Li Qingxian

The night rain had fallen away, and the east was turning white.

The cool breeze of early summer soaked Divine Capital, sweeping across Night Guard Street.

The Night Guard Yamen was encircled by red walls, their pale-black eaves curving upward along the tops.

Bang... bang bang bang bang bang...

Within the red walls, the watchman's call rang out: one slow beat, five quick ones.

Hearing the six-watch call unique to Night Guard Street, early-rising passersby glanced over from afar and hurried on their way.

Flutter, flutter...

A gray sparrow took flight in alarm, beating its wings as it circled past the bright blue bracket sets of the Night Guard Grand Hall. Skimming beside the vermilion-lacquered corridor pillars outside the main hall of the Divine Capital Office, it stretched out its straw-thin legs and landed on the blue roof tiles above the Street Patrol Office quarters. It gave itself a shake, then poked its pointed beak beneath a wing to preen its feathers.

"Get up already. Wash up early and go patrol the streets..." A hoarse voice sounded within Room Jia Nine beneath the blue tiles.

The quarters fell silent.

"I'm buying mutton soup!" The hoarse voice brightened somewhat.

"Oh, why didn't you say so earlier..."

The quarters immediately became lively.

"Li Qingxian, how are you feeling? Can you patrol today?" Zheng Hui asked with concern.

The noise stopped.

The thick papered windows blocked most of the morning light, leaving the room dim.

Five beds stood side by side, but only four people occupied the room.

Three people sat up and looked toward the youth on the innermost bed.

"I can!" The youth yawned and replied lazily, then slowly rose.

"Haha, good. We'll go out and wash up first. We'll have mutton soup together afterward."

The three got dressed and left. Wearing only a white undershirt, Li Qingxian stepped into his shoes and slowly walked to the bronze mirror.

Li Qingxian gazed at himself in the mirror.

At fifteen or sixteen, he had only just recovered from a serious illness. His pale complexion made him look somewhat more handsome than usual.

The eyes beneath his fine, dark brows seemed veiled in shadow, dim and lifeless.

Cold sweat dotted his straight nose. Beneath his faint, fuzzy stubble, his thin lips held not a trace of color.

A faint scar, about an inch long, lay along the left side of his chin, flickering in and out of sight in the dim room.

Li Qingxian lowered his head and looked at his hands.

Dark yellow calluses bulged from his palms, and his palm lines were tangled. Yet when he turned them over, the backs of his hands were fair, blue veins clearly visible beneath the skin.

"Here, wash your face. I'm going outside for a quick bath." Captain Zheng Hui placed a coarse porcelain basin on its stand, patted Li Qingxian's shoulder, and strode away in a gust of energy.

After washing his face, Li Qingxian dressed, strapped on his long saber, and returned to the bronze mirror.

He was thin, his hair disheveled, still looking like someone who had only just risen from a serious illness.

He removed his bamboo hairpin, picked up a wooden comb, and awkwardly combed his hair. He twisted it, inserted the pin, coiled it, secured it, then smoothed down his clothes. In an instant, he seemed like a different person.

In the bronze mirror, his pale face looked faintly handsome, the childishness between his brows not yet gone, while his eyes gleamed with sharp light.

He wore a round-collared, dark blue-green, narrow-sleeved top, with a short dark blue-green outer garment covering his black trousers.

The cuffs and hem of the outer garment were embroidered with inch-wide brocade bands in red, blue, and green.

White socks and black boots covered his feet, while a slender Goose Feather Saber hung at his waist.

Near the hilt, the black scabbard bore the sunken-carved character for "Night," though most of the red lacquer within it had peeled away.

A red cord hung from his black cloth belt, and at its end, a pristine Deer-and-Crane Jade Pendant swayed softly.

Li Qingxian rested his left hand on the saber hilt, straightened his body, and raised his chin. He looked exceptionally valiant.

A young man in blue, a saber-bearing lad.

Looking at himself in the mirror, a complicated expression surfaced on Li Qingxian's face.

Li Qingxian was not from this world.

He had originally lived in a world of towering skyscrapers, where others drowned themselves in extravagance and pleasure.

In that world, Li Qingxian had lived an ordinary life, like most people.

School, exams, then... single.

Watching dramas, movies, playing games, then... single.

After reaching adulthood, he had left his parents and joined a media company in a big city, then continued being single.

Later, he had died of illness.

That famous doctor had said it was only a minor illness and nothing to worry about, but he had not managed to hold on.

Before dying, Li Qingxian had been deeply unwilling.

Perhaps his fate had not yet run out. The moment he opened his eyes, he had arrived in this world and taken over another person's body.

That person had also been ill, and was also named Li Qingxian.

Li Qingxian had lain in this room for three days, slowly acquiring the memories of his new body. Some were clear, while others were hazy.

The strangeness and wonder of this world surpassed imagination.

This was Qi Kingdom. Its founding ancestor had once been the martial world's alliance leader, his power alone pressing down upon the world.

In Qi Kingdom, civil officials could split rivers with a single breath of the Righteousness Sword, military officials could destroy cities with a punch, and even eunuchs could crush mountains with one palm. Beyond them lay forces such as Demon-Devils, puppets, and evil beings.

"I don't want to die a second time..."

In a world like this, he could not afford to be careless.

First, he needed to find a chance to go out and look around, observe the situation, then find a safe place and work out a way to cultivate and increase his strength.

At that thought, an enormous object resembling an armillary sphere surfaced in Li Qingxian's mind.

A gray-silver base, with copper rings entwined around one another.

Li Qingxian's maternal grandfather had come from the small Fate Arts Master sect called the Fate Measuring Sect, leaving Li Qingxian methods of cultivation.

Li Qingxian had been fortunate enough to enter the path of Fate Cultivation. He had first obtained the mysterious Heaven's Mandate Instrument, then cultivated the Qi-Gazing Technique, only to breathe his last a few days later.

As Li Qingxian was thinking, footsteps approached.

"Feeling better?" Zheng Hui, the squad leader, stood in the doorway.

"Much better. I was just about to head out," Li Qingxian said.

"Good!" A warm smile blossomed across Zheng Hui's dark face, delight shining in his eyes.

Li Qingxian looked at his captain. The burly man was over forty and stood a full two heads taller than him, his shoulders so broad that he seemed like a wall blocking the doorway. His skin was dark, and his left ear was gone.

Zheng Hui sighed, walked over, and handed him a coarse porcelain cup. "Have some water first. I ran into Doctor Sun on the road. He said this illness was the root of your last one."

Half a year ago, Li Qingxian's father, Li Gangfeng, had died, and Li Qingxian had fallen seriously ill.

"I understand that too." Li Qingxian took the cup and slowly drank with his head lowered.

"Mr. Gangfeng... sigh! If he hadn't been driven to the edge, who would smash himself into a court pillar? This was the third Crown Prince Emperor Taining had deposed. Back in the chaotic Taikang Era, only one Crown Prince had been captured by the Demon Race."

Li Qingxian continued drinking as some memories gradually became clearer.

Half a year ago, the Crown Prince, as the Commander of the Guards, had controlled the Night Guard. He had been accused of plotting rebellion and defiling the imperial harem.

Though the evidence was insufficient, the court officials were enraged and demanded severe punishment.

As a censor, Li Gangfeng had insisted that evidence come first. But without conclusive proof, Emperor Taining had decreed that the Crown Prince be confined.

Perhaps overcome by righteous indignation, Li Gangfeng had gathered in his literary qi and hurled his flesh-and-blood body against the Baolong Grand Red Lacquered Court Pillar, dying on the spot before the court.

"And now look at it. Mr. Gangfeng is gone, and the Crown Prince vomited blood alive from rage before following him. Half a year has passed—has the court improved? Only the Night Guard has suffered. If you ask me, His Majesty has been blinded by treacherous ministers." Zheng Hui silently sat down.

"Has our Night Guard really declined that much compared to before?" Li Qingxian asked.

Zheng Hui's eyes lit up. Sitting upright, he said, "Do you know what people used to call our Night Guard? The Little Cabinet! We supervised the hundred officials, commanded the martial sects, and handled demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters. We were magnificent! But now... sigh. The Night Guard's main gates have not opened for more than half a year. The Mounted Patrol who once strutted out draped in red silk have not been seen for more than half a year either. His Majesty is wise, but treacherous ministers fear our Night Guard. What can we do?"

"Is it true they're disbanding the Night Guard?"

"Speaking of that, we have to thank Lord Gangfeng. Everyone in the Night Guard, top to bottom, remembers the lord's kindness. By rights, once the Crown Prince died, those treacherous ministers would certainly have pushed His Majesty to disband the Night Guard. But Lord Gangfeng died remonstrating by striking the pillar. The civil officials, especially the censors, remembered Lord Li and set the matter aside for now. That is the only reason the Night Guard has been able to cling to life and gasp for breath. Even so, Night Guard personnel keep being transferred away. There were originally five in our room. Xiao Zhao left, and it would already be good if three of us remain next."

Li Qingxian sighed along with him.

Zheng Hui smacked his forehead. "I've gone muddleheaded again. I meant to comfort you, but I ended up grumbling to myself."

"We're family. What's wrong with grumbling a little?" Li Qingxian said with a gentle smile.

"Isn't that the truth! Oh, right, how are things at home? It's not awkward with your aunt and uncle, is it?"

"My aunt's family has lived next door to ours for over ten years. We've always been close," Li Qingxian said.

"Good. It's good that family is there to take care of you. If anything comes up at home and you need help, just call for me. Oh, right, are you still studying Fate Arts?" Zheng Hui grinned teasingly.

"I'm not discussing that with you all. Every time I say I want to become a Fate Arts Master, you make fun of me." Li Qingxian looked helpless.

"Haha, then we won't talk about it. Don't push yourself. If you can't manage, lie down for a few more days. Once you're well, come patrol the streets with me." Zheng Hui rose as he spoke.

Li Qingxian raised an eyebrow and said, "Captain Zheng, who are you looking down on? Is Li Qingxian someone who just lies around?"

Zheng Hui laughed and cursed, "You little bastard, still as cheeky as when we first met. I still remember how you were back then. You put on such a convincing act as a scholar that you had us all fooled stiff."

"I really am a scholar." Li Qingxian looked utterly serious.

"Pah!" Zheng Hui laughed and cursed. "What can the Night Guard not dig up? I checked later and found out you brat had run wild in the streets for who knew how many years. Only when Lord Li returned to the capital did you obediently enter an academy. And what happened? Your classics and essays were a complete mess. In the end, Lord Li was so furious he had no choice but to make you switch to martial cultivation. When they tested your aptitude, no great clan would take you in, and after half a year at a small martial hall, you showed no progress. Lord Li then sent you to cultivate the Dao, but your aptitude did not meet the minimum requirements of any sect. Your father was a dignified orthodox scholar of the Confucian School—he could hardly send you to cultivate evil puppets or demons. He also disliked your studying Fate Arts, so in the end, with no other choice, he found someone to arrange your entry into the Night Guard. And you still pretend to be a scholar? Come, write a few characters for me to see. With handwriting that looks like a dog scrambling over the ground, you're not even as good as me."

Li Qingxian gave a sly laugh, his face unreddened and his heart unflustered. "The rules of the street say bragging isn't against the law, but it does steel your courage."

"Come on, Li Bold, let's take a walk in the yard." Zheng Hui laughed.

Li Qingxian nodded, stepped over the threshold, and entered the courtyard.

Morning light shone down. The sky was deep blue, and the air in the courtyard surrounded by green trees was fresh.

Hard-packed yellow earth spread across the yard. Ten quarters stood along its north and south sides, while the main gate lay to the east.

Stone locks, stone shoulder poles, long staffs, and other equipment lay scattered to the west. Six or seven people shouted and grunted as they trained their bodies.

Beside the well mouth ringed with white stone, someone splashed a bucket of cold water over his head. With a casual flick of his hand, he tossed the wooden bucket back into the well, where it made a hollow sound.

Four or five people nearby gathered together, toweling themselves off as they talked and laughed.

Others were already fully dressed, standing by the courtyard gate and chatting idly.

Li Qingxian turned to glance at Squad Leader Zheng Hui.

His clothes were completely different from Li Qingxian's.

Li Qingxian's clothing merely had inch-wide brocade patterns embroidered along the edges, whereas Zheng Hui's official uniform was brocaded all over. Its green background and interlocking branch patterns stood out sharply among the many dark blue-green garments.

The square rank badge on his chest was embroidered with a white horse treading a river.

The rank badge of a Subordinate Tenth Rank military official.

Zheng Hui rested his right hand on the leather belt at his waist. "Qingxian, if you patrol the streets today, follow me obediently. Even if the sky falls, you are not to make a move. Don't be like last time, understand?"

Li Qingxian reached up and touched the pale scar along the left side of his chin, smiling. "All right. This time, I'll listen to Captain Zheng."

"Li Qingxian was really fierce last time." Yu Ping, tall, broad, fair, and plump, tossed him an orange. Wiping his mouth, he said, "I risked this handsome face of mine to beg it from Chef Wang, all to help you recover. There were originally two, but a cat snatched one on the way."

"Thanks, brother." Li Qingxian caught it with a smile. The orange glowed bright and vivid in the morning light.