Chapter 361: The River Patrol General! The Fish Demon! The Dragon Palace Prince!

“Your humble subject, Song Heng, respectfully greets the River Patrol General!” the richly dressed middle-aged man bowed low.

From within the boisterous wedding procession, filled with drums and gongs, a young man in black stepped forward. His eyes gleamed with murderous intent, and his sharp brows were like sabers. He carried a forceful arrogance that didn’t match the festive atmosphere around him.

“How come there’s only one this time?” The black-clad youth gave a cold snort.

Song Heng[1] paled with fear, and forced a smile as he explained, “Today, several bridal corpses were dredged from the Chu River. The entire city is under strict lockdown. It is the very height of suspicion, so the sacrifice was slightly delayed. I will certainly do my utmost to make up the offerings as soon as possible!”

The youth gave another cold snort. “Are you blaming

me

for being negligent in my duty?”

Song Heng dropped to his knees with a

thud

, kowtowing repeatedly. “Forgive me, General! I would never dare harbor such thoughts!”

The youth’s icy gaze swept over the group: the two hulking bodyguards, the black-and-white robed Daoist with his soul-summoning bell. None of them dared meet his eyes.

Only then did the black-clad youth withdraw his chilling stare. He reached into his robe and pulled out a porcelain vial, tossing it toward the kneeling Song Heng.

Song Heng caught it carefully, and his eyes lit up with joy as he clutched it tightly to his chest.

“Thank you, General! Many thanks, General!” he exclaimed in excitement.

The youth waved his hand. Several litter bearers stepped forward to receive the young bride.

The girl in the scarlet wedding dress was flooded with emotions of terror, despair, and helplessness. It was as if she were caught in a vast whirlpool, her face stricken with terror!

Yet, she couldn’t move and couldn’t even utter a single sound.

Why me?

Why is it me!?

She was swallowed by overwhelming fear. The gruesome sight from earlier that day of the corpses of brides dredged from the riverbank flashed in her mind, and her entire body turned cold.

But then, as the black-and-white robed Daoist shook his soul-summoning bell, her body began moving on its own, stepping slowly toward that eerie bridal litter. Her gait was graceful, her bearing elegant, so different from her usual self.

Why does it have to be me!?

The young bride was consumed by a crushing sense of helplessness.

Suddenly, a warm, firm hand rested gently on her shoulder, and her footsteps halted at once. A surge of vigorous energy poured into her body, and her organs were filled with boundless vitality. Her body was instantly wrapped in warmth, and her arms and legs regained feeling.

Overjoyed, she turned her head and saw a young man with sword-like brows and gorgeous eyes, his face sharply defined. He was a handsome young Daoist. His expression was calm, composed, radiating a sense of absolute safety.

“Who’s there!?”

The sudden appearance of this young Daoist shocked everyone, and they recoiled in alarm. It was late at night, and this man showed up here!? Was he trying to scare people?

Li Yanchu let out a cold laugh.

Clang!

With a flash of saber-light, that eerie bridal litter was instantly smashed to pieces. Li Yanchu’s saber rose and fell, and in the blink of an eye, several litter bearers were cut into pieces. Their bodies dissolved, transforming into shrimp and crabs, floating lifelessly upon the river’s surface!

The young bride’s heart leapt with joy, and a powerful sense of safety welled up inside her. This man had come to save her! She quietly moved to stand behind Li Yanchu, her eyes fixed on his broad, sturdy back.

Her breath eased just a little, though her gaze remained tense and watchful of her surroundings.

“How impudent! Who are you!? How dare you offend me!?” Song Heng shouted in anger.

But his body instinctively stepped back, edging closer to his two hulking retainers. These two were outlaws of the

jianghu

, men with blood crimes upon their hands, whom he had taken in as enforcers.

Both were practitioners of hard qigong; their bodies honed like iron, capable of shattering boulders with a palm, withstanding sabers and axes with brute strength.

Clang!

A streak of sword-light cut through the night. Song Heng watched in horror as those very same outlaws, men who could crush stone and endure steel, were severed cleanly into pieces. Blood sprayed like a fountain, and they were slain in an instant!

“What!?” Song Heng’s face turned ashen with fright.

A figure stepped forth; it was a woman of cold bearing and breathtaking beauty. In her hand gleamed an iron sword, its chilling aura piercing to the bone.

“You beast!” Fang Qinglan’s voice was cold as ice.

Her sword flashed, and Song Heng’s legs were severed clean at the knees before his body crashed heavily to the ground.

The Daoist holding the soul-summoning bell was struck with terror. He was still more than ten paces away from Fang Qinglan, yet he couldn’t help but stagger back.

Jingle, jingle, jingle...

The bell in his hand rang sharply; it was a soul-bewitching charm!

With this secret art, even seasoned martial warriors were powerless to resist. And if a cultivator were careless, they too could fall victim, losing mind and will. But Fang Qinglan’s eyes remained cold and steady; but she was utterly unmoved!

Crack!

The sound of breaking bone rang clear; the Daoist’s spine had been crushed by a single punch, and he was slain instantly. It was Li Yanchu’s fist that ended the life of this accomplice, his gaze turning, icy, upon the black-clad youth.

“So cold-blooded... you just stood there and watched?”

The black-clad youth’s eyes sharpened like sabers, then he gave a chilling laugh.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

“A mere young Daoist... and you think you’re worthy of my attack!?”

Hearing this, Li Yanchu arched a brow. This bastard was arrogant!

The youth drew a gleaming longsword from his waist, his eyes filled with disdain. “Today I will carve you alive!”

His tone was frigid, and from his body surged a powerful aura, sending rippling waves outward from where he stood, and disturbing the waters of the river itself.

...

Moments later, the black-clad youth’s longsword was snapped in two, his garments torn, his chest soaked in blood.

No longer able to maintain human form, he revealed himself, a fish-headed creature with green scales. His appearance was nothing short of wretched.

“Who was it you said you’d carve alive just now?” Li Yanchu asked coldly.

Several of the fish demon’s teeth had been knocked out, and its words whistled through the gaps.

“Spare me, immortal! Spare me! What I said just now, I was only joking!”

The corner of Fang Qinglan’s lips twitched faintly. Even Li Yanchu thought this demon was quite something.

A poser, huh?

Smack!

A heavy slap landed across the fish demon’s head, nearly splitting its skull open.

Thud!

The fish demon crashed to the ground with its head spinning and vision swimming. The frigid yin qi in its body was suppressed by Li Yanchu’s blazing yang qi and blood, scorching it in unbearable pain.

“Spare me, immortal! Spare me!”

The fish demon, dizzy and dazed, begged for mercy in a panic. Gone was the sharp-eyed, arrogant demeanor it had shown moments ago.

“What’s the truth behind these brides?”

“Say one wrong word, and I’ll flay you alive, tear your sinews, and scatter your ashes!”

Li Yanchu’s voice was grim.

The fish demon shuddered, looking at Li Yanchu with terror.

“They... they’re chosen as concubines for the Dragon Palace Prince. The prince has been in a foul temper lately, so he ordered us to seize a few maidens for his amusement. This was all done on his command! Please, immortal, have mercy!”

“Dragon Palace Prince?” Li Yanchu frowned. “There truly is a Dragon Palace in the Chu River?”

The fish demon nodded furiously. “I... I am in fact the River-Patrolling General of Chu River’s Dragon Palace, tasked with finding concubine-brides for the prince.”

“Then why did those corpses float to the surface?” Li Yanchu pressed.

“That... that’s beyond us underlings to ask. Most likely... most likely the prince grew tired of them,” the fish demon stammered.

Fang Qinglan’s eyes flashed with naked killing intent, and the air around them seemed to drop several degrees in an instant!

Li Yanchu questioned further “What cultivation does this Dragon King of Chu River possess? And how does one reach the Dragon Palace?”

The fish demon, utterly terrified of Li Yanchu, hurried to reply, “The Dragon King’s cultivation is of the Profound Realm, and his powers are boundless. I... I dare not even speak his measure. But I can lead the way as for the Dragon Palace’s location, if you wish to go,!”

It forced a flattering smile, looking every bit the craven lackey eager to play guide.

1. 宋 is a surname historically associated with the Song dynasty, giving it a sense of cultural depth and stability. 衡 as a given name conveys the idea of balance, fairness, or measured judgment, and it can also imply someone of integrity or someone who can “weigh matters wisely.” To me, 宋衡 suggests a person who embodies steadiness, wisdom, and a principled character, someone reliable, perhaps scholarly, with a sense of authority or moral weight. ☜