In the tea room of Haoqi Tower, Xu Qi An once again found himself in the presence of the Grand Eunuch, an elegant and handsome figure with frost-white temples, dressed in refined cyan robes. His eyes held an indescribable sense of vicissitude.
Beside him sat a tall, imposing man with a stern countenance, his back ramrod straight and his expression impassive.
Wei Yuan, seated at the table, carefully savored his tea and said, “The mirror has accepted you as its master. For now, it’s entrusted to your care. The first to contact you were indeed people from the Earth Sect, harboring lethal intentions towards you. Constable Yang has driven them back, so you’re safe for the time being. In the coming days, there will be Nightwatchmen agents keeping an eye on your residence.”
Xu Qi An frowned. He wasn’t surprised by Wei Yuan’s actions – when asked to reply to Number Nine yesterday, the Grand Eunuch had already hinted at his plan to double-cross them. What bothered him was that this powerful figure hadn’t managed to wrap things up neatly, allowing the enemy to escape and leaving such a significant threat looming.
“The Earth Sect’s Yin spirits are formless and intangible, making them difficult to eliminate,” Wei Yuan explained, lowering his head to sip his tea.
This was a matter of strengths and weaknesses between different systems.
Yang Yan waved his hand, and the mirror flew through the air, hovering before Xu Qi An.
Xu Qi An took the mirror and tucked it into his robe. He bowed deeply and left Haoqi Tower.
The ramrod-straight Yang Yan spoke in a low voice, “Adoptive Father, I couldn’t detain the Yin spirit.”
Wei Yuan smiled gently, “There’s no need to detain it.”
Yang Yan, not understanding, furrowed his brow.
Wei Yuan’s smile was as serene as clouds and gentle wind, “If you’re not adept at it, naturally there are others who are.”
…
Leaving the Nightwatchmen headquarters, Xu Qi An bought two bags of roasted beans, eager to curry favor with his superior.
Li Yuchun was reviewing documents at his desk, not bothering to look up.
“Spring Brother, I bought you some roasted beans,” Xu Qi An blurted out reflexively.
Spring Brother? Li Yuchun raised his head, looking at him sternly.
“Chief,” Xu Qi An quickly corrected.
“Mm, put them on the table,” Li Yuchun said, then returned to his documents.
Xu Qi An peeked at the papers and asked, “Chief, are you investigating the saltpeter mine case?”
“Zhu Guangxiao is recovering from his injuries, Song Tingfeng is taking it easy, why aren’t you resting at home?” Li Yuchun inquired, then nodded, “I’m currently in charge of this case.”
“I had nothing to do, so I came to familiarize myself with the environment,” Xu Qi An probed, “Is this related to the demon race? If it’s confidential, just pretend I didn’t ask.”
Li Yuchun tossed a few roasted beans into his mouth, chewing as he spoke, “I can’t tell you the details of the case, but I’ll share what I can… We suspect remnants of the Myriad Demon Kingdom are hiding near the capital.”
“Myriad Demon Kingdom?” Xu Qi An recalled the historical “Demon Purge of the Jiazi Year.”
“Though the Myriad Demon Kingdom is history, its remnants have been trying desperately to restore their nation and reclaim their territory over the years,” Li Yuchun explained. “The Buddhist sect controls the Western Regions with great power. Even at its peak, the Myriad Demon Kingdom was no match. To restore their nation, they must resort to other means.”
Xu Qi An had a sudden realization, “So they’ve set their sights on our Great Feng’s gunpowder? That’s why that demon was driving away the nearby gray households.”
Everything fell into place.
Li Yuchun, busy with his work, asked, “Anything else?”
Xu Qi An took the hint and said, “No, that’s all. Please continue your work. I’ll be in the side hall practicing cultivation. Let me know if you need anything.”
Li Yuchun nodded.
After Xu Qi An left, Spring Brother continued reviewing documents while snacking on the roasted beans. He accidentally swept some beans onto the floor, scattering them everywhere with a clatter.
Li Yuchun stared blankly at the beans on the ground, then covered his eyes in distress.
…
In the adjacent side hall, Xu Qi An was examining the jade mirror when he suddenly sensed a burst of tumultuous qi from next door. It lasted only a moment before subsiding.
He paid it no mind, pondering instead the Grand Eunuch’s purpose in entrusting him with the jade mirror. Although the Earth Book required blood recognition, the fact that the old Taoist could gift him the mirror suggested that the blood bond wasn’t immutable.
“I’m just a low-ranking Nightwatchman. Why would they entrust such an important treasure to me?” he mused. “Well, never mind for now. They said agents are watching my home, so I don’t need to worry about Aunt and the girls’ safety for the time being. The Earth Sect’s expert has been driven away, so they probably won’t return to the capital anytime soon.”
Xu Qi An continued his cultivation until the end of his shift, passing the day with relative ease.
That night, he debated, “Should I visit Fuxiang? Or Fuxiang? Or perhaps Fuxiang…? No, no, I should be saving money to buy a house and move Second Uncle and the others into the inner city. It would be safer… I can’t waste money on fleeting pleasures. Although Courtesan Fuxiang harbors deep feelings for me and insists on not charging, maintaining our close friendship, I still need to tip the maids and dancers. Even a few taels of silver are still money.”
With great determination, Xu Qi An turned his horse around and left the inner city.
By the time he returned home, lanterns were already lit, and the sky was a deep blue.
…
After dinner, he climbed over the wall back to his courtyard. In this era without phones or computers, and lacking nightlife, there wasn’t much to do besides visiting the pleasure district or perhaps writing in a journal late at night.
“Fuxiang is truly an irresistible woman, mastering eighteen different positions, a veritable journey to the West…” Xu Qi An mused as he entered his room and took out the flint to light a candle.
Suddenly, his muscles tensed, and his body froze in place.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed was an old Taoist priest in tattered robes. His graying hair was tied up with an ebony hairpin, with disheveled strands hanging down, giving him an unconventional and world-weary appearance.
“We meet again,” the old Taoist said, his gaze steady. “When we last parted, you were still a mere Body Tempering realm martial artist. Now you’ve reached the Qi Condensation realm. You are indeed blessed by good fortune, my friend.”
Xu Qi An stood by the table, his body poised for potential combat, and said in a deep voice, “What brings the Taoist to break into a commoner’s home in the dead of night?”
The old Taoist seemed unbothered by Xu Qi An’s hostility and spoke calmly, “I’ve come to inform you that my junior brother Zilan has ascended. You need not worry about him anymore.”
“You killed him?” Xu Qi An asked.
“I assisted in his ascension,” the Taoist replied.
“So, have you come to assist in my ascension tonight?” Xu Qi An thought to himself.
Number Nine was dead, killed by this Taoist… If he could deal with Zilan alone, he wouldn’t have needed to sacrifice the treasure… Xu Qi An deduced that the old Taoists had likely taken advantage of their conflict, reaping the benefits.
The question was, how did he set up the ambush in advance?
“I’ve got it… You’ve been following me again, haven’t you?” Xu Qi An’s mouth twitched.
The old Taoist’s ability to find Xu Manor meant he had been tracking him for some time. Therefore, he must be aware of his identity as a Nightwatchman and their deployment.
“The Zhou Manor assassin, the Nightwatchmen, and now this old Taoist… I’m just an ordinary transmigrator, you bastards. Why are you all following me one after another?” Xu Qi An grumbled internally.
“I was careless. If he gifted me the treasure, of course, he would follow and keep an eye on me…” Xu Qi An probed, “Has the Taoist come to reclaim the Earth Book?”
The old Taoist shook his head, “I already have it.”
A jade mirror, identical to the one in Xu Qi An’s possession, slid out from his sleeve.
“This is the Number Nine fragment that my junior brother possessed. It has finally returned to its rightful owner. As for the one you have, consider it a token of my gratitude,” he said.
Without waiting for Xu Qi An’s response, he continued, “The Earth Book has nine fragments in total. I’ve gifted them to different individuals. You are one of those I’ve chosen.”
“Those seven different people formed the Heaven and Earth Society.”
Xu Qi An asked, “Who are they?”
The old Taoist shook his head, “They each have their own identities, coming from all corners of the world. If you’re curious, you can ask them yourself. You know how to use the Earth Book. I won’t reveal anyone’s identity, including yours. I’ve come tonight to invite you to join the Heaven and Earth Society.”
“Me?” Xu Qi An asked warily, “I’m just a martial artist who’s barely entered the Qi Condensation realm. What makes me worthy of such consideration from the Taoist?”
“As I said before, you are blessed by good fortune,” the old Taoist replied.
Xu Qi An’s mind raced. So this old Taoist could indeed see through his strange luck. Finally, someone in the know could explain things to him. Although occasionally finding silver was enjoyable, it left him feeling uneasy. After all, he considered himself a down-to-earth person.
He didn’t directly mention his inexplicable luck, instead using his conversational skills to say, “Please enlighten me, Taoist.”