Roaring Dragon-Chapter 120: From Burglary to Armed Robbery

Night had fallen deep. The vast estate lay silent as death.

Xie Jinhuan slipped past the few patrolling guards and infiltrated Ye Shiyong’s private residence. With Ghost Wife’s reconnaissance, he found that while the exterior appeared lax, the inner quarters were tightly secured—traps and alarms hidden everywhere, even more elaborate than Li Gongpu’s estate.

Ye Hongshang floated beside him in her red robe. After a brief scan, she offered a quiet warning:

“There’s a formation concealing spiritual fluctuations. It’s meant to block any detection. Hard to gauge how many people are actually here—be careful.”

Honestly, just judging by the location, Xie Jinhuan had already guessed Ye Shiyong was up to no good.

The estate was in a remote corner of the outer city, with hardly any patrols nearby and no Celestial Officers ever venturing this way. It bordered the city wall, and just beyond that was the Luo River—perfect escape route if something went wrong.

If he were a demonic bandit, he’d pick a place like this too. Certainly not something like Qingquan Alley, where all the powerful recluses lived.

Still, to be thorough, he advanced step by step along the wall and eventually reached the main residence. After listening closely, he confirmed not a sound stirred inside.

No one?

The carriages and horses were still here—surely Ye Shiyong didn’t leave on foot...

Probably went out in disguise to meet higher-ups from the Dark God Cult.

Slightly puzzled, Xie Jinhuan poked his head over the rooftop. Confirming there was no light inside, he dropped silently to the ground and pushed open the main door just a crack to peer inside.

It was a study. No one in sight. The walls were adorned with calligraphy and paintings. The treasure shelves held mostly jade and vases. The bookshelves had standard classics—nothing too suspicious. The only standout was the sword on the display stand: black scabbard inlaid with red gems, gold-threaded hilt. Most likely a reward from the emperor for meritorious service.

Ye Hongshang gave the place a quick once-over and scoffed:

“Looks like he’s not home. Is the hero going to leave empty-handed?”

Xie Jinhuan hadn’t come here to loot, though. His main goal was to look for leads on the Dark God Cult. He stepped into the study and sniffed the air. A faint, unusual scent lingered.

“What’s that smell?”

Ye Hongshang’s eyes landed on a sachet hanging beside the desk.

“Seems to come from some rare beast. The scent neutralizes blood aura and clears lingering odors—definitely the kind of thing a demonic cultivator would use.”

Xie Jinhuan nodded slightly. After confirming there were no traps, he moved to inspect the desk and bookshelves. Among the documents, he found a recent one—detailing arrangements for Empress He’s return to her hometown to offer ancestral rites.

Empress He was a native of Jingzhao Prefecture. Her family estate was in Hongzhang County. She’d married the current emperor back when he was still an unfavored prince. Since her family was nearby, she visited every year with her brother, Grand Minister He, to pay respects to their ancestors.

Since his own father had been a county constable and responsible for maintaining order during her departures, Xie Jinhuan was familiar with this matter. The timeline roughly matched. Nothing too suspicious—yet.

However... there was a state-owned quarry in Hongzhang County too. Most of the capital’s stone supply came from there...

Xie Jinhuan quietly examined the documents, running through possibilities in his mind. He hadn’t reached any solid conclusions when—

Rustle—

The soft sound of stone sliding.

His eyes sharpened instantly. He held his breath and turned toward the window.

Ye Hongshang looked outside first, then down below. Her brow lifted.

“There’s a hidden passage under the well. Ye Shiyong’s back. Time for some robbery and murder.”

...?

That line from Ghost Wife was a little off-brand for him, but—well, not entirely wrong given the situation.

—

Outside the main building, clouds covered the moon.

Ye Shiyong leapt silently from the well. After glancing left and right to ensure nothing was amiss, he carried a food box toward the main house.

On the surface, this was his private estate. But in truth, it was a Dark God Cult safehouse. During the city lockdown, all covert personnel movements and emergency evacuations passed through here. Zhang Chu handled the covert ops. Ye Shiyong maintained the public cover.

To avoid detection by experts or magical tools, the whole estate was layered with concealment formations and alarm traps. All servants were loyal family retainers, strictly forbidden from entering the inner courtyard. Normally, no one could sneak in silently.

So Ye Shiyong wasn’t on high alert. His mind was still caught up in He Can’s nonsense when he reached the study window—and abruptly froze in mid-step.

He sniffed.

A human scent...

As a body-refining demonic cultivator, his senses had sharpened beyond human. Nose like a hound, ears like a cat, eyes like an eagle—those were the basics. Unless someone had a golden body, they always carried trace odors.

And this one? Wine, perfume, and cat hair—someone had clearly been drinking and snuggling a big-breasted feline just moments ago.

The scent was faint. He wasn’t sure if it drifted in from outside or if someone had just left. But suddenly, his gut twisted with dread, and his right hand flew up on reflex.

BOOM—!

The wall to his right erupted outward.

Thirty-six segments of the Tiangang Mace swept through in a burst of silver-blue light, laced with shattered brick and debris, aiming straight for his skull!

CRACK—

The heavy mace slammed into his raised right arm. The impact shattered bone with a sickening crunch—his forearm folded in half instantly!

And it didn’t stop there. The mace kept going, smashing down toward his head. Blood sprayed into the air. The force of the blow and flying debris hurled his body straight across the courtyard.

WHAM—

A wave of dust and rubble swept the entire yard, slamming into the walls and rising into the sky.

Alongside it rose a bone-chilling aura of bloodlust and killing intent.

Though launched like a ragdoll, Ye Shiyong hadn’t died. Mid-flight, his left hand clawed at the white stone walkway, fingers gouging deep grooves into the ground—

SCRAAAAAPE—

When he came to a stop, he was crouched on all fours like a beast ready to pounce.

His once-aged face now resembled a blood-soaked demon. Eyes glowing red, veins bulging, muscles surging so violently that his robes split open with sharp cracks. His back arched. His limbs thickened before the eye—his whole body seemed to swell in size.

HUFF—

His ragged breaths echoed like an enraged bull or tiger.

From behind the shattered wall, a bright voice called out:

“Only took one smack to force out your second transformation. Looks like Lord Ye’s not as tough as Taishu Dan.”

Ye Shiyong stared at the broken wall, rage and killing intent boiling in his crimson eyes. But upon hearing that unmistakable voice, his fury paused, confusion flickering in.

Step... step... step...

Footsteps echoed from inside the ruined study.

A white robe emerged from the darkness, followed by a tall figure hoisting the Tiangang Mace—then that face: breathtakingly handsome, but in this moment, death itself.

Gulp... gulp...

Ye Shiyong’s heart pounded so hard it was visible through his chest—like a killing engine revving to max power. Yet instead of attacking, he frowned, confusion overtaking his bloodlust.

“Xie Jinhuan?! Why are you in my study?”

Thump.

Xie Jinhuan stepped out through the broken wall, bracing the mace with both hands. He calmly examined the blood-drenched, transformed half-demon.

“Where else did you think I’d be, Lord Ye?”

Ye Shiyong couldn’t make sense of how the boy got in. Even with murder on his mind, he rasped out:

“You should be killing Li Gongpu! He set the trap! Didn’t you realize?”

“I did. But grudges come in order of importance. Li ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Gongpu demoted my father. It was your Dark God Cult that tried to wipe us out.”

Xie Jinhuan stared into those blood-red eyes.

“Let’s not play coy. My father’s case, and your real boss—why don’t you tell me everything. In return, I’ll give you a clean death. Otherwise, if the Astronomical Bureau catches you, you’ll beg for death and never get it.”

“...Heh.”

Ye Shiyong grinned, crouching lower, breathing like a beast.

“This estate’s shrouded in formation. The Eight Directions Illumination Tower can’t detect the blood aura here. By the time the Celestial Officers arrive, I’ll have torn out your soul and replaced your identity. Swapping a bright future for your corpse—not a bad deal.”

Xie Jinhuan glanced toward the night sky over the inner city. No experts rushing in. Good.

He hadn’t expected the court to help anyway. He’d take this bastard alive himself.

“Demonic body cultivators—brains all turned to muscle. Lucky for me, my Silver Dragon Eight Forms were made to crush martial sects. Let’s see who’s stronger.”

He raised the Tiangang Mace and pointed at the blood-soaked beast in the yard.

“If Lord Ye wants a duel, I’m happy to oblige.”

Whoosh.

With that, the dust finally settled.

A tense silence fell over the courtyard, lit only by the pale, cold moonlight—two figures poised for deadly battle.

Far away, atop a distant rooftop—

Sect Master Nangong Ye had been tailing the young man tirelessly. Now hidden in the shadows, she stared at the grotesquely transformed demon with visible surprise.

She’d known it—Xie Jinhuan wasn’t the type to waste time in a woman’s bed.

As she suspected, he finished his “business” in under two quarter-hours, then snuck back out for some monster-slaying. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Honestly, not a long time... but for someone racing to kill demons, finishing fast and letting the girl clean herself was understandable, right?

Now that he’d actually found a demon, her opinion of him rose slightly. At the moment, she found him admirable—if a bit lecherous.

Even in the middle of demon-hunting, he’d still swing by a lover’s house for a round. Aren’t your legs sore?

Such domineering energy—if he ends up stumbling in the fight because he blew out his knees earlier, she’d like to see how he explains that...