Chapter 23: The Backflow of the Luo River

In the divine capital Luoyang, yesterday the purple sun hung high, but today it was shrouded in mist and rain.

On the Luo River, painted boats were moored along both banks, as a slanting wind and fine rain sprinkled down, bringing a faint chill.

Ling Xuan reclined lazily inside the boat cabin, eyes half-closed and drowsy, casually flicking at water droplets with his fingertips. He plucked a willow branch, holding it between his teeth, his bald head poking out as a playful smile curved his lips. "My lady, are you more anxious than I am?"

At the bow of the black canopy boat, Ye Ziyan wore a green gauze bamboo hat and a purple gauze skirt, her violet eyes flashing intermittently. "Nonsense. If you want to die so early, don’t drag me along."

"Don’t worry, the Spirit Snake Entwined with the Moon hasn’t reacted yet," Ling Xuan spat out the willow branch and waved his hand to break off a fresh twig. "The little one is already searching the riverbed. Don’t waste your strength. Here, let me weave you a hat—look how fresh and green this color is."

"Get lost!" Ye Ziyan snapped, still bewildered. With only one day left, Ling Xuan remained the same frivolous self, seemingly without a care for the demonic transformation.

"My lady, drink today’s wine while you can, and leave tomorrow’s worries for tomorrow," Ling Xuan smiled, lifting his gaze toward the Luo River tavern, still some distance away.

When he first attended the banquet and stepped into the ninth floor of the tavern, near the window, the Spirit Snake Entwined with the Moon had emitted a burning heat. But at that time, he hadn’t drunk the tea.

If the Spirit Snake Entwined with the Moon was an early warning, Ling Xuan preferred to believe it was a reaction to the Orange Needle.

His fingers traced the ripples, sensing the current’s speed—there was none of the tidal flow from before.

Having finished weaving the willow twig hat, Ling Xuan placed it on his head, feeling the coolness, and wondered inwardly, “Could I be mistaken?”

The black canopy boat drifted downstream past the Luo River tavern, yet the Spirit Snake Entwined with the Moon remained silent.

Near noon, the painted boats began weaving through the river, and the boatmen’s idle chatter floated to their ears. “Hmm, the water level seems to have risen a bit today.”

“Water level risen?”

Ling Xuan was slightly taken aback. “Could it be that the tide is ebbing? I must dive in to check.”

Looking up at the sky, a gray hawk flew overhead—the Yuwen family’s gray hawk—still watching him intently.

“Young lord, is this the mood for such leisure?” A painted boat caught up, and Yuwen Chengxiang fanned himself with a folding fan, a smirk playing on his lips. “At this hour, all the beauties on the boats are still dreaming. Do you want to listen to those murmurs in their sleep?”

Ling Xuan’s lips curled as he raised the teacup on the table and drained it. “Does the Yuwen family want to marry into the Changping Prince’s mansion? Why are you everywhere?”

“Pursuing the host of the Spirit Snake Entwined with the Moon is an unshirkable duty,” Yuwen Chengxiang said, unfolding a scroll and pointing with his fan. “Little prince, see if this is you.”

Mist swirled from the scroll as a fiery snake burst forth, a vague bald figure faintly appearing—fortunately, the face was unclear.

Ling Xuan’s heart sank. Wasn’t this the scene from the cave?

The demon-hunting squad that had pursued him and Ye Ziyan was completely wiped out, only a wisp of black demonic aura escaped into the sealing talisman.

At the time, Qiu Rui had already noticed something, but Ling Xuan and Ye Ziyan had to leave the back mountain quickly. To prevent the star patterns from shifting, they reluctantly turned back, only sending the sea-eastern hawk in pursuit.

Though the sea-eastern hawk, the god of myriad eagles, tore apart the gray hawk and destroyed the black demonic aura, a small fragment still slipped away.

No wonder the Yuwen family kept probing him—they must have long suspected his connection to the Spirit Snake Entwined with the Moon.

Now that the portrait was presented, it must be because the three-day limit from last night’s Yang Xuangan had taken effect, forcing the Yuwen family to make this suspicion public.

A smile curved Ling Xuan’s lips. “Young Master Yuwen, how many bald men are there under heaven? Aren’t there plenty of temples in divine capital Luoyang?”

“The gray hawk scouts all the city gates. Of those coming from the south, you, young prince, are the only one bald,” Yuwen Chengxiang chuckled.

Removing the willow twig hat, Ling Xuan laughed, “Young Master Yuwen, did you see? When I entered the city, I wore a hat. Where did the bald head come from?”

Ye Ziyan seized the moment to snort coldly. “Yuwen Chengxiang, you slander the young lord’s reputation. When the prince returns, what will your Yuwen family do to bear responsibility?”

“A hat?” Yuwen Chengxiang was momentarily stunned. “That counts as a hat?”

“I wove it myself, a hundred taels of silver each,” Ling Xuan chuckled. “If you want one, bring the silver. I can add more green for you to take back and study.”

“If the gray hawk dares to keep watching my lady, I won’t mind cooking it for soup.” Drawing a red short bow, Ye Ziyan lightly drew the string, her Qi Ocean realm aura bursting forth instantly.

“Bang!”

The bowstring snapped suddenly. Yuwen Chengxiang’s face changed sharply as he hurriedly rolled up the scroll. “Young lord, aren’t you worried I might hand this painting to Prince Yue?”

The Spirit Snake Entwined with the Moon was said by Chief Historian Yuan to soon break through to seven stars.

Prince Yue Yang Xuangan was present then, but Ling Xuan was not afraid—his Shikigami had already appeared in the Imperial Medical Office: a one-star scarlet-eyed little snake.

Though it had now advanced to two-star orange glow, the Changping Prince’s mansion was not destitute.

His eyes shifted, a crooked smile playing on his lips. “Worried you won’t find the host of the Spirit Snake Entwined with the Moon within three days, so you bite at random? Is that all the Yuwen family can do?”

“Using your realm to pressure me? Wait until my elder brother returns—you’ll regret it,” Yuwen Chengxiang gritted his teeth, glaring fiercely.

“Yuwen Chengdu, huh?”

Ling Xuan raised the Purple Cloud Divine Flute, disdain plain on his face. “Even if you come bearing thick gifts, it depends on my mood.”

Just then, the little white snake emerged from the water, climbing onto his shoulder and hissing softly.

Understanding its meaning, Ling Xuan tensed, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Young Master Yuwen, aren’t you leaving yet? Waiting to see me swim? Remember, you’ll need to pay.”

“Madman, swimming in weather like this?”

Yuwen Chengxiang muttered, waving the folding fan as he laughed heartily. “Hurry up, a hundred taels of silver. Let’s see how you get in the water.”

“Deal.” Ling Xuan stretched out his hand with a playful smile. “One hundred taels—bring it quickly!”

“Any discoveries?”

Ye Ziyan hurried over. “I’ll dive in.”

“My lady, showing off your figure?”

The ripples in the pool revealed gentle curves before him. Ling Xuan quickly stopped her. “The young lady disdains a hundred taels? How can you go in without permission?”

Her ears flushed slightly. Ye Ziyan truly wanted to reach out and see what was in Ling Xuan’s head.

She removed the Purple Phoenix Twin Spirit Blades from her wrists, slipped them onto Ling Xuan’s, grabbed the Purple Cloud Divine Flute, accepted Yuwen Chengxiang’s hundred taels in silver, and with a swift kick said, “Get in the water, don’t hold up my lady’s earnings.”

“Now that you have money, you don’t recognize your husband?”

Ling Xuan shouted. Was this what they called “sharp-tongued but soft-hearted”?

“A rustic country bumpkin really can’t compete on the stage,” Yuwen Chengxiang shook his head and laughed as he left.

Taking a deep breath, Ling Xuan suddenly plunged in.

The Luo River seemed to divide into two layers: the upper part clear, the lower part murky.

Vaguely, long black shadows swayed—like giant serpents.

On closer look, they were chains—black iron chains thicker than a thigh, dark as coiling dragons.

The turbid water seemed motionless, but the iron chains twisted occasionally, stirring up clumps of algae.

Beneath the algae, faintly visible were countless bones.

“Gulp.” Swallowing a mouthful of river water, Ling Xuan’s heart tightened. “Could these be remnants from the city’s construction?”

Suddenly, a burning heat surged in his chest. The scarlet little snake writhed; its single vertical eye reflected a faint orange halo.

“Orange Needle?”

Overjoyed, Ling Xuan hurriedly activated the Taiji Infinite Skill and descended further.

His earlobes throbbed faintly. The deeper he went, the more he felt his body floating upward, as if under immense pressure.

“Rumble… rumble…”

The iron chains quivered, sending out eerie sounds that were clearer underwater, vibrating his eardrums. “Could the tide be coming?”

The little white snake kept glancing back, its orange eyes flashing anxiously.

Ling Xuan wanted to scold the snake. “Can’t even tell if it’s the Orange Needle—what good are you?”

But even within the Spirit Snake Entwined with the Moon’s single vertical eye, he could only see the orange glow. Gritting his teeth, blood seeped from his nose as he ignited the Taiji Pearl within.

The Taiji Pearl—when his body contained the nine red-black yin-yang energies—was nine separate pearls.

Now that the Spirit Snake Entwined with the Moon had advanced to two-star orange glow, his yin-yang energies had turned orange-black, and the second Taiji Infinite pattern rotated, condensing the nine pearls into one.

Though its size remained unchanged.

Unexpectedly, now that it detonated, the orange-black yin-yang energies surged uncontrollably through his meridians.

Agonizing pain spread instantly throughout his body. Ling Xuan was startled—how could his energy have intensified so greatly all at once?

His body accelerated sharply; the murky river water began to flow.

Before his eyes, the bones seemed to come alive; algae drifted past his vision, emitting a faint green glow.

The Luo River’s surface suddenly surged violently. Originally flowing west to east toward the Demon Suppression Abyss, the current reversed, with the abyss’s waters flooding back into the Luo River.

The painted boats instantly descended into chaos—thuds and crashes sounded nonstop as bows collided with sterns and heads bumped.

“Splash… splash…”

People kept falling into the river.

“Help…”

The surface of the Luo River erupted in turmoil—cries, screams, and splashes overlapped endlessly.

Ye Ziyan suddenly whipped off her bamboo hat, pressing her toes down as the black canopy boat rammed into a painted boat.

“Bang!”

Water splashed everywhere, wood splintered, and clutching the Benevolent Heart Needle box, she plunged into the riverbed, inwardly astonished. “Looking for an Orange Needle—you’d think such a big commotion wouldn’t happen.”