Roaring Dragon-Chapter 16: Magical Tool

The marketplace was bustling with noise and chatter. Meanwhile, the two of them—and one bird—stood suspiciously in the corner of a shop, staring blankly at the unusually shaped “stockings” in the woman’s hand.

Xie Jinhuan had just been praising the seductive Miss Night Demon, but the moment he laid eyes on the fetish stockings, his expression froze. He muttered inwardly:

They have this kind of freaky stuff in Great Qian?

How the hell did I not see any of this in my first sixteen years?

Isn’t this way out of line?

Lin Wanyi was holding the stockings. She didn’t say a word, but her stunning, nationally renowned face—like a peony in full bloom—was turning a distinct shade of green.

She often moved among the inner courtyards of noble households, so she’d seen things like this before. But she absolutely hadn’t expected them to be produced by the Danyang Academy.

A dignified Confucian academy—using rare Ice Silk to make things that seduce men?

Perhaps in disbelief, Lin Wanyi pulled out another black piece of fabric from her pouch.

As expected, it turned out to be another sheer garment of the same material—this time a translucent belly wrap in a triangular cut, perfectly designed to cradle the breasts and expose the waist. Mature. Sensual...

The wrap was embroidered with vivid lotus flowers and koi fish that shimmered in iridescent colors depending on the light—it actually looked kind of... beautiful.

Xie Jinhuan had lived in the capital for sixteen years, but he truly hadn’t imagined there was such a thing as lingerie in this world.

Noticing Lin Wanyi’s eyelashes tremble and the clear murderous aura rising off her, he braced himself and offered:

“Maybe... the students and instructors in the Martial Arms Department designed it as some kind of unusual magical tool? Could there be a hidden mechanism?”

Lin Wanyi thought that made some sense—Ice Silk was far too expensive to waste on simple underwear. There had to be something more. Perhaps it really was a ‘magical tool.’

Magical tools were typically crafted from rare materials that reacted to true qi. Swords from Zihui Mountain, or the Eight Directions Luminous Array from the Dan Prince’s Pavilion—those were all considered magical tools.

These tools varied in quality, classified by grade. The more grades it could be used across, the higher its class. Skilled artificers could even create tools on par with immortal weapons. For example, the long-lost Zhenglun Sword of Zihui Mountain could double the power of lightning techniques and came with a built-in “demon-suppressing, spirit-binding” effect. It was hailed as the deadliest weapon in the Daoist world.

Using a magical tool was simple: infuse your qi into it, and the object would respond accordingly.

Thinking of this, Lin Wanyi lightly channeled her qi into the piece of clothing in her hand.

Immediately, the two pink lotus flowers embroidered on the fabric began to twist and bloom like buds. Normally, they would open to reveal the stamen—but /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ since the cloth wasn’t being worn, what appeared instead were... two holes.

Xie Jinhuan let out a slow, deep breath and thought:

Mother of god, how the hell am I supposed to explain this?

He’d never seen anything like it—not in this life or the last.

As for its purpose? Well, that was pretty easy to guess. It was probably designed to make it easier for a man to... do bad things.

But this thing... if it could be used by Dao Ancestors, did that make it an immortal-grade weapon?

Lin Wanyi stared dumbfounded at the holes in the fabric. Still unwilling to give up, she picked up the stockings again and tried them out. The intricate embroidery meant to cover the vital area twisted and morphed too, eventually... exposing—

?!

Even a woman who had yet to marry could understand perfectly well what this was meant for. Lin Wanyi’s elegant brows shot up, her gaze sharp enough to kill.

Xie Jinhuan, completely at a loss for how to comment on the craftsmanship of the locals, tried to comfort her:

“Well, the design and materials are exquisite—truly a marvel of craftsmanship. On the market it’d go for no less than a hundred taels. We got it for thirty—absolute steal. Why not just... wear it?”

“Pfft—!” ƒreewebɳovel.com

There was no way Lin Wanyi could wear something designed purely for a man’s convenience.

If Zisu ever found out, wouldn’t she scold her flirtatious aunt to death?

And even if she’d bought it secretly—fine, it was pretty, and maybe it was... tolerable to wear. But Xie Jinhuan was standing right there watching!

Would she wear it in front of him?

Lin Wanyi’s face flushed scarlet. She felt utterly humiliated and turned to go back to the store to get a refund.

But written in bold black characters on a white sign outside the store were the words: “All Sales Final. Buyer Assumes Risk.” She didn’t have a leg to stand on.

Frustrated to the core, Lin Wanyi looked sharply at Xie Jinhuan:

“You knew what this was and tricked me into buying it!”

Xie Jinhuan spread his hands. “If I had that kind of skill, why would I be begging you to refine pills for me? Finally landed a good draw—don’t make it sound like a scam. The stuff’s all yours, I can’t use it anyway. Let’s move on.”

“...”

Lin Wanyi really wanted to make him cough up the thirty taels. But this was clearly a luxury item—costing way over a hundred taels to make. She stewed in silence, then finally stuffed the items into her chest and slapped a silver note against Xie Jinhuan’s chest:

“Forget it. I’ll eat the loss. But I’m not letting you pay. Not like I’m going to wear that damn thing anyway...”

Xie Jinhuan figured she’d probably end up sneaking it on back at home—but he obviously wasn’t going to get to see that. He just chuckled and followed after her.

Before long, they arrived at a large shop on Jinmen Street stocked wall-to-wall with medicinal herbs.

Guard Jia Zheng waited quietly at the threshold, while Xie Jinhuan stood near the entrance, scanning the noisy marketplace.

Meiqiu stared curiously at a sieve full of unknown dried meat, clearly wondering what he might be able to snatch and eat.

Inside the teahouse section of the store, Lin Wanyi was in the middle of haggling with a pot-bellied medicine merchant:

“The going rate is only sixty taels per coin. This price seems too steep...”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“That was spring pricing. Now it’s autumn—past the flowering season. The price rises with every sale. I'm only parting with two coins out of respect for Doctor Lin’s reputation. If I held onto them till winter, I could easily earn double...”

“Sigh—eighty taels. We’re regular buyers...”

...

Xie Jinhuan knew rare herbs were expensive, but experiencing it firsthand was shocking. One coin’s worth cost his father several months’ salary—and the stuff still sold like hotcakes.

That was just third or fourth-grade herbs. If it was top-grade, the price would be astronomical.

After a long round of haggling, two coins’ worth of White Sunflower finally sold for a jaw-dropping price of 1,600 taels. The box it came in barely filled one hand—not even as big as the lingerie box.

Lin Wanyi cradled the thousand-tael box carefully and gave instructions as she stepped outside:

“Jia Zheng, go ask around and find more sellers of Dragon Sunflower. Stock up. Everything’s getting pricier in autumn—delay even a day and we’ll be paying way more.”

“Understood. I’ll look into it right away.”

Xie Jinhuan, walking ahead, wanted to inspect the precious herb himself. But alchemy had its rules—outsiders weren’t allowed to touch herbs, as it could ruin their properties. So he held back.

The three of them walked together, soon passing through the gilded archway and arriving at the side courtyard of Jinmen Street where their carriage was parked.

Jia Zheng went ahead to untie the horse’s reins, and Lin Wanyi stepped up first to board.

As a guest, Xie Jinhuan wasn’t about to push ahead. He was carrying Meiqiu, glancing around at the street scene.

Just as Lin Wanyi reached for the carriage door, Xie Jinhuan’s ears twitched—something was off. He turned sharply toward the nearby stables.

Lin Wanyi, preoccupied with the lingerie incident, didn’t notice anything strange and casually opened the carriage door.

Just then, from the seam above the door, a puff of black powder drifted down—

Shh—

Whoosh—

Before Lin Wanyi could react, a whirlwind surged behind her. A figure flashed in like lightning, grabbing her by the waist and yanking her away. At the same time, the Zhenglun Sword unsheathed, spinning into a wheel of light in front of them, blocking the black dust completely.

Swish swish swish—

Xie Jinhuan held Lin Wanyi with one arm and leapt back to an open space. He immediately noticed that her right hand, which had opened the door, was now dusted with the black poison powder. He raised his sword:

“What kind of poison?”

Lin Wanyi was a bit dazed. Realizing her gallant rescuer was about to chop her hand off to contain the threat, she quickly hid it behind her back:

“No no, it’s fine! I think it’s Coagulated Blood Powder—I can neutralize it.”

Xie Jinhuan recognized the name—extremely potent poison. But she was a shaman from the Witch Sect, probably immune. He sheathed the Zhenglun Sword and turned toward the stable:

“Come out!”

Jia Zheng hadn’t even figured out what had just happened. Hearing the shout, he drew his waist knife and stepped protectively in front of Lin Wanyi.

Step, step—

Soon, a figure emerged from beside the stable.

It was a man in his thirties, wearing coarse hemp clothes. His black hair was messily tied atop his head, and he had a five-foot saber slung casually over one shoulder. His walk was relaxed:

“You actually noticed me. Not bad, kid—you’re sharp.”

Sensing the man’s formidable presence, Jia Zheng raised his blade, ready to fight:

“Who the hell are you? Why did you try to poison us in secret?”

The saber-bearing man came to a stop directly in front of them, chin slightly raised as he looked at Xie Jinhuan:

“Fu Dongping. One Saber. Never heard the name, kid?”

“Fu Dongping...”

Xie Jinhuan clearly hadn’t.

Jia Zheng leaned in and whispered: “Outlaw from Danzhou. Robbed an escort at Yellow Stone Ridge last month. Killed three men, each with a single blow. Still not captured. Posters have been up at the city gates for ages. Rumored to be a sixth-grade martial artist—deadly with a blade, greedy and lecherous...”

Realizing they were up against a sixth-grade powerhouse, Lin Wanyi’s brow tightened. This was bad.

She wasn’t afraid of poison, and she could deal with a warrior—but Witch Sect techniques weren’t something you could use publicly in the city.

Jia Zheng wasn’t strong enough. Xie Jinhuan was only twenty—even if he was skilled, he might only match the guy at best. Against a ruthless bandit...

Lin Wanyi scanned the area, hoping to spot constables to call for help—but there were only a few carriage drivers nearby, and they’d already fled. Her anxiety grew.

Xie Jinhuan, on the other hand, felt no pressure—just burning rage.

Lin Wanyi was his lifeline. Without her pills to boost his strength, he’d get exposed and die in seconds. He wouldn’t even be able to bury his great-aunt.

Someone trying to assassinate her? That was basically a hit on him.

He was ready to casually wipe out this scrub, but he still followed protocol and asked:

“Who sent you?”

Fu Dongping clearly didn’t realize how deep he was digging his grave. He replied cockily:

“Rivers and lakes have their rules. No comment.”

“Where’s the antidote?”

“No comment.”

Xie Jinhuan’s brow twitched. “If your blade was half as hard as your mouth, I’d almost call you a real opponent.”

Fu Dongping narrowed his eyes. “You’ve got balls, kid. But there’s a saying—fools rush in where wise men fear to tread...”

Clang—

Before he could finish, a sharp sword cry split the sky.