Nightwatcher

# 337. Snake Trails in the Grass

Xu Qi'an's face froze, and his heart surged with waves of realisation, bringing an overwhelming impact.

At that moment, his mind felt electrified, countless pieces of information boiling within him, with countless overlooked details churning and surfacing.

*Previously, I never thought the involvement of an Arcanist behind the Tax Silver Case was a serious point of suspicion... So it turns out, the Tax Silver Case was aimed at me all along?*

Xu Qi'an felt his scalp tingle.

Looking back at the Xu family's situation during the Tax Silver Case:

Xu Pingzhi failed to protect the tax silver, losing an entire 150,000 taels. Emperor Yuanjing’s decree was: Xu Pingzhi would be executed publicly, while his male relatives across three clans would be exiled to the frontier, and the women consigned to the Jiaofangsi.

In other words, if it weren't for his transmigration and his subsequent heroic efforts to solve the case, Xu Qi'an’s fate would have been exile.

*Exiled to the frontier... then have the fortune within me taken back?*

*All this time, I thought the fortune within me awakened with my cultivation progress. At the ninth rank, I picked up one cash; at the eighth rank, three cash; at the seventh rank, five cash…*

*But in hindsight, that's not how it works at all. I started picking up silver coins after leaving prison, yet I was still at the Refining Vitality stage at that time. Why, then, didn’t the original Xu Qi'an ever pick up silver?*

*The truth is, the fortune hidden within me began awakening during that period, and so the mastermind orchestrated the Tax Silver Case to 'get me out' of the capital.*

*But there’s a logical bug here—if their goal was to remove me from the capital, they didn’t need to go to such lengths. They could have simply abducted me. With the Jianzheng overseeing the capital, the mastermind dared not enter the city, for no method of concealing their aura would escape a first-rank Arcanist.*

*However, kidnapping a mere bailiff from Changle County wouldn’t require the final boss's direct involvement; a handful of lackeys could’ve done the job.*

*Unless... my sudden disappearance would lead to certain uncontrollable consequences. Therefore, they had to use the Tax Silver Case to reasonably drive me out of the capital.*

*But again, I'm just an unremarkable bailiff. Who would care if I disappeared? The same question remains—why is the fortune hidden within me?*

A sudden flash of inspiration hit Xu Qi'an as he recalled something Lina had said: "Heaven Gu Granny was utterly shocked and confused upon learning of my presence in the capital."

*I know why the fortune was hidden in me!*

*The two thieves who stole the fortune secretly hid it in a newborn baby in the capital. Normally, anyone would think that something stolen would be taken away, not left behind. This created a blind spot.*

*The two thieves used this trick to evade detection by the first-rank Jianzheng!*

Xu Qi'an pinched his brow and summarized his thoughts on the paper:

"Why was the fortune hidden in me? It could be coincidence or deliberate intent—uncertain."

*Once my fortune began awakening, the Jianzheng noticed me and started planning, treating me as an important piece on his chessboard.*

*The Arcanist who appeared in the Yunzhou case is very likely connected to the mastermind…*

As he wrote, Xu Qi'an suddenly paused, a new question arising in his mind: During the Yunzhou case, he had already left the capital and was outside the Jianzheng’s sphere of influence. Why hadn’t the mysterious Arcanist abducted him then?

This was another logical flaw.

Pressing a hand against his throbbing head, Xu Qi'an decided to stop pondering for now. He would revisit these thoughts once his primordial spirit had fully recovered and review everything thoroughly again.

Redirecting his focus, Xu Qi'an returned to the chilling phrase he'd written earlier: "The Gu God awakens, apocalypse comes."

*The Heaven Gu tribe’s seer prophesied that the Gu God would inevitably awaken, turning the world into one where there is only Gu... But that doesn’t make sense. Even if the Gu God is a being beyond the ranks, it’s not invincible.*

The West had Buddha, the Northeast had the Warlock God, not to mention the missing Daoist Patriarch and the self-proclaimed deceased Confucian Sage.

Leaving aside the latter two, just the Buddha and the Warlock God alone should be enough to deal with the Gu God.

*But the Heaven Gu tribe’s prophecy wouldn’t be baseless. This means there are secrets I’m not privy to. The Gu God is the only surviving entity from the ancient era of gods and demons. Now that I think about it, there’s an interesting point—during ancient times, there must’ve been other entities of the Gu God’s level.*

*So why was the Gu God the sole survivor? This could be the key to why its revival would bring about the end of the world. Perhaps this is why the former leader of the Heaven Gu tribe chose to steal the fortune to suppress the Gu God...*

Xu Qi'an’s eyes widened suddenly, as though struck by lightning. A long-forgotten detail surfaced in his mind.

Number Five, Lina, had once mentioned in the Earth Book fragment that the Gu tribe discovered a statue of the Confucian Sage during their exploration of the Abyss.

*The Confucian Sage’s statue seems to be suppressing the Gu God… The Confucian system is connected to fortune… The former leader of the Heaven Gu tribe must’ve drawn inspiration from that statue in the Abyss, leading to their plan to steal the fortune of the Great Feng?*

*So… this is it?* Xu Qi'an exhaled deeply, feeling as though he had unearthed part of the mystery behind those events.

*The former leader of the Heaven Gu tribe acted to suppress the Gu God, but what was the mysterious Arcanist group’s objective? Never mind… My head hurts. It’s true that ignorance is bliss.*

Xu Qi'an mocked himself.

With his Primordial Spirit in pain, sleep was out of the question. Xu Qi'an decided to visit the Nightwatcher Constabulary to investigate the trigger that lead to the Battle of Shanhai Pass and check the records of Zhou Xianping, the former Assistant Minister of Revenue.

Zhou Xianping had masterminded the Tax Silver Case and must have ties to the mysterious Arcanists.

As Xu Qi'an stepped out of his room, he saw Li Miaozhen holding a porcelain bowl in one hand and a piece of xuan paper in the other. The Holy Maiden of the Heaven Sect snorted coldly, saying, "Why did you poke Susu’s chest? Lucky for you, she’s just a paper doll. If she were a proper lady of virtue..."

"Then I would have to take responsibility?"

"No, I’d chop off your hand."

"…"

*Chop off my hand? My hand isn’t as resilient as that of Monk Shenshu—it won’t grow back if severed…* Xu Qi'an grumbled internally, freezing mid-thought as a sudden realization struck him.

*Monk Shenshu!*

*Could it be that my safe return from Yunzhou was due to the Monk Shenshu within me? This must have deterred the mastermind, who feared provoking retaliation from Shenshu... Yes, during the Yunzhou case, the mastermind must have observed me up close and discovered the presence of Shenshu within me.*

*The Jianzheng—he had planned all this from the beginning! After discovering the fortune within me, he began laying the groundwork. That’s why he ignored the remnants of the Wanyao Kingdom—because he knew Monk Shenshu would inevitably parasitise me.*

*Was this the "bodyguard" he assigned to me?*

*Through Monk Shenshu, the Jianzheng ensured the fortune stayed firmly within me, making it impossible for the mastermind to reclaim it...*

*The Jianzheng is terrifying…* Xu Qi'an shivered.

He truly understood what was a mastermind’s plans, faint as snake trails in the grass, weaving their way through the decades.

Upon arriving in the front hall, Xu Qi’an saw a petite beauty in a yellow dress, with an oval face and large eyes—it was Chu Caiwei.

On the round table were an assortment of cakes, desserts, and meat dishes, enough to satisfy five or six hearty men. Currently seated around the table and tackling the food were three seemingly delicate yet surprisingly voracious women.

Chu Caiwei, Lina, and Xu Lingyin.

"Miss Caiwei, long time no see," Xu Qi’an greeted. _How many chapters has it been since this girl last showed up? Ever since your Fifth Senior Sister came into the picture, I’ve been considering breaking up with you._

The three women all turned their heads to look at him, their eyes betraying the primal, food-protecting instincts ingrained in their genes.

“I visit the Xu residence often, but you’re always at the Constabulary during the day, so you never see me,” Chu Caiwei replied, her cheeks puffed out as she chewed, her words muffled by the food in her mouth.

As for the evenings, it was, of course, inappropriate for an unmarried lady to remain at someone else’s house.

Lina chimed in, “Caiwei and I get along really well.”

“Me too! Me too!” Xu Lingyin said loudly.

_Get along? Is it because your IQ levels are on the same level, or because you’re all gluttons?_ Xu Qi’an mused inwardly. Seeing the three women guard their food so defensively, he decided not to enter the hall to ask for anything to eat.

_Ridiculous. I only had one chicken leg for lunch—and even shared half of it with Xu Lingyin!_

He left the Xu residence, mounted his beloved little mare, and clattered off toward the Constabulary.

The little mare had become increasingly majestic—its diet of high-grade warhorse fodder had given it a glossy coat, sleek curves, and plenty of energy.

Upon arriving at the Nightwatcher Constabulary, Xu Qi’an first returned to One Blade Hall and instructed his subordinate Bronze Gongs to patrol the streets and avoid slacking off.

The Bronze Gongs muttered, “Boss, you spend three days in the office and two days slacking off, yet Gold Gong Yang never says a word. If we did the same, we’d have been fired ages ago.”

Xu Qi’an sternly replied, “Less talking, more working!”

The Bronze Gongs, entirely unafraid of him, joked and bantered.

One young Bronze Gong, around seventeen years old, hesitantly approached and stammered, “Boss, I-I heard you’re a regular at the Jiaofangsi... I was wondering if you could take me there tonight…”

The others laughed, chiming in, “Boss, this kid wants you to show him the ropes. He’s still a virgin, just joined the Constabulary after breaking through to the Refining Qi stage last year.”

Hearing this, Xu Qi’an felt a twinge of guilt—he’d been neglecting his subordinates lately.

“Alright, after our shift ends, I’ll take you there. It’s on me. With your measly salary, how could you afford the Jiaofangsi? Stick with me, and you’ll enjoy free indulgences for life,” Xu Qi’an said, patting the young Gong’s shoulder.

The Bronze Gongs cheered, feeling they had lucked out with such a generous boss.

Meanwhile, Xu Qi’an couldn’t help reflecting on the era’s lack of romantic freedom. Marriages were either arranged early by one’s family or, for the unattached, limited to places like the Jiaofangsi or brothels.

This reminded him of a friend from his previous life in police academy. That friend had also lost his virginity in a similar establishment. According to his friend, he had arrived at the academy as a naïve, hungry youth, dragging his suitcase behind him. Starving after getting off the train at noon, he had encountered a middle-aged woman who asked, “Want some fast food?”

That day, his life changed forever.

He grew up.

…

In the Constabulary’s *Ding*-Grade Archives, there were no records on the former Minister of Revenue, Zhou Xianping. However, Xu Qi’an found related files in the *Yi*-Grade section.

“Strange. For a disgraced official accused of embezzlement, the files shouldn’t be classified at such a high level…”

The *Yi*-Grade Archives were accessible only to Gold Gongs. However, Xu Qi’an’s special status granted him unrestricted access to all files except those in the *Jia*-Grade Archives, which required a personal written authorisation from Wei Yuan.

After reading Zhou Xianping’s dossier, Xu Qi’an finally understood why they were classified as *Yi*-Grade.

*According to the investigation, the former Minister of Revenue, Zhou Xianping, embezzled over two million taels of silver during his twenty-year tenure. Yet, when his estate was searched, only a few thousand taels were recovered. Where did the rest go?*

*Even if he squandered it on pleasures over twenty years, in an era with such low living costs, there’s no way he could have spent two million taels.*

Zhou Xianping had died en-route to exile—almost certainly silenced.

_The mastermind has infiltrated the court to some degree. Zhou Xianping was clearly one of their pawns, but are there more? If so, who could they be?_

Closing the files, Xu Qi’an, mentally drained, massaged his temples and felt an unprecedented weight on his shoulders.

_I can’t keep coasting like this. Listening to music at brothels has dulled my edge. It turns out the Jianzheng has been shielding me from the raging undercurrents all along, but my actual situation is perilous._

_No matter who the mastermind is, they’ll eventually try to reclaim the fortune within me. I can’t sit idly by. Then there’s also the fortune of the jade seal within me, belonging to that ancient Human Sect Daoist._

_Would he allow a mysterious Arcanist to steal his fortune? Doubtful. Still, I can’t pin my hopes on an ancient human whose life or death is uncertain._

_Let’s start small. Within two years, I need to raise my noble title and secure greater authority. Even though the Great Feng is in decline, it still has abundant talent, the Jianzheng, Wei Yuan, and crafty ministers—along with millions of troops. These are my assets._

_Second, by year’s end, I must advance to Fourth rank. Strength remains my greatest asset. Only with strength can I shift from being a pawn to becoming a player._

Exhaling deeply, Xu Qi’an summoned a clerk and said, “Bring me all the files on the Battle of Shanhai Pass.”

The clerk returned with a thick stack of records.

Scanning the documents at lightning speed, Xu Qi’an took an hour to finish. The files described the Battle of Shanhai Pass as triggered by a conspiracy between the southern and northern barbarian tribes, who sought to encroach on the Great Feng’s territory.

Sensing danger, the Great Feng had called upon its western ally, and together they defeated the southern and northern barbarian tribes.

But Xu Qi’an knew the story wasn’t that simple. The battle had involved the Yao Clans and the Church of the Warlock God, making it a conflict that engulfed all Jiuzhou’s major factions.

The adversaries were: the southern and northern barbarians, northern Yaoguai clans, remnants of the Wanyao Kingdom, and the Church of the Warlock God.

The Great Feng and the Western Buddhists, a 2v5 alliance, emerged victorious.

_This was basically Jiuzhou’ version of World War I. A war of such massive scale couldn’t have erupted without cause… although, as far as I remember, World War I started rather absurdly?_

_That’s not the point…_ Xu Qi’an mentally corrected himself.

_Why am I overthinking this? I should just ask someone who knows. Why am I stubbornly trying to figure it all out on my own?_

After struggling for so long, Xu Qi’an smacked his forehead, abandoning his solo contemplation. He left the archives and headed for the Tower of Noble Spirit.