The Great Night Watch

In the eastern part of the Great River Kingdom, mountains stretch endlessly, and clear waters flow eastward. The Cloud Stream Sect, built atop countless mountains, boasts numerous towering pavilions, where orioles flit about, creating a magnificent spectacle. Behind the vast sect plaza lies a small slope, upon which stands an ancient pavilion, a stark contrast to the sect's bustling activity, as quiet as night. This pavilion is named the "Pavilion of Inquiry." Disciples of the sect who encounter difficulties in their cultivation can ascend the pavilion to seek guidance. The guardians of this pavilion throughout history have all been top elders of the sect, possessing profound knowledge of various classic texts. A single insightful word from one of them is worth more than ten years of arduous cultivation. It was noon, and a disciple stood respectfully in the pavilion, listening to the aged yet soothing voice behind the bamboo curtain: "Your understanding of the 'Broken Sword Technique' has been incomplete for three years because your direction is completely wrong. The Broken Sword Technique is not about cutting off the enemy's sword, but about cultivating 'sword intent.' Its eight essential words are: 'Great Meridian,' 'Expand Qi,' 'Smooth Weapon,' and 'Search the Opportunity.' You must carefully study these." The disciple was slightly startled: "Third Elder, the 'Broken Sword Technique' that I have memorized only has the six essential words 'Great Meridian,' 'Expand Qi,' and 'Smooth Weapon,' but not 'Search the Opportunity.' Why is that?" "Nonsense!" the elder scolded: "The eight essential words of the 'Broken Sword Technique' are: the first six are the foundation, and the last two are the direction. The so-called 'Search the Opportunity' is to integrate the body's Qi with the sword in hand..." After this explanation, the disciple's confusion turned into delight. A gentle chime of the pavilion bell signaled the end of the discussion. The disciple bowed deeply to the bamboo curtain, placed a package lightly on the table, and retreated from the pavilion. He bowed again at the door, then leaped into the air, returning satisfied. As soon as he disappeared, the bamboo curtain was gently lifted, revealing the face of a young man. He appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, handsome and refined, with incredibly bright eyes. He cautiously surveyed his surroundings, then grabbed the package from the table and slipped out from behind. Behind him was a small courtyard, where a girl, about twelve or thirteen years old, lived. Although she hadn't fully blossomed, her features were exquisite, and her nose wrinkled when she smiled, making her look like a little princess from a fairy tale . The girl ran over: "Brother, did no one notice?" "How could I? My acting skills are already superb." The young man gently pinched her nose and took out the package. The contents rolled out: a substantial ingot of silver, and a pheasant. The girl's eyes lit up when she saw the silver ingot, and she hugged it tightly, exclaiming, "Wow, five taels!" "Go deposit it!" The little miser grabbed the silver and ran to her room, dragging a ceramic jar from under the bed. A clinking sound signified the newly acquired five taels of silver had been deposited into their little treasury. The girl excitedly ran out, "Brother, it's almost half full! I never imagined that Master had only been gone for ten days, and you'd already swindled so much!" "What do you mean by 'swindled'?" the young man glared at her. "I've already corrected you several times; this is called 'master guidance'... and reasonable fees!" "Hmm, hmm, brother's swindling is so reasonable..." The girl nodded vigorously, "Brother, what are you going to do with this money?" "What am I going to do with this money? That's a good question!" The young man gazed at the horizon at a forty-five-degree angle. "Normally, men save money to buy cars, houses, or to raise dowries, but in this godforsaken place, it's all over. I just want to raise some travel expenses to go down the mountain and take a look." The girl was suddenly startled: "The elder forbids you from going down the mountain; he specifically instructed me to." “I know, but… what can I do if I don’t go down the mountain?” The young man sighed. “This is a cultivation sect. Everyone is striving to improve and ascend to higher levels. What am I, someone with no foundation in cultivation, supposed to do here? If I wait a few years, I probably won’t even be able to beat the rabbits in the sect…” The girl looked up and said earnestly, “Brother, don’t say that. In Xiaoyao’s eyes, you are incredibly remarkable. Look at that disciple who came today. He’s wearing purple robes, a direct disciple! He still bowed deeply to you, didn’t he?” Girl, you’ve grown up. You know how to comfort people now… The young man smiled slightly and gently patted her head. The girl squinted her eyes, enjoying it, her eyes crinkling into crescent shapes. Suddenly, the young man stopped what he was doing, his gaze rising thoughtfully… The girl’s words had struck him. The disciple who came today was a direct disciple. What is a direct disciple? Only the direct disciples of the sect leader or top elders are called direct disciples. Such disciples are the top figures among the disciples. How could he make such a basic mistake? He had actually missed the two most important words from the eight-character essence of the *Broken Sword Manual*! This was abnormal! Where did the problem lie? His consciousness sank into his mind. Within his mind lay a hidden mystery: a withered tree, branching into three. The leftmost branch, faintly green, sprouted dozens of leaves. One leaf magnified in his mind, revealing itself to be the sect's secret manual, the *Broken Sword Manual*. The young man's consciousness, acting as his eye, clearly saw the inscription: "Great Meridian, Expanding Qi, Relaxing Weapons, Determining the Mechanism"... This was his secret. A secret no one else knew. His name was Lin Su, a transmigrator! Upon transmigrating, the first thing he encountered was this tree in his brain. He didn't know if this "withered tree" was a perk of transmigrators or a skill originally possessed by this body, but he knew this skill was incredibly powerful. Whenever he touched a book, the withered tree in his brain would sprout leaves, each leaf perfectly replicating the book. With this skill, he practically swept through all the cultivation manuals below the second floor of the sect's library, and with his far-sighted understanding and knowledge, he perfectly deciphered them, mastering them in a short time. It was precisely because of this super cheat code that he was able to temporarily act as the "guardian" of the pavilion when his master left, guiding his disciples and, incidentally, changing the bad habit of providing free services, earning himself a little money for travel expenses. He'd been swindling food, drinks, money, and… well, not yet women. Things were going smoothly until today—the manual his direct disciple was studying was different from the one he'd copied. This wasn't a small problem! It was a major problem concerning his livelihood! Without an authentic knowledge system, he wouldn't have the confidence to deceive anyone… Lin Su looked up: "Xiao Yao, I'm going out for a bit. Pluck the feathers off this pheasant, and I'll make you braised pheasant when I get back…" A trickle of tears unexpectedly streamed from the girl's lips as she picked up the pheasant, wiping her drool as she plucked the feathers. As it turned out, winning over the girl was easy; if a tael of silver wasn't enough, a roast chicken would do the trick. Lin Su left the Daoist Pavilion and went to the library. His "Registered Disciple" nameplate flashed, and he went up to the second floor. He found the *Broken Sword Manual*, turned to the second page, and under the general outline… Lin Su was dumbfounded! The *Broken Sword Manual* really only contained six characters! But after he copied it in his mind, there were two extra characters, and not just those two extra characters—the entire sword manual was clearly more than a third longer! He'd seen copies that were exactly the same, but who had ever seen a copy more detailed than the original? He couldn't be sure if this was the same copy he'd encountered before. He'd find another one and conduct an experiment on the spot! Lin Su had basically copied all the scriptures on the second level. Unable to access the third level due to his status, he could only search for any omissions. The missing scriptures on the second level were mostly incomplete manuals, and he quickly found one: the "Drifting Steps." Upon contact, a leaf appeared in his brain, and a complete "Drifting Steps" manual clearly appeared, ten times larger than the incomplete manual he already possessed. The incomplete manual was no longer incomplete… Suddenly, a chorus of voices rang out beside him: "Greetings, Holy Maiden!" Lin Su snapped out of his daze, staring at the direction where the disciples beside him were bowing. With just one glance, his heart skipped a beat, and a poem flashed into his mind: "Clouds yearn for her garments, flowers for her face; spring breezes caress the balustrade, dew is heavy; if not seen atop Jade Mountain, she would be met beneath the moon on the Jade Terrace!" This poem was written by Li Bai, shamelessly flattering a woman, but at this moment, Lin Su felt he could forgive old Li. If not beneath the moon on the Jade Terrace, where would such a celestial being be found? This woman's face was exquisitely sculpted, like a work of art. Her gaze swept across the room, as if a fairy were looking down upon all living beings. Her skin was as white as jade, her elegance unparalleled. If she appeared on the streets of modern society, it was highly likely that passing drivers would overturn their cars… But she was aloof, drifting past without a backward glance. Facing the bows of the crowd, she didn't even nod, taking a single step and ascending to the third floor, leaving behind a lingering fragrance. Someone nearby said, "The Holy Maiden seems to be in a bad mood. Could it be that her journey south has been unsuccessful?" Another said, "Indeed, not so smooth. She encountered a big fish…" He seemed to have touched a taboo, quickly stopping and leaving the library. Lin Su scratched her head, full of doubt. Encountered a big fish? What did "big fish" mean? Why not one, but one? Oh well, most cultivators are illiterate or semi-literate; what do they know about quantifiers? Never mind, I'll go back and cook pheasant for Xiao Yao. I'll continue my scamming tomorrow, raise enough money for the journey, and leave this godforsaken place as soon as possible. I don't have the physique for cultivation, so I can't enter the path of cultivation, but I don't believe that cultivation is the only path in this world. A modern person transmigrating to ancient times, and I'm going to fight you to the death in your area of ​​expertise? Isn't that crazy? When he returned to the courtyard, Xiao Yao had already skinned the pheasant...cleaved it clean. Lin Su picked up a cleaver and started munching away. Soon, with a sizzle, steam rose from the iron pot, and the aroma of meat filled the entire courtyard. She ate the first piece of meat, Xiao Yao's mouth was full of oil. She ate the last piece of meat too, her face beaming with happiness. She kept calling him brother, but he wasn't actually her brother. She was an orphan in the sect, her parents had died long ago. Lin Su first met her a little over a month ago. She had just finished fighting a stray dog, holding a meaty bone she'd snatched from its mouth, quite pleased with herself. Lin Su patted her shoulder and said, "Little girl, I just cooked a fish, come on!" From then on, this girl's circle of activity never strayed beyond the small courtyard within a ten-foot radius. After that, she called him "brother. " He enjoyed having someone call him "brother" in this strange world, and he also loved watching her happily munching on a chicken leg, her eyes half-closed.