Roaring Dragon-Chapter 48: A Bowl in the Sky!

Everyone gathered in the back bedroom. The canopy bed had been lifted, revealing a small box underneath. Inside were some letters, a few yellowed booklets, and a couple of medicine bottles.

Xie Jinhuan, walking at the front, stiffened at the sight. His expression suddenly turned panicked.

“Th-this...”

Such behavior naturally aroused suspicion.

At the back of the crowd, Zhou He, the Centurion, saw the items were still there and that Xie Jinhuan looked appropriately shocked—exactly as expected. He quietly let out a breath of relief and stepped forward, ready to fan the flames.

Tie Fengzhang, however, furrowed his brows. “Young friend Xie, are these items too private to show?”

Ye Hongshang, who had been observing everyone’s reactions carefully, whispered near his ear:

“It was the Chilin Guard who planted it.”

Now that the culprit behind the setup was confirmed, Xie Jinhuan gave a subtle nod. Gotta say, my ghost wife is damn useful.

Of course, he’d already swapped the planted items. Calling Zhou He out now would be idiotic—he had to stick to the plan.

“Mhm... they are personal items. Not exactly something I want others looking through.”

“?”

Zhou He’s brows furrowed as soon as Xie Jinhuan admitted it. Something felt off.

Logically, if he’d found strange items in his home, Xie Jinhuan should’ve immediately denied everything and accused someone of planting them.

Sensing the bait, Zhou He quickly pulled back into the crowd and tried to hide his presence—but it was clearly too late.

Tie Fengzhang noticed the odd atmosphere and silently walked over to the bed. He picked up one of the medicine bottles, inspected it carefully, even gave it a sniff—and then froze.

Everyone else held their breath. Linghu Qingmo nervously asked:

“Lord Tie, what’s that medicine?”

“Hm... seems like Dragonblood Pills.”

“Huh?”

The crowd looked at one another, completely confused.

From the back, Lin Wanyi frowned slightly.

“I made you those Dragonblood Pills. What’s so secretive about them? I already reported them to the academy.”

Li Jing gave a small nod. “That’s right. Zisu even requested leave yesterday for it.”

Xie Jinhuan of course knew the pills weren’t a big deal—but in order to lure the snake out of its hole, he had to make sure the planted “evidence” was convincing.

So naturally, the wardrobe also contained some truly unspeakable items.

Tie Fengzhang confirmed the pills were harmless and put the bottle down. Then he picked up one of the yellowed booklets.

The original title had been cut out and replaced with a piece of paper labeled “Book of Rites.”

He opened it to the first page and saw—“Jade Maiden’s Meditation.”

Next page—one dragon, two phoenixes...

Oh. The sacred rites of man and woman...

Wait. This was Spring Rhapsody!

Realizing what it was, Tie Fengzhang nearly gasped, and slammed the book shut in a flash.

He turned to see Xie Jinhuan with an innocent shrug, the look in his eyes saying, Come on, Lord Tie, we’re all men here—no need to say it out loud...

Tie Fengzhang, though known for his iron will and righteous nature, wasn’t completely clueless.

An eighteen-year-old guy in the prime of his youth—who hadn’t flipped through a few racy books?

Even he had been beaten by his master over this kind of thing back in the day...

To come running in here on an inspection, only to find smut under the bed—if he waved it around publicly, it’d be like forming a blood feud with the boy.

No wonder Xie Jinhuan looked panicked earlier...

If someone barged into his place and found this stuff, he’d probably rather admit to being a demon than let them open that damn drawer.

The guards nearby saw their iron-faced commander suddenly go quiet, and all looked around in confusion.

Linghu Qingmo cautiously asked:

“Lord Tie... what kind of book is it?”

Tie Fengzhang, fully focused now on how to defuse the situation without traumatizing the younger man, replied:

“Hm... it’s an obscure pre-dynasty text. Elder Li might recognize it.”

Li Jing stepped forward, flipped through a few pages, then without a word, tucked it into his scholar’s sleeve.

“Young friend Xie is certainly studious. Yes, it’s an ancient work. I can vouch that there’s nothing inappropriate.”

Everyone looked even more bewildered.

If it’s no big deal, why not show us?

Secret martial manual?

Clearly confused by the two experts’ cryptic behavior, Princess Changning stepped forward herself. She pulled out the last remaining letter from the wardrobe and began to read:

“Among heaven and earth, where all the beauty gathers, there is a maiden named Qingmo, graceful as a startled swan...

“Her beauty is peerless, like the morning glow lighting the sky; her figure elegant, like the breeze brushing a willow...

“Her kindness and compassion save the masses from suffering, and soothe the world’s pain...”

The more she read, the softer her voice became.

The room was dead silent.

The rough and rowdy martial guards all turned their heads toward the white-robed fairy nearby.

Linghu Qingmo, still holding her three-foot sword, had been on edge moments ago. But now, her icy face turned beet red. No one knew how much ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) willpower it took for her not to flee the room and yell:

“You shameless bastard~!”

Steward Hou, seeing the awkward silence, fanned himself thoughtfully.

“Nice writing. Overdecorated and a bit clumsy in rhythm—but there's some flair.”

Li Jing felt like his brain had been soaked in lard for agreeing to this search in the first place. Sensing the situation, he quickly offered support:

“Who would've thought that Young Master Xie, in addition to his martial genius, also has such a talent for prose.

“That phrase ‘Among heaven and earth, where all the beauty gathers’—no need to interpret too literally. ‘Qing’ refers to mountains, ‘mo’ to darkness, darkness is mystery, and mystery is water—symbolizing rivers.

“This essay must be a metaphorical praise of the natural beauty of the world... of nature’s compassion...”

The old man was doing everything he could to act like a Confucian scholar, but no one present was buying it. Their eyes slowly drifted toward the ‘injured party’—Lin Wanyi.

She stood with her hands clasped at her waist, pale fingers tightening until the veins showed, her eyes sour and filled with quiet resentment as she glared sideways at Linghu Qingmo.

(←_←)!

Noticing all the stares, Linghu Qingmo quickly looked away, putting on a totally innocent face.

Girl’s got some acting chops...

Xie Jinhuan, realizing that the earlier explanation might’ve been too stiff, had purposely thrown in this whole side plot to confuse the issue. He awkwardly clarified:

“I wasn’t trying to imply anything. Just bored and scribbling for fun—please don’t misunderstand, Miss Linghu.”

No one believed him. Not one.

Linghu Qingmo, being the straightforward type, was already overwhelmed by being treated like a romantic rival by Lin the Doctor. She was stunned.

But if she now turned cold and distanced herself, wouldn’t that embarrass the guy in front of everyone?

What now?!

She couldn’t exactly act like one of those crazy noble heiresses and smugly rub it in:

“Oops~ Jinhuan wrote me a love poem~ You didn’t get one, did you?”

Crying won’t help you~

That would make her look like a scheming green tea b*tch.

Princess Changning realized her bestie was getting roasted and tried to defuse things—

Only to glance down and spot another letter. She picked it up and read:

“Don’t rush, there’s more. Hmm... ‘A bowl in the sky, an aunt on the ground... Heaven and Earth combined...’ Wait, what the hell is this crap?! Wanyi?! What were you even trying to write here?!”

Her big, sparkly eyes opened wider than Meiqiu’s—she looked like she was ready to launch into the sky and kick him across the roof!

Linghu Qingmo gasped aloud.

The room full of martial experts all stumbled back a step.

Only Meiqiu looked up and around the ceiling, seriously wondering—Where’s the bowl? Where’s the bowl?

Xie Jinhuan nearly lost it, but to fully turn the situation into farce, he put on a perfectly serious face and spouted nonsense:

“Uh... like I said, I just wrote it randomly. Doesn’t mean anything. Can’t take it seriously...”

No one believed him. And now they were starting to feel bad for Doctor Lin.

Everyone knew this guy could write beautiful prose—his piece for Miss Qingmo used phrases like ‘Her beauty is peerless, like dawn lighting the sky’.

But for Miss Lin?

“A bowl in the sky, an aunt on the ground”?

Even the academy’s guard dog could crank out a hundred better poems after a few drinks!

Favoritism was one thing—but this? This was a damn drought and flood situation!

No wonder Miss Lin looked like she was ready to cough up three pints of blood.