Roaring Dragon-Chapter 130: Scared Me Half to Death

Leaving the Lin residence, Xie Jinhuan first made a trip to the banks of Fengyi River, planning to deliver the Yin-Yang Freak Pill to Lady Mu.

But Suyun Studio was tightly shut. Either she'd run off out of embarrassment—or she’d gone to help him borrow the Cycle Lotus.

If it was the latter, that was touching. If the former...

Xie Jinhuan wasn’t too worried. Worst case? He’d plaster wanted posters across the entire martial world of Daqian, publicly declaring that a righteous young hero like himself had been abandoned by Mu Yunhong.

He was famous now. No way could she keep her reputation intact if gossip spread. She’d come running back to clean it up!

Musing on such nonsense, he returned to the Wang Residence on Zheng’an Street.

Under the vermillion-painted eaves of the main gate stood four black-armored guards, who stood up straight and greeted immediately:

“Greetings, Young Master Xie!”

Their gazes, however, were... strange.

?

Xie Jinhuan blinked, glanced down at the older man’s-style robes he was wearing. Maybe he looked too mature today? He didn’t think much of it and strode into the residence—only to notice a group of maids huddled in the corridor, whispering furtively.

When they spotted him, they shot him peculiar glances and quickly scattered.

??

What’s going on?

Puzzled, Xie Jinhuan drew his sword and used the blade as a mirror, turning his face side to side to check. No lip prints from Wan Yi, thankfully. He continued toward the west wing, only for Steward Hou, with his monkey face and folded fan, to leap out from the corridor.

“Yooo~ The Empress Dowager’s favorite returns!”

“Guo...”

At the mention of Guo, Xie Jinhuan thought of a certain hardworking laborer, blinking in confusion.

“Steward Hou, what are you talking about?”

Hou twirled his fan and circled him dramatically.

“I always wondered how you solved cases like a god, picked up skills out of nowhere, even outpaced me... turns out you’ve got a divine goddess behind the scenes!”

...Huh?

I’ve been exposed!

Xie Jinhuan took a slow breath. He wanted to draw his sword and silence this fool, but if even Hou knew, the whole residence probably did. He composed himself.

“Divine goddess? What divine goddess? I don’t follow.”

“Still acting dumb? The whole capital knows. You’re not hiding anything now—go explain yourself to the princess.”

With a final dramatic flourish and a tsk tsk~, Hou walked off, still eyeing Jinhuan up and down.

Xie Jinhuan stood there baffled, about to summon his ghost-wife for help—when Duoduo, sweet-faced and cheerful, came running from the corridor and clung to his arm.

“Young Master Xie, is it true? What everyone’s saying?”

Xie Jinhuan blinked. “What are they saying?”

Duoduo looked up adoringly, like a lovely concubine clinging to her lord:

“That you and the Empress Dowager Guo are... lovers! That you trained tirelessly to help her overthrow Daqian from within...”

(;_)??

You’re flipping the heavens upside down!

Xie Jinhuan froze, his face collapsing as he stared at Duoduo. It took him a long moment to force out:

“Duoduo, what grudge do you have against me...?”

She just pulled his arm and tugged him forward: “Come on, come on! Her Highness has been waiting for you all morning!”

“...She has?”

—

Shortly after, in the princess’s chambers.

The soft sha-sha of rain trickled outside the window. Inside, silence reigned—only the rustle of paper echoed faintly.

Sha... sha...

Xie Jinhuan sat cross-legged, back to the window, flipping through a few sheets of letter paper with a bewildered look. Meiqiu sat at his thigh, tilting its head.

Linghu Qingmo sat to his right, her brows slightly knit, casting furtive glances his way.

Princess Changning leaned against Qingmo, dressed in a warm golden brocade skirt, idly fanning herself while watching Jinhuan with curious intensity.

Duoduo, unable to compete with Meiqiu for lap space, knelt behind and leaned on Jinhuan’s shoulder, peeking curiously at the letter.

“I never imagined... Empress Dowager Guo was your ex. No wonder you’re so calm around the princess...”

Xie Jinhuan inhaled deeply, sinking into the cushion behind him.

Whoever made this scandal up—had serious talent.

The letter outlined his supposed romance with Empress Dowager Guo in painful, fabricated detail: how they met, how they supported each other, how they fell in love.

It even explained why he’d disappeared for three years—she’d erased his tracks to hide the affair and position him to sabotage Daqian from within.

It justified his meteoric rise to Third Rank—a result of the dowager investing the might of a nation to raise her boy toy.

As for his uncanny ability to solve crimes and spot demons? Oh, that was from “learning divination and aura-sensing from the Prognostication Sect!”

Everything lined up. Ironclad logic. The only flaw—it was total fiction.

Reading The Secret History of Empress Dowager Guo, Xie Jinhuan finally understood how it felt when the protagonist read The Erotic Chronicles of Wei Wuyi or The Romantic Saga of Lu Wuzhen. He was completely speechless.

Seeing the three women staring at him with suspicion, he set the pages down and asked:

“You really believe this slander? Do I look like someone who freeloads off a woman?”

Linghu Qingmo blinked: “I don’t believe you’re a cultist... but Empress Dowager Guo...”

Princess Changning fanned herself slowly, studying his features.

“She’s not a demon or anything. You’ve got the looks, the poise, the speech, the talent, the charm. If you really sweet-talked her... I doubt she’d resist.”

Xie Jinhuan half-raised his hands: “You don’t think the court believes this too, right?”

The princess leaned closer, gathering the letter.

“Relax, we’re just teasing. The court won’t be swayed by petty rumors—unless its time has truly come. But you should still be careful. If Northern Zhou rides this wave, you might get swept under.”

“Northern Zhou? What would they do?”

She explained: “You’re a rare talent of Daqian. If they can’t bring you down, they’ll have problems.

“Now that this rumor’s circulating, all they have to do is pretend you’re one of their embedded agents. Leak a few ‘secret reports’ supposedly sent by you... or claim they’ve received information from ‘you’ regularly...”

Linghu Qingmo added, “Even if no proof is found, the court might grow wary. Suspicion alone can be disheartening.”

No proof?! I’ll show them proof!

Xie Jinhuan gritted his teeth. “This slander—was it the Dark God Cult?”

“Most likely. You’ve been making waves. They’re desperate. This kind of smear campaign is typical.”

Princess Changning handed him a cup of tea.

“Don’t let it rattle you. All great figures face slander early on. The court knows your worth—they won’t doubt you lightly.

“Besides, His Majesty holds you in high regard. He said if you can identify the Dark God Cult’s hidden agent, you’ll be ennobled. I was just ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) discussing it with Qingmo—what do you think of the title ‘Zi of Danyang’?”

“Zi of Danyang...”

Xie Jinhuan raised a brow. “That’s...?”

Duoduo, kneeling behind and fixing his headband, chimed in:

“It means County Viscount of Danyang. Fifth rank. Entitled to 150 tax households and ten hectares of good land!”

“Oh. I thought it was a Taoist title...”

Xie Jinhuan had grown up in the capital. He knew a viscount title was serious. Just look at Ye Shirong—he took a spear for the Emperor and only got a baronship.

If Ye Shirong, who served as a royal coachman, turned out to be compromised... if Xie were the Emperor, he’d probably be rushing to purge his entire inner circle. It made sense.

Honestly, Xie Jinhuan didn’t need any reward. He’d wipe out the Dark God Cult out of spite alone!

Forget what they did to his father—just yesterday he killed Ye Shirong, and today they were already fabricating sex scandals. If he didn’t strike fast, how would he ever have peace?

He’d traced leads to Drunken Bone Fragrance, a mine, and Red Camphor County—the latter lay on Jingzhao Prefecture’s border. If he moved fast, he’d be back tomorrow.

Mu Yunhong had gone to borrow the Cycle Lotus, probably wouldn’t be back today. The package from Missing Moon Manor wouldn’t arrive for a few more days...

He glanced toward the window.

“If the court has such faith in me, I won’t let them down. I found some leads yesterday—I need to make a quick trip to Red Camphor County. I’ll be back soon.”

Linghu Qingmo perked up, ever the case-chaser.

“I’ll go with you!”

Princess Changning twirled her fan, eyes full of admiration.

“Pouring rain outside, three beauties inside—and you still can’t stop thinking about slaying demons. No wonder someone would go to such lengths to smear you. Take more men. Be safe. When you return, I’ll properly reward you.”

“Guji~”

Meiqiu flapped its wings—no need to see him off.

?

Xie Jinhuan blinked, then scooped up his disloyal bird-servant and slung it over his shoulder.

—

Meanwhile, in the Wandering Cavern.

Lin Wanyi, cloaked in a black rain-mantle, wove through the cluttered marketplace to a fur shop. As she reached the second floor, she spotted her uncle Bu Hanying sorting through scrolls.

“Uncle Bu? What are you doing?”

“Ah! Wan Yi, you’re here!”

Bu Hanying hurriedly set things down and peeked downstairs, then checked the window—clearly nervous.

Wanyi sat by the tea table, confused by his cautious behavior.

“I made sure—no one followed me...”

“It’s not you.”

Bu Hanying sighed, clearly shaken.

“I think I’ve been targeted!”

Wanyi frowned. “By who?”

“A killer from Blood Rain Tower. Calls himself Wei Kun. Snuck in last night, put a knife to my back and started asking questions. Luckily, I was cool-headed and intimidated him—otherwise, you’d be attending my funeral!”

Wanyi had come to deliver funds. Upon hearing this, she wisely didn’t take them out.

“What does Blood Rain Tower want with us? What did they ask?”

Bu Hanying sighed.

“Mostly about the Gu Poison Sect’s secrets. I didn’t reveal anything—just gave a couple harmless hints. He didn’t seem evil...”

?

Wanyi knew her uncle had probably spilled everything. She tensed.

“You didn’t give away my identity, right?”

“Of course not! Still, this place isn’t safe anymore. I’m moving to Huaniao Street. Meet me there from now on.”

He paused.

“By the way, those materials you requested—the sect master is sending them. But she noticed the formulas are all for body tempering. She asked if you were missing a main ingredient—perhaps... Cycle Lotus?”

Wanyi wasn’t surprised her master saw through it. Her master was a witch, and poison masters and alchemists weren’t that different. With the recipe, it was easy to infer the missing part.

Her man wanted the Cycle Lotus badly—so badly he risked forfeiting a deposit. Wanyi hesitated, then asked:

“Would the sect master give it to me?”

Bu Hanying sat straighter.

“For something like that? Only for a price. There’s an aged root in Chilong Cavern. She could trade other materials to get it. She’s willing to offer a personal deal.”

Wanyi blinked. “What price?”

“Well... the sect master is quite interested in Zihui Mountain’s Daoist techniques. Like Slaying Immortal Formation, Seven-Star Nails... if you can get those, she’ll make it happen.”

“?”

Wanyi stared blankly.

“Is the sect master planning to do what Taishu Dan did? Cultivate three disciplines?”

“It’s three paths in harmony!”

Bu Hanying corrected her solemnly.

“Taishu Dan betrayed his sect. Our sect master simply studies widely. If using others’ techniques makes you a servant, then Shang Lianbi should’ve drowned in spit by now.”

Wanyi nodded slightly.

But... Slaying Immortal Formation and Seven-Star Nails were top-tier secret arts—core to the sect. Even friendly sects like Taiyin Palace and Blackfox Monastery wouldn’t be allowed to learn them, much less outsiders.

Still, with Xie Jinhuan so close to Linghu Qingmo, getting them might not be too difficult.

If she could trade some dusty scrolls for a Cycle Lotus, it’d be the deal of a lifetime.

She considered, then nodded.

“I’ll think it over and give you an answer by tomorrow.”

“Good. I’m waiting to report back. Be careful heading home—things are strange lately.”

“Understood...”