Nightwatcher

Chapter 228: On the Day of Spring (Triple Length)

# 228. On the Day of Spring (Triple Length)

Xu Qi'an was furious; anyone in his situation would be.

If he hadn't known he couldn't win, Xu Qi'an would have already gone up to cause trouble, grabbing his collar with one hand and slapping with the other, while questioning:

"Weren't you supposed to save me, you bald bastard? You owe me a life!"

This damn monk had completely betrayed his trust. They had agreed that if Xu Qi'an gave his body, the monk would help him kill his enemies. Even though their agreement was verbal, couldn't there be some contractual spirit going on here?

At this moment, Xu Qi'an very fittingly thought of a song:

*You sold my love, burdened with a debt of conscience, when I finally learned the truth, tears fell from my eyes.*

"What should I do now? Can I still live? Should I reincarnate or possess a body to be reborn? Is there reincarnation in this world?"

Xu Qi'an, nervously suppressing all his emotions, asked the monk Shenshu in a calm and polite manner.

The situation had come to this point; there was no use turning hostile. He should consider how to face the future. This wasn't cowardice; it was the adult way of thinking.

Between reincarnation and possessing a body to be reborn, Xu Qi'an preferred the latter. After all, growing from 8D to 8====D would take a very long time.

A grown man's soul trapped in an infant's body would drive him mad from boredom in a few years.

While Xu Qi'an was lost in thought, Shenshu opened his eyes, his expression serene. "You seem to be blaming me?"

*No, I'm not blaming you, just myself for trusting the wrong person...* Xu Qi'an retorted in his heart.

"How much do you know about the martial artist system?" Shenshu smiled.

Xu Qi'an thought for a moment, "Open the floodgates and fuck until dawn?"

Monk Shenshu's expression paused slightly, as if he hadn't heard, and he continued calmly, "Martial artists temper themselves to use human strength against the forces of heaven and earth. This 'self' refers not only to the body but to the unity of vitality, qi, and spirit."

*You damn monk can't even follow a joke, not fun at all...* Xu Qi'an nodded in realisation, "So, Master, even though you were sealed in Sangpo for five hundred years, your spirit remained intact because of this principle?"

That makes sense. If it was just about tempering the body, martial artists would have too obvious a weakness. Systems like Daoism, which specialise in the primordial spirit, could easily possess a martial artist's body.

Although martial artists didn't have the flashy abilities of other systems, they seem to be the most stable in the later stages, at least more so than Daoists.

Look at the three Daoist sects—what a mess, good at nothing and the first to fall apart.

Shenshu nodded, "But below the third rank, martial artists mainly focus on tempering their bodies and practicing qi. Only at the seventh rank, the Refining Spirit realm, do they temper their primordial spirit."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qi'an suddenly realised something was amiss. If essence, qi, and spirit were equally important, why was only the seventh rank dedicated to tempering the primordial spirit?

"Now you understand the importance of the Refining Spirit realm," Monk Shenshu explained. "Ordinary martial artists in the Refining Spirit realm are just beginning to explore their limits, this is the lower class. Continuously breaking through limits in desperate situations is the upper class. The more solid your foundation at this stage, the deeper your background will be when you reach higher ranks."

"Master, the seventh rank Refining Spirit, lays the foundation for which rank?" Xu Qi'an's heart stirred.

"The second rank, Hedao, union of the Dao."

*That's too distant for me. Who knows if I'll ever reach that height in my lifetime...* Xu Qi'an thought, "The reasoning is sound, but in the end, I still died."

He felt that sacrificing his life for the uncertain second rank foundation was too much of a loss.

"To be reborn, one must first die. If you don't die, how can you be reborn?" Monk Shenshu smiled.

"So, will I reincarnate or possess a body to be reborn?" Xu Qi'an asked, pondering, “If I can choose, I'd prefer to possess a body. I don't have many requirements, well, firstly, I must be exceptionally handsome. Secondly, I must be the legitimate son of a prominent family, born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Of course, my cultivation should be at the Refining Qi realm, definitely not the Refining Vitality realm. I don't want to live through those hard days of sighing with my hand on my crotch again.

“Lastly, I'd like to have a foxy older sister in her prime, the kind who goes 'ying ying ying'.”

Monk Shenshu ignored his requests, his face bearing an ancient and unchanging serenity. "A third-rank martial artist can regenerate severed limbs and is extremely hard to kill. At the highest level, they are known as indestructible. By fortune, I have reached such a level."

Xu Qi'an's heart stirred, and he heard Shenshu say, "Before you died, I preserved your last bit of vitality. By using your body to nurture my broken self, I can also give back to you. I will grant you a drop of my essence blood. Once you refine it, you will come back to life."

*So this last bit of vitality is me now...* That's why I'm here? Xu Qi'an asked, "Thank you, Master. When will I wake up?"

"This is a long process," Monk Shenshu replied.

*Luckily, this world doesn't practice cremation, otherwise, I'd be done for... No wonder Master Shenshu didn't save me earlier. So 'reborn from death' means this... You should have said so earlier. I could have shouted a few more slogans and acted more awake...* Confirming that he could be revived, Xu Qi'an's mood brightened, and he began joking cheerfully to himself.

…

Outside the City!

A crude martial artist charged head-on, causing the Warlock of Dreams to momentarily lose his breath, as if facing an avalanche or a tsunami.

At this moment, confusion and regret were useless emotions; killing the enemy was his only way out.

The Warlock of Dreams formed seals with his hands and chanted, his body bursting with blinding blood light, his aura rising.

The Blood Spirit technique, burning his essence blood to temporarily boost his combat power.

Jiang Lyuzhong's unparalleled fist intent arrived.

The Warlock of Dreams countered with his fist.

Their fists collided silently at first, but seconds later, the thunderous boom was like a thunderbolt exploding.

The ground beneath them sank simultaneously, dust rising instantly, enveloping hundreds of meters.

Yang Qianhuan, unable to dodge in time, hastily stomped the ground, activating formation patterns that formed barriers but shattered the next moment.

The posturing master felt as if someone had struck him hard on the back of the head and slammed him into a carriage. The pain nearly made him cry out, but he held it in because it didn't suit his image.

Bang, bang…

After two more punches, the blood light around the Warlock of Dreams dispersed, black smoke erupted from his head, and he flew backward like a cannonball.

Jiang Lyuzhong's rage had overtaken his reason. Now, he was perfectly aligned with the martial artist's mindset, fearless against heaven and earth.

Suddenly, it felt as if a steel nail had been driven into Jiang Lyuzhong's brain, and his heart was split in two. He spat out blood, the sudden change preventing him from continuing his pursuit.

The curse of death!

Just now, the Warlock of Dreams stole a piece of his clothing to use a curse of death.

If it had been a lower-rank martial artist, they would have died on the spot.

In battles between high-ranking experts, such interference can almost determine the outcome. Victory lies in a split second. However, the Warlock of Dreams decisively gave up this opportunity because the opponent was a martial artist.

With skin as tough as bronze and bones as hard as iron.

All major systems disliked martial artists, considering them crude and simplistic, only capable of brute force. Another reason was that martial artists were hard to kill.

They could afford to make ten or even twenty mistakes, and you can't kill them easily; you have to slowly wear them down.

But if you make a single mistake, they will bash your brains out.

They might even lift your skullcap, take a look at your brain, and then walk away disappointed.

Pah, crude martial artist.

After the curse of death took effect, the Warlock of Dreams quickly retreated, fleeing into the distance.

"Bang!" He then collided with an invisible wall.

"Yang Qianhuan!!" the Warlock of Dreams roared in anger.

"In the formations I specialise in, six of them are trapping techniques. Go ahead and break this formation; there are five more waiting for you." Yang Qianhuan appeared not far away, his back facing the Warlock of Dreams.

In this scene, just looking at his back, anyone would sigh and say: "An otherworldly expert!"

The Warlock of Dreams had no opportunity to break the formation. He wasn't a martial artist; his margin for error was too low. Jiang Lyuzhong charged in, and with the war spirit shattered in the previous three punches, the Warlock of Dreams was no longer a "martial artist."

As everyone knew, in close combat, all systems were like little brothers in front of martial artists.

"Poof!"

Jiang Lyuzhong punched the Warlock of Dreams in the face, causing his head to explode, with red and white fragments and shattered bones flying everywhere.

The headless corpse stiffened and then slowly collapsed.

"Bastard, bastard…."

A phantom appeared in the air, looking down at Jiang Lyuzhong and Yang Qianhuan, its face twisted.

That was the soul of the Warlock of Dreams. After high-ranking experts die, their souls can linger for a few days. In the field of souls, warlocks are second only to Daoist sects.

"What do we do with this guy?" Yang Qianhuan asked.

Jiang Lyuzhong shook his head: "I have no way to deal with souls; I can't kill him. Nor can I trap him."

If it were a physical body, he could kill with a single punch, but souls are special, immune to physical attacks. Energy vibrations can harm souls, but the effect was limited. If the soul of the Warlock of Dreams wanted to escape now, Jiang Lyuzhong couldn't stop it.

Yang Qianhuan said proudly: "I can trap him! There’s a girl in the city who is from the Heaven Sect; she can refine this spectre."

Then he said leisurely: "Picking the stars with the moon in hand, there are none like me upon this land.…"

Boom!

Primordial energy surged wildly as the Warlock of Dreams self-destructed.

Jiang Lyuzhong slowly turned his head, staring at the white-robed arcanist, and said word by word: "He self-destructed."

"… Too impatient." Yang Qianhuan said gloomily.

"Isn't the real issue that you talked too much and missed the timing?"

"Farewell!"

"Yang Qianhuan…." Jiang Lyuzhong shouted, but the white-robed arcanist had already vanished, and his remaining words were unspoken.

Xu Qi'an had sacrificed himself.

...

Late at night, a sorrowful atmosphere pervaded the post station. The bright candlelight dispelled the darkness but couldn't illuminate the gloom in people's hearts.

It was the third quarter of midnight. The severely injured Bronze Gongs stayed at the post station. The Inspector General wasn't there, and neither was Yang Chuannan because he had been released.

The Inspector General personally released him.

When the disheveled but expressionless Inspector General Zhang returned, he asked Yang Chuannan if he was willing to redeem his sins through meritorious service.

Yang Chuannan immediately agreed, not because he was eager to clear his name, but because at that moment, Commander Yang saw a storm brewing in the eyes of the scholar that made his heart tremble.

Yang Chuannan then left the post station, ordered to mobilise the military forces of the garrison to enter the city, and cooperated with the Flying Swallow Army to annihilate the remaining rebels of the other three gates.

In the process of suppressing the rebel factions, Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng led the charge, slaughtering enemies left and right, but they had to return to the post station to heal after being hit by several arrows.

After taking over Baidi City, Yang Chuannan and Li Miaozhen led troops to surround the Five City Army Headquarters. From the sixth-rank "Commanders" down to clerks, they were all arrested.

Then, Inspector Zhang forcibly summoned all the officials with ranks in Baidi City and ordered the white-robed arcanist to interrogate them one by one, exposing 34 members of Song Changfu's rebel clique. Including the officials and clerks of the Five City Army Headquarters, and the captured soldiers, there were 408 people in total.

There were no subsequent interrogations or imprisonments. Inspector Zhang arbitrarily executed all the rebels at the execution ground. An inspector had the authority to act expediently, but it didn't include executing officials without trial.

However, given the current emergency, any overstepping actions could be justified post-facto by the need to eliminate rebels. As long as Inspector Zhang quelled the rebellion in Yunzhou, the court would only commend him.

Heads rolled and blood flowed like a river at the execution ground.

The matter wasn't over yet. According to the Warlock of Dreams, who had his head blown off by Jiang Lyuzhong, the rebels' plan was to kill the inspector first, take Baidi City, and then cooperate with the mountain bandits to conquer Yunzhou.

Inspector Zhang had already sent messengers to various prefectures and counties, instructing the local garrisons to be on high alert for bandit attacks.

Li Miaozhen and Yang Chuannan actively prepared for the city's defense, recruiting militia, transporting and repairing siege weapons, readying themselves for the enemy.

But they waited until late at night without seeing a single figure, and the scouts sent out did not return with any reports.

At the southern gate, in the walled enclosure built into the city wall.

Inspector Zhang, Jiang Lyuzhong, Yang Chuannan, and Li Miaozhen sat around a table discussing matters. Jiang Lyuzhong squinted at the city defense map.

Li Miaozhen appeared gloomy and silent.

Inspector Zhang glanced at the two of them and finally looked at Yang Chuannan, humbly seeking advice: "Commander, is it possible the mountain bandits called off the attack after receiving news of the failed coup?"

He was a scholar, and though he had read some military texts, his armchair strategies were worth little. The two martial artists and the Daoist disciple present were all seasoned veterans.

Yang Chuannan's face was still pale, and his chest ached faintly.

Fortunately, he was a skilled strategist. Although his cultivation had temporarily been destroyed, personal martial prowess was secondary to the ability to command troops in battle.

*When they need me, they call me Commander, but when they don't, they call me a traitor...* Yang Chuannan couldn't help but grumble internally, though outwardly, he remained composed and serious, saying:

“In multi-front warfare, information doesn't travel that quickly. Even if the forces attacking Baidi City received the news, the other forces wouldn't synchronise their information.

"By now, if what the Warlock of Dreams said is true, there should already be battles in various prefectures and counties. Let's wait another hour. If no rebels attack Baidi City, we will dispatch troops to support the counties."

Yang Chuannan looked at the close friend of the Flying Swallow Lady, "Miaozhen, what do you think? Miaozhen, Miaozhen..."

Li Miaozhen snapped back, seeming to come to her senses, and asked, "What?"

Yang Chuannan repeated the question, then asked with concern: "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

Li Miaozhen shook her head, but her mind was once again filled with the image of that young Bronze Gong, standing resolutely at the courtyard entrance.

It was both tragic and sorrowful.

But what truly lingered in Li Miaozhen's mind wasn't just the sheer impact of the scene, but the realisation that she had completely misjudged that man.

She had always thought he was a lecherous scoundrel, yet in the moment of crisis, it was he who stood up while the other Bronze Gongs were focusing on healing.

The shock from this stark contrast was the strongest of all.

Every time she recalled the scene of him standing with his sword, Li Miaozhen felt a pang of sadness. Perhaps even years later, the memory of this day would still be vivid and sharp.

"Where's Yang Qianhuan?" Inspector Zhang asked.

"Gone. I couldn't keep him here," Jiang Lyuzhong replied.

He felt a bit of resentment toward Yang Qianhuan. Whenever he thought of the sacrifices of his three subordinates, Jiang Lyuzhong was filled with impotent rage, hating himself and projecting some of that anger onto Yang Qianhuan.

Even though Yang Qianhuan had given a brief explanation.

The guilt and regret would stay with him for a long time, until time could wash away the pain and he could finally move on.

"Why did he come to Yunzhou?" Inspector Zhang frowned.

Jiang Lyuzhong shook his head.

Suddenly, Jiang Lyuzhong's ears twitched, and he turned to look into the pitch-black night. Li Miaozhen, a second slower, also turned her head.

"They're here!" Jiang Lyuzhong said in a deep voice.

Everyone immediately rushed out of the room, climbed onto the city wall, and peered into the distance. They saw a long stretch of lights appearing in the darkness, slowly moving like a flowing river.

Horns blared and drums thundered, echoing through the quiet, cold night.

Soldiers who had been dozing off by the parapets woke up, grabbed their spears, crossbows, shields, and other weapons, and got into battle positions.

Li Miaozhen stood on the wall, squinting into the distance, suddenly tensing up. She shouted, "Watch out!"

As her words fell, a silver light broke through the sky, the spearhead slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.

A fourth-rank martial artist!

And a peak fourth-rank martial artist at that!

Li Miaozhen was shocked. Yunzhou had such high-level experts? Were there such powerful figures among the bandits?

What happened next stunned her even more. Jiang Lyuzhong stepped forward to meet the silver spear, reaching out leisurely to catch it. He showed none of the seriousness or caution that one should have when facing a formidable foe.

To her surprise, the seemingly fierce and unmatched spear turned out to be soft and weak, willingly falling into Jiang Lyuzhong's hand.

Li Miaozhen focused her eyes. This was a heavy silver spear, its silver paint chipped and weathered by time, but its spearhead gleamed coldly, the blood on it still fresh.

Compared to the ordinary silver spear she held, this one was a true battle weapon.

Li Miaozhen's primary weapon was a flying sword, and she used a spear mainly because, after joining the army, she needed a weapon that matched her status.

In the distance, with a loud crash, a figure leapt hundreds of meters, drawing a high arc in the air before landing on the walkway of the city wall.

This person wore a dark Nightwatcher uniform, with a Gold Gong bound to his chest, his expression as hard as a sculpture.

"What are you doing here?" Jiang Lyuzhong, both surprised and delighted, threw the silver spear over.

"By father's order, I've come to Yunzhou to eliminate the bandits," Yang Yan replied concisely as he caught the spear.

Inspector Zhang was taken aback, sensing something, and asked, "What did Duke Wei say to you?"

"Father said the bandits in Yunzhou would cause trouble and ordered me to come secretly," Yang Yan said. "I took control of the local garrison forces a few days ago, planning to eliminate the bandits later. But this evening, several groups of bandits attacked different places. After I led a team to wipe them out, I guessed there might be trouble in Baidi City and rushed over.

"Sixty miles from Baidi City, I encountered a force of two thousand men and just finished killing them."

Li Miaozhen glanced at the spearhead and thought, *no wonder there's still blood on it.*

Inspector Zhang felt relieved. So we were just the revealed pieces on the board, while Duke Wei had secretly made other arrangements.

Yang Yan's eyes swept over the crowd, searching for someone. He frowned, "Where's Xu Qi'an?"

Inspector Zhang's face suddenly turned grim, and the joy in Jiang Lyuzhong's eyes faded away.

Yang Yan felt a sinking feeling in his heart. His already expressionless face grew even colder.

"He..." Inspector Zhang's eyes filled with sorrow as he said, "He died in battle."

Li Miaozhen lowered her head slightly and sighed.

*Crack...* The stone bricks under Yang Yan's feet suddenly shattered, as uncontrolled energy spilled out, revealing his inner turmoil.

His eyes sharp as knives, his face, usually a mask of indifference, now twisted in rare fury. He squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth, "How did he die?"

Inspector Zhang recounted the events of the day in detail to Yang Yan. When he finally spoke of how Xu Qi'an had stood firm, refusing to retreat, to protect everyone, the inspector's eyes reddened:

"He was hit by thirty-one arrows, with over sixty sword wounds... He stood to the end, saying he wouldn't retreat... A promise is worth a thousand tons of gold, a thousand tons of gold!"

Jiang Lyuzhong exhaled slowly. Seeing the inspector's grief-stricken expression, he felt a twinge of guilt and said in a deep voice:

"It was my dereliction of duty. I'm sorry..."

Without warning, Yang Yan's spear swept across, its shaft bending as it slammed into Jiang Lyuzhong's chest.

Boom!

A resounding explosion echoed through the sky and earth.

Jiang Lyuzhong crashed through the parapet, hurtling away.

Yang Yan stomped down, shattering half the city wall, and soared into the air, his roar echoing far and wide: "Jiang Lyuzhong, you useless scum, I'm going to kill you today!"

...

In the posthouse, in the main hall.

The bodies of Xu Qi'an and three Silver Gongs lay in the centre of the hall, covered with white cloths.

The arrows had been removed from Xu Qi'an's body, and his blood-stained face had been cleaned. The sleepless Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao came downstairs in silent agreement, fetched two chairs, and sat beside Xu Qi'an.

They didn't speak, just silently kept vigil.

Men's grief was silent.

During this time, Song Tingfeng said two things: "Consider this a vigil for you." "See you in the next life, brother."

Zhu Guangxiao said one thing: "In the end, it's just the two of us."

As the candles burned down, the wax dripping and solidifying, in this atmosphere of sorrow, Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao didn't say another word.

Until the sound of heavy footsteps came from outside the posthouse. A team of Nightwatchers entered, led by Yang Yan, looking battered and worn.

Behind him were several Silver Gongs who had come to Yunzhou with him, all of whom Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao recognised.

Xu Qi'an would have recognised them too, like Min Shan and Yang Feng, with whom he had once investigated the Sangpo case … and his superior, Li Yuchun.

Li Yuchun looked like a walking corpse, taking small, slow steps toward Xu Qi'an, as if the short distance was filled with thorns, each step causing piercing pain.

Li Yuchun reached out, lifted the white cloth... and his body swayed.

"Boss!"

Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao hurried to support him.

Looking down at Xu Qi'an's face, Li Yuchun said, "I heard Ningyan died in battle, but I don't know the specifics. Can you two tell me?"

Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao exchanged a glance, both a bit worried about how calm the Boss was.

Song Tingfeng recounted the events to Li Yuchun, who listened quietly and then nodded slowly. “As expected of a Bronze Gong I trained. Good lad, he didn't disgrace me.

“He always did things that pleased me, like when he beheaded that little bastard surnamed Zhu. He never coveted money, which is better than both of you. You should learn from him.

"The only bad thing was that his cultivation was too scattered, and he often sneaked off to the brothels to listen to music while patrolling. People came to me to complain several times."

He babbled on about trivial matters, reminiscing about the past.

It was mostly calm, which made Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao breathe a sigh of relief. They knew the Boss valued and appreciated Xu Qi'an highly. He had dared to publicly disgrace Wei Gong over the matter of Xu Qi'an cutting down a Silver Gong.

However, when he lifted the white cloth and inspected Xu Qi'an's attire, he suddenly flew into a rage: "Which son of a bitch dressed him, which son of a bitch dressed him? The lapels aren't symmetrical, the lapels aren't symmetrical…."

He cursed loudly, looking as if he wanted to draw his sword and kill someone, seemingly thinking that this way, others would overlook the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Boss," Song Tingfeng called out.

"The lapels aren't symmetrical, the lapels aren't symmetrical." Li Yuchun held his face in his hands, his shoulders trembling, trembling...

...

Li Miaozhen returned to her residence in Baidi City and sat alone in the study for a long time, a small jade mirror placed beside her.

Several times, she wanted to pick it up and inform everyone of Number Three's death, but she held back.

Just let him retain a bit of dignity... Li Miaozhen sighed and finally picked up the jade mirror, sending a message:

【Daozhang, I need to speak with you alone.】

Awakened in the dead of night by the jade mirror's transmission, the members of the Heaven and Earth Society were very annoyed. Seeing Number Two's message made them even more annoyed.

Again?

【NINE: I've already blocked the others.】

【TWO: The matter in Yunzhou has been settled.】

【NINE: That’s good news.】

【TWO: I already know that Number Three is Xu Qi'an.】

Daoist Jinlian chuckled: 【NINE: That’s good news.】

【TWO: Xu Qi'an died in battle.】

【NINE: ???】

【TWO: I will find a way to retrieve the fragment of the Earth Book. Next spring, I will leave Yunzhou and go to the capital.】

【NINE: Are you sure Xu Qi'an is dead?】

【TWO: Yes.】

【NINE: That’s impossible.】

【TWO: Why do you say that, Daozhang?】

【NINE: Xu Qi'an has great fortune and is not destined to die young.】

【TWO: But he is indeed dead. I personally prepared his corpse.】

Daoist Jinlian asked: 【Did his soul scatter?】

Li Miaozhen frowned: 【When I arrived, he was already dead. Besides, he hadn't reached the Refining Spirit stage, so his soul wasn't strong. It could have dissipated on the spot due to the malevolent energy and blood.】

With her Heaven Sect Holy Maiden standards, would she not be able to tell if a body still had any vitality?

Daoist Jinlian was silent for a long time before replying: 【I understand. You don't need to worry about the fragment of the Earth Book. I will verify whether Xu Qi'an is dead or alive personally.】

Li Miaozhen raised her eyebrows. Daoist Jinlian clearly did not trust her judgment. However, she did not argue. The message had been delivered, whether believed or not was the Daoist's matter.

However, the fragment of the Earth Book was a treasure of the Earth Sect, and Li Miaozhen felt that Daoist Jinlian was too casual in his handling and not taking it seriously enough.

Ending the block, Number One immediately sent a message: 【Two, has the Yunzhou case been resolved?】

Li Miaozhen replied: 【If you want to know the details, we can exchange for equivalent information.】

【ONE: Alright, no problem.】

【TWO: The person truly colluding with the Church of the Warlock God and supporting the bandits was Minister Song Changfu. After the scheme was exposed, he sealed off Baidi City and gathered rebel forces to attack Inspector Zhang. Although they failed, the Nightwatchers also suffered heavy losses.

【Our...the Xu Qi'an we've often talked about sacrificed himself.】 She ultimately did not reveal that Xu Qi'an was Number Three.

*Number Three will never appear again...* Li Miaozhen added in her heart, feeling a bit sad.

Xu Qi'an sacrificed himself?

Among the Heaven and Earth Society members, the one who reacted most strongly was Number Six, Hengyuan, followed by Number Four, who simply regretted the loss of talent.

Hengyuan the monk was different. He once again felt the grief he experienced when his junior brother Henghui died.

【TWO: Next spring, I will go to the capital. ONE, I want to know all the information about the younger disciples of the Human Sect.】

Number One did not reply to her again.

...

Yunzhou was now a complete mess. There was a huge upheaval in the officialdom of Baidi City, and people were panicking.

As the court-appointed inspector, Inspector Zhang could not leave. He wrote a memorial detailing the Yunzhou case and sent it to the court. Then, he stayed in Yunzhou to oversee the situation, waiting for the court's instructions and the arrival of a new Minister. Only then could he return to the capital.

Jiang Lyuzhong and Yang Yan stayed in Yunzhou to eliminate the bandits and ensure Inspector Zhang's safety.

However, Xu Qi'an and the three Silver Gongs' bodies needed to be transported back to the capital. They were heroes and should not be buried in a foreign land. In the bitter cold of winter, the bodies would not decompose quickly but could not remain in Yunzhou for long.

The task of escorting the four bodies back to the capital was assigned to Silver Gong Min Shan.

Li Yuchun and the others decided to stay in Yunzhou to participate in the bandit suppression, venting their grief. At the same time, deep down, they feared facing Xu Qi'an's family.

Inspector Zhang prepared coffins for the four fallen Nightwatchers, deeply bowed, and did not rise for a long time.

When sealing the coffins, Inspector Zhang placed four letters from the capital on Xu Qi'an's chest.

...

February 2nd, the Spring Festival.

This world did not have a New Year, but it had a similar festival called the Spring Festival, celebrating the first day of Spring.

On this day, the emperor led the civil and military officials in offering sacrifices to heaven, praying for favourable weather and national peace and prosperity in the coming year. It was the most important day in the Great Feng.

Every household followed in offering sacrifices, slaughtering sheep and cattle. Even the busiest people would return home on Spring Festival to reunite with their families.

Amid the lingering winter chill, thin ice floated on the canal as the official ship slowly headed north on its return journey.

And on that day of spring, Xu Qi’an finally woke up again.