulder to shoulder, gazing down at the lotus pool below.

“So, what is this then? Did you come here to admire the scenery with me? Or did you come here to flaunt what you did?”

“Seriously now? I’m not that childish.” Zhao Changhe sighed. “Piaomiao and I came for nostalgia’s sake. We figured that we’d, you know... enjoy a little couple’s bath in the lotus pool.”

Ye Wuming shook her head in disbelief. “...What, does it feel good to fool around in the place where you nearly died before?”

“Yes,” Zhao Changhe admitted, with no shame at all. “But then I saw Ruoyu was here. So, we decided to pass this time. We’ll come back later.”

“You plan to come back??”

Zhao Changhe did not answer that. Of course, there’ll be a next time. What, are you going to throw us out?

Still, barging into someone else’s home to mess around was not something he could shamelessly boast about. So he just said, “I need a place to recover.”

“Then why don’t you crawl back to your Abyss of Jiuyou?”

“I could. But if I go, will Ruoyu stay?”

Ye Wuming fell silent.

She was not sure. Judging by how Ruoyu had acted earlier, her heart was clearly still with her father. They had only just gotten some bonding time, so how could she bear to part now?

Zhao Changhe did not press further either. The two of them stood there side by side in silence, looking down at the water. There was so much to say, yet neither knew how to begin.

They had already touched and kissed. Now, standing next to each other again, things naturally felt different.

Ye Wuming, for her part, still did not dare turn and face him. Since the moment she was born, she had never experienced this kind of cowardly hesitation.

Yet the longer they stood like this in silence, the more the atmosphere twisted, the more the air between them felt... off.

Zhao Changhe felt it too. He had come intending to ask for medicine, but the words never came. She smelled wonderful. It was her familiar scent from just hours ago, the scent he had breathed in, the scent that still lingered on his fingertips. All of it resurfaced in his mind vividly.

With the tension growing unbearable, neither could endure the silence any longer and they both blurted out at once, “You—”

Then, realizing they had spoken in unison, they turned and locked eyes, their expressions suddenly awkward. Again, they said in perfect harmony, “You go first.”

Ye Wuming finally chuckled. “This is starting to really become like one of those dramas.”

Zhao Changhe laughed too. “So I guess those dramas weren’t totally baseless after all.”

Ye Wuming flipped her hand, and a pill appeared in her palm. “You came here for medicine, didn’t you? Here, take it.”

Before, she had been furious and humiliated. There was no way she would have offered him anything. But now, she gave it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Zhao Changhe took the pill just as naturally and swallowed it on the spot.

In moments, the white of his hair visibly darkened, and before long, his original appearance had returned.

Ye Wuming turned her head to glance at him. “It doesn’t look half as good as the white.”

Zhao Changhe nearly asked, “So you’re into white-haired types too? Or is it because that version of me stole your first kiss?”

The words hovered at the tip of his tongue but never left his mouth. Zhao Changhe remained silent, focusing instead on absorbing the medicinal effects. Ye Wuming’s medicine from the Night Palace was not some cheap hair dye. It brimmed with vigorous vitality and accelerated the healing of all injuries, not just superficial ones.

Ye Wuming broke the silence. “So, what were you trying to say earlier?”

Zhao Changhe paused before answering, “I wanted to say... you looked really cozy, sitting there reading with Ruoyu.”

In truth, he had already forgotten whatever he had intended to say.

Ye Wuming, too, was quiet for a time, then said, “Ruoyu suggested we reform the laws around pills, talismans, magical treasures, and the like. I’ll discuss it with Jiuyou.”

She was deliberately steering the conversation elsewhere, away from the awkward atmosphere of a “happy little family.”

Zhao Changhe had a thousand things he wanted to say, but he did not know where to begin. After a long internal struggle, he finally said, “Alright... Once you’ve settled on the new laws, I’ll have Chichi begin implementation on the human side. We can have a country-level rollout.”

Having said that, the conversation came to a halt again. After another stretch of silence, Zhao Changhe awkwardly excused himself. Ye Wuming continued watching the pool, not even saying goodbye.

He did not dare linger. If he stayed any longer, he would probably end up hugging her... and with things as they were, that would likely get him beaten to death.

What he did not know was that after he left, Ye Wuming, who had appeared calm and composed, let out a long breath. Her shoulders slumped slightly.

She did not know what her reaction would have been if he had hugged her.

A small head popped up beside her. “Mom...”

Ye Wuming turned and mustered a faint smile. “What is it? Stuck on something in the Heavenly Tome?”

“No... I just wanted to rest for a bit. Can you sleep with me tonight and tell me a story about the previous era?”

Ye Wuming smiled and wrapped her arms around her daughter. “Of course, dear. Let’s go.”

Ling Ruoyu blinked her bright eyes.

She had clearly heard her father say earlier that he gave up the lotus pool couple’s bath because she was there. So, would leaving not solve the issue?

Mom seems to have forgotten that her main soul is still residing in Aunt Jiuyou’s body. Every time they dual cultivate, it’s pretty much the same as Mom and Dad getting together.

Judging by how strange things already felt between them today... If this keeps happening, would it not all just become natural and accepted?

At the end of the day, these two stubborn people are more prideful than Dragon Bird. Ling Ruoyu sneakily patted the saber she hugged to sleep. Her fingers hooked gently.

From the saber’s shadow, a translucent phantom finger extended and hooked back.

Victory confirmed.

Ye Wuming held her daughter close and began to tell her a bedtime story. Somewhere between the rise and fall of the ancient era, in the depths of Ye Jiuyou’s spiritual sea, her main soul watched another scene unfold—Zhao Changhe and Ye Jiuyou locked in a passionate embrace, tumbling together in the water.

And from Ye Wuming’s perspective... she might as well have been there herself.