Roaring Dragon-Chapter 88: Finally, the Honey Trap!

Roaring curses surged along both riverbanks.

Wei Lu and Zhang Huaiyu stood atop their boat, faces flushed with shame, yet unable to justify themselves.

After all, this event had been arranged by the Golden Tower—each round meticulously crafted according to the strengths of the two of them. The first round had been merely a teaser, designed to stir up the crowd’s excitement.

The second round, on the other hand, aimed to filter out all the filler contestants, leaving only the two top talents to emerge simultaneously—a dramatic scene that would avoid having to pay out too much silver while maximizing the audience’s anticipation.

In the Golden Tower’s estimation, only the two seeded players could barely scrape through the second round. They had never expected Xie Jinhuan to show up.

And not only did he appear—he had the solid foundation to completely block the hidden weapons, putting on such a fearsome display that even Wei Lu and Zhang Huaiyu had to back off in awe.

Thus occurred the awkward situation where righteous action resulted in disqualification—a ruling the spectators clearly weren’t having.

The Golden Tower’s host immediately recognized the PR disaster on his hands. Though momentarily dazed, his years as a showman kicked in. He swiftly stepped up to smooth things over:

“Young Master Xie’s martial prowess is indeed outstanding. As for Young Masters Wei and Zhang, it’s not that they were unwilling to assist—it’s that this trial left little room to intervene. That’s on us. The Golden Tower takes full responsibility. As compensation, everyone who advanced will receive one hundred taels of silver and proceed to the third round!”

The furious crowd finally quieted down a bit:

“Well, that’s more like it...”

“I think Young Master Xie should just be declared the winner already. Who else is worthy of that plaque?”

“No way! If he wins outright, there’s nothing left to watch! He’s definitely taking first place, though...”

...

Xie Jinhuan, seeing that no one was disqualified and that he wasn’t booted off, breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Wei Lu, who had started this whole social-death spectacle, had fought two rounds now. The pretentious hypocrite Zhang Huaiyu hadn’t been humiliated, but he had nearly been shocked off the platform by Xie Jinhuan’s display. A little disgruntled, he turned toward the host:

“Young Master Xie is undeniably chivalrous and highly skilled—no one here would deny that. But today’s trials are about discovering who’s a two-faced hypocrite! The first two rounds were difficult, sure—but even failing them proves nothing. That’s not why I set up this challenge.”

The peanut gallery chimed in:

“Yeah! We’re here to see who truly loses face, not who’s the most righteous.”

“If the third round veers off again, your Golden Tower’s reputation’s gonna take a hit!”

...

The Golden Tower had accepted the responsibility of hosting, and they’d see it through. Fan Guangyuan smiled and raised a hand to quiet the commotion:

“The first two rounds let people bow out gracefully. Lose, and you still kept your dignity.

“But if we still have no winner, the third round... will be to the death. Only one can win.

“The loser—if not outright ruined—will at least become a laughingstock across the capital.

“So before we begin, all remaining contestants are free to withdraw...”

But having come this far—and with one hundred taels already upgraded to a thousand—no one was about to back down.

“We’re already at the end. No one’s quitting now. Just show us what’s next!”

“Yeah!”

The host stroked his beard and announced loudly:

“As the saying goes, ‘Heroes all fall at the feet of beauty.’ So this third trial—”

“Whoa!!!”

Thousands of spectators finally got what they came for—the main course—and instantly erupted with excitement.

A few burly men howled like wolves. Even the gossipy Lin Wanyi’s eyes lit up. She clearly wanted to see Xie Jinhuan trip over himself.

But amid the raucous noise came a lone:

“...Huh?”

Gulp gulp...

The thunderous boom of echo drums echoed across the field.

Sudden silence fell as everyone turned in unison—looking for which young hero had lost control first!

Zhang Huaiyu and Wei Lu locked eyes instinctively—

Then both turned... toward the famously upright and unshakeable Young Master Xie.

Linghu Qingmo’s eyes widened in disbelief. She stared at Xie Jinhuan with an expression that said:

What the hell kind of reaction is that?

Are you scared—or excited?

...

Xie Jinhuan had finally made it to the infamous “Honey Trap” round, and the emotions were—well, both.

From the corner of his eye, he looked over at the “Crimson Beauty of Danyang.”

The heir, Zhao De, casually shrugged, his expression one of helpless innocence:

“I’m one of the test designers. I can’t spoil anything. I only said there wouldn’t be a courtesan dancing—didn’t say anything about other things.”

You little bastard!

Xie Jinhuan was thoroughly baited. He really wanted to rush over and snap Zhao De’s legs—but with everyone staring at him, he had to quickly suppress the waves in his heart and calmly gesture to his chest:

“Took a shot a few days ago. Exerted myself earlier, stirred up my qi a bit. It’s nothing serious—just need a moment to recover.”

“Oh...”

The crowd nodded in sudden realization.

Fan Guangyuan quickly followed up: “Young Master Xie can rest before we begin—no rush. Everyone here understands.”

Zhang Huaiyu gave an admiring look: “Even while injured, Brother Xie has been slaying demons by night. That’s true fortitude—we’re honestly ashamed by comparison.”

Wei Lu also looked sincerely respectful. He’d already accepted losing to Xie Jinhuan—just as long as he didn’t lose to Zhang Huaiyu. Boldly, he declared:

“Today’s champion will be Brother Xie!

“Even if both of us fall at the ‘Honey Trap’ and end up disgraced and humiliated, I’ll be perfectly content placing second to him.

“Eh? Brother Xie’s having trouble regulating your qi? Want me to help out?”

“No need. I’ll be fine with a short rest.”

Gulp gulp...

Xie Jinhuan was now facing the upcoming true social-death round—with only one victor allowed. Of course there was pressure.

He had confidence in most things—but when it came to the beauty trap, that was directly targeting his one weakness...

He’d spent so long building up his image as a righteous young hero. If he collapsed in the very first second, wouldn’t that be a total collapse of everything?

Still, after dealing with ghost-wife, glasses-girl, Big Mo Mo, and the Little Princess, he wasn’t likely to be tripped up by a few cheap floozies...

Thinking this, Xie ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Jinhuan suppressed all distracting thoughts and looked toward the host.

“If this is to be a no-holds-barred finale, then no more ‘opening shocks’ like before. Also, there are two ladies present. How exactly will this third round be conducted?”

The host smiled and continued:

“Young Master Wei wanted to see who would suffer public disgrace. If it were just some common beauty strutting around, with Young Master Xie’s moral integrity, he wouldn’t even blink. Likely none of the others would either.

“So to determine a real winner, this ‘Honey Trap’ has been... refined. Golden Tower guarantees that even Young Master Xie and Lady Linghu will feel ripples in their hearts.”

Everyone’s expression turned serious at those words.

Wei Lu, unaware of the exact test, asked:

“Then how do you determine who’s the hypocrite?”

“A gentleman is judged by his actions, not his thoughts. If we judged thoughts, there’d be no saints left in the world.”

The host scanned the contestants and spectators alike:

“To feel desire at the sight of beauty is only human. Losing on that alone? No one would accept it—and neither would you watching. That’s not disgrace.

“So the third round judges actions. The echo drums may sound—normal.

“But if someone can’t resist and reaches outside the drum—grabbing, kissing, groping, licking...”

“Heh~ With thousands watching, that will be remembered forever!”

“Whoa...”

The entire audience nodded. This judging method made a lot more sense.

Feeling desire when seeing a beauty? Understandable.

But touching her, kissing her, fondling her? No excuses. That’s pure perv behavior.

Xie Jinhuan never denied his appreciation for beauty. But when the great Lin beauty was tied to a tree, he resisted the urge to touch her—why would he lose control now over some painted trollops?

So he gave up on forfeiting, sat straight-backed like a temple Buddha, utterly solemn.

The others, hearing that only actions mattered—not internal reactions—were also fired up. Even if the consequences of losing were harsher, no one believed they would fail. All eyes burned with resolve!

Only the two female contestants seemed a bit confused, unsure how the Golden Tower would tailor the test for them.

Night-red-robed Ye Hongshang, ever close to Xie Jinhuan, likely picked up on the idea and whispered in his ear:

“They’ll definitely use illusion magic to stir emotions.

“You see illusions every day—you’re desensitized. That’s unfair. Want me to spice it up for you a bit? Afterwards you can hold me while we dance~”

Hold her while dancing...

Xie Jinhuan found the offer very tempting. As for her “raising the difficulty,” in his mind, that probably meant personally stepping in—doing a little Ferris wheel spin or solar shake dance routine or something...

Last night he hadn’t held back—because they were alone in a bath. No need to restrain himself.

But now? In public? No way he was gonna lose control of his damn hands!

So Xie Jinhuan steadied his breathing and took on the righteous posture of a man who had seen everything.

Bring it on.

Ye Hongshang, seeing his determination, said no more.

And prepared to strike.