Patrol Captain

The next morning, as dawn broke, the autumn air was crisp and cold, and frost and mist filled the open fields.

Guang'an Prefecture is located in the southeast of Sichuan, bordering Weiyuan Pass to the south and Chishui Prefecture to the west.

Although this remote prefecture is not large, it left a significant mark when it resisted the demons of the Ten Thousand Mountains from attacking the pass, and thus became famous.

Back then, the Ninth Mountain General led his troops here to resist the demon race, and many things happened here.

From the bloody battle with the demons outside the city, to the recapture of Weiyuan Pass, to the complete defeat of the mountain-crushing army, the Ninth Mountain's lone pillar could not withstand the defeat, and the entire city's people were evacuated, and then to the later recapture, the demons retreated, and the people returned to the city one after another to recuperate. All of this took just over a year.

At dawn, as the sky broke and all things came back to life, a layer of damp dew covered the bluestone slabs on the street. The street, which should have been bustling with the morning market, was only frequented by a few scattered vendors and hawkers. Many doors and windows along the street were tightly closed and covered with a thick layer of dust. The autumn wind swirled fallen leaves, creating a desolate scene.

After all, this place had experienced a demonic calamity and would not recover its strength in a short time. In addition, horrific events had occurred in the surrounding areas, and many people who had left never returned. Those who remained in the city were either unable to sever ties with their roots here or simply could not survive outside.

In the east of the city, in front of a breakfast stall, there were a few low tables and benches. Under the cloth awning, quite a few people were sitting, making it a rare place with people around.

The stall owner was a rough old man, wearing a white cloth bag and a towel draped over his shoulder, busy among the tables, serving bowls of hot noodles to customers.

Then a night watchman who had just finished his shift shouted loudly to the old man:
"Old Liu, we're in a good mood today, give me another steamer of buns and a pot of hot wine."

The old stall owner immediately agreed cheerfully, "Alright, it's getting cold. You've been working hard all night, you deserve a cup of wine to warm yourself up!"

With that, he hurried off to the stall to prepare.

At that moment, at a nearby table, the middle-aged tailor from the clothing shop next door, with a chubby face, jokingly said:

"Hey, night watchman, what's got you so happy? Such a lavish breakfast! Did you find some money on the street last night while you were catching the night watchman? Has your luck finally turned around?"

Judging from the tone of their voices, they knew each other, but there was a hint of disdain in their words. After all, being a night watchman was one of the lowest professions in this world teeming with demons and ghosts. You never knew when you would die. Only those who had no other way to make a living would be willing to do this job.

The other people at the table laughed too. After all, those who came to eat here were all neighbors from the surrounding area, and they knew each other pretty much.

The night watchman, rubbing his frozen hands and preparing to pick up his chopsticks, didn't get angry at the joke; instead, he became smug.
"What's so great about finding money? What happened to me is even more exciting than finding money. At least I won't have to worry all night about being eaten by demons while I'm patrolling the streets."

These words piqued the curiosity of the neighbors present.

Everyone knows that night watchmen are dangerous. This bachelor surnamed Zhang, I heard, almost died from a previous misfortune, and he's been frowning all day long.

"What's going on? You're happier than finding money? I don't believe it at all." The fat tailor's face was full of disbelief, but his small eyes were still suspicious.

"Don't believe me if you don't want to, anyway, we don't need to tell you!" The night watchman, with an indifferent expression, picked up his chopsticks, stomped them on the table, and began to eat his noodles with gusto, looking quite content.

The neighbors felt a tickling sensation in their hearts when they saw this usually gloomy bachelor suddenly become so smug.

"What's going on? Why are you being so mysterious?"

"Tell me about it!"

"Yes, could it be something strange or unusual?"

The neighbors egged them on, each adding their own comments.

"Look at this fellow's supposed abilities. If he's not going to talk, he's probably just bluffing. Don't listen to his nonsense." The fat tailor, annoyed by the night watchman's rebuke, wanted to listen but couldn't save face, so he said this.

At this moment, the old stall owner brought over a steamer of freshly baked buns and a small pot of hot wine, saying, "That's all."

The night watchman, surnamed Zhang, happily poured himself a cup and drank it down. A wave of alcohol hit him, and noticing the questioning looks from everyone, he felt secretly pleased. This immediately provoked the fat tailor.
"Manager Qian, you think I'm just spouting nonsense? If I can explain it clearly, how about you treat us to this wine?"

"This is no small matter; very few people in our prefecture know about it."

This hook further piqued the curiosity of the neighbors, who all urged the fat tailor to come.

The fat tailor, feeling embarrassed by being put on a pedestal, thought it was just a pot of wine, a matter of three coins, and agreed.

He picked up the bowl and slammed it down on the night watchman's table. He sat down, his face stern, and said, "You provoked me, night watchman, so I agreed. But if you don't have the truth in your heart, we won't stand for it."

Seeing this, the other neighbors quickly picked up their bowls of noodles, ran to the watchman's table, and sat down, their eyes filled with curiosity as they craned their necks to urge him on.

"Old Zhang, tell us quickly!"

Now, the small, low table was packed with seven or eight people, even the old stall owner stopped beside it.

Surrounded by everyone, the night watchman felt a secret thrill. He cleared his throat and deliberately lowered his voice:
“We’re all neighbors, and I’m not lying to you. But please don’t spread this around.”

"I know, I know, hurry up and tell me!" the fat tailor urged impatiently.

The night watchman surnamed Zhang then straightened his expression, lowered his head, and leaned over the table.

"At four o'clock this morning, as usual, I was on night patrol on East Market Street when I passed Tianfu Road. Guess what I saw?"

"monster?"

"Go away, go away! Do you think I have any chance of living? Don't you even know where Tianfu Road is?"

"The Sky Patrol Division!" a neighbor remembered and quickly said.

"Yes, a group of soldiers came to the gate of the Sky Patrol Office. You didn't see them. They came from the sky and landed at the gate of the Sky Patrol Office. They were all very imposing, wearing black armor. Although the fog was thick at the time and I couldn't see their faces, I remember the style of their armor very clearly."

The night watchman's voice suddenly tightened as he spoke, and he looked mysteriously at everyone who was craning their necks.

"It's the troops from the Ninth Mountain!"

Upon hearing this, the neighbors present were taken aback and couldn't help but gasp.
"Really?"

"Old Zhang, did you see that clearly?"

"Are they really soldiers from the Ninth Mountain?"

Hearing everyone's questions, the night watchman blushed.
"That must be true. I couldn't possibly be mistaken. There are very few people in Guang'an Prefecture who wouldn't recognize the armor from the Ninth Mountain."

Hearing his confident words, the neighbors quickly became more enthusiastic about the conversation.

“The Ninth Mountain has arrived, so they must be here to help solve the problem. Since we returned to the city, we haven’t had a few days of peace. We heard that the prefectures and passes we had previously recaptured have been occupied by another wave of demons. If we weren’t so desperate to leave this place, we wouldn’t be here anymore. We’re on tenterhooks every day.”

"Yes, now that the soldiers from the Ninth Mountain have arrived, we have a pillar of support. I heard that the Lieutenant General has become a high-ranking official, incredibly powerful, and a remarkable war god."

"They were the ones who drove the monster away back then."

"I need to tell everyone my good news."

Everyone chimed in with excited chatter, then dropped their coins and left the table.

In the blink of an eye, the person was gone and the table was empty, startling the night watchman surnamed Zhang, who then quickly stood up.

"Hey, I haven't finished yet. Don't spread rumors."

Before he could finish speaking, everyone had already dispersed, and even the copper coin left on the table was still spinning.

The old stall owner, who had been listening nearby, snapped out of his daze and hurriedly attended to his business. He then saw a girl with two buns on her head, dressed in a blue maid's outfit, standing in front of her stall, looking at him with a surprised expression on her pretty face.

"Young lady, what do you want?" the old man stepped forward to greet her.

Without a word, the young maid turned and left, quickening her pace.

"Girl." The stall owner thought he had been so engrossed in listening to the gossip that he had neglected his customer, so he called out to her a few times from behind.

However, the little maid didn't turn her head and walked into the alley ahead.

The maid walked quickly through the alley for a while, then jogged to a quiet doorway at the corner of the alley.

He pushed open the door and went inside. Inside was a courtyard, a quiet and secluded place with exquisitely trimmed flowers and plants and simple decorations.

"Miss, Miss!" the maid called out as soon as she entered, and hurried toward the east wing.

She pushed open the door, and the room was filled with a faint smell of medicine and fragrance. There was a bed inside, and a woman wearing a plain-colored undershirt was propping herself up on the bed.

Upon seeing this, the maid Xiao Jiu quickly stepped forward and helped her mistress sit up from the bed.

The woman on the bed was pale, with gray hairs among her black hair, and she looked weak. Despite this, her eyes were like a clear pool, and her temperament still exuded elegance, with a hint of charm still visible.

"Miss!" The maid Xiao Jiu was heartbroken to see her mistress in this state and cried out.

"Why are you crying? I'm fine, don't cry." Xiao Qingzhi said gently, raising her hand to wipe away Xiao Jiu's tears.

As she spoke, she asked softly, "I heard you calling me anxiously outside the door, what's wrong?"

Xiao Jiu remembered what the night watchman at the breakfast stall had said earlier, and immediately spoke up:

"Miss, I heard that a lot of people from the Ninth Mountain came to the government office at four o'clock today. Shall we go and plead our case?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qingzhi's eyes widened for a moment, flashing with pain and grievance. Something seemed to choke her throat, finally settling into a bitter smile.
She touched the maid's face. "Xiao Jiu, be good, we're not going."

Xiao Jiu held her mistress's cold hand, tears welling in her eyes, and cried, "Miss, you are so good, why did you have to suffer like this? Master and Young Master have never come back since they were imprisoned last time. The other members of the Xiao family are profiting from this tragedy, taking over the family and driving you out."

“Miss, you are now ill with worry and bedridden, in dire need of treatment. Miss, let’s go and beg the military officer of the Ninth Mountain, shall we? We can clear up what happened back then, and perhaps that lieutenant general will come and clear our name.”

Xiao Jiu spoke through tears, her eyes filled with anxiety.

Xiao Qingzhi placed her hand on Xiao Jiu's mouth, shook her head, and told her not to say anything.

"Don't say anything. I know my own body. I'm fine."

"Let's not mention that person anymore; let bygones be bygones."

"But Miss, Xiao Jiu is scared, I don't want to lose you!" Xiao Jiu burst into tears, hugging her mistress and crying sadly because she felt sorry for the injustice her mistress had suffered.

Xiao Qingzhi patted the maid's back to comfort her, while she closed her eyes, two lines of clear tears streaming down her face.

An hour later, the maid Xiao Jiu fed Xiao Qingzhi her medicine. After her mistress fell asleep, she left the room, her delicate face filled with determination.

As the morning mist dissipates, the East Courtyard of the Guang'an Prefecture Astronomical Bureau is located.

In the corridor, a small figure walked through the space, followed by two tall, blue-armored warriors.

The man was dressed in green casual clothes with a tiger head embroidered on his chest, baring its teeth and claws, but he was only five feet tall, which seemed extremely disproportionate.

He had rosy lips and white teeth, but his chin was covered with a thick beard, and his hairline reached the back of his head, where he wore a small braid.

This man's appearance is "unique". He is none other than Gou Zhi, the local general. He was injured in his early years, which damaged his foundation. In order to maintain his cultivation level, he used a secret technique to become like this. He will only unleash the secret technique and reveal his true form when he is in a life-or-death battle.

Gou Zhi led his men to the East Courtyard, a courtyard guarded by a row of men in black armor.

"This General requests to see your General Liu. Please go and inform him!"

Gou Zhi stood still and spoke to the guards, his words extremely polite.

Upon hearing this, a soldier entered the courtyard.

After a short while, the armored soldier returned and said to Gou Zhi:
"General Liu is training his troops. Please come with me, General!"

With that, he went to lead the way.

"Thank you for your trouble!" Gou Zhi said, and then followed him into the courtyard.

After entering, Gou Zhi soon met Liu Qing, the General of the Ninth Mountain.
Gunshots pierced the air in an open space in the courtyard. A burly figure, shirtless and with leggings, was wielding a steel spear. The spear moved like a dragon, creating a flurry of shadows.

Gou Zhi watched from the side, a hint of envy in his eyes. He remembered that this man had followed the Ninth Mountain General and seemed to be a captain. He had not entered the Heavenly Gate, but now, after more than a year, he had already stepped into the Dao Soldier level.

Judging from their training momentum, they are probably not even a fraction stronger than a useless person like myself.

Sure enough, following General Chen, as long as one doesn't die, one will eventually rise to prominence.

After a short while, the burly figure in the open space put away his gun. His muscles were like coiled dragons, and his upper body, covered in wounds, was steaming with heat. Immediately, his subordinates handed him a towel and clothes to wipe his sweat.

The burly figure wiped his sweat haphazardly, then put on his clothes.

"General Liu's spear skills are superb, and his murderous aura is overwhelming. Even I, Gou, was almost intimidated by your imposing presence. It's truly embarrassing," Gou Zhi's voice rang out as he greeted him with a smile.

"General, you flatter me. I have only learned a few superficial things from you," Liu Qing said, his face resolute, replying calmly.

"What business does the General have with me?"

"Naturally, it's to see if General Liu is comfortable with his lodgings. Also, I'd like to ask what brings General Liu to Guang'an Prefecture. I have a good idea!" (End of Chapter)