[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-roaring-dragon":3,"chapter-the-roaring-dragon-the-roaring-dragon-chapter-35":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},2281891,4463,"Chapter 35: Corpse Retrievers","the-roaring-dragon-chapter-35",35,"\u003Cp>West Market, livestock gathering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sewage ditches scattered with animal feces and offal reeked horribly; around the market, the cries of cattle, sheep, pigs, and dogs rose and fell in succession:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Moo——”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Woof woof woof…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo stood at the edge of a ditch too foul to step in, her cold, beautiful face covered with a cloth, holding a long pole to sift through the sewage for traces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dabiao, as a true man, thought using a pole was too slow, so he volunteered, leading several constables to roll up their trousers and leap straight into the stinking ditch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After half a day, he had nearly vomited up everything he’d eaten the day before, cursing nonstop:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These bastards from the Street Office clean the latrines on Wencheng Street spotless, but this livestock market hasn’t been touched in half a year—now we’re stuck here dredging stinking ditches. When I get back, I’m making my old man file a complaint…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The government office runners behind him, already vomiting, weakly replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander Yang, why not send me to escort the exiled criminals? I’d rather walk a thousand miles to the southern frontier than stay here another minute.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dream on. The experts from Danwang Pavilion said the corpse’s hiding place might be here—no one eats until we find it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Puke—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo hadn’t jumped into the ditch, but the stench had left her dazed; halfway through, she stopped to gaze at the endless canal, her eyes filled with utter despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Danyang wasn’t as extreme as Luojing, its permanent population still exceeded seventy thousand; the number of pigs, sheep, chickens, and dogs consumed daily was incalculable, and the livestock market was vast—not concentrated in one spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if we limited our search to slaughter sites alone, it would take days to cover Danyang City, and whether we’d find the Gu flower remained uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of spending the next several days wading through stinking ditches, Linghu Qingmo suddenly stopped envying her master for going out to slay demons and purge evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, her master’s destinations were either the southern wilderness, Dragonbone Beach, or Ghost Wailing Marsh—places whose demonic lairs she dared not even imagine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While lost in such thoughts, no clue to the Fengshi flower had been found, when suddenly a Wang Fu Wu Zu galloped in from the street, reining in beside the ditch:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Linghu, stop searching. Just now, Xie Jinhuang found the corpse pit outside the city, on Cockcomb Ridge. Liu Qing asks you to hurry over.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Linghu Qingmo could respond, Yang Dabiao burst out of the ditch, face filled with disbelief:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He already found it? So we’ve been wading through this filth for nothing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The government office runners, freed from the ditch, scrambled out in a rush:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good, good—let’s go quick. I won’t stay here another second.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo stared in shock, dropped her pole, and leapt onto her horse:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did he find it? The Danwang Pavilion elders said it might be near the slaughterhouses…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one knows. But Liu Qing sent word from Mudan Pond: Master Xie found the place, killed several demonic bandits, and even beat Bao Fei into vomiting three sheng of blood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dabiao, just mounting his horse, blinked in confusion:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why beat Bao Fei? Is the mastermind behind the demons Bao Xiaolin?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. Apparently Bao Fei blocked them from chasing the demons and spoke disrespectfully—do you think Xie Jinhuang’s temper could tolerate that? He got beaten to a pulp.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then he deserved it. My Jinhuang didn’t even smear him on the wall—that’s mercy enough…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cockcomb Ridge was over thirty li from Danyang City. As the group traveled, chatting along the way, they arrived as the sun dipped low, plunging the entire ridge into shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo dismounted off the road, followed a winding grass path to a stream, then traced it upstream. Before reaching the pool, a familiar stench drifted into her nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this time, it was even worse!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dabiao had been jogging with his sword drawn, but his pace slowed as he frowned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Linghu, this smell… isn’t right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wherever the demons hide, would the smell be right? Keep moving!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo had anticipated something terrible, but stepping across the stream into the mountain hollow, the scene still exceeded her expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What had once been a clear green pool was now a stinking cesspool. First to catch the eye: blood-soaked remains staining several zhang of ground, two legs lying on the dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearby lay two blackened, unidentifiable corpses, riddled with holes; beside the relatively flat edge of the pool, piles of unnameable rotting flesh—human or animal, impossible to tell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Qing, originally assigned to guard the Princess, stood leaning on a pitchfork, sitting on a rock, face pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The accompanying Wu Zu were also blinded by the stench, squinting as they fished in a cave beside the pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spotting reinforcements, Liu Qing rushed forward like a drowning man seeing salvation, nearly tripping, and tossed his pitchfork at Yang Dabiao:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it, you finally show up—quick, switch shifts, switch shifts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dabiao recoiled as if struck by lightning, leaping aside:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What shift? I just crawled out of the city’s stinking ditch…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can the ditch compare to this? I’d rather go back to the ditch…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo’s head throbbed, but as commander, she gritted her teeth and took the pitchfork, asking:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where’s Xie Jinhuang?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuang, careful with his robes, had stripped off his outer garment and stood bare-chested beside a depression in the corpse pit, using the pitchfork to turn over the bodies. Though his willpower was extraordinary, after half an hour he was nearly sick, cotton balls stuffed in his nostrils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gurgle~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meiqiu, who adored cleanliness, had flown to a treetop to supervise, and now gave a greeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo hurried to the cave entrance, the stench making her eyes burn; she held her breath, then pulled out her cloth to cover her nose and mouth before leaping forward:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My heavens… you’re not from the government office—just wait outside. Why endure this torment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuang stayed to help precisely because he feared the evidence he’d painstakingly forged would be destroyed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He poked the bubbling corpse pit with a wooden fork, expression calm:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since we’re here, standing around like a lord is ridiculous. Get to work—we still need to sort and count the human corpses. Don’t plan on going back till tomorrow morning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wu Zu still working at the cave entrance, though unfamiliar with Xie Jinhuang, now praised him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Xie is truly righteous—wounded in battle against the demons, yet still comes here to do this dirty, exhausting work, refusing to be persuaded. A hero who takes demon-slaying as his duty—I’ve only ever seen one other like him: Lord Linghu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smooth talker—praising both at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Linghu Qingmo, a workaholic with no ordinary feelings, couldn’t help but view Xie Jinhuang differently now; she opened her mouth to speak, then suddenly frowned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re injured?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing serious—just overexerted, lost some blood and qi. These demons can’t touch me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his younger brother so “devoted to public service and tireless,” Yang Dabiao felt too ashamed to complain; he took the tool from a Wu Zu:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jinhuang and I were both raised by Master Xie—how could we not endure hardship? He’s rendered such great service—I won’t waste words praising him. Tomorrow night at Yuelai Pavilion, Lord Linghu treats us all—we’ll toast Jinhuang one by one!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo had assumed the henpecked Yang Dabiao would never invite anyone out—she was speechless, but nodded:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine. Meet at Yuelai Pavilion tomorrow night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoa…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The exhausted, half-fainting government office runners and Wu Zu perked up instantly and got back to work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, Linghu Qingmo moved to snatch the pitchfork from Xie Jinhuang:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You go rest properly—we’ll handle this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuang refused, gesturing toward the demonic statue in the pit:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dirty work is for warriors—you’re injured. Don’t interfere. First, examine this demonic statue. I can’t make sense of it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo turned her gaze to the sinister painting and patterns on the ceiling. Though she didn’t understand them, she sensed the thing was extraordinary, and ordered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Liu Qing, hurry and fetch Iron Lord and the others—this might hold clues to a great demon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Qing, as if granted pardon, ran off joyfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo carefully examined the traces, then looked around the depression, noticing among scattered debris a finely bound book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She assumed it was a clue and opened it—only to see… a train bento box…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo, raised under strict monastic discipline, had never seen such explicit imagery; she nearly dropped the book:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These demonic Daoist scum—utterly beyond reason!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Darkness fell; the hollow was lit by torches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wu Zu and government office runners still carried away rotting flesh, but no more jokes—only the sound of footsteps echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuang sat on a rock by the pool, eating a government-issued boxed meal’s chicken leg with Meiqiu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The resting Wu Zu and runners, nauseated, didn’t speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the cave entrance stood a tall Wu official in black armor, sword at his waist, crouching to study the demonic statue above, his face stern, even brutal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuang, from his expressionless face, guessed this was Wang Fu’s Dianjun—“Big Dumb Zhang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the nickname was ridiculous, as the Prince’s Dianjun, he commanded all military officers across Danzhou—his strength was undeniable. Alongside Zhu Wenyuan, he was known as one of the two guardian deities of Danwang’s court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even with his strength and experience, Tie Fengzhang now faced a knowledge gap; after long scrutiny, he finally spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I’m not mistaken, this is a place where the demon Daoist performed a blood sacrifice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo felt there was no way to misidentify this! She stood before it, sword in hand, slightly puzzled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My master said that when a demon Daoist performs the blood sacrifice ritual, the statue is merely symbolic of the sect—or just a deception. Even drawing a bowl of noodles could suffice to transmute living beings. The key lies in the ‘blood runes,’ these patterns surrounding the site.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When demon Daoists transmute living beings through dark arts, the direction of the blood-spirit qi flow varies according to their cultivation level and method, leaving behind distinct traces. Generally, the more advanced the cultivator, the more complex and mysterious the blood runes. These patterns here clearly aren’t from an ordinary demon Daoist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tie Fengzhang understood this principle, but after fifty years of life and countless demon and human foes slain, he had never seen blood runes this intricate—they had become lightning-scarred patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This proves the demon’s control over blood qi has reached the finest detail!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demon Daoist lineages are passed down through generations. Though hidden deep underground, those powerful demon Daoists appearing in the Great Qian are mostly remnants of sects like the ‘Transformed Immortal Sect’ or the ‘Spirit God Sect’ that survived the chaos of fallen eras—their methods differ from these traces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for high cultivators who independently turned to the demon Dao path, logically, their self-invented techniques could never surpass the millennia of accumulated knowledge of established demon Daoist schools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, the demon bandits here must be either an ancient demon elder never before seen, yet possessing transcendent cultivation, or a true demon who achieved enlightenment through divine favor and self-cultivation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only a few days ago, the Purple Banner Mountain emitted a towering surge of blood-spirit qi. Such a powerful demon couldn’t possibly have emerged twice at once…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this thought, Tie Fengzhang realized the gravity of this place and rose to say:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The demon bandit cultivating here must be the source of the blood-spirit qi from Purple Banner Mountain! Recall all personnel from neighboring counties. Investigate every case—East Granary Alley, Sanhe Building—dig down three feet if you must, and unearth this entire nest of demons!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The accompanying Wu Zu immediately obeyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jin, who had been eating, felt immense relief upon hearing this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he not feared appearing too abrupt, he would have rushed forward to say:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellency Tie’s insight is profound! Your humble servant’s admiration flows like an endless river…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just wondered how bewildered this unknown Daoist would be when the imperial fist came crashing down!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this thought, Xie Jin was genuinely curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tie Fengzhang had nearly gone white-haired from worrying over the great demon these past days. Now that he’d found the crucial lead, he was eager to return at once—but seeing Xie Jin eating with his bare chest, he paused to praise:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve worked hard. I’ll remember this. When the matter is settled, I’ll personally petition for a reward for Young Master Xie.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jin replied modestly: “I merely had good fortune. The real hard work was done by the government office brothers out in the field.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Xie Jin’s exceptional ability, his humility, and his grasp of human relations, Tie Fengzhang revealed a rare, faint smile!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the trail of the Purple Banner Mountain demon was urgent, Tie Fengzhang said no more, bowed slightly, and led his team away at speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo had intended to join the investigation and originally planned to call Xie Jin along, but remembering he’d been crawling and climbing all day, she advised:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go back and rest. The constables will handle this. I’ll notify you immediately if we find anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright. You’re injured too—don’t push yourself so hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think I’m pushing harder than you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2244,"2026-06-20T01:38:11.747Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","33d051246280fb575da24a61a7d95fe6c5b29443382109d0e171fd2509fd344c","the-roaring-dragon-chapter-36","the-roaring-dragon-chapter-34",252,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-roaring-dragon-cover.jpg"]