After the Demon-Sealing Nail was removed, the flesh and blood at the Juque acupoint squirmed and recovered as before. Xu Qi’an’s aura also became restrained and no longer exuded oppressive force.
Chai Xing’er collapsed completely limp, drenched in sweat, her lips slightly parted as she panted for breath.
The oppressive force released by a peak third-rank expert had almost killed her on the spot.
I haven’t felt so good ever before, I almost want to have a spar with al-Asura… Xu Qi’an glanced at Number Eight, who had severely depleted his energy, taking a porcelain bottle from his chest and tossing it over:
“These are pills to replenish qi and blood. Thank you.”
Al-Asura caught the bottle, popped out the wooden stopper with a ‘pop’, swallowed the pills inside without chewing, and then said:
“Even if you restore your cultivation to reach the peak of third rank, it is still a drop in the ocean, it’s impossible to contend with Agaruka.
“Agaruka commands the ‘Immovable Lord Dharma Aspect’ and the ‘Vajra Dharma Aspect’; even your Jianzheng could not harm him. Besides that, there are Xu Pingfeng, Heilian, as well as Baidi. Hmm, I’ve also heard there’s a youngster called Ji Xuan who has advanced to third rank.”
He’s probing my trump cards, to judge if I’m worth investing in… Xu Qi’an thought for a moment, then decided to reveal part of his hand and said:
“I can advance to second rank in the near future. Luo Yuheng, the Daoist Leader of the Human Sect, can also undergo her tribulation and step into the first-rank Earthly Immortal realm soon.
“In addition, the former Wulin Alliance Leader, Kou Yangzhou, is also second rank…”
He believed al-Asura was an ally worth winning over. Two second-ranks and three third-rank top experts, if he could bring him over to the Great Feng’s camp, it would undoubtedly compensate for their shortage of beyond-mortal powerhouses.
Al-Asura nodded, his expression easing a little:
“If you and I join forces, plus another second-rank martial artist, it would be enough to match either Baidi or Agaruka. Luo Yuheng could then counterbalance another first-rank expert. However, Yunzhou still has a second-rank Heilian, a peak second-rank Xu Pingfeng, and a third-rank martial artist Ji Xuan.”
Xu Qi’an considered and said:
“Daoist Jinlian is now also third rank. The Sitianjian still has Sun Xuanji, and the Cloud Deer Academy’s Dean is at the peak of third rank. I will try to rope him in as well…”
al-Asura gave a slight shake of his head:
“Still not enough, unless you can get another second-rank ally, or obtain some means to offset the gap in combat strength.”
Yunzhou: Heilian (II), Xu Pingfeng (II), Ji Xuan (III).
Great Feng: Zhao Shou (III), Sun Xuanji (III), Daoist Jinlian (III).
Indeed, they were still a class behind.
At this point, it would come down to the chess player’s skill… Xu Qi’an remarked blandly:
“That’s my headache to solve, not yours to worry about.”
In any case, this game is now alive. Though still weaker overall, it now has room for manoeuvre. Unlike before tonight, when there was only despair and no way to contend.
al-Asura deliberated for a moment and said:
“I have a suggestion.”
When Xu Qi’an nodded, he said,
“You could try winning over Arhat Du’e. What happened with the Buddha left a thorn between him and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Moreover, Du’e is a fervent devotee of Mahayana Buddhism, and you are the founder of Mahayana.
“You could try to use that connection.”
Xu Qi’an immediately shook his head:
“The time isn’t right. Arhat Du’e still holds expectations for the Buddha and Buddhism as a whole, trying to turn him at this point has little chance.”
al-Asura thought for a moment and agreed with him:
“That is true.”
Xu Qi’an then said:
“I still have a trump card left by the Jianzheng. Once the peace talks are over, it will become clear.”
The first thing he did when he returned to Sitianjian was to ask Song Qing if the Jianzheng had left anything behind.
Song Qing thought carefully, in terms of timing, he only knew that the Jianzheng had given Zhong Li an artefact called the Fate-scattering hammer.
Xu Qi’an thought that must be what the Jianzheng had left for him, and eagerly sought out Zhong Li to ask to see the artefact.
The Fate-scattering hammer could change a person’s destiny. Zhong Li said it was left for her by the Jianzheng, but it was specifically intended for use on Xu Qi’an.
Xu Qi’an said, “Go on then, just be gentle with me!”
Zhong Li brought the mallet down on his head, changing Xu Qi’an’s destiny into that of a pitiful ‘woman’ fallen into disgrace. Xu the Freeloader immediately took off his clothes, grabbed Zhong Li’s hand, and said,
“Milord, let this servant serve you tonight.”
Zhong Li, terrified, hit him again, changing his destiny to that of a bread vendor.
Xu Qi’an immediately knelt down, called himself Da Lang, shouldered an imaginary yoke, and said:
“Wife dear, wait at home, I’m off to sell bread.”
Zhong Li whacked him again, turning him into a scholar. Xu Qi’an then quietly recited the Three-Character Classic for half an hour before finally returning to normal.
From the whole experiment, the only real result was that the Fate-scattering hammer could only affect Xu Qi’an for half an hour at a time.
Ordinary people struck by it would have their fate fixed permanently, unless struck again.
Song Qing, who had watched the whole process, commented:
“Either teacher did not give Zhong Li the Fate-scattering hammer as a contingency, or we haven’t yet figured out what the Jianzheng meant for it to be used for.”
Although Song Qing hadn’t said anything useful, that was basically the situation.
Next up would be advancing to second rank… Xu Qi’an hurriedly said:
“Number Eight, I’ll take you out of the tower first, if you need anything, contact me through the Earth Book.”
Al-Asura gave a slight nod, looking at him without showing any expression, and said,
“You seem a little impatient.”
In a hurry to try arranging flowers… Xu Qi’an returned a proper and polite smile.
“By the way, about your identity, can I tell the Heaven and Earth Society members?” Xu Qi’an probed.
Al-Asura gave a meaningful snort and said lightly,
“Let’s announce it when we meet in person. Through the Earth Book fragment, I can’t see their embarrassed faces.”
Xu Qi’an paused for a moment, then remembered how the Heaven and Earth Society members used to gossip about al-Asura’s family from all over the place without knowing who he was.
Ah, indeed a tempting suggestion… Xu Qi’an was convinced by al-Asura.
If they knew Number Eight was al-Asura, their expressions would be a sight to see.
The two immediately left the Stupa tower and parted ways in the pitch-black, cold night. al-Asura rode the wind and departed.
He never once joined his palms or chanted any Buddhist mantra… Watching al-Asura’s silhouette disappear into the night, Xu Qi’an reflected on the whole event and noticed this detail.
In this storm, the two biggest ‘fish’ of the Heaven and Earth Society were forced into view.
The remaining fish, of course, was Huaiqing.
When he had travelled the jianghu collecting Dragon Qi, Sun Xuanji had once said that scattered Dragon Qi hosts were extremely rare, and the nine most important hosts were nowhere to be found.
At that time, Xu Qi’an had guessed there was a third party collecting Dragon Qi.
Now he finally knew, the third party was this Eldest Princess.
Having inherited Duke Wei’s web of secret agents, she indeed had the means to uncover the unusual events scattered across the land.
Wait, even with Earth Book fragments and without the Jianzheng’s modifications, she couldn’t possibly extract Dragon Qi with the Earth Book… ah, you cunning old fox, Jianzheng…
Now this is getting interesting. The Jianzheng assisted Huaiqing in collecting Dragon Qi. What was he after? Did he stake his bets on Huaiqing from the very beginning?
Xu Qi’an grinned, melded into the shadow, turned into a darting fish, and returned to the capital.
…
Late at night, Huaiqing Manor.
The eldest princess sat at her desk and, by the light of the lamp, unfolded the secret report in her hand.
It read that the Commander-in-chief of Jianzhou, Yang Yan, had already secretly returned to the capital with three hundred elite soldiers.
“Among the Gold Gongs Duke Wei left behind, the only one willing to support me without hesitation is Yang Yan.”
Huaiqing sighed.
She brought the report close to the candle and lit it, watched it turn to ashes, and dropped the remains into the porcelain brush-washing jar.
“The remaining Gold Gongs would probably only be willing to risk their necks for this if he took the lead for us,” Huaiqing glanced at the chief guard in the room.
“How can you be sure that Silver Gong Xu will go along with you on this? He and Her Highness Lin’an are engaged, after all.”
The chief guard asked in confusion.
“Because he is Silver Gong Xu.”
Huaiqing replied calmly.
In truth, Princess Huaiqing had always planning and cultivating. She had recommended a fast bailiff from Changle County to Duke Wei and got him a place as a Nightwatcher. From that moment, she had the intention to nurture talent.
Later, after hearing from Duke Wei about Xu Qi’an’s performance in the examination of his morals and worldview, she became even more determined to cultivate and observe Xu Qi’an.
Afterwards, incident after incident, Huaiqing continued to offer her assistance. In this way, Xu Qi’an was gradually cultivated by the eldest princess Huaiqing, until he advanced to beyond-mortal, witnessing with her own eyes how a small bailiff grew into the great figure he was today.
She naturally knew that Xu Qi’an would support her.
It was just that these things were never to be spoken to outsiders.
…
【EIGHT: Everyone, I have come out of seclusion. Might we arrange a time and place to meet?】
In the middle of the night, Heaven and Earth Society members received a transmission from Number Eight.
Everyone was slightly taken aback, but after Daoist Jinlian’s hints a few days earlier, they were not too shocked.
【SEVEN: Oh, do we actually have an Eighth member in the Heaven and Earth Society? Haha, just joking. Are you a brother or a sister?】
The Holy Son thought that the chat in the Earth Book group had been rather heavy and tense recently, so he made a joke at Number Eight’s expense to liven things up.
【TWO: Take note, Number Eight, Number Seven is a pervert and especially likes tricking young ladies. Mm, Number Three is also a pervert and loves going to brothels. Stay alert around these two. If you are a brother, pretend I didn’t say a word.】
The crouching dragon and fledgling phoenix of the Heaven Sect chimed in one after the other, further enlivening the atmosphere.
【EIGHT: When I first held the Earth Book fragment, only Numbers Two and Seven had owners. The rest were unclaimed.】
Is Number Eight showing off their seniority… Chu Yuanzhen sent a message:
【You have been in seclusion for many days, what is your cultivation level? Among the Heaven and Earth Society, apart from Number Three and Daoist Jinlian, everyone else is at fourth rank. When did you come out? Have you followed the Earth Book transmissions lately?】
If he had left seclusion for a while, he should know Number Three’s identity.
Because recently, the discussions had been all about the Great Feng and Xu Qi’an. If he had been quietly watching, he should already know that Number Three was Xu Qi’an.
【EIGHT: My cultivation is shallow, not worth mentioning. However, I have been out of seclusion for some days.】
At this moment, Daoist Jinlian sent a transmission:
【Number Eight has been shut away too long and is not familiar with outside events. It would not hurt for you to tell him about some high-level secrets.】
【TWO: Ah, can we talk about those? We will need Xu Qi’an’s permission.】
Li Miaozhen naturally thought of the ancient secrets Xu Qi’an had mentioned earlier, these secrets were certainly high-level enough.
【NINE: I think he will not mind.】
【SEVEN: Let me, let me. Eight, do you want to know the Buddha’s secret? That family is really interesting. Don’t ask why it’s a whole family, let this Holy Son tell you…】
The members of the Heaven and Earth Society enthusiastically began to chat, and when it came to showing off in front of Number Eight, all of them were quite keen.
…
Sitianjian, the bedchamber.
A candle burned quietly, faint as a bean.
The shadow cast by the round table suddenly swelled and Xu Qi’an emerged from the darkness.
The room was silent. Mu Nanzhi lay on her side, thick soft cotton quilt draped over her body, deep in slumber.
Baiji was curled up beside her, two palm-sized little bodies nestled under the thick quilt. If not for a tuft of white fur poking out from the edge of the quilt, it would have been impossible to find her.
“It’s time to advance to second rank. Mm, a bath first…”
Xu Qi’an muttered, walked behind the screen, and found, as expected, Mu Nanzhi had not discarded the bathwater.
Xu Qi’an quickly stripped off his clothes, stepped naked into the bathtub. Flower petals floated on the water, giving off a faint fragrance.
The Flower God often cultivated all sorts of strange and exotic plants, sometimes drying or powdering them to throw into the bath.
“It does smell nice, but in future we should always have some green tangerines at home…”
Xu Qi’an bathed quickly, stepped out of the tub, and used Mu Nanzhi’s clothes hanging on the screen to dry himself off.
Then, still bare, he walked to the bedside, bent down, and breathed gently on Baiji.
This was a sleeping agent produced from toxins, enough to keep the little white fox asleep until morning. Even if he were to shake the bed to pieces, the little fox cub would not wake.
Xu Qi’an picked up Baiji and tossed her to the foot of the bed, lifted the quilt and slipped underneath.
Mu Nanzhi, half-awake, felt a pair of hands lift the hem of her inner shirt and gently slide her silk trousers down.
“Mm…”
She furrowed her brows and instantly woke up.
Comments for this chapter. You will need a GitHub account. Please follow all terms and conditions of GitHub issues and maintain etiquette in the comments. Cookies are required for this functionality.
If you want to talk with other readers about Nightwatchers (or other cultivation type books) you can join our cultivation groupreading discord server!
I also have a Kofi, which for legal reasons is definitely for supporting my digital art only (promise!): ko-fi.com/yanxin ... plus I guess server space isn't free, and I don't want to put ads/trackers... ever, so thank you if you do!