Roaring Dragon-Chapter 5: There’s Something Dirty!

The moon hung above the treetops, just outside the Dan Prince’s Mansion.

The Dan Prince was the Emperor’s full brother—same mother, same blood. The two were incredibly close, and the prince’s status was as exalted as it got. With a fief of ten thousand households, he ranked highest among all the royal princes. He also served as Governor of Danzhou, commanding both its civil and military authority.

As a result, institutions like the county office, city guards, and Danyang Academy were all clustered around his mansion.

As night deepened, Danyang City transformed into a sea of lights stretching as far as the eye could see, the riverbanks lined with towering buildings.

Xie Jinhuan sat alone on a rooftop by the river, back to the moon. Below, inside a tavern, a storyteller was weaving a tale of wonder and scandal:

“Fairy Nangong, the number-one beauty of the Daoist sects. There’s a poem that goes:

‘Jade skin and icy bones descended from the celestial dais,

A beauty who topples kingdoms with unmatched grace and wit,

Crafted by divine hands with celestial ink,

How could such a flower ever bloom in the mortal world...’

“Such a peerless flower of the mortal realm—how could a demonic witch of the Wu Sect ever compare? Burning with jealousy, she cast a Love Gu curse upon Fairy Nangong...”

The story was about Nangong Ye, current head of the Zihui Mountain sect.

Zihui Mountain, just outside Danyang City, had over six hundred years of history. It was one of the top-tier sects even within the Da Qian Empire. The previous head was known as Master Qixia.

Nangong Ye was Qixia’s disciple—her Daoist cultivation was profound, and her swordsmanship unrivaled in all of Danzhou. Back in the day, she was the woman of Xie Jinhuan’s boyhood dreams.

Visit freёnovelkiss.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.

But right now, Xie Jinhuan didn’t have the time or heart for any of that.

The sudden news of his father’s death hit him like a hammer. He didn’t believe the old man had just vanished off the map. He had to investigate.

But clearly, he couldn’t leave just yet.

That was bad enough. Even worse, the court had taken notice of the demonic aura at Zihui Mountain—and he had been right in the middle of that mess. With his memory blanked out, if they found out, there’d be no explaining it. He might even end up executed.

He hadn’t been convicted of anything yet, but if he disappeared now, he’d become the prime suspect—and he’d drag down Yang Dabiao, who posted bail for him. No matter how risky, he had to stay put in Danyang for now.

Meiqiu, now well-fed and energetic again, was squatting beside him on the rooftop, staring at fireworks in the distance. It tugged at Xie Jinhuan’s sleeve, clearly wanting to go wander around.

But since he promised to stay near Yang Dabiao, he tried to find a place nearby. Unfortunately, the inns around the prince’s mansion were all outrageously overpriced, so he contacted a broker and was now waiting to rent a single room short-term.

While keeping an eye out, Xie Jinhuan noticed a group of young men and women in blue uniforms emerging from Wen Cheng Street. They carried medicine cases and book chests, and several luxurious carriages trailed behind them—Danyang Academy had just let out for the day.

Danyang Academy was essentially a national university, second only to the Imperial Academy in Luojing. It had three departments: Literary Studies, Martial Arts, and Alchemical Medicine—basically the humanities, STEM, and medical school.

Xie Jinhuan had studied a little bit of everything in the past and had once dreamed of enrolling to become campus heartthrob. Sadly, before he reached the right age, his father had been transferred to the Lingnan region.

Now, seeing these students, he watched curiously. But before he could get a good look, Meiqiu suddenly turned its head toward the Zhenglun Sword and chirped.

“Grr-gi?”

Xie Jinhuan figured maybe a bug had crawled onto the sword. But when he picked it up and checked, there was nothing unusual. Instead, from the street below, came a sudden sharp neigh:

“Neighhh—!”

Clip-clop, clip-clop...

...

The riverside avenue was lit as bright as day. Countless students filed out of Wen Cheng Street into the surrounding alleys.

Among them, a carriage bearing a wooden plaque carved with the character “Lin” was slowly making its way through the street. Its window was open, and a young girl’s face peeked out.

Her features were delicate like a carved jade doll. She wore a tea-green ruqun dress that looked like a spring landscape painting. Her eyes sparkled as she listened to the street gossip with great interest:

“Something big happened at Dongcang Ward—over a dozen people were killed...”

“They sealed off the whole street...”

...

Inside the carriage, it was surprisingly spacious. Besides the cushioned seats, a small yellow pearwood desk had been set by the window, with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone neatly arranged. A tall woman in a teal dress was writing something with great focus.

She had a graceful figure and a cinched waist. Her heavy, full bust was wrapped in smooth silk, outlining curves like ripe peaches beneath her dress.

Her face bore no makeup, plain at first glance—but with her willow brows and cherry lips, there was a natural, subtle allure, like a peony blooming quietly behind a veil of mist.

This woman was Lin Wanyi, daughter of an imperial physician family in the capital. She wasn’t a student of the academy, but had come to Danyang to accompany her younger cousin Lin Zisu during her studies.

Noticing Zisu staring outside again like she wanted to run off and play, Lin Wanyi offered her a gentle, yet serious warning:

“Zisu, when you’re studying at the academy, you must prioritize your education. Don’t go running around all the time. Things outside aren’t safe right now—there’ve been sightings of demon folk in Danyang. What if someone kidnaps you and uses you as a furnace cauldron...”

Lin Zisu was a proper lady in her late teens, dressed like a refined young miss. But her personality was rather mischievous. She glanced back and gave her aunt a once-over:

“Why would some pervert bother kidnapping a half-grown girl like me? If you ask me, Auntie should be the one worried. You’re the capital’s top beauty, after all—and that plump butt of yours, even I want to give it a squeeze!”

“Zisu!”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Lin Wanyi tried to put on a stern face, hoping to scare the unruly little brat into behaving.

But before she could say anything more, the carriage suddenly jolted into motion, throwing them both off balance. Outside came the sound of frantic neighing and cries:

“Neighhh~~—!”

“Get out of the way!”

Clip-clop, clip-clop...

Lin Wanyi quickly regained her balance and looked outside—only to see two strong stallions in full panic, kicking aside the driver and charging straight toward the river.

Alarmed, she leapt out of the carriage and grabbed the flailing reins, but the horses were wild-eyed, thrashing like they were possessed. In an instant, they barreled through street stalls—

Boom!

Crashhh...

Seeing she couldn’t control them, Lin Wanyi tried to grab Zisu and leap to safety. But just as she caught her wrist—

Whoosh!

A white figure dropped from the sky and appeared beside them in a flash.

An arm wrapped around her waist, and before she could react, the world spun—and she was airborne.

?!

Completely unprepared, Lin Wanyi clutched the man’s arm. Through the swirl of lantern light, she caught a glimpse of his face—young, handsome, clad in white brocade robes. He looked like a noble scion.

But what really caught her off guard were his eyes.

Just one glance, and she felt chilled—those eyes were like cold springs beneath the moon, lacking warmth but still flowing with water’s grace and moonlight’s elegance.

Lin Wanyi couldn’t understand how a young man could exude such ethereal poise.

Of course, she couldn’t have known that there were truly depraved men in this world who, just to one-up the local gentry, had spent over a decade since age three perfecting posture and temperament without fail!

So the moment she saw this abstinent-style dreamboat... she blanked out for a moment.

Step—

In a flash, all three of them had spun through the air and landed steadily under the tavern’s eaves.

Boom—!

The runaway carriage crashed into the river with a thunderous splash, startling the nearby crowds.

“Sweet mother of—!”

“What the hell happened?!”

...

Patrolling officers along both riverbanks quickly rushed to the crash site.

Xie Jinhuan landed under the tavern’s roof, looked down at the teal-dressed woman in his arms, and was about to say something caring—when he noticed something odd.

This woman, regardless of face or figure, was absolutely a stunner—but she was wearing glasses.

Gold-rimmed ones, finely crafted, not inferior to modern eyewear. Xie Jinhuan had seen this kind of thing back in the capital, but only old scholars wore them.

This woman clearly had some cultivation. There was no way she was nearsighted. Plus, the skin beneath her dress felt cold to the touch—not quite normal...

But before he could investigate further, Glasses Lady quickly pulled away, her cheeks slightly flushed. She bowed politely.

“Thank you for your assistance, young master.”

Lin Zisu turned to see the tall, imposing young man and bowed as well.

“I’m Lin Zisu, nicknamed the Poison-Handed Medicine Girl. May I ask your name, sir?”

Medicine girl?

Xie Jinhuan glanced at the spiritual young girl. Seeing she didn’t have an Adam’s apple, he quietly sighed in relief.

“Xie Jinhuan. A pleasure.”

Lin Zisu was just about to thank him again when she noticed a pitch-black hawk swoop down from the roof and land on his shoulder, tugging urgently at his collar.

“Whoa~ what a black eagle! Is it yours?”

“Yeah. His name’s Meiqiu...”

Xie Jinhuan nudged Meiqiu, trying to stop his pet from making a scene.

But he quickly realized something was off. Meiqiu was visibly nervous, tugging insistently at him.

Thinking back—the carriage had lost control rather suddenly, but he’d been too focused on the rescue to notice. And earlier that afternoon, he’d heard a mysterious voice say “wait,” and Meiqiu had freaked out and charged straight into the bandit den...

Could something dirty be clinging to them?

The moment he realized this, a chill ran through him. He didn’t dare linger.

“I’ve got business to attend to—please excuse me.”

“Eh?”

Lin Wanyi had just been watching the carriage sink and hadn’t even gotten two words in when she saw him turning to leave.

“You saved us, and I haven’t even had a chance to thank you. If you’re ever free, please come visit the Lin family’s medical hall. We...”

But before she could finish, the man and the bird had vanished into the alley.

Lin Wanyi stared blankly in disbelief.

Lin Zisu hadn’t expected a man to snub her famously beautiful aunt ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) either. She looked toward where Xie Jinhuan had disappeared.

“That young master is so cold... Auntie, who was he?”

“With that aura, probably a noble from the capital.”

“Ohhh...”

...