Nightwatcher

# 211. Social Death

Song Tingfeng's voice was strange, a mix of surprise and urgency. If one had to describe it, it would be like, "Honey, come see God!"

That was the tone.

Xu Qi'an stuffed the account book into his chest pocket and headed out first. Zhu Guangxiao quickly put on his boots and followed him out.

In the main hall of the post station, a young girl in light blue tight-fitting clothes sat at the table, drinking tea. Her form-fitting attire outlined her lithe, panther-like figure. The sleeves were tied, and her hair was still in a high ponytail.

Her neat and efficient attire highlighted her dashing and heroic demeanour.

*Clearly, she was a valiant and heroic beauty... nothing like the holy maiden of the Heaven sect... Her sect taught her to be indifferent to emotions, but she became a righteous heroine instead...* Xu Qi'an internally criticised while smiling on the surface, saying:

"General Li, we meet again."

*This kid’s dark circles are even deeper... his mental state is not good... he must have had his vitality drained by the demon.* Li Miaozhen scrutinised him with her clear, bright eyes and nodded slightly, "Lord Xu."

Xu Qi'an sat across from her, with Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao on either side. The station attendant poured tea for them and then retreated.

Neither side spoke immediately, each lost in their own thoughts.

*She must be here for the demon, not getting a report from her, and realising something went wrong...* Xu Qi'an drank tea and pondered how to deal with the situation.

Should he return the demon to her?

He was reluctant. Such a beautiful spirit, just looking at it was pleasing to the eye. He had even thought of taking it to the capital to show Lingyin.

Moreover, its possession ability was very useful, suitable for various situations and environments.

"My lords..." Li Miaozhen rubbed her teacup, choosing her words carefully, "Did you see a girl named Susu yesterday?"

Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao immediately looked over.

Here it comes, the moment for the two little brothers to be publicly humiliated... Xu Qi'an's lips curled into a smile, "Yes, she formed an inseparable bond with my two colleagues."

Upon hearing this, their expressions varied. Song Tingfeng glanced at Zhu Guangxiao, thinking, it’s me she bonded with, what does Zhu Guangxiao have to do with it?

Li Miaozhen glanced at the two Bronze Gongs, feeling a bit sympathetic. From Xu Qi'an's words, it was clear that Susu had drained their vitality.

However, she was now more certain that the demon was in Xu Qi'an's hands; otherwise, he wouldn't say such things.

"Sorry, it was my oversight. I wonder if you could return her to me," Li Miaozhen said sincerely.

"Setting up a trap to harm imperial officials and extracting confidential information is a capital crime, General Li," Xu Qi'an said with a faint smile.

Li Miaozhen met his gaze calmly, neither defending nor getting angry, as if she completely disregarded the laws of Great Feng.

Xu Qi'an suddenly realised that Number Two was a hot-blooded youth. Although she was righteous and chivalrous, it didn’t hide the fact that she was a rogue knight who broke the law and held extreme disdain for the irresponsible Emperor Yuanjing.

Most importantly, Number Two was a Rank Five expert. To her, everyone here was trash...

*I need to change tack...* Xu Qi'an laughed heartily, "However, we are not one to press advantages. Everything is negotiable. Mainly, I admire General Li’s dedication. For over a year, you have tirelessly fought bandits for the country and the people, which puts me to shame.

"However, I am quite fond of Susu. Can General Li part with her?"

Xu Qi'an planned to bargain. Even otaku knew that their virtual wives were only for looking, but it didn't stop them from loving them.

Li Miaozhen frowned, "This spirit, though a high-level wraith, cannot survive long on its own. It must continuously absorb vitality, long periods of starvation will eventually drive it mad and turn it into an uncontrollable monster.

"Only by staying with me can it maintain its current state. You are not a disciple of the Daoist sect, you do not understand such secret arts. Keeping her will only harm yourself and others."

*Her real-life persona was very different from her online one... more serious in person... Well, a serious persona suits a leader, so it's probably a kind of disguise.* Xu Qi'an said helplessly, "Alright."

He said to wait a moment and stood up, returning to the room.

Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng stared blankly at each other... *What is a demon, and what does absorbing vitality mean? What were they talking about?*

*They just mentioned... Susu?*

Soon, Xu Qi'an returned with a wine jug and placed it on the table with a thud. All three eyes focused on the jug.

Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao looked puzzled, but Li Miaozhen narrowed her eyes, recognising the Daoist sealing charm engraved on the jug.

Xu Qi'an removed the lid, and the next moment, wisps of blue smoke rose from the jug, transforming into a stunningly beautiful woman. She glared at Xu Qi'an angrily and scolded coquettishly:

"Filthy man, I'm starving..."

Then she saw Li Miaozhen, her face immediately brightened, but quickly turned pitiful. She cried and whimpered:

"Master, you have to stand up for me. This scoundrel bullied me, insulted me. If you came any later, I would have borne his bastard child..."

*Susu...* Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng felt like they were turning into ice statues in the cold January weather.

Bang!

Li Miaozhen replaced the lid and nodded, "Thank you, Sir Xu, for your generosity. I owe you a favour. If you need anything in the future, just ask."

Xu Qi'an finally smiled, "General Li, you are too polite."

Number Two's promise was indeed valuable. Trading a demon that he couldn't keep for long for a promise was a good deal.

He escorted Li Miaozhen out of the post station, and when they reached the door, he asked, "With your status and cultivation, General Li, surely you don’t lack a demon, do you?"

Li Miaozhen considered for a moment before responding, "Demons are not ordinary ghosts. They must be made from girls born in the yin year and yin month, who remained virgins even in death."

*What constitutes a yin year and yin month?* Xu Qi'an smiled and nodded, pretending to understand.

"However," Li Miaozhen continued with a slight smile, "even if you raise a dog, you'll develop feelings for it, right?"

Xu Qi'an laughed, and the atmosphere between them became less formal and distant.

Seizing the moment, Li Miaozhen asked, "Sir Xu, could you accompany me a bit further?"

Xu Qi'an responded with a warm smile, "It would be my pleasure."

He glanced back, seeing Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao sitting motionless, their backs lonely and desolate.

"Let's go!" Xu Qi'an's smile grew even brighter.

As they walked along the wide street, Li Miaozhen carried a silver spear and had a sword strapped to her waist. Her heroic stride was captivating.

Xu Qi'an frequently turned his head, admiring the features of this Heaven Sect holy maiden. Her demeanour reminded him of a policewoman he had a crush on during his police academy days.

Short hair framing a beautiful face, clean complexion, long and straight legs in camouflage pants, and a firm chest under a dark green vest.

Comparing her to that police academy beauty, Xu Qi'an mentally concluded that Li Miaozhen, with her white horse, silver spear, scarlet cloak, and soft armor, was even more impressive.

Li Miaozhen said lightly, "Sir Xu, people in the martial world need not adhere strictly to etiquette, but I am still a woman. Staring at me like this is rather rude."

*Bah, this man is indeed a lecher.*

If lecher was her first impression at the banquet, now, Li Miaozhen’s label for Xu Qi'an was: a lecher with hidden depths.

*It seems the impression of being a lecher is hard to shake... my reputation is suffering...* Xu Qi'an's smile remained, "General Li reminds me of an old acquaintance."

Bah! Li Miaozhen cursed inwardly but kept a smile on her face, "Baidi City is flourishing, but Sir Xu, traveling with the Inspector, you must have seen plenty of desolation, right?"

"Indeed, it's quite distressing."

"Typically, each province under the command of the capital has 20 to 30 garrisons, but the Yunzhou command has only 15. Do you know why?" Li Miaozhen asked and answered herself, "Because Yunzhou is sparsely populated and plagued by bandits, making it impossible to station a large number of troops. Without soldiers, how can you fight bandits?"

According to the military system of Great Feng, provinces below the capital's command set up "garrisons," each with 5,600 soldiers. Counties below the provinces set up "posts," each with 1,100 soldiers.

Having only 15 garrisons in a province wasn't unheard of, but Yunzhou was a bandit-ridden area. It should have more than 25 garrisons to be adequately prepared.

"You only need to cultivate good fields. The army can farm during peacetime and become self-sufficient," Xu Qi'an suggested.

The commands across the country had military fields. When not in battle, soldiers worked like farmers.

Li Miaozhen looked at him, "And what about military pay?"

... Xu Qi'an admitted, "My bad, my bad!"

He remembered that soldiers needed pay, not just food. The more soldiers recruited, the higher the pay needed. If pay couldn’t be provided, the army could revolt at any time. History was full of such examples.

"I've been in Yunzhou for over a year, cooperating with Commander Yang Chuannan to fight bandits over twenty times. Each time, he did his best. I don't believe a man like that would collude with bandits," Li Miaozhen said seriously, looking at Xu Qi'an.

"Sir Xu, you are a key figure in this investigation. Your stance will influence the Inspector’s attitude. I hope you will handle this matter carefully."

"General Li overestimates me. I am just a lowly Bronze Gong," Xu Qi'an feigned surprise.

Li Miaozhen said frankly, "I've investigated you, Sir Xu, and I believe I know you quite well."

*For example, your proficiency in investigations and your affairs with multiple oiran in Jiaofangsi...*

"It seems Sir Xu has a cousin studying at the Cloud Deer Academy?"

*Number Two indeed suspects Number Three’s identity... suspects Erlang is the enthusiastic scholar Number Three... I should take this opportunity to deepen the misunderstanding. Since Erlang is at the academy and Number Two is in Yunzhou, far apart... I can use Erlang's connections to gain Number Two’s trust... revealing my identity is too dangerous...* Xu Qi'an smiled and said:

"Yes, Cijiu is an ambitious scholar, highly regarded by the scholars of Cloud Deer Academy. He is said to be groomed as a future successor."

*Groomed as a successor... No wonder Number Three knows so much about the Academy’s layout and secrets...* Li Miaozhen nodded in realisation, smiling:

"Sir Xu is also passionate and righteous."

Her attitude shifted, seemingly developing some affection for Xu Qi'an as well.

*... If I shout "Damn Emperor Yuanjing!" now, Number Two’s favorability might explode.*

After chatting a bit more, they parted ways. One continued forward, the other turned back.

Li Miaozhen found a secluded alley, took out the wine jug, removed the sealing charm, and released Susu. Then she flicked out a paper figure for her to possess.

The paper figure transformed into the exquisitely made-up Susu, who looked at Li Miaozhen with grievance, "Master..."

Li Miaozhen stared at her, asking, "What did you tell him?"

Xu Qi'an could identify her as a Daoist disciple, clearly having interrogated Susu.

Susu raised her hand, thumb and pinky together, indicating, "Just a little bit."

"How much is a little?"

"A little means a little."

"Speak!"

"Not much, just your identity, age, cultivation, and experience in the world..."

"?

A big question mark appeared in Li Miaozhen’s mind:

"You told him everything."

"At least I didn't tell him about your menstruation days."

"..."

…

Xu Qi'an returned to the station and saw Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng still sitting there, staring at each other with eyes full of distrust.

"Why didn’t you tell me about your connection with Susu?"

"You didn’t mention it either."

Seeing Xu Qi'an return, Song Tingfeng looked at him with vacant eyes, "Ningyan, did you already know Susu's identity?"

"Yes, I did."

"Then why didn't you tell us?" Zhu Guangxiao asked in a deep voice.

"You two asked me to keep it a secret." Xu Qi'an shrugged.

The looks from Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao were immediately filled with distrust.

"Then what happened with Susu in the teahouse…" Song Tingfeng asked quietly.

"It was all your imagination!" Xu Qi'an answered truthfully.

"Phew…" Both of them sighed in relief, realising it was just an illusion.

Song Tingfeng laughed with a sense of relief, "An illusion, that’s fine. I was just confused and passed out."

Xu Qi'an looked at them with pity and shook his head, "You fell under an illusion spell, but you did not pass out."

"Didn't pass out?" Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng felt a chill in their hearts.

Xu Qi'an walked over to a pillar and said seriously, "Tingfeng, at that time, you were like this…"

He hugged the pillar and began crazily bumping against it.

Song Tingfeng: "…"

"And Guangxiao, you were like this…" Xu Qi'an moved to the table, placed his hands on the edge, and started making exaggerated movements with his waist.

Zhu Guangxiao: "…"

"Eh, why are you two crawling under the table?" Xu Qi'an finished and noticed that Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng had crawled under the table and refused to come out.

"Xu Ningyan, get lost… please go, just leave. I don’t want to see you today." Song Tingfeng crouched under the table, holding his head.

"Hahahahaha…"

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