[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-roaring-dragon":3,"chapter-the-roaring-dragon-the-roaring-dragon-chapter-26":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Roaring Dragon",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2281882,4463,"Chapter 26: Ghost-Brand Microscope","the-roaring-dragon-chapter-26",26,"\u003Cp>At dawn, a crowd had gathered, buzzing noisily in the county magistrate’s hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the accused was Li Gongpu’s nephew, the magistrate in charge had stayed up all night; though nominally presiding, he merely listened as Li’s lawyer and the legal clerk Yang Ting debated:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li’s son owns countless properties—just the Chunping Tower in Taoxian Alley alone brings in gold by the bushel every day. Why would he bother with the meager profits from smuggling banned elixirs?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ledgers found at Sanhe Tower show nine-tenths of the profits were handed over to the proprietor…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those are gambling den records. The private ledgers for Dengxian Powder don’t specify who received the funds. Li’s son is completely unaware of this…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan walked past the side of the hall and saw the accused, Li’s son, shackled and kneeling in the center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the Li family stood Minister Huangmen Li Gongpu, who had long served the Son of Heaven—his very farts could kill county magistrates. For the government office to let Li’s son kneel and be interrogated—even subjected to torture—was already pushing its limits, yet this clearly wouldn’t harm the Li family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dabiao had sat through the entire night as an assistant judge and now led the way, sighing heavily:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is a hot potato. If we actually uncover something, fine—but if we don’t, me and my old man are definitely getting shafted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan was nearly in dire straits himself; even if the Li family was innocent, he had to find *something* to drain the Wang Fu’s manpower and mental energy. He reassured:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Local gentry families aren’t spotless. If they’re selling Dengxian Powder, they must have other shady dealings—forcing decent women into prostitution, violent debt collection, seizing farmland…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey hey!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dabiao quickly raised his hand: “If we can just get to the bottom of this, I’ll be satisfied. Eat one bite at a time—we take it step by step…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they spoke, the three men and the bird arrived at a sheltered building with a sign reading “Corpse Room.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dabiao covered his nose and warned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve stared at the corpse for two nights straight—I still haven’t recovered. You’d better brace yourself. You may have seen dead bodies before, but never one this disgusting…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan walked behind them; as the door opened, a reeking stench of decay surged forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dabiao pointed to the wooden slab in the center:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That one. You lift it yourself—I can’t take it anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan stepped forward and saw the corpse covered in white cloth, its surface caked with filth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pried the cloth open with the shaft of his club; instantly, Meiqiu, perched on his shoulder, flew to Linghu Qingmo’s shoulder. Though mute, her eyes screamed—What the hell is this?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse had already severely bloated and decayed into a giant form, then been dissected—its appearance was beyond description: nothing but a humanoid mass of rotting flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dabiao had been nauseated by this corpse for days and now only wanted to burn it. Seeing Xie Jinhuan stare at it calmly, he couldn’t help but praise:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jinhuan, your composure has improved greatly in these few years. I heard your father say you fainted and threw up the first time you watched an autopsy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan had been held in his father’s arms to watch an autopsy when he was three! He’d been lucky not to die of fright:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine—at least it looks human. This man’s body is riddled with holes—not from decay or dissection. Was the cause of death not determined?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo had just eaten breakfast and now covered Meiqiu’s eyes, frowning:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The coroner says poisoning, but couldn’t identify the toxin. As for the holes, he thinks it’s from prolonged soaking in the river, eaten by insects. Many senior officers have examined this corpse and found nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse was too decayed for Xie Jinhuan to discern its true nature. As he pondered silently, the ever-present red-clad ghost suddenly materialized behind him, leaning over his shoulder:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm~ Died so terribly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his ghost bride appear outright, Xie Jinhuan was genuinely startled—but since neither Qingmo nor Dabiao noticed anything odd, he couldn’t act like he’d seen a ghost. He feigned calm and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s your take?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dabiao, standing beside them, scratched his head in confusion:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I had any ideas, I wouldn’t have spent the whole night at the government office. Didn’t come home last night—my wife’s gonna give me hell again…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Xie Jinhuan never expected much from Dabiao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Hongshang was an invisible ghost, her true form always sealed within the sword; she perceived things not with eyes but with spiritual sense. The image she showed was merely a hallucination Xie Jinhuan conjured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Hongshang studied the corpse for a moment, then raised a finger toward its abdomen:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before death, his vital essence was drained—not by demonic cultivation methods, but by insects that absorb essence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The insects nurtured inside him for a long time, leaving behind eggs too tiny to see with the naked eye—likely a special kind of fly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan looked at the spot she indicated: a mass of unidentifiable internal organs. He leaned close, but even with his eyes, he couldn’t spot the eggs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Ye Hongshang raised her pale palm, and a sphere immediately formed in her palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sphere was like a miniature universe—its interior revealed intricate details of tissue, continuously magnifying until it locked onto a single egg among countless impurities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The egg was as large as a football; through its membrane, its internal structure and fluid were clearly visible…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holy shit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan hadn’t expected his ghost bride could function as a “Ghost-Brand Microscope.” He now studied the egg’s details closely…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he still couldn’t identify what kind of insect it was!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, when it came to insects that drained human essence, Xie Jinhuan recalled old books he’d read—and a thought struck him. He turned to the two:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you heard of ‘Corpse Flies’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dabiao stared blankly—he’d never heard the term.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo thought carefully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Corpse Flies… are a kind of poison insect from the Witch Cult. My master mentioned them twice before…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan silently shook his head and explained seriously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gǔ is the essence of poison; flowers are the essence of gǔ. Former Vice Minister of Agriculture Shen Jiang once compiled the ‘Classic of Plant Essences.’ In its ‘Strange Flower Essences’ section, it lists over a dozen gǔ flowers, six or seven of which use Corpse Flies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Corpse Flies feed on vital essence. Shamans plant seeds inside them, warm them with human blood and essence, and when the insect dies and the flower blooms, it becomes a gǔ flower… I don’t recall the details clearly. Miss Linghu, you should consult a senior.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo, seeing Xie Jinhuan recite this like a catalog, widened her eyes. She strained to recall the books she’d read:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You studied such obscure texts in such detail?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dabiao wasn’t surprised. He explained:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jinhuan’s been diligent since childhood. I heard your father say he wanted to ‘win at the starting line and out-compete the locals.’ I didn’t understand what that meant, but since age three, he’s been devouring books and learning all sorts of flashy skills—like his Thunder Art: good at nothing, just dabbling. Only recently did he refocus and catch up on his martial cultivation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo still looked astonished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, “mediocre at everything” was an insult—but if you dominated in one area while understanding others, you became a true polymath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn’t expected Xie Jinhuan to be so formidable in martial arts *and* still find time for obscure texts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So handsome, so powerful, so erudite—how could any other man live?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo had been about to leave, but something felt off. She stepped closer to the rotting flesh and studied it:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are these Corpse Flies here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan had only deduced the source thanks to his ghost bride’s power—how could he spot the eggs with his eyes? He replied casually:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I noticed the holes and maggots and just had a hunch. I’m not certain. Miss Linghu, you should still ask the seniors.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a lead, Linghu Qingmo wasted no time and turned to leave:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll go to the Danwang Pavilion. Yang Dabiao, stay with Young Master Xie.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dabiao covered the corpse with the cloth: “Jinhuan, want to see any other corpses? There’s all kinds of bizarre deaths here…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan still needed to find something to pin on the demon rebels. Now he had a lead—he had no interest in bizarre deaths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Damaimo had only identified it as a gǔ insect—he couldn’t tell which gǔ flower it was. This was best left to the Witch Cult’s demon girls. He picked up the cowardly Meiqiu:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I made an appointment yesterday with the Lin family clinic. I’ll take my leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dabiao, as a seasoned veteran, patted his shoulder understandingly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I get it. Young people are like this. Cherish the moment. Once you’re married, you’ll realize—even the corpse room has its charm. At least no one yells in your ear…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan stepped out of the government office, Meiqiu slung over his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Damaimo still floated ahead, murmuring praise:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t know you were so well-read.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In front of his ghost bride, Xie Jinhuan was quite proud:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I started studying hard at three—not just books, but chess, painting, qin, all of it. I can chat with anyone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Hongshang teased: “Courtesans in brothels train the same way—learn all eighteen arts so they can charm any client. Your background? A shame not to become a male concubine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan had realized by fifteen or sixteen that every skill he’d mastered was just barely adequate—except for being a “king of male courtesans,” which he excelled at.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But thankfully, in the past three years he’d refocused. Now his martial arts were exceptional, and he still had his flashy talents—he hadn’t wasted his youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the man and ghost conversed, they walked toward Ning’an Street. Before they’d gone far, hoofbeats rang ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clip-clop, clip-clop…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan looked up and saw three swift horses gallop past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each rider wore bright red robes embroidered with qilin, carried standard-issue official sabers, and the leader wore a gold-inlaid gauze cap with a copper plaque.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The government office runners outside, seeing them, trembled with fear and rushed forward to greet them:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are these three my lords?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am Zhou He, Company Commander of the Crimson Qilin Guard, dispatched to assist in the Li family case. Where is the magistrate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Honor Zhou, Magistrate Zhang is currently interrogating inside the inner government office…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having grown up in Jingcheng since childhood, Xie Jinhuan was extremely familiar with the Crimson Lin  Guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were the Son of Heaven’s personal guard, independent of the Six Ministries, primarily tasked with surveilling officials, with authority to arrest, interrogate, and even execute—power reaching the heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan’s strongest memory of them was when they came to his home to question his father about a case; it was already late, the government office had closed, so seven or eight Crimson Lin  Guards simply landed with a whoosh in his courtyard!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father was eating dinner at the time and was so terrified he could barely speak properly for the next three days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crimson Lin  Guard took direct orders from the Son of Heaven, and Li Gongpu was a favorite of the Emperor; now that Crimson Lin  Guard personnel had come to assist in the investigation, the Li family case was essentially impossible to pursue further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, there was now a breakthrough on the demon bandit front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they could uncover clues about the demon bandits and pin the blame for the purple emblem mountain’s demonic aura onto them, giving the Dan Wang a glimmer of hope to resolve the case himself, it would naturally delay the deployment of the nuclear weapon—and perhaps even allow them to cover up the matter of the Demon Suppression Mausoleum entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this in mind, Xie Jinhuan did not pause, but hurried out of the government office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the same time, outside the county office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three Crimson Lin  Guards, hands on their blades, strode up the office steps, discussing the case along the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as they were about to enter the county office gate, Company Commander Zhou He suddenly halted, turning his head toward the bustling street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The government office runners behind him, bowing in nervous deference, looked puzzled and turned to glance at the street:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Company Commander Zhou?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou He’s gaze settled on the white-robed young master who had already passed by; his brow furrowed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who is that man?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, that’s Young Master Xie Jinhuan, Brother to Captain Yang Ting—he just returned from training at Wind Spirit Valley, and lately has been assisting at the office; his martial skill is formidable. Do you know him, Commander Zhou?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wind Spirit Valley…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou He paused a moment, then continued walking inside;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Son of an old acquaintance—no wonder he looks familiar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2179,"2026-06-20T01:38:11.747Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","990e641f1c3f9f5158ad42a2a653de5c31cf8d9eda47957828128208d9da1f77","the-roaring-dragon-chapter-27","the-roaring-dragon-chapter-25",252,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-roaring-dragon-cover.jpg"]