Roaring Dragon-Chapter 56: A Reputation Well Deserved

The silver moon hung high in the sky.

The Dan Prince’s great barge floated just beyond Peony Pool, its twin decks adorned with multicolored lanterns. The vessel was teeming with stunningly dressed ladies, drawing the gawking gazes of countless scholars and idle men gathered on the shore.

But inside the ship? The scene was far from elegant.

Clang clang clang— freeωebnovēl.c૦m

“My lord~ are you feeling shy~?”

“You little minx, you’re asking for a spanking, aren’t you—”

Thump thump thump...

The main hall on the upper deck was utter chaos: noble ladies scuffling, singing, yanking at each other’s clothes, dancing with lutes—and one poor soul {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} who lost a round of truth or dare ran upstairs to grope Xie Jinhuan’s bird.

These girls are insane.

Mo Mo is still the most well-behaved.

Xie Jinhuan sat beside a tea table on the second deck, holding back Meiqiu, who was already making annoyed chirping noises. Outside, fireworks and moonlight sparkled. On either side of him sat two wildly different but equally stunning women.

Linghu Qingmo, long used to this madness, sat primly with her white crane fan raised to shield her neckline—just in case Xie Jinhuan tried to sneak a peek at her cleavage.

Princess Changning, on the other hand, was laser-focused on the game in front of her.

“Wang He, you’ve already won three rounds against this princess. If you manage to leave this boat upright tonight, I’ll wash my hands of the world and swear off liquor forever!”

Across from her were three ladies from prestigious families. The one in the middle, Wang He, was a famous prodigy of the Academy of Literature and a master gambler. She was known as one of the “Twin Beauties of the Academy”—the other being the infamous “Poison-Handed Medicine Girl” from the Medical Institute.

As for the Martial Institute? All muscle and monks. Their campus belle was a prissy boy in robes—barely worth mentioning.

Wang He, blessed with a plump, voluptuous figure, radiated confidence and big-sister energy. Now seated center stage, she didn’t back down in the slightest.

“There’s no rank at the drinking table. Outside, sure—I’d call you Your Highness. But at this table? You’ll always be my punching bag. Also—what’s the point of bringing such a handsome man along? Trying to distract me with a pretty face?”

?

Xie Jinhuan felt like he’d stepped into a spider’s nest. But for the sake of that Martial Canon, he forced a smile and saluted:

“Xie Jinhuan at your service, ladies.”

“Oh~?”

The three girls exchanged glances, surprised at the name. Then they burst into chatter:

“So you’re the one who’s been running around slaying demons? A pleasure!”

“Old Li said your calligraphy’s exquisite—strong structure and graceful strokes. And yesterday you even wrote a love letter for Miss Linghu!”

“Shouldn’t Qingmo be sitting next to him, then?”

...

Linghu Qingmo, raised in the Daoist way, couldn’t stand this kind of banter. She interrupted sharply:

“Keep going and you’ll scare him off. It’s late—let’s begin.”

Even Wang He, not wanting to spook the rare male guest, dialed it down and grabbed the dice cup, slamming it onto the table.

“What’s the game tonight?”

Princess Changning twirled her fan, full of haughty pride:

“Same as always. High roll wins. Each round, we bet drinks. Max five cups. If you reroll, drink one. A companion may drink in your place.”

“Fair enough.”

Wang He exuded calm strength like a true martial champion. She gestured with her hand:

“Your Highness, you first.”

The Princess had long waited to turn the tide and didn’t waste time. She picked up the dice cup and began to shake.

Thump thump thump—

Her right hand moved so quickly her golden peacock corset jiggled, waves rippling across the silk.

Xie Jinhuan, sitting right beside her and taller than most, caught glimpses of soft white curves and deep shadow. But with so many eyes around, he behaved—silently summoning his succubus for backup.

Thump thump thump—SLAP!

The custom dice cup slammed down on the table. Princess Changning lifted one corner cautiously to peek inside.

Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo both leaned in, Meiqiu popping his beak over the table’s edge like a curious toddler.

Three. Three. Five.

Not high, not low.

The Princess closed the lid and raised her chin slightly.

“Your turn.”

Wang He didn’t waste time. She swept the dice into the cup, tossed it, and slammed it down.

Thump—slam!

The move was clean, fast, not a single die fell out. Slick...

Xie Jinhuan silently marveled, then slipped a hand under the table to touch Princess Changning’s knee—signaling the dice count, as they’d schemed last night.

But Linghu Qingmo, unaware of their cheating plan, saw him groping the Princess and immediately swatted his hand away.

What, you drunk? How dare you touch Her Highness with me right here?!

You think I wanted to touch her?

Xie tried again, only to get pinched by Mo Mo. Finally, he had to slide his hand behind the landlady’s hip and tap three times with four fingers.

Okay, soft... springy... definitely distracting.

Princess Changning sat up slightly, cheeks tinged pink, but kept her cool in the face of a common enemy.

Seeing Wang He’s roll was a bit higher, the Princess didn’t reveal her hand. Instead, she downed a cup.

“Reroll.”

Thump—slap!

Thump—slap!

Three drinks later, she finally rolled a five-five-four.

Wang He couldn’t see Xie Jinhuan’s signals, but seeing her old rival suddenly get bold, she smelled something fishy.

Still, she said nothing, lifted her cup, and drank.

“Rerolling.”

Clatter—SLAM!

Dice rolled again.

Xie Jinhuan waited for a whisper from his ghostly assistant—but what he got was a gut punch:

“Oops. You’re screwed. Three sixes. Good luck.”

?

His heart sank. He looked at the plump Wang He like a candle glimpsing the moonlight—completely outmatched.

He knew from experience: controlling dice through a reinforced dice cup was near-impossible.

But she’d just rolled slightly higher, then nailed triple sixes. That level of control meant she not only knew her opponent’s numbers, but could match or beat them.

Even with x-ray vision, Xie had no way to control his own dice. All they could do was keep drinking and hope for a tie.

No wonder they called her the “First Bosom of Chongwen Academy.” This wasn’t just flair—she was the real deal.

Wang He winked at him playfully and looked at the Princess:

“I call five drinks. Raise or reveal?”

Princess Changning knew things were bad. When she felt Xie’s hand go still, she nudged him with her elbow:

“Well? Move, you devil—!”

But Xie Jinhuan was stuck. No amount of signaling could save them now.

Wang He’s move, in jianghu terms, was clear:

“Young man, your tricks are flashy. But this old hand’s been training twenty years. You think a shortcut can beat that?”

If they lost this round, the Martial Canon might be out of reach. And he still owed Wanyi 9,000 taels—if he couldn’t pay back, who knows what kind of “collateral” she’d want...

After two elbow jabs, Xie Jinhuan finally smiled and spoke up:

“Miss Wang, you’ve got some real skill. I’m thoroughly impressed. I’ll drink in Her Highness’s place.”

The Princess still looked confused. But when Wang He lifted her cup and revealed triple sixes, she realized the truth.

“You sneaky wench! No wonder you always came just shy of beating me before!”

Wang He clinked cups with her teammates, smug.

“You’re the only one in the whole Chongming River bold enough to play against me. If I won too hard and scared you off, I’d be stuck drinking alone like Mister Mu.”

Glug glug glug—

Xie Jinhuan drained five cups in a row, then gently comforted the crestfallen landlady and offered:

“Open-faced dice gets old fast. Want to try a different game?”

“Oh?”

Wang He didn’t back down. “What kind of game? No martial arts—we girls won’t arm-wrestle you.”

Xie Jinhuan patiently explained:

“Let’s play a riddle game. Three people per team. One is blindfolded. The other team writes a word on paper. The blindfolded teammate’s friends can give clues—but no direct answers. Guess wrong, drink.”

None of the girls had played before. Wang He looked intrigued.

“Alright.”

Princess Changning, confident in Xie Jinhuan, knew she couldn’t out-gamble Wang He—but trusted his wits. She pulled a silk kerchief from her collar and tied it around his eyes.

“We’ll go first. You write the word.”

Xie Jinhuan, now blindfolded with a handkerchief faintly scented like milk, realized the cloth wasn’t thick enough—he turned around to be safe.

Wang He and her friends huddled up, whispered, and then scribbled two bold characters on paper.

They showed it to Princess Changning and Linghu Qingmo.

Linghu, who’d just come to observe, flushed red the moment she read it. These crazy girls were being way too much.

Princess Changning, ever the cool older sister, didn’t even blink.

“Two characters. A woman’s undergarment...”

“Dudou.”

Instant answer!

Hsssss...

The five girls froze, their eyes wide.

Even the ghost bride in Xie’s ear gasped.

“Well, damn! Not bad!”

Wang He grabbed the paper and squinted.

“Young Master Xie... did you use some kind of sorcery?”

The Princess had the same question.

But Xie Jinhuan had not used magic this time. He simply knew this bunch of lunatics too well.

“Cheating ruins the fun, doesn’t it? Your turn to drink, Miss Wang.”

Wang He, now suspicious, still raised her cup and drank. Sizing up Linghu Qingmo, she smirked and upped the ante:

“Only one person gives clues now. Take turns. Your go, Miss Linghu.”

“Huh?”

Linghu Qingmo immediately grew wary.

“Don’t you dare write something obscene.”

“Hehe~”

Wang He, having lost once, had no plans to play nice. She and her friends began whispering again, grinning as they scribbled down something even worse...