Roaring Dragon-Chapter 25: The Ice-Hearted Beauty with an Unshakable Dao Heart

At dawn, as pale light bloomed in the east, the citizens of the city gradually woke, and the streets and alleys filled with vendors’ cries:

"Steamed buns—!"

"Sugar hawthorn skewers—!"

...

Behind the Lin family's medical hall, the large house was already bustling, with maids busy at their tasks. Jia Zheng was in the stable preparing the carriage.

In the main courtyard, it was still quiet. Inside the boudoir, Lin Wanyi lay on her side on the bed, wearing only a thin dudou and underpants. The curve of her waist revealed a soft, full arc. Her stunning face was flushed slightly, eyelashes fluttering — lost in some unknown dream.

Nearby, the well-developed Lin Zisu lay flat on her back, her chest faintly rising and falling beneath her dudou, still fast asleep.

It wasn't until the first light of dawn spilled through the window that she blinked awake, looked around blankly — then suddenly flipped up in a panic:

"Ahh, I'm late!"

Pa!

A crisp slap landed on her aunt’s soft, round behind, sending ripples across the curves.

Lin Wanyi, dreaming that Xie Jinhuan had smacked her, shuddered and snapped awake, glaring in frustration:

"Zisu! What madness now?"

Lin Zisu fumbled to find her shoes and clothes:

"I'm late! Auntie, why didn’t you wake me up?!"

"Ah?"

Lin Wanyi finally realized the sun was already high.

She sat up, flustered:

"You kept talking nonsense last night! I couldn’t even sleep properly—"

Lin Zisu had been pestering her last night about why she was bathing at Xie Jinhuan’s place.

Seeing that she’d missed her morning classes, Zisu clung to her aunt’s arm:

"Auntie, come with me and say you took me along for a medical visit last night, and that’s why I’m late!"

Lin Wanyi, used to being dragged into such cover stories, sighed helplessly — but remembering Zisu was still helping her with alchemy, she relented:

"Fine, fine. Get dressed first, I’ll go with you."

"Hehe~"

Zisu finally relaxed, hurriedly pulling on her skirt.

Meanwhile, Lin Wanyi also got up to dress.

Opening the wardrobe, she spotted the pouch containing the "shameless villain’s excitement outfit."

The very sight of it embarrassed her — such a scandalous thing!

But... it had cost thirty taels of silver — a fortune.

Too precious to gift to a maid, and absolutely unsuitable for Zisu...

Hesitating for a moment, she reasoned that no one would see it if worn inside her regular clothes.

Curiosity won out.

She sneaked behind the screen and slipped into the new undergarments.

Thud, thud—

The tights were snug, requiring her to bounce on her toes to pull them up.

When she finally emerged, dressed in her water-green high-waisted skirt, she checked herself in the mirror.

Her elegant figure appeared unchanged, the underclothes invisible.

Only a slight tightness around her thighs was noticeable, but otherwise, it felt surprisingly secure and comfortable.

Pleased, Lin Wanyi nodded secretly, thinking: Thirty taels well spent...

Elsewhere, at the Princess Manor.

In the early morning, maids bustled along the lakeside at Yan Mountain, delivering exquisite dishes into the lakeside pavilion.

Inside the spacious hall, a long table was set, with soft cushions on either side.

Incense burned gently from a copper crane-shaped censer.

Linghu Qingmo sat at the table, exhausted and weary after days without proper sleep, nibbling on breakfast, her brow furrowed:

"Li Zixian is stubborn as a rock. No matter how we question him, he won't confess. And the county office hasn't found a trace of the demon culprits. Looks like the case has hit a wall again..."

Across the table, the Changning Princess lounged sideways, her dress exquisitely ornate.

She wore a chest-high hezi skirt, layered with a pale yellow wide-sleeved robe.

Her sashes and hems were embroidered in imperial yellow, adorned with cloud patterns and peacocks.

Her lips were like red roses, her almond-shaped eyes full of charm.

Seated beside the solemn Linghu Qingmo, they looked like two contrasting sisters.

At the moment, the princess idly swirled wine in her cup:

"You’re supposed to be out here gaining experience, not trying to become some 'ice-cold goddess detective.' If you can't crack the case, just let the authorities handle it. The Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival is about to start. Come stroll around Peony Pond with me later."

With so much pressing work, Linghu Qingmo had no time for festivals:

"It's the same every year. Nothing worth seeing."

"Sigh~"

The princess sighed dramatically, then asked:

"I heard yesterday you were investigating a case with a young man named Xie Jinhuan — supposedly highly skilled and quite ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) handsome?"

Linghu Qingmo immediately sensed the teasing in her tone and quickly clarified:

"Xie Jinhuan is just Yang Dabiao's friend, lending a hand. That's all."

Changning half-believed her, knowing her friend's nature. She advised earnestly:

"Qingmo, you're too straightforward, too honest. Be careful when making friends outside. Don’t get tricked by those wolves in gentlemen’s clothing."

Linghu Qingmo, though she'd been knocked out by Xie Jinhuan, groped once, made to do chores, and even still harbored no resentment —

considered herself an unshakable ice-hearted beauty, impossible to sway by any scoundrel:

"Impossible. I know what I’m doing. Besides, Xie Jinhuan is very upright — his martial skill could match even yours. He’s definitely not some rogue."

The princess, a royal-born lady of the Da Qian dynasty, had both prestige and talent. Although she played frivolously, she practiced diligently when needed. Hearing this, she was skeptical:

"I don't believe it. Bring him here and let me spar with him."

Linghu Qingmo, recalling her past humiliation, shook her head quickly.

What if Xie Jinhuan lost his mind again and tried a 'Dragon's Claw' technique on the princess?

She could already see the Prince decapitating him in a rage.

"Too busy right now. Maybe next time. You eat first — I need to head to the county office."

The princess knew she couldn't argue with this workaholic friend.

She finished her meal and began preparing for her autumn outing at Peony Pond.

——

A little later.

Linghu Qingmo quietly left the Princess Manor and, seeing no one following her, quickly detoured toward Qingquan Alley.

Morning light bathed the busy side streets.

Servants and maids bustled around buying fruits, vegetables, and wine, while steam poured from breakfast stalls.

Linghu Qingmo was about to pass a butcher’s shop when she heard a familiar voice:

"Half a jin of lean meat. Cut it finely — one inch long, one inch wide, no more, no less. Not a sliver of fat."

"Sir, that’s... rather demanding..."

"Can't do it?"

"Uh..."

"I'll do it myself."

?

Linghu Qingmo turned her head sharply — there, standing at the butcher's stall, was a young man in a white brocade robe, twin weapons at his waist.

On his shoulder perched a fluffy black Meiqiu, staring hungrily at the meat.

Then:

Swish swish swish—

The white-robed youth took the butcher’s knife and, with lightning-fast precision, sliced the meat into perfect, uniform cubes in mere moments.

With a casual flick, he stuck the blade into the chopping block:

"Your knife’s a bit dull. Needs sharpening. Exactly half a jin — how much?"

The butcher gawked at the perfectly cut meat cubes for a long moment before managing:

"Sixteen wen... Young master, with skills like that, you still have to buy your own food?"

"Life of a wanderer. One fills one’s own belly. Habit."

"...oh."

...

Linghu Qingmo was stunned at Xie Jinhuan’s "flair for drama" even while buying bird food.

She hurried over:

"Xie Jinhuan?"

"Goo-gee~"

Meiqiu immediately whipped its head around eagerly.

Xie Jinhuan packed the diced meat in a lotus leaf, then turned back with a dazzling smile:

"Good morning, Miss Momo."

Up close, Linghu Qingmo finally noticed that Xie Jinhuan's robe was extremely fine, trimmed with silver thread, the sash embroidered with cloud patterns and adorned with a warm jade ornament.

His long, dark hair was neatly tied, and paired with his handsome, clean features and those clear, icy spring-like eyes, the visual impact was downright dangerous...

Linghu Qingmo froze for a moment, involuntarily stunned by that smile.

Recovering, she questioned:

"Why are you dressed up so nicely?"

Xie Jinhuan glanced at himself and answered casually:

"My sleeves got dirty yesterday, so I just bought something random. Looks good?"

You call this random?!

Linghu Qingmo thought that dressed like this, he could easily rake in gold coins if he wanted to be a consort.

Not knowing how to compliment properly, she only said:

"Mm... looks good. But it doesn't match Meiqiu."

"No worries. I’ll dye it white next time."

"Ah?! (Goo-gee?!)"

"Just kidding."

Walking with Meiqiu perched on his shoulder, Xie Jinhuan noticed the faint dark circles under the ethereal beauty's eyes and asked:

"You didn't sleep last night?"

Linghu Qingmo rubbed Meiqiu absentmindedly:

"No time to sleep. Li family stubbornly denies everything about Sanhe Tower. And the capital has sent people to supervise.

The county office is at a dead end. The Prince ordered all forces to prioritize tracking the Zihui Mountain demon aura. If no clues turn up today, the Grand Astrologer from Luojing will be summoned. When that happens, I’ll introduce you."

?

Xie Jinhuan stumbled inwardly.

The Grand Astrologer of the Celestial Observatory was practically Da Qian’s living nuke.

If that one really came to personally investigate the Zihui Mountain demonic aura, Xie Jinhuan wouldn’t even have time to run — let alone go up and pay respects.

Realizing divine judgment was truly looming, Xie Jinhuan’s expression naturally grew solemn:

"The Zihui Mountain demonic aura... you’re sure there’s absolutely no other lead?"

Linghu Qingmo shook her head:

"All evidence points directly at Li Shizhong and the Li family. But with no living witness, the suspicious points you raised yesterday can’t be verified. There’s no concrete proof anyone is framing them."

Xie Jinhuan knew he wasn’t just shooting his mouth off yesterday.

It was far too coincidental — how they conveniently found evidence, how Li Shizhong went mad just as they arrived at Sanhe Tower, how the accounting steward ended up dead.

There was no way all that was just 'bad luck.'

He pondered his recent experiences carefully, then suddenly asked:

"Right... the other night, didn’t you go back to examine the corpses? What exactly did you find?"

"Nothing useful. The rot was too severe, maggots everywhere... just like—"

Linghu Qingmo frowned, trying to find an analogy but gave up in disgust.

She jerked her chin toward the street:

"The County Office is just up ahead. You want to go see for yourself?"

Xie Jinhuan knew if he didn't help dig up something on the demon bandits or the Li family soon, Lu Wuzhen would come investigating him instead.

Without hesitation, he cradled Meiqiu and strode toward Wencheng Street:

"Let’s go."

Linghu Qingmo led the way.

After a few steps, she glanced at the sword at his waist:

"Your sword... it’s a Zihui Mountain style blade too?  Where did you get it?"

Xie Jinhuan hadn’t dared flash the sword around these past few days, but hiding it forever wasn’t realistic.

He had long prepared an excuse.

Now, flicking a finger lightly along the sheath, he revealed the two engraved characters: Zhenglun.

"Zihui Mountain's law swords are famous across the world. I heard of them long ago and paid a hefty price for a replica. Looks convincing, right?"

All Zihui Mountain swords looked similar, only differing slightly in their engraving.

Zhenglun Sword had been lost for a hundred years; even current disciples had never seen the real one.

Naturally, Linghu Qingmo wouldn’t guess it was the genuine heirloom.

She gave it a cursory glance:

"The craftsmanship’s quite good. Probably wasn’t cheap. How much did you pay?"

Xie Jinhuan, relieved, sheathed the sword with a casual shrug:

"Fifty taels. Worth a hundred Meiqius!"

"Ah?!"

Linghu Qingmo picked up Meiqiu and turned it left and right suspiciously:

"It’s that cheap?"

"Goo-gee~"

"Heh..."

Chatting idly, they quickly reached the street corner. Ahead, outside the gilded gates of the Princess Manor, stood a luxurious carriage.

Several adorable maids loitered about, along with several brightly-armored guards from the royal household — Liu Qingzhi among them, seemingly part of the ceremonial escort.

And there, standing arrogantly atop the stairs, fanning himself with a broad folding fan, was the grotesquely handsome Steward Hou — loudly extorting a richly dressed young master:

"Even seeing the top courtesan of Flower Tower Street costs five taels tea money. Our lady’s worth far more than any courtesan! Ten taels if you want to leave a message!"

"Shhh, Steward Hou, you can’t say that! How can Her Highness be compared to women of the dust? If the Princess hears—"

"If she hears, it’ll be you disrespecting the royal family, not me. I’m just a Zhao clan servant; at worst, I’ll get a slap. You, Young Master Liu, will be much worse off..."

"Fine, fine! I’ll pay—"

"But I’ve already asked. Her Highness refuses visitors today."

"You—!"

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Xie Jinhuan watched the shameless highway robbery unfold and couldn’t help muttering:

"Truly living up to that face..."

Linghu Qingmo, utterly unfazed, quickly steered them into a side alley, probably to avoid being spotted by her 'dear sister' the Princess:

"Changning Princess was born breathtakingly beautiful and holds enormous power. Countless admirers come knocking daily. So she stationed Steward Hou to deal with them."

"I see."

...