Nightwatcher

# 221. This Official is Xu Qi'an

“These Yunzhou soldiers dare to rebel?”

The Silver Gong's eyebrows immediately rose as he shouted, “What’s the situation outside the city now?”

The soldier, having rushed here on horseback, had lips turned blue and cracked from the cold wind, his mouth dry and voice hoarse, “The south gate of the city is already closed…”

“Don’t rush, catch your breath first!”

Hearing the commotion, Xu Qi'an came downstairs and poured a cup of cold water for the soldier.

The soldier quickly took it, gulping it down in one go, and felt his throat much relieved. He gave Xu Qi'an a grateful look and then spoke quickly:

“The garrison has gathered three thousand troops outside the south gate. Their commander, Xu Huchen, is threatening that if the Inspector General doesn’t release the Military Commander and give them an explanation within half an hour, they will enter the city!”

A military intervention!

Xu Qi'an, well-read in history, immediately thought of this term. Military intervention is the use of force to persuade a ruler or superior to comply. In simple terms, it's using fists to force submission.

The difference between a military intervention and a coup lies in the intent, though the actions are the same. Xu Qi'an's most vivid memories of military interventions were the death of Yang Yuhuan at Mawei Slope and the Young Marshal brandishing a small pistol at Chiang Kai-shek.

Both interventions were successful, one changing the future of the Tang Dynasty, the other changing the future of Modern China.

However, military intervention was a last resort, used only when absolutely necessary.

“The audacity of these dogs!”

Several Silver Gongs who had come to investigate were instantly furious upon understanding the situation.

Such an incident was unheard of in the capital. The surprise and anger they felt upon hearing the news were beyond words.

“The Inspector General has gone to the Military Command and can’t possibly reach the south gate within half an hour,” a Silver Gong said, gripping his sword hilt tightly, “How many city defense troops are there at the south gate?”

“Less than a thousand,” the soldier replied.

*They probably can't hold the gate…*

“In that case, we’ll lead the Huben Guards to the south gate. If those soldiers dare to rebel, we’ll cut them down. I’m sure we can hold out until the Inspector General and reinforcements arrive,” one Silver Gong proposed.

Several battle-hardened Nightwatchers immediately showed their eagerness.

The Huben Guards were battle-tested veterans, and with the Nightwatchers who were at the Refining Qi stage, they could coordinate with the city defense troops to hold off the garrison’s attack.

“What about Yang Chuannan? He’s a key criminal of the court; we can’t abandon him,” Xu Qi'an reminded the hot-headed Nightwatchers.

“Take him with us,” a Bronze Gong suggested.

“Do you think the garrison won’t fight us to the death if we do that?” Xu Qi'an raised an eyebrow.

“They are besieging the city for that exact reason,” the Bronze Gong scoffed, “They think they can force the Inspector General and us to yield with force? We’ll show these Yunzhou brutes what Nightwatchers are made of.”

This was what infuriated the Nightwatchers the most.

They were always the ones supervising officials and punishing corrupt ones, but now someone dared to challenge them at their doorstep, even threatening the Inspector General to come out within half an hour or they would storm the city.

This was blatant disregard for the Nightwatchers, trampling their dignity.

The scholars could endure it, but the martial artists could not.

The arcanists could endure it, but the martial artists still could not.

To hell with it.

Seeing the situation getting out of hand, Xu Qi'an knocked on the table and said sternly, “Everyone calm down, force won’t solve this problem.”

The Silver Gong who first received the soldier was the most irritable. He glared at Xu Qi'an and swore, “I can’t stand it! With Jiang Gold Gong not here, the Silver Gongs are in charge. Brothers, let’s go, and bring Yang Chuannan.”

Li Miaozhen stood aside, watching coldly.

Bang!

With a loud bang of fist on table, Xu Qi'an stood up.

The Nightwatchers who were about to leave the post station stopped in their tracks, stunned.

Xu Qi'an pointed at the Silver Gong’s nose and cursed, “I don’t care if you’re a Silver Gong. Don’t try to fucking pull rank on me. Can you suppress me? Go ask that guy named Zhu if he can suppress me!

“If you escalate the conflict, what do you expect the Inspector General to do? Kill all three thousand soldiers? What if you can’t hold them off and the fighting spreads to the city, affecting ordinary citizens? Can you take responsibility?”

The Silver Gong stood with his neck stiff, beard bristling in anger, “Xu Qi'an, do you think you can take responsibility?”

“At least my shoulders are broader than yours!” Xu Qi'an shouted.

For a moment, no one could refute.

A Bronze Gong’s outrageous claim had silenced the entire room of Nightwatchers. Susu, the female ghost, watched in amazement, finding it hard to understand.

“You all stay here and guard Yang Chuannan. He is a key criminal of the court and must not be lost. Leave the outer city defenses to me,” Xu Qi'an stated his plan since no one continued to argue.

“You?”

Everyone looked skeptical.

Xu Qi'an pinched his brow, explaining clearly, “The garrison’s troops are at the city gates, not to attack but to demand the Inspector General release Yang Chuannan. This means there is room for negotiation.

“If you rush there with Yang Chuannan, it will be seen as a provocation, escalating the conflict and leaving no room for retreat for either side.

“Of course, I alone can’t persuade the garrison’s soldiers, but General Li can.”

Xu Qi'an pushed Li Miaozhen forward, smiling, “I believe General Li doesn’t want this situation to worsen and leave Yang Chuannan with no way out.”

Li Miaozhen seemed to have been waiting for this outcome. She let out a slow breath, stopped watching coldly, and nodded, “I will do my best to hold out until the Inspector General arrives.”

…

Li Miaozhen and Xu Qi'an each took a fast horse and hurried towards the south gate, with Susu the paper doll hugging Li Miaozhen's small waist and sitting behind her.

"You’re quite capable for a little Bronze Gong!" Susu tilted her head, examining Xu Qi'an who was riding alongside.

"It's not that I'm capable, it's mainly because..." Xu Qi'an coughed, speaking in a tone of divulging a secret, "Actually, Zhang Inspector and I are half-brothers."

Susu immediately seized on the key point: "Oh, you’re the Inspector’s brother?"

"How else would I have such authority?"

"I see..." Susu realized, feeling like she had discovered a big secret.

Li Miaozhen twitched her mouth, wanting to remind her maid that not a single word Xu Qi'an said could be trusted. His authority came from the trust and appreciation of Wei Yuan, giving him an unusual status in the office. But how could information from the Heaven and Earth Society have anything to do with Li Miaozhen?

...

When they arrived at the south gate, they showed their tokens and climbed onto the city wall, where the garrison’s Centurion personally received them.

"Why hasn’t the Inspector General arrived yet?"

The Centurion, a burly man with a square face and triangular eyes holding a military-issue sabre, looked towards the empty street, unable to hide his disappointment.

"The Inspector General is investigating a case at the Military Command Headquarters and can’t come for now. The General and I came first to buy some time," Xu Qi'an explained.

Standing on the city wall, he looked down. Outside the city, there were two formations. The larger one was the garrison's army, with cavalry in front, infantry behind, and artillery in the middle.

With flags fluttering, three thousand soldiers stood silently, exuding an indescribable ferocity.

Xu Qi'an was now one step over the threshold of Refining Spirit, but facing this battle-hardened army, he still felt a strong urge to avoid confrontation.

What kind of martial artist could achieve such a feat?

He sighed internally.

"Yunzhou’s army is incredibly fierce, ready to cause trouble without fear of death," Li Miaozhen said, holding a silver spear and standing beside him.

"I rushed to the station last night because I feared the Inspector General might act too aggressively, pushing things to an irreversible point."

Xu Qi'an nodded. Yunzhou's bandit troubles were rampant, so it was no surprise the soldiers were fierce. Soldiers who had fought for years were often hard to control, only respecting their commanders who fought alongside them.

Unlike soldiers from peaceful areas who cherished their lives more.

"That smaller formation over there, which garrison does it belong to?" Xu Qi'an asked.

The troops besieging the city belonged to the Baidi City's City Garrison Command, also just known as the Garrison. The smaller formation beside them, looking like four or five hundred men, Xu Qi'an guessed was from a county-level "garrison."

Li Miaozhen looked a bit embarrassed: "That’s my Flying Swallow Army."

*Another traitor?* Xu Qi'an looked at her with distrust.

Li Miaozhen explained, "I did think about using my army to put pressure on them. It’s a bad habit I picked up from the Yunzhou army."

She blamed it on the Yunzhou army.

"So what do we do now, go out of the city?" Xu Qi'an tested.

"Yes," Li Miaozhen nodded.

"Can I not go?"

"You represent the Inspector General," Li Miaozhen glared at him. "The Garrison Commander Xu Huchen is hot-tempered and obstinate. If you want to resolve the conflict, you must be patient."

"Your presence alone isn’t enough?"

Li Miaozhen snorted, "If I weren’t here, he might just cut down a Bronze Gong like you."

"Hey, soldiers really are unreasonable."

The city gate creaked open, and the Centurion of the City Defense Army saw them off, waving his hand, "Take care."

Xu Qi'an, on horseback, looked back, "Centurion Sir, why not come with us?"

The Centurion replied, "The wind is too strong here, sir, I can’t hear you... Oh, did you say close the gate? Alright, I won’t open it even if I die."

The gate slowly closed.

"...," Xu Qi'an thought: *motherfucker*.

Li Miaozhen didn’t head directly to the Garrison but instead turned towards her Flying Swallow Army, summoning several dozen riders to lead the way as they approached the Garrison's three thousand troops.

"In my Flying Swallow Army, the lowest level of cultivation is the Refining Vitality stage, totalling four hundred and thirty-seven men. The squad leaders are at the peak of Refining Vitality, the platoon leaders at the Refining Qi stage, and the company commanders are at the Copper-Skin and Iron-Bone stage."

Li Miaozhen’s voice was clear and pleasant, with a hint of pride as she introduced her private army to Xu Qi'an.

*Four sixth rank, forty Refining Qi... my god, this woman is terrifying!*

Xu Qi'an gulped, "Such an army doesn’t exist anywhere else in Yunzhou, right?"

Li Miaozhen gave a reserved nod, "They all followed me to Yunzhou because of my influence."

How influential are you? Xu Qi'an turned to look at the beautiful warrior with a high ponytail on horseback, reevaluating her strength.

His initial impression of Li Miaozhen was as the Holy Maiden of the Heaven Sect, followed by her identity as Lady Flying Swallow. But now it seemed that Lady Flying Swallow should come first.

Li Miaozhen's connections in the martial world were probably deeper than he had imagined.

*Everyone in the Heaven and Earth Society is so talented. I, a little Bronze Gong, need to step up my game... Hmm, I should set a small goal first, like becoming Wei Yuan’s son…*

"What is Xu Huchen’s cultivation level?" Xu Qi'an suddenly asked.

"At the peak of the Refining Spirit stage," Li Miaozhen replied.

“Lower than I thought,” Xu Qi’an said with some surprise.

“And Wei Yuan is an ordinary person, yet he became the field marshal of the three armies," Li Miaozhen shook her head and said, "Leading an army isn't about being brave and reckless. High-ranking martial artists can fight hundreds, even thousands, but that doesn't mean they can command a thousand-strong army.

"My ability caps at commanding five hundred men, but Xu Huchen can lead three to five thousand. On the battlefield, I would undoubtedly lose in a direct confrontation."

Violence is an aesthetic, but war is an art—two entirely different concepts.

Li Miaozhen stopped five *zhang* away from the garrison army and called out loudly, "Commander Xu, come here and talk."

A single rider emerged, the leading general standing eight feet tall. His steed was larger than ordinary horses, and he wielded a long spear.

Anyone who used a long spear was a formidable and valiant general.

Xu Huchen, holding his long spear with a piercing gaze and a freshly shaven dark blue chin, nodded slightly towards Li Miaozhen:

"General Li, are you also here to rescue the Commander?"

Li Miaozhen shook her head: "Lord Yang is fine. Commander Xu, you are too impulsive. Do you know the consequences of your actions?"

"At worst, I'll die."

Xu Huchen replied bluntly, grinning, "My life was saved by the Commander. If the court wants to punish him, I'm willing to risk my life."

Xu Qi'an suddenly asked, "How did you get this information?"

Xu Huchen gave Xu Qi'an a sidelong glance and sneered, "So you're a lackey of Wei Yuan."

*It's one thing to insult me, but insulting my patron is too much...* Xu Qi'an flicked his thumb, revealing half an inch of his black gold long knife, and said in a deep voice:

"Commander Xu, do not challenge the authority of the court. I come with sincere intentions. If you fail to recognize this, you would have already been cut down from your horse."

Li Miaozhen's lengthy explanation conveyed one main point: Don't try reasoning with soldiers.

Reasoning is for scholars. Soldiers respect strength; you only have dignity if your fists are strong.

Xu Qi'an's idea was to first display his strength, gain respect, and intimidate these fearless men. Only then could they talk things out properly.

Commander Xu was polite to Li Miaozhen but coldly sarcastic to him, showing a lack of respect.

But cutting someone down directly wouldn't work—it would only escalate the conflict.

He turned his horse around silently and rode to the other side.

Xu Huchen and Li Miaozhen, along with several dozen riders from the Flying Swallow Army, watched him closely.

"Hmph! I want to see the Inspector. Does a Bronze Gong deserve to talk to me?" Xu Huchen sneered disdainfully, “A young lad who thinks this is the capital where everyone fears the Nightwatchers?

"General Li, how is the Commander?"

Li Miaozhen shook her head, merely watching Xu Qi'an's back.

Xu Huchen grew impatient, his naturally volatile temper flaring. He was already extremely dissatisfied with the Inspector avoiding him and sending a mere Bronze Gong to deal with him.

He even had the urge to kill the Bronze Gong to make a statement to the Inspector.

Out of respect for General Li Miaozhen, he was willing to come and talk.

At this moment, the Bronze Gong stopped and looked back at Xu Huchen with a cold smile.

Then, he flicked his thumb, making the blade protrude half an inch, gripped the hilt with his right hand, gathered strength for a brief moment...

"Clang!"

The sharp sound of the blade unsheathing echoed in the air. To Xu Huchen and his men, it seemed as if the air twisted slightly, as if something had sliced through it.

The next moment, with a dull thud, a fine crack appeared on the ground, stretching from Xu Qi'an's feet to the front of the army, extending over sixty feet.

Agitation arose in the front ranks of the cavalry, their horses seemingly frightened.

Xu Huchen's eyes widened in disbelief. *He... really could have cut me down from my horse just now.*

This battle-hardened general felt a tinge of awe and began to acknowledge Xu Qi'an's sincerity.

Li Miaozhen stared at Xu Qi'an in surprise, a huge question mark flashing in her mind.

With her Heaven Sect Holy Maiden's insight, she judged that this blade strike was so sharp and swift that even a newly advanced sixth-rank Copper Skin and Iron Bone martial artist couldn't withstand it with their body alone.

Could a Refining Qi stage martial artist deliver such a strike?

She immediately recalled what Number One had said: Xu Qi'an once killed a Silver Gong, and that Silver Gong was at Refining Spirit.

*Back then he could kill someone of higher rank, and now he’s halfway to refining spirit.*

*If he were a genius, why didn't Daoist Jinlian invite him into the society but chose his cousin instead? That cousin must be... terrifyingly strong.*

"Whoa."

Behind her, the experts of the Flying Swallow Army gasped in astonishment.

The little Bronze Gong rode back, suppressing his fatigue, and said lightly, "Commander Xu, this official is Xu Qi'an, here on behalf of the Inspector to discuss matters with you."

"..." Xu Huchen replied in a solemn voice, "Please, go ahead."

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