[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-roaring-dragon":3,"chapter-the-roaring-dragon-the-roaring-dragon-chapter-55":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},2281911,4463,"Chapter 55: The Storm Is Coming, Wind Fills the Tower","the-roaring-dragon-chapter-55",55,"\u003Cp>The sun had not yet fully set when Dan Yang City became a dazzling sea of lanterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fireworks rose from all directions; on the streets, a giant elephant adorned in gold and silver paraded a towering lantern cart, surrounded by chasing children and townsfolk eager for the spectacle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the railings beside the streets, beautiful ladies hung fruit from long poles to feed it, and the elephant lifted its trunk to snatch the fruit into its mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ang~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow! Mama, this elephant is so gentle~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan stood by the roadside waiting; seeing such a splendid scene, he couldn’t help thinking of his father, whose fate remained unknown, and a pang of nostalgia rose in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meiqiu had no concept of Mid-Autumn Festival—her eyes were fixed only on food; seeing others feeding the elephant, she opened her beak, hoping the ladies on the second floor would toss her something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The brightly dressed lady above, seeing her, actually tossed down a green fruit, accompanied by a teasing glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan caught the fruit but, with a landlady to attend to, did not go up to flirt; after waiting a moment, hoofbeats sounded from the street entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clip-clop, clip-clop…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning back, he saw a luxurious carriage drawn by four pure white horses approaching from Wencheng Street; shadows moved inside the cabin, but no occupant could be seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten or so Wu Zu flanked the carriage; Liu Qingzhi led the way, while Hou Jiye rode beside it, waving a white paper fan, his sly, rat-eyed expression identical to that of a henchman scouting for concubines for a decadent young master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan carried Meiqiu up to them and bowed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hou Guanxia, Brother Liu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xie Brother,” Liu Qingzhi returned the bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou Jiye gave him a quick appraisal and praised:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not bad. Your attire truly carries a hint of the elegance I once had.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To attend the banquet, Xie Jinhuan had specifically used the funds donated by Fu Dongping to buy a thick white robe of Yunjin fabric, tied with a jade belt, combed his hair neatly, and even washed Meiqiu until she was spotless black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Hou’s backhanded compliment, Xie Jinhuan politely replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not at all, Hou Guanxia, you flatter me. Hasn’t Lady Linghu come?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Qingzhi answered: “She’s inside. The boss is dressed today…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Liu Qingzhi!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold rebuke came from the carriage; Liu Qingzhi fell silent at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Mo Mo dressed so beautifully yet hiding from view, Xie Jinhuan grew curious and peered through the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eh~ Young Master Xie, where are you looking?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Duo Duo!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Princess Changning, seated inside the carriage, frowned slightly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s looking at Qing Mo, not you. Move aside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo, huddled in the corner, blushed at this:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ling’er, don’t tease.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan waited for Duo Duo to move, then glanced inside again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the carriage, the landlady, dressed in a splendid palace gown, sat on the inner side, holding a round fan, her makeup strikingly vivid, with colorful eye shadow, radiating noble elegance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Mo Mo, usually cold and ethereal, had today donned a cloud-white hezi dress, layered with a tea-green gauze robe, her hair styled into a flying-cloud bun—less ethereal, but far more feminine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forced into this attire by her friend, Linghu Qingmo felt deeply uncomfortable; she shielded her face with the fan, clearly not wanting Xie Jinhuan to see her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gūjī?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meiqiu, perhaps not recognizing her, hopped forward and peered up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Jinhuan didn’t recognize her either; he laughed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This dress looks nice—doesn’t even show skin. Why hide?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Linghu Qingmo considered herself a frosty heroine untouched by mortal desires; she was unaccustomed to such lavish attire, let alone the love letters Xie Jinhuan had secretly written her…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With so many eyes around, she dared not pull or tug; she rose and shut the window:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The cabin is too small to hold you. Sit outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among all the girls Xie Jinhuan had met, only Mo Mo was low-maintenance; he didn’t press the issue, sitting instead on the edge of the carriage as they headed out of the city…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upstream of Huai River, Peony Pond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night fell; the moon hung like a jade plate above the riverbank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brilliant fireworks burst in midair; tens of thousands of men, women, and children wandered among lantern carts and stages; over a hundred pleasure boats rested along the river and lake, while painted vessels shuttled back and forth along the shore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A carriage bearing the wooden plaque “Lin” halted on the outer lawn; Lin Zisu stepped out first in colorful robes, spinning around to gaze:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow~ So many people! The Mid-Autumn lantern festival in Dan Yang feels even livelier than in the capital.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wanyi, dressed in a fitted emerald-green dress, stepped down with Qin Wen and adjusted her gold-rimmed spectacles:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Naturally. The founding emperor once camped here before crossing the river during his campaign to unify the realm; he wrote a poem during Mid-Autumn. After the Great Gan was founded, he often returned here to reminisce…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know: ‘The landscape, as beautiful as a painting, remains unchanged through ages; human affairs fade as waters flow east. Only the moon over Dan Yang Rock still shines coolly on lonely boats.’ Master has recited it hundreds of times—he even said the founding emperor’s poetry was mediocre…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shh~!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wanyi hastily raised her hand in alarm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Zisu shrank her neck, grabbed her lantern, and hurried off, joining other young ladies as they walked into the heart of Peony Pond, glancing everywhere:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where’s Young Master Xie? Isn’t he accompanying Aunt Wan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zisu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wanyi was secretly searching for Xie Jinhuan too; hearing this, her face flushed. She looked ready to strike the troublemaker, but since it was a festival, she held back:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s accompanying Princess Changning. Let’s just enjoy ourselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so? What a pity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Wen also carried a lantern, searching for the princess’s boat, when she unexpectedly spotted a massive treasure ship moored by the river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The treasure ship stood five stories high, over thirty zhang long, glowing brightly from top to bottom—capable of holding five or six hundred people. Its draft was so deep it couldn’t dock; visitors had to board via a floating gangway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss, what’s that ship for? So many people are going aboard—should we go take a look?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Zheng, the guard nearby and a seasoned veteran of rumors, immediately shook his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rumor says it’s a gambling vessel jointly operated by several major casinos—not a good place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the gambling vessel by the river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Can stood leaning against the railing, arms crossed, watching the constant stream of gamblers boarding, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, this situation is truly hard to fathom. Someone framed us; we framed the Li family; then the Wang Fu investigated Xie Jinhuan—and three Chi Lin Guards were silenced. I turned it over in my mind all night and still can’t see the logic…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taishu Dan, dressed as a Confucian scholar, chewed on melon seeds handed out by the vessel’s attendants:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Jianghu is like this—everyone pursues their own agenda, none truly wrong, yet by chance their paths collide, and the direction becomes utterly incomprehensible. If everyone followed orderly procedures and every matter was clear-cut, that would be a world of harmony—not the Jianghu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True, but if we’re acting without even understanding the threads, what if something goes wrong…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taishu Dan gazed downstream toward Dan Yang City:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once we receive the signal, the elites of Dan Yang will have chased after the ‘Great Demon of Ziwei Mountain.’ No one in Peony Pond is a match for me, and the vessel has already reached Jiangwan. If something still goes wrong, then it’s Heaven’s will—run, and that’s all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As He Can listened to his master’s rambling, his gaze suddenly shifted; he turned to look at the crowd by the riverbank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taishu Dan followed his gaze and saw a group of noblewomen walking past—one with a spectacled woman whose figure was notably striking. He frowned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With matters of importance at hand, are you still distracted by women?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Can quickly shook his head: “No—this woman is 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 Peony Pond too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Taishu Dan’s brow furrowed as he studied the retreating woman’s figure:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you certain that on Jiguan Ridge, a shaman was with Xie Jinhuan and performed the Hundred Ghosts Plague?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Can blinked, puzzled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, you think that shaman is Doctor Lin? That’s unlikely—she comes from an imperial physician family in the capital; associating with the Witch Cult would be suicide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taishu Dan pointed to his eyes and explained seriously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I trained in the Chi Dragon Cave, my seniors told me the Witch Arts of Queyue Manor are unusual. Though potent, capable of producing unique powers like ‘Moonfire’ and ‘Burning Immortal Parasites,’ their yin energy is excessive and the Five Elements unbalanced. Eyes belong to wood and fire—both yang. Thus, disciples of this art often suffer eye damage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Hundred Ghosts Plague is a secret technique of the Parasite Sect—Queyue Manor also knows it. Moreover, this woman is closely tied to Xie Jinhuan and was present that day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Can, after this analysis, suddenly understood:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No wonder—Queyue Manor must know the secrets of the ‘Mad Corpse Flower.’ That’s why Xie Jinhuan found the parasite bloom and the corpse cave so quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Blood Demon Pill scheme has been prepared for over a month—success or failure rests on tonight. If Xie Jinhuan and this Witch Cult ally are in Peony Pond, might they sense something and come investigating?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taishu Dan pondered briefly, then glanced at the sky:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We won’t be in Peony Pond soon. To detect anomalies on the treasure ship beforehand requires insight beyond the top tier—Lin Wanyi and Xie Jinhuan are far below that level.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If they’re unlucky enough to stumble in, it’s fine—Lu Ming’s grudge will be settled, and we’ll help the higher-ups clear a few troubles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?” He Can looked confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taishu Dan chewed his melon seeds, scanning the crowded riverbank:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xie Jinhuan’s father was killed by a demon. How many demon sects exist in the Great Gan? Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Can nodded thoughtfully: “So even Master doesn’t know the full truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Chapter ends)\u003C\u002Fp>",1734,"2026-06-20T01:38:11.747Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ac3418698996b9847c935b1ffb8418f5be143c982305046fb23781a51217ae57","the-roaring-dragon-chapter-56","the-roaring-dragon-chapter-54",252,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-roaring-dragon-cover.jpg"]