Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 908: Habit Truly Is a Terrifying Thing

Zhao Changhe and his companions shamelessly occupied the Night Palace for over ten days, indulging in all manner of carnal pleasures.

For Ye Wuming, those ten days were a paradox of pain and joy.

Whenever they were not dual cultivating, Ye Wuming spent her time with Ling Ruoyu, passing on knowledge of the laws and recounting tales of the ancient era and foreign worlds. The young girl massaged away the ache of her wounds from having split her soul and walked hand-in-hand with her through the Night Palace. Their bond had become as thick as honey.

Ye Wuming had once harbored doubts about whether this truly was her daughter. But after these few days, she had made up her mind. Anyone who tried to lay claim to the girl would have to go through her first.

She did not even realize it herself, but what she and Ye Jiuyou truly shared was not darkness or stillness but loneliness.

Back in the day, Ye Jiuyou had been surrounded by subordinates, such as Dark Oblivion, as well as hordes of corpse puppets and shadow beasts. It all looked lively enough, but none of them were worthy of trust. In fact, some had even proved themselves traitors in the end.

She had always been alone, spending countless years in solitude, having nothing to stare at but her own reflection. It was an isolation that had once stirred Zhao Changhe’s heart.

He had not wooed her with sweet words or seduction. He had felt for her, the fearsome demon feared by all, and offered her something no one else had: warmth, care, a kind of indulgent affection. In the end, it was not Zhao Changhe’s so-called Ranking of Heaven-level charm that got to her, but rather his well-timed strike. It was as though he was an arrow loosed from the heavens that pierced right through the softest, most vulnerable part of Ye Jiuyou’s mortal heart. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

And Ye Wuming? Despite her appearance of being surrounded by allies and confidantes, she was the same. She had never truly trusted any of them, and some she had even destroyed herself.

Zhao Changhe had once said, “Three years we spent together. You may not care for it, but I do.”

Ye Wuming probably did not care, but no one had ever said something like that to her before.

He said a great many ridiculous things but did not realize the one that truly broke her defenses was that single, simple line. It was because when spoken in the midst of a life-and-death situation, it carried weight.

Watching Zhao Changhe surrounded by laughter and affection, Ye Wuming had no desire to be part of that circle. However, the contrast was hard to ignore. She was the one who brought him here and guided his growth and enlightenment... and now she was nothing more than an outsider, perhaps even an enemy.

While they laughed together, she remained alone in the Night Palace.

Then, Ling Ruoyu appeared. Her essence was founded on Ye Wuming’s own. Her appearance mirrored hers as well. Their auras even harmonized perfectly. She snuggled into her arms and called her “Mom” in that clueless but earnest voice, massaging her temples with such care and affection.

It would be difficult for anyone to believe or understand how a being like Ye Wuming, who had lived for countless years, was only now, within these fleeting ten-odd days, experiencing what it truly meant to be happy. She smiled more in this brief time than she had in all her life.

She had never known joy before. These days were her first taste.

But it was also her most painful.

Because the moments when that dog couple were not dual cultivating were vanishingly rare. Most of the time, they were “cultivating” their hearts out. And she could not even complain, as Zhao Changhe needed it to recover from the severe wounds he had suffered from saving them. It was not as if she could demand he take a year to heal the slow way.

But when he was doing it with Jiuyou, Ye Wuming became the tragic joke.

Her body may have been here in the Night Palace, but a portion of her soul still lingered inside Ye Jiuyou’s spiritual sea. Whatever Zhao Changhe did with Jiuyou, she experienced firsthand. Every sensation and every climax were vivid and inescapable.

She tried to shut it out, to retreat into sleep, but Jiuyou would not let her.

Every single time, Ye Jiuyou would deliberately tug at her soul, making sure she felt everything.

And those feelings would inevitably stir the memories from when Zhao Changhe had touched her body, blending and overlapping until Ye Wuming could barely tell what was real anymore. Was it her he was with? Or Ye Jiuyou?

The most frustrating part for her was that it was never just one-on-one. When Zhao Changhe was dual cultivating with Piaomiao, Jiuyou would shamelessly cling to him, kissing him alongside. Ye Wuming was so furious that she could have dissolved herself on the spot.

You’re this world’s Heavenly Dao now, Ye Jiuyou. Can you have a shred of dignity?

Come to think of it, since Zhao Changhe is getting it on with the Heavenly Dao, doesn’t Zhao Family Village have a term for that? Zhao Heavenfucker[1]?

Anyway, the author’s brain spiraled off-track. Sorry.

Ye Wuming, powerless to stop it, could only find dark amusement in the absurdity. It was either laugh or have her eyes roll back in numb surrender.

If it were not for Ruoyu, she would have kicked these shameless degenerates out a long time ago. She was doing all this for her daughter, and while the cost was not insignificant, it was entirely worth it.

* * *

“Master Zhao, you’re here!” Outside Ye Wuming’s bedchamber, Ling Ruoyu had been sparring with Dragon Bird. The moment she spotted Zhao Changhe’s arrival, she lit up with joy and bounded over to greet him with warmth and affection.

Zhao Changhe tousled her hair indulgently. “Didn’t we agree that you’d call me Dad when you’re in front of Ye Wuming?”

“It’s fine. At this point, what I call you doesn’t really matter.”

“Eh?”

Truth be told, Zhao Changhe had not really grasped the full extent of Ye Wuming’s frustration over the past few days.

He knew, in theory, that part of Ye Wuming’s soul resided within Ye Jiuyou’s body, which was similar to what had happened with Piaomiao and Yangyang back then. But human perception was largely guided by appearances, and on the surface, Ye Wuming seemed fine. In her own body, she was spending time with Ruoyu, mother and daughter getting along like honey and tea. It felt like they were entirely separate individuals.

So when he dual cultivated with Ye Jiuyou, he never really registered that Ye Wuming was caught up in it, too.

On the days when he was not cultivating to heal, Zhao Changhe often came to the Night Palace—not to see Ye Wuming, but to spend time with Ruoyu and Dragon Bird.

Ling Ruoyu’s strange comment did not really register with him. He let it pass and smiled. “How’s the training going?”

Dragon Bird piped up, “I’ve been having River of Stars replicate that strike from Luo Chuan over and over. She’s gotten better, but this small fry is not Luo Chuan. Who knows how she actually compares against the real deal?”

Ling Ruoyu slammed a hand on the table. “Why am I a small fry again?! Mom says my replication is pretty spot-on. The only thing missing was raw power!”

Zhao Changhe recalled that the Heavenly Tome could memorize and analyze enemy techniques and simulate them so long as they did not exceed its limits. Luo Chuan’s strike, from the standpoint of laws, clearly had not exceeded that limit, so it was naturally fully reproducible.

Ye Wuming and Ruoyu had probably been analyzing Luo Chuan’s skills over the past few days.

Dragon Bird snorted. “A lack of power is the biggest flaw you could possibly have. Ye Wuming is still Ye Wuming, right? But right now, she’s like a sickly wreck getting tossed around. It can’t be that her comprehension is lacking, right? She’s got more insights now than ever before. After all, she’s been trying all sorts of things she’d never dared to try before...”

A palm shot out from within the bedchamber and slapped Dragon Bird flat into the ground.

Dragon Bird twitched a couple of times, then fell silent.

Ling Ruoyu squatted down and tried to yank her little partner out like pulling up a stubborn turnip, but without River of Stars in hand, she truly was just a small fry. No matter how hard she tugged, Dragon Bird did not budge. After a few failed attempts, she gave up entirely, turned around, and grinned sheepishly at Zhao Changhe. “Master Zhao, I learned some fortune-telling from Mom today. Want me to read your fate?”

Dragon Bird had a look of disbelief on her blade.

I’m still half-buried in the ground over here, and you’re just going to leave me to do some fortune-telling?

Zhao Changhe flicked a finger, and with a pop, Dragon Bird sprang from the ground like a cork from a bottle.

Ling Ruoyu’s gaze subtly shifted. She could not help but think to herself, Just a few days ago, he could barely move. An ordinary man would’ve been bedridden for years. But look at him now, he’s already halfway recovered. It seems that dual cultivation really is quite amazing, huh?

Based on how strong they are right now, if only part of Mom’s soul is in her body, then I’m afraid that she’ll end up completely suppressed...

Nope. Not going there. Nope. No thanks.

Ling Ruoyu scooped up Dragon Bird again, cradling it like a kitten and stroking it. “There, there, Birdy... Don’t cry.”

Dragon Bird wriggled. “You’re smiling.”

“Am I?”

“You and your mom gang up on me every damn day. I’m telling my dad to go beat your mom up.”

The two little partners were just about to start brawling again when Zhao Changhe grabbed one in each hand and lifted them apart. “So Ye Wuming bullies you every day?”

Dragon Bird complained, “Every time she gets bullied by you, she comes and takes it out on me!”

Zhao Changhe blinked. “When have I bullied her recently? Every time I drop by, she hides and won’t even see me. I haven’t even laid eyes on her!”

Ling Ruoyu flicked the hilt of Dragon Bird’s blade to signal her to shut up before she spilled more than she should. Then, she quickly changed the subject with a bright smile, “Master Zhao, want that fortune now?”

Dragon Bird shut her mouth. Zhao Changhe chuckled. “Even your mother couldn’t fully see my fate. What makes you think you can?”

“She did manage to glimpse part of it,” Ling Ruoyu said enthusiastically. “Besides, she was sneaky about it. If I do it with your full cooperation, the results will be different, right?”

“Alright, alright.” Zhao Changhe smiled indulgently. “How should I cooperate?”

Ling Ruoyu beamed. “Just show me your palm, that should do.”

Zhao Changhe offered his right hand, then his left. “Isn’t it left for men, right for women?”

“Either works,” Ling Ruoyu said as she held his hand and studied it intently. After a while, she looked up at his smiling face, then closed her eyes to begin divining.

Zhao Changhe tilted his head, half-amused.

It reminded him of the days back at that little fortune-telling shop... of that blind woman and her theatrical posturing.

Ling Ruoyu finally opened her eyes, scratching her head.

Zhao Changhe laughed, “Can’t figure it out?”

“No, it’s not that...” Ling Ruoyu said hesitantly. “I just think that I might have done it wrong...”

Zhao Changhe raised an eyebrow. “What were you divining?”

“I was naturally divining Mom and Dad’s relationship. I wanted to see if the three of us can be one big happy family!”

“What, are you saying the answer was no?”

Ling Ruoyu scratched her head. “It kind of felt like the fortune was asking if we are even a family to begin with, before even getting to whether we can be a happy one.”

Zhao Changhe did not think much of it. Biologically speaking, Ruoyu was not his or Blindie’s child, so technically, no, they were not a family. Looking at it another way, this “family” of his was already a sprawling mess. What kind of fate would dare define it as just a normal family of three?

This was the tricky part with fate. There are always a thousand ways to read it. Even Ye Wuming could not fully divine his fate, so how could a little rookie like Ruoyu possibly manage it?

From within the bedchamber, Ye Wuming’s voice drifted out, “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Be glad if you can even get a clear reading on Birdy. As for Zhao Changhe? He’s not someone just anyone can divine. If it were that easy, Luo Chuan would’ve stormed in long ago.”

Ling Ruoyu gave a dejected little “Oh...”

Zhao Changhe could not help noticing something odd in Ye Wuming’s voice—it was faint and breathless, like she was ill. “What’s with her? She sounded just fine earlier when she smacked Dragon Bird into the ground.”

Ling Ruoyu blinked innocently. “She was teaching me fortune-telling earlier, but then suddenly her face turned red, and she ran off to her room and shut the door. Maybe she is sick? Master Zhao, you’re good at healing, right? Why don’t you go check?”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Ye Wuming getting sick? You’ve got to be kidding me.

Sure enough, her voice rang out from within, “Sick? You’re the one who’s sick! Don’t come in!”

Her tone really is off. Curious, Zhao Changhe moved to blink through the doorway.

Bang!

He slammed flat against an invisible wall of space, arms and legs splayed like a character from a slapstick skit, and slowly slid downward.

Before he even hit the floor, he shaped his hand into a saber and slashed on the invisible wall.

The wall of space broke apart. Ye Wuming’s residual soul could not possibly block Zhao Changhe, not when he had already recovered most of his strength. With ease, he pushed his way into the bedchamber.

As soon as he entered, his eyes widened, and he began backing away slowly and cautiously.

At the center of the bedchamber sat an enormous bath. Inside, Ye Wuming was curled up with only her head showing above the water, eyes sharp as daggers and fixed on him with murderous intent.

“Uh...” Zhao Changhe gave a sheepish grin. “I didn’t think that you’d be taking a bath... But why does taking a bath make you sound so breathless and weak?”

Ye Wuming clenched her teeth.

Didn’t think I’d be bathing, huh? You were just out there screwing Jiuyou half to death, while I was stuck in here suffering the same fate. Things got all sticky and kept dripping nonstop, how could I not wash up?

Why am I so breathless and weak? Gee, I fucking wonder! Anyway, why is it that while I’m trembling from head to toe, you’re walking around beaming like spring has arrived?

So is it really dual cultivation... or just plain energy draining?!

The two stared at each other in silence.

As their gazes locked, a long-forgotten memory surfaced in both their minds.

They could not even recall the exact setting anymore. Maybe it was back at the Cui Clan’s estate. Back then, Zhao Changhe had been slumped in a bath, looking half-dead, and Ye Wuming had appeared above him, coldly watching from afar.

Back then, she had looked at him like one might glance at a rock on the side of the road. Whether he was bathing or recovering from injuries did not matter to her at all. Even when he flushed in embarrassment, all he could do was mutter nonsense and ask if she was impressed by what she saw.

Now the roles were reversed.

This time, it was Ye Wuming curled up in the bath, powerless to stop him from coming and going as he pleased, looking or lingering as he wished.

No one knew how long the silence lasted—perhaps only a few seconds—before Ye Wuming finally spoke, “Had your fill yet?”

Zhao Changhe no longer backed away. His tone was calm as he answered, “It’s not like I haven’t seen it before. You’ve seen mine, I’ve seen yours. We’re even.”

“...” Ye Wuming’s voice turned frosty. “You didn’t come here today just to play with Ruoyu and Dragon Bird, did you?”

“No,” Zhao Changhe replied. “I came to find you.”

“What for?”

“My injuries are more or less healed. At the very least, I’m not weaker than I was back when I separated Piaomiao from Yangyang. So whatever I could do then, I can do now.”

Ye Wuming fell silent.

This could only mean one thing. Zhao Changhe was here to ask if she was ready to separate from her sister at last.

And readiness was not just about separation itself. It was a question of whether, after all this time entangled together, the two souls were finally capable of crossing to the Other Shore on their own.

Truthfully, Ye Wuming did not think she was quite there yet, but at this moment, there was nothing left to weigh. Even if she could never reach the Other Shore in this lifetime, she was sick of lingering in Ye Jiuyou’s body.

“I’m ready,” she said without hesitation. “What about Jiuyou?”

“She has no objections,” Zhao Changhe replied. “As the host body, she’s confident she’ll reach the Other Shore even after the split, but I have a problem.”

Ye Wuming said coolly, “Speak.”

“Once you’re separated... does that mean our days living here in the Night Palace are over?”

“Of course,” she sneered. “How much longer were you planning to squat here and turn it into your own pleasure palace?”

“After we leave... Does that mean we go back to never seeing each other again?”

Ye Wuming said, “Yu’er can visit whenever she likes. And I’ll come down to see her as well.”

“And me?” Zhao Changhe asked.

“What about you?”

Zhao Changhe stepped forward as he said, “In that case, I think we should delay the separation a little longer. I’m not done looking yet.”

Ye Wuming exploded. “I already gave you the Night Palace ages ago. You’re the one who didn’t want it! You can come and go as you please! What does that have to do with me?”

Zhao Changhe smiled faintly. “So you really want to split up with Ye Jiuyou?”

“Obviously.”

“Then maybe you should take a moment to realize that you’re the one requesting my help with this separation. Don’t you think that your attitude’s a little... off for someone making a request?”

Ye Wuming stared at him coldly, saying nothing, her expression screaming, “Help me or don’t, I don’t care.”

Zhao Changhe met her glare, stepping up to the edge of the bath. He reached out and lifted her chin between his fingers. “I’ll give you one day to prepare. Your body will then once again contain your whole soul. Tomorrow night, both bodies will be together. I won’t ask you to beg or lower yourself. I just want you to look me in the eye and say, ‘I’m ready. Come in.’”

Ye Wuming was not sure she would have the nerve to say such shameful words out loud, but what truly rattled her at this moment was how natural his touch felt.

It was like her own left hand holding her right.

She had grown used to the feel of his fingers over these past days. Whether lifting her chin like this or in even more compromising positions, her soul had lingered within Ye Jiuyou’s body through countless such moments.

Even now, sitting naked in the bath while he stared straight at her, she did not feel the urge to cover up, nor even a flicker of resistance.

Habit truly is a terrifying thing.

1. The term being referred to here is 赵日天. This term is commonly used in Chinese web novels and meme culture, usually being used to refer to Gary Su-type characters who have all kinds of women fall for them and/or defy the heavens. 日天 specifically can simply translate to “fuck the heavens.” ☜