Nightwatcher-Chapter 454: The Person at the Origin

【Also, the late emperor had always been in decent health, but due to years of indulgence in women… he collapsed in old age. The arcanists of the Sitianjian could only prolong his life by a year. He passed away soon after.】

Xu Qi’an sent back: 【What does ‘the beasts in the outskirts vanished in large numbers’ mean? Did they escape?】

Number One replied: 【Unlikely. Animals have a strong territorial instinct. If not forcibly driven out, they usually don’t abandon their territory. And this wasn’t an isolated case, it was widespread.】

After that, she fell silent. She didn’t cut the connection, nor did she continue the message, clearly waiting for Xu Qi’an’s opinion.

After some thought, Xu Qi’an replied:

【I’ll keep investigating this matter. Can we meet privately? I’ll explain it in detail.】

Number One: 【No.】

And then she severed the connection.

*Hah, she still doesn’t know I’ve figured out her identity…* Xu Qi’an curled his lip.

Putting away the Earth Book fragment, he lay on his bed with his hands behind his head, habitually reviewing and analysing the situation.

*The late emperor, addicted to women for years, was in suboptimal health. According to the principle that those blessed with fortune cannot attain longevity, his death was expected…*

*Back then, what Emperor Yuanjing and King Huai encountered in the depths of Southern Gardens definitely wasn’t just a bear. The deaths and injuries among the guards are proof. If it wasn’t a bear, what was it?*

*Besides, King Huai was still young at the time—no matter how gifted, he couldn’t have been stronger than the imperial guards. Yet all of them died, and he and Yuanjing survived. That doesn’t make sense.*

*The more reasonable guess is that in the crisis, they survived for some specific reason, most likely because something spared them. If they had barely escaped with their lives, Yuanjing and King Huai would’ve surely reported it to the palace and asked the late emperor to send experts. But the official record says King Huai tore the bear apart and was praised as a future pillar of the nation.*

*This shows that Yuanjing and King Huai either passively or actively concealed the truth.*

…

That same night, in the northern borderlands, at Yueya Bay.

Bonfires roared. Low tables were set with roast beef, lamb, and mare’s milk wine.

Barbarian men and women danced around the fire, their songs bold and the atmosphere lively.

After autumn set in, the northern temperatures plummeted. The harsh wind scraped the face, making Xu Xinnian’s delicate features feel raw.

Following Peiman Xilou’s advice, he smeared his face with mutton fat to protect against the dry northern air.

His strategy had paid off. Thirty thousand Great Feng troops launched a surprise attack northward, catching the nation of Jing off guard. In the battle two days ago, coordinated with the barbarians, they annihilated three thousand fire-armour cavalry, fourteen hundred light cavalry, and five thousand infantry.

For the northern yao and barbarians, this was their biggest victory in their two months of resistance. Naturally, the Great Feng army was warmly welcomed and treated well by them.

But Xu Erlang understood there were two sides to everything. For this assault, in order to move quickly, the thirty thousand troops had brought only four days’ worth of rations.

If the supply line from the rear were cut, the army would soon be out of ammunition and food. And since the battlefield kept shifting, the logistics units would struggle to catch up with the main force.

More likely, they’d run into Jing’s main army.

Although the yao and barbarian tribes claimed they could share their food, once war broke out and the formations scattered, who would look after whom?

By then, they would have no choice but to retreat to the border and wait for another opportunity, which would mean missing many chances.

Xu Erlang wasn’t fond of horse milk wine. He sipped it in small mouthfuls, watching the men and women of the yao and barbarian tribes dance.

Among them, women in the military camp were nothing unusual. First, they were there to satisfy the men’s physical needs.

Second, women of the yao and barbarian tribes were also capable fighters.

Peiman Xilou glanced at Xu Erlang, who sat upright and primly, and grinned as he summoned a flirtatious yao woman, giving instructions: “Take good care of our friend.”

Then he said to Xu Erlang, “Life in the camp is dull and grim. The soldiers battle during the day, they need to let off steam at night. Brother Xu, she’s yours for the evening. Don’t hold back.”

The coquettish yao woman leaned in, her silky eyes half-lidded, rubbing her soft, full chest against Xu Erlang’s arm.

Xu Erlang frowned and repeatedly pushed her away, indicating that he wasn’t that kind of person.

*Two armies facing off—this is a critical moment. How can one indulge in women?… I won’t touch a yao woman. Who knows what kind of creature she is?… Though, her chest is quite soft. No, no, I mustn’t think like that. I’m a scholar… At the very least—at the very least she should take a bath…*

After the feast, Xu Erlang held true to the heart of a Great Feng scholar and gave the yao woman no opportunity.

Back in the military tent, he removed only his thick outer armour and boots before collapsing into sleep.

Chu Yuanzhen appeared soundlessly inside the tent, sat down on a chair, and cradling his sword, pretended to sleep.

Anyone who’d fought against the Church of the Warlock God would form a certain habit: when resting at night, always stay in pairs—one sleeps, the other keeps watch. If the sleeper died silently, the watcher would immediately sound the alarm.

All this was because a fourth-rank warlock, the Warlock of Dreams, was best at killing in dreams.

However, for a Warlock of Dreams to use this technique, there were limitations on both distance and number of targets. Usually, after only a few successful attempts—killing a dozen or so—they would be discovered.

During the Battle of Shanhai Pass, Wei Yuan developed a countermeasure against Warlocks of Dreams. He sent several fourth-rank experts and arcanists disguised as scouts to patrol outside the camp.

Once the camp’s alarm was sounded, the arcanists would search for and pinpoint the location of the Warlock of Dreams, while the fourth-rank experts would encircle and block them.

If the Warlock of Dreams wanted to kill using this method, they couldn’t be too far from the military camp. With the speed of a fourth-rank martial artist, aided by the arcanists’ tracking abilities, they could often win in a single strike.

Exchanging the lives of a few soldiers for a fourth-rank Warlock of Dreams was a great bargain.

In his daze, Xu Erlang returned to the capital, sitting at the dinner table with his family.

Suddenly, his father Xu Pingzhi clutched his throat and died with a grim expression, black blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. Then it was his mother, his younger sister Lingyue, and his eldest brother...

Xu Erlang turned pale with fright and looked towards his youngest sister Lingyin, only to see a sinister smile appear on her round face. “You’ve been poisoned to death, just like them.”

In Lingyin’s hand was a packet of arsenic.

“Lingyin, you…”

Xu Erlang was in disbelief.

“Hmph, none of you gave me nice food. You all have to die.” Lingyin spoke lines in line with her usual persona.

*I never thought I’d die at Lingyin’s hands…* Just as Xu Erlang was about to speak, a sharp pain tore through his abdomen, black blood seeping from his lips as his life rapidly drained away.

At that moment, a purple light flared before Xu Erlang’s eyes, also lighting up in Xu Lingyin’s gaze. She gave a muffled grunt and her form quickly dissipated.

Inside the military tent, Xu Erlang’s eyes snapped open. He sat up abruptly, gasping for breath.

“A Warlock of Dreams!”

He rasped out, clutching his chest, where there hung a jade pendant gifted by Ziyang Jushi.

A jade pendant imbued with the mighty righteousness of a great scholar, nurtured over many years.

At that moment, the thunderous sound of cannons rang out, erupting both outside and within the military camp. Flames soared skyward, lighting up the night.

Then the ground began to quake, as if countless iron hooves were thundering in, surging with murderous force.

They were under a retaliatory assault from Jing.

…

Late at night.

On the northeastern border, Dingguan City.

A crescent moon hung in the sky. Wei Yuan, draped in his deep azure robe, stood atop the city wall of Dingguan, gazing down at the smoke-filled city. Artillery had torn through houses and streets, and cries and shouts echoed without pause.

Beneath the night’s shroud, Dingguan City was undergoing a baptism of blood and fire. The Great Feng’s cavalry and infantry had charged into various streets, clashing in close quarters with the last resisting troops of Yan.

The sound of battle was everywhere.

Wei Yuan looked away and glanced at the severed head in his hand, its eyes wide, a look of terror forever frozen on its face.

The commander of Dingguan City: Tuwohei.

Wei Yuan shook his head in disappointment and casually flung the head from the wall. “Not quite!”

Then, his gaze slowly swept over the rampart, which was littered with soldiers’ corpses, the blood thick and staining the ruined battlements red.

Behind him, more than a dozen high-ranking generals stood in silence.

Some of his old subordinates looked unmoved; if even a single city couldn’t be taken, there was no point in fighting wars.

The others, who had never followed Wei Yuan before, now truly understood the meaning of “using troops like a god.”

Wei Yuan rubbed the blood from his fingertips and said gently, “Pass my order, slaughter the city.”

The cool wind of autumn blew past, and the moonlight was clear and cold. His deep azure cloak billowed, and in Wei Yuan’s pupils, one blaze of warfire after another danced and flickered.

…

The next day.

Xu Qi’an woke up with a yawn and squatted under the eaves to wash his face and brush his teeth.

After he finished washing up, Zhong Li came out hugging her own washbasin and began her morning routine as well.

Originally, Zhong Li used to wash up squatting beside Xu Qi’an under the eaves. But one time, very unfortunately, Xu Lingyue happened to see this.

She immediately felt guilty—Senior Sister Zhong was a guest of the Sitianjian, and having a guest squat under the eaves to wash was a disgrace to the Xu family.

That very day, she ordered the servants to prepare a new room, spotless and beautifully arranged. She personally invited Zhong Li to move in and had a heart-to-heart with her.

The heart-to-heart was sincere and heartfelt, its tone gentle and polite, and its content: *My big brother is still unmarried, so you’d better stay the fuck away from him.*

That day, Zhong Li moved in with much grievance. But when Xu Qi’an returned, he brought her back again. Zhong Li, however, was a clever girl. Though she and Junior Sister Caiwei were known as the “no-brain” and the “gloomy” of the Sitianjian, Caiwei was the no-brain one. Zhong Li was actually smart.

Clever Senior Sister Zhong could sense the hostility from the Xu family’s eldest daughter, so she quietly kept her distance from Xu Dalang. Of course, massages and chats indoors were fine; Xu Lingyue couldn’t see those.

After breakfast, Xu Qi’an drove Zhong Li out of the room again. “Stay outside and squat properly. Don’t wander around. Don’t talk to people randomly. Don’t… get hurt.”

Zhong Li responded with an “mm,” nodding earnestly to show she had experience and would take care of herself.

After she left, Xu Qi’an took out the talisman sword and activated his spirit: “Lit… National Teacher, it’s me, Xu Qi’an.”

He waited a long time, and just as he thought the connection had failed, brilliant golden light pierced through the roof. A stunning beauty with voluptuous curves, dressed in feathered robes, appeared inside. The golden light slowly faded.

*I might be the only man in Great Feng who can summon Luo Yuheng at will. You say you don’t want to sleep with me—I'd never believe that…* Xu Qi’an felt a bit vainly satisfied, but also had the feeling that his fishpond was too small for such a big fish.

*Mm, Luo Yuheng is merely observing me, not necessarily intent on dual cultivation. She observed Emperor Yuanjing too… Wait, why does that feel familiar? Am I just another fish in her pond?*

*Also, her robe today is different from before—more vivid and even more beautiful. With the waist cinched, her chest looks fuller, and her waist more slender…* Did she dress up on purpose?

While Xu Qi’an’s thoughts wandered, Luo Yuheng examined him. Her pretty face was frosty, her tone cold: “Little National Teacher?”

… Xu Qi’an opened his mouth, at a loss for how to explain.

The room was silent for a few seconds before Luo Yuheng changed the subject on her own. “What is it?”

“Ah- ahem!”

Xu Qi’an cleared his throat and said, “I’ve made new progress regarding the Daoist Leader of the Earth Sect.”

He told her about the relevant events from the 26th year of Zhende.

His little aunt frowned deeply after listening, her bright, beautiful eyes gazing at him. “Is that all? You didn’t need to summon me for this.”

Xu Qi’an sighed. “National Teacher, I asked you here for another matter.”

Luo Yuheng looked at him.

Xu Qi’an was silent for a long while, about the time it took to drink a cup of tea. Then he exhaled slowly and spoke in a low voice: “How many years has Daoist Jinlian fallen to his demons?”

Luo Yuheng was taken aback. A rare look of surprise crossed her icy features. “You know Jinlian is the Daoist Leader of the Earth Sect?”

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[^1]: Referring to the story of Emperor Ai of Han, who upon waking up, cut off his sleeve rather than waking his (male) lover.