An unexpected mission

"Since you've taken him under your command, you should certainly know his rating," Wei Yuan said gently. "But don't overthink it, and don't worry too much about it. Just keep a calm mind. Of course, also remember not to spread it around."

The first sentence was fine, but the second sentence confused Li Yuchun.

What does "Duke Wei" mean? Does "stay calm and don't take it too seriously" mean that Xu Qi'an's rating is too low, and I shouldn't develop feelings of annoyance or disdain towards him because of it?

But why was I warned not to publicize it? Given Duke Wei's status, he shouldn't be so protective of a mere bronze gong. Li Yuchun frowned slightly, unable to fathom the Grand Eunuch's meaning.

At this moment, Wei Yuan opened the household register and pushed it towards the edge of the table. "Look for yourself."

Li Yuchun's gaze then fell on the household registration, where he saw two bright red characters: Jia Shang!

Chun Ge nearly lost control of his expression, exclaiming in shock, "Duke Wei?"

A on!

How could it be A?

I've worked in the Nightwatchers organization for over ten years and have never seen anyone with a top-tier rating. Even those who receive the Golden Gong award are only rated A.

What is the concept of armor?

No wonder they wanted to keep my mouth shut; if this got out, it would be like praising Xu Qi'an to death.

Which Nightwatchers would accept this?

At the same time, Li Yuchun noticed something amiss: the aptitude test had three stages: "Intelligence," "Strength," and "Intuition."

Xu Qi'an is at the Essence Refining Realm, so he's not qualified to be tested on combat strength.

In other words, he obtained the qualification rating of Grade A based on only two tests.

So, if we add his talent in Qi Refinement, will his evaluation improve? It's already exceeded the rating system established by Duke Wei, so will Duke Wei re-evaluate him, or will he keep it unchanged?

Thinking of this, Li Yuchun felt a slight warmth rise in her heart.

Wei Yuan closed the household register and casually said, "Remember to keep your mouth shut. If you have anything to report, then report to me."

Li Yuchun let out a breath, carefully chose his words, and said, "I have already opened the Heavenly Gate for Xu Qi'an, and according to the rules, I have received four hundred taels from him."

Wei Yuan said, "Take it back."

Those with top-tier qualifications already receive preferential treatment in terms of resources. If opening the Heavenly Gate requires charging a fee, then what's the point of the ranking system?

Li Yuchun nodded.

Wei Yuan glanced at him and smiled, "Not bad talent? You managed to find the Qi sensation after a few weeks?"

The yin-feminine man and Yang Yan, who had already cultivated their qi through the third cycle of cultivation, were quite interested in this and also kept their eyes on Li Yuchun.

As Li Yuchun spoke, he observed the expressions of the three high-ranking officials.

The three had different expressions. Yang Yan, whose expressionless face was usually expressionless, showed a rare look of shock.

The effeminate man walked from the watchtower into the tea room, his cold gaze sweeping over Li Yuchun before he sneered, "Impossible."

His reaction was the most intense.

Wei Yuan, who was always refined and gentle, was momentarily dazed.

Li Yuchun silently lowered his head, extremely satisfied with the three people's reactions.

"Go down!" Wei Yuan watched Li Yuchun leave, then glanced at his two adopted sons. "Any thoughts?"

Yang Yan pondered for a moment, "Does he/she need special attention?"

Wei Yuan shook his head. "There's no need to force it. Let's just wait and see."

Then, he looked at the effeminate man and smiled, "You're not much older than him, and he can't compare to you now, but who knows what will happen in the future? That's good, it gives you some motivation."

The handsome man with an effeminate air nodded.

As Li Yuchun left Haoqi Tower, he encountered several silver gongs along the way.

"Lord Li, what's causing you to laugh like that?"

Li Yuchun subconsciously touched her face and found that her mouth was almost split to her ears.

"It's nothing, it's nothing," Li Yuchun waved his hand, laughing as he walked away.

Xu Qi'an sent a message home through someone, while he himself stayed at the Nightwatchers's office, repeatedly practicing breathing exercises to regulate his qi.

He clearly perceived the benefits that the circulation of Qi brought to his body, making his cells more active and his spirit more vigorous.

His physique and strength were increasing at a delightful rate.

This state lasted until dusk, when it came to a halt, signifying the end of his benefits from entering the Qi Refining Realm.

"I feel like I could beat ten of my former self in my current form. It turns out my second uncle wasn't taking it seriously when we sparred; he was just pretending to be serious. If he had gone all out, I probably would have died on the spot."

Xu Qi'an casually performed a few sets of punches, displaying impressive power and skill, his condition was better than ever before.

He concentrated his energy in his fists, lowered his waist and hips, and hovered them on the ground.

Bang!

The ground groaned, cracking open like a spiderweb, and dust billowed out.

The Xu Residence.

Xu Xinnian paced back and forth in the back hall, his brow furrowed. Xu Pingzhi sat silently in a chair, his face grim.

The aunt glanced at her eldest daughter, whose fingers were twisting the hem of her skirt, her eyes were slightly red, and her delicate eyebrows were tightly furrowed.

Noticing her mother's gaze, Xu Lingyue pouted and called out in a tearful voice, "Mother."

"Stop walking around, you're giving me a headache." The aunt scolded her son irritably, then tentatively asked, "Master?"

"Let's wait for news. If we're taken away by the Nightwatchers, doing nothing is the best option," Second Uncle Xu said in a deep voice.

Auntie bit her bright red lips, then suddenly stomped her foot and said angrily, "It's better for you to go and pull some strings than to just sit here."

Xu Xinnian frowned and said, "What connections are we going to use? We still don't know why the Nightwatchers took my brother away. Now is not the time to bribe him."

"All you ever do is cause trouble, all you ever do is cause trouble," the aunt scolded.

His hands, hidden in his sleeves, were clenched into fists.

Just then, Old Zhang, the gatekeeper, rushed in. Before he even entered the front hall, his voice rang out. "Master, the Dalang has sent a message."

Xu Xinnian was the first to go forward, and the whole family stood up from their chairs.

With her skirt fluttering, Xu Lingyue stumbled against the door, staring anxiously at the doorman, Old Zhang.

Old Zhang, the gatekeeper, stood on the steps in front of the hall and said, "Dalang said he's become Nightwatchers and won't be home tonight, so don't worry about him."

They had become Nightwatchers. Xu Pingzhi and Xu Xinnian looked at each other in bewilderment.

Accompanied by his two colleagues, one with squinty eyes and the other with a blank expression, Xu Qi'an received a poorly fitting set of clothes, a waist token, a bronze gong, and a standard-issue long sword at the yamen's office.

"It will probably take two days for the properly fitting uniform. This bronze gong is a standard ritual Law Artifact unique to Nightwatchers," Song Tingfeng said, chewing on a candy.

"It has two functions: First, when tied around the chest, it can act as a shield to protect vital points, capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a master of the Spirit Refining Realm. Second, striking the gong surface generates sound waves that can shake the enemy's spirit, causing negative effects such as dizziness and headaches."

It sounds so ordinary, but the Heart-Protecting Mirror that Song Qing gave me can withstand three attacks from the Spirit Refining Realm and one attack from a Copper Skin Iron Bones cultivator. Wait, isn't this an enhanced version of the Copper Gong? Xu Qi'an's heart skipped a beat. "Made by the Bureau of Astronomy?"

"Of course, only fourth-rank Formation Master from the Bureau of Astronomy can forge Law Artifact," Song Tingfeng said.

"Be on time for roll call tomorrow. The boss said you'll be working with us from now on. Nightwatchers team consists of at least two and at most four people, patrolling different areas of the capital. They usually rotate every three days. Guangxiao and I just finished our night patrol; we've been on day patrol for the past three days."

"Then what area will I be on duty in?" Xu Qi'an was a little reluctant. Working the night shift was even more inhumane than the "blessing" of 996.

"The areas are tentatively set; they will be randomly assigned each time the rotation begins. This is to prevent unscrupulous Nightwatchers from scouting and stealing from the watchmen themselves," Song Tingfeng said with a smile.

"Stealing silver, or picking flowers. Of course, such examples are rare, but we must be wary."

Xu Qi'an nodded. "Every department has its bad apples."

At this moment, an official hurried over and said, "Lord Song, Lord Zhu, Li Yinluo is here to summon you."

Brother Chun is looking for us. Xu Qi'an, along with two colleagues, walked towards Li Yuchun's office.

Each silver gong had a private office called a "hall," and in those days, sitting in an office was called "sitting in the hall."

The silver gong officer doesn't usually go out on patrol; that's the job of the local police officer, the copper gong officer.

Li Yuchun's office is called Chunfeng Hall.

The room was clean and odorless. The documents were neatly arranged, the blue and white porcelain patterns on the two cups faced the same direction, and the potted plants were placed in the same manner. Chun Ge is truly a refined old man.

Xu Qi'an glanced at Chunfeng Hall.

In the spacious hall, Li Yuchun sat at his desk and pushed a file onto the table.

"A demon has been spotted in Dahuang Mountain in Taikang County and has devoured many people. Go and investigate. If the demon is not of high cultivation level, kill it on the spot. The Six Doors of the prefectural government will assist in the investigation; they are already waiting outside the government office."

"Okay, Xu Qi'an, you go too. Gain some experience. You didn't do your 'combat strength' test, so consider this your real combat experience."

The monster eats people, and this happens right after I took office?!

Am I lucky or unlucky?