Chapter 187: Ming Long

With a wild boar king serving as a tireless mount, Xie Jinhuan traveled to and from the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum with ease, also taking the opportunity to admire the magnificent scenery of the seven hundred li of Mount Zihui along the way.

Deep valley autumn chrysanthemums, a beauty beyond words.

To thank the wild boar king, he gave the pig a name: "A Da," derived from the fact that the pig was untrainable and would ram him upon every meeting.

After returning to Danyang, Xie Jinhuan intended to leave quietly, but Seeing Mo Mo came to the Academy to repair his soft armor, and the news reached the Dan Wang's ears.

Xie Jinhuan liked the understanding landlady very much, but the two had not made much progress; only Naiduo had shown him her snow-white skin twice.

However, the Dan Wang regarded him as a son-in-law not yet married, and the life-saving soft armor was a reward from the Dan Wang; naturally, he also regarded the Dan Wang as an elder. Knowing the Dan Wang knew he had returned, he took the initiative to visit, arriving at the Wang Fu.

At noon, the Dan Wang prepared lunch in a tea house hung with paintings and calligraphy.

During the seven days of mourning before the imperial family, alcohol, meat, and entertainment were forbidden; the dishes were all vegetarian, yet complete in color, aroma, and taste.

The Dan Wang did not wear a python robe; dressed in mourning clothes, he still displayed a gentle and refined demeanor, speaking softly:

"The matter of the County Commandant's appointment and removal actually never reached my elder brother's ears; my elder brother may not have known the details three years ago either. This whole affair is entirely Li Gongpu and the He family's fault; both families have been executed by the thousand. You should calm down too; the imperial court is still a good imperial court; the wrongdoers are only one or two rebellious ministers..."

The Dan Wang's words clearly showed his worry that Xie Jinhuan, due to past events, would hold a grudge against the entire imperial court and ruin their relationship.

But the events of that year had nothing to do with the Dan Wang, and the old man was not dead; Xie Jinhuan would obviously not be petty.

They drank tea instead of wine and had a simple meal; Xie Jinhuan still had to return to Jingcheng to resolve the Mingshen Sect matter, so he stood up to take his leave.

The Dan Wang personally saw him off; walking along the garden path, he did not forget to instruct:

"Now is a time of many troubles; this month has surely kept you very busy. Originally, this King was thinking of having Ling'er take you around Jingcheng to walk and see, but apart from the seclusion in the first few days, this King has not seen you rest once.

"Now the new monarch has not yet ascended the throne; this period will likely require your hard work. Do not let anything go wrong before the enthronement ceremony, or the impact will be bad..."

Xie Jinhuan walked at his side, thought for a moment, and asked:

"Forgive my presumption, Young Master. Your Highness holds high position and great power, and is too close to Jingcheng. I heard the Princess say, um... it's about the matter of suspicion..."

The Dan Wang understood the meaning, shook his head, and smiled:

"This King considers himself without guilt before my elder brother and the imperial court. If certain things truly come, there is no way to stop them. As a subject, one cannot suspect the imperial court first. You need not worry about these matters.

"By the way, last time I asked Xu Hunli to customize a weapon for you, but you established merit in Jingcheng too quickly. Just as the design was finalized, another commendation was needed, so materials were added for Xu Hunli to modify it. It was modified for over ten days straight until you went into seclusion at home, and only then was it completely finalized. See how it is."

While the Dan Wang spoke, he turned back, waved his hand, and Zhu Wenyuan walked over carrying a long spear.

The spear was nine chi long; the shaft was ink-black, but faint colorful patterns were visible against the light. A pale gold dragon head mouthpiece connected to a one-and-a-half chi silver tip, smooth as a mirror; the butt cap was also pale gold. Setting aside the materials, just the design was quite beautiful.

Xie Jinhuan received the long spear with both hands; judging by the texture alone, he knew the cost was astronomical, and said with shame:

"The imperial court has already given rewards; I fear I am unworthy to accept this object."

The Dan Wang patted his shoulder, quite magnanimous:

"A good horse deserves a good saddle. Setting aside other things, just for you digging out the He family and resolving the threat of a chaotic nation, this King should reward you with a famous weapon.

"Although this spear cannot be counted as a celestial artifact, it is not far off. Xu Hunli poured his heart and soul into forging it; the spear tip used 'White Saint Refined Gold'.

"This object comes from the Western Rong Soldier Saint Mountain. Bai Hu governs slaughter; when the spear emerges, it has the effect of shaking souls and terrifying spirits. Martial artists who have not entered Super Rank can also 'Break Evil'; holding it to slay demons and exorcise ghosts is like adding wings to a tiger."

Martial Path Super Rank is 'Break Evil', meaning one can rely on martial arts techniques to severely injure yin souls.

Before this, martial artists dealt purely physical damage; there was no way to harm ghosts, spirits, and other yin evil things.

This spear can 'Break Evil', which means martial artists before entering Super Rank now have a means to kill ghost cultivators, and against normal opponents, it can also 'attach true damage to every spear thrust'.

Against He Hai, this iron Wang Ba, it might not have fully broken his defense, but his three souls and seven spirits would already be nearly scattered.

For this, the effect seems simple, but it is actually heaven-defying before Super Rank; after Super Rank, it can also enhance the 'Break Evil' effect, absolutely counting as a famous weapon of heirloom level.

Xie Jinhuan had encountered ghost cultivators twice already; he was truly tempted by this spear, so he lightly flicked his wrist and thrust sideways into the empty air.

Whoosh~~

The spear shaft vibrated lightly; the silver tip broke the air, the sound like a dragon's roar.

Xie Jinhuan's eyes were full of admiration:

"What a spear!"

"Hehe~"

Seeing Xie Jinhuan's skilled stance, the Dan Wang said with a smile:

"If you like it, that is good; do not feel unworthy. If you can use this spear to kill a hundred demons and evil spirits, this King will feel it is worth far more than its price."

Zhu Wenyuan shook his head and joked: "For Young Master Xie, that is at most a month's work."

"Indeed." The Dan Wang asked: "This spear has not yet been named. Your literary talent is good; what name do you think is suitable?"

Xie Jinhuan felt this spear was truly precious; holding it in his hand to examine, he recalled slightly:

"I left my hometown three years ago to learn arts; now I have achieved a little success, which can be called 'silent for three years, then startling the world with a single cry'. Plus, this spear's momentum is like a dragon; why not call it Ming Long?"

"Ming Long."

The Dan Wang nodded: "A good name; it fits the spear's momentum of striking first and gaining the advantage. Actually, this King thought you would name it 'Silver Dragon'."

"Sigh, the term 'Silver Dragon' has ambiguity..."

"You knew originally? To speak honestly, if you were not upright enough, the name 'Silver Dragon Eight Styles', ten people hearing it, nine would think wrongly..."

Xie Jinhuan felt it was not thinking wrongly; he even thought it meant 'Lust Dragon'...

——

At the same time, in the Book and Sword Pavilion on Mount Zihui.

After parting with the demoness, Nangong Ye felt pressure like a mountain; after all, detoxification depended on luck, and at this time, only ten-plus days remained until the end of the month.

However, before resolving this matter, there was another thing to handle.

At this moment, Nangong Ye stood in the storage room behind the Book and Sword Pavilion, taking out three wooden boxes containing the lotus flowers bloomed from the sixty-year lotus.

Zhang Guan followed at his side, still somewhat hesitant:

"The Monk Mingwu of Fanyun Temple entered Rank 1 last year; his cultivation suppressed Xie Jinhuan by more than half a rank, and he can be counted as a Buddhist genius. If this battle is lost, not only will Mount Zihui have to give up a piece of territory, but Linghu Qingmo's marriage is likely also..."

Nangong Ye had acted with Xie Jinhuan so many times and knew his strengths and weaknesses very well.

Even He Man, a Rank 1.5 demon swift as thunder, could not gain any advantage against Xie Jinhuan; how could the Zen Meditation school, good at defense but bad at attack, suppress Xie Jinhuan?

But the Mingshen Sect has one Super-Class threat, and Xie Jinhuan went to Fanyun Temple to challenge them—there's a risk he'll be ambushed en route. Nan Nan Gong Ye thought for a moment and warned:

"Xie Jinhuan has good odds, but he's drawing too much attention. Going out makes him an easy target for schemers. Notify Fanyun Temple—they must come to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau the day after tomorrow at noon to discuss their relocation to Danyang."

"Understood. I'll send the message right away."

……

After settling the sect's trivial matters, Nan Nan Gong Ye feared Huang Mao would grow impatient, so he returned alone to Danyang, patrolling everywhere to avoid being tracked by the elusive Demoness, hoping to catch her off guard.

Thinking of the Demoness's visit today, Nan Nan Gong Ye was deeply puzzled.

The Seven-Star Nails are a sealing technique uniquely created by True Person Qixia. The human body has roughly seven hundred and twenty acupoints; the solution lies in seven random ones among them, the order cannot be wrong, and there is no room for trial and error.

The Burnt Immortal Curse can be forcibly undone with Immortal herbs like Huiyang Grass, but the Seven-Star Nails are universally considered unsolvable—once locked, one cannot even abandon the body to possess another.

In this world, the only people who can undo the Seven-Star Nails, besides herself, are her master, True Person Qixia.

Bu Yuehua certainly cannot have undone the Seven-Star Nails through her master's line—so how was it undone?

Bu Yuehua's martial arts must have come from some ancient ancestor; she likely has a powerful master behind her. Could she have asked her master for help…?

Nan Nan Gong Ye pondered silently, still unable to deduce the reason, when he found himself near Qingquan Alley.

At this moment, Xie Jinhuan had already turned back, riding a horse and reaching out to pull Linghu Qingmo up. A long spear hung at the horse's side; since it was newly acquired, it had been fitted with a black sheath to prevent unnecessary wear.

Linghu Qingmo wore a horse-face skirt, white on top and black below, glancing left and right, radiating a strong sense of mischief:

"Can't you borrow another horse? There are people everywhere on the street."

"Then how about you ride, and I walk and lead the horse?"

"Sigh…"

This silly girl wouldn't dare make her lover walk—she leapt onto the horse at once, sitting sideways behind him, gripping his waist. Seeing Xie Jinhuan glance around, she asked:

"What are you looking at?"

"Heh, it's been a long time since I came back—I'm just taking a look…"

……

Nan Nan Gong Ye peered from the alley and saw the young couple's shy, innocent demeanor. His eyes betrayed a touch of complexity—he felt he shouldn't have been here.

But right now, he had no choice. To cure the poison and defeat the Demoness before month's end, he needed this boy's help—and he had to escort them both back.

After a moment of silence, Nan Nan Gong Ye plucked a leaf and brought it to his lips:

"Dū wū wū~~"

A faint, elusive melody drifted onto the street.

Xie Jinhuan was searching for Bing Tuozi's whereabouts. Hearing the tune, he knew it was nearby. Seeing the other party was too shy to face him directly, he said nothing, and spurred the horse hard:

"Giddy-up—"

"Sssssss~~~"

The steed reared high on its front hooves, then shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, racing toward the city's outskirts.

Linghu Qingmo sat behind, having kept some distance, but was caught off guard by the sudden lurch—she clutched the man's waist tightly, then raised a tiny fist and lightly pounded his back:

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Mm."

"Hey? Say the safe word! Or I'll beat you all the way!"

Xie Jinhuan paid no mind to the little outburst, leaning back against his "Seeing Mo Mo cushion," galloping down the street in bright robes and a spirited steed. From the corner of his eye, he occasionally glimpsed the black-clad female warrior trailing them—his heart truly felt the joy of swift hooves in spring wind…

Clip-clop, clip-clop…

……

————

One more chapter, still being polished—wait a few more minutes or so

(End of Chapter)