Chapter 57: The Return of Demonic Qi?

Soon, Wang He revealed the paper in her hand again.

Linghu Qingmo saw the atrocious handwriting on the paper, drew a quiet breath, her face flushing red, wishing she could leave the table right then.

Princess Changning wanted to speak and warn her, but dared not break the rules, so she urged instead:

"Hurry up, you're both young ladies—what are you being so shy about?"

Isn't Xie Jinhuan a man?

Under the gaze of everyone, Linghu Qingmo had no choice but to grit her teeth and hint gently:

"Um, a kind of seafood…"

"Abalone."

Xie Jinhuan would never let Seeing Mo Mo suffer!

Linghu Qingmo and Princess Changning both froze in expression.

Wang He was utterly stunned, staring at Xie Jinhuan's back, her eyes as if a tiny ant had glimpsed the celestial gods and buddhas!

Linghu Qingmo said in disbelief:

"Xie Jinhuan, you really didn't cheat?"

Does this even require cheating?

I could answer this blindfolded—these little vixens will write what…

Xie Jinhuan's demeanor was like that of an ancient patriarch who had weathered the world's storms:

"I began diligent study at age three, learning everything—Miss Wang, you'd better raise the difficulty, or today you won't walk out this door standing."

Princess Changning, though suspicious Xie Jinhuan had used secret arts to cheat, still felt immense delight she couldn't put into words; she shifted her plump hips to sit beside him, like a beloved concubine, fanning her loyal subordinate with a silk fan:

"Keep going, keep going—little Wang He dares to challenge me?"

The three young ladies across from them clearly felt the pressure.

Since being crowned "Gambling Saint," Wang He had never faced such a formidable opponent; she once again brainstormed with the girls, then revealed her paper.

Princess Changning glanced at it, thought the question too difficult for a warrior, and frowned:

"Ask about something on the boat—otherwise, with the Chongwen Academy's resources, how could he possibly know?"

Xie Jinhuan raised his hand slightly: "No problem, next question can be about something on the boat—I'll try this one first."

Seeing this, Princess Changning could only remind:

"Who wrote the 'Discourses of Former Qi'?"

This question was indeed difficult.

Xie Jinhuan thought carefully for a moment, then gave his answer:

"Tong Rongsheng, third-place scholar in the Zheng'an Seventh Year imperial examination, but his official career was rocky—he spent his life as a proofreader in the Secretariat, and presented six strategies to Emperor Taizu: 'On National Wealth,' 'On Enlightening the People'… detailing the causes and consequences of the Former Qi dynasty's rise, decline, and ultimate collapse…"

The room fell silent.

Princess Changning stared at Xie Jinhuan's fluent recitation; at first skeptical, she soon became awestruck!

After all, the paper only bore a name—no matter how powerful his secret arts, he couldn't possibly know the subsequent content; this was pure, genuine knowledge!

Elegant bearing, handsome appearance, skilled in calligraphy and painting, able to play music and dance, good at drinking and chatting, relaxed and fun to be around, and well-versed in ancient and modern lore…

Isn't this a courtesan of the brothel?

No wonder those young masters squandered their fortunes to shower silver on courtesans…

At this quality, even I'd throw my money down…

…

Linghu Qingmo wasn't particularly surprised—Xie Jinhuan had read the 'Classic of Plant Spirits'; how could he not know this required text for imperial students?

And the three young ladies across from him, realizing that this formidable warrior could answer policy questions with ease, lost all trace of playfulness!

Wang He stared for a moment, then exclaimed in disbelief:

"Young Master is this learned?!"

Xie Jinhuan waved his hand, humbly replying:

"I vowed at age three to outshine all local talents—I learned everything since childhood, but my abilities are limited, so I only picked up superficial scraps, becoming mediocre at everything. I know the general sources, but if you ask me to recite the 'Six Strategies of Former Qi,' I couldn't possibly memorize them."

"Still, that's impressive—Xie Young Master also excels in martial arts among his peers."

Wang He felt she had met her match, and her competitive spirit stirred.

But the next questions must focus on things aboard the boat—facing a jack-of-all-trades like Xie Jinhuan, they were clearly at a severe disadvantage.

After deliberating, Wang He and the others decided to strike hard at their opponent's weakness: Seeing Mo Mo.

Linghu Qingmo knew she was the team's dead weight, and grew extremely nervous.

But to her surprise, the handwriting on the paper this time was actually normal; she studied it closely, baffled:

"Did you write this wrong? There's no way this exists on the boat?!"

Wang He nodded firmly:

"It's definitely on the boat—ask Princess Changning if you don't believe me."

Princess Changning's expression turned strange, but she said nothing.

Linghu Qingmo didn't believe it for a second, but still gave a serious hint:

"A fierce beast…"

"Gūjī!"

Meiqiu, who had been idle, poked her head up from under the table, as if asking—who called me? Who called me?

Xie Jinhuan pinned down his mischievous personal maid, yet still answered without hesitation:

"Bai Hu!"

"Sss…"

All the young ladies secretly drew in a sharp breath!

Linghu Qingmo was stunned, asking with some difficulty:

"You still dare to say you didn't cheat?! There were no tigers on the boat; how could you possibly have guessed?"

"I... Hiss—"

Before Xie Jinhuan could speak, he found someone pinching the small of his back!

Princess Changning's face flushed red, even carrying a touch of shame and fury, yet her demeanor remained nobly imposing; her eyes narrowed slightly, her cool, mature voice rang out:

"Xie Jinhuan, explain properly: what is a 'Bai Hu', and how did you deduce it? Otherwise, cheating means having your eyes dug out; this Princess will not plead for you!"

Xie Jinhuan had guessed based on the 'hairless girl', but obviously dared not say so; now being pinched in the small of his back, he explained calmly:

"Bai Hu is the Jianbing Shenjun, the guardian deity of the West; 'Bai' refers to Metal among the Five Elements, not the color white.

"This pleasure boat is crafted with exquisite care; since the ridge is topped with a Qilin to suppress evil, the four directions likely also have the Four Divine Lords, mostly painted beneath the flying eaves to drive away evil and suppress ghosts.

"This is the Princess's boat, and I heard Miss Wang say the Princess certainly knows, so I guessed it should be Bai Hu."

"..."

Princess Changning silently loosened her small hand, and very apologetically rubbed the sore spot for Xie Jinhuan.

Linghu Qingmo felt this line of reasoning was very convincing; thinking it over, she asked again:

"Then why Bai Hu, and not Qing Long, Zhu Que, or Xuan Wu?"

"You are speaking of 'fierce beasts'; among the Four Symbols, only Bai Hu has any connection to fierce beasts; the others are divine beasts."

"Oh..."

After Xie Jinhuan finished his serious nonsense, he turned his head toward Wang He and the others:

"Did Miss Wang set this question based on that?"

Wang He obviously did not; rather, she had thought of the question previously while soaking in a hot spring with the Princess.

However, since Xie Jinhuan's line of reasoning was so correct, it was inappropriate for her to twist it; she merely replied:

"Young Master is indeed learned and talented; I admire you,"

"You flatter me..."

"Continue, continue; let us set the question; Wang He, you guess..."

Five women and one man made a lively racket, playing more and more happily, even forgetting Meiqiu on the side.

But just as the roles reversed, and it was their turn to set the question for Wang He to guess, the Ghost Wife, who had been watching the show, suddenly whispered in his ear:

"Something seems wrong outside; go take a look."

Xie Jinhuan's action of pouring wine paused; hearing the sound of gongs and drums coming from the river surface outside, he thought for a moment, put down the wine pot, and leaned close to Mo Mo's ear:

"I'm going out to relieve myself; are you coming?"

?

Linghu Qingmo was deep in thought pondering the exam question; hearing this, she wished she could electrocute this lecher; her watery, bright eyes narrowed slightly, meaning roughly:

Drunk again, are you?

Even if I go, can I go to the toilet with you?

Just now, when you touched Ling'er, I haven't beaten you yet...

Xie Jinhuan was merely teasing Mo Mo; he said no more, rose, left the room, and came to the second-floor viewing railing to observe.

The result was that upon looking, he saw a massive treasure ship slowly leaving the riverbank, steering toward the center of the river.

The pleasure boat was very close to the river embankment; the treasure ship had to pass nearby to leave, the distance between them being less than a hundred meters; one could see a crowd of heads above, with the sound of clamor faintly coming through:

"Ho-oh—!"

"One more..."

When Xie Jinhuan arrived, he had already spotted this treasure ship; according to inquiries, it was a ship chartered by several gambling house owners, taking advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival to offer door-to-door service and scoop up gold; it was said there were even 'exciting' programs aboard.

Since he had come out with Princess Changning, it was naturally inappropriate to run up and watch the spectacle; at this moment, after a slight observation, he asked:

"Is something wrong with this ship?"

As the words fell, the red-clad ghost holding a red umbrella appeared at his side:

"Yes."

Because it was Mid-Autumn Festival, Ye Hongshang also followed local customs, conjuring up a crimson Hezi skirt, covered by a large-sleeved gauze robe; above the brassiere embroidered with a golden Meiqiu, the full softness was size-matched to Wang He's, Bai Huahua like two silver moons...

!

Xie Jinhuan blinked his eyes, carefully admiring the Ghost Wife:

"This ship is huge; what is wrong with it?"

Ye Hongshang used her sleeve to block her neckline, observing slightly:

"The 'Qi' is not quite right; it is converging into the interior of the ship tower; inside there is either an array, or someone performing a ritual, and it does not look like the righteous path."

Ordinary people cultivate by gathering the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth; however, this 'Qi' is invisible and formless; people know of its existence, but cannot see or touch it.

Xie Jinhuan obviously did not possess the art of observing Qi; after a slight observation of a few glances:

"Shall I go up and take a look?"

Ye Hongshang turned her head to look at the room full of singing girls:

"Drink for a while longer and you can touch whatever you want; are you willing to leave?"

"With these young ladies, who touches whom is uncertain; accompanying drinks is for a living; I am not a nightclub male model."

Xie Jinhuan flipped over and leaped down from the railing, then:

Tap tap tap...

Feet touched the green waves, stirring ripples; under the moonlight, a white rainbow suddenly appeared...

—

On the other side, the Dan Wang Pavilion.

Brilliant fireworks rose from outside the window, making the study flicker between light and dark.

The Dan Wang, exhausted by the chaotic cases of these past few days, had no time on the Mid-Autumn Festival to return to the harem to accompany the Wang Fei; now flipping through the Juan Sect scrolls, he frowned tightly and asked:

"I heard Ling'er hosted a banquet specifically for Xie Jinhuan last night, and the two were alone?"

Zhu Wenyuan stood by the table, expression calm:

"They only drank at Wu Wei Pavilion; after the Chi Lin Guard incident occurred, they dispersed."

"How long did the two stay?"

"About an hour."

"..."

The Dan Wang took a light breath, thinking an hour was enough to conceive a little grandson.

What name should be chosen...

Xie Xiaodeng...

Just as the Dan Wang wanted to give a couple of instructions, he suddenly heard commotion from upstairs:

Thump, thump, thump~

"Mr. Zhu! Mr. Zhu..."

The Dan Wang Pavilion stood seven stories high; inside, apart from the Military Affairs Office and the Armory, there was also the Star-Gazing Platform on the top floor.

The Star-Gazing Platform housed the Eight Directions Bright Array; its principle was the same as the Demon-Hunting Plate, capable of searching for hidden demons through changes in the Five Elements Qi around Danyang.

However, this array could only perceive disturbances of significant magnitude; if the commotion was too small and did not spread far, it naturally could not capture it. The last time it reacted was on the night the demonic qi shot skyward from Mount Zihui.

Hearing the panicked call from the Star-Gazing Platform guard, Zhu Wenyuan thought something was wrong and quickly went to the stairs:

"What is it?"

The young Daoist Priest running down from upstairs had a deathly pale face:

"Blood-evil qi shooting skyward has appeared downstream of Huai River; its magnitude is no less than that night at Mount Zihui, distance unknown."

Zhu Wenyuan's heart skipped a beat, guessing that the powerful demon from Mount Zihui had surfaced again.

Although he had not sensed blood-evil qi shooting skyward from the southeast, the perception range of the magical artifact was far greater than that of ordinary people; the Dan Wang Pavilion could even detect demonic qi appearing in Luo Jing.

According to estimates by the experts in the city, the sky-piercing demonic qi within Mount Zihui likely came from the hand of a Supreme Grade Great Demon.

Demons of this level were impossible for ordinary people to deal with, and the destruction they caused would be difficult for Danzhou to bear.

The Dan Wang also heard the conversation, knew the situation was grave, and ordered:

"Issue this Prince's decree: let the Wang Fu guest scholars and all Mr. s from Mount Zihui and the Danyang Academy proceed downstream to surround and capture; you must subdue and kill this demon!"

"Yes!"

The little Daoist Priest hurriedly ran upstairs, and a deep bell sound rang from the top floor:

Dong-dong—

Afterwards, several figures appeared from the Danyang Academy, and even from Mount Zihui outside the city; they arrived outside the Dan Wang Pavilion, then flew swiftly toward the downstream of Huai River.

Among them was even an old man in a Confucian robe walking on air...

———

Begging for monthly tickets~

(End of this chapter)