Truly a God Among Men

Dusk falls, the sun sets in the west.

One after another, members of the Houtu Gang emerged from the tomb, totaling thirteen. Adding the members of the Heaven and Earth Society, the total was sixteen.

"They're finally out!"

"It feels like a lifetime ago. I almost thought I was going to die in there. It's a pity that only a limited amount was salvaged."

The tomb raiders were excited; some sat on the ground, exhausted, enjoying the joy of surviving a disaster; others lightly examined the valuables they had brought out of the tomb, lamenting that the operation had been too costly.

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society were heavy-hearted, their faces devoid of smiles.

Hengyuan gently placed Lina on the ground, stared blankly at the tomb entrance, and whispered, "This humble monk is not even as good as a woman."

He sat silently for a few seconds, then clasped his hands together and wept bitterly.

The grief was no less than that of Heng Hui, whom he had raised.

Hengyuan is probably going to have a mental block, because this will be his biggest State of Mind when he reaches a higher level. Chu Yuanzhen opened his mouth, wanting to comfort him, but couldn't say anything.

He also needs some time to calm down and process his grief.

Hengyuan had repeatedly received great favors from Xu Ningyan, yet at this critical juncture of life and death, he "cowardly" fled. The impact of this incident on Hengyuan was unimaginable.

Although he had never received any favors from Xu Ningyan, he regarded him as a close friend. When Xu Ningyan died in his underground tomb, he was filled with grief.

This shouldn't be, this shouldn't be. He was a man of great fortune; he shouldn't have perished here. The Golden Lotus Daoist, unusually dejected, displayed a stark contrast to his usual dignified image.

Although he thought this way, he also knew that people with great fortune were not truly immortal, especially when it came to high-ranking individuals.

"Does the death of such a person, so full of destiny, here foreshadow my own inevitable demise?" Jinlian Daoist sighed with a sense of loss.

"Daoist Master!"

At this moment, the sickly leader of the Houtu Gang walked over. He looked increasingly haggard, with sunken eyes, weak Qi and Blood, and a glint of light in his cloudy eyes.

"Please tell us the name of our benefactor, Daoist priest. Although the Houtu Gang are grave robbers and thieves, the lowest of the low in the martial arts world, we still know how to repay kindness."

"Our benefactor has passed away, and we can never repay him in this lifetime. We only wish to erect a monument to him for eternity. From this day forward, all members of the Houtu Clan will worship him every day and never forget him."

With tears welling in his eyes, Qian You wiped them away and cried, "Please, Daoist Master, tell me the name of my benefactor!"

"Please, Daoist Master, tell us the name of our benefactor!" the Houtu gang members said excitedly.

"Xu Qi'an, his name is Xu Qi'an, he is the silver gong of the night Nightwatchers's office in the capital." Master Jinlian sighed, and then told them how to write his name.

Xu Qi'an. The members of the Houtu Gang silently memorized this name.

Just then, Daoist Jinlian, Hengyuan, and Chu Yuanzhen suddenly froze. They caught extremely faint footsteps coming from the thief's mouth.

After a few seconds of silence, Hengyuan grabbed Lina and threw her towards the Houtu Gang members, growling in a low voice, "Go, go now!"

Daoist Priest Jinlian and Chu Yuanzhen retreated a distance, forming a "pin" shape with Hengyuan, facing the Robber's Cave.

The old Daoist priest said in a deep voice, "Leave quickly, go as far as you can, the monster in the tomb has come out."

Hengyuan showed no fear, but instead revealed a look of relief, saying in an extremely relaxed tone, "Amitabha, this time, this humble monk will not leave again."

"I haven't even participated in the battle between Celestial Person and man yet," Chu Yuanzhen muttered to himself, reaching behind his back to grasp the sword that had never been drawn.

The Houtu gang members' faces changed drastically; they were so frightened that their souls nearly left their bodies, and they fled in a panic.

For a moment, no one paid any attention to the unconscious Lina.

The sickly gang leader cursed inwardly at these sons of bitches, suppressing his intense fear as he turned back, attempting to take Lina away.

He grabbed Lina's hands, bent down and hoisted her onto his shoulder, while looking up at the entrance to the tomb, praying that the horrible undead wouldn't come out at this moment. Then, he saw a bald, hard-boiled egg.

The large, hard-boiled egg drooped low as it slowly emerged, a disheveled girl in a long linen robe clinging to its back—a stark contrast that made one wonder:

Why not give him some of your hair?

The sickly gang leader was stunned, still bent over, still holding Lina's wrist, staring blankly at the man and woman who came out.

The three people facing the tunnel were just as dumbfounded as he was.

A deathly silence fell over the scene.

Chu Yuanzhen murmured, "Is it really him?"

The "Fortune" had become even more profound; had the spell to shield the heavenly Law Technique from the Supervisor failed? How... how did he escape from the mummified corpse? Various thoughts flashed through Master Jinlian's mind, but his expression remained rather wooden as he said:

It must be him.

At this moment, Xu Qi'an smiled and said, "Everyone's out! That's great!"

As he spoke, he lifted Zhong Li's buttocks and bounced her up.

The passageway was too narrow to provide the space needed for a princess carry, so I had to carry her on my back instead.

Lord Xu

Bathed in the twilight sunlight, Hengyuan felt that the world was so beautiful, that good deeds would be rewarded, and that the Buddha's teachings were boundless.

He tried his best to control his emotions, his hands trembling slightly as he clasped together, his eyes red-rimmed, and he bowed his head to chant Buddhist mantras.

"My benefactor, my benefactor, you're still alive! That's wonderful!" Qian You, who had been running away, saw Xu Qi'an emerge unharmed.

Overjoyed, he ran back as fast as he could.

Although this person is cautious, timid, and afraid of death, his character is still acceptable.

"Our benefactor is so lucky! This is wonderful, truly wonderful!" The members of the Houtu Gang returned, their faces beaming with joy.

Xu Qi'an felt a little embarrassed by their praise, thinking to himself that if it weren't for the stimulation of luck that caused Monk Shenshu to wake up, he might have really run away back then.

The jade seal transformed into white sand, and its energy flowed into his body. At that moment, Xu Qi'an sensed something awakening within him—the severed hand of the monk Shenshu. For the first time, Xu Qi'an truly felt the presence of the previously dormant severed hand.

Only with confidence did he dare to stay behind to cover the rear. Otherwise, he could only pray that he could outrun his teammates.

After all, when you encounter a "bear," you're not competing with the bear, but with your teammate.

Outside the city, in a valley far from the southern mountains, by a stream, Xu Qi'an accepted the water handed to him by Qian You.

He had filled the container with water from the stream, and he didn't know if drinking it would give him diarrhea, as it was full of bacteria. Xu Qi'an thought to himself as he gulped it down in one go.

Exploring the ancient tomb took a whole day, culminating in a fierce battle with the boss. My stamina was severely depleted, and I desperately needed to replenish my fluids.

Lina was left aside, fast asleep. Zhong Li sat alone by the stream, tending to her injuries.

The Warlock System is not good at combat, and their physique cannot compare with the Warlock system, which focuses on self-improvement. Fortunately, every warlock is a master healer, a group of people who can save lives.

Zhong Li could handle this minor injury herself; it wouldn't stop Xu Qi'an from bragging on the side.

"At the time, I didn't think about anything, I just wanted everyone to get out of here as quickly as possible, and I would take all the danger myself," Xu Qi'an said, spittle flying as he spoke.

The group of Houtu gang members were deeply moved, and when they recalled their own cowardly and desperate behavior, they were all ashamed beyond measure.

Privately, Xu Qi'an told Daoist Jinlian and the others, explaining telepathically, "The Supervisor left a contingency plan inside my body, but I cannot say what it is."

The supervisor had actually left a backup plan with him. Sure enough, my prediction was correct; Xu Ningyan was an important pawn in the supervisor's game. Now it seems that the importance of this pawn is extraordinary.

Master Jinlian nodded in realization and relief.

No wonder, no wonder Miss Zhong Li from the Bureau of Astronomy followed him. Chu Yuanzhen glanced at Zhong Li's slender figure in the distance and a look of realization dawned on his face.

Furthermore, he recalled many other details, such as why the Superintendent had chosen him as his representative to fight against the Buddhist School sect, and why Master Jinlian valued and favored Xu Qi'an so much.

Furthermore, the details he revealed while guiding us through the maze—all these things indicate that Xu Qi'an is no ordinary person and harbors unimaginable secrets.

That's interesting.

Hengyuan's thoughts were relatively pure. In his view, Xu Ningyan was a good person, and since Xu Ningyan was not dead, the world was still a good place for the time being.

"It's a pity I didn't have the chance to cultivate the Vajra Invincible, and reaching the third rank is still a long way off," Hengyuan sighed inwardly.

After boasting, Xu Qi'an shifted his gaze to the wild Warlock in the Houtu Gang, an old man with gray hair, about fifty years old, wearing a dirty robe.

How should I address this senior?

"I dare not accept the title of 'senior.' My surname is Gongyang, and my given name is Su." The wild old Warlock waved his hand.

"How did you discover this tomb, senior?" Xu Qi'an asked.

According to Qian You, the large tomb at the foot of Nanshan Mountain was discovered by Gongyang Su, Warlock skilled in feng shui and also the deputy leader of the gang.

This is very strange. This tomb has been buried there for thousands, no, tens of thousands of years. How could it have been excavated at this particular time?

"I didn't discover that tomb; my teacher did. Our lineage of Warlock has almost completely lost the possibility of advancement. Most stop at the fifth rank. As for the reason..."

Gongyang shook his head and said, "It's a secret within the system, and I can't reveal it."

"Isn't it just about needing to rely on the imperial court? I already knew that." Xu Qi'an secretly curled his lip, but didn't interrupt him and continued listening.

"People have to eat, and there are only a few ways to make a living. The most profitable business, hehe, is nothing more than making money off the dead. Since I was a child, I have traveled all over China with my teacher, and our footprints have covered the entire country. Whenever we encountered a place with auspicious feng shui, we would record it and look for opportunities to explore it in the future."

"If there's a grave, you'll make a fortune; if there isn't, you'll be introduced to wealthy families. This grave was discovered by my teacher when he was young, and he recorded it. However, my teacher wasn't keen on digging graves, saying that it went against the natural order and would be punished by heaven sooner or later."

"Who would have thought that the old man was right? If it weren't for your help, I'd probably be sleeping forever underground."

I have no way of judging whether what you're saying is true or false. As Warlock, the Qi-Watching Technique is completely useless against you. The trigger for this matter is Number Five, not me. Very few people know that I am a member of the Heaven and Earth Society, and moreover, there is another condition that must be met: knowing Number Five's whereabouts. This eliminates the possibility of a deliberate arrangement. Sigh, I'm almost developing post-traumatic stress disorder.

Xu Qi'an felt a surge of emotion.

Then, thinking of the mysterious Warlock he encountered in Yunzhou, he couldn't help but curse under his breath, "Those Warlock are all damn old fools."

Hmm, a high-level Warlock.

Chu Caiwei, a woman who isn't very bright, definitely chose the wrong system, as did Zhong Li.

However, saying that is a bit disrespectful to Zhong Li. After all, although she is unlucky, pitiful, and lacks her own opinions, her intelligence is clearly a level higher than Caiwei's.

Gathering his thoughts, he feigned curiosity and asked, "Senior Gongyang, who is the Warlock of your lineage of sorcerers?"

Gongyang stared at him intently, then shook his head and said, "I don't know."

This is a lie; the facial expressions are too obvious. Xu Qi'an feigned ignorance and asked doubtfully, "Isn't he the first Supervisor?"

Gongyang Su remained calm and said, "The origin of Warlock lies with the first Supervisor. As for who the patriarch of my lineage is, this old man does not know."

"It must be a faction that broke away from the Bureau of Astronomy five hundred years ago," Xu Qi'an said casually.

Gongyang's expression changed drastically.

He opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing, "Young Master Xu, may I speak to you in private?"

"I've lost all my hard drives, how am I supposed to borrow one?" Xu Qi'an thought to himself, smiling as he got up and walked down the stream.

The constellation Gongyang silently followed.

Xu Qi'an walked on pebbles for over a hundred meters before stopping, a distance that ensured their conversation wouldn't be overheard by Daoist Jinlian and the others.

We may be friends, but I can't reveal the secrets of the Warlock System to you unless you pay me.

The footsteps behind him stopped. Gongyang Su stared intently at Xu Qi'an, his face serious, and probed, "Young Master Xu, what else do you know?"

"I also know that Emperor Wuzong was able to successfully usurp the throne because he allied with Buddhist School, and Buddhist School helped him kill the first supervisor." Xu Qi'an turned around and stared intently at him.

"You even know this? Who exactly are you? You have a prophet by your side, and you managed to escape from the evil corpse in the ancient tomb."

"You don't need to know who I am. I'll just ask you, what role did the current supervisor play back then?" Xu Qi'an cut to the chase, asking the question that had been troubling him for a long time.

"Heh, isn't that obvious? Without the help of a high-ranking Warlock from within, how could the Buddhist School kill a first-rank Warlock so easily?" Gongyang Su sneered.

His eyes and expression were filled with disdain and contempt, but Xu Qi'an knew it wasn't directed at Buddhist School, but at the current supervisor.

"I guessed right. The supervisor did indeed betray us back then, which is why he has his current position, "Xu Qi'an sighed, feeling very uncomfortable.

He wasn't morally fastidious, but he instinctively felt disgusted and couldn't accept this act of murdering his teacher.

"So, the Warlock who are now wandering the martial world are all those who split off after the death of the first supervisor?" Xu Qi'an asked calmly without revealing any flaws in his expression.

"Back then, there were six branches of Warlock who split off from the Bureau of Astronomy, each branch consisting of one of the six disciples of the first Director. My lineage's patriarch was the fourth disciple of the first Director, and his rank was a fourth-grade array master."

Xu Qi'an hurriedly asked, "Are you still in contact with the other five Warlock? How are they doing now?"

Gongyang shook his head. "We've all gone our separate ways, what contact could we possibly have? Besides, why would we need to contact each other, to form a secret organization to fight against the Bureau of Astronomy?"

He gave a wry smile, "The Warlock System needs to be attached to a dynasty, especially at higher ranks. That's why our six Warlock have declined."

This doesn't make sense. The sorcerer I met in Yunzhou was definitely a high-ranking Warlock. He didn't belong to the Bureau of Astronomy, and the six factions can't be promoted to high-ranking sorcerers, so there's a problem with the logic.

Xu Qi'an said in a deep voice, "I once met a high-ranking Warlock in Yunzhou, at least a celestial strategist, but he wasn't from the Bureau of Astronomy."

Gongyang was taken aback, his brow furrowing. "This shouldn't be happening."

Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment and said, "Is it possible that he has sided with some power, just like the Bureau of Astronomy has sided with the Great Feng?"

Gongyang Su pondered, "In that case, both Buddhist School and the Witchcraft Cult are possible. As for the Southern Frontier and northern barbarians, well, you probably don't know, they are unable to gather their own fortune."

No, I know, Dean Zhao Shou told me.

Are only Buddhist School and the Witchcraft Cult? That Warlock helped me thwart the Witchcraft Cult's conspiracy, so he must have been hostile towards me, because I suspect that the Warlock behind the tax silver case are from this group. Of course, this guess needs to be verified, but regardless of whether he was benevolent or malicious towards me, he is not on the same side as the Witchcraft Cult.

So, only Buddhist School is left?!

I knew those bald monks in the West weren't good people. (Strictly speaking, this is still just a hypothesis, no evidence yet, but that doesn't stop me from criticizing them.) Xu Qi'an took a deep breath, clearly and profoundly recognizing the undercurrents between the major powers of Kyushu.

"I have one last question for Senior Gongyang," Xu Qi'an said.

"You saved my life, and I will tell you everything I know." Gongyang Su nodded.

"Are you aware that the Chief Supervisor has blocked all information about the first Chief Supervisor?"

Gongyang Su chuckled, "As expected. Even emperors throughout history have known how to revise historical records."

Xu Qi'an asked, puzzled, "But the problem is, there are quite a few people who know about the existence of the first Supervisor, including you and me."

Gongyang Su pondered for a moment, his gaze fixed on the rushing stream, and asked thoughtfully, "Young Master Xu, what do you consider to be the act of shielding heavenly secrets?"

"Erase everything related to someone, or shield someone's special qualities?"

Xu Qi'an gave his answer based on his understanding of the "404 Method".

Gongyang Su withdrew his gaze and looked at Xu Qi'an: "Then, what does it mean to erase everything related to it?"

Before Xu Qi'an could answer, he lowered his head, drew a line on the ground with his toe, and pointed to the mark, saying:

Erasing this mark is easy; no one would know I drew a path here. But what if this path were to expand countless times, becoming a ravine, or even a canyon?

"To go further, what if this canyon ran through the capital?"

Xu Qi'an suddenly realized, "I understand now. The first Supervisor was this canyon. Even though it was shielded from the secrets of heaven, its influence was too great and too conspicuous, so the traces it left behind could not be completely erased."

Gongyang nodded and continued:

"Furthermore, if the people closest to Young Master Xu, such as his parents, were to have all traces of their existence erased, would Young Master Xu feel as if he were born from a stone? Would others also believe that Young Master Xu was born from a stone?"

"Even Law Technique that conceal the secrets of heaven must follow the rules of heaven and earth, and the ultimate truths. If it is someone very close to you, they will retain a vague concept in their mind, but will not remember the specific details."

So that's how it is. No wonder Wei Yuan said that he always forgot about the existence of the first Director of the Imperial Observatory, and only when recalling information about the Bureau of Astronomy would he remember that there was a first Director of the Imperial Observatory from the gaps in history!

Xu Qi'an said meaningfully, "You really know a lot."

Gongyang Su laughed without a guilty conscience, "It's not that I know a lot, it's just that this is all that my lineage knows. Since we've come this far, I'll tell you some more secrets of the Warlock System."

"The first and second ranks of Warlock are extremely mysterious. Even my ancestor didn't know the names of these two ranks, nor the corresponding methods."

Xu Qi'an nodded slowly. "Thank you for the reminder."

After ending the conversation, Xu Qi'an slowly approached Zhong Li by the stream. She was cleaning her wounds and rubbing her swollen and congested legs with a brown ointment.

Once the swelling in her legs had subsided slightly, she took out two prepared wooden sticks, tore off a strip of cloth, and prepared to set her bones.

Xu Qi'an suddenly roared behind her.

Zhong Li jumped in fright, and a wooden stick slipped from her hand, drifting away with the stream.

Xu Qi'an stood with his hands on his hips, looking on smugly.

"You"

Zhong Li was a little angry, gritting her teeth and muttering, "I'm not going back to see you next time."

"Alright, alright, what's the big deal about this broken stick? I'll get you a silver one when we get back to the capital."

Xu Qi'an pulled her to her feet, carried the unfortunate fifth senior sister on his back, and called out, "Daoist Master, it's time to return to the capital."

In a moment, the flying sword and paper crane rode the wind and soared into the sky, disappearing from sight.

With his back to the setting sun, Xu Qi'an cupped Zhong Li's shapely buttocks in his hands and sang loudly.

The members of the Houtu Gang looked up and watched the esteemed figures depart, their hearts filled with turmoil.

From afar, a loud song drifted. "The light of the righteous path shines upon your big ass."

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the members of the Houtu Gang arrived at the gate of Xiangcheng, just a quarter of an hour before the gates closed.

"Hurry up, hurry up, let's find an inn to rest, or the curfew will be in effect." The sickly gang leader urged his men to quicken their pace.

Looking back, he found that Qian You hadn't followed, but had stopped by the notice wall at the city gate, staring blankly at the government notices on it.

"Qian You, Qian You, what the hell are you staring at? Is there a woman on the wall that's making you unable to move?" the sick man gang leader roared angrily.

Qian You turned around, his expression indescribably complex, and stammered, "Gang leader, you, you come here for a moment."

The sickly gang leader stormed over, cursing, "If there aren't any women on the wall, I'll strip you naked and paste you onto it!"

While cursing angrily, he followed Qian You's hand and looked at the notice on the wall.

Then, the two of them stood frozen against the wall.

"Boss, what's wrong with you two?"

Seeing this, the other members followed, thinking to themselves, "Wow, there are stunning beauties on the wall too. What's going on with these two?"

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an official notice posted on the wall:

On the 18th day of the third month of the Xin Chou year, Buddhist School delegation arrived in the capital, intending to Nightwatchers the Bureau of Astronomy. Xu Qi'an, the Silver Gong of the Night Watchman's Office, stepped forward to fight, breaking the magic formation, slaying the golden statue, and debating Law Power the Buddhist School and enhance the prestige of the Great Feng Kingdom.

Qian You stammered, "I... I remember my benefactor's name is Xu Qi'an?!"

"Gulp!" A member of the Houtu Gang's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Gurgle."

The sound of swallowing saliva echoed repeatedly.

Representing the Bureau of Astronomy in a magical duel, he decisively defeated the Buddhist School monk Gongyang. His pupils contracted sharply; he sensed that the young man surnamed Xu was no ordinary person.

But he hadn't expected the other party to be such a person.

The sickly gang leader murmured, "I was wrong, I was wrong."

"I naively thought he was the lowest-ranking martial artist, but it turns out, he's the real big shot. Breaking the magic array, severing the golden body, and debating Buddhist teachings—he's truly a divine being."

PS: Today should be the earliest update time. Every time I see everyone saying, "Redefining five o'clock."

I felt so ashamed.

But today, I want to say with my hands on my hips: Please redefine five o'clock.

This chapter is long and difficult, so don't forget to vote with your monthly tickets! Also, please subscribe to the official version, and of course, don't forget to point out any typos. Love you all!