Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 834: The Most Perfect Body

“You’re going to help me?” Ye Jiuyou gave a laugh. “You’ve already admitted you are aware that I have not been regarding you with wholly good intentions, yet you’re still saying that you’re willing to help me?”

“If your targets are Papiyas and Snow Owl, then there’s nothing really wrong with the goal. At worst, it’s your methods that are questionable. But if I get involved, perhaps you won’t need to resort to such methods at all, and you could still end up achieving what you want.”

“And why would I upend all of my carefully laid plans just to cater to your ridiculous sense of righteousness?”

“Because you still need our help against Ye Wuming. Wouldn’t it be better to foster a bit more trust between us?” Zhao Changhe sighed. “Besides... I think there’s something you may have overlooked.”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

“If I wanted to stop you... Well, you might not have cared before, but now, with Piaomiao helping me, things might not go so smoothly. Her power alone could cause you quite a lot of trouble. Are you sure you want to turn us into enemies?”

Ye Jiuyou sprang to her feet. “I tried setting you two up, and now the pair of you, adulterous filth, have the gall to make trouble for me? Have you no shame?”

Piaomiao stood quietly at Zhao Changhe’s side, saying nothing, leaving the decision entirely to him.

Zhao Changhereplied, “Now, now. Let’s not get carried away. We’re genuinely grateful for what you did. Isn’t this me offering help of my own accord?”

“You’re not helping me. You’re trying to stop me from doing what you deem wrong.”

“You can see it that way if you like...” Zhao Changhe paused, and then his tone softened. “Or, you could think of it as me not wanting you to become someone I can’t stand to look at.”

Ye Jiuyou’s expression flickered. After a moment, she gave a cold laugh. “Let’s put aside the fact that what I’m doing now has only been hindered by your interference. In the last era, the blood on my hands would exceed anything you can possibly imagine.”

Zhao Changhe calmly replied, “But I wasn’t there to see it.”

Ye Jiuyou fell silent. She rubbed her chin, thinking for a long while. Something seemed to come to mind, and a smile crept back onto her lips. But what she said was, “So, you want the Abyss of Jiuyou to forge a body for Piaomiao. This so-called help is just a means to stop me. Doesn’t this make for a laughable bargain?”

Zhao Changhe answered, “One day, you’ll find it was worth your while. And if not, then consider me indebted to you. You will have a favor you can call upon whenever you please.”

“I admire your confidence.” Ye Jiuyou smiled faintly. “But you do realize that my domain isn’t a place you can simply waltz into, right?”

“Is that because it hides many of your secrets? You can seal off my senses if you wish. I’ll only go to the place where the cycle of life and death is at its most intense. I won’t overstep.”

“That’s not the only issue.” Ye Jiuyou stretched languidly. “The environment inside is unlike anything in the outside world. Most people who enter either go mad or lose themselves in the twisted void. And if you seal your senses while inside? If you die, it won’t be my responsibility. I’m making that clear right now.”

“Just drop me directly at a place suitable for the task. I’ve no interest in wandering blindly. The last thing I want is to stumble into somewhere I shouldn’t be.”

“Fine. But once you’re out, you’d better make good on that promise. Your favor better be worth my time.” Ye Jiuyou rose to her feet. “Shall we go now?”

“I’ll take Yangyang back to the capital first. My father-in-law’s probably worried sick. Also, it’s far too dangerous here for her to remain involved.” Zhao Changhe turned and gently cupped Cui Yuanyang’s cheeks. “Let’s do what we talked about. Once you’re back, find Wanzhuang and have her place you in the Demon Suppression Bureau for training.”

Cui Yuanyang did not look pleased. “I don’t like what I heard just now. Are you about to do something dangerous again?”

“Nothing involving these demon gods is safe, but I have to try. One day, peace will return. Wait for me in the capital.”

She shot Ye Jiuyou a fierce glare. Truth be told, they all knew the facts: whether it was the danger Zhao Changhe now walked toward or the chaos unleashed by Piaomiao’s sudden awakening, it had all started with Ye Jiuyou. She was no ally, not in reality. She was full of secrets and plots. At her core, she was a villain. Zhao Changhe was trying to bargain with a tiger and walk away unbitten.

But there was nothing else that could be done. She was simply too powerful and had no sense of restraint. The slightest displeasure and she might charge into the divine land, slaughter indiscriminately, and plunge the world into the ruin she so adored. Someone like that could not be confronted head-on. One would always have to tread carefully in the presence of such beings.

“I’m not leaving,” Cui Yuanyang said firmly. “Big Sister Piaomiao and I share one life now. If her body is being forged, I’m probably needed. I’ll leave when it’s done. I’ve already reached the Profound Control Realm, so I’m not just a burden anymore.”

Zhao Changhe ruffled her hair. “Alright, then we can go together.”

Ye Jiuyou cast them a sideways look, clearly annoyed at the public display of affection. A faint, twisted arc of black lightning began to form in her hand. “Off you go, then. Let’s see how long your confidence holds up.”

Darkness fell upon the world. With a distortion of space, the stars themselves seemed to shift.

Zhao Changhe staggered forward, holding tightly to Piaomiao and Cui Yuanyang’s hands. In a single step, they had crossed into another realm; space itself had transformed around them.

There was not a trace of light in the space they were now in. Absolute darkness had befallen them, and even though he held their hands, Zhao Changhe could not see their faces. There was no need for him to suppress his divine sense; it simply did not work here. The surrounding darkness seemed to swallow perception itself.

They had no idea where they were, nor how vast this place might be. For all they knew, the next step forward could take them straight into a mountain of blades. This utter blindness, this complete disconnection from one’s surroundings, was enough to drive any seasoned cultivator, any person used to the sharpest of senses, nearly mad.

The absence of light was one thing, but the utter absence of wind, warmth, and even the slightest trace of life was a whole different matter altogether. Everything was utterly still.

Still and cold. A soul-chilling, lifeless cold.

Cui Yuanyang drew in a deep breath. If she had not already broken through to the Profound Control Realm, she might have frozen to death already or, even worse, lost her mind in the silence. “Ye Jiuyou... was born in a place like this?”

“She is the ruler of this place,” said Piaomiao quietly. “Since the ancient era, her goal has been to remake the world into this very place—silent, lifeless, and void of all light. The Ye Jiuyou who smiled and chatted with you... was not her true self. I couldn’t even make sense of her behavior earlier.”

Cui Yuanyang asked, “But even if we manage to succeed, how are we supposed to get out of here? We don’t even know where to begin.”

Piaomiao replied, “Generally speaking, if she doesn’t guide you, there’s no way out. What she said earlier wasn’t just for show. She was all but declaring that we were prisoners. If she truly meant to help us, she would’ve led the way, not just tossed us in and disappeared.”

Cui Yuanyang scowled. “What’s wrong with her? So capricious... Aren’t we at least still allies for the time being? What good does imprisoning us do her?”

Piaomiao sighed. “You shouldn’t have come in. In truth, even Changhe shouldn’t have. If I’d entered alone and failed to leave, it wouldn’t have affected the bigger picture. But you two... you shouldn’t be here.”

Zhao Changhe squeezed her hand. “Nonsense. If we’re storming the dragon’s den or the tiger’s lair, we go together. Are we supposed to fear a little ghostly abyss like this?”

Something softened in Piaomiao’s heart. She whispered, “You suspected Jiuyou wasn’t being sincere?”

Zhao Changhe gave a small smile. “Of course I did. It’s not that she’s fickle; she just didn’t like me speaking the hard truth. If I had told her I truly wanted to help, maybe things would’ve gone differently, but I couldn’t lie.”

Cui Yuanyang muttered, “What’s so hard about flattering her a bit? Aren’t you usually great at charming women?”

“Lies might win you temporary favor, but they always leave seeds of future trouble. Honesty will never lead me astray. Ye Jiuyou isn’t some ordinary person, and she knows exactly what she’s doing.” Zhao Changhe paused, then chuckled. “Besides, I’m confident we’ll find a way out.”

Piaomiao blinked. “You know a way out? I can’t see anything at all here.”

“But I can.” Zhao Changhe rubbed the back of his head. “I once saw her bathing in this place, remember? I guessed that if I came in myself, I’d be able to see as well. I took a gamble and... well, it looks like it worked out. Jiuyou, in the end, still falls short of her big sister. What her big sister left behind still works here.”

Piaomiao tilted her head in confusion.

What does Ye Wuming have to do with this?

“Anyway, we’ll get to escaping when the time comes. What about the lotus platform?”

Piaomiao turned her palm upward. As if conjured from nothing, a pool of water shimmered into existence before them, and within it bloomed a luminous lotus platform. Mist curled around her figure like drifting clouds, dreamlike and ethereal.

Zhao Changhe gave a low whistle. “Incredible... How did you manage to hide something physical within your divine soul and then summon it into existence? What kind of wife have I brought home?”

Piaomiao stamped her foot. “Yangyang’s still here! Don’t say such shameless things... Wait, what? You can see it?”

“I can.” Zhao Changhe gently picked her up and placed her on the lotus platform, leaning back to admire her. “I’ve got even more shameless things to say, want to hear?”

Piaomiao looked puzzled. “Like what?”

“Nothing really... Just that you look as beautiful as Guanyin[1] herself.”

Cui Yuanyang turned her head away and rolled her eyes.

Daughters of aristocratic families were given certain educational materials before marriage, so she understood exactly what that compliment implied. Ironically, it was her ancient demon god big sister who seemed as pure as a delicate flower in these matters.

How exactly will that lotus platform end up becoming a physical body? Cui Yuanyang was dying to know, but she could not see a thing in the darkness. The curiosity was maddening.

“Want to see?” Zhao Changhe took her hand. “Here. Share my sight.”

The vision came quickly. She saw Piaomiao’s soul sitting cross-legged atop the lotus platform, eyes closed in meditation, shrouded in mist. Her presence was serene, almost divine—unspeakably beautiful. Cui Yuanyang had never imagined that her own matured face could hold such graceful allure... It made her own heart skip a beat.

Zhao Changhe retrieved the Heavenly Tome and placed it upon Piaomiao’s knees. With a light brush of his hand, the tome’s pages fluttered open, settling on the page of life.

The lotus platform already brimmed with potent vitality. Now, stimulated by the energy of the Heavenly Tome, its petals suddenly stretched upward, curling inward to envelop Piaomiao’s soul in a tight, blooming embrace.

Her new body began to take shape, molding to the contours of her divine soul. Bone formed first, then organs. Then, her jade-like frame began to materialize. Skin like frosted snow, flesh like smooth porcelain. Bit by bit, her form was restored.

It was Piaomiao herself guiding the process. She had the power to do this. She had done it before, in an era long past. That was why she had said she could have simply come here alone; she had more experience than Zhao Changhe in this particular art.

Zhao Changhe observed intently, learning as he watched. He could faintly sense the ebb and flow of life and death in the leyline beneath them—a bridge between the living world and the realm beyond. After all, strictly speaking, Piaomiao was dead, and this was a resurrection.

Indeed, the world lacked a Piaomiao in this era. In this lifetime, she existed only as Cui Yuanyang. To create an independent Piaomiao once more was to bring her back from the dead.

Without the qi of life and death, even if Piaomiao succeeded in forging a body, it would have been nothing more than a cold, lifeless corpse puppet. Yet she seemed to understand instinctively what was needed and she actively channeled the elusive qi, completing the final step of her resurrection.

This was the true reason they had come to the Abyss of Jiuyou.

Contrary to what its appearance suggested, Ye Jiuyou’s domain was not mere death and desolation. It concealed a profound, almost primal genesis of life itself.

Maybe this darkness would be better referred to as the primordial abyss? Is this why I could never trace the origin of Ye Jiuyou’s birth?

Zhao Changhe’s thoughts had just begun to wander when he heard Piaomiao give a low, muffled groan.

Something was wrong.

Glancing over, he saw that while her form was indeed taking shape, her flesh remained ghastly pale, like that of a corpse. Worse, there were faint signs of collapse.

He quickly pressed his hand to her body, making use of this understanding of the laws of life and death to stabilize her form. “What’s wrong? Is something missing?”

“There’s a... lack of foundational essence or origin? I feel like I’m floating, rootless,” Piaomiao said, her voice tinged with confusion. “But I am born of heaven and earth, from the convergence of humanity’s qi veins. What more origin could I possibly need?”

Zhao Changhe and Cui Yuanyang exchanged a baffled glance.

Piaomiao had always existed. Why would she now require some fundamental “origin” to justify that existence?

“Could it be...” Cui Yuanyang hesitated. “If we follow the logic of reincarnation, then big sister is me. In this life, I exist because of my parents. I was born and raised by them. Isn’t that my origin?”

Zhao Changhe: “...?”

If that’s the case, how in the world are we supposed to go and find your parents right now? If you said that earlier, we would’ve definitely treated it as a joke.

But the more he thought about it, tracing the karmic threads, the more sense it began to make.

Cui Yuanyang continued, “Since you used my blood and flesh as a base, doesn’t that make us something like... twins sharing a womb? Let’s try it.”

Before Zhao Changhe could respond, she swiftly drew the Qinghe Sword and sliced her wrist. Blood spurted forth in a vivid arc.

With a flick of her hand, the blood sprinkled over Piaomiao’s body and soaked into her skin.

Zhao Changhe immediately began treating her wound. When he turned back to Piaomiao, he saw her once-ashen skin gradually gaining the warm hue of living flesh. The grain of muscle and skin returned, and color flushed into her cheeks.

It worked. What had been missing... was Cui Yuanyang’s blood as a catalyst.

Thank the heavens Yangyang didn’t leave earlier. If she’d left, this would’ve all failed. Maybe it was that inexplicable resonance between two lives sharing one fate. She had a premonition of sorts.

Zhao Changhe stood there, stunned, as Piaomiao’s body grew ever more lifelike. Then, her eyes opened.

Her gaze was limpid as autumn water, reflecting their figures with brilliant clarity.

Her body gleamed like polished jade, faintly flushed with pink, flawless from head to toe.

“You’re so beautiful, Big Sister!” Cui Yuanyang pounced forward and planted a kiss on Piaomiao’s cheek. “This body of yours truly is forged from divine treasures. I’m gonna take a bite...”

Piaomiao laughed softly, holding her in a warm embrace before kissing her cheek in return. “Thank you, Yangyang.”

Cui Yuanyang nuzzled up with delight. “If you want to thank me, then let me cuddle more... So comfy... Wait, why do you smell so good?”

“Having used a lotus platform as the foundation of my body, I naturally carry the scent of lotus blossoms.”

“You used to say I caused you endless suffering. But now I’m so jealous... Your figure’s better than mine, and you even made yourself taller...”

“You can enjoy these benefits yourself,” Piaomiao said gently. “There’s some lotus essence left. I’ll help you use it to temper your body later.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Since when did body tempering exist just to make you smell good? The fuck have I been doing all these years?

But Cui Yuanyang was overjoyed. “You’re the best big sis!”

Piaomiao grabbed her ear and tugged. “Enough cuddling. If you keep delaying me from getting dressed, then I’ll really be the one who’s suffered. Look at that lecher over there. He’s practically drooling...”

Cui Yuanyang turned to look. Zhao Changhe, of course, was not drooling. He was just watching them with a smile, basking in their lively antics.

Piaomiao’s gaze followed hers. When her eyes met Zhao Changhe’s, it was like ripples spreading over still water. Even this dead, dark abyss seemed to be warming into spring.

To shape a body from nothing was nothing short of divine power. And with the added complexity of reincarnation, it had become an even more arduous task. But at long last, it was done. Each of them felt a heavy weight lift from their hearts, replaced by ease and peace.

What had been created was the most perfect body.

They locked eyes for a long while, until Piaomiao finally turned her head and asked softly, “Have you seen enough?”

“No.” Zhao Changhe stepped forward and gently embraced her. “Why don’t you wait a little before getting dressed? I haven’t had my fill.”

The fragrance of lotus blossoms lingered in the air. Just holding her like this was enough to make him forget the world.

1. This is the common name of the bodhisattva associated with compassion. ☜

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