Liang Yue's martial examination results had not been ideal.
There were twenty-eight Subordinate Guards in the entire Fukang Ward station, and he ranked first among them. But compared with the fourteen Official Guards, his results only placed him in the middle.
"Alas."
Sitting on the threshold outside the training ground, he tipped his head back to look at the sky and let out a long sigh.
This body's foundation was still far too poor.
"A Yue, what are you sighing for?" Pang Chun walked over from the side and sat down beside him, asking curiously, "You did so well! Those Official Guards are all Second Realm martial artists, while you're only at the First Realm. Your saber work, fist techniques, and archery are practically no worse than theirs. Everyone says you're a genius!"
"If I'm inferior, then I'm inferior." Liang Yue shook his head.
Others did not know what he was striving for... At this level, when would he ever become an Official Guard?
Liang Yue was tall and straight, striking in appearance. Coupled with his heroic features, open and upright brows, and bright, piercing gaze, he looked every inch the elegant and handsome young man.
Yet beside Pang Chun, he seemed rather small and thin.
That fellow's physique was like a stone tower—truly tall and burly, with bull's eyes, a straight nose, a square mouth, broad shoulders, and a thick back. Walking through a crowd, he often stood out like a foolish goose among chickens.
Liang Yue glanced at him and asked, "Da Chun, what rank did you get?"
"Twenty-eighth!" Pang Chun thrust out his chest, lifted his head, and answered in a booming voice.
What exactly were you so proud of...
Liang Yue could not help laughing.
Still, he was somewhat puzzled and asked, "With your strength, even if your martial techniques are a bit lacking, you shouldn't have ranked last. What happened?"
"The earlier parts were fine. Only the archery was bad—you know I've never been good at that." Da Chun scratched his head and spoke gloomily.
"Old Tang went zero for ten in archery. Could you possibly have done worse than him?" Liang Yue asked.
"Not quite. I only missed the target with one arrow." Da Chun paused, then added, "But it landed in Commander Hu's backside."
"..." Liang Yue bared his teeth, wanting to laugh but stopping himself.
No wonder.
The commander of the Fukang Ward station was Junior Guard Officer Hu Tiehan. Though he was a Third Realm martial artist, with sinews and bones no weaker than raw iron, being struck by an arrow from someone with Da Chun's inborn bull-like strength certainly could not have felt pleasant.
And Commander Hu was the most petty of men.
Giving Pang Chun the lowest ranking was already lenient. For Subordinate Guards like them, kicking them out was no more than a word from a guard officer.
Liang Yue ultimately failed to hold back his laughter. Then he asked, "You didn't shoot him badly, did you?"
"You know my strength. How could he have been fine?" Da Chun thumped his arms twice with a bang, looking somewhat pleased. "It went in with a pfft, right into him! Even Commander Hu's physique couldn't withstand it!"
Liang Yue was about to agree when he suddenly saw an extra shadow on the ground. It seemed as though a chilling wind had swept over him, and his entire body stiffened.
He hurriedly said, "Brother Hu has copper skin and iron bones. How could you possibly have injured him? You must have only torn some of his clothes."
"Impossible." Da Chun waved a hand. "I saw it with my own eyes. The arrow went down, and blood burst forth! Commander Hu bared his teeth in pain."
"Perhaps he had his back turned, looking elsewhere, and in a moment of carelessness was accidentally wounded a little by your full-force arrow, hehe..." Liang Yue hurriedly tried to patch things over with a smile.
"I hadn't even used my full strength. The bows at our station don't have enough draw weight, so I only used seventy percent." Da Chun crooked his mouth in a grin. "Who would have thought I'd break Commander Hu's defense... Why do you keep squeezing your eyes? Did staring at targets dry them out?"
Liang Yue repeatedly winked and gestured at Da Chun, trying to warn him. Seeing that he remained oblivious, Liang Yue could only raise his voice and say, "That truly was unfortunate. Commander Hu is a heroic figure, someone we have always respected most. Having accidentally injured him today, you must feel deeply remorseful, right?"
"What are you talking about?" Da Chun chuckled. "Have you forgotten all the times he made us work extra night patrols and withheld our allowances..."
"Ahem!" A heavy cough suddenly sounded behind them.
The two immediately sprang to their feet.
Turning around, they saw a bearded big man clad in light armor standing behind them with a taut face. One hand rested on the saber at his waist, and he looked as though he might draw it at any moment to chop something.
Da Chun's face filled with terror. "Commander Hu!"
That was right. The person standing behind them and eavesdropping was none other than Junior Guard Officer Hu Tiehan.
"Liang Yue performed well this time. Not long after joining the station, he seized first place among the Subordinate Guards. He has a promising future ahead of him. Twenty-Eighth, your arm strength is indeed exceptional, but your archery accuracy is somewhat poor. Practice diligently, and you can still become something great." Commander Hu evaluated the two of them.
"Eh..." Da Chun blinked. "Commander Hu, are you praising me?"
He wanted nothing more than to praise you with a chop... Liang Yue silently thought. He did not even call him by name anymore, just Twenty-Eighth. It was clear just how unhappy Commander Hu was.
"Of course. Who in the station doesn't know how magnanimous I am? How could I hold a mere arrow against you?" Hu Tiehan said with a genial smile. "Well, things in the ward haven't been peaceful lately. Fires often break out at night, and I'm preparing to send out two more patrol teams. Since Twenty-Eighth is so valiant, I'll leave this duty to you!"
"Ah?" Da Chun's expression immediately crumpled.
Night patrol was not a good assignment.
Liang Yue quietly tugged at him, signaling him to accept it quickly. If he resisted orders now, Hu Tiehan's temper might erupt completely.
Who would have thought Hu Tiehan immediately shifted his gaze? "Liang Yue! Since you're worried about him, go with him!"
"Ah?"
Hearing that he would have company, Da Chun went from grief to joy. Only, the pained expression did not disappear—it simply transferred onto Liang Yue's face.
In the second month, the night wind howled in fury.
Liang Yue held a flickering torch as he walked down the pitch-black ward streets, staring into the distance against the wind, choked speechless.
What a sin! he wailed inwardly.
He was not actually from this world. He had been a student who had just finished the college entrance examinations. As a poor student obsessed with all kinds of detective novels and comics for two and a half years, he had worked furiously during the final half-year in order to apply to his dream university of political science and law. To his surprise, he had displayed astonishing talent and achieved the excellent result of fourth in the entire province.
Even then, he had not been particularly satisfied, crying out that he did not know what kind of monsters the top three must be.
But just after he passed his physical examination and was preparing to welcome his bright future, he had been sent flying by a drunk truck driver. When he woke up again, he had arrived in this world.
A vast and mysterious world.
There were gods, ghosts, demons, and devils here, as well as all manner of cultivation. There were countless spiritual treasures and immortal seeds born from the essence of sun and moon. Gifted members of the human race could open their hidden treasures and draw upon the power of heaven and earth.
To the northwest lay the incomparably vast Nine Yang Land, filled with secret realms, perilous places, demon poison, and miasma. The nine Yang tribes, split from the ancient Yang Kingdom, occupied it. To the southeast was the fertile Nine Provinces Continent, where spiritual energy swirled and exceptional talents emerged in endless succession. It now belonged to the Yin Dynasty, a unified empire that had endured for a thousand years.
He found that he was still himself, with the same face and the same name, but his identity and experiences had completely changed into those of another person.
The Liang Yue of this world was a glorious Imperial Capital Guard in Dragon Abyss City of the Yin Dynasty... a subordinate guard, whose greatest daily hope was to become an Official Guard, though that goal had always remained far beyond reach.
During the nearly three months since arriving here, under his identity as a Dragon Abyss Imperial Capital Guard, he had gradually adapted to everything in this world... including Pang Chun.
Pang Chun was the big fellow beside Liang Yue. The two came from the same Peaceful Lane and had played together since childhood. Now they also followed the same Official Guard and always acted together.
When they had first arrived at the Fukang Ward station, no one knew Pang Chun's surname. They only knew that he was a man named "Chun."
After several months, everyone remembered his full name... Big Fool Chun.
Having a brother like this truly left Liang Yue helpless at times. For example, tonight, he too had been caught up in Pang Chun's trouble and sent here to work overtime on night patrol.
"A Yue, try the roasted sweet potatoes my mother made. They're delicious." When they reached a sheltered corner, Da Chun pulled a steaming oil-paper packet from his chest and took out the food inside.
"Sure, I'm hungry anyway." Pang Chun's mother's roasted sweet potatoes had always been soft, sticky, and sweet. Liang Yue was tempted too, and reached out to take one.
But when the paper packet opened, its contents were a mushy, sticky mass of soft yellow stuff.
"Ah, my chest muscles squashed them flat." Da Chun slapped his forehead, then looked up as though he had discovered something amusing, breaking into a brilliant smile. "What do you think it looks like?"
"I suddenly don't feel hungry." Liang Yue silently withdrew his hand. "Let's keep watch seriously. If someone sets a fire, we absolutely can't let him get away."
"Don't worry. If there really is a bad guy, I can handle him with one hand... Ah! There's a ghost!" Pang Chun patted his chest, boasting loudly, but before he could finish, his words turned into a shrill scream.
Liang Yue followed his gaze and saw a green radiance shoot into the sky not far away. In the blur, it looked like a giant standing upright. In the darkness, a pair of hollow black eye sockets seemed to be watching them eerily.
"What's going on?" Liang Yue immediately said, "Let's go take a look!"
With a sharp shing, he drew his saber and charged toward the ghostly figure.
"A Yue, wait for me..." Pang Chun dragged his massive body after him. Though the ghostly shadow had frightened him badly, he did not dare remain there alone and could only follow Liang Yue closely.
Liang Yue naturally felt wary as well.
The demons and ghosts of this world were no falsehood. They were real, tangible malign entities, and of course he was afraid of encountering a ghost. But fear was fear. He remembered that the ghostly shadow had appeared in the rear courtyard of a shop on Linmen Street, where many ward residents lived. Compared with them, who possessed martial cultivation, the unarmed common people were clearly in greater danger.
That was why he rushed forward without hesitation, resolutely answering the call.
It looked close, but the streets and alleys twisted and turned. By the time the two hurried there, the enormous ghostly shadow had already vanished, replaced by flames soaring into the heavens!
Raging fire and billowing smoke seemed to have arisen from nowhere. In the blink of an eye, they had engulfed the rear courtyard of an entire shop, while cries and wails filled the air.
The surrounding residents were awakened by the sounds of burning and cries for help. They hurriedly threw on clothes, grabbed water, and came to fight the fire.
There had not been the slightest spark a moment ago. How had it suddenly become like this?
"I clearly checked before going to sleep! Where did this fire come from?"
"Help—"
"It's a ghost! It's definitely some ghostly thing!"
Amid the clamor, Liang Yue's gaze swiftly swept over the surroundings, but he saw no suspicious figures. In the boundless night, the sound of the wind seemed like an eerie laugh.
Could it be...
Was some malign entity truly causing trouble?
Before you continue