Roaring Dragon-Chapter 78: Still Majoring in Evil Paths

Southern Frontier Wumeng, Luojing Office.

Midnight. Bu Hanying, cloaked in black, sat alone in a pitch-dark room.

Several more wooden chairs ringed the room, each occupied by a liaison from one of Wumeng’s major sects.

As a core member of Queyue Manor, Bu Hanying held the second seat in the hall, ranking just beneath the ancestral Gu Poison Sect branch, Chilong Cave. At the moment, he was delivering a passionate speech:

“This alliance of sects is for the revival of Wuism—for reclaiming our place in the Central Plains.

“Our Gu Poison Sect was originally a righteous faction! It was only due to our ties with the Corpse Witch Sect and the betrayal of the Three Teachings that we were cast into the southern frontier.

“After years of tireless preaching, both the martial world and the courts of North and South have started to view us differently. Beizhou has even begun accepting our witch-doctors.

“But just three days ago!

One of your disciples from Chilong Cave slaughtered hundreds of civilians along the Huai River!

“If not for our Queyue Manor disciples acting in time and turning the tide, the death toll could’ve hit six hundred!

“This kind of incident stokes public resentment and could destroy years of work in one—one ‘Dan’... Taishu Dan’s damn pill!”

Wuist sects were a chaotic mix. Ritualist branches like the Zhuji Sect, with their song-and-dance spirit-inviting rituals, were considered righteous.

Meanwhile, corpse manipulators like the Corpse Witch and Ghost Witch Sects were undeniably evil.

Gu Poison Sect sat awkwardly in between—sure, they didn’t kill to cultivate and even cured diseases sometimes.

But righteous? Hard to say. They played with poisons, bred parasitic insects, cursed people, and their priestesses were all seduction incarnate...

Before the Wuist Rebellion, Gu Poison Sect could still walk the Central Plains—just frowned upon.

Now, they’d been driven into godforsaken wilderness, forced to outwit demon beasts to survive. Of course they weren’t happy about it.

To make a comeback, they did the same as the Three Teachings and Hundred Schools: spread out, plant roots, grow their numbers.

Once they had enough followers and social standing, even the court would have to hold its nose and tolerate them. That’s how Buddhism rose—survived multiple purges and still stood tall.

Luojing, being the capital of Great Qian, was a key target for Wuist proselytization. Every major sect had their own “missionaries” there.

But a bloodbath by a witch disciple? That kind of bad press would ruin everything—definitely not good for conversions.

So, the sects had been holding emergency meetings these past few days to discuss damage control.

Not that Wumeng was some unified bloc. These meetings were more like passive-aggressive yelling matches.

The elder from Chilong Cave—none other than the Gu Poison Sect's own grandmaster, Sikong Tianyuan—sat in the seat of honor and grumbled with visible irritation:

“That traitor Taishu Dan was expelled from our sect thirty years ago! The grandmaster’s wanted to clean house ever since, but the bastard’s too slick—we’ve never even been able to find him...”

“That just means Taishu Dan really learned from Chilong Cave!” someone sniped.

“Tch! Sources say the ones who actually saved the day were disciples from Daoist Yin Immortal Sect. What’s Queyue Manor doing taking credit?”

Queyue Manor had dreamed of toppling Chilong Cave and becoming Wumeng’s leading sect. Bu Hanying’s response to the accusations was evasive:

“Our Manor Lord plans far ahead. There’s no need for you all to ask about the details. But if Chilong Cave stirs up more shit in the future, don’t expect our Manor Lord to clean up your mess again.”

Skepticism lingered in the room, but the Chilong Cave rep snapped back:

“And what about Queyue Manor’s own messes? Your Manor Lord tried to curse the ‘Number One Beauty of the Daoist World’...”

“That’s just Jianghu business!”

Bu Hanying sighed heavily and explained with the patience of a teacher correcting children:

“Nangong Ye and our Manor Lord both came upon Fengyu Grass. Heaven-born treasure—finders, keepers. Even if it were monks and Daoists who found it, they’d still end up fighting.

“Nangong Ye couldn’t win. How’s that our fault? What, should our Manor Lord have dueled her with thunder arts instead of using a curse?”

As this delightful exchange continued, a sudden hissssss echoed from the sleeve of the Chilong Cave rep—a red-eyed black snake reared up, flicking its tongue toward the ceiling.

The room instantly fell silent.

Bu Hanying’s hood lifted as he stared upward.

“Someone’s up there?”

Step...

Whoosh—

A gust cut through the still air as a figure vaulted from the rooftop and vanished into the distance.

None of the gathered liaisons had expected this! Who the hell dared sneak up on them during a midnight meeting in Xiaoyao Cave?

Fearing a government raid, the sect liaisons immediately reverted to their specialties—scatter like rats!

In the blink of an eye, everyone vanished, each using their own escape technique.

Bu Hanying, worried about exposure, also darted out the back window of the fur shop and bolted into the alley.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get far before a figure descended from the rooftop, landing right in front of him.

Step—

The figure was tall, with two weapons at his waist. The moonlight obscured his face, but the aura he gave off was downright deathly.

Fwoosh...

Under the cold moonlight, the alley fell silent as a grave.

Seeing this, Bu Hanying’s heart sank. He tensed like facing a mortal enemy:

“There were many friends in that hall. You chose to block me. Is that just my bad luck—or do you want something?”

Xie Jinhuan had been pouring his heart out trying to make friends... only to dig into a damned Wumeng rat’s nest. It was beyond frustrating!

After all, he needed these people alive. Killing them all now meant no alchemists, no ingredient suppliers.

“If I’d wanted to kill you,” he said coldly, “you’d all be dead already. No need to wait.”

Being snuck up on by a martial cultivator? Yeah, for a fragile poison master, that was a blade to the throat.

Bu Hanying narrowed his eyes. “Then what do you want?”

Xie Jinhuan got right to the point:

“Refining Blood Essence Crystals needs a ton of animal material. You can’t operate openly inside Great Qian, so most of it must come from beyond the borders. Queyue Manor supplies some, don’t they?”

Bu Hanying furrowed his brow—then froze at the voice from behind:

“That bell hidden in your sleeve won’t help. And those three insects in your coat are nasty, sure—but too far away to hurt me.”

?!

Still cloaked, Bu Hanying visibly stiffened. Realizing how outclassed he was, he quietly stashed the bell and responded obediently:

“To branch out in the capital, we need self-sustaining income.

“Blood Essence Crystals have high medicinal value and come from beasts only. The Imperial Apothecary and Imperial Medical Bureau both use them.

“It’s only because they’re a key ingredient in ‘Demon Transformation Pills’ that the court bans them in public markets.

“We do sell some—but only to people looking to preserve youth and boost blood energy...”

Xie Jinhuan cut him off coldly:

“Wuists are famous for being sneaky. No way you sell something this dangerous without vetting buyers.

“In the black market—any buyers you can’t identify? Someone who comes regularly, buys a lot?”

“Powerful buyers...”

Bu Hanying thought hard. “We’ve seen a few who seem to be around fourth or fifth rank in cultivation. We checked into them, but our resources were limited.”

That sounded a lot like rogue cultivators. Xie Jinhuan pressed further:

“How often do they show up?”

“Every ten days or so, give or take. But smart ones don’t follow a pattern.”

Bu Hanying then asked:

“Are you suspecting a rogue demon cultivator is stockpiling Blood Essence Crystals?”

Xie Jinhuan’s gaze darkened.

“Yeah. You got a theory?”

Bu Hanying, a Gu Poison sect witch with deep pharmacological knowledge, figured it was best to appease this terrifying visitor with real analysis:

“The Central Plains is under heavy control. Most black-market buyers don’t have connections—they’ll buy any trash we give them.

“Chilong Cave once mixed pig blood into a batch, and people still treated it like gold.

“So no seller brings in high-grade stuff. Real experts wouldn’t ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) shop there.”

Xie Jinhuan already knew legit demon cultivators wouldn’t use the black market. He was after the rogue types.

“If someone only uses low-quality Blood Essence Crystals—no live blood added—could they still reach demon path fourth rank?”

Bu Hanying hesitated.

“Yes. But their foundation would be weak. They’d need constant use of protective medicine to neutralize the side effects.

“If that’s the case, check for buyers using Longyang Flower. That’ll point you to your guy.”

“Oh?” Xie Jinhuan’s voice sharpened. “Why?”

Bu Hanying explained:

“Beast-derived Blood Essence Crystals can’t match human blood. They’re used in Demon Transformation Pills only when combined with strong protective herbs.

“Normally, you’d use some human blood in the mix. If they’re using pure beast product, they must rely on herbs to keep from being wrecked.

“Longyang Flower is essential in those recipes. Someone using that much blood essence? Definitely buying Longyang Flower on the regular.”

Xie Jinhuan nodded slowly.

“But anyone can buy Longyang Flower. How do we trace that?”

Bu Hanying shook his head.

“Demon cultivators who avoid killing must constantly use Blood Essence Crystals to ease their bloodlust. So they also need frequent Longyang Flower.

“But it’s a high-demand herb with unstable supply. You want it regularly? You have to pre-order from a supplier.”

That made things clear—pre-orders meant records.

Longyang Flower wasn’t restricted, so using an alias would only draw suspicion. High-profile buyers would be cautious, but still leave a paper trail. Anonymous walk-ins? Most dealers wouldn’t even sell to them, let alone long-term.

So tracking the pre-order logs should lead to the rogue in question.

Xie Jinhuan nodded approvingly. freewebnøvel.com

“No wonder they call you Wumeng. When it comes to crooked paths, your insights are top-notch.”

Bu Hanying bowed:

“You flatter me. When it comes to crooked paths, we’re not even in Chilong Cave’s league!”

Xie Jinhuan now saw why Gu Poison Sect was going nowhere—their internal shade-throwing was on another level.

“You guys know the city’s medicinal trade. Any guesses where these rogues are placing orders for Longyang Flower?”

Bu Hanying thought a moment.

“Price changes daily. Middlemen don’t have stable stock. For long-term supply with decent pricing—look at the Four Major Apothecaries in the East Market.”

Having found his lead, Xie Jinhuan didn’t make things harder for this bespectacled woman's martial uncle. He melted into the night without another word.

The moonlight was dim, and Bu Hanying couldn’t make out his face. After a few moments of silence, he realized the man was gone and finally exhaled in relief—vanishing into the alleys himself.