Roaring Dragon-Chapter 18: Clues in the Web

Qingquan Alley was silent. Inside the spacious two-courtyard estate, not a sound could be heard.

Lin Wanyi sat upright on the bed, meditating. The unhealthy flush on her cheeks had gradually faded. Her dress was damp from sweat and now gently steaming from her body heat, making her gold-rimmed glasses fog over with mist.

Meiqiu was curled up by the bedpost. With too much time passing and Xie Jinhuan refusing to let him bounce around, the black hawk had fallen asleep—completely resembling a lump of charcoal.

Xie Jinhuan sat on a stool beside the bed, flipping through a martial arts manual, using every spare moment to hone his techniques.

Time passed quietly, the exact duration unclear. Just then, a series of urgent knocks came from the courtyard gate.

Thump thump thump—

“Jinhuan? Jinhuan?”

...

Lin Wanyi instantly became alert. She forced herself to still her breath and suppress the remaining poison. Raising her gaze, she asked:

“Who is it?”

“Captain Yang. Probably here to ask about the earlier incident.”

Lin Wanyi’s heart tensed. After all, as a witch sect sorceress, she couldn’t be seen in public. But if she stopped purging the poison now, the Coagulated Blood Powder would hurt her internally. It was a deadlock.

Xie Jinhuan, knowing she needed more time, closed his manual and stood up.

“I’ll go get rid of them.”

But just as he moved, the ever-present ghost girl whispered in his ear:

“You’re being watched. They might know where you live. She’s in no condition to protect herself—leaving her alone is dangerous. I’ll shield her. You go distract the constables.”

After a brief consideration, Xie Jinhuan decided to trust the ghost’s word. He unbuckled the Zhenglun Sword and set it down in the house for protection.

“Keep this sword with you. If you get bored, talk to Meiqiu.”

“Guji~”

Meiqiu muttered with its eyes still shut, then went quiet again.

Lin Wanyi, focused on her detoxification, simply nodded in thanks and resumed her meditation.

...

Creak—

Soon, the heavy front gate opened from inside.

Three figures stood outside. In the center was Linghu Qingmo in snow-white robes, with Yang Dabiao and a black-armored guard flanking her like twin refrigerators.

Xie Jinhuan stepped out calmly and greeted them with a cupped-fist salute.

“Miss Linghu. Brother Yang. And this gentleman is...?”

Liu Qingzhi had just been discussing Xie Jinhuan’s unfortunate circumstances and now replied with some emotion:

“Liu Qingzhi, constable of the provincial guards. A pleasure, Young Master Xie.”

Xie Jinhuan heard the name and felt it was oddly familiar. After a moment of reflection, he remembered—this was the same guy from that “flute and sleeping beauty” story. He raised his brows in surprise.

“So it’s Lord Liu! I’ve heard so much about you!”

Liu Qingzhi, sensing the sincerity in his tone, looked confused.

“You’ve heard of me?”

Xie Jinhuan remembered clearly—but matters of the bedroom weren’t exactly public knowledge. He was wondering how to explain when the frosty one in the middle cut in:

“Save the pleasantries.”

Linghu Qingmo peered into the courtyard.

“I heard Doctor Lin was poisoned by Coagulated Blood Powder. What’s her condition?”

Xie Jinhuan replied evenly. “She’s a healer. She has the means to detoxify herself and is resting now. If you’d like to talk, let’s do it outside.”

“Coagulated Blood Powder isn’t ordinary poison. I brought an antidote.”

As she spoke, Linghu Qingmo began walking toward the main building.

But Xie Jinhuan quickly stepped in front of her.

“She’s really fine. She sweated through her clothes and... she’s undressed. It’d be inappropriate for guests to enter.”

Undressed?

Linghu Qingmo paused, clearly doubtful.

“You only arrived in Danyang yesterday, and already you and Doctor Lin...”

Xie Jinhuan knew it sounded abrupt, but fortunately, he was also a fellow from the capital. Smiling, he explained:

“I live in the capital too. I’ve visited the Lin family clinic plenty—known her for a while.”

So... an old flame?

Linghu Qingmo’s brow twitched slightly. Her gaze seemed to say: You already had a lover and still groped me? You scumbag.

Just then, Lin Wanyi’s voice came from the back courtyard.

“Lord Linghu, I’m alright. I’ve taken an antidote and am channeling my qi to recover. I’m not fit to greet guests right now—please forgive my discourtesy.”

Linghu Qingmo heard her voice and, satisfied that she sounded stable, turned and headed back out.

“I heard Fu Dongping was hired by that same gang from yesterday. Did you get anything out of him?”

Xie Jinhuan shut the gate and walked with them toward the alleyway.

“I only arrived yesterday. Didn’t expect Fu Dongping was coming for me. My strike was too heavy—he died before I could get anything.”

Linghu Qingmo sighed.

“Killing demons is noble, but it’d help if you left one alive. Makes it easier for us to investigate.”

Didn’t I leave one alive yesterday?

Who knew the constables would let him bleed out without treatment?

Xie Jinhuan didn’t want to badmouth Yang Dabiao and just nodded.

“My father used to say: ‘If you encounter demon spawn, kill them. Never take chances.’ I’m used to it. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Yang Dabiao, still stung from yesterday’s failure, interjected:

“He’s right. But you don’t always have to kill. Next time, just crush their qi sea and chop off a few limbs—turn ’em into a stump. That way, they can’t bite back, and we can still interrogate them.”

Xie Jinhuan frowned.

“That’s a bit... excessive. Killing is killing. But torture and mutilation—that’s the path of demons.”

“Excessive?!”

All three turned to look at him.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Even Liu Qingzhi couldn’t hold it in. He reviewed the facts seriously.

“That monk yesterday got pulverized so badly, his flesh coated half an alley. The cleanup crew still hasn’t finished. And Fu Dongping today—his guts were all over the place...”

“Alright, enough.”

Linghu Qingmo, focused on the case, raised a hand to stop the chatter and asked:

“How did these people track you down?”

Xie Jinhuan spread his hands.

“No idea. I spent the night here, never left. This morning, I had breakfast with Brother Yang, then went to the clinic. Right after that, I ran into the assassin. Judging by the timing, I must’ve been tailed last night.”

“Last night...”

Yang Dabiao crossed his arms, frowning in thought.

“That short a time and they already mapped your movements? There’s definitely a mole in the office.”

Xie Jinhuan had suspected an insider, but something still didn’t add up.

“If they had someone on the inside, they’d know I wiped out that entire warehouse. Why send a weakling like Fu Dongping? It doesn’t make sense.”

Linghu Qingmo also found it odd.

“Maybe their insider doesn’t know much—just that you cleaned out ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) the warehouse, but not how. Fu Dongping’s not exactly weak. Against any other twenty-year-old, he’d be a serious threat.”

As the four of them were deep in conversation, a constable suddenly came running from the end of the street.

“Lord Yang! Lord Yang!”

Yang Dabiao frowned. “What now? More trouble in the city?”

“No, sir.”

The constable handed over a bottle.

“We found this while cleaning up the scene on Jinmen Street. Might be worth a look.”

Xie Jinhuan glanced at the black vial.

“That was on Fu Dongping. I saw it earlier. It held Coagulated Blood Powder.”

Linghu Qingmo used a handkerchief to take the bottle and carefully sniffed its contents.

“It’s definitely a container for Coagulated Blood Powder. But what’s the issue?”

Yang Dabiao, who spent his days in the markets, frowned deeply in thought.

“This bottle... isn’t it the same kind used for that ‘Ascending Immortal Powder’ we confiscated?”

Liu Qingzhi stroked his chin.

“Now that you mention it—yes. We caught some addicts in the Beggars’ Den with bottles like this. Said they bought it from Sanhe Tower.”

Xie Jinhuan had heard of Ascending Immortal Powder. It caused vivid hallucinations and euphoria, but wrecked the mind and left users addicted. Great Qian had outlawed it since the founding of the dynasty. His father used to crack down on it all the time.

Hearing Liu Qingzhi mention the source, he asked curiously:

“If the constables know a place is selling Ascending Immortal Powder, why haven’t they raided it?”

Liu Qingzhi looked uneasy.

“We’re not sure if Sanhe Tower is the one selling it. Their owner is the Li family from Wencheng Street—relatives of Lord Li Gongpu, an influential court official close to His Majesty...”

Xie Jinhuan nodded in understanding.

Li Gongpu, constantly clinging to the emperor with shameless flattery, was mockingly called “Eunuch Li” by other ministers. Though unpopular, he held a second-rank position and was deeply trusted by the emperor. Even the Dan Prince wouldn’t dare provoke him—let alone the local constables. A raid? Not likely.

Linghu Qingmo thought for a moment and asked:

“Does Ascending Immortal Powder contain ‘Dragon Beard Grass’?”

Yang Dabiao blinked, his expression turning serious.

“Dragon Beard Grass is a cold-natured herb that confuses the mind. I think it is an ingredient in the powder. You think... Sanhe Tower’s secretly colluding with demon gangs to gather it, got their warehouse wrecked, and now they’re retaliating with hired killers?”

Linghu Qingmo had found a thread—and acted without hesitation.

“Clues like this can’t be ignored. Let’s check out Sanhe Tower.”

Xie Jinhuan also wanted to know who’d put a hit on him. With Meiqiu and the ghost girl guarding Lin Wanyi, there shouldn’t be any danger. He followed them without hesitation.