Roaring Dragon-Chapter 57: Demonic Qi Returns?

Very quickly, Wang He raised her paper again.

Linghu Qingmo caught sight of the vulgar scrawl and inhaled sharply, her face flushing red with embarrassment. She looked like she might bolt on the spot.

Princess Changning opened her mouth to interject but couldn’t break the rules, so she just urged her along:

“Come ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) on now! We’re all girls here. Why the fuss?”

Isn’t Xie Jinhuan a man?

Under everyone’s expectant gaze, Linghu Qingmo had no choice but to brace herself and tactfully hint:

“Um... it’s a type of seafood...”

“Abalone.”

Xie Jinhuan never lets Mo-mo take the hit!

Linghu Qingmo and Princess Changning both froze for a second.

Wang He was downright stunned. She stared at Xie Jinhuan’s back like an ant suddenly catching a glimpse of the heavens.

Linghu Qingmo asked, dumbfounded,

“Xie Jinhuan, you’re seriously not cheating?”

Cheating? For this?

I could guess what these little flirtatious brats would write with my eyes closed...

Xie Jinhuan gave off the air of a worldly old cultivator atop a lonely peak:

“I started studying at three. Learned a bunch of random stuff. Miss Wang better step it up, or she’s leaving this room crawling.”

Though Princess Changning still suspected him of using some secret trick, she couldn’t help her delight. She scooted over, her plush rear brushing against him, like a doting wife leaning into her favorite consort. She even waved a round fan gently at her trusted champion:

“Go on, go on. Little Wang He dares act up in front of me?”

The three young ladies across from them were clearly feeling the pressure.

Wang He, ever since being dubbed “The Saint of Gambling,” had never met such a formidable opponent. She huddled with the other girls for a brainstorm session before presenting the next slip of paper.

Princess Changning glanced at it and frowned slightly.

“That’s a bit too hard for a martial brute. Should test something found on a boat, at least. How could he possibly know this from the Confucian Academy?”

Xie Jinhuan raised a hand lightly: free𝑤ebnovel.com

“No problem. You want to test something boat-related, do that next. Let me try this one first.”

Princess Changning had no choice but to read aloud:

“Who authored the Discourse on the Former Qi Dynasty?”

Okay, that one was definitely tough.

Xie Jinhuan paused to recall, then answered:

“Tong Rongsheng. Ranked third in the imperial exams during the seventh year of Zheng’an. His career stalled, so he served as a copyist in the Secretariat. In his lifetime, he presented six policy essays to the founding emperor, including ‘On National Prosperity’ and ‘On Enlightening the People’... They discussed the rise and fall of the Great Qi, analyzing in full how the dynasty flourished, declined, and ultimately fell...”

The room fell silent.

At first, Princess Changning looked suspicious, but as he went on, her skepticism turned into pure admiration.

After all, the paper only had the name written on it. Even if Xie Jinhuan used some secret x-ray technique, there was no way he could know the full content. This was genuine knowledge!

Good-looking, talented in the arts, can sing, dance, drink, talk your ear off, and knows everything from ancient to modern...

Isn’t this basically a high-class courtesan?

No wonder those rich young masters spend their whole fortune chasing after courtesans...

With this quality? I’d spend money too...

—

Linghu Qingmo wasn’t that surprised though. After all, Xie Jinhuan had even read the Essence of Plants and Trees, so how could he not know a required text from the academy?

Meanwhile, the three girls opposite realized this handsome brute wasn’t just brawn—he could match them in brain too. The playful mood vanished.

Wang He stared blankly for a beat, then said in disbelief:

“You’re really that knowledgeable, sir?”

Xie Jinhuan waved modestly:

“I vowed at three years old to out-study every local scholar. Wanted to learn everything, but my talents were limited—I ended up a jack of all trades, master of none. I can recall the general ideas, but don’t ask me to recite all six essays from memory.”

“That’s already amazing. And on top of that, your martial skill leads your generation.”

Wang He, now feeling like she’d finally met her match, grew more competitive.

But the next round would involve boat-related objects, and with someone like Xie Jinhuan—who’d dabbled in everything—her team was clearly at a disadvantage.

So they changed strategies. They decided to go after Mo-mo’s soft underbelly instead.

Linghu Qingmo knew she was the weak link and grew very nervous.

What she didn’t expect was that this time the handwriting was actually... halfway normal. She stared at it, confused:

“Did you mess this up? How could this be on a boat?”

Wang He nodded confidently:

“It’s definitely on the boat. If you don’t believe me, ask the princess.”

Princess Changning’s expression turned a little odd, but she didn’t speak.

Linghu Qingmo remained skeptical, but still gave the prompt seriously:

“A type of wild beast...”

“Guji!”

Meiqiu popped his fat head out from under the table, chirping like—Someone calling me?

Xie Jinhuan shoved the nosy hawk back into hiding and answered without hesitation:

“White Tiger.”

Hsss—!

All the girls drew a collective breath!

Even Linghu Qingmo was stunned. She asked, baffled:

“You still insist you’re not cheating?! There are no tigers on this boat—how the hell did you guess that?”

“I—hsss—”

Before Xie Jinhuan could explain, someone pinched his lower back!

Princess Changning’s face flushed a furious red, tinged with shame, but she still carried the aura of noble dignity. Narrowing her eyes, her icy voice snapped:

“Xie Jinhuan, explain yourself. What do you mean by ‘White Tiger’? How did you deduce that? If you’re cheating, the punishment is gouging out your eyes. I won’t plead for you.”

Xie Jinhuan had deduced it from “the hairless girl,” but obviously couldn’t say that. He steadied his voice and answered:

“White Tiger is the Guardian General of the West. The word ‘white’ here refers to the metal element in the Five Phases, not the color.

“This cruise ship is finely made. Since the roof features a qilin to ward off evil, it’s likely the four corners depict the Four Divine Beasts as well—probably painted beneath the eaves to expel spirits and suppress demons.

“This is the Princess’s own ship. Since Miss Wang said the Princess would surely know, I figured it had to be the White Tiger.”

“......”

Princess Changning silently released his back and even started rubbing the sore spot a little apologetically.

Linghu Qingmo thought that reasoning actually made sense. She asked again:

“Then why White Tiger and not Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, or Black Tortoise?”

“You said ‘wild beast.’ Of the Four Symbols, only the White Tiger qualifies. The others are all divine beasts.”

“Oh...”

Finishing his nonsense with a straight face, Xie Jinhuan turned to Wang He and the others:

“Was this your intended answer, Miss Wang?”

Of course it wasn’t. It came from a naughty thought she’d once shared with the Princess in a hot spring.

But with Xie Jinhuan’s explanation sounding so logical, she couldn’t very well argue it:

“You truly are learned and talented, sir. I’m impressed.”

“You flatter me...”

“Let’s keep going. Our turn to ask, Wang He—you guess now!”

—

The five girls and one guy grew rowdier by the minute. Even Meiqiu got totally forgotten.

But just as the teams switched sides and it was Wang He’s turn to guess, a voice suddenly whispered in Xie Jinhuan’s ear:

“Something’s not right outside. Go check.”

Xie Jinhuan froze mid-pour. From outside on the river came the distant sound of drums and gongs. Setting the wine pot down, he leaned over to Mo-mo and whispered:

“I’m stepping out for a leak. Want to come?”

?

Linghu Qingmo was still puzzling over the latest clue. Hearing that, she shot him a glare like lightning. Her pretty eyes narrowed, practically shouting:

Drunk again, aren’t you?

Even if I had to go, you think I’d go with you?!

I still haven’t smacked you for stroking my feather earlier...

Xie Jinhuan was just teasing—he said no more and quietly left the room. He climbed to the second-floor railing for a better view.

What he saw stunned him: a massive treasure ship slowly pulling away from the shore, heading toward the center of the river.

Their cruise boat was close to the embankment, so the treasure ship had to pass nearby—less than a hundred meters away. He could see people packed on its deck, their voices drifting over:

“Ho-oh—!”

“One more round—!”

...

He’d noticed that ship earlier. According to gossip, several gambling-house owners had chartered it for the Mid-Autumn Festival—offering “premium entertainment.”

Since he’d come with Princess Changning, he couldn’t just hop over and ogle. But after a moment of watching, he asked aloud:

“This ship... something’s off?”

Right then, the red-clad spirit girl with the red umbrella appeared beside him:

“Yes.”

It was Mid-Autumn, so Ye Hongshang had dressed for the occasion—her flowing crimson hezi skirt, sheer-sleeved outer robe, and golden coal-hawk embroidery all shimmered. Her chest, fuller than Wang He’s, bounced beneath the fabric like twin silver moons...

!

Xie Jinhuan blinked and took his time appreciating his ghostly bride:

“Big ship. What exactly’s wrong with it?”

Ye Hongshang raised her sleeve to shield her neckline, glancing at the vessel:

“The qi is wrong. It’s gathering toward the inner cabin. Either a formation is active, or someone’s casting—definitely not orthodox.”

Ordinary cultivation drew on nature’s qi. But this kind of energy—intangible yet oppressive—couldn’t be seen or touched.

Xie Jinhuan obviously lacked the ability to sense it. After a few moments of peering, he said:

“I’ll go check it out?”

Ye Hongshang looked back toward the room full of giggling girls:

“Another drink or two and you could’ve started groping. You sure you wanna leave?”

“With girls like that, who gropes who is anyone’s guess. I’m drinking because it’s polite, not because I’m some club gigolo.”

Xie Jinhuan vaulted over the railing—

Tap tap tap...

His feet skimmed the river surface, kicking up ripples as a white streak shot into the moonlit night...

—

Elsewhere, in the Dan Prince’s Pavilion.

Fireworks bloomed outside the window, casting shifting shadows across the study.

The Dan Prince, wearied by a string of bizarre cases, hadn’t even returned to the inner palace for the festival. He flipped through dossiers, brow furrowed:

“I heard Ling’er personally hosted a banquet for Xie Jinhuan last night? Just the two of them?”

Zhu Wenyuan stood at his desk, composed:

“They only drank in Wuwei Hall. Disbanded right after the Chilin Guard incident.”

“How long did they stay?”

“About an hour.”

“...”

The Dan Prince inhaled slowly. An hour? More than enough time to make him a grandpa.

What should the baby be named...

Xie Little Rascal...

Just as he was about to say more, noise came from upstairs—

Knock knock knock—

“Master Zhu! Master Zhu—!”

The Dan Prince Pavilion had seven levels. Aside from military affairs and armories, the top floor housed the Stargazing Platform.

The platform was equipped with an Eight-Directional Array, similar to a demon-detecting compass. It could sense changes in qi across Danyang to pinpoint hidden evils.

But it only reacted to major disturbances. Small fluctuations didn’t travel far.

The last time it triggered was the night demonic qi erupted from Zihui Mountain.

Hearing the urgent voice of a watchman, Zhu Wenyuan sensed trouble. He rushed to the stairs:

“What is it?”

A young Daoist rushed down, face pale:

“Downriver from the Huai River—a surge of bloodthirsty demonic qi! Just as intense as Zihui Mountain’s incident. Can’t tell the exact location.”

Zhu Wenyuan’s heart dropped. That monster again?

He hadn’t sensed any blood qi from the southeast, but the platform’s detection range far exceeded any mortal’s. It could even scan as far as Luojing.

Experts in town had theorized that the qi at Zihui Mountain came from a transcendent-class demon.

Creatures of that level weren’t something mortals could handle—and the destruction they brought, even all of Danzhou might not survive.

The Dan Prince heard it too. He gave a grave command:

“Send word! All guest retainers of the Prince’s Mansion, along with Zihui Mountain and Danyang Academy’s masters, are to head downstream immediately. That demon must be hunted and destroyed!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The young Daoist rushed upstairs. Soon, the deep toll of the bell rang from above—

Dong—dong—

From Danyang Academy to the outskirts of Zihui Mountain, figures began to stir. They arrived at the Dan Prince’s Pavilion, then soared southward toward the lower Huai River.

Among them was an old scholar in Confucian robes, walking mid-air...