Roaring Dragon-Chapter 55: The Mountain Storm Looms, the Wind Fills the Tower

The sun had not yet fully set, but Danyang City had already become a dazzling sea of lights.

Fireworks bloomed from every direction, lighting up the sky. On the streets, a massive gold-and-silver-decked elephant pulled a towering lantern float through the crowd, followed by excited townsfolk and wide-eyed children. freēwēbnovel.com

On fences lining the street, well-dressed ladies leaned out, dangling fruit on long poles to feed the elephant, which happily curled its trunk around each treat and stuffed it into its mouth.

“Aung~!”

“Wow, Mama, this elephant is so sweet!”

...

Xie Jinhuan stood at the roadside, waiting quietly. Watching the lavish celebration unfold, he couldn’t help but think of his long-lost father. The bright lights stirred a pang of nostalgia.

Meiqiu had no concept of Mid-Autumn Festival—all it saw was food. Watching others feed the elephant, the fat bird also opened its beak expectantly, angling to get fed by the pretty ladies on the second floor.

To Xie’s surprise, one brightly dressed woman actually tossed down a green fruit, adding a flirtatious glance for good measure.

Xie caught the fruit, but with a certain landlady to entertain later, he didn’t flirt back. He waited patiently, and before long, the sound of hooves came from the street’s end.

Clip-clop, clip-clop...

He turned to see a lavish carriage drawn by four pure-white horses, rolling in from Wencheng Street. Though the light inside glimmered, its occupants were hidden from view.

On either side marched over a dozen guards. Liu Qingzhi led at the front, while Steward Hou rode beside the carriage, waving a white paper fan. With his shifty eyes and fawning smile, he looked exactly like some lackey scouting out concubines for a spoiled young lord.

Xie Jinhuan stepped up, Meiqiu perched on his shoulder, and cupped his fists.

“Steward Hou, Brother Liu.”

“Brother Xie.” Liu Qingzhi returned the greeting.

Steward Hou gave him a once-over and nodded approvingly.

“Not bad! This outfit reminds me of my own dashing youth.”

To attend the banquet, Xie had dipped into the funds “donated” by Fu Dongping and bought a thick white robe of cloud brocade, tied at the waist with jade, and had even tidied his hair meticulously. Meiqiu, too, had been scrubbed until he gleamed like polished obsidian.

Xie Jinhuan, unfazed by the old man’s boasting, replied with a polite smile:

“Steward Hou flatters me. Has Miss Linghu not arrived?”

Liu Qingzhi began to answer:

“She’s in the carriage. The boss dressed up today and—”

“Liu Qingzhi!”

A frosty voice cut him off from inside the carriage. He clammed up immediately.

So, Mo Mo dressed up so prettily she doesn’t want to be seen, huh? That only made Xie Jinhuan more curious. He peered into the carriage.

“Oh~ Young Master Xie, where do you think you’re looking?”

“Duoduo!”

Inside the carriage, Princess Changning frowned.

“He’s obviously looking at Qingmo, not you. Move.”

Linghu Qingmo shrank into a corner, her face reddening.

“Ling’er, don’t tease...”

Xie Jinhuan waited for Duoduo to move and managed to catch a glimpse inside.

The elegant landlady, Princess Changning, was sitting regally with a round fan in hand, resplendently dressed in a palace gown, eye makeup vivid and noble as ever.

And Mo Mo, usually the very picture of cold and ethereal beauty, had been forced into a white heziqun dress with a tea-green gauzy coat layered over it. Her hair was tied in a high, flowing bun. Though the celestial air had dimmed a little, it had been replaced with a startlingly feminine allure.

Clearly uncomfortable in this overly ornate getup—no doubt forced on her by her nosy bestie—Linghu Qingmo half-hid behind her fan, clearly not wanting Xie to see her like this.

“Guji?”

Even Meiqiu didn’t recognize her at first. He fluttered closer to inspect curiously.

Xie chuckled.

“It’s a good look. Not even revealing. What’s there to hide?”

Linghu Qingmo, who had always prided herself on being the unapproachable ice queen, was doubly mortified—especially since this guy had the nerve to write her love letters.

With so many eyes around, she didn’t dare get into it. She stood and closed the window with a sharp snap:

“The carriage is full. You’ll have to ride outside.”

Clack.

Among all the women Xie had met, Mo Mo was the least to be trifled with. He took the hint and calmly climbed up to ride on the edge of the carriage as they rumbled out toward the city gates.

Peony ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Pool, Upper Reaches of the Huai River.

Night fell. A full moon hung over the river like a disc of white jade.

Fireworks painted the sky in bursts of color. Tens of thousands of people—young and old—wandered among flower floats and opera stages. Along the riverbank and on the lake, boats bobbed in the moonlight, dozens of pleasure barges drifting lazily on the water.

A carriage bearing the Lin family’s “林” nameplate rolled to a stop on the outer grass fields. Lin Zisu, in colorful festival clothes, was the first to hop out, spinning excitedly.

“Wow! So many people! Danyang’s Mid-Autumn Festival is even livelier than the capital!”

Lin Wanyi stepped out behind her, dressed in a fitted aqua-green skirt. She adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on her nose.

“Naturally. Before founding the empire, the Grand Ancestor once camped here during the river campaign. On Mid-Autumn night, he composed a poem. After founding Great Qian, he often returned here to reflect...”

“I know, I know—‘Mountains and rivers timeless, men fade with the stream. Only Danyang’s moon remains, casting its cold light on lone sails.’ My tutor's recited that like a hundred times. And he always says the Grand Ancestor was a mediocre poet anyway...”

“Shhh!”

Lin Wanyi shushed her quickly.

Zisu shrank back and trotted ahead with a lantern in hand, peering around with the other noble ladies heading toward Peony Pool.

“Where’s Young Master Xie? Isn’t he here with Auntie Bowl?”

“Zisu!”

Lin Wanyi flushed and looked like she might throttle the impudent girl, but it was a holiday—she held back.

“He’s with Princess Changning. Let’s enjoy our own stroll.”

“Aww, what a shame.”

Qinwen, their maid, also held a lantern, scanning the riverside. Suddenly, she pointed:

“Miss, what about that boat? So many people heading there...”

Floating in the middle of the river was a massive treasure barge—five stories tall and over thirty zhang long, lit up from top to bottom. It looked like it could hold five or six hundred people. The waterline sat so deep it couldn’t even dock properly—guests had to board via floating steps.

“What’s that ship for?”

Jia Zheng, their bodyguard and an old hand on the road, shook his head solemnly.

“Rumor has it that’s a joint venture from the top gambling dens—nothing good happens there.”

“Ohh...”

On the Gambling Barge.

He Can stood with arms crossed, leaning against the railing and watching the gamblers board. His eyes flickered with uncertainty.

“Master, I really don’t get this situation. Someone tried to frame us, we framed the Li family, then the Prince’s men started investigating Xie Jinhuan, and now three Chilin Guards are dead. I turned it over all night—still can’t make sense of it...”

Taishu Dan, dressed in a Confucian scholar’s robes, lazily cracked melon seeds sent over by the barge staff.

“That’s the jianghu. Everyone has their own agenda. No one’s necessarily wrong. But once their paths cross by coincidence, everything spins out of control. If everyone did things ‘by the book,’ that’d be a utopia—not the jianghu.”

“Fair... But we haven’t even pieced things together and we’re working this job already. What if it blows up in our faces—?”

Taishu Dan gazed downstream toward Danyang.

“We’ll act once we get the signal. Most of the Danyang heavyweights have gone off chasing the ‘Zihui Mountain demon.’ No one here at Peony Pool can match me. The barge is already anchored at the river bend. If anything does go wrong—well, that’s fate. We run.”

He Can was listening when his gaze twitched—he suddenly stared toward the crowd by the riverbank.

Taishu Dan followed his line of sight—there, among a group of noblewomen, was a striking figure in glasses.

He frowned.

“You’re eyeing women at a time like this?”

“No, Master! That lady might be the Lin Clinic’s doctor—the one linked to Xie Jinhuan. I spotted her from a distance when we hired Fu Dongping. If she’s here, Xie Jinhuan’s probably nearby.”

Taishu Dan’s brow furrowed. He studied the woman closely.

“You’re sure it was a shaman working with Xie at Jiguan Ridge, using Plague of a Hundred Ghosts?”

“You think that shaman was the doctor? That’s unlikely. She’s from an imperial physician clan—based in the capital. Tied to the Witch Cult? That’s suicide.”

Taishu Dan tapped his temple and pointed to his eyes.

“I once studied at Chilong Cavern. My teacher said Witchcraft from Crescent Moon Manor is unique. The powers are formidable—‘Moonfire’ and ‘Burning Soul Gu’ among them—but their elemental balance is off, too much yin. People with wood-fire aligned eyes—typically strong yang—go blind if they train it. Look at her glasses.”

“Plague of a Hundred Ghosts is a Gu poison technique. Crescent Moon knows it. And that woman’s close to Xie Jinhuan—she was at the scene that day.”

He Can mulled it over and finally connected the dots.

“Makes sense now. Crescent Moon would’ve known about the Corpse Flower. That’s how Xie found the hidden tomb so fast.

“We’ve prepared months for the Blood Demon Pill. Tonight decides everything. If Xie and that shaman are here too, what if they discover something and come poking around?”

Taishu Dan pondered a moment, then checked the sky.

“We’re not staying at Peony Pool. Anyone trying to spot something off about the barge would need a vision rank well above average. Lin Wanyi and Xie Jinhuan are far below that level.

“If they do blunder in—well, perfect. We settle the score for Luming and help the higher-ups clean up.”

“Huh?” He Can was confused. “What do you mean?”

Taishu Dan kept eating seeds, gaze sweeping over the bustling riverbank.

“Xie Jinhuan’s father was killed by a monster. How many demonic factions does Great Qian even have? Don’t ask what you don’t want to know.”

He Can nodded slowly, half-understanding.

“So even you don’t know the full truth...”

“...?”