【Chapter 1: Where Are You?】

Xu Qi'an stared at the mirror, completely stunned. Did the mirror just talk? Was it a treasure with self-awareness?

What does "Jiu" mean? Is that the name of the mirror?

No, if the mirror had self-awareness, it wouldn't ask "where are you?" because we sleep in the same bed every day.

Xu Qi'an stared at the mirror, lost in thought.

He was thinking about four things:

First, what kind of treasure was the mirror? Besides storing items, could it also receive information?

Second, was this information? If so, who sent it?

Third, who was the old Taoist? Why did he give the mirror to me?

Fourth, should I respond?

With caution, Xu Qi'an held onto the idea of "if I pretend it doesn't exist, then it doesn't exist" and silently put away the mirror, not planning to respond.

Besides, he didn't know how to respond.

After coming to the courtyard, soaking his head in the water tank, and wiping it dry with a handkerchief, Xu Qi'an left the small courtyard.

He had already joined the Nightwatchers, but his official start date was the day after tomorrow. The Nightwatcher's office had to prepare uniforms and bronze gongs for him.

It was still early, two quarters past noon.

Xu Qi'an first went to the Changle County Office to inform his colleagues and Magistrate Zhu that he had become a Nightwatcher.

Magistrate Zhu had already received the news, as the Nightwatchers had taken Xu Qi'an's household registration from the Changle County Office in advance.

Xu Qi'an and his colleagues and Magistrate Zhu agreed to have dinner together in the evening, which was both a farewell and a celebration of his promotion and wealth.

Of course, the location was at the Xiaoyue Pavilion, not far from the county office. When it came to official socializing, brothels were the first choice.

Before that, Xu Qi'an planned to go to the theater to listen to music and solve his lunch problem.

...

The farewell banquet started at shen hour and lasted until you hour and three quarters.

During the banquet, Magistrate Zhu sighed and said, "Ning Yan, you are one of the people who came out of my Changle County Office. Being able to become a Nightwatcher is a blessing for our Changle County. I've always had high hopes for you..."

He paused, raised his cup, and drank it all.

If I can continue to climb up... Magistrate Zhu is probably the first trustworthy connection I've made in the officialdom... Xu Qi'an understood and drank his cup of wine as well.

After the banquet, the Nightwatcher's quick hands didn't leave. The madam called over a group of beautiful girls for the officials to choose from.

Their looks were decent, but compared to Fu Xiang, who Xu Qi'an had tasted the sweetness of, these ordinary women didn't interest him much.

After arranging Magistrate Zhu and the quick hands, Xu Qi'an left the Xiaoyue Pavilion and walked towards his home.

When he arrived at the courtyard gate, he found that the lock had been opened, and candlelight was visible inside the house.

Did my second uncle come to find me?

Xu Qi'an pushed open the courtyard gate and entered the house.In the dim candlelight, a girl in a plain long dress sat at the table, propping her head up with one hand, lost in thought.

Xu Qi'an immediately glanced at the cabinet next to the bed and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was not opened.

"Hmm, maybe I should consider writing my diary in English."

He walked over and gently woke up Xu Lingyue.

"Where did big brother go?" Xu Lingyue opened her eyes, her beautiful eyes confused for a moment before lighting up with joy.

Her sharp melon-seed face in the candlelight looked like a piece of warm jade without any flaws, and her eyes sparkled.

"Sister is so pretty." Xu Qi'an exclaimed.

Xu Lingyue shyly lowered her head, her face flushed with a thrilling blush.

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She said softly, "Big brother, why didn't you come home for dinner? Dad said you must have gone to the brothel."

Uncle, he really... understands me!

"No, no, it was just a normal social event. I went to the Nightwatcher's yamen and treated my colleagues to a meal." Xu Qi'an explained.

But it was normal for Uncle to think that way. A normal cultivator who had just entered the Qi Refining stage after more than ten or twenty years of hard work would surely want to exhaust all their energy before stopping.

"Big brother drank alcohol... since you've already eaten, I'll go back now. There are still dishes in the kitchen." Xu Lingyue believed her big brother's explanation and smiled happily.

Xu Qi'an was moved. Except for Uncle, this little sister was the best to him in this family.

"Well... it's dark now, it's not safe to walk alone at night. I'll accompany you." Xu Lingyue didn't refuse. The distance from the small courtyard to the main gate of the Xu family was about two or three hundred meters. It was indeed unsafe for a weak girl to walk alone.

But she didn't expect Xu Qi'an to take her to the corner of the courtyard, hold her slender waist with one hand, and leap over the wall.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, she hurriedly pushed Xu Qi'an away, feeling both embarrassed and angry. "Big brother, how could you be so frivolous?"

Even if they were not of the opposite sex and over seven years old, she was already seventeen years old. It was not appropriate for her brother to embrace her like this. Holding her hand at the Yunlu Academy had already crossed the line. The Xu family was not a strict and rigid scholarly family, so there was no need to be too concerned.

But just now, he hugged her waist like that... could a woman's waist be hugged so casually? Riding a horse was a different matter, but even if she was riding a horse, her waist had never been hugged.

Xu Lingyue's legs were a little weak. Seeing Xu Qi'an was a little dazed, she stomped her foot in anger and walked away with quick, small steps.

She seemed angry, but she felt more embarrassed and coquettish. Xu Qi'an sighed and reminded himself to be more careful.Although in the previous life, even casual acquaintances wouldn't care too much about physical contact, some unfamiliar men and women even tightly pressed against each other, feeling each other's warmth and strength. Their faces would turn red, their brows would furrow, and they would breathe heavily... referring to the crowded subway during rush hour.

But now, in this feudal era, even sisters cannot behave too intimately. Xu Qi'an was a bit negligent in this regard.

Watching Xu Lingyue's figure disappear, Xu Qi'an leaped and returned to his own courtyard.

At this moment, he suddenly felt a sense of palpitation and took out the jade stone mirror from his arms. The clean mirror surface slowly displayed a line of small characters:

[9: Where are you?]

Xu Qi'an frowned. What was going on?

The message was repeatedly sent over and over again. If he didn't solve it, he always felt it was a hidden danger.

Xu Qi'an leaned against the wall, pondering for a long time, and decided to reply to the message.

There were two reasons for the reply: first, the mirror was still his property. If he could thoroughly understand its functions and mysteries, it would be beneficial for him.

It was like holding an AK47 but using it as a stick.

Second, he suspected that the message was sent by the old Taoist. If so, he could take advantage of this opportunity to figure out why the other party gave him the treasure.

An unknown gift always made people uneasy.

Xu Qi'an tried voice input: "Hehe, taking a shower."

The clean mirror surface remained unchanged.

Xu Qi'an tried another method, using his finger instead of a pen to write the sentence on the mirror surface.

A magical scene happened. The mirror surface displayed a line of characters: [3: Hehe, taking a shower.]

Transmitting thoughts through touch?

Did 3 represent the number of this mirror? And the other person was 9... did he also have a mirror?

[9: Who are you?]

Xu Qi'an didn't answer him.

The other side also fell silent. After a few minutes, another message came: [9: Where is Senior Brother Jin Lian? Whether he's alive or dead, how did you get this mirror? Are you a member of the Heaven and Earth Society?!]

Senior Brother Jin Lian should be the Taoist who gave him the mirror. The person with the code name 9 called him Senior Brother, so they were from the same sect...

The Heaven and Earth Society, how could there still be anti-Qing and Ming restoration in this parallel world?

After roughly figuring out the other party's identity, Xu Qi'an breathed a sigh of relief and used his finger as a pen to input the message:

[3: I am not a member of the Heaven and Earth Society. This mirror was given to me by an old Taoist.]

[9: How can you prove that you are not a member of the Heaven and Earth Society? Tell me your name.]

Xu Qi'an had the feeling of a reader asking for his shipping address, planning to send him some local specialties. He instinctively resisted and did not agree.

[3: Taoist, I am just a nobody.]

After a while.

[9: Where is the Taoist who gave you the mirror?]【Chapter 3: I don't know.】Xu Qi'an finished typing and waited quietly to see what the other person would say.

【Chapter 9: I am Zi Lian. The Daoist who gave you the mirror is my senior brother. This mirror is a treasure of our Di Sect. Since my senior brother gave it to you, I believe you are not an ordinary person and must have heard of our Di Sect's reputation.】

Xu Qi'an replied: 【Chapter 3: Sorry, I know nothing about it.】

There was silence on the other end for a while, and there was no emotional response: 【Chapter 9: The Dao Sect is divided into three sects: Heaven, Earth, and Human.】

It turned out to be someone from the Dao Sect... Xu Qi'an's spirits lifted.

PS: It's the weekend today. I woke up and it was already one o'clock. I sat up in shock from my deathbed and rushed to open my computer to update. I forgot to set the timer for the chapter I finished writing yesterday...