Roaring Dragon-Chapter 39: An Unexpected Discovery

The Jiwenzhai was located just outside the main gate of Danyang Academy.

Xie Jinhuan had thought it was a simple bookstore. Only when he arrived did he realize it was actually the Academy's official library — a three-story building housing no fewer than ten thousand volumes. Upstairs, there were also chess rooms and tea rooms.

The first-floor hall had a long counter, where a few students were borrowing and returning books. Behind it sat an elderly man in scholar's robes.

The old man wore ivory-framed glasses and held a magnifying glass, leaning so close to the book that it looked like he had achieved the supreme state of "no one exists before my eyes" — severe nearsightedness, basically.

Linghu Qingmo, who seemed quite familiar with the Academy, carried Meiqiu up to the counter. After a few young scholars sneaked a few glances and left, she finally greeted:

"Master Wu, I am Linghu Qingmo of the Provincial Guard. I came to ask you about something."

The old man was Wu Zheng, a fellow disciple of Mu Yunling. He had once taught at the Academy but had retired here to live out his twilight years. Hearing the greeting, he put down his magnifying glass, squinted at them, and eventually fixed his gaze on Xie Jinhuan.

"So it's Miss Linghu. I've often heard students mention you. Meeting you today... you truly have extraordinary grace."

"Goo?" Meiqiu blinked in confusion.

"Oh ho, and this black chicken looks nice and fat..."

"Gooji?!"

Linghu Qingmo was a bit stunned too and hurriedly pressed down the indignant, cursing Meiqiu.

"Master Wu, I'm right here. I came to ask you about a person. They should have recently bought a book from here."

Wu Zheng naturally shifted his gaze to the correct target, smiling warmly:

"Is that so? Anyone who buys books here, this old man never forgets a face. Please, describe ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ them, Miss Linghu."

Never forgets a face...

Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo were both skeptical, but since they were already here, Linghu Qingmo answered:

"We don't know their appearance or age, only that they bought a book called Springtime Passion. Master Wu, do you happen to recall such a person?"

Wu Zheng's expression turned thoughtful. After a moment, he replied:

"This is a Confucian institution. We generally do not sell such lurid novels."

"Ah?"

Linghu Qingmo didn't quite understand.

Xie Jinhuan shook his head subtly and interjected:

"Springtime Passion was written by Qingping Jushi, a grand scholar of the previous dynasty. It details the protagonist's rise and fall, vividly exposing the excessive extravagance of officials, gentry, and wealthy merchants, as well as the helpless plight of impoverished peasants. Though it appears full of debauchery, it actually lays bare the evils of society. To call it merely a vulgar novel is far too simplistic."

"Oh?"

Wu Zheng seemed somewhat surprised, though his eyes were still fixed more on Xie Jinhuan's ears. Still, his approval was obvious.

"Beauty lies in the bones, not the skin. It's the same with books. Young Master, your words have truly seen through the essence of the text. How's your health, by the way?"

"Never read the ones with pictures before. Health's still decent."

"Good, good. Young people must show restraint. Otherwise, when you get to my age... sigh..."

...?

Linghu Qingmo shot a puzzled glance, not understanding what reading had to do with health. Still, she didn't ask, just watched Xie Jinhuan chatting away.

After some idle chatter, Xie Jinhuan brought the conversation back:

"The person who bought the book was either an elder over fifty, dressed like a merchant and rather shifty, or a young man around twenty, who might have been carrying an umbrella. Uh... Master, can you see the weapons hanging from my waist?"

Wu Zheng glanced at the crossed blades at Xie Jinhuan's waist and stroked his beard with a chuckle:

"I can see them. Using such a large pair of scissors as weapons... it’s quite refreshing, I must say."

...Fuck.

Xie Jinhuan took a deep breath, feeling like this old man was even more outrageous than Steward Hou. Obviously, there was no point digging further:

"I have urgent matters to attend to. If you don't know, Master Wu, I'll take my leave..."

"Hold on~"

Wu Zheng raised his hand to stop him:

"I said I never forget a face. How could I deceive you? I've taught students all my life. Whether it's inexperienced scholars, shady street loafers, or seasoned martial world veterans, I can tell at a glance. Miss Linghu here is clearly the former. As for you, Young Master, you belong to the latter two."

...?

Xie Jinhuan was stunned for a moment, finding that comment both flattering and insulting. He looked down at himself:

"Master thinks I'm not decent? Based on what?"

"Heh heh, there are countless official histories from the previous dynasty, yet a 'proper' person chooses Springtime Passion to study the ethos of the time?"

"......"

Xie Jinhuan couldn't refute that, but obviously couldn't admit it either. He quickly changed the subject:

"So both suspects are martial world veterans. Does Master recall anything more?"

Wu Zheng pondered carefully:

"Very few martial world folk come here. I do recall that earlier this month, a young man in his early twenties bought Springtime Passion. His speech and manners were slick — obviously not a scholar.

"We chatted a bit. He called himself He San and said he came to Danyang with his father to do spice business. He even mentioned wanting to visit Master Mu and a few other teachers, claiming he had long admired their names..."

Hearing this, Linghu Qingmo immediately sensed a strong lead:

"Master Wu, do you remember anything else about him?"

Wu Zheng gazed thoughtfully at a vacant spot beside the counter, smiling kindly:

"If he really was a bandit, would he have spoken so openly? We only talked briefly, but I could tell — his surname was real, everything else was nonsense."

"Surname He..."

Linghu Qingmo felt the scope was still rather broad, but better than nothing. She stepped forward and respectfully cupped her hands:

"Thank you, Master Wu. I’ll investigate this carefully."

Wu Zheng nodded, still smiling, then turned back to Linghu Qingmo:

"I can tell at a glance that Young Master here is a fellow enthusiast. I have quite a few rare collections. Would you like to take a look?"

Linghu Qingmo's face darkened with embarrassment!

Xie Jinhuan, meanwhile, was used to people misjudging him. After chatting for so long, it didn't feel right to leave without buying something. He asked:

"Oh? Master Wu, could you recommend a book?"

"Since you're a martial world man, you might like these."

Wu Zheng shifted a few steps, lifted a panel on the counter, and—

Whoosh~

All three — two people and one bird — craned their necks to look. Beneath the counter was a horizontal bookshelf.

Lined up neatly were over a hundred deluxe hardcover volumes, with titles like:

The Passionate Swordsman Shang Lianbi,

The Wandering Prodigal Lu Wuzhen,

The Lustful History of Ancestor Sikong,

Strange Tales of Erotic Heroes,

The Brotherhood Chronicle...

A whole wall of martial world gossip, erotic legends, and scandalous histories — covering not just Confucian masters but leaders from every other school too!

"Hiss..."

Linghu Qingmo sucked in a breath. Just reading the titles felt like she needed to cleanse herself with lightning strikes!

Xie Jinhuan was equally impressed. He wiped his hands on a handkerchief pulled from Meiqiu’s side, then picked up a book:

"Master Wu, you really know your customers. What happened to the predecessors who wrote these?"

Wu Zheng puffed up proudly:

"We Confucians aren't afraid of heterodox paths. Most of those who wrote these books met good ends."

...Though some clearly died miserably.

Back in the capital, Xie Jinhuan had never seen such "forbidden books." Curiosity piqued, he chose one with a relatively normal title: The Brotherhood Chronicle.

But after reading a few pages, he realized he had severely underestimated the guts of these pedantic scholars.

The female lead was called Immortal Lady Sunset — based on none other than Qixia Zhenren, the grandmaster of the Dan Ding Sect on Zihui Mountain a hundred years ago!

At first, the story was normal: the Immortal Lady was a pure, innocent novice who stumbled into a secret realm and obtained the Taoist Divine Code of Supreme Spirit Response. She battled her way to become the sect leader.

So far, so good.

But then — suddenly, she fell for a seductive demoness!

The demoness was peerlessly beautiful. The Immortal Lady was utterly smitten, even giving up half her sect territory. By day she was the leader, by night the demoness ran wild, turning Zihui Mountain into a hedonistic nightmare...

...Yuri novel.

Xie Jinhuan frowned more and more as he read, feeling the "demoness" resembled his own ghost wife suspiciously.

Just as he was about to dig deeper, the book was slapped shut.

Pa!

Linghu Qingmo, who had been peeking too, realized that the scandalous "biography" was about her sect’s ancestral master! Her eyebrows shot up:

"Outrageous! Who dared fabricate such slander? Qixia Zhenren made heroic contributions during the Wujiao Rebellion — how could anyone defame her so!"

"Hey now."

Wu Zheng raised his hand calmly, looking displeased:

"The writer of this book was himself a hero of the Wujiao Rebellion. He fought alongside Qixia Zhenren and others. As a junior, Miss Linghu, you didn't experience that calamity — you shouldn't make rash judgments."

Linghu Qingmo hadn't expected the "scandal" was written by someone of that stature. She couldn't very well scold it further. But there was no way she would let Xie Jinhuan keep reading it. She quickly snatched the book and hid it behind her back.

Xie Jinhuan, sensing a lead about his ghost wife, pressed: free𝑤ebnovel.com

"Master Wu, who wrote this book? Was it the Twin Saints of Sword and Pen, or Sikong the Demon?"

During the Wujiao Rebellion, the five major heroes were:

Ye Ci (Twin Saints of Sword and Pen),

Yunian Bodhisattva (Buddhism),

Qixia Zhenren and Ziyang Zhenren (Daoism),

and Sikong Shitang (Wujiao leader).

Today's leaders of every sect were mostly disciples or successors of these five.

Among them, the only one both able to write such a "forbidden book" and have it privately circulate in the Academy... was clearly Ye Ci, the last great sage of Confucianism.

Still, Wu Zheng didn't directly name him, preserving his master's reputation:

"Once you've finished reading, and cross-reference with the official histories, you’ll figure it out yourself."

Xie Jinhuan already had a good idea, but still asked:

"Is what the book says true?"

Before Linghu Qingmo could defend her ancestor, Wu Zheng cut in:

"Novel gossip — how could it be historical truth? Zihui Mountain lies only twenty li outside the city. Many old folks here still remember Qixia Zhenren. If demons had ever run amok at night, keeping the people awake, would no one have recorded it?"

"If you truly want to know the past, consult the official histories. Believe these tales, and you might think the Northern Zhou founder started out selling hooks on the grasslands."

Linghu Qingmo nodded vigorously:

"Right. Zihui Mountain has complete records of Qixia Zhenren’s life. I can fetch them for you."

Xie Jinhuan knew wild histories were unreliable, but the ghost wife mystery was too important.

Having found a rare clue, how could he let it go?

He intended to buy the book.

But Linghu Qingmo respected her sect’s founder far too much. She stuffed the book into her chest, slapped down some silver on the counter, and bolted for the door — clearly afraid he'd snatch it back.

Xie Jinhuan sighed helplessly. Once she was gone, he quietly slipped some silver to Old Man Wu.

Wu Zheng said nothing, just pulled another copy from under the counter and slipped it to Xie Jinhuan — along with a deluxe illustrated edition of Springtime Passion, half off for the second book.