After Xu Yuanhuai asked that question, he found the two white-robed Arcanists looking at him as if he were an idiot.
His brows knitted, and he gave a cold snort.
“What’s the problem?”
The white-robed Arcanist on the left let out an “oh”, suddenly enlightened, and slapped his forehead.
“I forgot. You two entered the Sitianjian when Huaiqing ascended the throne, and it’s been quite some time.”
The white-robed Arcanist on the right looked at Xu Yuanhuai with a smile.
“Here’s some bad news for you. The Yunzhou army really did make it to the capital, but Silver Gong Xu put them down that very day. As for the rebel leaders, the ones who weren’t killed were captured.
“Young man, the realm’s at peace now.”
Xu Yuanhuai exchanged a glance with his sister and sneered.
“Go fool a three-year-old child.”
Why had they been locked up here? Because after the Jianzheng had been sealed, the Great Feng had seemed doomed, and the people had been panic-stricken. Their father and uncle had believed it was the perfect chance to hollow out the Great Feng without shedding blood.
That was why they had agreed to Qi Guangbo’s plan for peace talks.
In other words, the situation in the Central Plains had all but guaranteed the Great Feng’s defeat.
The brother and sister had been imprisoned in the Sitianjian for less than a month. Judging by the trend, the Great Feng ought by now to have reached the end of the road, teetering on the brink of destruction.
Xu Yuanshuang thought the same as her younger brother, but kept silent, neither asking questions nor arguing.
She was comparatively less worried. That elder brother of theirs had risen from a mere bailiff to a figure who could shake the realm. He was certainly decisive and ruthless in killing, but he wasn’t one to slaughter indiscriminately. Even if she and Yuanhuai were just two useless pawns, at most they’d simply be locked back up in the Sitianjian.
The Arcanists of the Sitianjian had always been arrogant, so the two white-robed men couldn’t be bothered to explain.
Still wearing shackles, the brother and sister were led out from underground, following the two white-robed Arcanists up the stairs.
Along the way they passed many white-robed Arcanists, all of whom turned a blind eye to them and busied themselves with their own affairs.
To turn a blind eye was itself a kind of arrogance.
Very soon, they arrived at the hall on the fourth floor, turned into the corridor on the left, and stopped outside a large room.
Xu Yuanshuang leaned in and glanced inside. To the southeast, southwest, northwest and northeast were, respectively, a young man with heavy dark circles under his eyes, a goose-egg-faced girl in a yellow dress with snacks laid out in front of her, the utterly ordinary-looking Sun Xuanji and the monkey he kept—
And their big brother Xu Qi’an in an indigo robe embroidered with cloud patterns. She didn’t know what he was discussing with the Arcanists, but his face was full of helplessness.
By the window stood a white-robed Arcanist with his hands behind his back, whose face was never visible.
“Silver Gong Xu, they’re here!”
After giving notice, the two white-robed Arcanists turned and left.
The brother and sister stiffened in the doorway, unsure whether they ought to enter.
“Come in.”
Xu Qi’an drew in his expression and cast them a calm, indifferent glance.
Xu Yuanhuai hesitated briefly, then stepped in first and said coldly,
“You want to use my sister and me as bargaining chips to threaten Father?
“Then let me advise you not to indulge in wishful thinking. Reaching first rank has been Father’s lifelong ambition. For that, he can pay any price. Sister Yuanshuang and I don’t carry that much weight.
“If you want to kill us or flay us, do as you please. If I, Xu Yuanhuai, beg you for even one word, then I’m no man.”
Several of the Jianzheng’s disciples looked at him, a little surprised.
This younger brother of Xu Ningyan’s was rather hard-boned, with a bit of mettle after all.
Xu Qi’an looked at Protector Yuan and asked,
“What did he say?”
Protector Yuan’s azure eyes stared at Xu Yuanhuai for a moment, then he answered honestly,
“The same.”
In other words, what Xu Yuanhuai said aloud was exactly what he was thinking.
He’s a blockhead… everyone present had the same thought flash through their minds.
These days, wasnt anyone whose thoughts perfectly matched their words, well, a blockhead?
Protector Yuan’s azure eyes swept over the crowd, and he nodded, giving an affirmative reply:
“I think so too. A blockhead. How dull!”
The brother and sister beside them had no idea what they were talking about.
Xu Qi’an said flatly,
“The Yunzhou rebellion has already been put down. You’re free now. Wait in the hall outside. Later, I’ll take you to see your birth mother.”
With that, he waved a hand. Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai felt their vision blur, and they were already outside the room again, back in the hall on the fourth floor.
Xu Yuanhuai pondered and said,
“He said he’d take us to see Mum. As expected, he wants to use us as bargaining chips in a deal with Father.”
He let out a long breath.
“Father hasn’t forgotten us after all. We can finally go home.”
Xu Yuanshuang nodded.
Just then, a white-robed Arcanist came walking over from the other end of the corridor.
Xu Yuanshuang’s heart stirred, and with the clink of her shackles she went up to him.
Xu Yuanhuai followed close behind.
“Sir.”
Xu Yuanshuang said softly, “I’d like to ask you something.”
Seeing that it was a pretty, delicate young girl, the white-robed Arcanist put away his impatience and smiled.
“Please, go ahead.”
Xu Yuanshuang asked,
“Did the Yunzhou army really make it to the capital?”
The white-robed Arcanist nodded and gave an “mm”.
So it was true… the brother and sister understood at once. Xu Qi’an really was planning to use them as bargaining chips in a deal with their father.
So when he spoke of seeing our birth mother just now, he meant Father would ransom us back… Xu Yuanshuang breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that Xu Qi’an had put it that way meant his deal with Father didn’t involve the greater situation, so Father would be willing to redeem them.
Xu Yuanhuai said gravely,
“How stands the situation? Has the Great Feng already reached the end of its rope?”
It’s very likely they’re about to break into the capital… he added inwardly.
The white-robed Arcanist examined them.
“The rebellion was put down ages ago. You two have only just come up from underground, haven’t you?”
“How is that possible?” Xu Yuanshuang’s voice sharpened.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” the white-robed Arcanist asked in return.
“Yunzhou has two first ranks. Setting everything else aside, if only those two made a move, they could reduce the Great Feng to ashes,” Xu Yuanhuai said in a low voice.
“Oh, Silver Gong Xu and the National Teacher also advanced to first rank,” the white-robed Arcanist said cheerfully.
“As for the rebel leaders in Yunzhou, the dead are dead and the surrendered have surrendered. That was all many days ago.”
Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai stood rooted to the spot.
Yunzhou had lost? Then what about Ji Xuan? What about Father? What about Agaruka Bodhisattva and Baidi, those two first ranks?
Xu Yuanshuang voiced these doubts.
The white-robed Arcanist shrugged.
“How should I know? I don’t care, I don’t care. If you want to know, ask someone else. I’ve still got alchemy experiments to do. Farewell.”
When the white-robed Arcanist’s figure vanished into the corridor, Xu Yuanhuai murmured,
“F-first rank?”
If those previous two white-robed Arcanists had been teasing them, this one had absolutely no reason to lie.
All of this was very likely true.
Xu Yuanshuang said softly,
“First rank! Yuanhuai, Father’s great enterprise, planned over twenty years, all his painstaking schemes, all his careful advances step by step, in the end was destroyed by Xu Qi’an’s two years of cultivation.”
The brother and sister looked at each other, and four words flashed through their minds:
The wheel of karma!
…
Inside the room, Xu Qi’an sized up the Jianzheng’s disciples and said,
“Right, let’s continue.
“I can well understand your urgent desire to replace that old bastard of a Jianzheng. Yongxing and King Yan downstairs can understand it too. But aren’t you being a bit too hasty?
“The Jianzheng’s bones aren’t even cold. No, actually, he hasn’t truly fallen. So there’s no rush over a new Jianzheng, is there?”
He had arrived at just the right time. He had happened to walk right into the Jianzheng disciples’ internal scramble. This lot intended to scramble out a new Jianzheng to take charge of the Sitianjian.
This scramble had been started by Yang Qianhuan, for a plain and simple reason.
“A state cannot go a day without its ruler. Although Teacher Jianzheng isn’t dead, he’s no different from dead,” Yang Qianhuan said gravely.
“I believe it is necessary to choose a new Jianzheng, to make a name for myself—no—to benefit the common people. As the person with the highest prestige in the Sitianjian, I ought naturally to become the new Jianzheng. I hope Silver Gong Xu will put in a good word for me before Her Majesty.
“As repayment, I will reveal the full story behind Heaven Sect Holy Son Li Lingsu’s attempt to deal with you.”
A country can’t go without a ruler, sure, but your blasted Sitianjian won’t suffer much whether it has a Jianzheng or not. Besides, you just want to become Jianzheng so you can show off before the masses… Xu Qi’an waved a hand.
“Li Lingsu’s already gone inside. He’s pitiful enough as it is. I don’t intend to pursue it with him.”
He then looked at Song Qing and said irritably,
“Senior Brother Song, I truly didn’t expect you to care about the Jianzheng’s position as well. Surely it’s enough for you as long as you’ve got alchemy experiments to do?”
Song Qing shook his head and said gravely,
“The Sitianjian is Teacher’s life’s work. I can’t allow it to be ruined in Yang Qianhuan’s hands. For that, I’m willing to give up the alchemy I love and fight for the Jianzheng’s position.”
A touch of loyalty and filial devotion there after all… Xu Qi’an thought, and then heard Chu Caiwei say,
“Senior Brother Song’s afraid that if Senior Brother Yang becomes Jianzheng he’ll donate the Sitianjian’s silver again like last time to help disaster victims. Then he won’t have money for alchemy experiments.
“Also, if he becomes Jianzheng, he can use all the Sitianjian’s money on alchemy experiments.”
Song Qing said unhappily,
“Junior Sister Caiwei, how could you tell an outsider all that?”
So when you need me, I’m Young Master Xu, and when you don’t, I’m an outsider? Xu Qi’an had a head full of complaints. He glared at the big-eyed adorable girl.
“And what are you joining in for?”
Chu Caiwei said in all seriousness,
“It was the senior brothers who told me to come. They said I’m also Teacher Jianzheng’s disciple, so I have inheritance rights too.”
She looked proud, believing this showed how much her senior brothers valued her, no longer treating her as a child, but as a peer they could deal with on equal terms.
Hearing that, Xu Qi’an cast Protector Yuan a sidelong glance.
Protector Yuan immediately understood. His azure eyes examined the Arcanists present, and he said slowly,
“Your hearts tell me this:
“If Chu Caiwei somehow lucks into becoming Jianzheng, it won’t be any different from me becoming Jianzheng.”
Meaning, with Chu Caiwei’s brains, anyone could fool her… Xu Qi’an raised a hand to cover his mouth, nearly laughing out loud.
It took Chu Caiwei several seconds to understand Protector Yuan’s words. She widened her eyes in disbelief and looked at the senior brothers she usually revered.
She felt, deeply, the malice coming from them.
“And what about Senior Brother Sun? You want to be Jianzheng too?”
Xu Qi’an looked towards Protector Yuan.
The latter immediately read out Sun Xuanji’s inner thoughts:
“I’m the second disciple. Big senior brother is dead. That makes me first in line to inherit.”
“And Zhong Li? Have you all forgotten Zhong Li?”
Xu Qi’an thought of his own little pitiful one.
Yang Qianhuan gave a “heh”.
“With Zhong Li’s fate, she can’t bear the destiny of the Jianzheng. If she becomes Jianzheng today, tomorrow the whole Sitianjian will be preparing for a funeral feast.”
Life really isn’t worth it… Xu Qi’an rubbed his brow and suddenly understood the Jianzheng very well.
“Fine then. I’ll report this matter truthfully to Her Majesty. You lot wait for news.”
Xu Qi’an cupped his hands, and his body dissolved into shadows.
In the next moment, he appeared in the outer hall and saw his younger brother and sister waiting honestly and obediently.
Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai instinctively held their breath, their faces full of tension.
The man before them was both their elder brother and a first rank martial artist.
A first rank martial artist!
Xu Qi’an gave them a slight nod. Without any extra words, he took them with him in a shadow leap and left the Stargazing Tower.
In Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai’s vision, the world was veiled in shadow. Scenes of the capital flashed past like a revolving lantern, and when the picture became clear, they saw the gates of the Xu residence.
Xu Manor in the capital, Xu Manor… Xu Yuanshuang’s eyes widened slightly, and she abruptly turned her head to look at Xu Qi’an.
He had brought Mother back to the capital!
Back in the Stargazing Tower, Xu Yuanshuang had vaguely had that suspicion in her heart.
Only now, seeing him bring her and Yuanhuai to Xu manor, did she truly confirm it.
Their father had treated him as a tool to contain fortune. The imperial clan of Qianlong City had wanted nothing more than to skin him alive and pull out his tendons. She and her younger brother too, having absorbed such things since childhood, had harboured a trace of hostility towards him in their hearts.
But even so, even when everyone had wanted to harm him, to kill him, he had still been willing to bring their mother back to the capital…
At that instant, it felt as though a needle had stabbed hard into Xu Yuanshuang’s heart. The pain made her nose sting and her eyes redden.
Her vision a little blurred, she looked towards Xu Yuanhuai and saw him lowering his head in silence, with a trace of confusion and shame flashing through his eyes.
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!