Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 544: This is It

The waves lapped at the shore of the isolated island, washing over two bodies intertwined like tangled seaweed. The sound of the waves was unending as they swept over the pair, then receded. The man and woman held each other tightly, instinctively seeking warmth in the cold, damp sea breeze as they both lay unconscious, shivering.

Who knew how many times the tide had come in and out when a small crab crawled onto Zhao Changhe’s face and lazily gave it a pinch.

“Ow!” Zhao Changhe leaped up, and the crab fell to the ground, immediately scuttling back into the ocean.

Zhao Changhe rubbed the spot on his face where the crab had pinched him. The Blood Asura Body’s recovery capability swiftly healed the minor skin cut. His mind, however, was still in a haze, his head pounding with pain. He could not even remember exactly what had happened before he lost consciousness.

Looking down, he realized he was still holding Lady Three in his arms; her body was entangled with his, and she was clinging on tightly, like an octopus. Her brow was furrowed, her expression showing clear signs of discomfort.

Zhao Changhe knocked on his head, trying to remember what had happened. Ah, right, I was fighting that octopus alongside Lady Three...

As his memory returned, he recalled they had not just fought an octopus but also the Sea Emperor.

The tentacles had wrapped around Lady Three so tightly that he could not see her during the fight. Judging from how lively she was back then, she seemed completely fine. How did she end up so gravely injured?

Ignoring his own splitting headache, Zhao Changhe tried to channel his true qi to check on Lady Three’s condition. But his meridians flared with pain—his true qi was completely depleted.

Shooting those two “arrows” had drained him of all of his energy.

Normally, some rest would have restored a portion of his energy, but this time, not even a sliver had recovered. It was likely due to the spiritual injuries he had suffered, similar to what had happened to Tang Wanzhuang when her soul had been injured, which had affected her ability to recover.

Without any true qi to rely on, he could not cheat. His body was soaked, and he could not simply use his true qi to dry himself. Even diagnosing Lady Three’s condition would require him to rely on traditional pulse-taking. He suddenly felt as if he had fallen into the mundane world.

A martial artist’s foundation really is their true qi...

Zhao Changhe put aside his own condition for the moment and carefully felt Lady Three’s pulse. His brow furrowed tightly.

Lady Three’s injuries were the opposite of his own. His injuries were primarily to his mind and spirit, and he barely suffered any physical damage, whereas Lady Three’s spirit was merely fatigued, but her physical injuries were quite severe. Both of her arms were dislocated, which was one thing, but a key issue was that one of her ribs had a crack from having been squeezed by the tentacles. Her meridians felt as though they had been twisted, and her dantian was dry and depleted...

He distinctly remembered that the octopus had not been able to break through her defense. How did she end up with such severe injuries?

It must be because of the Sea Emperor... The Sea Emperor must have also launched a spiritual attack on Lady Three’s mind, causing her to lose focus. While she was fending off the spiritual attack, her physical defenses would naturally weaken. That final punch, which blasted a hole through the tentacles, must have been done while her body was being crushed. She forced herself to attack despite the immense pain of being squeezed.

Zhao Changhe looked down at her body, and sure enough, if her defense had not been breached, even her clothing would not have been damaged. But once her defense was broken, ordinary fabric would not be able to withstand the pressure from the tentacles. At the moment, her clothes were torn in many places, leaving little to the imagination.

Zhao Changhe had no intention of looking more than necessary. The biggest problem now was that he could not use his true qi in the short term, which also meant he could not retrieve anything from his storage ring. He could only look on helplessly at the medicines he could not administer, the food he could not eat, the firestarters that he could not use, and the dry clothes he could not change into.

The downside of being overly reliant on true qi was now painfully clear. He had no idea how long it would take to recover, and it was troubling.

The most pressing issue now was that Lady Three was in terrible condition. She was soaked and the cold wind had been blowing at her for quite some time, thus she was likely to fall ill. If she fell ill in her current state, it could be fatal.

Right, I could try calling for help. “Blind woman?”

The blind woman did not respond.

“Damn it...” Zhao Changhe reached for Dragon Bird, which was lying nearby. “Little Bird?”

Dragon Bird: “?”

Zhao Changhe was overjoyed. “Hah, I can still rely on you!”

Dragon Bird replied, “Don’t call me using such a gross nickname. The essence of my name lies in the Dragon part, not the Bird part.”

Zhao Changhe grinned. “Sometimes dragons and birds are the same, aren’t they?”

Dragon Bird: “...” Nôv(el)B\\jnn

He’s confusing me with the Vermilion Bird... That’s so gross.

Annoyed, Dragon Bird asked, “What do you need?”

Zhao Changhe asked, “You should be able to move on your own, right? Could you enter the ring and retrieve some things for me?”

Dragon Bird replied, “Actively traversing spatial boundaries is quite challenging. It consumes a significant amount of my energy. If you want me to retrieve something for you, I can only make a single round trip. Think carefully about what you need.

Zhao Changhe’s spirits lifted. “Just bring one bottle of medicine, a dry set of clothes, and a firestarter.”

Dragon Bird remained silent for a moment before saying, “I’m just a saber.”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

“I don’t have hands. How do you expect me to bring out so many things?” Dragon Bird explained helplessly. “If I tried to balance them on my blade, they’d fall off as soon as I exit the storage ring’s spatial boundary. The best I can do is pierce one item and bring it out. You can only choose one item. Don’t expect me to bundle everything up. I’m not doing that.”

That... makes sense, I guess. Zhao Changhe sighed in frustration, hesitant on what to ask for.

In theory, medicine to restore true qi would be the top choice, but since his meridians and dantian were not damaged, his true qi would recover on its own with time. His actual problem was the trauma to his mind and spirit, not any physical injury. Therefore, medicine meant for recovering true qi would likely be useless.

The only thing he had in his storage ring that could help with the recovery of his spirit was the Solaris Nimbus Leaves, which the Spirit Clan had given him plenty of as an offering to the sacred envoy. He still had a good supply of it after using some in the Blood Ao soup for Tang Wanzhuang in the capital. However, the Solaris Nimbus Leaves needed to be brewed with many other herbs for it to be effective. Furthermore, using a single leaf might not have any effect. If it turned out to be ineffective, he would be wasting this single chance to get anything from his storage ring.

It would, hence, be better to prioritize treating Lady Three’s injuries, as that was guaranteed to be beneficial. Even though it would take a long time for bones to fully heal, and it might not immediately help the current situation, early treatment was imperative. Delaying could lead to serious complications.

Such simple thoughts nearly tore his mind apart. Zhao Changhe clutched his head in pain, but he managed to say, “The box of Restorative Jade Ointment—the one for mending bones. You know where it is, right?”

“Of course. You injure yourself like a beaten dog every other day. I’ve seen you fetch it often enough.” Dragon Bird disappeared into the ring without another word. Moments later, it re-emerged with the tip of its blade lifting a jade box. It fell to the ground with a clang, clearly having exhausted its energy.

Crossing space...

Normally, it felt effortless to take things in and out of the ring. Only now did Zhao Changhe realize how arduous it was to traverse space independently. All those times in novels, where old grandpas or little spirits emerged casually from the rings, suddenly felt a lot more important. Carrying out such a feat truly was the stuff of legends, far beyond the capabilities of ordinary beings.

And this is just a simple storage ring. If I want to go back to Earth... what kind of power would I need?

Zhao Changhe shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it for now. He patted Dragon Bird and said, “You really are my most reliable companion.”

Dragon Bird shivered slightly but did not respond.

The blind woman: “...”

Zhao Changhe bent down to pick up the Restorative Jade Ointment and suddenly froze.

The ointment was meant for external use. It was supposed to be applied to the fracture and then bandaged. Setting Lady Three’s dislocated arms back to their right position was easy enough, but her rib injury... was located rather high, just beneath her chest. How was he supposed to apply the ointment there?

Well, I shouldn’t overthink things. I’ll address her dislocated arms first. Delaying will only make things worse.

Zhao Changhe reached out to feel her arm, and with a clean pop, he set it back in place. He hesitated briefly before tearing away the tattered fabric on her arm, exposing her smooth, jade-like arm. He applied the ointment and then wrapped it with the fabric. He then did the same for her other arm.

When he looked down, he saw that Lady Three had woken up, seemingly from the pain of having her arms set back in place. She lay in his arms, her eyes wide open, watching his actions intently.

Even with such simple work, Zhao Changhe found himself drenched in sweat. It felt as though needles were stabbing into his head, and the searing pain had yet to subside.

“Uh... Did I wake you with the pain? Just bear with it. I’ll be done in a moment...” Zhao Changhe said, continuing to wrap her arm.

Lady Three responded, “I’ve been awake since you started talking to the saber.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Lady Three looked steadily at him. You could only retrieve one item. Why didn’t you treat yourself first?”

Zhao Changhe answered truthfully, “My injury can’t be treated with any simple medicine. Besides, your condition is much worse than mine. You can’t delay setting broken bones.”

Although it was the truth, in anyone’s eyes, it still meant prioritizing her over himself, disregarding his own well-being.

“Anyway, since you’re awake, that makes things easier. I’ve reset your arms—can you apply the ointment to your rib area yourself?”

Lady Three remained silent, and the only sound that filled the air was the relentless crashing of the waves on the shore.

Everyone knows that you should not move a recently set dislocation too much. Of course, it was not impossible for her to force herself to move, but it would be extremely taxing and may lead to complications.

The two of them stared at each other for quite a while. Finally, Lady Three pursed her lips and whispered, “A doctor must save lives, regardless of gender, correct? Just do it.”

Zhao Changhe sighed. “Alright then, excuse me...”

“You’re clearly enjoying this.”

Zhao Changhe protested, “I’m not! I’m a gentleman of utmost integrity.”

Lady Three scoffed and turned her head slightly, muttering under her breath, “Anyway, it’s not like your thing works. You can only indulge yourself a little.”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

Lady Three stared at the sky.

With a quick motion, Zhao Changhe ripped the fabric under her ribs open, took a dab of the ointment, and applied it to her injured bone.

His thumb “accidentally” brushed against the lower curve of her breast, causing her to shudder like a wave trembling upon the sea.

Lady Three bit her lower lip. She turned her head away in silence, her cheeks unconsciously flushing red.

Zhao Changhe felt the softness and, stealing a glance at Lady Three’s expression, suddenly realized something. Earlier, when she had been tightly bound by the octopus’s tentacles, nothing could be seen, yet it was clear that nothing indecent had taken place.

But now, this... this was truly suggestive.