A plan to save him

Regardless of whether he can help or not, he'll first make empty promises to extract some information. If Number Six is a villain, Xu Qi'an will vote him out to reduce the number of wolves in the Heaven and Earth Society.

Of course, before that, he had to find out where Number Six was hiding to ensure he wouldn't have any future troubles, because Number Six was very powerful.

Breaking into the Pingyuan Marquis's residence at night, killing the Marquis, severely injuring the night watchman, and then calmly Nightwatchers —this is definitely a mid-level expert, or even stronger.

If there's a valid reason, he'll help as much as he can, thus cultivating a noble image of himself as Chen Jinnan, the leader of the Heaven and Earth Society.

Wei Yuan sent him undercover, not to remain hidden forever; he needed to achieve something.

Can Number Three provide assistance?

How could he calmly take Number Six away amidst the search by the Nightwatchers and the Imperial Saber Guard?

What was his status? Was he merely Confucian School disciple?

At this point, without a legitimate identity, even walking within the inner city would result in immediate arrest.

Or rather, could he command the Imperial Saber Guard, or the Nightwatchers?

Xu Qi'an's words sparked a flurry of speculation among the holders of the Earth Book fragments, who began to guess his true identity and analyze his next move.

[Nine: Hehe, if Number Three is willing to help, then there's no problem. Number Six, don't hide anything.]

Master Jinlian was certain that Number Three could help Number Six resolve the crisis. Number Three was no ordinary Confucian School disciple; he must have a more secretive and higher-level identity. The newcomer Master Jinlian recruited this time was no ordinary person.

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society were invigorated, remaining silent and observing the situation unfold.

[Number 6: One of my junior brothers has gone missing. He's been missing for a year. I suspect he was abducted and sent out of Beijing through a secret channel.]

After extensive investigation and inquiry, I identified a kidnapping organization that abducts and kidnaps women and children, selling them to brothels, beggar gangs, and other places that need women and children.

They not only traffic in children and women, but also abduct practitioners; I haven't yet found out their true purpose.

[Finally, I discovered that the mastermind behind that Yazi organization was the Earl of Pingyuan.]

[Three: So you killed him in a fit of rage?]

[Six: I infiltrated the Marquis of Pingyuan's residence and interrogated my junior brother about his whereabouts, but to no avail. I then killed him to atone for my sins.]

[One: Why wasn't the violation reported to the authorities when it was committed by force?]

Number One disagrees with Number Six's way of handling things.

[Second: Nonsense. If the law were effective, the Earl of Pingyuan would have been punished long ago. Officials protect each other. There are no gods watching over us; justice lies only in the blade.]

"This guy's a hothead! He could have reported Pingyuan Bo; killing him was unwise," Xu Qi'an said with a sigh.

However, this suggests that Number Six is a straightforward, even reckless and impulsive person who likes to persuade others with reason (physics). This is quite similar to Confucian School.

Number One seemed disdainful of arguing with Number Two and did not respond.

[Six: I have my reasons. Throughout the year, I rescued many children. Some had their hands and feet cut off and were forced to beg by the roadside. The more clever ones were trained to be thieves. But the most appalling thing...]

[I once rescued a child, and the broker disguised him as a black dog, taught him a few auspicious phrases to please unsuspecting people and solicit rewards.]

[One: Is this really true!]

[Six: Nature.]

Number One remained silent for a long time.

[Three: You've successfully convinced me. Although I despise those who break the law with force and act without thinking, I'm still willing to help you.]

Xu Qi'an suppressed the anger in his chest and imitated Xu Erlang's personality, speaking in the tone befitting a Confucian School.

[Two: Hmm, I'm starting to agree with Number Three now.]

[Four: People of strong character, let's have a drink together sometime.]

[Six: Thank you.]

They didn't call out Number Three's name, probably because they all knew that Chen Jinnan wasn't Number Three's real name.

[Part 3: Where are you hiding?]

[Six: In the canal outside the Pingyuan Earl's Mansion.]

The canal was a sewer, a dirty and smelly place. In this era, there were no sewer workers, and ordinary people would not go inside, making it a blind spot for inspection.

But this is only temporary. Once the Nightwatchers watchman gathers his men, he will definitely not let this place go.

[Three: I understand. Wait for my message.]

Xu Qi'an put away the jade mirror, picked up his knife in one hand, and stroked his chin with the other, pondering how to handle the matter.

He couldn't lead the people out of the inner city; there were Imperial Saber Guard and Nightwatchers along the way.

All Xu Qi'an could do was turn a blind eye to things in his patrol area, and he had to do it quickly. Otherwise, once the Imperial Saber Guard and the Nightwatchers sealed off the area and conducted a thorough investigation, he wouldn't be able to save Number Six.

"Time is of the essence; we need to come up with a foolproof plan."

To save Number Six, they had to deceive both the Nightwatchers and the Warlock from the Bureau of Astronomy. Therefore, Xu Qi'an needed to do two things: first, find Number Six a hiding place; second, conceal his presence.

The former is not difficult. As long as he can get through tonight, he can disguise himself as an ordinary person and leave the city on his own tomorrow morning, the 6th.

Given the Marquis of Pingyuan's status, it's unlikely he would allow the inner city gates to remain closed indefinitely; they would certainly be opened at dawn.

The challenge lies in concealing the presence of the Land Cruiser.

"After killing someone, one inevitably becomes tainted with resentment; this can't possibly escape the Qi-Watching Technique of Warlock Bureau of Astronomy. Shall we have another round of private conversation with Song Qing?"

"No way, I haven't paid for the last 'secret deal' yet, and the periodic table still hasn't been sent to the Bureau of Astronomy. Besides, Song Qing is as principled as I am; getting him to help with this kind of thing will be difficult. Non-Self sleep with that little beauty Chu Caiwei."

Although the Earth Book can recruit people, none of the Heaven and Earth Society members mentioned it. Xu Qi'an guessed that the aura couldn't be concealed and would be detected by the Qi-Watching Technique.

The key point is still to conceal one's aura. Xu Qi'an has a method he can try, which is also the source of his confidence to openly show off in the "Earth Book Chat Group".

He pulled out the booklet, flipped through the pages rapidly, and found a page that read, "A leaf before the eyes!"

By the afternoon, Xu Qi'an had memorized all the Law Technique recorded in the booklet, making sure he knew them by heart.

The ability to conceal one's presence and aura, like a leaf before the eyes, allows the caster to "erasure" their existence.

Its essence is to distort the corresponding rules by Law Follows Speech of the five Confucian School Virtue Realm. Then, through the "learning" ability of the Sixth-Rank Confucian Scholar Realm, these rules are recorded on paper.

Xu Qi'an looked around and locked onto an inn across the street. He lightly touched the roof with his toes and flew to the top of the roof. He listened to his heartbeat and breathing and found an empty room.

He clung to the wall like a gecko, slowly prying open the window latch with his sword.

After doing all this, he rushed to the Pingyuan Earl's residence, which was not far from him. He stood on the rooftop across the street and looked out for a while before finding the irrigation canal.

Xu Qi'an drew arrows from the leather pouch at his waist, tied the torn pieces of paper to the arrows, and threw them forcefully.

"Thud!"

Arrows were embedded in the earthen wall beside the irrigation ditch.

He crouched low on the roof ridge, took out a small jade mirror, and transmitted a message:

[Three: Sixth, by the ditch where you are hiding, there is an arrow on the earthen wall with what you need on it. I have prepared a room at the Qing Shu Inn on the next street; the sixth window on the second floor is open. Go quickly!]

He didn't look in the mirror, but stared at the ditch. A dozen seconds later, a large bald head emerged from there, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, looking bitter and resentful.

The bald man warily scanned his surroundings, his gaze then settling on the arrow embedded in the wall.

He pulled out the arrow, unfolded the paper on it, and glanced at it.

Is one leaf blocking one's view?

The bald man seemed to have figured something out, and a look of relief appeared on his face.

Number three is indeed Confucian School scholar.

He immediately used his qi to ignite the paper, and an inexplicable force enveloped him, concealing his aura.

This ability to conceal one's aura!

The bald man's pupils contracted slightly, revealing a look of shock.

This is not something that an ordinary fifth-grade Virtue Realm could achieve; it Gentleman Realm.

Number Three's identity is unmistakable; he is not only Confucian School disciple but also a student highly regarded by a certain great Confucian scholar.

Master Jinlian once said that every holder of the Earth Book fragment is a chosen one of heaven, and that is absolutely true.

He did not leave immediately, but instead slowly took out a clean and tidy monk's robe from the jade mirror and put it on, then threw the smelly shoes and clothes into the jade mirror.

They had to leave quickly; if they delayed any longer, it would be dangerous Nightwatchers's experts gathered. The bald man didn't dare to scale walls and instead walked briskly through the streets.

At that moment, he saw a young man standing upright on the roof of a building on the neighboring street. He was dressed in the uniform of Nightwatchers, with one hand on his knife, facing the night wind, staring ahead with a desolate and lonely look in his eyes.

Its form is as deep as a deep pool and as imposing as a mountain.

He was like a firefly in the darkness, shining brightly.

This gong-bearer possessed a restrained yet profound aura, and an extraordinary handsome appearance. The Nightwatchers were indeed full of talented individuals. The bald man glanced at him a few times, secretly admiring him.

Following the directions given by Number Three, he found the Qing Shu Inn, and sure enough, the sixth window was open.

The bald man leaped lightly into the air and silently entered the room. Moments later, the windows and doors were closed.

"Phew!" Xu Qi'an relaxed his shoulders and stopped posing.

Although I knew that Number Six was Buddhist School disciple and probably wouldn't be a woman, I was still somewhat disappointed.

"Number nine is that old silver coin Jinlian, number six is a bitter and vengeful Lu Zhishen, and the other netizens, there should be pretty girls among them, right?" Xu Qi'an was just about to take out a mirror to check the chat history when his ears twitched and he saw hurried footsteps.

In sight, dozens of dark figures rose and fell on the rooftops, rushing towards this direction.

"Next, only after we get through this hurdle will Lu be safe!" Xu Qi'an thought to himself, squinting.

The murder of the Earl of Pingyuan alarmed the Golden Gong, six Silver Gongs, and dozens of Bronze Gongs on duty tonight.

Almost all the night Nightwatchers were out on duty, along with several white-clad Bureau of Astronomy from the Imperial Observatory.

The Imperial Saber Guard, in coordination with the Nightwatchers, established a tight blockade around the Pingyuan Earl's residence, covering an area of several miles. These guards, dressed in white uniforms from the Bureau of Astronomy, conducted a thorough search.

The team leader, Jin Luo, was named Jiang Luzhong. He was in his forties, with jet-black hair, fine crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, and sharp, eagle-like eyes that gleamed with a cold, piercing light.

These eyes were famous in the Nightwatchers's office; apart from the Golden Gong of the same rank, no one could meet his gaze for more than three seconds.

He led his team, rising and falling repeatedly on the rooftops, his sharp eyes scanning the dark city.

Several Bureau of Astronomy from the Imperial Observatory, dressed in white, were carried on the backs of men with gongs, their eyes gleaming as they scanned the street below inch by inch.

Jiang Luzhong said in a deep voice, "After a murderer kills someone, their aura will inevitably be stained with blood. Have any of you noticed anything unusual?"

The Warlock were only eighth-rank Qi-Watching Master, with mediocre combat skills. They couldn't even scale walls and needed the gongs to carry them, but that didn't stop them from showing off their superiority in front of the warriors.

"No!" the white-robed officials from the Bureau of Astronomy replied indifferently.

Jiang Luzhong paused for a moment, then held back.

After traveling for a while, a white-robed official from the Bureau of Astronomy saw Xu Qi'an standing proudly on the rooftop. He paused for a moment, then exclaimed with joy, "Get down! Get down quickly!"

P. S.: Here's a 3200-word post, in Equivalent Exchange recommendation votes. What do you all think?