Roaring Dragon-Chapter 29: Helping a Comrade Advance!

Whoosh—

Xie Jinhuan staggered back several steps, almost overwhelmed by the stench of rotting corpses. Only after the air cleared a little did he dare step closer to inspect.

Bathed in the gentle autumn sunlight, he could see the cave’s interior — an artificially expanded cavern at least six zhang wide.

The entire space was filled with reeking, filthy water, soaking a hundred or more unrecognizable animal carcasses. Countless worms squirmed through the remains.

On the surrounding rock walls, dense blood-red markings were painted, leading up to a grotesque image of a ghost-faced Rakshasa — three heads, six arms, bloodied fangs — its six hands connected by the blood patterns to the corpse pit below, as if it were greedily sucking away the life and souls of the dead.

Even though Xie Jinhuan wasn’t an expert, the Lovecraftian scene made his scalp tingle. He frowned and asked:

"Is this the work of the Witch Sect?"

Lin Wanyi, eyes stinging from the foulness, had to cover her mouth and nose with her sleeve. She examined the upper shrine carefully:

"No. The Witch Sect venerates ancestral witches — many with human faces and serpent bodies — but never something like this. This looks more like a demon cultivator’s lair."

Hovering nearby, Ye Hongshang nodded as well:

"Judging from the traces, this person practiced both witchcraft and demonic arts. Their Witch Sect cultivation is around third rank, but their demon path skills are relatively shallow. Raising Mad Corpse Flowers was likely meant to control a large number of people through blood sacrifice, reinforcing their own body."

The demonic path was all about plundering the lives of others to nourish oneself.

A blood sacrifice, simply put, involved using special methods to seize flesh, essence, and even souls from others — essentially a brutal form of energy harvesting.

Realizing that the enemy was a dual-cultivator of witchcraft and demon arts at third rank, Xie Jinhuan couldn't help but get excited.

After all, a third-rank evil cultivator wasn’t on the level of a transcendent demon, but in peaceful times, they were already fearsome outlaws. With a little embellishment, pinning the Zihui Mountain demonic scandal on them shouldn’t be too hard.

Thinking of this, Xie Jinhuan carefully examined the cave. He noticed a recessed nook near the edge, piled with miscellaneous items — likely a resting spot. He vaulted over the corpse pit to investigate, hoping to find something usable for framing.

Inside the nook were a prayer mat, a lantern, and a few scattered items, including a tattered book.

Xie Jinhuan picked it up.

The title: Springtime Passions.

It was filled with all kinds of erotic tales and vivid illustrations, dripping with raw lust — clearly something used to kill time.

Lin Wanyi cautiously followed, and when she saw Xie Jinhuan’s solemn expression, she also peeked over.

Only to get an eyeful of some very graphic... floral arrangements in dark alleys.

?!

Lin Wanyi froze, then her face exploded red, and she hurriedly turned away, stammering:

"These perverts are just... and you're still looking?!"

Xie Jinhuan frowned seriously, thinking aloud:

"Springtime Passions was originally penned by a renowned writer from the previous dynasty. There are many reprints in various bookstores. This particular edition is finely bound and exquisitely illustrated — definitely not some back-alley printing. Do you know where it might have come from?"

Lin Wanyi, face flushed and heart full of disdain, snuck another glance before hastily averting her eyes:

"Looks like it’s from Juwen Bookstore, near Danyang Academy. But they only sell serious books — how would they have this kind of stuff?"

"This isn't exactly obscene. It records the customs and passions of the former dynasty quite thoroughly. The illustrations are masterful in their detail — quite valuable for research..."

Lin Wanyi, mortified to even be discussing such matters, snapped:

"If you want to study it, buy your own copy! This one’s filthy — who knows what that demon used it for!"

Whoosh—

Xie Jinhuan threw the book aside like it was a venomous snake, resuming his search for more suitable evidence.

?

Both Lin Wanyi and the red-robed Ye Hongshang looked at him with surprise. Ye Hongshang even chuckled:

"Oh my, I thought you were seriously investigating."

Ignoring them, Xie Jinhuan scoured the cavern but found nothing else useful. Framing the enemy wouldn’t be easy at this rate. He furtively glanced at his ghost-wife for help.

Ye Hongshang understood and, twirling her red umbrella, surveyed the surroundings:

"This fellow’s cultivation is too low. The yamen won’t mistake him for the source of the Zihui Mountain demonic aura. But... I can upgrade him a little."

As she spoke, she began her work!

Meanwhile, Lin Wanyi, checking some medicine bottles, started feeling dizzy — maybe from the overwhelming foulness. Within moments, a chill ran rampant through her body.

"Uh..."

She stumbled.

Xie Jinhuan caught her quickly, pretending to be concerned:

"Miss Lin, what's wrong?"

"I... I think I’m falling ill again..."

Lin Wanyi looked bewildered, trying to suppress the dizziness, but it only worsened. Before she could say more, her eyes glazed over.

Perhaps afraid of being taken advantage of in the wilderness, she gritted her teeth and muttered:

"I... I have powerful backers! My master’s from... Crescent Moon Manor..."

Ye Hongshang's analysis had been dead on — Lin Wanyi was highly sensitive to demonic energies. Before she could finish, she collapsed completely into Xie Jinhuan’s arms.

Xie Jinhuan knew Crescent Moon Manor’s reputation — one of the three giant Gu-poison sects, part of the Southern Wasteland Witch Alliance. Picking a fight with them was suicide.

Not that he had any ill intentions toward Lin Wanyi.

Just as he confirmed she’d fainted, the beauty in his arms suddenly stirred — but her aura {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} changed dramatically.

Whoosh—

Though her appearance stayed the same, her demeanor transformed utterly — graceful and commanding, radiating a crushing aura!

Realizing Ye Hongshang had possessed her body, Xie Jinhuan asked:

"How exactly are you going to 'upgrade' this demon?"

Ye Hongshang, pushing up her gold-rimmed glasses with a domineering air, examined the bloody patterns:

"Demons who harvest life essence leave behind different traces based on their skill level.

"This one's methods are crude. I’ll tweak the marks a bit. Once I’m done, any expert in Danyang will think this lair belonged to a transcendent-level demon."

She knelt gracefully, sitting on her heels with perfect curves, raising her arms in a solemn, prayer-like gesture toward the heavens.

Xie Jinhuan squatted nearby, watching curiously.

Whoooosh~

A cold wind stirred inside the cave.

From Ye Hongshang’s outstretched palms, two green ghost-fires flickered to life — utterly cold, chilling the already foul air.

Though Xie Jinhuan couldn’t perform Daoist magic, he was still impressed:

"What’s that? Bone Spirit Cold Flame?"

"Ghostfire, refined through Witchcraft. It burns spirit essence. Victims show no wounds on the outside but suffer as if burned alive."

Ye Hongshang explained briefly, then pressed her hands together:

"Both blood sacrifice and poison refinement need a tribute. Put your hand in."

"Ah?"

Xie Jinhuan frowned: "You’re offering me up?"

"You still have your left hand, don't you? Hurry."

Unwilling to become a one-armed hero, Xie Jinhuan still reached into the swirling green flames.

Whooo—

The moment he touched it, searing pain lanced into his soul, like plunging into a fiery abyss.

"Hissss—..."

Ye Hongshang, seeing him endure without instinctively pulling away, raised an eyebrow:

"Good, like a real man. Endure it, and I’ll give you a reward."

Xie Jinhuan gritted his teeth, drenched in sweat:

"Only if you give it yourself — no stealing other people's bodies."

"Heh~"

As they bantered, Xie Jinhuan felt something inside him boiling, surging outward.

His right hand began to bleed a misty red vapor, which drifted into the cave, merging with the bloody patterns and subtly altering them.

Xie Jinhuan, feeling himself drain away, asked through gritted teeth:

"You sure this is gonna work?"

"As long as Danyang has any competent experts, they’ll instantly recognize this as the work of a transcendent demon. Danyang isn’t big enough to produce two transcendents at once — they'll chase down the demon bandits for sure."

Half-trusting her, Xie Jinhuan still worried:

"I thought you lost your memories. How do you know demon blood sacrifice techniques? Or is it Lin Wanyi’s knowledge?"

Ye Hongshang scoffed:

"My cultivation is on a different level. Faking these traces doesn’t require mastery — it’s just mimicking surface techniques."

"Oh... Could you hurry up? I’m gonna get drained dry."

True blood sacrifices disassembled flesh and blood, extracting pure energy.

If it kept up, Xie Jinhuan would be squeezed into a dried-up husk.

Ye Hongshang said no more.

The blood mist continued spreading, eventually converging at the cave’s ceiling, forming a single blood-red bead, which slowly descended onto the center of the cavern.

Drip—

The scene resembled a mortal sacrificing to an evil god, receiving divine feedback.

To Xie Jinhuan, it looked more like distilling strong liquor.

The forced extraction took a heavy toll. After leaving a convincing set of traces, Ye Hongshang quickly stopped:

"Done."

Though it had only lasted a short while, Xie Jinhuan was already ghost-pale, feeling like he’d been trampled by ten well-endowed women all day and night — it’d take days to recover.

Massaging his drained right hand, he looked around:

"So... how do we explain this to Lin Wanyi?"

?

Not wanting her to discover anything suspicious, Xie Jinhuan quickly scooped up Lin Wanyi in a bridal carry, leaped over the corpse pit, and laid her by the pond’s edge, pretending to adjust her qi flow...