Roaring Dragon-Chapter 82: The Pressure’s on the Other Side Now

The morning sun rose in golden splendor.

County Deputy Fei Ji led a squad of constables out of Wu Su’s residence, hauling a pill furnace, jars of medicine, and other evidence. Along the way, he couldn’t help but praise:

“Now that’s what I call ‘speed wins wars, and tigers breed tiger cubs.’ Once this is all done, we’re booking a table to celebrate for Jinhuan—my treat!”

“Fei-daren’s got style. Yang Dabiao, you hear that?”

“Damn right. I’ll down three cups as punishment, then toast Daren Fei and Jinhuan three each. Uh... do we need to throw a farewell party for Magistrate Wu too?”

“Shhh—keep it down...”

...

In the courtyard, officials from various departments—each in their own uniforms—clustered together discussing the case.

Off to the side stood Magistrate Wu Yuanhua, recently revived from a faint, shaking like a leaf in the wind, eyes dazed.

Who am I? Where am I?

Oh right. I'm about to get shipped off to Lingnan to go stare at demon beasts...

...

Monk Jingkong of the Astronomical Bureau had squatted beside a white-covered basket.

Inside were... well, Wu Su’s spare parts.

Despite being a sly and experienced Celestial Officer, Jingkong was still a monk with compassion. He couldn’t bear to rummage through the bloody remains, instead gently examining a severed arm, eyes furrowing:

“Strange abnormalities in the limbs. Prolonged use of Monster Dissolving Pills, no doubt. And there’s a family heirloom found in the cellar from one of the victims. He was definitely the killer. Young Master Xie and Miss Linghu handled this with astounding precision.”

Linghu Qingmo, quietly absorbing field experience, was now being praised as a top-tier detective. She blushed awkwardly.

“I just tagged along and learned. Didn’t really help. It was all Xie Jinhuan who did the investigating...”

“Ah~”

As always, Monk Jingkong had a kind word ready:

“When disciples go adventuring outside their sects, having a fellow sister along often boosts morale. It’s an invisible form of support. Miss Linghu, don’t sell yourself short.”

“Uh...”

Linghu Qingmo was torn. Was that... praise or shade?

Did he just call me a motivational vase?

...

Meanwhile, Lu Qian of the Chilin Guard was assisting from the other side of the courtyard.

He’d received the news about the killer being caught this morning and had rushed over, full of doubt. Given his history with Xie Jinhuan, he had half a mind to believe this was a "kill an innocent and claim credit" stunt.

But after personally checking the evidence inside and out—yep, it was definitely the culprit. Jinhuan’s investigative path had no real holes.

If anything, the only strange part was... the killer seemed a little too weak.

Lu Qian frowned and asked:

“This man studied the Five Elemental Arts, but with his level of cultivation, how could he possibly sense all the experts within a hundred-zhang radius in advance?”

Jinhuan immediately recognized that Lu Qian wasn’t here to solve the case—he was sniffing around for leverage. But his confiscation of illegal goods wasn’t exactly something he could spell out, so he smoothly replied:

“He seemed to possess a ‘gold-seeking divine sense’—not tracking based on qi, but on the materials of magic tools. You can mask your presence, but not your gear. That’s probably how he picked his victims. I tracked him using a hawk. Saw him from above.”

“Coo~”

Meiqiu puffed up on Jinhuan’s shoulder, clearly thinking—Damn right. We’re amazing.

Lu Qian still had his doubts, but with the guy now splattered into paste, there was no way to dissect his brain and verify which divine arts he’d learned. So he let it drop.

Also present was Minister Chen Ping of the Jingzhao Prefecture.

As a third-rank official equal in status to a Six Ministries Minister, even in the capital, he was a serious heavyweight.

Two days ago, he’d been chewed out by the Emperor himself. At the time, he’d suspected a full demonic rebellion—only to wake up this morning and find that Jinhuan had literally solved it on his night walk.

He was this close to mailing Wu Yuanhua off to Lingnan for early retirement.

Now, after listening in on the case summary, Minister Chen glanced coldly at Wu Yuanhua:

“I thought some apocalyptic demon was behind all this. But this? A case this simple, and you fumbled it for eight months? Ended up having a young man from the old county deputy’s family solve it in one night? What do I need you for?”

Wu Yuanhua nearly choked. He muttered in his mind:

Whether I’m useful or not depends on who you’re comparing me to!

Last night we were prepping for a meeting—and I blinked, and boom, I'm halfway to Lingnan! Nobody could survive this kind of whiplash!

But an official couldn’t talk back to a superior. So Wu bowed his head and groaned:

“Your subordinate acknowledges his failings... Negligence on my part...”

Jinhuan knew the county office had genuinely lacked the strength to apprehend this demon cultivator. Even the Celestial Bureau had failed to pin him down. If not for his own involvement, this guy would’ve either gotten lucky or been randomly spotted by someone like Lu Wuzhen or another overpowered freak.

But if the county yamen got punished, his uncle Fei and other old friends would suffer too. So Jinhuan stepped forward and spoke:

“Minister Chen overpraises me. Last night, I came up with the idea that the culprit might be a rogue cultivator only after chatting with Magistrate Wu and County Deputy Fei. I’ve known Magistrate Wu since I was young—diligent and upright. If it weren’t for their past guidance, I wouldn’t know half the things I do now.”

Oh my god.

Magistrate Wu nearly teared up. If it weren’t the middle of an official investigation, he’d be on his knees kowtowing already.

Minister Chen, seeing Jinhuan’s generosity, let it go and turned back with a warm smile:

“I’d already heard of your talents from Danyang—turns out their words were conservative. If the Dan Prince hadn’t already promised you a key position, I’d have requested you take his job here instead.”

Jinhuan clasped his hands. “Grateful for your kindness, Minister Chen. But this case isn’t quite closed yet.”

“......”

That line made the courtyard fall silent.

Every investigator nearby turned to look.

Minister Chen had sworn to the Emperor that the case would be resolved immediately. He was dying to stamp “CLOSED” on it and move on.

Now he froze. “...Not closed?”

Jinhuan knew there had been two culprits—the second hiding behind the chaos. But that wasn’t something he could just blurt out. So he said:

“When I caught Wu Su, I questioned him—why turn to evil? Why harm innocent civilians for personal gain?”

“But he claimed he only killed thirteen people. The other four, he said, were planted by someone else. At death’s door, a man usually doesn’t lie about that kind of thing.”

“I wanted to keep him alive, but you all know—I’m still healing from previous wounds, and his elemental techniques were too dangerous. I had to prioritize self-defense.”

Everyone knew that when it came to evil cultivators with freakish resilience, you didn’t hold back. No one was going to fault Jinhuan for making sure he stayed dead.

Still, his words made people pause.

Minister Chen hesitated, then asked:

“Demonic cults love sowing confusion. Do you think his claim had merit?”

Jinhuan’s answer would decide if the case truly ended. He weighed his words carefully:

“If there really is another lurking demon, he’ll resurface soon. Could cause an even bigger disaster. Maybe... give it another month. If there’s no lead by then, you can wrap it up.”

One month without leads meant Wu Su was lying, and the case could be formally closed. Minister Chen accepted that and ordered:

“Proceed as Jinhuan suggests. But treat it as a separate case—split it into two. Even if we find new cult members, the ‘Corpse Drying Case’ is considered resolved.”

“Yes, sir.”

Magistrate Wu nodded like a bobblehead.

Minister Chen, job mostly done, remembered Xie Jinhuan’s father and sighed:

“Your father’s case years ago... I did try to speak for him. But the haunting at the imperial palace spooked the Emperor. Too much noise, too close to the throne.”

“Hmm... the full details are in the original case file. I’ll have someone pull it up. Come to the yamen tomorrow morning to retrieve it.”

Jinhuan only knew his father had been reassigned to Nanning, Ruizhou. The reason why had always been unclear. Hearing this, he bowed again.

“Thank you, Minister Chen.”

...

Noon. Somewhere in the outer city, underground.

A dim, flickering flame lit the corners of a secluded chamber thick with the stench of medicine.

On a crude board-bed lay a bloodied man, filthy hair draped over a torn-up back. His lower spine was gashed as if by a dragon’s tail.

Zhang Chu, Incense Master of the Underworld God Sect, leaned against the wall. A saber hung at his waist. He held a missive just delivered from the yamen, brows tightly furrowed.

A few days ago, the massacre at Huaijiang Bay had sent shockwaves through the cult. Taishu Dan and over twenty men—all wiped out.

The sect had given Taishu Dan everything—money, resources, intel. Even lured away all top experts like Mu Yunling to give him the perfect window.

Under those conditions, even a third-rate stray dog should’ve been able to make the Blood Fiend Pill.

Instead, their entire force got wiped out by one barely-ranked punk. Alone.

Zhang Chu had suspected Taishu Dan faked his death to defect. But then again, what’s left to defect to when you’re already in a cult?

The only explanation: Taishu Dan just screwed it up. Hard.

Luckily, one barely-alive survivor was pulled from the wreckage and smuggled out. He claimed ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) the operation had been airtight—but Xie Jinhuan was too damn abnormal.

Zhang Chu didn’t believe a word. Tortured the man for three days. No change.

Guy insisted it was all Jinhuan’s doing.

If the man weren’t a “He” from a notable family, he’d have been bled dry and turned into a puppet days ago.

And then last night—boom. Jinhuan arrives in the capital, goes out at night, solves the Corpse Case, and fingers another suspect.

All in four hours.

For comparison, Taishu Dan lasted until Mid-Autumn even after being exposed and cornered. Jinhuan? Cleared the board before dawn.

That kind of tracking speed? Absolutely terrifying.

Now the cult’s internal pressure was shifting hard.

Zhang Chu set down the letter and looked toward the wounded man.

“Seems Taishu Dan lasting six or seven days was... respectable. I misjudged him.”

He Can, once a high-ranking brat in the cult, was now orphaned, tortured, and beyond bitter. But he was too broken to lash out.

“...Now you believe me? I’ve said it eight hundred times. Xie Jinhuan’s not human. Anyone would’ve died. If I hadn’t been wearing the Python King Armor, I’d be dead eight times over.”

“You people... why the hell’d you kill his dad anyway? Without that, would he even be gunning for us? Who killed him? I want answers. My master deserves better than a mystery grave!”

Zhang Chu shook his head.

“During the Imperial Haunting Incident, his father may have uncovered our mole. We had to silence him. But the agents we sent never returned. Whether Jinhuan was in the convoy—we don’t know.”

He Can turned his head, stunned.

“You call that an operation? At this rate, you’ll all be exposed in less than a month. You should’ve let me die in Danyang. At least it’d be quick. With you people, I’m gonna get chopped twice.”

Zhang Chu already saw where this was heading. After a long silence, he said:

“He’s staying at the Prince’s mansion. Might hit the Golden Pavilion tonight. I’ll go. End it. Avenge your master.”

“...You? Going to kill Xie Jinhuan?”

He Can paused. Then nodded slowly.

“Just make sure to tell someone to bring me food. If you die at the Pavilion, I don’t want to starve waiting here.”

“...?”

Zhang Chu’s eye twitched. “You’re scared out of your damn mind. Not cut out for this anymore. I’ll give you severance when you heal. Then get lost.”

“I know how this world works better than you. Go if you must. I’ll wait here for your good news. Take care.”

“...Hmph.”

Zhang Chu didn’t answer. He turned and left the underground lair.

...

Back at the Chilin Guard Command Post, rear hall.

Han Jingchuan, dressed in a red qilin-embroidered robe, paced back and forth, tiger-eyed and tense.

“Xie Jinhuan—what the hell is he? A celestial being?! Killed Taishu Dan in under a week, I figured it was luck. But now the Corpse Case? Solved in half a night?!”

Lu Qian stood inside, brow furrowed.

“I personally verified it—he really got the culprit. Traced him through ghost market vendors and merchant records. Then tracked his movement with a hawk.”

The method was sound, sure—but doing all that in four hours? Terrifying.

Han Jingchuan had been worried Jinhuan would come for his head eventually. Now he realized—hell, the only reason he was still alive was that Jinhuan had been too busy solving other cases.

If Jinhuan had free time last night... he’d be dead already.

But he couldn’t touch Jinhuan directly—he was now a celebrated hero.

So he asked:

“Do we know where he’s headed tonight?”

Lu Qian thought for a moment.

“The Prince’s son is going to the Golden Pavilion for a play. Jinhuan will accompany him. He likely won’t be near Changle Street tonight.”

Han clenched his fists behind his back and resumed pacing.

Lu Qian, who had helped frame Xie Wen three years ago, now felt an icy dread in his bones.

He spoke quietly:

“This kid’s momentum is terrifying. Our tricks probably won’t work. And we can’t guard against him forever. Sooner or later, he’ll find an opening—”

“What are you saying?”

“I could scout the Pavilion tonight. If there’s an opportunity... act first.”

Han frowned, recalling Li Gong’s warning:

“He’s beside the Prince’s heir. How do we touch him? If we get caught, we’re handing them a knife.”

Lu Qian leaned in and whispered:

“He’ll need to step away eventually. And if he claims there’s another hidden killer, it’s reasonable they’d try to silence him. If we clean up afterward and pin it on the cult...”

Han hesitated. It was tempting.

“But Li Gong said—don’t move unless they move.”

Lu Qian pressed on:

“Li Gong can afford to wait. He’s too powerful to be toppled. But we? Jinhuan’s racking up merit. Soon, he’ll outrank you by three levels. At that point, he won’t need assassins—just a word, and you’ll be asked to cut your own throat.”

Han Jingchuan felt the weight drop squarely on him.

In the capital, survival didn’t come from exams or books—it came from force and alliances.

And Xie Jinhuan had both, in excess.

If he didn’t act soon, he’d be feeding the tiger until it bit his head off...

He wrestled with it, then finally said:

“The patrol rumors on Changle Street are already out. I’ll stake out that route. You scout the Pavilion. If he doesn’t show up there—and the chance is real—we strike.”

“...Yes, sir.”