Roaring Dragon-Chapter 92: Fate, Subtle and Mysterious...

The moon hung high in the sky, and once again, Luojing had transformed into a boundless sea of lanternlight.

Upon the uneven rooftops of the city, Han Jingchuan moved swiftly and silently through the shadows, dressed in black night gear, his saber in hand.

Behind him, Centurion Lu Qian and two subordinates—dressed identically—followed closely, speaking in low tones:

“We need to hurry. Xie Jinhuan hasn’t fully recovered from his old injuries. I just saw him enter the Peony Room to rest, handed off his weapons to his mistress—he’s totally unguarded. No one’s disturbing the room either...”

Han Jingchuan had wanted to follow Li Gongming’s instructions, but this opportunity was simply too perfect. As they closed in on the five-story Golden Tower in the distance, he issued careful orders:

“If you can, kill him without a sound. No loud commotion. If he doesn’t die within three moves, retreat immediately—don’t get greedy, and don’t expose your identity.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Lu Qian, you handle the evidence cleanup...”

“Don’t worry, Lord Han. If the hit succeeds, I’ll release blood-ghoul miasma on the scene. Wang Chuan’s patrol unit is nearby—they’ll be the first to arrive and take over the case. You can then arrive just in time...”

While the group exchanged plans, Han Jingchuan suddenly caught something flicker far in the distance on a rooftop—

...? 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

He immediately raised a hand, crouching low to the tiles and staring intently—but saw nothing unusual. After a moment’s pause, he pressed on.

—

Meanwhile, just half a li away—

Xie Jinhuan, passing through the east alley, picked up a straw raincoat; in the west alley, he grabbed a bamboo hat. Within a few short blocks, he’d transformed into a wandering jianghu drifter—only thing missing was a murder weapon.

The Chilin Guard didn’t wear armor, but any Centurion would have internal protective gear. Chopping wood with a kitchen knife wasn’t gonna cut it—he needed a proper armor-piercing weapon!

After some searching, Xie Jinhuan finally found an eight-flanged warhammer in the corner of someone’s yard.

It was clearly used for smashing iron spikes—four feet long, with a white waxwood handle. The head weighed sixteen jin. Crude, but it didn’t need to be elegant—this thing, if it landed, hit harder than even his Tiangang Mace.

Xie Jinhuan leapt into the courtyard to fetch it—but midair, he caught a flicker of movement on a distant rooftop.

Fwoosh—

Not wanting to spook any unrelated bystanders, he dropped into cover and grabbed the hammer before carefully peeking out. No sign of any suspicious figures.

...?

Xie Jinhuan frowned. Without the ghost bride acting as his radar, his detection range was limited—but luckily, he’d recently acquired a new tool.

He pulled out the Huanglin Seal, poured qi into it, and scanned the surroundings.

Light ripples began appearing across his pupils—revealing a few faint glimmers on the dark ground, but no high-value materials within a hundred zhang.

After waiting a bit longer and confirming no one had entered his detection zone, he hefted the warhammer and stealthily made his way toward Changle Street.

—

The Golden Tower remained lively with music and dance, unaware of the deadly intent brewing beneath the surface.

Han Jingchuan and his three men moved soundlessly to the back of the building. Though a few guards were stationed there, they posed no threat to the Chilin Guard.

Confirming no risk, the four crept along the second-floor eaves. Under Lu Qian’s guidance, they reached a specific window.

Han Jingchuan, with the highest cultivation, suppressed all traces of his qi. Listening from outside the wall, he detected no movement within and frowned, gesturing silently.

Lu Qian, also sensing nothing unusual, took a cautious risk and cracked the window open, peeking inside.

The room was unlit. On the bed rested the Tiangang Mace—Xie Jinhuan’s weapon. But the man himself was gone.

Han Jingchuan, not wanting to be seen from the outside, slipped in first, pressing against the wall and scanning carefully.

“No one’s here. You sure this was his room?”

Lu Qian looked baffled too.

“Absolutely. He was resting here, weapons and all. Maybe he went to the latrine?”

One of the masked subordinates frowned and shook his head.

“The door’s still barred. He must’ve gone out the window. Leaving without his weapons... he’s trying not to leave a trace.”

“......”

The group fell silent.

They’d come prepared to strike first, with no official weapons or uniforms—just disposable gear.

After a beat, Han Jingchuan’s expression twisted into a scowl. Rage boiled in his chest.

“That crafty brat really went to kill me...”

Lu Qian hadn’t expected Xie Jinhuan to be so vicious—seizing the chance without a moment’s hesitation. He asked quickly:

“What now? If we return, he’ll already know you weren’t there...”

Han Jingchuan gripped his saber and thought for a moment. Then, restoring the window to perfect condition and confirming no evidence remained, he muttered:

“He has to return quickly. Once he realizes I wasn’t in the room, he’ll turn back right away. And once he comes in—he’ll be without weapons, completely defenseless. We’ll ambush him then.”

Lu Qian nodded. “Sounds good. But that kid’s perception is insane. Use the Turtle Breath Technique to hide your presence—don’t let him sense us.”

The Turtle Breath Technique was a high-level stealth method used by both the Chilin Guard and the Astronomical Bureau. It stopped all qi flow, reducing the heartbeat to near nothing—making the user indistinguishable from a corpse as long as they remained still.

The three nodded and immediately dropped into stillness, monitoring all movement around and within...

—

Meanwhile, on Changle Street.

In a guesthouse on the second floor—

Xie Jinhuan stood alone in a room, holding the eight-flanged hammer. Before him lay four sets of crimson Chilin Guard robes—and a government-issued saber on the table. His expression was... baffled.

Where the hell is Han Jingchuan?

The Chilin Guard had been ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) patrolling the entertainment district, so tracking down their commander's lodgings had been easy.

He’d found out Han Jingchuan had returned here to rest. The sentries were sloppy—it felt like the Heavens themselves were helping him.

But what he hadn’t expected... was to find four empty uniforms lying in the room.

Changing into civilian clothes meant they had gone out undercover...

Four Chilin Guard members sneaking out in the dead of night? No way that was for some good deed.

Could they be after me...?

The Golden Tower was just two streets away. After all the noise he’d made there, Han Jingchuan surely knew his location. It was a possibility.

The thought sent a chill down Xie Jinhuan’s spine.

He’d only arrived in the capital yesterday—and Han Jingchuan was already trying to take him out? That guy was ruthless.

With someone that decisive, there was no time to hesitate. He had to strike first.

But waiting here was useless. Han Jingchuan didn’t need to return; he did. Staying would be like waiting for a trap to spring.

Xie Jinhuan gave the hammer a test swing, then rummaged through the uniforms to “safely store” any valuables, just in case they got lost.

Unfortunately, the four guards hadn’t brought much silver.

After pocketing what he could, Xie Jinhuan slipped out of the inn, evaded the patrol’s line of sight, and quietly began circling back toward the Golden Tower.

To avoid running face-first into Han Jingchuan and his men, he moved carefully, pulling out the Huanglin Seal as a mini-map to detect nearby cultivators.

Sure enough—half a li from the tower, he spotted a glowing marker moving steadily across the field of vision.

Its hue was dark. Compared to the known signal of “Ice Scale Armor,” it likely corresponded to a second- or third-grade artifact.

Since artifacts were usually a bit above the user’s actual rank, this meant the wielder was likely in the third- or fourth-rank range—roughly Han Jingchuan’s level.

But... where were the other three?

Don’t tell me they didn’t bring any valuable gear either? Are they just like me, out here swinging random hammers...?

Xie Jinhuan frowned. With no clue where the others might be hiding, he had to keep his distance—relying on his eyes and ears to scan the terrain.

As he reached a clearer vantage point, he finally spotted a faint shadow moving stealthily between rooftops, approaching the Golden Tower.

The figure paused at the hall window, then climbed up to the second floor, creeping toward a specific window...

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan was almost certain—they were here to kill him.

Not knowing where the other three were, he couldn’t risk a backstab and fall into a trap.

He’d have to proceed step by step, cautiously, using all his senses to probe the ambush...