Volume One, Chapter 15: How Can a True Man Go a Day Without Power?

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I will test the little nun’s innocence—whether she is still a virgin—what do people say?

Dressed impeccably, Qin Zheng glanced at Yang Fengqing’s nonchalant demeanor and felt momentarily unsettled.

No, the key issue was that Yang Fengqing also knew about the little nun’s peculiarities.

Surely, during my unconsciousness, Yang Fengqing must have investigated the women within the Entertainment Bureau.

Qin Zheng composed himself and feigned indifference. “Regarding this matter... I will do my utmost! However, I know very little about the Night Watchers. I beg your pardon, my lord, please enlighten me.”

Yang Fengqing responded seriously, “Our Great Ning is surrounded on three sides by demons, the last pure land for humanity. Amid internal strife and external threats, the Night Watchers were established.”

He explained gravely, “Inside Great Ning, the Night Watchers serve as a shield, purging internal troubles. Outside, they are the sword, eradicating demonic factions coveting human territories!”

Qin Zheng bowed with respect but asked with curiosity, “What exactly are the duties and regulations of the Night Watchers?”

Yang Fengqing said proudly, “The Night Watchers have but one duty: to find and eliminate the enemy!”

He continued, “As undercover operatives, we are everywhere—in government offices, among all walks of life, even deep within demonic territories—gathering intelligence, hunting foes, and using every means to annihilate them!”

He paused and added, “Though collectively called demons, these beings belong to various clans constantly at war. For example, the hatred between wolf demons and sheep demons far exceeds their animosity toward humans. This provides us Night Watchers opportunities to infiltrate their domains.”

Then, with a cheerful grin, he said, “Your current task is to find the enemy and uncover those colluding with demons behind this case! But I expect you will also become a sword, eradicating the enemy in time!”

Qin Zheng’s blood had yet to cool, and he was moved, yet he doubted, “The mastermind behind this case wields great power and influence. Why would such a person conspire with demons?”

“Human hearts are unpredictable, desires insatiable. There are countless reasons!” Yang Fengqing sighed helplessly. “Common folk toil for survival. Nobles vie endlessly for power. Cultivators stop at nothing for resources. A single second-grade demon pill is worth a city’s bloodshed!”

Qin Zheng felt the weight of these words but remained composed. “So, we Night Watchers do the dirty work? No special privileges?”

Yang Fengqing looked surprised. “You were raised in His Majesty’s Xuanhe Garden. Would you care about privileges?”

He added, “You caused quite a stir at the official academy and yet remain unscathed—that’s privilege. Lord Lu trusts you because of your bond with the Emperor, so there were no trials; he simply trusts your loyalty!”

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Qin Zheng shrugged helplessly. “But His Majesty is obsessed with painting and indifferent to state affairs. The harem has no political power. To me, the Xuanhe Garden means only Lord Lu’s trust. Without money or influence, what can I rely on to investigate?”

Yang Fengqing scratched his head, equally helpless. “For your investigations, you may request any personnel or intelligence you need. What other privileges do you want?”

Qin Zheng relaxed and smiled awkwardly. “Do Night Watchers have the right to strike first and report later? Also, regarding cultivation resources, I need as much demon beast blood and rare materials as possible...”

Yang Fengqing hesitated this time. This young man was so demanding—was he really fit to be a Night Watcher?

“For the sake of all living beings, yes, you may strike first and report later,” Yang Fengqing explained cautiously, “But you must never recklessly kill innocents. If you kill the wrong person, how can you justify it afterward? Killing by whim makes you no different from the lawless.”

Growing impatient, he added, “We Night Watchers are not the Celestial Bureau; we have no rare materials, but we do have some special weapons. Each member is allotted a share of cultivation resources.”

The Celestial Bureau has rare materials?

Can I bring my little flame and touch each one...

Qin Zheng was greatly tempted but smiled awkwardly, “Then about my weapons and cultivation resources... Lord Lu, with his wisdom, must have prepared these, right?”

Yang Fengqing narrowed his hawk-like eyes, clasped his fists behind his back, then clenched them tightly.

This brat keeps asking for this and that but still refuses to say where to start investigating—truly vexing!

Quietly loosening his fists to suppress his irritation, he grabbed a broad sword standing nearby and tossed it onto the desk. In a deep voice, he said, “You are clever. Lord Lu has indeed prepared a weapon for you!”

He pointed at the broad sword and explained, “This is the Night Watcher’s blade—formless and ever-changing but embedded with Celestial Bureau formations. It can cleave through a fifth-grade warrior or the body of a fifth-grade demon beast!”

Why not your ancient broad sword...

Qin Zheng looked at the sword in front of him—plain, without decoration or inlay.

The blade was straight, neither sword nor cleaver, but just one inch drawn from the sheath emanated sharpness and weight that caused an involuntary flow of information in Qin Zheng’s mind: “The kingly spirit of the sword, the domineering aura of the blade.”

He instantly admired this broad sword but did not rush to try it, instead cheerfully asked, “How about cultivation resources?”

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Yang Fengqing unconsciously crossed his arms, took a deep breath, and said stiffly, “I kill people, not write reports. I can only outline the rules for you.”

“Our Night Watcher hierarchy is: messengers, small banners, hundred households, thousand households, town commanders, deputy commanders, assistant commanders, and commanders. I am a town commander, Lord Lu is the commander.”

“You are currently a small banner with ten messengers under you. But to keep your undercover identity secret, you have been assigned only one messenger to communicate with me for now!”

“A small banner’s monthly salary is one hundred taels of silver, exchangeable for one catty of ninth-grade demon beast meat—enough for normal body refining. But if you have merits, I will grant additional rewards.”

...

Qin Zheng quickly calculated: one tael equals a thousand copper coins, one copper coin buys a steamed bun. One hundred taels equals one hundred thousand copper coins.

Compared to the assistant military inspector’s monthly ten taels and five bushels of rice, this is indeed a high salary.

In the capital, a three-courtyard residence costs ten thousand taels. Without eating or drinking, it would take less than eight years to afford a home in the capital...

Bah, old habit again—this has nothing to do with housing prices!

But ninth-grade demon beasts are the lowest rank. Each catty of their meat costs a hundred taels.

Yet “Mahua” can knock a fourth-grade Cui Guangyuan into a vegetative state with a single punch. That makes Mahua at least fourth-grade and several times larger than a normal person—at least three or four hundred pounds.

Little Flame devoured a three- or four-hundred-pound fourth-grade demon beast Mahua with little reaction. Eating one catty of ninth-grade demon beast meat is hardly worth a mosquito’s leg—what use is that?

Working a job really has no future; it can’t even sustain Little Flame.

Qin Zheng quickly changed his approach and sighed, “My lord, you misunderstand. I am not concerned with salary! It’s just that with only one messenger, investigating cases becomes difficult and may delay progress!”

Yang Fengqing looked ready to explode on the spot and waved his hand to cut him off impatiently. “I’m not good at investigations, but I’m not stupid! Tell me straight—what do you want?”

Qin Zheng exhaled softly and said calmly, “A true man cannot be without power even for a day!”