Roaring Dragon-Chapter 108: First Meeting in the Rain

As dawn slowly brightened the sky, more pedestrians began to flow through the Free Wanderer Alley.

At the alley’s entrance stood Linghu Qingmo, holding an oil-paper umbrella. From time to time, she turned to glance deeper into the alley, her eyes laced with concern. She was worried something might have happened to Xie Jinhuan—or worse, that he might’ve fallen for temptation...

Ptui ptui ptui...

Just thinking of the way those five or six men had stared at Xie Jinhuan earlier made Linghu Qingmo scowl. She yanked Meiqiu up with one hand and gave the bird a serious glare.

“You were supposed to help him find a den of bandits, and this is the kind of shady place you lead him to? What, you trying to have him work as a host now?”

“Guji?”

Meiqiu blinked innocently—as if saying, what else did you expect?

Luckily, it didn’t take long before Xie Jinhuan emerged from the alley, brows deeply furrowed.

Linghu Qingmo quickly approached him and gave him a suspicious once-over.

“You... you’re already done?”

“Mm... huh?”

Xie Jinhuan paused, then reached out to pinch her curious little face.

“Done with what? You think I’d finish that quick-quick-quick~~?”

SZZZZZT—

Linghu Qingmo, having just had her cheek pinched, instinctively grabbed his wrist as sparks of lightning exploded from her palm. But remembering the "Don't Get Mad" bet they made, she immediately restrained herself—only to deeply regret it a second later.

Xie Jinhuan, of course, didn’t mind her bout of domestic violence. He calmly held the umbrella over her head and explained,

“That was a branch outpost of the Blood Rain Tower. They sell intel, and occasionally take on jobs beating up rich young masters. Nothing too special.”

“The Blood Rain Tower dares operate in the capital?”

“What’s the big deal? Even the Wumeng of Southern Wilderness have branches here. Just harder to find. Blood Rain Tower has good information. Leave it for now—it might come in handy.”

As he spoke, Xie Jinhuan’s gaze drifted toward the distant fur shop.

But having just sold them stolen goods last night, they were probably busy. It’d be better to come back at night to ask about the Drunken Bone Fragrance.

The two turned back toward the inner city. Along the way, they noticed a growing commotion on the street. A group of idle men had gathered, enthusiastically gossiping about a strange event from the previous night.

“Did you hear? Last night the Thief Sage hit Grand Eunuch Li’s estate...”

“The Thief Sage? What’d they steal?”

“Heh! You call that stealing? He was righting injustice for the people, how dare you call it theft...”

“Fair enough. What did they ‘claim’ then?”

“You should ask what’s left! I heard all that remained of the mansion were four walls and a roof. Even the maids and concubines were taken. Li Gongpu was so pissed he coughed up three pints of blood and passed out on the spot...”

“Beautiful...”

...

Linghu Qingmo slowed her steps, listening closely with growing astonishment.

“That really happened? Who’s got the guts to rob Li Gongpu’s estate clean?”

“Guji~”

Meiqiu seemed to have something to say, but before it could turn its head, Xie Jinhuan pressed it down.

He remained perfectly composed, smiling faintly as he said,

“The Li clan’s rich and heartless. Probably some chivalrous fellow couldn’t stand it anymore and made a bold move.”

Linghu Qingmo was clearly intrigued. After listening more closely, she scoffed softly.

“Li Gongpu’s a sycophantic hypocrite. If he got hit, that’s karma. But this Thief Sage sounds skilled. Should we investigate?”

“?”

Xie Jinhuan gave her a look—like hell he was going to investigate himself. He shook his head.

“Just a petty case. We’ve got demon cultists to worry about. You didn’t sleep all night—go rest and recover. I’m heading to the East Market, I’ll be back later.”

“...Alright.”

—

Meanwhile, at the Prince’s Mansion.

Morning rain pattered across the sprawling estate as colorful maids moved busily along the corridors, preparing meals for their masters.

In the outer residence, Liu Qingzhi and Yang Dabiao were setting down a massive iron pot in the miscellaneous courtyard, chatting as they worked.

“Old Liu, what’s the Princess up to? Celebrating something with a pig slaughter? I °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° thought the estate didn’t even raise pigs...”

“How would I know? The Princess gave the order—we just follow it.”

...

Back in the guest wing, Steward Hou stood at Xie Jinhuan’s door, fanning himself as he stared at the plaque reading Paragon of Virtue, his expression suspicious.

“Big Bird, why’s my plaque hanging outside Xie brat’s room?”

“Guji?”

“You didn’t get a chance to deliver it? Fine, I’ll take it back myself—hey?”

“Guji guji guji—!”

Meiqiu, just arriving home, spotted the shameless old man trying to steal something. Wings flared, it launched a Flying Bird Kick, chasing Steward Hou around the yard.

The rear residence was much quieter.

A few young maids huddled together, whispering gossip about the original versus the side girl. The stars of the scandal? Naturally, Lady Linghu and Doctor Lin.

Princess Changning, dressed in a gold-embroidered jacket featuring wine gourds, sat sleepily before her vanity. Her spirited maid Duoduo helped her with her hair, chattering all the while.

“Sir Xie really is His Highness’s right-hand man. He’s only been in the capital for a few days and already made waves! Won 3,000 taels for His Highness at the Golden Tower the other night. If we’d arrived earlier, we wouldn’t have missed all the fun...”

The Princess studied her reflection, a bit wistful.

“Her Majesty’s birthday required too much preparation. We had no choice but to come late. And besides, Xie Jinhuan hasn’t even shown a third of his real skills. I’ll take him around with me from now on—plenty of chances to shine.”

“What else is Sir Xie good at?”

“Heh~”

Recalling his wild dance moves and the Great Qian EDM, the Princess felt a pang of longing for that little rascal.

As they chatted, a figure in white entered the room.

The Princess turned, expecting Xie Jinhuan—but her interest died the moment she realized it was her bestie.

“You came back alone? Where’s Xie Jinhuan?”

Linghu Qingmo wasn’t about to admit they’d spent the night together. She replied coolly,

“We were investigating a case last night. He wasn’t with me. Uh... seemed like he went to meet an old flame.”

Princess Changning threw on her outer robe with a disappointed sigh.

“You followed him to the capital and you were off solving cases?”

Linghu Qingmo couldn’t exactly brag about stolen kisses, so she just frowned slightly.

“What else was I supposed to do?”

“...”

The Princess gave up on her workaholic friend and asked instead,

“So, did you look into the Li Gongpu thing?”

Linghu Qingmo set down her sword and blinked.

“Wait, he really was hit by the Thief Sage?!”

Duoduo nodded excitedly.

“It’s true! Aside from Sir Xie, the person I admire most is that chivalrous Thief Sage.

“They say Li’s estate claimed only two hundred taels were stolen, but the study and bedroom were completely stripped. Now the Chilin Guard, Astronomical Bureau, and county offices are all laughing at him—but Li won’t let the officials investigate.”

Linghu Qingmo, clearly intrigued, stepped forward to help with the Princess’s hair.

“He lost so much—why not let the yamen handle it?”

The Princess snorted.

“Li Gongpu’s no honest official. If the missing inventory list went public, even the Emperor might faint. He doesn’t dare let anyone dig too deep.”

“Fair...”

—

A watercolor mist blanketed the imperial capital, the vast city rendered like an ink painting in the autumn rain.

In the outer districts, pedestrians passed under umbrellas or bamboo hats. From above, they looked like drifting lotus leaves along the long, rainy street.

Xie Jinhuan strolled along with an umbrella. The rain tapping against it made a soft sha sha sha sound. His eyes swept the street, observing the quiet bustle.

It was still early—most shops hadn’t opened yet. He had planned to go straight to the East Market, but as he neared the ward gate, he noticed one shop had just opened.

It was a musical instrument store. Inside stood a woman in black, browsing through the selection of zithers and lutes. She wore a black gauze hat and carried a sword on her back.

From a distance, she looked like any other roaming swordswoman—but something about her demeanor felt otherworldly, like a banished immortal who had wandered into the mundane world. And yet, something invisible seemed to set her apart from the world around her.

Huh... strange aura.

Xie Jinhuan instinctively gave her a few glances. She seemed unique, though he couldn’t quite say why.

Just then, the ghost wife murmured in his ear:

“That woman’s no ordinary person. Seems like she’s using a high-grade artifact to mask her presence—I can’t read her.”

“Oh?”

It was the first time he’d seen Ye Hongshang fail to see through someone.

“Is she strong?”

Ye Hongshang couldn’t penetrate her internals, but could observe the surrounding qi patterns:

“Her cultivation’s just a bit higher than yours. Still under the transcendent threshold. Tall, wide hips—definitely good for bearing children. Dare to hit on her?”

“?”

Xie Jinhuan hadn’t planned to—but once a ghost questions his courage, how could he back down?

Besides, the medicine shop wasn’t open yet. Checking this swordswoman out wouldn’t delay anything. He turned and walked to the instrument store, folding up his umbrella.

The shopkeeper was an old man wearing reading glasses, currently repairing an instrument behind the counter.

Judging by the display, the instruments were top-notch. But the old man wasn’t very welcoming—when he saw Xie enter with weapons, he muttered,

“Another wandering vagabond first thing in the morning. We don’t sell magic tools here.”

“Heh. I’m just browsing.”

Xie Jinhuan ignored him and walked over to the black-clad woman. To his surprise, she was almost the same height as him. Her body was like a supermodel’s—tall, curvaceous, not skinny or fragile. Definitely the kind that burned fuel...

Not knowing her yet, Xie Jinhuan didn’t stare. Instead, he looked at the instrument she was studying—a seven-string zither.

“This one’s nice. Made of paulownia wood from Fengzhou. Dry climate over there. Great for instrument bodies—its sound’s gentle like trickling water, yet powerful like rolling thunder...”

As he spoke, he pressed a string with one hand and plucked with the other.

TANG—WONG WONG—

A deep, melancholic note echoed through the store.

The old man looked up, lifting his reading glasses with surprise.

“‘Moon Inquiry from Lone Mountain’? Didn’t expect you to be a connoisseur.”

“I dabble—hardly an expert.”

Xie Jinhuan smiled modestly, then turned toward the black-clad woman, ready to chat her up.

But the veiled woman didn’t even spare him a glance. She moved to the other side of the shop to look at different instruments.

“...”

It might have been the first time Xie Jinhuan had been outright ignored by a beauty. He felt... slightly awkward.

The old shopkeeper just chuckled and returned to fixing his strings.