Nightwatcher

# 83. Lifesaving Plan

*Regardless if I could help or not, I should draw a big cake to gain some information.* If Number Six was a villain, Xu Qi'an would expose him in order to reduce the number of wolves in the Heaven and Earth Society.

Of course, he had to cheat out Number Six's hiding place first, to avoid future troubles, since SIX was quite powerful.

He broke into the Earl Pingyuan's mansion at night, beheaded him, severely injured the guards, and hid calmly. He should be a master of the middle ranks, or even stronger.

If he had his reasons for the incident, he will help a group member within his abilities to create a stalwart image for Chen Jinnan, the branch leader of Heaven and Earth Society.

Wei Yuan had asked him to go undercover, but he didn't want to lurk all the time. He needed to make some achievements.

*Can Number Three provide help?*

*Can he take Number Six away from the hunt of the Nightwatchers and the Imperial Guards with ease?*

*Was he just a Confucian Disciple?*

*At this time, if you didn't have a reasonable identity, you would be arrested on the spot for just taking a walk in the inner city.*

*In other words, could he command the Imperial Guards or the Nightwatchers?*

Xu Qi'an's words made the holders of the Earth Book fragments think wildly, secretly guessing his identity and speculating on his next actions.

【NINE: Hehe, If THREE is willing to help, there isn't a problem. SIX, you don't have to hide.】

*Daoist Jinlian is sure that THREE can help SIX resolve the crisis... THREE is by no means an ordinary Confucian disciple, he must have a more secretive and higher-level identity... The newcomer recruited by Daoist Jinlian this time is no small person.*

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society were inspired and silently watched how the incident developed.

【SIX: One of my juniors had disappeared for a year. I suspect that he was trafficked and sent to the capital through secret channels.

【After investigating and inspecting for a long time, I tracked down a trafficking organization. They swindled and abducted women and children, and sold them to brothels, beggar gangs, and other places that may find a need for them.

【Not only women and children, but they also abduct cultivators. I still haven't found their real purpose yet.

【Finally, I found out that the person behind the Broker Organization was Earl Pingyuan.】

【THREE: So, You killed him in anger, didn't you?】

【SIX: I sneaked into Earl Pingyuan's mansion to ask of my younger brother's whereabouts, but was fruitless. Then, I killed him to absolve him from his sins.】

【ONE: Why didn't you report to the officials instead of violating the law with strength?】

Number One disagreed with Number Six's way of doing things.

【TWO: You're saying nonsense. If the law was useful, the Earl Pingyuan would have already been sanctioned, but the officials like to protect each other's skins. If there's no god raising one's head three feet, one could only put one's hope for justice on one's knife.】

*… Hot-blooded youth! SIX should have reported Earl Pingyuan. It was unwise to kill someone.* Xu Qi'an thought.

However, It could be inferred from this that Number Six was an upright character, almost recklessly impulsive, who liked to convince others with laws (of Physics). This was quite similar to the behaviour of the Confucianists.

Number One seemed disdainful of Number Two and didn't respond.

【SIX: I have a reason to do so. I rescued many children throughout this year. Some of them had their hands and feet cut off and crawled on the side of the street to beg. The clever ones were trained to be thieves. And the most outrageous one was...

【I had rescued a child once. His palms and feet were cut off, and his skin was removed in boiling water, and then he was wrapped in black dog skin. After the injury healed, The dog's skin bonded to the child.

【The brokers disguised him as a black dog and taught him to speak some auspicious words to please unsuspecting people to get money from them.】

【ONE: Is this true?】

【SIX: Certainly!】

Number One didn't reply for a long time.

【THREE: You have successfully convinced me. Although I hate martial artists who break the laws with their strength and perform actions without thought, I'm still willing to help you.】

Holding back the anger in his heart, Xu Qi'an imitated Xu Erlang's character and spoke in the tone of a Confucian.

【TWO: I approve a little of THREE now.】

【FOUR: A good temperament, Let's get a drink together when we have time.】

【SIX: Thank You!】

They didn't call Number Three by name; they probably knew in their hearts that Chen Jinnan wasn't Number Three's real name at all.

【THREE: Where are you hiding?】

【SIX: In the canal outside Earl Pingyuan's mansion.】

A canal meant a sewer, a dirty and smelly place. In this era, sewer workers didn't exist, and idlers wouldn't enter them. So, they were blind spots for investigation.

But it was only for a while. After the Nightwatchers gather, they would never let this place go.

【THREE: I understand, You can wait for my news.】

Xu Qi'an took back the small jade mirror, held his sabre in one hand, and rubbed his chin with the other, thinking of how he could deal with the matter.

He couldn't lead someone to leave the inner city, as there were Imperial Guards and Nightwatchers in the way.

Xu Qi'an could, however, turn a blind eye in the area he was patrolling, and he had to do it as soon as possible, otherwise, he would be unable to save Number Six after the Imperial Guards and the Nightwatchers seal off the surrounding area and investigate layer by layer.

"Time is about to run out. I have to think of a perfect plan soon..."

If he wants to save Number Six, he had to hide him from both the Nightwatchers and the Arcanists from Sitianjian. So, Xu Qi'an had to do two things. First: He had to help Number Six find a hiding place. Second: He had to help him cover up his aura.

The former wasn't that difficult. As long as he got through the night, He could pretend to be an ordinary person tomorrow morning and leave the city by himself.

Earl Pingyuan's status wasn't high enough to cause the inner city gates to be closed, so they would open at dawn.

The difficult thing was to cover up the aura of Number Six.

*It's inevitable to be contaminated with hostility after killing people. This can't be hidden from the Sitianjian Arcanist's Qi Watching Technique. Should I do another PY transaction with Song Qing?*

*No, I still haven't paid for the last PY transaction yet. I still haven't sent the periodic table of elements to Sitianjian yet. Besides, Song Qing is as stubborn as me. It's a bit difficult to convince him to help me with this. Unless I get into a relationship with little beauty Chu Caiwei..."*

*How could the qi of Number Six be covered?*

Xu Qi'an had a method, and that was why he dared to openly posture in the "Earth Book Chat Group"

He took out the booklet, flicked through its pages, and found one page, which read: *Obscured by a single leaf*.

In the afternoon, Xu Qi'an had memorized all the spells recorded in the booklet, so he knew them well.

Obscured by a single leaf can allow the caster to hide his figure and aura, achieving the effect of "Erasing" their existence.

Its essence was the distortion of the corresponding rules based on the ability of a fifth-rank Virtuous Confucian. Then, the "Learning" Ability of a Sixth Rank Confucian was used to record this rule on paper.

Xu Qi'an looked left and right and locked on to an inn across the street. He quietly jumped onto its roof eaves, listening for heartbeats and breathing to locate an empty room.

He hung on the wall like a gecko and used a sabre to open the latch of the window little by little.

After finishing all this, he rushed to Earl Pingyuan's mansion not far from him, stood on the ridge across the street, and looked around for a while before finding the canal.

Xu Qi'an took out an arrow from the cowhide bag in his waist, tied the torn paper to the arrow, and threw it with great force.

"Whoosh"

The arrow was nailed to the dirt wall beside the canal.

He crouched on the ridge of the roof, took out the small jade mirror, and conveyed the message.

【THREE: SIX, by the side of the ditch where you are hiding, there is an arrow on the dirt wall. The thing you need is also in there. I have prepared you a room in the Qingshu Inn on the adjacent street. The sixth window of the second floor is open. Go!】

He didn't look in the mirror but looked in the direction of the canal. Ten seconds later, a big bald head appeared there, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, sporting a face deep in hatred and bitterness.

The big bald head scanned the surroundings vigilantly, and then his gaze fell on the arrow nailed into the wall.

He pulled out the arrow and unfolded the paper on it to glance at it.

Obscured by a single leaf?

The big bald head seemed to have figured out something, and a sense of relief appeared on his face.

*Number Three is indeed a Confucian Student.*

He immediately ignited the paper with his qi, and an inexplicable force enveloped him, restraining his aura.

*... The ability to restrain one's aura!*

The pupils of the big bald head shrunk slightly, revealing a shocked look.

This isn't something that can be achieved by a common fifth-rank Virtuous. At least a fourth-rank Junzi was needed to do this.

*Number Three's status couldn’t be ordinary; he's not just a Confucian Disciple, but also a student valued by a certain Great Scholar.*

*Daoist Jinlian didn't deceive me when he said that every holder of the Earth Book was an outstanding genius.*

He didn't leave immediately, but unhurriedly took out clean and tidy monk clothes from a small jade mirror and put them on, then threw the foul-smelling shoes and clothes into the small jade mirror.

*I have to leave quickly. If I delay more, It'll be dangerous once the Experts from the Nightwatchers gather...* The big bald head didn't dare to fly over the roof and walked on the street.

At the time, he saw an upright young man standing on a ridge of the adjacent street, wearing a Nightwatcher uniform, holding a knife in one hand, and facing the night wind while looking ahead. His eyes looked empty and lonely.

His posture looked as calm as water and as lofty as a mountain.

He was like a firefly in the night, shining brightly.

*This bronze gong's grandeur is reserved, and he looks very handsome... The Nightwatchers are indeed filled with talents...* The bald head took a few glances and secretly appreciated his appearance mentally.

Following Three's words, he found the Qingshu Inn, and the sixth window was indeed open.

The big bald head jumped up lightly and entered the room without making a sound. Within a few seconds, the window and door were closed.

"Whew..." Xu Qi'an relaxed his shoulders and stopped posing.

Although he knew that Number Six was probably a Buddhist disciple, and presumably not a woman, he was still a little disappointed.

"Number Nine is the LYB Jinlian, Number Six is the crass monk, who has suffered a lot and has a deep hatred. The other netizens should be beautiful girls." Xu Qi'an was about to take out the mirror to take a look at the chat history when his ears moved upon hearing heavy footsteps.

He could see dozens of black shadows rising and falling on the roof, rushing towards this side.

*Next, Number Six can be considered safe after passing this test.* Xu Qi'an narrowed his eyes and thought.

The murder of Earl Pingyuan alarmed the Gold Gong, six Silver Gongs, and dozens of Bronze Gongs who were on duty tonight.

Almost all of the Nightwatchers on duty tonight were dispatched, and they also brought several white-cloaked Sitianjian disciples with them.

The imperial guards also cooperated with the Nightwatchers and sealed the area several li around Earl Pingyuan's mansion.

The Gold Gong who was the team leader was called Jiang Lyuzhong. He was in his forties, with jet-black hair, and the corners of his eyes had wrinkles, but his eyes looked as sharp as a hawk, and his pupils were shining with sharpness.

His eyes were very famous in the Nightwatcher Office. Except for Golden Gongs at his level, no one else could look at him for more than three seconds.

He led the team, constantly moving through the ridges, scanning the dark urban area with his sharp eyes.

The white cloaks were carried by the Bronze Gongs, and they swept across the street inch by inch using their qi-watching eyes.

Jiang Lyuzhong said in a deep voice, "After a murderer kills, his aura should be stained with blood. Have you noticed such abnormalities?"

The Arcanists were only eighth-rank Qi Watchers, and their combat power was mediocre. They still didn't know how to fly over walls and needed the gongs to carry them over their backs, but this didn't prevent them from showing their sense of superiority in front of the martial artists.

"No!" Sitianjian's White Cloaks replied indifferently.

Jiang Lyuzhong's expression paused, but he resisted.

After walking for a while, A certain Sitianjian White Cloak saw Xu Qi'an standing proudly on the ridge. He was stunned for a moment, before he exulted, "Get down, Get down quickly."

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Author’s note: 3,200 characters here, what do you ladies and gentlemen think of an equivalent exchange for some recommendation tickets? (or, *ahem*, something else)