[Liu: Don’t trust Jiu, don’t respond, don’t respond, don’t respond…]
In the quiet reception hall, Xu Qi An stared at these words, cold sweat breaking out on his back. An indescribable fear spread through his heart.
He absent-mindedly took a sip of tea, zoning out for a moment before breaking free from that eerie, fearful atmosphere.
This “Liu” should be the light spot I just clicked on… What does he mean by saying Jiu is deceiving me?
If Jiu is deceiving me, what’s the reason? If Liu knows Jiu is deceiving me, why didn’t he tell me earlier?
If Jiu can’t be trusted, then Liu is equally suspicious.
I don’t trust anyone, damn it.
Xu Qi An took a deep breath and used his finger as a pen to input a message:
[San: Who are you? Why should I believe Jiu isn’t trustworthy? You’re from the Tiandi Society, aren’t you?]
[Liu: Yes.]
He admitted it so readily… Xu Qi An was silent for a few seconds, then wrote:
[San: What did you mean by what you said earlier?]
[Liu: The Earth Book belongs to the Tiandi Society. Jiu is from the Earth Sect. They’re a group of vicious and violent lunatics, beyond reason. You must not have any contact with them, or your life may be in danger.]
[San: How do you know I have contact with Jiu?]
Xu Qi An questioned.
[Liu: The San fragment was sealed by the Earth Sect, cutting off its ability to communicate with us. Moreover, the Earth Sect can locate San through the Jiu fragment.
[This is why Daoist Jinlian abandoned the fragment and gave it to you.]
…So even if I don’t trade with Jiu, he can still locate me through the Jiu fragment?
No wonder he wasn’t in a hurry to pressure me to return it and even gave me the initiative to choose the location.
No wonder when I asked Jiu yesterday if the Tiandi Society could use the “Earth Book” to locate my position, he changed the subject… Xu Qi An recalled more details.
No matter what I choose, he wins either way. If I choose to trade, he can double-cross me and finish me off. If I don’t choose to trade, he can still drag out the time until he locates my position.
Damn… Xu Qi An cursed inwardly, his scalp tingling.
Liu continued to send messages: “But the Earth Book is one entity. We can still see your communication with Jiu through the Earth Book, much to our dismay. Until you performed the blood oath, establishing a connection with me.”
[San: What should I do?]
[Liu: I hope you can return the Earth Book fragment to the Tiandi Society. If you’re not comfortable, I’ll give you an address where you can have someone deliver it.]
But what about my five hundred taels of gold… Xu Qi An stared at the mirror surface without replying.
He didn’t trust anyone!
Liu might not be a good person; he might be trying to trick me.
If I were that easy to fool, I would have wasted my time at the police academy… Xu Qi An replied: [San: The Earth Book is a treasure of the Tiandi Society, and Jiu is from the Earth Sect. Does the Earth Sect covet the Earth Book?]
According to the internal records of the Night Watchers, the Earth Book was a treasure of the Taoist Earth Sect, while the Tiandi Society was just a jianghu organization.
But Liu just said that the Earth Book belonged to the Tiandi Society, and the Earth Sect coveted it.
If Liu couldn’t provide a reasonable explanation, Xu Qi An would block him.
[Liu: The Earth Book used to belong to the Earth Sect, but now it belongs to the Tiandi Society. The Tiandi Society was formed by some members of the Earth Sect.]
[San: How so?]
[Liu: This involves a secret of the Earth Sect. I’m not a member of the Earth Sect, so it’s not convenient for me to disclose.]
[San: I understand. Leave an address then.]
[Liu: Inner City, Yang Water Street, the house opposite Zhang’s Silk Shop, with a loquat tree in the courtyard.]
By now, Xu Qi An had completely regained his composure. He took a sip of the cooling tea and lightly tapped his fingertips on the table.
Currently, he had three choices before him:
One, trust Liu and return the mirror. He could hire someone to deliver it. This way, he wouldn’t have to worry about Liu’s identity or Jiu’s tracking. He could walk away from this.
Two, trade with Jiu. The downside was the potential danger of being double-crossed. The upside was that if he gambled correctly, he’d get five hundred taels of gold.
Three, turn the Earth Book over to the Night Watchers in exchange for merit.
If I were still that small-time runner from Langle County, I’d choose the first option, playing it safe.
But now I’m a Night Watcher in the capital of Da Feng. No matter how powerful outside forces are, they have to lay low here… No, they wouldn’t even dare to enter the city.
I’ve just joined the Night Watchers, with no achievements or resources. This is a perfect opportunity to exchange the Earth Book for a bright future.
The bureau would surely be glad to receive such an ancient treasure, and Wei Yuan, that powerful eunuch, definitely wouldn’t stand idly by.
Having made up his mind, Xu Qi An returned the register and retrieved his badge from the clerk managing the archives. He hurriedly left the archives.
In a secluded corner, he took out the items from inside the jade mirror: a military crossbow, bone-corroding poison, a heart-protecting mirror, and the four hundred tael bank note returned by Brother Chun.
After securing these items, he headed to the highest building of the Night Watchers’ office: Haoqi Tower.
The guards at the bottom of the tower stopped him.
Xu Qi An took off his badge and said in a deep voice, “Quickly report to Lord Wei that Bronze Gong Xu Qi An has an important matter to report.”
The guard took the badge, confirmed it was genuine, and scrutinized him: “Why not report to your direct superior, the Silver Gong?”
“The Silver Gong isn’t here, and the situation is urgent. Go quickly.” Xu Qi An was even more assertive than him.
He didn’t plan to let Li Yuchun know about this, or more accurately, he didn’t want more people to know.
Whether it was the Tiandi Society or the Taoist Earth Sect, they were all powerful organizations.
They might not dare to retaliate against the Night Watchers, but Xu Qi An had a family.
This was a principle he understood from his previous life as a police officer.
Xu Qi An had to minimize his traces in this matter, making the Tiandi Society and Earth Sect overlook him.
The two guards exchanged glances, and one of them hurried into the tower.
A few minutes later, the guard returned and said, “Go in. Lord Wei is waiting for you on the seventh floor.”
Xu Qi An finally let out a sigh of relief. The fact that the powerful eunuch was willing to see him meant his plan was half successful.
He immediately entered the tower, quickly climbed the stairs floor by floor, and arrived at the seventh floor.
A black-robed clerk was already waiting at the top of the stairs. He led Xu Qi An through a long corridor to a tea room.
The tea room was empty, but in the connected observation hall stood a figure in cyan robes.
Wei Yuan turned his head and said mildly, “What’s the matter?”
He had refined features, a scholarly demeanor, frost-white temples, and eyes that held an indescribable sense of vicissitude.
He didn’t look like a eunuch, but rather a scholar.
Xu Qi An didn’t dare to look at him directly and slightly lowered his head: “This lowly one pays respects to Lord Wei. I have made a significant discovery and have come to report.”
Saying this, he took out the small jade mirror from his bosom, held it high with both hands and said in a deep voice:
“This is the Earth Book, a supreme treasure of the Taoist Earth Sect.”
Earth Book… Wei Yuan was taken aback for a moment and stared at the small mirror: “How did you obtain it?”
Xu Qi An didn’t conceal anything. He told the great eunuch everything about how he obtained the mirror, how he received messages, and what happened in the archives.
He had no reason to hide anything. He had obtained the mirror before joining the Night Watchers; it was his private property.
Even if he had obtained the mirror after joining the Night Watchers, the principle would be the same.
Wei Yuan wouldn’t have a negative impression of him because of this.
The cyan-robed great eunuch said with a half-smile: “Five hundred taels of gold?”
…Great Lord, aren’t you focusing on a strange point? Xu Qi An smiled sheepishly and said, “This small one was just seeking benefits within reasonable bounds.”
Wei Yuan smiled gently, his gaze falling back on the mirror. At this moment, a line of text appeared on the mirror’s surface:
[Jiu: Have you made up your mind? When shall we trade?]
The corner of the great eunuch’s mouth twitched, and he tossed the mirror to Xu Qi An: “The mirror has already undergone the blood oath ceremony and only you can reply. Tell him the trading location is in the Luan Feng He Ming private room of Guiyue Tower in the Inner City. Set the time for one hour from now.”
Xu Qi An immediately gave the reply in the mirror.
[Jiu: Alright!]
Wei Yuan said, “You haven’t revealed your identity or address. You’ve handled this well. You may go now. Someone will take care of this matter.”
What about my five hundred taels of gold… no, my merit? Xu Qi An asked inwardly.
He didn’t dare to say it out loud and instead bowed with clasped hands: “Yes!”
He didn’t take the mirror with him and left the tea room directly.
After leaving Haoqi Tower, Xu Qi An’s feelings were complicated. He felt relieved to have gotten rid of the hot potato but also regretted losing both the supreme treasure and the five hundred taels of gold.
As for merit, although the great eunuch hadn’t mentioned it, Xu Qi An could understand the man’s status.
It would be beneath a great leader like him to discuss “merit” with a small Bronze Gong like himself.
Anyway, he shouldn’t shortchange me… Xu Qi An left the Night Watchers’ office with a heavy heart, planning to go to the pleasure quarter to listen to some songs and soothe his mood.