Roaring Dragon-Chapter 42: Murky and Confused

An hour later, at the county office.

County Magistrate Zhang Yuanqing, dressed in light green official robes, stood respectfully at the side of the main hall, eyes down, hands clasped.

Even the usually nonchalant Zhou He, the ever-smoking Yang Ting, and the careless Yang Dabiao seemed like different people now — hands hanging low, backs slightly bowed, their very posture betraying caution.

Behind the long table where the magistrate should have sat, a middle-aged man in a python-embroidered robe leaned back in his chair, lazily stirring the tea leaves floating in his white porcelain cup, while Zhu Wenyuan stood beside him with a folded fan in hand.

In the hall, Academy Supervisor Li Jing, Court Appointee Huangfu Qi, and Ji Shiqing were all gathered around the bones, inspecting skin, flesh, meridians, and even pulling out a Bagua Mirror to detect evil influences.

Li Zixian, facing this lineup — second only to the Emperor himself — had long lost any trace of young master arrogance. He knelt on the ground, trembling:

"Your Highness, I am truly innocent. I have absolutely no ties to demonic forces..."

The Dan Prince, though known for doting on his daughter, carried an aura of authority that made the air heavy:

"Those three bodies — were they buried in the farmland on your orders?"

"Yes, but they were not buried alive! They owed gambling debts and worked the farm to repay them..."

"Li Zixian."

Zhu Wenyuan picked up a rental contract from the table and tossed it to the floor:

"Deceiving common officers is one thing, but you dare to lie to His Highness? We have already investigated — the farm laborers, tenants, gambling house managers and gamblers all confirmed: after failing to repay debts, these three disappeared without a trace. You think a few forged IOUs could cover it up?"

Li Zixian knew he couldn't survive a thorough investigation, but he also dared not admit to burying people alive.

Since the Dan Prince had personally come to oversee the case, a fair and just outcome was inevitable.

Even if he had nothing to do with the demonic forces, just burying three commoners alive was enough for immediate execution.

With so many eyes watching, if the Dan Prince knowingly covered up the truth, how would the people of Danzhou view it? How would the imperial censors in the capital react?

You, a Prince acting on behalf of the Emperor, would be seen as shamelessly favoring aristocrats and licking the boots of court powerhouses.

Realizing that confessing now meant certain death, Li Zixian could only grit his teeth and stall for time, hoping the capital would intervene. Facing interrogation, he stammered:

"These three died half a year ago. The original debt notes were lost... I was afraid of trouble, so I foolishly made new ones. But they truly died of illness..."

Zhu Wenyuan pointed at the three skeletons displayed outside the hall:

"So you're saying, the Dan Prince and the gentlemen of the Academy have all misjudged?"

Li Zixian pleaded earnestly: "I don’t know what happened, but I swear they did not die from demonic arts!"

"Then tell us — how did they die?"

"Illness... they died of illness..."

"What illness?"

"I don't know. When they got worse, no doctor could save them, and... and they just died..."

Li Zixian spouted nonsense, sweating profusely.

Ji Shiqing, an expert from the Daoist sects and longtime consultant for the Prince’s Mansion, stepped forward after a thorough inspection:

"Li Zixian’s body is clean — no trace of demonic arts. But these three corpses... were undoubtedly killed by Demonic Essence Extraction."

Huangfu Qi stroked his goatee as he examined the bones, nodding:

"Indeed. The dried corpse cases in the capital show almost identical signs. Likely the same group of demonic forces at work..."

Seeing all these experts so certain, Li Zixian crawled forward two steps on his knees:

"Your Highness, someone must have tampered with the corpses! I swear to heaven!"

"Spouting lies — who would believe your oaths?"

Huangfu Qi’s face darkened, his voice cold:

"Could it be the demonic forces have threatened your family, forcing your silence?"

"The demonic forces haven't threatened me..."

"Oh?"

Huangfu Qi raised an eyebrow, pressing further:

"So you're saying, the demonic forces neither coerced you nor threatened you — and yet you deliberately concealed their crimes?"

"I... huh?!"

Realizing he was being led into a trap, Li Zixian’s face changed drastically:

"No! I was never threatened! I’ve never had contact with any demonic forces!"

The Dan Prince, having seen enough, set down his teacup and gestured to Tie Fengzhang.

Tie Fengzhang, known for his ruthlessness, didn't even bother having his men act — he personally brought out the torture device and clamped it over Li Zixian’s ten fingers.

Seeing this, Li Zixian turned pale:

"Your Highness! The Li family must have been framed by those demons, just like at Sanhe Tower! Your Highness! I— Ahhh!"

Miserable screams echoed through the hall.

Xie Jinhuan, standing outside the hall as a silent observer, couldn't help but feel puzzled.

He wasn’t familiar with demonic arts. At first, he hadn’t noticed anything wrong with the skulls — it was the ghost bride who told him: the victims had died from Demonic Essence Extraction, the same technique used by the demonic cultivators in the corpse-cave incident!

Thus, the ones who buried the bodies had to be linked to the mastermind behind the "Corpse Flower" plot.

Judging from Li Zixian’s reactions, it really was the Li family who buried the bodies. The mastermind should logically be the Li family too.

But Li Zixian’s apparent innocence didn’t seem faked, and the Sanhe Tower incident couldn't be easily explained either.

If the demonic forces had planted tampered corpses... such a trick would be terrifyingly sophisticated...

While Xie Jinhuan was still mulling it over, a voice sounded beside him:

"You’re Xie Jinhuan?"

"Hmm?"

Xie Jinhuan snapped back to attention, turning to see the mild-mannered Dan Prince, who, unable to bear watching the torture, had stepped out of the hall.

Though Xie Jinhuan had lived in the capital for sixteen years, he had never interacted with the uppermost elites. The Dan Prince was the highest-ranking figure he had ever met. He immediately cupped his fists:

"Greetings, Your Highness."

The Dan Prince studied Xie Jinhuan closely, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes:

"Young and already quite capable. Without your efforts these past few days, the yamen wouldn't have uncovered so many leads. You've worked hard."

Worked hard my ass... if I hadn’t been running around investigating them, you’d be the one running around investigating me...

Xie Jinhuan thought silently but outwardly remained humble:

"Your Highness overpraises. I merely wished to help solve the chaos quickly and return to the capital to visit family. Whatever merits there are belong to Yang Deputy Constable and Miss Linghu’s excellent leadership."

Yang Dabiao trembled slightly, casting a meaningful glance that said — Damn, this brother really knows how to handle things!

Linghu Qingmo, who had been struggling to keep Birdie from gnawing on the Dan Prince's python robe, also looked a bit embarrassed.

"You’re very modest."

The Dan Prince had frequently seen Xie Jinhuan’s name in recent reports. Brave, capable, upright, and humble — a truly outstanding young man. Smiling, he said:

"Your father gave his life in service. Naturally, the court should care for his descendants. You’ve grown up well and fight for the people — how could the court not reward you?

"Continue working hard. Once this case is resolved, I’ll personally write to my imperial brother and recommend you for a good position."

?!

Everyone present showed envy upon hearing those words.

After all, the Dan Prince was the Emperor’s blood brother, a major regional governor with real power.

A personal recommendation from him would easily land Xie Jinhuan a sixth or seventh-rank official post.

Given Xie Jinhuan’s talent, integrity, and political savvy, he could very well climb to a top-tier position within twenty years.

If he returned to Danyang then, perhaps only the Dan Prince himself could speak as an equal.

Even those shadowy figures who thrived in the grey areas would be too intimidated to act rashly...

Xie Jinhuan knew the Dan Prince meant well, but once the "Zihui Mountain Demonic Aura" case concluded, both he and the ghost bride might be dead.

He couldn't possibly catch this "golden opportunity." He merely responded politely:

"Thank you, Your Highness. I will continue to do my best."

The Dan Prince said no more, simply waiting quietly for Li Zixian to confess.

Meanwhile, everyone else's gaze was glued to Xie Jinhuan — full of admiration, envy, or respect.

At the same time, among them, Chilin Guard Captain Zhou He kept his eyes on Li Zixian’s torture — but deep within his pupils, a subtle, sinister shadow flickered...

——

Night fell, at a riverside villa.

A painting desk stood alone on the open-air terrace. The surrounding area was empty, while in the room behind, a man in scholar’s robes — Taishu Dan — sat cross-legged in meditation. Before him stood a puppet.

The puppet wore a gray cloak, its hands and face a metallic bronze hue, carved with intricate runes — utterly lifeless — yet it spoke:

"Li Zixian remains stubborn. He insists the gamblers died of illness and denies any ties to demonic forces. The Dan Prince is currently searching every Li family property. If all goes well, this matter can be dragged out until after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Make sure no leaks occur."

Normally puppets had no consciousness. Taishu Dan didn’t know why this one could speak, but he still nodded:

"Rest assured, Senior Brother. The Corpse Flower is ready. We’ll act at the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival. But the Peony Pond is only twenty li from Danyang. If the city’s experts notice the blood aura, they could arrive within half a quarter-hour... especially Mu Yunling..."

The puppet’s voice remained mechanical, emotionless:

"Just focus on your task. I will deal with them. Once done, deliver the Blood Demon Pill to the capital immediately."

Taishu Dan knew diverting all experts would be difficult and wanted to discuss details, but suddenly—

Whoosh~

A gust of wind tore across the terrace.

The puppet froze instantly, falling silent.

Turning his head, Taishu Dan saw his disciple He Can landing on the terrace, panting heavily and beaming with excitement:

"Master, your plan worked perfectly! The yamen’s full attention is on the Li family... Uh? Master, what are you doing?"

Caught off guard, Taishu Dan quickly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the puppet’s shoes:

"Even weapons need regular maintenance. So do puppets."

"Really?"

He Can had never heard that before, but didn’t question it further. Instead, he reported:

"I found out — the experts at the Prince’s Mansion inspected the bones for a long time but found nothing unusual. Even Xie Jinhuan had no more to say."

Sitting back on his mat, Taishu Dan replied calmly:

"Those three bodies were indeed killed by demonic arts — but they weren’t the Li family's gamblers. They were corpses from elsewhere, swapped by a Senior Brother in the city using secret techniques.

"The bodies were real. The timeline matched. The Li family wouldn't recognize the bones of a few debtors. The ground had been freshly plowed. How could Xie Jinhuan possibly tell?"

He Can had been wondering how they pulled it off. Hearing this, his eyes widened:

"Master, who exactly is that Senior Brother in the city? The cover-up was flawless — such skill is terrifying!"

Taishu Dan frowned slightly, displeased:

"Have you forgotten my teachings?"

This was his way of warning He Can — I move only after thorough planning, keep my mouth shut, and even you, my disciple, shouldn’t expect to know everything.

Knowing his master well, He Can quickly nodded:

"Of course. Given Master’s character, if you knew who he really was, you'd already be at the Prince’s Mansion selling secrets for a fortune. No wonder the Senior Brother didn’t tell you anything."

"...?"