Roaring Dragon-Chapter 139: Morning

The next day.

The weather had cleared. Warm autumn sunlight spilled in through the window, and the faint scent of sweet osmanthus drifted in from the courtyard.

Xie Jinhuan rose and got dressed, attaching his weapons to his waist. He picked up the belt and skirt scattered on the floor and neatly hung them on the clothes rack.

Behind the bed curtains, Glasses Girl lay on her side, facing inward. Her black silk artifact undergarments had been discarded. Her snow-pale shoulder twitched faintly now and then.

But her complexion was far rosier than before, and her entire body seemed to be glowing—likely due to the partial expulsion of Yin Cold Qi.

The Yin Cold Qi of Missing Moon Manor, strictly speaking, was a side effect of their cultivation technique. The Burning Immortal Gu was created as a way to exploit that flaw—a parasitic method.

The exorcism method Ye Hongshang taught was surprisingly effective. Wan Yi had transformed into the River Goddess overnight, and in fact, looked healthier and more radiant than ever.

The cost? He’d been turned into a wreck. All that Yin Cold Qi she expelled had been transferred to him. If left to fester, it could lead to Yang depletion and Yin excess.

Still, a man’s pure Yang energy is endlessly self-replenishing. In a few days, it’d be flushed out naturally. No big deal.

After finishing tidying up, Jinhuan picked up the small handkerchief folded by the pillow, printed with a little red {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} flower. He always ended up with shredded clothes after a fight, and afraid of losing it, he’d stashed it in Wan Yi’s wardrobe.

Once everything was set, he walked back over to Wan Yi and looked at her carefully.

“Wanwan?” 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Lin Wanyi’s shoulder twitched slightly. She glanced up and realized it was already morning. With barely any strength, she pushed weakly at his arm.

“It’s already morning... you should go back...”

Jinhuan smiled. “I helped you clean up. You just rest properly.”

Lin Wanyi’s mind cleared a little. Her gaze quickly became one of unspeakable shame. She pulled the quilt up over her blushing face.

“I’ll take care of it. I just... want some peace.”

“Want me to help change the bedding?”

“Pft~ You still have the nerve to ask? I’ll handle it... hurry and go, Zisu might be coming...”

Jinhuan leaned in and tugged down the quilt, revealing her flushed cheeks.

“You’re really letting me go just like that?”

Staring at his chiseled face up close, Lin Wanyi’s gaze went a little dazed. After a moment of hesitation, she reached over to the nightstand and pulled out a few silver notes.

“You’ve had a rough time too... here’s some pocket money.”

...Huh?!

Jinhuan exhaled lightly, thinking she was getting cheeky. He reached under the covers.

“Taking reward without effort? Then I guess I better serve my lady properly...”

“Hey—no, no, no—!”

Lin Wanyi shrank back. “I just wanted to give you pocket money. Do... do you want something else?”

Jinhuan looked serious. “Did you forget what I like most?”

She bit her red lip, recalled for a moment, then hesitantly replied:

“...On all fours?”

“Uh—that’s a technique. I meant inner technique!”

“...Inner technique...”

Still a little groggy, Lin Wanyi finally remembered and forced herself to sit up.

“I’ll go cook something for you. Eat before you leave...”

“Eh, don’t bother.”

He held her shoulders gently. “Just the thought counts. Don’t strain yourself.”

Seeing this, Lin Wanyi began fixing his robe collar and carefully instructed:

“Don’t overdo it while you’re out. You already bullied me—if something happens to you, I won’t forgive you...”

Her soft voice was like a little wife seeing her husband off in the morning.

Jinhuan was fully content. He lowered his head and kissed her.

“Relax. Don’t you know me by now? I bully people—people don’t bully me. What you should worry about are the evil freaks outside.”

She pursed her lips, leaned forward, and returned the kiss—then immediately dove under the blanket, face burning.

“Okay, okay, go already.”

“Sleep well. I’ll come check on you later.”

“...Huh?”

She had no energy left in her fingers. She wanted to tell this wild bull not to overdo it—she wasn’t made of iron.

But if she stopped him now, would he save his energy for that little priestess instead?

Thinking this, Lin Wanyi didn’t say anything. She just gave a muffled hum from under the quilt.

Jinhuan, still a little unsatisfied, suddenly leaned down and yanked the quilt open.

“Yaaah!”

Lin Wanyi squealed and curled up, but in the next instant, she flipped upright, ready to pummel the lawless pig-hoof bastard. Jinhuan, of course, bolted immediately, leaping out the window and vanishing.

Click!

“You—! You better not come back!”

She hugged the blanket, cheeks burning, and shouted angrily. Once she was sure he was gone, her face twisted into speechless embarrassment. She burrowed deep into the covers, not daring to replay the night’s madness. After a moment, she picked up the peony hairpin and started fiddling with it.

But maybe she really was exhausted—because she fell right back asleep.

When she finally stirred again, there was loud knocking at the door—

Bang bang bang~

“Auntie, Auntie! The sun’s already shining on your big white butt!”

“Wan Yi, aren’t you eating breakfast? Your father’s been waiting forever—”

“HIII—!!”

A bolt of thunder from a clear sky!

Realizing her mother and the little brat were both at the door, Lin Wanyi bolted awake—nearly fainting again from panic. She flailed as she leapt out of bed, stuffing sheets into the wardrobe and stashing the waist pillow, all while stammering:

“M-Mom, I’m awake! Just cultivating! I’ll be out soon!”

“You wretched girl! You’ve got perfectly good medical books and you’re sitting at home cultivating martial arts?!”

...

——

Meanwhile, in the northern part of Jingzhao Prefecture.

Sails billowed in the wind. A merchant ship made its way upriver along the Luo River.

Below deck, in a cramped cabin, over thirty men sat in silence, huddled together. In the center of the room were a dozen or so cargo crates.

Zhang Chu stood at the rear of the boat, cloak whipping in the wind, anxiously staring out at the river behind them.

He Can squatted in the cabin, devouring a bowl of scallion-and-egg noodles as he called out:

“Stop waiting. Eat something. If Third Master’s fast with the procedure, he’s probably drinking milk in the underworld by now.”

Zhang Chu frowned tightly and growled:

“Third Master might lose, but he wouldn’t die. Ghost cultivators are powerful because of their ability to possess new bodies. Even if Xie Jinhuan shattered the shell—how could he trap and bind the soul?”

He Can slurped noodles and replied:

“Jianghu’s unpredictable. No matter how skilled, bad luck is fatal. Even cunning old foxes like my master sank eventually. In my opinion, cultivation’s no different from gambling. Best strategy? Don’t bet. Keep your head down and train quietly if you want to live.”

Zhang Chu had waited all night, but Third Master hadn’t shown. He finally returned to the cabin.

“You’re talking about the Hidden Immortals’ way. A bunch of deepwater turtles—strong, sure—but anonymous in life, silent in death. What use are they to the world? And demon cultivators follow ‘survival of the fittest.’ If you quit that, are you even a demon anymore?”

He Can shrugged: “Be like Shang Lianbi. Rule Dragonbone Shoal. Cultivators pay a drop of blood every month for peace. If they get robbed, they can even file complaints in Misty City. Openly walks the demon path, no shame. Mutual benefit—who’s gonna stop him?”

Shang Lianbi’s style was the ideal for all rogue cultivators. But to do that, you first needed the power to dominate Dragonbone Shoal.

And how did demon cultivators get that power without slaughtering towns and massacring villages?

Zhang Chu wasn’t interested in that debate. He turned to the accountant reviewing the manifest and asked:

“The court’s eyes are elsewhere. Now’s our best shot. How long to re-establish the blood sacrifice array?”

The accountant, a logistics chief, shook his head.

“The materials are ready. If Third Master returns, we can start tonight or tomorrow. If he doesn’t... it’ll be a problem. At least three to four days. Second Master’s a public figure—we can’t have him vanish mid-incident. We’ll need a cover story and a retreat plan.”

He Can slurped again and muttered, “Third Master’s not coming back. So yeah, it’s your problem. Odds are this whole thing flops again. Seriously, the Astronomical Bureau got here that fast? Couldn’t you have gone a bit farther?”

Zhang Chu spread his hands. “Northwest has Mu Yunling. Northeast, Wei Wuyi. Southwest, Brahma Cloud Temple. Southeast, Li Chimo. Where can we go?”

The accountant nodded grimly. “There are thirty-two provinces in Great Qian. Each one has its own sect. Even barren lands get state funding. Tons of rookies fight to found new sects. All to stop blood sacrifices and demon rampages.”

He Can nodded too. “Evil never triumphs over good, huh.”

Zhang Chu had no interest in arguing with this doomsayer. As the two rambled on, he got up again and went back to the stern—still waiting for the man who might, from this moment on... never return.