Chapter 55

The sun had not yet fully set, and Danyang City had transformed into a brilliant sea of lanterns.

Fireworks rose from all directions; on the street, a gold-and-silver-adorned elephant could be seen, dragging a multi-story lantern carriage in a procession, surrounded by commoners and children chasing to watch the spectacle.

And along the fences bordering the sides of the street, many beautiful ladies hung fruits on long poles to feed it; the elephant raised its trunk, coiled it around the fruit, and brought it to its mouth.

"Aaaah~"

"Wow! Mother, this elephant is so well-behaved~"

……

Xie Jinhuan stood by the street waiting; seeing such a magnificent streetscape, his mind inevitably recalled his father, whose life or death was unknown, and a sense of nostalgia filled his heart.

Meiqiu had no concept of the Mid-Autumn Festival; her eyes were fixed on food. Seeing everyone feeding the elephant, she too opened her beak, hoping a beauty on the second floor would feed her.

As a result, a brightly dressed lady above, upon seeing him, actually tossed down a green fruit, accompanied by a teasing glance.

Xie Jinhuan caught the green fruit; since he still had a landlady to attend to, he did not go up to chat. After waiting a moment, the sound of hooves echoed from the street entrance.

Clip-clop, clip-clop……

Turning to look back, a luxurious carriage drawn by four pure white horses galloped side by side, approaching from Wencheng Street; light and shadow were visible inside the carriage, but the person within could not be seen.

On either side were more than ten Wu Zu; Liu Qingzhi led the way at the front, while Butler Hou rode a horse alongside, waving a white paper fan along the route, his shifty-eyed appearance exactly like that of a lackey helping a prodigal young master scout for a young beauty.

Xie Jinhuan carried Meiqiu to the front and clasped his hands in a bow:

"Butler Hou, Brother Liu."

"Brother Xie." Liu Qingzhi clasped his hands in return.

Butler Hou glanced over slightly and praised:

"Not bad; this attire indeed has a bit of the style I possessed in my youth."

To attend the banquet, Xie Jinhuan had specially taken the travel funds contributed by Fu Dongping, bought a sturdy white robe of cloud brocade, wrapped a jade belt around his waist, combed his hair neatly, and even washed Meiqiu until she was black and clean.

Hearing Butler Hou's slight insult, Xie Jinhuan politely replied:

"Oh no, no, Butler Hou, you flatter me. Has Miss Linghu not come?"

Liu Qingzhi responded: "She is in the carriage; the Head is dressed today as..."

"Liu Qingzhi!"

A cold rebuke came from inside the carriage, and Liu Qingzhi immediately fell silent.

Xie Jinhuan, seeing that Mo Mo was dressed so beautifully she dared not show herself, naturally grew interested and peered inside through the carriage window.

"Eh~ Young Master Xie, where are you looking?"

"Duoduo!"

Princess Changning, seated inside the carriage, furrowed her brows slightly:

"She is looking at Linghu Qingmo, not at you; move aside quickly."

Linghu Qingmo, huddled in the corner, flushed red upon hearing this:

"Ling'er, do not make a scene."

Xie Jinhuan waited for Duoduo to move aside, yet still took a glance inside.

Within the carriage, the landlady, wearing a magnificent palace gown, sat on the inner side of the carriage; holding a round fan, her makeup was striking, with colorful eye makeup applied, exuding an aura of nobility.

And Mo Mo, who was usually aloof and ethereally beautiful, had today even changed into a cloud-white Hezi skirt, covered by a tea-green gauze robe; her hair was tied into a Flying Cloud Bun; she appeared to have lost a bit of her fairy-like air, but gained much femininity.

Because her best friend had forced her into this attire, Linghu Qingmo felt quite uncomfortable; she covered her face with the round fan, clearly not wanting Xie Jinhuan to see her.

"Gurgle?"

Meiqiu perhaps did not recognize her and even jumped forward to peek.

Xie Jinhuan actually did not recognize her either and smiled:

"This skirt looks nice; it doesn't expose flesh; what are you hiding for?"

Linghu Qingmo considered herself an ice-cold swordswoman who did not eat the food of mortals; she was unaccustomed to such elaborate dressing, let alone that Xie Jinhuan had secretly written her a love letter...

With many people present and many eyes watching, Linghu Qingmo did not dare to pull or tug; she stood up and closed the window:

"The carriage is small; there is no room to sit; make do outside."

Click~

Among the ladies Xie Jinhuan knew, only Mo Mo was a low-maintenance carriage; naturally, he did not make things difficult, sat on the edge of the carriage, and together they headed toward the city outskirts...

……

——

Upstream of Huai River, Peony Pool.

Night fell; the bright moon, like a jade plate, hung over the riverbank.

Brilliant fireworks bloomed in the sky; tens of thousands of men, women, old, and young wandered between flower carriages and opera stages; over a hundred pleasure boats were moored along the riverbank and lake surface, and painted boats shuttled back and forth along the riverside.

A carriage bearing a wooden sign with the character 'Lin' stopped on the outer lawn; Lin Zisu, dressed in colorful clothes, alighted first, spinning around to look:

"Wow~ so many people; the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival in Danyang feels even livelier than in Jingcheng."

Lin Wanyi, wearing a form-fitting water-green dress, brought Qinwen down from the carriage, pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on her nose, and said:

"That is natural. When the Taizu Emperor pacified the world in years past, before the Battle of Crossing the River, he camped here and wrote a poem during the Mid-Autumn Festival. After the Great Qian was founded, he often came here to reminisce..."

"I know: 'The rivers and mountains are like a painting, ancient and modern alike; human affairs wear away as water flows east. Only the moon over Danyang Rock remains; on cool nights, it still shines upon the lone sail.' The Master has taught this hundreds of times, and even said the Taizu's poetic talent was mediocre..."

"Shh~!"

Lin Wanyi, frightened, quickly raised her hand.

Lin Zisu pulled her neck in, holding a lantern, and hurried away; like many young ladies, she walked toward the interior of Peony Pool, glancing around as she went:

"Where is Young Master Xie? Is he not coming to accompany Auntie Wan?"

"Zisu!"

Lin Wanyi was also secretly searching for Xie Jinhuan's whereabouts; hearing this, her face flushed; she looked as if she wanted to beat this mischievous girl, but since it was a major festival, she thought better of it and held back:

"We'll just go about our own business while she accompanies Princess Changning."

"Really? That's a shame."

Qin Wen also carried a lantern, walking as she searched for the princess's boat, but unexpectedly spotted a massive treasure ship moored along the riverbank.

The treasure ship stood five decks high, over thirty zhang long, its entire length illuminated by lanterns—estimated to hold five or six hundred people. Due to its deep draft, it couldn't dock at shore; visitors had to board via a floating gangway.

"Young Lady, what's that ship for? So many people are boarding—shouldn't we go take a look?"

Jia Zheng, the guard beside her, a seasoned veteran with ample connections, quickly shook his head:

"Rumor says it's a gambling vessel jointly operated by several major gambling dens—not a good place."

"Oh~"

……

——

On the riverbank gambling vessel.

He Can stood with arms crossed, leaning against the railing, observing the constant stream of gamblers boarding, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes:

"Master, this situation lately is truly hard to understand. Someone framed us, we framed the Li family, then Wang Fu investigated Xie Jinhuan, and three Chi Lin Guards were silenced. I turned it over in my mind all night yesterday and still can't make sense of the connections..."

Tai Shu Dan dressed as a Confucian scholar, chewing on sunflower seeds offered by the vessel's attendant:

"The Jianghu is like this—everyone pursues their own interests, none truly wrong, but when chance aligns them, the direction becomes utterly incomprehensible. If everyone followed orderly procedures and every matter was clear-cut, that would be a world of great harmony—not the Jianghu."

"That's true, but if we're acting here without even grasping the threads, what if something goes wrong…"

Tai Shu Dan lifted his gaze toward Dan Yang City downstream:

"Once we receive the signal, the experts from Dan Yang will have already chased after the 'Mount Zihui Great Demon.' No one in Mudan Pond can match me, and the ship has sailed into the river bend. If something still goes wrong, then it's fate—and we run."

As He Can listened to his master's rambling, his gaze suddenly flickered, turning toward the crowd along the riverbank.

Tai Shu Dan followed his gaze and saw a group of noblewomen walking along the riverbank; one among them, a woman with spectacles, had a notably striking figure. He frowned:

"With matters of importance at hand, are you still distracted by women?"

He Can quickly shook his head: "No—this woman is apparently the female physician from the Lin family clinic, Xie Jinhuan's lover. I saw her once from afar when I hired Fu Dongping. If she's here, Xie Jinhuan is likely in Mudan Pond too."

Upon hearing this, Tai Shu Dan furrowed his brows and carefully studied the retreating woman's figure:

"Are you certain that on Jiguan Ridge, there was a Wu sect cultivator alongside Xie Jinhuan who used the Hundred Ghosts Plague Technique?"

He Can blinked, puzzled:

"Master, you're saying that Wu sect cultivator is the Lin physician? That's unlikely—this woman comes from an imperial physician family, her home is in Jingcheng; to be linked with the Wu Sect would be suicide."

Tai Shu Dan pointed to his own eyes and explained seriously:

"When I trained in the Chi Long Cave, my seniors told me the Wu techniques of Queyue Shanzhuang are uniquely derived. Though powerful, capable of producing exclusive abilities like 'Moonfire' and 'Burning Immortal Parasite,' their Five Elements are unbalanced, with excessive Yin energy. The eyes belong to Wood and Fire—both Yang. Thus, disciples who cultivate this technique suffer poor eyesight."

"The Hundred Ghosts Plague Technique is a secret art of the Poison Sect. Queyue Shanzhuang also knows it. Moreover, this woman is closely tied to Xie Jinhuan and was present that day."

After hearing this analysis, He Can finally understood:

"No wonder—Queyue Shanzhuang must understand the 'Mad Corpse Flower' secrets. That's why Xie Jinhuan discovered the parasitic flower and the corpse cave so quickly."

"The Hua Yao Dan operation has been prepared for over a month—success or failure hinges on tonight. If Xie Jinhuan and his Wu Sect companion are in Mudan Pond, might they sense something odd and come over?"

Tai Shu Dan pondered a moment, glancing at the sky:

"We won't be in Mudan Pond soon. To detect anomalies in the treasure ship beforehand requires insight beyond the top tier. Lin Wanyi and Xie Jinhuan are far below that level."

"If they're unlucky enough to stumble in, all the better—Lu Ming's grudge gets settled, and we'll help the higher-ups resolve a bit of trouble."

"Huh?" He Can looked confused: "What do you mean?"

Tai Shu Dan chewed sunflower seeds, scanning the crowded riverbank:

"Xie Jinhuan's father was killed by a demonic entity. How many demonic sects exist in this Great Qian? Don't ask questions you shouldn't know."

He Can nodded thoughtfully: "So even Master doesn't know the full details."

"?"

……

(End of Chapter)