Roaring Dragon-Chapter 47: Sir! There’s Something Here

As a member of the Daoist sects, Ji Shiqing might have been seeing the weakest lightning spell of his life. He was even afraid breathing too hard might blow it out, so he held it in for a while before asking:

“This is...?”

“Palm Lightning!”

“Really?”

Ji Shiqing wanted to argue, but after staring at it for a good while, he realized—it really was Palm Lightning!

It was just that this “Inverted Candle Pouring” technique was too ridiculous, reducing the spell’s power to almost nothing.

Xie Jinhuan, holding up his lighter-sized little sparks like he was showing off a toy, noticed the baffled expressions from the gathered masters and sincerely explained:

“This is my personal take on Palm Lightning. It does differ a bit from orthodox Daoist thunder arts.

“Also, this technique might look useless, but it takes a different path—it can achieve ‘Mastery of All Doctrines!’

“As long as I know how a divine technique works, I can, in theory, use it. The power might be weak—but still usable.”

Mastering the arts of all doctrines and schools was the highest ideal for cultivators. Only by reaching that point could one approach the concept of the “One” as described by Daoist thought.

But even Shang Lianbi, a once-in-a-century genius said to be the strongest living man who single-handedly kept watch over Dragonbone Beach, only dabbled in Immortal, Buddhist, Martial, Witch, and Demon techniques. He never dared claim “Mastery of All Doctrines.”

The two experts on either side of him were both highly accomplished. Once they understood Xie Jinhuan’s approach, they realized his so-called “Inverted Candle Pouring” did indeed use clever methods to tap into the various teachings.

But so what?

Even with extraordinary comprehension, if you split your refined qi five ways and discard four... that only left two parts to use.

With just twenty percent of your qi, even if you learned the best thunder arts and boosted it with a divine weapon like the Zhenglun Sword, you’d only be hitting with maybe forty percent of your real strength...

You’re a proper martial artist. Why not just cut someone down with a damn sword?!

Everyone looked at one another, unsure whether to praise Xie Jinhuan for his genius, or pity him for wasting god-tier talent on the hilt instead of the blade.

Still, Xie Jinhuan himself seemed quite satisfied with his creation. Since it was still in the experimental stage, the potential was yet to be seen. Catching the odd expressions around him, he added:

“The first person to try getting on a horse probably got laughed at too—fell flat on his face and busted his nose.

“But if no one tries, how would any of us younger folks get to where we are? If this technique reaches maturity, I don’t think founding a sect would be a problem!”

The gathered masters could all see how advanced the underlying principles of the technique were. It clearly took years of refinement.

If the flaws—splitting the qi too much, slow energy buildup—could be fixed, then yes, it really could combine Immortal, Buddhist, Witch, and Demon arts. Founding a new sect? Totally plausible. He could become a new Martial Ancestor.

But this reversed “Tiangang” path was definitely harder than scaling the heavens—brambles and thorns all the way.

Li Jing, eyes tinged with admiration, cut in:

“It’s a tough road. Even the Martial Ancestor couldn’t walk it to the end. You kid pretend to be modest, but your heart’s bigger than the sky. You’re just like little Zisu—once-in-a-century genius. Your talent’s so bright it blinds people.”

Xie Jinhuan accepted the recognition with a slight bow.

“Elder Li flatters me. Today was truly a misunderstanding. I’ll be more mindful next time. I sincerely apologize for disturbing you all.”

Tie Fengzhang and the others now fully understood—this was all Xie Jinhuan messing around to impress a girl. In the process, he burned off some of his qi and blood essence, unintentionally triggering a reaction that looked like demonic cultivation.

Now that no abnormalities had been found, continuing to bother the guy felt inappropriate. Tie Fengzhang was preparing to say a few parting words and wrap things up.

But among the group, Zhou He seemed a bit puzzled. After a brief moment of thought, he subtly made a hand gesture.

One of the Chilin Guards following behind noticed and quickly leaned in to whisper:

“Sir, Young Master Xie seems clean. Should we still search the residence as per protocol?”

Zhou He raised his hand instantly. “If all the elders think there’s no issue, then what’s the point of searching?”

“Oh...”

...

Though their voices were low, the experts nearby clearly heard every word.

Tie Fengzhang blinked his tiger-like eyes. It did seem like they weren’t following the exact procedure... After a moment, he finally said:

“The yamen has strict orders for demonic inspections. Even though Young Friend Xie isn’t a suspect, we still have to {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} follow protocol and search the premises. Forgive us.”

Xie Jinhuan had already guessed someone was trying to frame him—if the yamen showed up to search, then someone was clearly planning to plant something inside.

Hearing that the hint had come from the Chilin Guard, he frowned inwardly. This was turning out to be more complicated than he expected.

Still, he didn’t yet know if the Guard’s warning was sincere or not. So, he played dumb and responded calmly:

“Please, go ahead.”

Tie Fengzhang was about to order the search when—

A commanding female voice rang out from the rear of the residence:

“Hold it!”

At the sound from behind the house, everyone froze.

Xie Jinhuan knew the landlady had shown up. He turned his head and paused, slightly stunned.

Above the back courtyard, several people were already standing—mostly guards. Steward Hou was among them too, his beady eyes darting around like a weasel, as if to say “Lemme see what this is all about...”

In front of the group stood a young lady, radiating noble air.

Her figure was plump and curvy. She wore a warm yellow high-waisted dress, trimmed with golden cloud patterns. Through the translucent sleeves, one could see jade-like shoulders and arms, and her generous bust had stretched the embroidered peacock and hibiscus pattern on her corset until the peacock looked like it had a fat head.

Her features were dazzling. Jet-black hair was tied into a loose cloud bun, adorned with a jeweled hairpin inlaid with pearls and gems. Her rounded face glowed in the sunset, as noble as a palace princess or royal concubine.

Xie Jinhuan had heard her voice every night and assumed, based on the sultry tone, she was a voluptuous seven-foot-tall enchantress.

But seeing her in person—okay, yes to the chest, but she was short, curvy, and had the round face of a girl who couldn’t be more than seventeen or eighteen. Quite the surprise.

Tie Fengzhang and the others quickly bowed.

“There’s been a bit of a misunderstanding. We apologize for disturbing Your Highness.”

Princess Changning had a fiery temper and hated it when people caused trouble on her turf. But she didn’t drive them out—she just spoke calmly:

“If this princess allowed Xie Jinhuan to rent this place, it means I vetted him. There’s no problem. You all coming here to flip his house upside down—are you implying I’m sheltering demonic rebels for personal gain?”

That was aimed straight at the Chilin Guard.

She had seen those three red-robed troublemakers sneaking around Qingquan Alley yesterday. And now they’d come searching today. It was obvious they were setting something up—and she was afraid Xie Jinhuan might fall into their trap. That’s why she stepped in.

Xie Jinhuan, unaware the Chilin Guard had come snooping the day before, felt rather touched by her standing up for him. Still, he had to stick to his script and remain upright and transparent:

“I appreciate Your Highness’s kindness, but the yamen is just doing their job. Rules should apply to everyone. If this isn’t investigated thoroughly, rumors might bring trouble to Your Highness. I have nothing to hide—let them search.”

Princess Changning wanted to warn him he was being set up. But if she insisted, it would only make it look like Xie Jinhuan had something to hide. So she said nothing more.

Tie Fengzhang had already been impressed with Xie Jinhuan over the past few days. Seeing how composed he was now, he felt more certain it was a misunderstanding. But to remain impartial, he gave the order:

“Search the house thoroughly. Don’t damage anything.”

“Yes, sir!”

Over thirty of the Prince’s mansion guards leapt into the courtyard and began carefully combing through the rooms. The Chilin Guards joined in.

Xie Jinhuan stood calmly and watched. Tie Fengzhang even chatted with him to ease the awkwardness.

At the back, Zhou He waited quietly for the results.

And they came quickly.

Barely a few moments into the search, a voice came from the rear bedroom:

“Sir! There’s something here.”

Xie Jinhuan’s expression froze—just the right amount for his performance—then shifted to one of baffled confusion.

He moved quickly toward the rear courtyard, several masters close behind...