Chapter 391 - The Watchman

“Guard against fire and theft, for a peaceful long night!”“Bang—Bang!

Bang!

Bang!”

Only when the sound entered their ears did the several of them finally breathe a sigh of relief.

It was the night watchman!

But it was the rhythm of one slow followed by three quick beats, indicating that it was now the fourth watch of the night.

In regards to the sound of time signaling,

one slow followed by a quick beat, repeated three times, signifies the end of dusk, announcing the start of night.

One sound followed by another, struck repeatedly, signifies the second watch.

The third watch is one slow followed by two quick, the fourth watch is one slow followed by three quick, and the fifth watch is one slow followed by four quick.

Thus, by merely listening to the night watchman’s clapping of the bamboo clapper, one could know the time.

They had come to Withering and Flourishing Temple and had not felt that they had done much, yet time had slipped away unnoticed.

But with a mere change of thought, their hearts tensed up again.

The Withering and Flourishing Temple had been abandoned for many years, and there were hardly any inhabitants nearby, so why would a night watchman come here?

The three of them were of no ordinary cultivation, and they were not faint-hearted, with little to fear from evil spirits or monsters.

However, having just experienced Jiang Wang’s strange and perilous encounter, they were inevitably somewhat cautious.

The several of them exchanged glances.

Styled in heavy armor, Fourteen silently took the lead.

Jiang Wang’s hand was already on his sword, and with Zhongxuan Sheng following on the left and right, they naturally formed a small triadic battle formation, a tacit understanding born on the battlefield.

As mentioned earlier, outside the ruins of the Withering and Flourishing Temple lay a pond of stagnant water, said to be a large hole left behind after pulling down mountains and melting Buddhas, filled by rainwater.

Soon after the three stepped out of the ruins, they saw a slightly hunched person standing by the pond of dead water, his back towards them.

He wore a ragged leather hat, was clad in a tattered coat, and held a lantern made of white paper in his hand, dangling above the pond.

With Fourteen clad in heavy armor and poised for action without deliberate control, his movements, inevitably, gave rise to the scraping sounds of armor.

“Who’s there?”

The man by the pond suddenly turned his head.

In the ghastly lantern light, an aged face was revealed, eyes wide open yet utterly lifeless—he was blind!

Dead water, a blind man, a white lantern…

And his hand was still clapping the bamboo clapper.

“Bang—Bang!

Bang!

Bang!”

The fourth watch!

“Travelers,” Xuan Sheng whispered.

The hunched blind man stopped clapping the bamboo clapper and merely said, “Do not deceive an old man because he is blind, for his heart is clear!”

No cultivation could be sensed from him.

But with those words spoken, an intangible pressure was perceived by the three of them.

From within Tongtian Palace, amidst the Dark Candle, Jiang Yan’s voice suddenly emerged, “If I were you, I’d flee this place at once, without concerning oneself with anything else!”

Jiang Yan’s tone was very cautious.

With the speed of an exploding meteor, he, indeed, might escape faster than Zhongxuan Sheng and Fourteen.

But Jiang Wang only gripped the hilt of his sword tighter and ignored Jiang Yan’s advice, “We do not dare to deceive the old man, we are just about to return.”

The night watchman remained motionless, the white lantern appearing to freeze in mid-air.

He slowly asked, “Do you know where you are?”

Jiang Wang was indeed more sincere and more likely to earn people’s trust; thus, Xuan Sheng also remained silent, allowing Jiang Wang to negotiate.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Wang replied, “A dilapidated temple ruin.”

“Have you seen anything?”

“Before my eyes, I saw broken walls and ruins.

Within my heart, only my own barriers.”

The night watchman then asked, “Do you know the way back?”

“I remember clearly!”

The words spoken by Jiang Wang were indeed without any deceit.

The night watchman paused slightly before saying, “Be wary of the road ahead and do not disturb the neighbors.”

With that, he pulled the white paper lantern to one side, as if to light the way for the three of them.

“Thank you, old man,” Jiang Wang said as he tried to walk past him.

Zhongxuan Sheng suddenly asked, “Why do you, old night watchman, carry a white lantern?

It looks like you’re commemorating something.”

The night watchman said, “Maybe the paint peeled off.

I am blind and can’t see it.”

Zhongxuan Sheng said, “Where does the old man live?

I’ll send someone to your door later to repaint it for you.”

The night watchman lifted the white lantern to his eyes, as if this way his blind eyes could somehow perceive some colors of the mortal world.

However, the light of the white lantern cast an exceptionally eerie light on his wrinkled face.

He said slowly, “If you are sincere, you might as well come home with me, and I can repaint it now.”

Zhongxuan Sheng stepped back, “No need, old man.

Your night watchman duties are more important.”

Without further conversation, the three cautiously, yet seemingly casually, left the area.

Having walked quite a distance, when they looked back, the light of the white lantern was no longer visible.

Only then did Zhongxuan Sheng speak solemnly, “There indeed is something strange about the Withering and Flourishing Temple.

Otherwise, there would be no need to station such an inscrutable night watchman here.”

Being a night watchman was a very ordinary job but, after all, they were supported by the imperial court.

In some sense, they were related to the government.

And there were different levels among night watchmen.

As everyone knows, in addition to timekeeping and reminding people to prevent fire and theft, night watchmen also had another function—warding off spirits.

Ordinary watchmen obviously couldn’t do this—it involved the Transcendent.

The night watchman outside the Withering and Flourishing Temple must be one of the most terrifying kinds.

With their current abilities, Jiang Wang and the others couldn’t begin to ascertain his depth.

What kind of secret was it that, after so many years since the Withering and Flourishing Temple was leveled, such a powerful night watchman still patrolled the area?

And why could it trigger the changes of thousands of characters and interrogate the true heart?

Jiang Wang of course knew why Zhongxuan Sheng regarded this matter so seriously.

The “strangeness” within the Withering and Flourishing Temple was likely related to his father’s transformation years ago.

In the Tongtian Palace, Jiang Wang asked, “Do you have any understanding of that night watchman we just encountered?”

Jiang Yan had just reminded him to escape; he must have had some judgment about the situation.

However…

The Dark Candle didn’t stir, and Jiang Yan remained silent.

Ha, quite a temperament.

“We can only set it aside for now,” Jiang Wang said earnestly.

Without enough strength, all thoughts are in vain.

Zhongxuan Sheng nodded, “I understand.”

He then inquired, “I didn’t get the chance to ask earlier, did you gain anything from the Withering and Flourishing Temple?

Your aura seems more vigorous, and your presence more stable.”

“Life and death, growth and decay, creation and destruction turn swiftly.

The Withering and Flourishing Temple must have been quite an extraordinary place,” Jiang Wang remarked.

“My heart’s path is now more resolute, and I’ve also noticed some issues with myself.”

A realization dawned on him inside, “My lifespan is not Perfect.

This will be a barrier that hinders my further cultivation.”

After introspecting and finding his heart without guilt…

He not only sharpened his conviction but also recognized his regrets.

The lifespan he had exhausted using the Bone Escaping Technique in Fenglin City, despite having a Lifespan Pill and a Lifespan Fruit, had yet to be completely replenished.

Maybe this was one of the reasons why he couldn’t reach the limit in the Tongtian Environment before.

It still reflected the disadvantage of lacking a skilled teacher’s guidance.

Many issues would only be realized after hitting a wall, and even then, one might not recognize them even if one were battered and bloody.

Zhongxuan Sheng previously thought that giving the Lifespan Fruit had made up for the loss, but it was still not quite enough.

Zhongxuan Sheng nodded, “If a problem can be identified, it can be solved.

Tell me what you need at any time.”

They moved silently in heavy armor through the streets.

The three quickly merged into the night of Linzi.

Yet in the vast night behind them, a white paper lantern flashed by.

“Bang—Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!”

The fifth watch of the night.