Nightwatcher

# 269. The Last Day of the Exams

Lina was deeply moved by the concern of the Heaven and Earth Society, and began recounting her story of being deceived:

【FIVE: Thank you all for your concern. I'm currently in Yongzhou. This morning, I met an old Daoist priest who told me that I had extraordinary bones and was a one-in-a-million prodigy. I thought he must be a true master, otherwise, how could he see my uniqueness among the masses…】

*Wait, that’s just the typical con artist line! Are you really that gullible, or just overconfident?* Xu Qi'an restrained himself from sending a message to ridicule her.

【TWO: And then you just let him scam you without any precautions?】

Li Miaozhen asked, clearly exasperated.

She was furious at hearing about such injustice, yet feeling helpless that she couldn’t rush over to help. This feeling of powerlessness was infuriating, making her want to stomp her feet in frustration.

Lina hurriedly defended herself:【FIVE: Of course I’m not that foolish.】

*If you're not foolish, then who is?* The members of the Heaven and Earth Society silently scoffed.

【FIVE: This Daoist was indeed capable. Not only did he recognize that I was a prodigy, but he also figured out that I’m from the Southern Marches. When I left, I changed into the Great Feng’s attire, completely disguising myself as a local woman.】

【FOUR: What about your accent? Did you manage to change that?】

【FIVE: What accent?】

…….. The group chat fell into brief silence before Master Hengyuan replied: 【SIX: No problem, Five, go on.】

【FIVE: The old Daoist said that when traveling, the most important thing is having enough money. He asked where I was heading, and I told him I was going to the capital. He then asked how much silver I had, and I told him sixty taels.

【He said, 'The journey to the capital is long, and sixty taels won’t be enough.'】

By now, everyone knew where this was going.

【FIVE: The old Daoist said he had a Treasure Bowl that could multiply money. Put in one coin, and by the next day, the bowl would be filled with copper coins. Put in one tael, and by the next day, the bowl would be full of silver.】

【FOUR: And you believed him?】

【FIVE: At first, I didn’t. But the old Daoist demonstrated it for me. He asked me to put in a piece of broken silver, covered the bowl with a cloth, and after an hour, there were indeed several more pieces of silver.

【The Daoist said his treasure was only for those destined, and sold it to me for a mere sixty taels…

【I put my last two copper coins in the bowl, and it’s been over two hours now, but no silver has appeared.】

*Her level of gullibility is simply touching...* Xu Qi'an chuckled. It seemed that tricking the little barbarian girl out of her money had to be done through deceit—stealing or robbing wouldn’t work; only scamming was effective.

【TWO: Five, treasures are priceless and hard to come by. How could someone just give one away for free? Remember this lesson.】

【FIVE: But Daoist Jinlian gave me the Earth Book Fragment for free, saying treasures are for those destined.】

【TWO: Blame it on Daoist Jinlian.】

Daoist Jinlian: "………."

“Hahaha!” Xu Qi'an snorted like a pig.

“The purpose of Heaven and Earth Society is to support one another, not to mock each other.”

Suddenly, a soft and charming voice, filled with the allure of a mature woman, sounded from behind him.

The pig sounds were abrutly cut short. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he turned to see Luo Yuheng, who had appeared unnoticed, and quickly stood up, “National Teacher.”

Luo Yuheng was dressed in a magnificent feathered robe, embroidered with a yin-yang on her back. Her silky black hair was tied up with a black jade hairpin, and her fair complexion resembled porcelain, with delicate features that were breathtakingly beautiful.

The red cinnabar dot on her forehead added to her ethereal charm.

Her gaze fell on the Earth Book Fragment, and with a slight smile in her eyes, she said calmly, “So, Five is from the Southern Marches?”

*How do you know that? How long have you been listening…* Xu Qi'an honestly replied, “It seems she’s from the Strength Gu Tribe.”

Luo Yuheng nodded slowly and commented, “Their strength is unmatched.”

Xu Qi'an snuck a glance at the National Teacher’s delicate lips, “Stronger than a martial artist?”

With an air of cold elegance, Luo Yuheng resembled a jade statue of a beautiful woman. She returned to her seat on the prayer mat and said, “In terms of pure strength, martial artists fall far short of the experts from the Strength Gu Tribe.

“The seven shaman clans each have very specialized abilities. Individually, any one of them is not much of a threat, but when united, even the Buddhists would have to show caution.”

*It sounds similar to my one blade from heaven and earth, an extreme approach rather than a well-rounded development...* Xu Qi'an nodded thoughtfully.

The beautiful National Teacher was in a chatty mood today, continuing, “Earlier, I overheard Chu Yuanxian and you discussing the ancient gods and demons. Indeed, the Gu God is the last surviving deity of that era.”

“There really were gods and demons?” Xu Qi'an was taken aback.

“Except for the yao-monsters and humans, all other surviving strange beasts in Jiuzhou are descendants of gods and demons. Haven’t you been to Yunzhou? That legendary beast in Baidi City is a descendant of those deities. The spirit dragon in the imperial palace, the wyrms of the Southern Marches… all of them trace their lineage back to those beings.”

*So these gods and demons are like ancient dinosaurs...* Xu Qi'an probed further, “How did they go extinct?”

*It can’t have been a volcanic eruption or a meteor strike, right?*

Luo Yuheng didn’t respond, closing her beautiful eyes and remaining silent.

Xu Qi'an took this opportunity to secretly admire her beauty. Though the National Teacher could show many different appearances, depending on the observer’s inner desires—‘a white-haired little sister’, ‘a childhood sweetheart’, or ‘a mature 36D big sister’—what he saw most often was her true self: a kind-hearted auntie.

A woman in her thirties or forties, with a delicate and graceful face that lacked the vivacity of a young maiden and the sultriness of a voluptuous woman. Instead, she exuded an icy calm and the dignity of an elder.

Xu Qi'an admired her openly, knowing that Luo Yuheng was well aware of her charm. No man could resist it, and there was no point in being secretive. Besides, his furtive glances would never escape her perception, so he figured he might as well be upfront.

At that moment, he noticed that Daoist Jinlian had sent a message: 【NINE: I’ve temporarily blocked Five from receiving messages. Let’s discuss how we should handle this situation.】

*…….. Did I miss something while I was admiring the National Teacher?* Xu Qi'an reluctantly shifted his attention back to the group chat.

【NINE: I suggest we don’t intervene and let her learn from the hardships of the world. From the Southern Marches to the capital, she will undoubtedly gain valuable experience and grow from it.】

Li Miaozhen disagreed with Daoist Jinlian’s approach and argued: 【TWO: Daoist, the world is full of dangers. Though Five is powerful, she’s too naive. Intelligence is always more valuable than raw strength.】

The zhuangyuan added his thoughts:【FOUR: Although Five is indeed naive and inexperienced, she’s not foolish. She knows how to avoid danger and understands what’s worth protecting. I think Daoist Jinlian’s suggestion has merit.】

*Daoist Jinlian’s tough love is wise—letting her face the harsh realities of the world will force her to grow quickly…* Xu Qi'an silently agreed, thinking the plan was quite sound.

【SIX: I believe our immediate concern shouldn’t be her long-term growth, but rather how she’ll find food and shelter for the night.】

……… That remark seemed to conclude the discussion, and for a while, the group chat remained silent.

The small meeting within the Heaven and Earth Society could be summarized as:

FIVE: "I'm stuck in a foreign land with no money, where do I eat and sleep? Urgently seeking advice, online now!"

What could anyone do? After all, they were just online friends, scattered across different regions of the world. It wasn't like WeChat or Alipay existed for them to send money.

Not even immortals could help here.

【TWO: Why not have Five perform on the streets? The 'smashing rocks on the chest' act is quite popular with common folk. You can smash your way to the capital and earn your travel expenses.】

【SIX: She could seek alms from temples and ask for lodging. But since temples are scarce in the Great Feng, it won't help in the immediate future.】

【FOUR: In times of need, one could resort to some light pilfering.】

Chu Yuanzhen's suggestion was to target some rich folk and steal a bit of silver.

【NINE: Five doesn't know how to steal. If you force her into it, it'll just turn into a mugging.】

After all, she was from the Strength Gu tribe.

Just as everyone was about to offer more suggestions, they found themselves blocked and unable to send or receive messages.

At the same time, Xu Qi'an received a message from Daoist Jinlian:

【Three, do you have any suggestions?】

Though he talked about letting Five suffer some of society's beatings, Daoist Jinlian seemed genuinely concerned about the holders of the Book of the Earth fragments. Xu Qi'an thought for a moment and then replied:

【"Is Five pretty?"】

【NINE: Her looks are decent.】

*Well, that's easy then...* Xu Qi'an wrote back, explaining his plan: 【She should become a king of the sea.】

【What does that mean?】 Daoist Jinlian was confused.

Question: *How do good-looking men and women travel across countries without a penny to their name?*

Answer: *By stringing along admirers.*

Xu Qi'an relayed his idea to Daoist Jinlian and added, 【Teach Five this phrase: 'Rabbits are so cute, why eat them?'

【Young chivalrous men on the road will fall for it. Master this skill, and she'll never worry about food or lodging again.】

Daoist Jinlian chose to ignore him after that.

When communication resumed, Daoist Jinlian shared everyone's thoughts with Five, urging her to protect herself and have a safe journey.

As for Xu Qi'an's suggestion, Daoist Jinlian decided to brush it off. While it might have been a bit shameless, it was actually practical. However, it was clear that Five wasn't capable of pulling off such an advanced maneuver.

That was Three's own specialty.

Not long after, Chu Yuanzhen returned, bowed to the meditating Luo Yuheng, and then said, "Brother Xu, it's your turn."

Xu Qi'an calmly walked out, circled the outhouse once, and then returned. As he entered, he saw a young Daoist leading a middle-aged general in armor, striding swiftly in their direction.

The general's expression was one of anxiety, as if something urgent had occurred.

The young Daoist stopped outside the quiet chamber and called out, "Sect Leader, the Captain of King Huai's Guards requests an audience."

*King Huai... that’s the title of the Zhenbei King, right?* Xu Qi'an paused upon hearing this and discreetly observed the armoured general.

This man had abundant vitality, restrained divine energy, and considerable cultivation. However, his brow was furrowed in worry, clearly troubled.

The Zhenbei King was a “prince” — brother to the Emperor — and Huai was his official feudal title. "Zhenbei King", “Protector of the North” was merely an honorific earned through military achievements.

"What is it?" came Luo Yuheng's soft, enchanting voice from within the chamber.

"Master, the Princess Consort has gone missing. I’ve searched the entire royal city, but there’s no sign of her. Since she was on good terms with you, I came to inquire if you might know where she went," the general said in a low voice.

*The Zhenbei King's consort... the famed beauty of the Great Feng?* Xu Qi'an perked up.

He had seen many beautiful women, including powerful ones like the Empress and peerless ones like the National Teacher. Now, his curiosity was piqued to see what the so-called greatest beauty in the Great Feng looked like.

"What business do I have with the Princess Consort? She is not here at Lingbao Temple. You'd better search elsewhere," Luo Yuheng answered.

The general, still filled with concern, took his leave.

*The Princess Consort is missing?* Xu Qi'an watched the guard captain's departing figure with great interest.

…

After lunch at Lingbao Temple, Xu Qi'an returned to his post at the constabulary, and lead his patrol on the streets. One silver and two bronze coins patrolled the streets with high spirits, dedicated to their duty.

Those two groups of wandering swordsmen had already paid a hefty fine of silver to "ransom" back themselves. Now, Xu Qi'an carried six hundred taels of silver notes close to his chest, feeling immensely satisfied. Every time he spotted someone with the attire of a wandering warrior, it was as if he were eyeing a fat sheep.

Unfortunately, he didn’t encounter a single brawl that afternoon.

After his shift ended, Xu returned home for dinner. While eating, Uncle Xu mentioned some amusing news from the day: "Today, the Zhenbei King's consort ran away from home. The Five Guards of the capital were all deployed, and even the white-cloaks from the Sitianjian helped in the search. They spent the whole afternoon looking but couldn't find her."

Auntie, biting her chopsticks, asked, "And what happened after that?"

"She returned home by herself, so yeah, she just ran away from home. The guards at the palace were panicking, thinking someone had kidnapped her." Second Uncle shook his head, exasperated. "Women, I tell you, they're just so wilful! They had thousands of people searching the whole city."

Auntie rolled her eyes and sneered, "Thousands of soldiers, and you couldn't find one woman. The court should just replace you all with dogs."

Xu Qi'an raised his thumb and praised, "Auntie's verbal strikes are truly sharp!"

Auntie, with her sharp features, didn't quite understand her nephew’s odd phrasing and gave him a sideways glance.

Xu Erlang furrowed his brow and pointed out the oddity: "Although King Huai is a royal, his consort is still just that. It's unusual for this to mobilize all five of the capital's guards."

After all, such a large-scale search was a privilege reserved for the imperial household.

Second Uncle nodded, "That puzzled us as well. When we asked a *Qianhu*, even he didn’t know. He just said it was a direct order from His Majesty."

*Emperor Yuanjing must really care about this sister-in-law of his... Could it be an old flame?* Xu Qi'an wondered briefly before dismissing the thought. After all, the princess consort had once been one of Yuanjing's concubines, but she entered the palace rather late, long after the emperor had embraced celibacy.

Later, she was bestowed upon the Zhenbei King as his consort.

*There might be some hidden stories behind this...* But Xu Qi'an didn't care to dwell on it. Instead, he turned to Erlang and asked, "Is tomorrow the last day of exams?"

Xu Erlang nodded.

"Do well. When it comes to poetry, your big brother can proudly say, 'Five millennia long across all Jiuzhou, none can match my hand!'" Xu Qi'an said with confidence.

…

The next morning, before dawn broke, Xu Erlang, accompanied by his father and older brother, arrived at the examination hall, lantern in hand.

Once again, he spotted the bald monk and the swordsman in blue robes. This time, however, he remained calm, having grown used to their presence. He even returned their gaze with a cool smile.

"Number Three is quite arrogant with that smile," Chu Yuanzhen remarked.

"It's the final round of the metropolitan examination. He's probably confident that it's in the bag," Hengyuan explained.

"For a moment, I thought it was a provocation."

Hengyuan chuckled, "Let’s go. The next step is to wait for the results to be posted. Then we can focus on your duel with Li Miaozhen."

Chu Yuanzhen nodded and walked alongside Hengyuan. Glancing at the monk, he asked, "Master, what's your current combat strength?"

Hengyuan thought for a moment, then shook his head, "I rarely engage in combat."

Chu Yuanzhen simply responded, "I see." Both he and Number Six were hard to gauge by normal rank. By the standards of a martial artist, Chu Yuanzhen was just a Seventh Rank Refining Spirit, yet his true strength far exceeded that.

Hengyuan, on the other hand, was an Eighth Rank Warrior Monk, but his actual power was deep and mysterious.

…

Elsewhere, after the security frisk, Xu Erlang entered the small, sealed room and awaited the final round of the metropolitan examination.

Poetry!