Minglong

Chapter 55 The storm is coming

The sun had not yet completely set, and Danyang City had turned into a sea of ​​brilliant lights.

Fireworks rose from all directions, and on the street you could see an elephant covered in gold and silver, dragging a large lantern float several people tall in a parade, surrounded by children from the people who were chasing after it to watch the excitement.

On the fence connecting to the side of the street, there are many beautiful ladies, who are feeding the elephants with fruits hanging on long poles. The elephants lift their trunks to roll up the fruits and put them into their mouths.

"Ang~"

"Wow! Mom, this elephant is so cute~"

……

Xie Jinhuan stood on the street waiting. Seeing such a magnificent street scene, he couldn't help but think of his father whose life or death was unknown, and he missed him a lot.

Meiqiu had no idea about the Mid-Autumn Festival. All he saw was dry rice. Seeing everyone feeding the elephant, he also opened his beak like a bird, wanting the beauty on the second floor to feed him.

As a result, the brightly dressed lady above, after seeing him, actually threw a green fruit down to him with a teasing look.

Xie Jinhuan took Qingguo, but did not go up to chat with her because he had to serve the landlady. After waiting for a while, the sound of horse hooves was heard at the street corner.

Hoof-tapping hoof-tapping...

Looking back, I saw a luxurious carriage pulled by four pure white horses coming from Wencheng Street. Light and shadows could be seen inside the carriage, but no one inside could be seen.

There were more than ten soldiers on both sides, Liu Qingzhi was leading the team in the front, and the butler Hou was riding beside him, waving a white paper fan along the way. He looked shifty and looked exactly like the lackey who helped the dandy prince to find a young bride.

Xie Jinhuan came forward carrying the coal briquettes and bowed:
"Butler Hou, Brother Liu."

"Thank you, brother." Liu Qingzhi bowed.

Butler Hou took a quick look and praised:
"Not bad, this outfit does indeed evoke some of the elegance I had back then."

In order to attend the banquet, Xie Jinhuan took out the money contributed by Fu Dongping, bought a thick white robe made of brocade, tied a jade belt around his waist, combed his hair neatly, and even washed the coal balls until they were clean and black.

Hearing the disparagement from the housekeeper Hou, Xie Jinhuan said politely:

"No, no, you're too kind, Steward Hou. Miss Linghu didn't come?"

Liu Qingzhi responded: "In the car, the boss is dressed up today..."

"Liu Qingzhi!"

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

Seeing that Mo Mo was dressed very beautifully and was afraid to show her face to others, Xie Jinhuan naturally became interested and looked inside through the car window.

"Hey, Mr. Xie, where are you looking?"

"Dodo!"

Princess Changning, who was sitting in the carriage, frowned slightly:
"He's looking at Qing Mo, not you. Get out of the way."

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

"Ling'er, stop making trouble."

Xie Jinhuan waited for Duoduo to move aside, but still took a look inside.

In the carriage, the landlady, dressed in a gorgeous palace dress, sat on the inside of the carriage, holding a round fan and wearing eye-catching makeup, she looked very noble.

And Mo Mo, who has always been aloof and beautiful, actually changed into a cloud-white Hezi skirt today, covered with a tea-green gauze dress, and tied her hair into a flying cloud bun. She looked a little less ethereal, but a lot more feminine.

Because she was forced by her best friend to dress like this, Linghu Qingmo was quite uncomfortable. She covered her cheeks with a round fan, obviously not wanting Xie Jinhuan to see her.

"Guji?"

Perhaps Meiqiu didn't recognize it, so he jumped over and took a look.

Xie Jinhuan actually didn't recognize him and said with a smile:
"This skirt is pretty and doesn't show any flesh, so what are you hiding?"

Linghu Qingmo considered herself an icy female knight who was detached from the mundane world and wasn't used to such extravagant attire, not to mention Xie Jinhuan secretly writing her love letters...

There were so many people present that Linghu Qingmo didn't dare to argue and stood up to close the window.
"The carriage is small and there's not enough room for everyone. Please make do outside."

Click~
Among the girls Xie Jinhuan had seen, only Momo's car was fuel-efficient, so he naturally didn't make things difficult for her. He sat on the edge of the carriage and headed out of the city together...

……
-
Upper reaches of Huaijiang River, Mudan Pond.

At night, the bright moon hangs on the river bank like a jade plate.

Magnificent fireworks bloomed in the sky, and tens of thousands of men, women, young and old walked among the floats and stages. There were no less than a hundred cruise ships docked on the riverside and the lake, and there were also painting boats sailing back and forth on the riverside.

A carriage with a wooden sign bearing the Chinese character "Lin" stopped on the outer lawn. Lin Zisu, dressed in colorful clothes, got out first and looked around.

"Wow, there are so many people! Danyang's Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival feels even more lively than the capital." Lin Wanyi, wearing a slim-fitting aqua dress, got out of the car with Qin Wen and adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses.

"Of course. When Taizu pacified the world, he camped here before crossing the Yangtze River and wrote a poem during the Mid-Autumn Festival. After the founding of the Daqian Empire, he often came here to reminisce..."

"I know. The landscape is picturesque, the same as it was then and now. Human affairs fade away, and the water flows eastward. Only the moon on Danyang Rock still shines on my solitary sail in the cool night. The Master has told me this hundreds of times, and he even said that Taizu's poetic talent was average..."

"Shh~!"

Lin Wanyi was so scared that she quickly raised her hand.

Lin Zisu shrank her neck, and ran away quickly with the lantern in hand. Like many other young ladies, she walked towards the inner part of the peony pond, looking around along the way:
"Where's Master Xie? Isn't he coming to accompany Aunt Wan?"

"Zisu!"

Lin Wanyi was also secretly searching for Xie Jinhuan's whereabouts. When she heard the voice, her face flushed. She looked like she wanted to beat up this naughty girl, but since it was a big holiday, she thought better of it.

"She's accompanying Princess Changning, we can just go shopping."

"Really? That's a pity."

Qin Wen also carried a lantern and walked around looking for the princess's boat, but unexpectedly found a huge treasure ship parked on the river bank.

The treasure ship is five stories high and no less than thirty meters long. It is brightly lit from top to bottom and can probably hold five to six hundred people. Because it is too deep in the water, it cannot dock, and tourists have to use a floating ladder to get on.

"Miss, what is that ship used for? There are so many people going there, why don't you go and take a look."

Jia Zheng, the guard beside him, as a well-informed veteran, quickly shook his head:

"It's said that this gambling boat is a joint venture between several big gambling houses. It's not a good place."

"Oh~"

……
-
On the gambling boat by the river.

He Can leaned against the railing with his arms folded across his chest, observing the gamblers constantly boarding the ship. A hint of hesitation welled up in his eyes.
"Master, I'm really confused by the recent situation. Someone framed us, and we framed the Li family, but then the palace went to investigate Xie Jinhuan, and then the three Red Scale Guards were silenced. I thought about it all night yesterday, but I couldn't figure out the whole situation..."

Tai Shudan dressed up as a Confucian scholar, chewing the melon seeds given by the gambling boat attendant:

"That's how the Jianghu works. Everyone pursues their own business and does nothing wrong, but when chance encounters them, the direction is completely unclear. If everyone follows the procedures and everything is clear and organized, that's called the Great Harmony of the World, not the Jianghu."

"That's true, but we haven't even figured out the whole thing yet, and we're still working here. What if something goes wrong..."

Tai Shudan looked down towards Danyang City:
"By the time we received the signal, the experts from Danyang City had already gone after the 'Great Demon from Purple Emblem Mountain'. No one in Mudan Pond is a match for me, and the boat has even reached Jiangwan. If there are still mistakes, it means it's God's will. Just run..."

He Can was listening to his master's chatter when his eyes suddenly moved slightly and he looked at the crowd by the river.

Tai Shudan looked in the direction they were going and saw a group of wealthy women walking by the river. Among them was a woman with glasses who looked quite proud. He said unhappily:

"With such an important matter at hand, you still have the mind to look at women?"

He Can quickly shook his head: "No, this woman seems to be a female doctor from the Lin family clinic, and Xie Jinhuan's lover. I saw her from afar when I hired Fu Dongping last time. Now that she is here, Xie Jinhuan is likely to be at the Peony Pond."

Tai Shudan frowned when he heard this and carefully looked at the figure of the woman walking away:
"Are you sure that last time at Jiguanling, there was a wizard with Xie Jinhuan, and he cast the Hundred Ghosts Plague?"

He Can blinked and asked doubtfully:
"Master said that the witch was Doctor Lin? That's unlikely. This woman comes from a family of imperial physicians and lives in the capital. If she gets involved with witchcraft, she's courting death."

Tai Shudan pointed to his own eyes and explained seriously:
"I previously studied in Chilong Cave and heard from my teacher that the witchcraft of Queyue Villa has a special origin. Although its efficacy is impressive and can produce unique magical powers such as 'Moon Fire' and 'Burning Immortal Gu', its five elements are unbalanced and the yin energy is too strong. Eyes belong to wood and fire, both of which are yang. Therefore, disciples who practice this skill have poor eyesight.

"The Hundred Ghosts Plague is a secret technique of the Gu Du School, and it's also practiced at Queyue Villa. Furthermore, this woman has a close relationship with Xie Jinhuan and even appeared in front of him that day."

After listening to this analysis, He Can suddenly understood:
"No wonder, Queyue Villa must have known about the 'Crazy Corpse Flower'. It's no surprise that Xie Jinhuan was able to discover the Gu Flower and the Corpse Cave so quickly.

"The Blood Demon Pill project has been under preparation for over a month. Success or failure depends on tonight. Xie Jinhuan and his fellow witches are also at the Peony Pond. Will they notice something unusual and come over again?"

Tai Shudan pondered for a moment and looked at the sky:
"We won't be in the Peony Pond later. If we want to discover any abnormalities in the treasure ship in advance, we need to have a vision that is superior to that of the super-class. Lin Wanyi and Xie Jinhuan are far inferior to this.

"If they're unlucky enough to stumble into this, that's fine. Lu Ming's revenge can be avenged, and we can also help solve some problems for the higher-ups at the same time."

"Hmm?" He Can was a little confused: "What do you mean?"

Tai Shudan ate some melon seeds and glanced at the crowded riverbank:

"Xie Jinhuan's father was attacked and killed by a demon. How many demon sects can there be in Daqian? Don't ask if you don't know."

He Can nodded thoughtfully, "It seems Master doesn't know the inside story either."

"?"

……

(End of this chapter)