Nightwatcher

# 79. The Benefits of Being Backed by an Organisation

The message had been sent.

No one answered the message for a long time, and no one even called 666. Xu Qi'an sat on the table and waited for a long time before confirming that this group of people had gone offline.

*You’re too rude… don't you know to inform others before going offline? A bunch of unqualified netizens.* He cursed in his heart.

After putting away the small jade mirror and locking the door, Xu Qi'an blew out the candles, and lay down on the bed, letting his thoughts fly.

*The Heaven and Earth Society seems to be a pretty loose organization. The members communicate with each other, but are also very guarded with each other.*

*That’s quite understandable. After all, the people in the society are scattered all over the world, All of them may not even be from the Great Feng. It’d be normal for them to be wary of each other.*

*The benefit that it can grant is sharing of information.*

*This point was very important.*

*Isn't this just a chat group? If you can chat offline, Maybe there would be opportunities for chatting offline in the future.

*TWO is in Yunzhou, quite far. Also, their status shouldn't be low, or they wouldn't be able to check the household registration in the various prefectures and counties.*

*ONE seems to be in the capital. They should be a person with real status and position, much stronger than an imitation product like me, and the one I have to guard against.*

*SIX... They had warned me not to respond to NINE before and said that they were also in the capital.*

*ONE and SIX are the ones I have to be careful of. The other members are separated from me by a large distance. Even if they knew my true identity, it wouldn't be a problem since we wouldn't have any conflicts of interest with each other.*

*ONE and SIX are the kind of netizens who could say "You wait, I'll mess you up real bad." and do what they say.*

*But on the other hand, If I make a cordial deal with them, These two are near me and can help me with my urgent needs.*

*The others haven't come online yet.*

*This feels like playing a game of Mafia, Interesting, Interesting...*

Thinking, he fell asleep.

...

The night was like water and the moon like frost.

As the cold wind whistled, the lights of the Lingbao Temple shone brightly in the night.

Ever since the Dao Master of the Human Sect was conferred as the National Teacher, their sect headquarters had moved over to the imperial capital, and the current emperor had built a magnificent Dao temple for them.

A luxurious sandalwood carriage stopped outside the Dao Temple, and Wei Yuan, wearing an azure cloak, stepped down on a small ladder.

The Daoist Apprentice guarding the gate welcomed him respectfully.

Walking through the courtyard, corridor, and garden, he came to a spacious quiet room.

After the Daoist Apprentice left, Wei Yuan knocked on the door with his fingers.

The panel door opened automatically, and a cold voice sounded, “For Duke Wei’s presence to grace this hall, this small Daoist is revered and awed.”

Wei Yuan didn't care about the sarcasm in the speech and stepped over the threshold to enter the house. The room was cold, and a sandalwood scent was wafting from the desk.

There was a screen between the room and the lobby, and a graceful figure could be faintly visible sitting cross-legged behind the screen.

Wei Yuan's expression was cold, and his tone even colder, "What happened to the Earth Sect?"

The female national teacher's age couldn't be parsed from her voice, as it had the melodiousness of a young girl and the softness of a mature woman.

"Duke Wei knows of astronomy up above and geography down below, why would you need to ask me for advice?"

Wei Yuan shook his head, "I just scolded you with an ‘Only Women and villains are hard to deal with’ back then, You still hold a grudge over this?"

The person behind the screen became silent.

"The Nightwatchers have a fragment of the Earth Book, do you want it?"

"That's the Earth Sect's property."

Wei Yuan nodded, turned around, and left.

After he left the Lingbao Temple, Yang Yan, who was waiting by the carriage, came up to him, "Father, Did you get any news?"

Wei Yuan shook his head, "The female Dao Master didn't want to say anything, but something must have happened to the Earth Sect."

After getting into the carriage, Wei Yuan put his cold hands near the animal-head stove, and after warming up his body, said solemnly,

“Many artificial and natural disasters have occurred in recent years. The state of Great Feng isn't right. The major cultivation systems have also expressed problems continuously.

"I have been getting a feeling that something is about to happen."

Yang Yan frowned, "Is father worrying too much? On the day we went to the Sitianjian, the Jianzheng said that everything in the heavens was normal."

Wei Yuan said, "The words of those who spy on heavenly secrets couldn't be believed."

After pausing for a while, he became serious and resolute, "We should find out about the current state of the Earth sect at any cost."

Yang Yan: "The Earth Sect has always been very low-key, like a Heavenly Dragon, you see its head but never its tail…"

Wei Yuan's eyes became sharp suddenly," I said, At any cost."

*It is rare to see father have such a solemn attitude.* Yang Yan lowered his head, "Yes."

…

In the early morning, Xu Lingyin, wearing a thick padded jacket, held a dead branch in her hand and chased a group of geese as young as her on her stubby legs.

Seeing her eldest brother approaching her, Xu Lingyin put her hands on her hip and proudly said, "Big Brother, Big Brother, I'm already invincible among my peers."

Xu Qi'an looked at her, "Are you invincible in stupidity?"

Xu Lingyin anxiously defended herself, "It's not that I'm invincible in stupidity. It's that I'm invincible, invincible."

She said while waving a few dead branches, indicating that she was invincible in fighting.

Little Pea explained, "My sister said that no one in the family who is my age can defeat me, and I am the fiercest among them."

*It's because you're the only child in the family...* Xu Qi'an said, "Your sister didn't lie to you."

Xu Lingyin was so happy that on the way to the living room with her elder brother, made large haughty footsteps, as if not acknowledging any kin.

At the dining table, Auntie was eating breakfast gracefully, and saying, "Husband dear, Lingyue seems to have reached the age to marry."

It was reached a long time ago too. Girls from ordinary families could get married at the age of fourteen. The Xu family was large, so they didn't need to marry their daughter off in such a hurry, but seventeen years was indeed the age to marry.

It was because, if a girl was unmarried at the age of 18, she would become a leftover girl. *Clearly 18-year-old girls were at their most tender age.*

Xu Lingyue raised her head all of a sudden, her moist eyes filled with stubbornness, "Mother, I don't want to marry yet."

Auntie rolled her eyes to reprimand her, "Is this still a question regarding your opinion?"

Xu Lingyue refused to accept this, and pursed her lips, revealing the delicate corners of her mouth, delicate as if they were carved, "Second Brother still hasn't married a sister-in-law yet."

Xu Xinnian was inexplicably shot in the knee.

Auntie had her reason and said, "Even if your second brother wants to get married, he has to wait until the completion of the Spring Examination. There isn't any hurry for him. Let's settle your marriage first."

Xu Lingyue puffed her cheeks, silent as a doormat.

Second Uncle Xu nodded thoughtfully, "Lingyue has indeed reached the age of marriage. Ai, Time flies by so fast. She has grown up so quickly."

Xu Lingyin, who was immersed in her food, raised her naive little face upon hearing that sentence, and shouted,

"Elder Sister has grown up and is stirring up trouble."

The entire family, "???"

Xu Qi'an's face became numb, and he forcibly changed the topic, "Even if Lingyue wants to marry, she must marry an excellent man like me."

Auntie snorted with disdain.

*Make trouble again, right...* Xu Qi'an said with a chuckle, "Auntie can live such a good life of prosperity because she married a second uncle, who is like me."

The beautiful Auntie couldn't refute this sentence, so she only stared resentfully at her unlucky nephew.

Uncle Xu felt very comfortable listening to his nephew's boasting, and said smilingly, "Does madam have any candidates?"

Auntie said, "We'll choose the candidates slowly. I just wanted to discuss this with you."

Xu Xinnian glanced at his family and announced, "From tomorrow onwards, I have to go back to the Cloud Deer Academy to prepare for the Fall Examination."

After he had stepped into the realm of self-cultivation, Zhang Shen, the great scholar, recalled him to Cloud Deer Academy to teach him theory and practice while preparing him for the next year's Fall Examination.

His gaze swept the crowd calmly as if he were waiting for their reaction.

Auntie immediately passed a slice of meat to her son, "My Cijiu has always had great promise."

Only then did Xu Xinnian nod in satisfaction and let out an "Mm."

After having had breakfast, Xu Qi'an was about to leave the house when he heard a young maiden's clear and soft voice behind him, "Brother..."

Upon turning, he was faced with a slim girl with delicate features.

Xu Lingyue said aggrievedly, "I don't want to be married."

Xu Qi'an thought for a while, then grinned and said, "In the future, Talk about it with me, Cijiu, and second Uncle. When is it the turn of women like your mother to decide the family's affairs."

"Xu Ningyan!" Auntie had appeared by Xu Lingyin at some point in the middle, with her hands on her hips and her willow-like eyebrows squeezing.

The beautiful woman's chest rose and fell with anger, and her face looked red with anger, "Rascal, Repeat what you said just now."

Xu Qi'an didn't bother to talk to her and ran away in a hurry.

...

After rushing his horse to the Nightwatcher's Office, Xu Qi'an went straight to the Tower of Noble Spirit.

*It's this bronze gong again...* After communicating with the surprised guard, he let Xu Qi'an enter the building.

Ordinary bronze Gongs weren't qualified to report affairs to Duke Wei, since they had superior Silver and Gold Gongs above them.

And Duke Wei wouldn't personally summon a copper gong to his office.

But this new bronze gong, has received such a different treatment. Whenever he came, he was summoned by Duke Wei.

After ascending to the seventh floor, Xu Qi'an entered the tea room, where he saw the Azure Robe in the observation hall.

"What's the matter this time?" The eunuch showed his back to him, not turning around.

He wanted to confess everything about last night. He had the Nightwatchers as his backer, and Wei Yuan's feet to hug, so there wasn't a need for him to bear anything by himself.

It didn't just reduce the risk, but also helped him win the trust of father Wei.