Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 776 (1): The Wager Between the Ye Sisters

“You actually made a move yourself. You truly are interfering in mortal struggles for power.” High in the night sky, Jiuyou’s lips curled into a playful smile as she gazed at the blind woman. “Isn’t that a little... out of character for you?”

The blind woman remained indifferent. “Perhaps the real question is why you walk around all day with that ridiculous smirk. Now, that seems more like a problem to me.”

Jiuyou’s smile widened. “Because I was waiting for you. You were always the target.”

“Well, Cui Yuanyang is not me. And before her, Zhao Changhe wasn’t me either. Yet you grinned just as foolishly, like some lovestruck courtesan from the Joyful Red Pavilion[1].”

Jiuyou blinked, momentarily caught off guard. It was not often that the blind woman made such remarks.

Then, after a beat, she laughed again. “If even you are making comments like this, why shouldn’t I smile?”

“Because your smile is hollow. Or to put it bluntly, it’s a courtesan’s seductive smile—false and idiotic,” the blind woman stated matter-of-factly. “I don’t care whether you smile or not, but at least have some self-respect. After all, you are my little sister.”

Jiuyou’s smile vanished. And with that expression gone, a deep, unsettling stillness descended upon the night.

It was no wonder the blind woman called it a fake smile—from the moment they had reunited in Chang’an, no matter how much Jiuyou had smiled, her eyes had remained indifferent. It was a smile that carried no warmth, only a distant emptiness. It did not suit her as it was never hers to wear.

Yet, at this moment, without the mask of that false joy, something else became apparent.

The two of them were truly, truly alike. Eerily so.

One was serene and still as the night itself. The other was an abyss of silence and desolation. At a glance, their temperaments were difficult to distinguish. To Zhao Changhe, they both invoked the same description, a living embodiment of the galaxy.

The blind woman faced Jiuyou with unreadable calm. “Did you force yourself to smile just to differentiate yourself from me?”

“Not exactly.” Jiuyou let a small smirk return to her lips. “My dear sister... perhaps you’ve forgotten. More often than not, I represent your negative aspects. And that isn’t limited to rules and chaos, life and death...”

“What are you implying?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re always so composed, so restrained. Which means I, by contrast, can be as unrestrained as I please.”

The blind woman tilted her head in confusion.

“Of course, in the past, none of us ever thought in this direction. It never mattered enough to consider. It was so far removed from our concerns that we believed it didn’t exist.” Then, her lips curled teasingly. “But imagine my surprise when you, of all people, found a man first. I suppose you’re even more shameless than I am.”

The blind woman folded her arms. “That was his desire, not mine. What do you mean I ‘found a man’? On the contrary, you’re the one openly trying to sow chaos in his love life. I had been wondering why you would say such things so brazenly. Now I see. It’s because you’re the shameless one. I suppose while you were speaking, you were already... looking forward to a certain something?”

“Tsk...” Jiuyou clicked her tongue. “I never thought this would be our conversation.”

Jiuyou tilted her head slightly, amusement glinting in her eyes. “If people knew this was the kind of argument we were having, what do you think their reaction would be?”

The blind woman sneered. “You can go ahead and let them know right now. I’d love to see just how far your so-called shamelessness extends and if you actually have the guts to say this to someone else.”

Jiuyou countered, “And why are you willing to say it to me?”

The blind woman gave no answer.

Jiuyou sighed. “You insist that you haven’t found a man, so tell me, why are you involving yourself in mortal wars? Don’t think you can just change the subject and brush this aside.”

The blind woman replied calmly, “Since you’ve made a move, your presence alone guarantees an area of endless desolation. Of course, I must stop you. What’s so strange about that?”

“But I was merely seizing Cui Yuanyang.” Jiuyou’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “As for the war itself, I never intended to intervene. And yet, here you are, defending Cui Yuanyang. Why? To preserve an important combatant so that your man can win this war? Or is it because... are you afraid of her awakening?”

The blind woman avoided the question entirely. “You have no regard for rules or order. Who would believe that you wouldn’t intervene in this war? If I’m not mistaken, you have another clone in Saibei, even as we speak. And if it’s not there to stir up trouble, then why is it there? Are you offering yourself as a bed-warmer?”

Jiuyou ignored her as well and pressed on. “My dear big sister, aren’t you the one who should want Cui Yuanyang dead the most? Watching her grow up all these years, lively and carefree, how did that make you feel? Was it only because you hadn’t realized she was Piaomiao’s reincarnation? Sure, she doesn’t look exactly the same, her parents’ bloodline diluted it quite a bit. But you must have figured it out by now. So why haven’t you acted?”

The blind woman responded coldly, “Piaomiao is eternal, just like you and me. Killing her or letting her live changes nothing. She has reincarnated many times and she will do it once more. Her presence cycled through all of the Four Sword Clans several times. But she has never fully awakened in any of those lives. This time won’t be much different. A few lingering echoes of past lives are normal. But for a complete revival of her former self, there would need to be a major catalyst. Cui Yuanyang alone is incapable of bringing that about.”

“So, you stopped me because you’re afraid I could awaken her?”

“Forgive me for being blunt.” A cold smirk played on the blind woman’s lips. “You are not of this path. You could never accomplish that. If anyone could, it would be me.”

Jiuyou smirked in return. “And would you actually do it?”

The blind woman did not answer. Instead, she countered, “You claim you don’t interfere in wars. So what now? Are we just going to stand here chatting until the world crumbles around us?”

For the blind woman, delaying Jiuyou was victory enough. Anything beyond that was Zhao Changhe’s responsibility.

But for Jiuyou, things were different. The Guanlong army was stalled outside Hangu Pass. If she did nothing, they would remain trapped there. She had come to break open this bottleneck, to shatter the defense.

This was the real truth behind the blind woman’s move. She knew Jiuyou all too well. A demon god of chaos, claiming neutrality in human warfare? That was a joke meant for fools.

And yet, neither of them truly wanted to engage in a direct confrontation.

Because if they did—if they truly fought—what would be left of this world afterward?

Why had the early demon gods been so reluctant to emerge? Because they were filled with malice toward one another. For instance, when Dark Oblivion fell into critical injury, it just so happened that Snow Owl was nearby. His fate was nothing short of miserable. Or when Papiyas was gravely wounded, it was a boon for Jiuyou, who could then seize his Mirror of Illusion and Reality.

It was the same for all of them.

If the blind woman and Jiuyou truly clashed, the result was unpredictable. But if they both suffered severe injuries, they could easily lose control in this chaotic era, leaving themselves vulnerable to someone else reaping the rewards.

So, they chose conversation over battle. However, while the blind woman could chat for eternity, could Jiuyou do the same?

Technically, she could too... but in reality, both of them were simply watching the battlefield, waiting to see whose side collapsed first.

Below them, the torches of war burned bright, and the cries of battle gradually rose into the night sky.

With the Qinghe Sword temporarily disabled and Desolate Calamity suppressing Cui Wenjing and the others, the Guanlong army finally sounded the horn for their first probing assault.

Had Desolate Calamity been at full strength, a single sweep of his Hundred-Li Withering could have shattered the Han forces entirely. But in his current condition, he could not unleash such devastation for a while. For now, the battlefield had returned to conventional warfare.

Cannon production was slow, and mass manufacturing was nothing but a pipe dream. With an army of a hundred thousand engaged in battle, a few scattered artillery pieces would hardly make a difference. None had been deployed. The distant shouts of war echoed, and Jiuyou cast her gaze downward, observing the fierce siege battle unfolding below. A faint smirk tugged at her lips.

“Sister, tell me, once Desolate Calamity recovers even slightly, what do you think will happen?”

The blind woman did not answer. She seemed to be lost in thought.

Jiuyou asked curiously, “What are you thinking about?”

A golden light flashed across the sky.

At the end of the first month, Huangfu Yongxian led his troops beyond the pass, leaving Yanmen defenseless. The demon god Hidden Wind, leading the Jinnan army northward, launched a surprise attack on Yanmen. The Prime Minister of Han, Tang Wanzhuang, rode alone to its aid. Within ten exchanges, she repelled Hidden Wind and took his army as her own. Thus, the crisis of Yanmen was resolved.

To repay Thy will on the Golden Platform, to raise Jade Dragon ’till death.[2]

“...” Jiuyou opened her mouth slightly, then shut it again.

So, all this time, while we were talking, she’s been writing? Not just that, she’s been composing poetry, too? And that jade dragon... is she referring to THAT Jade Dragon?

Zhao Changhe had never quite understood why Jiuyou could not see events unfolding a thousand li away. He had assumed it was due to her incomplete recovery or some other restriction.

But in truth, the real reason was that the blind woman had monopolized this domain through the Heavenly Tome’s laws. It wasn’t that Jiuyou hadn’t recovered; she had simply never been capable of such feats.

No one had expected the battle at Yanmen to end so quickly, least of all Jiuyou. But what surprised her even more was that the blind woman was blatantly cheating.

1. This is a reference to a location in Dream of the Red Chamber, a classic novel of China. This specific term also has connotations involving brothels. ☜

2. This line is from Yanmen Governor’s Visit (雁门太守行) by Tang dynasty poet Li He (李贺). The Golden Platform is a symbolic platform where King Zhao of Yan sought and rewarded great talent, while Jade Dragon is a famous sword. ☜