Chapter 60

The silver moon hung in the sky as a small painted boat drifted slowly along the riverbank.

Guard Jia Zheng stood at the rear of the boat, diligently rowing while humming along to the music.

Lin Zisu had borrowed a pipa from somewhere, cradling it in her arms and plucking it with apparent skill, singing "The Dancing Girl's Tears" with deep emotion, making the maid Qinwen silently gasp in awe.

Lin Wanyi had long grown accustomed to this damned girl; now she leaned lazily against the ornamental railing, gazing at the cold river and icy moon, her eyes behind golden spectacles filled with boredom, pondering:

I wonder if Xie Jinhuan has pleased the princess well enough…

To secure a priceless treasure, sending a man to serve a powerful woman—how strangely like "sacrificing one's wife for power"…

If he sacrifices his body and still fails to obtain the Martial Divine Scripture, it'll be losing both his wife and his soldiers…

Pfft, pfft, pfft…

As she drifted in such idle thoughts, a sound suddenly came from far down the river bend:

Boom—

The sound resembled distant thunder, too far away and drowned out by fireworks to attract ordinary notice.

But Lin Wanyi, floating atop the river, could tell the sound's origin was not from the Peony Pool, and no fireworks glowed behind the river bend.

Boom boom…

A moment later, two more muffled thuds echoed from afar, quieter than before.

?

Lin Wanyi blinked, slightly puzzled, rose, and stepped to the bow of the boat. After sniffing carefully, she suddenly noticed an unusual odor in the river breeze brushing her face.

As a witch of the Gu Du Pai, Lin Wanyi was extraordinarily sensitive to all manner of toxins!

But the scent was too diluted; she couldn't be certain. She quietly turned her palm upward, and a faint green ghostly flame, like a lighter, flickered to life in her palm.

Huh huh~

The ghost flame was the unique secret technique of Queyue Mountain Villa: "Moonfire." It responded to yin-sha energy; now the flame trembled slightly in her palm, leaning toward the river bend, indicating heavier yin energy there—either a ghostly evil presence or a Wu Sect practitioner at work.

Lin Wanyi clenched her palm, turned to glance at the peony pool by the river, thinking to call Xie Jinhuan over—but the aura was too faint. Before she understood the cause, she didn't want to disturb the princess's drinking. She decided instead:

"Zisu, you two head back to the Peony Pool. I'm going for a stroll."

"Oh."

…

Lin Wanyi spoke, then leapt into the river, touching the water like a dragonfly before landing on shore, sprinting toward the river bend.

But before she'd run several li, she spotted a white line cutting across the moonlit river, swift as an arrow loosed from a bow, racing toward the Peony Pool.

Boom boom boom…

Lin Wanyi froze. Just from that elegant, fluid movement, she recognized who it was, and quickly waved from the riverbank:

"Hey—! Xie Jinhuan!"

Boom—

The white line on the river, hearing the call, nearly turned at a right angle and surged swiftly toward the shore.

Lin Wanyi confirmed it was Xie Jinhuan, her eyes brightening with surprise as she waited on the bank:

"You've been slaying demons again? Over there… hey?!"

Before she finished speaking, the lightning-fast figure arrived, and her waist tightened as she was lifted off the ground.

Tap tap tap…

Before she could react, she was swept onto the river's surface and carried at terrifying speed toward the Peony Pool, forcing her to cling tightly to the man's shoulders:

"Why are you running so fast?! I can walk myself…"

Xie Jinhuan held her plump waist, but had no leisure for idle thoughts:

"Those demon bandits are refining Hua Yao Dan on the boat. One of them is a Wu Sect brute of Rank 3 or higher—we need to go back and summon help."

"Huh?!"

Lin Wanyi hadn't expected it to be this serious. She immediately forgot propriety and cried out:

"A Rank 3 Rank Wushi kills a hundred people as easily as one. Ordinary soldiers and martial cultivators are useless. The Dan Yang elites are all busy hunting the great demon of Mount Zihui—they won't come to the lantern fair. We must return to the city to find masters."

Xie Jinhuan instantly turned at a sharp angle, smashing a towering wave ahead of him as he shot toward Dan Yang.

Boom—

Lin Wanyi was crushed against his chest by unimaginable acceleration, her breasts flattened. After only a moment of flight, she frowned again:

"No, no—"

Xie Jinhuan, desperate, grew angry and lightly struck her rear with his sword scabbard:

"Five or six hundred people are about to become sacrificial offerings! Spit it out all at once!"

Pah~

Lin Wanyi flinched from the blow but had no time for nonsense—she rushed to explain:

"Refining Hua Yao Dan produces blood-sha energy. Though faint, I can sense it. This place is over twenty li from Dan Yang—Dan Wang Pavilion couldn't have missed it."

"No elite has come yet. That means something's wrong in the city. Returning won't guarantee help—and we don't have time."

Splash splash splash—

Xie Jinhuan slammed to a halt on the river, then leapt onto the riverbank:

"How long does refining Hua Yao Dan take?"

Though unfamiliar with demon arts, Lin Wanyi knew Wu Sect alchemy well:

"The Fengshi Poison spreads quickly. Even with time for blood absorption, it won't exceed two qiao. The appearance of blood-sha energy means they've reached the final stage of blood condensation…"

"I interrupted their illusion at a critical moment, waking the people on board. If they restart refining, how long will it take?"

Lin Wanyi thought carefully: "Interrupting doesn't reset it—only re-ensnare their minds. A Rank 3 Rank Wushi, just entering the Spirit Medium realm, attempting to charm five or six hundred people at once is extremely difficult. It depends on how fully they woke up."

"If their desires are completely gone and they're fully conscious, it might take half a qiao to lure them back. If they only briefly regained awareness, everyone on the boat is already dead."

"Then we have half a quarter-hour, even a bit more."

Xie Jinhuan is still listless, terrified by Butler Hou's 'Mmm-mmm-mmm~'; the effect of 'disenchantment' is simply outrageous.

He simply didn't believe that bunch of lustful scum on the boat could succumb to desire again so quickly.

But seven or eight minutes clearly wouldn't be enough to change the situation.

The Peony Pool was mostly common women and children visiting the lantern festival; there weren't many hands available. If he ran to fetch Seeing Mo Mo, Liu Qingzhi, and others, then rushed back to the river center to assault the gambling boat head-on, the casualties would be heavy, not to mention they might not stop it in time.

And if the Pill King Pavilion hadn't noticed the strange phenomenon here and ran back into the city to gather forces to attack, there simply wouldn't be enough time...

Xie Jinhuan thought frantically, suddenly felt a stir in his heart, and asked:

"Is the 'Demonic Cultivation Soaring Pill' confirmed to double one's power? How long does it take to take effect?"

"Huh?"

Lin Wanyi shook her head hurriedly: "That broken pill, once eaten, does indeed double your power on the spot, but you can't distinguish friend from foe and kill anyone you see. If you eat it, you'll have to slaughter everyone on the boat before the demon thieves do; the demon thieves might even stop you from killing innocents."

"That's enough!"

Xie Jinhuan analyzed seriously:

"The demon thieves want these people to indulge in the illusionary realm and exhaust their vital energy; they won't tolerate me smashing the pill cauldron. If I rush up and kill indiscriminately, the mastermind must show himself to handle it. This will only delay the time of death. As long as the experts in the city receive the news and rush over, they can knock me out..."

Lin Wanyi's eyes showed slight urgency: "What if the experts don't arrive in time? Once you take the medicine and kill anyone you see, none of us will dare approach. You can only delay them alone. If you can't hold on..."

Xie Jinhuan raised his hand to cut off her words:

"I just had contact with those demon thieves; the gap in strength isn't too great. Not even saying my power doubles, if I can advance a step further, I'm confident I can win.

"If I kill everyone and no one arrives to stop me, that's the imperial court's problem; I did my best. If I don't go, they die immediately."

Lin Wanyi strongly opposed this reckless act and said in a deep voice:

"Blades and swords have no eyes! What if you don't win? You're not even an official; you don't even have a salary! Why are you risking your life?!"

Xie Jinhuan was no hot-blooded fool; his actions always had a purpose.

It is currently known that the Mingshen Sect has a strongman wanting to use the Blood Hua Yao Dan to break through to the Super Grade.

In the eyes of the imperial court, it is impossible for two Super Grade-level demon dao villains to appear in Danyang simultaneously; the shit-pot of Zihui Mountain's demonic qi will definitely be dumped on that unknown demon dao of the Mingshen Sect.

And he dares to fight and struggle, risking his life alone to save the common people, engaging in a death battle with the Mingshen Sect, successfully foiling the Mingshen Sect's plot!

How could such a true man who risks his body for the common people be the source of Zihui Mountain's demonic qi?

However, these things could not be stated openly; Xie Jinhuan only said:

"When you're out in the world, you must keep your word. If you say you'll wipe out a family, you wipe out the family. If we let them escape today, all my martial arts training is for nothing. Time is short; go get people quickly."

With those words, he turned and walked toward the river water.

Seeing this, Lin Wanyi grew anxious, rushed forward, spread her arms, and blocked Xie Jinhuan:

"You are not allowed to go! You... 呜—?!"

Before she could finish speaking, Xie Jinhuan raised his hand, embraced her willow-thin waist, and lifted Lin Wanyi so her heels left the ground!

Pop-pop~

?!

Their lips met; Lin Wanyi was struck as if by lightning, instantly freezing in place, her eyes almost bulging out.

Time was tight; Xie Jinhuan only gave a quick peck, then bypassed her form, leaped into the river water, and sped away:

"Go get people quickly! If I don't return, help me tell my father that I didn't disgrace him, the old man!"

Tap-tap-tap...

With those words, the white-clad figure glided over the waves and departed!

Lin Wanyi was clearly stunned by the kiss; by the time she reacted, she couldn't even feel embarrassment or indignation, and cried out urgently:

"Xie Jinhuan, you come back for me! You fool... where did you get the pill?"

"Go quickly!"

"You..."

Lin Wanyi wanted to chase after him, but Xie Jinhuan, as a martial artist, had an absurdly fast surprise speed. Watching his receding back, she stamped her feet in anxiety:

"This Zisu is simply lawless..."

With that, she sped off in the direction of the Peony Pool...

——

Peony Pool.

The pleasure boat continued to pass cups and exchange toasts. Princess Changning, having lost her key general to support her, was also drunk again from Wang He's drinking; at this moment, she was dizzy, leaning on the couch, and asked:

"Did Xie Jinhuan fall into the latrine? Why hasn't he returned yet?"

Linghu Qingmo had just searched the boat and found nothing; at this moment, she was also quite puzzled, rubbing Meiqiu, who was squatting on the table as a mascot:

"Where has Xie Jinhuan run off to?"

"Goo-goo~"

Meiqiu raised her wing and wiped Linghu Qingmo's neck, meaning that under normal circumstances, he had gone to kill and silence the witnesses.

Linghu Qingmo didn't quite understand the meaning. While she was pondering, Duoduo suddenly ran to the window:

"Your Highness Princess, something seems wrong outside."

"Hmm?"

Princess Changning sobered up a bit from her drunkenness, came to the window to look, and suddenly, a muffled thunderclap came from the river surface several li away:

Boom—

The sound seemed to have even split the river surface in two!

Princess Changning frowned:

"What a powerful momentum; who is fighting over there?"

Linghu Qingmo sensed carefully, his eyes darkening slightly:

"It seems there is an aura of evil demons!"

Meiqiu, who was peering out to observe, let out a "Gugu?" and looked toward the riverside.

Whoosh...

Everyone turned to look and saw a figure in a green skirt flying at full speed, calling out urgently from afar:

"Quick! Quick, notify the Wang Fu! Demonic bandits have harmed hundreds of people upstream; Xie Jinhuan rushed in alone..."

"What?!"

Linghu Qingmo truly did not expect that Xie Jinhuan went out to take a leak and ended up pissing on the head of demonic bandits; her expression changed instantly, and she immediately drew her sword and leaped out the window:

"What is the situation? No experts have come to reinforce?"

"No! It seems no one in the city has noticed; hurry and gather personnel..."

Princess Changning heard these words and realized something terrible was happening; she had Duoduo fetch her twin blades and led the more than ten Mo Lin Wu Zu accompanying her down from the boat:

"Something is wrong in the city; do everything possible to notify the elders in the city to come to our aid..."

"Yes..."

—

Danwang Ge.

Almost all the experts of Dan Yang had gone downstream to hunt the great demon that reached the sky, but for the sake of safety, the Wang Fu could not fail to leave people behind.

As the night deepened, a hundred Wu Zu stood outside Danwang Ge with swords drawn, staring at every living creature that might approach.

On the top floor, the Dan Wang, dressed in a python robe, paced with his hands behind his back beside a giant Bagua platform.

Zhu Wenyuan held his sword, guarding on both sides, waiting for news from outside.

The Bagua platform was over a zhang in circumference, with pale golden characters on its surface; a red dot flickered in the east, indicating the appearance of an evil demon with blood and qi surging to the sky.

But since no earth-shattering commotion had been heard for so long, Zhu Wenyuan could not help but feel puzzled:

"It has already been two ke; according to Mr. Mu's cultivation, he should almost be at Xueying Ridge in Daizhou by now. Could it be that Wei Wu Yi has joined the demonic path?"

The Dan Wang frowned and shook his head: "Wei Wu Yi's martial arts attainment is unmatched in Great Qian; it is unlikely he would willingly degenerate and join the demonic path. If blood and evil qi appeared east of Daizhou, it would be detectable even at Danwang Ge; what kind of cultivation must the demon possess?"

"It must be at the realm of Corpse Ancestor. The Corpse Ancestor is a rare 'Ghost Cultivator' among the demonic path; on the day he emerged from seclusion, the entire ten thousand li of the southern region could feel the heaven-piercing yin and evil qi..."

The Dan Wang's scalp went numb, and his hands behind his back clasped together.

The two waited for a long time, but no honored guest returned; instead, Zhu Wenyuan felt a slight movement in his heart, frowned, and turned to look northwest:

"Blood and evil qi also seem to have appeared upstream."

"Hmm?"

The Dan Wang, already on edge, had his eye twitch at these words and quickly came to the Bagua platform to check:

"Why is there nothing on this?"

Zhu Wenyuan was stunned; he came closer to observe and found that only the east showed abnormalities, while everything else remained normal.

If blood and evil qi could be perceived by the flesh at Danwang Ge, it meant the place of the incident had already turned the river upside down; the Eight Directions Bright Array could not have shown no reaction at all.

Because he trusted this precision instrument that never made mistakes too much, Zhu Wenyuan initially thought his perception was wrong.

But after taking out the small 'Demon-Seeking Plate' forged by the Military Equipment Bureau to verify, he found the needle on it trembled slightly, pointing toward the upper reaches of Huai River, which actually matched his perception!

"Damn, the formation seems to have a problem."

Hearing this, the Dan Wang came over to check and compare, then slapped the Bagua platform hard:

"Luring the tiger from the mountain! The demonic bandits must be causing trouble upstream as a diversion; quickly notify all the Mr. s to return immediately and order the Wu Zu on standby to rush to break the siege."

Zhu Wenyuan was the prince's bodyguard; even if Danzhou rotted, he would not leave the Dan Wang's side.

Although he understood that if one could perceive blood and evil qi with the flesh, the demonic bandits had likely already slaughtered the common people, and sending Wu Zu to reinforce would be too late.

Nevertheless, he ordered the Wu Zu on standby to head upstream and summoned the experts outside to return for defense.

The Dan Wang discovered that the Bagua platform had indeed malfunctioned; naturally, he knew there was a traitor in the Wang Fu. He frowned and paced back and forth. After waiting a while without seeing any Dan Yang experts return, urgent news came from downstairs again:

"Report—! Powerful demonic bandits are slaughtering common people at Huai Jiangwan; Peony Pool lacks personnel; Xie Jinhuan is holding on alone; the Princess is requesting aid! Quick..."

The Dan Wang's heart jumped, and he directly shouted in anger:

"This King has fed thousands of mouths, yet when trouble arises, a commoner junior is forced to stand at the front; are the others all dead?!"

"Your Highness, do not be angry!"

Zhu Wenyuan said urgently: "The advance Wu Zu have already departed and will arrive nearby soon; even if they cannot subdue the demonic bandits, they can still resist together for a moment. Li Jing has gone toward the Dan Yun Pass; the pass also has an Eight Directions Bright Array; as long as it detects something inconsistent with Danwang Ge's detection, it will definitely return at full speed..."

Hearing this, the Dan Wang felt slightly relieved...

————

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Originally, the end-of-volume plot should have been released at 200,000 words, updated all at once to hit a major climax and boost performance.

But unfortunately, luck was bad; the recommendation queue is still waiting, and the book's splash screen promotion hasn't started yet; the release event must also wait; the release is estimated to be another two weeks away.

There were too many updates before; now it is already nearly 200,000 words; barring unexpected events, it will take nearly 300,000 words to release; originally, the minimum update should have been maintained.

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(End of this chapter)