Roaring Dragon-Chapter 77: A Horde of Demonic Cultivators!

The moon shone bright, stars sparse. In the courtyard, soft insect chirps echoed in the night.

Jiji jiji...

On her bed, Linghu Qingmo sat cross-legged with eyes closed, qi flowing visibly around her body as she immersed herself in cultivation. Her mind had slipped into a near-trancelike focus.

But just as she reached that state of flow—

Click.

A faint door-closing sound broke the silence.

?

Her brows creased lightly as she withdrew from her practice and glanced toward the doorway—only to see a familiar silhouette sneak past the window, tiptoeing toward her room like ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) some shady burglar.

!

Xie Jinhuan?!

Why was he sneaking over in the middle of the night?

Linghu Qingmo’s eyes widened in alarm. She wanted to run and bolt the door, but it was already too late. She could only shift her sword closer, tensely eyeing the approaching figure and praying he was just out for a midnight stroll with Meiqiu...

But alas, the so-called righteous hero was already outside a maiden’s room at midnight. He paused, leaned in to listen, then politely knocked:

Knock knock.

Two gentle taps—like knocking on the door of her heart.

Linghu Qingmo’s face turned scarlet. She almost pretended to be asleep to ignore this scoundrel intruding on a maiden’s chamber, but the knocks kept coming—and Meiqiu started pecking at the door like a woodpecker.

Gritting her teeth, she called out, “I... I’m asleep. What do you want?”

From outside came Xie Jinhuan’s cheerful voice:

“Long night, no sleep. Miss Mo-Mo...”

Linghu Qingmo’s tone turned sharp. “Can’t sleep? Go cultivate! What are you doing outside my room? I’m not here to tuck you in!”

“Hm? That’s a rather impure interpretation, Miss Mo-Mo. I meant that with such a major case unsolved, how could anyone sleep peacefully? I just had a lead and I’m heading out to investigate some demonic scum. Wanna come?”

“?”

She took a deep breath—chest heaving beneath her robe—utterly disbelieving.

Is this guy insane?!

Late at night, a man sneaks up to a lady’s window... and asks her to go hunt monsters together?

...This was—perfect!

All her earlier embarrassment vanished. Linghu Qingmo was a workaholic at heart. She grabbed her sword and hurried to the door, cracking it open with bright eyes.

“What kind of lead~?”

Even her tone had softened.

Xie Jinhuan, twin weapons at his waist and Meiqiu draped across his shoulder like a disgruntled night-shift worker, turned and began walking out.

“Demonic cultivators rely on blood essence pills. I’m going to the black market to trace the source.”

“Blood essence pills?”

Linghu Qingmo followed, puzzled.

“They do need them, sure—but black market stuff can’t get you beyond someone like Li Shizhong. That killer reached the fourth tier and dared to kill in the capital without getting caught. He’s got to have backing. Why would someone like that buy from the black market?”

“Just taking a shot. Who knows—maybe we get lucky.”

She knew of Xie Jinhuan’s legendary nose for sniffing out killers. Though they hadn’t worked a case together yet, she was eager to learn.

Being dragged out of bed for a midnight crime bust? She was all in.

Together, they leapt onto the rooftops and made their way out of the Prince’s Mansion.

The mansion, granted to the Dan Prince, brother of the Emperor, was vast. Zhao De lived in the east residence, Princess Changning had the west, and the main quarters—where the Prince himself resided—were currently empty.

Since Princess Changning hadn’t arrived yet, the mansion was mostly dark. Only a few lights glimmered in the east wing.

Xie Jinhuan passed by that area and peeked inside the courtyard.

Sure enough, Zhao De was pacing in his room, talking to his lackey Laifu:

“With Linghu Qingmo here as the ‘Tiger Vanguard,’ that ‘Mountain King’ Xie Jinhuan won’t be far behind. How much silver do we have left?”

“Silver? We’ve never seen such a thing, Your Highness. We’re actually in the red—eight thousand taels deep.”

“What?! I already sold two of Father’s antique vases last time—we have to fill that hole fast! If the Mountain King comes, he’ll kill me. Go borrow some money!”

“I’ve already tried, but no one will lend us a coin. Everyone who knows you pretends they’re broke... Maybe ask Young Master Xie? He’s got that noble face—looks like the generous type...”

Huh?!

Xie Jinhuan’s face darkened. Grabbing Mo-Mo, he bolted away.

Linghu Qingmo barely kept up. Once outside, she warned:

“Whatever you do, don’t lend him anything. That prince even dared to borrow pocket change from Yang Dabiao—and never paid him back!”

Borrow and don’t repay? That’s called robbery!

Xie Jinhuan had always been the one doing the robbing. No one had dared try it on him.

He nodded solemnly. “Noted. I’ll stay far away.”

As they sprinted across rooftops, they took in the grand view of the capital city.

Luojing had a permanent population exceeding two million—an absolute behemoth of a city.

The black market was located in the Xiaoyao Hollow, a chaotic outer district crawling with gambling dens, back-alley brothels, merchants of all stripes—even foreign traders. By day it was a flea market. By night, it transformed into a ghost market.

Its complex makeup made it a haven for Northern Zhou spies, demonic cult operatives, and allegedly even prostitutes for sale.

And its secrets? Almost impossible to dig up through official channels.

Both Meiqiu and the Tiangang Mace had been purchased here—on Bird-and-Flower Street.

Linghu Qingmo, unfamiliar with the capital, followed Xie Jinhuan through a winding route. After a while, they arrived at a cluster of old, ramshackle buildings. The air reeked of smoke and sweat.

“Cheers!”

“Master Xu, you’re a beast!”

“Ohh! Top it off—right there!”

...

Perched on a crumbling wall, Linghu Qingmo’s cheeks reddened slightly at the sounds from the dark alley below. She pretended not to hear and surveyed the disorderly market beneath.

Buildings in Xiaoyao Hollow were old and layered, draped with rags and banners. Visibility was poor.

It was past midnight, and the ghost market was in full swing. Stalls lined the streets with a dizzying array of goods—but nothing clearly illegal.

As she scanned, she spotted a man standing at an alley entrance, holding a tiny vial and shaking it enthusiastically at passersby.

“That guy’s selling Dengxiansan. He probably knows something. Should I go, or do you want to handle it?”

“A lady like you shouldn’t do this kind of dirty work.”

Xie Jinhuan said nothing more. He simply vaulted off the rooftop.

Linghu Qingmo blinked.

Why the roof?

She quickly realized—Xie Jinhuan’s version of “asking questions” meant ask later, punch first!

Moving like a shadow, he glided down and silently landed behind the man. Without a word, he clamped a hand over the guy’s mouth and dragged him into a dark corner.

“Mmff?!”

The man had been mid-sale. Now he was halfway to the underworld. He fumbled for a knife—but before he could draw it, Xie Jinhuan nailed him with a kidney shot.

Thud—

One muffled hit, and the alley went silent.

The guy collapsed into Xie Jinhuan’s arms, twitching and wheezing.

“Where can I buy blood essence pills?”

Eyes wide with terror, the man shakily pointed northwest. As soon as the hand loosened over his mouth, he whispered:

“S-Sanliu Alley... a guy called Fourth Master Li... might know... please don’t—”

Crack!

Xie Jinhuan karate-chopped his neck. The man dropped into a hay pile like a sack of bricks.

Linghu Qingmo landed beside him, wide-eyed like Meiqiu:

“You... that’s how you ask questions?!”

Meiqiu squinted like a miniature Mo-Mo, clearly judging:

You don’t even treat birds that gently...

Xie Jinhuan, being unusually gentle in front of a lady, replied calmly:

“These pill peddlers never tell the truth. If you ever run into one, don’t waste your kindness.”

As a straight-laced heroine, Linghu Qingmo felt that this method—punch first, ask later—was... a little too shady.

Still, Xie Jinhuan clearly got results. She reluctantly pulled out a tiny notebook and pen from her sleeve, carefully jotting down his method:

“Step 1: Beat drug dealer half to death. Step 2: Ask questions.”

Xie Jinhuan didn’t waste time. With Linghu Qingmo and Meiqiu in tow, he made his way to Sanliu Alley.

Inside were several hidden brothels. Though well past midnight, the place was more lively than it had been during the day.

At the alley’s entrance stood a lookout thug.

Xie Jinhuan was ready to repeat his usual routine—but suddenly stopped. His gaze locked onto a nearby fur shop.

The store had long closed for the night. A few makeshift stalls were scattered outside. One vendor, clearly a martial artist, had positioned himself to watch both the front and the side alley.

Which meant... there was probably another lookout in the rear blind spot.

Even without Ye Hongshang, Xie Jinhuan’s instincts weren’t bad. But it never hurt to confirm. Resting a hand on the Zhenglun Sword, he asked:

“Is that shop suspicious?”

Linghu Qingmo blinked. “Is it?”

It wasn’t directed at her.

From behind, Ye Hongshang emerged, surveying the scene.

“There are people inside, but I can’t tell exactly how many from this distance.”

Her senses were sharp, but not limitless—the farther the target, the hazier the details.

Xie Jinhuan slipped into the shadows and crept to within ten zhang of the store.

Then Ye Hongshang’s voice whispered in his ear:

“No wonder they’ve got blood essence pills. That shop’s packed with witches—all gathered in one room. Ranks range from fourth to sixth tier. You can take the whole batch.”

A horde of witches?!

That’s too damn convenient...

He studied the fur shop, surprised.

Witchcraft cults operated in the shadows. Scattered witches within the empire typically relied on ghost markets to get by. Many of the bizarre poisons and hexes sold in Xiaoyao Hollow came from them.

He knew the place had witches—but seven mid-tier witches in one room? In southern wildlands, that would be enough to start a sect!

In the capital, this was a major crime syndicate.

Witches, like alchemists, burned through money like wildfire. Anyone able to reach mid-tier had to be loaded.

Xie Jinhuan’s spirit perked up.

He almost regretted bringing Mo-Mo.

With her watching, it was hard to kill and loot without losing face.

Leaning against the wall, sharp-browed and brooding, he considered the setup. Linghu Qingmo eyed him curiously:

“What’s the issue?”

He pointed at the vendor by the stall.

“That guy’s a lookout. Something shady is definitely going on. I’ll go check it out. You and Meiqiu stay here and keep watch—don’t make a move unless I signal.”

Linghu Qingmo nodded, gripping her sword tightly.

“Got it. I’ll alert you if anything happens!”

“Don’t get too close. And don’t rush in if you hear something.”

“Understood...”