Starfall Nine Heavens

Before I even knocked, a gentle voice came from inside: "Come in."

Su Wan pushed open the door, stepped aside, and gave Lin Fan a very faint smile. The smile contained encouragement, but also a somewhat ambiguous meaning. Then she gently closed the door, her footsteps fading into the distance.

Lin Fan stood at the door and took a deep breath.

The room was much more spacious than he had imagined, furnished like an old-fashioned study. Three walls were lined with dark wooden bookshelves reaching the ceiling, neatly filled with ancient books, scrolls, and wooden boxes. The air was filled with the scent of old paper and sandalwood.

The fourth wall was different. There were no bookshelves, but a floor-to-ceiling window—no, Lin Fan took two steps closer and realized it wasn't a real window, but a simulated landscape window. Outside the window were artificial mountains, flowing water, and green bamboo, looking just like the real thing.

Lin Fan was a little stunned.

The moment he stepped into the room, he felt a faint warmth emanating from the jade pendant on his chest. It happened so fast, it felt like an illusion. He assumed it was just nervousness in an unfamiliar place and didn't pay it any mind.

Lu Xiuyuan sat behind a large desk, holding a yellowed book in his hand. When he saw Lin Fan enter, he put down the book and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Hello, Uncle Lu..." Lin Fan's voice was a little nervous.

"Don't be nervous, sit down and talk." Lu Xiuyuan pointed to the chair opposite the desk.

Lin Fan sat down, his back ramrod straight.

"Actually, we met a month ago," Lu Xiuyuan said casually, "but you were in the hospital then, unconscious."

Lin Fan was taken aback: "So... I was able to work at Chenyuan Pavilion because of you?"

"I guess so." Lu Xiuyuan didn't deny it. "Su Wan told me about what happened that night, saying that you were injured while protecting a child, and that... you have resistance to memory erasure. I think you have a good character, so I had her ask you if you would like to come."

He paused, then his tone became more serious: "What happened yesterday, it must have frightened you, right? It was our negligence, we almost got you into trouble."

"No, no, it was my own carelessness..." Lin Fan quickly waved his hand.

Lu Xiuyuan shook his head, not mentioning it again. He interlaced his fingers on the table, looked at Lin Fan, and asked gently, "How has the past month been? Are you settling in?"

"I'm used to it. Everyone has taken good care of me," Lin Fan said sincerely. "Thank you, Uncle Lu, for giving me this opportunity. This job... has been a great help to me."

Father's new wheelchair, younger sister being able to attend the training class she'd always wanted to attend, mother's medication... these changes are real. A month ago, he was still worrying about next month's rent; now, the family has finally saved some money, and meat is a regular part of their meals.

He didn't elaborate. But Lu Xiuyuan seemed to understand everything, nodding: "That's good. No need to thank me, it's what you deserve for your work."

The conversation turned.

"I believe you experienced what happened to Su Wan that night, and yesterday's strange mirror, so you must have guessed that this world is not as simple as it appears on the surface."

finally come.

Lin Fan sat up straight, his heart racing.

"On the surface, Chenyuan Pavilion is an antique shop, but our true identity is the Watchers." Lu Xiuyuan said slowly and deliberately, "An organization that has been passed down for thousands of years, fighting in the shadows against those demons that should not exist in this world, protecting the lives of ordinary people."

"The Watchers?" Lin Fan repeated the word, feeling its weight.

"Guarding the places where light cannot reach, protecting the ordinary from being disturbed." As Lu Xiuyuan said this, a glint seemed to flash in his eyes.

"Of course, the strength of our organization alone is definitely not enough," he continued. "In fact, every country has its own secret agencies that specialize in handling these kinds of incidents, disguising them as ordinary accidents to avoid public panic. Our China is no exception."

"In addition, there are many ancient martial arts families and hidden sects that have been passed down from ancient times, and they are also fighting against the demons."

The amount of information was overwhelming, leaving Lin Fan somewhat bewildered.

An organization that's been around for thousands of years? Do all countries have secret agencies? Are ancient martial arts families and reclusive sects really real?

A ridiculous thought popped into his mind—why does this feel like listening to a fantasy novel?

But the person in front of him, the secret room hidden beneath the antique shop, the bronze mirror that almost killed him yesterday... all these things, when connected, tell him: this is not a novel, but reality.

"What exactly are monsters?" Lin Fan finally asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for over a month.

"The origins of monsters are complex." Lu Xiuyuan pondered for a moment. "You can think of them as the shadows of the world. Some are left over from ancient times, some seeped in from spatial rifts, and some... are born from the long-term accumulation of negative human emotions."

"So how should we deal with them? Like Sister Su Wan, with a sword? Or something like the light emanating from your fingers that day?"

"Ordinary weapons are unlikely to harm demons, unless they are specially imbued with spirit power. However, those things are very expensive, and you will come into contact with them gradually in the future," Lu Xiuyuan explained patiently. "But weapons are ultimately external objects. The most fundamental thing is the spiritual power that we cultivate ourselves."

He then raised his right hand, palm facing up.

A tiny glimmer of light danced in his palm, gradually transforming into a soft, blue halo that flowed slowly like a living thing.

"There is spiritual energy between heaven and earth, which all things can absorb. Humans can use specific methods to introduce spiritual energy into their bodies, open up their meridians, and condense spiritual power to gain strength beyond that of ordinary people." Lu Xiuyuan looked at the light in his palm. "We call such people psychics."

Lin Fan stared at the blue light, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"The realms of psychics, from low to high, are divided into opening the meridians, nurturing the spirit, condensing the qi, and the sea of ​​the soul, etc., and we collectively call this process cultivation. Opening the meridians is the entry point, connecting the spiritual meridians in the body and strengthening one's physique; nurturing the spirit allows one to release spiritual power out of the body; condensing the qi allows one to transform spiritual power into qi to protect the body and attack enemies. As for the sea of ​​the soul..." He smiled, "It's still too far away for you."

Lin Fan recalled Su Wan's ghostly figure that night, and how Lu Xiuyuan had suppressed the magic mirror with a casual tap yesterday—it turned out that it wasn't magic, not an illusion, but real power.

"What level of cultivation is Sister Su Wan at?"

"Condensation Realm." Lu Xiuyuan withdrew the light from his palm. "That kid Han Feng only recently entered the Spirit Gathering Realm. As for the others... wouldn't it be more interesting to observe them yourself and discover for yourself?"

His tone was relaxed, but Lin Fan could sense that this Uncle Lu's level of understanding was probably unfathomable.

Han Feng is actually at the Spirit Gathering Realm? Lin Fan thought to himself, that guy is usually so carefree and unserious, it's really hard to tell.

Lu Xiuyuan's expression gradually turned serious.

"Lin Fan, according to our observations, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is slowly recovering. Those things hidden in the shadows will become increasingly active, and the damage they cause will become increasingly greater. It may not be long before this secret can be exposed. Countries and organizations are all preparing for it, and so are we."

The study quieted down, with only an old clock ticking away in the corner of the bookshelf.

Lin Fan's body trembled slightly, and he blurted out, "Then... what about ordinary people? Like my dad, my mom, my sister..." His voice carried a hint of panic that he himself did not realize.

This world had only just begun to unfold for him, but Lu Xiuyuan told him that the curtain was about to be completely drawn back.

Lu Xiuyuan remained silent for a while.

He didn't answer immediately, but instead gave Lin Fan a deep look, a gaze that seemed to see through to the deepest fear in his heart.

Then, he spoke slowly, his voice low yet steady and resonant:

"This is the meaning of our existence, Lin Fan."

"The watchmen are those who guard the lights of every home."