Chapter 38
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Chapter 38: Patrol
As Wang Chen walked down the country road, he glanced back.
He was a good distance away from Wei Hall B Ten, but he could still see the faint white beam of light shining from the lookout tower, like a lighthouse in the darkness, offering a warm sense of hope.
“Keep up,” said Deputy Leader Guo Ping from behind. “Don’t fall behind.”
Tonight marked the first patrol of the Fourth Night Patrol Team. Team Leader Yao Mingjie led the way, with seven new night watchers, including Wang Chen, following closely. Guo Ping brought up the rear, ensuring no one strayed.
“Yes,” Wang Chen replied, turning his gaze forward and continuing to walk.
If the Yunyang Sect were a country, the Battle Hall would represent its armed forces, while the punishment hall would serve as the judicial system. The Wei Hall, on the other hand, functioned as the police department, responsible for maintaining security within the mountain gate area. In essence, the Wei Hall was akin to a police station.
The night watchers affiliated with the Wei Hall were similar to patrol officers, holding official positions. Wang Chen and the others, who had been temporarily summoned, could be considered auxiliary officers at best.
As newcomers on their first patrol, the team members’ emotions varied. Some were excited and eager, others felt anxious, and a few were overly cautious. Yao Mingjie, however, paid no heed to the rookies’ feelings. He strode ahead confidently and, after covering some distance, raised his hand to cast a light spell. The magical light soared into the air, illuminating a wide area around them.
Guo Ping then quickened his pace to explain that the spell was used to detect hidden Evil Spirits and monsters lurking in the darkness. Unlike the stern and silent Yao Mingjie, the deputy was quite talkative, rambling on throughout the journey. Much of what he said could be found in the "Night Watchers’ Tales." Some team members grew impatient, letting his words go in one ear and out the other, but Wang Chen listened attentively, treating it as a valuable review.
The greatest dangers night watchers might face fell into two main categories: bandits and Evil Spirits.
First, the bandits. The outer realm was a perilous place, where most loose cultivators lived in hardship, enduring precarious conditions. Many, in their struggle to survive, turned to banditry, robbing homes and terrorizing rural communities. These thief cultivators dared not cause trouble within the heavily guarded immortal city, so they infiltrated the outskirts of the mountain gate to plunder farms instead.
Now, as the summer harvest approached, it marked the time when thief cultivators began to become active.
Thief cultivators were often fierce and combative, as well as quite cunning, making them very difficult foes.
The Fourth Night Patrol Team had nine members, but besides Yao Mingjie and Guo Ping, the others severely lacked combat experience, making the outcomes of any encounters unpredictable.
Next came the Evil Spirits.
The Evil Spirits of the Mountain-Sea Realm were primarily divided into four levels: wandering, resentful, fierce, and malevolent.
The most common type was the wandering Evil Spirit, equivalent to a Qi Training cultivator.
However, Evil Spirits could be incredibly strange and bizarre.
If not dealt with properly, a single wandering Evil Spirit could easily wipe out an entire Night Patrol Team.
There were many such examples in the past.
What was even more terrifying was that Evil Spirits could elevate their rank by devouring a cultivator’s magical power, vital blood, and soul.
To the cultivators, Evil Spirits were undoubtedly the most terrifying enemies!
Here, far away from Yunshan City, the sound of the Dingyang Bell could still be heard, but its deterrent effect was already very weak.
The Dingyang Bell rang only once every hour.
Some Evil Spirits would take advantage of this, coming and going through the mountain gate, causing trouble!
These were all issues that the Night Patrol Team and night watchers needed to be especially vigilant about.
Yao Mingjie occasionally stopped as he led the team for dozens of miles, finally reaching the boundary of the mountain gate.
The mountain gate of the Yunyang Sect was divided into inner and outer sections.
The inner mountain gate was a core area with a vast protective formation and guarded by a Golden Core true master.
It was as solid as a fortress.
The outer mountain gate covered a massive area, featuring hundreds of thousands of acres of spirit fields and forests for the Outer Sect Disciples to cultivate and raise livestock.
The long border connecting to the outer realm was basically defended by dozens of Wei Halls.
Therefore, it was virtually impossible to completely prevent the invasion of thief cultivators and Evil Spirits.
As Wang Chen followed the others up the hillside, a vast expanse of plains, forests, and a rushing river appeared before his eyes.
Stars hung low over the wide plains, and the moon shimmered on the great river current!
This scene brought to Wang Chen’s mind the verses of Du Fu.
Guo Ping sighed, “Ahead lies the outer realm.”
Outer realm!
This name was both familiar and strange to Wang Chen.
It seemed so close yet so far away.
The original owner had lived for seventeen years, from birth until Wang Chen’s arrival, never leaving the mountain gate area.
He had never seen the sights of the outer realm.
If Wang Chen had not replaced the original owner’s soul, his future would likely have been that of a spiritual plant farmer for life, provided no unexpected twists occurred.
He would struggle to reach the sixth or seventh level of Qi Training, marry a hardworking and simple wife, have a child, and live out the rest of his days in a tight and defensive manner.
“We’re back.”
Just as Wang Chen was lost in thought, Yao Mingjie suddenly spoke up.
His eyes held a deep sense of caution as he gazed towards the outer realm.
The team retraced their path.
By the time they returned to Wei Hall B Ten, the sky was already beginning to brighten.
The Fourth Night Patrol Team completed their first patrol mission, and the rookie night watchers all headed home.
Several young cultivators yawned and looked somewhat displeased.
After running back and forth all night, they hadn’t even seen a single rabbit, let alone fought any Evil Spirits or bandits.
They had been hoping to gain some merits.
How boring!
Wang Chen, however, hoped every night would be like this, as safety was better than anything else.
For the next few days, the Fourth Night Patrol Team patrolled their assigned area without encountering any incidents.
Many new team members relaxed and became complacent, lacking energy during their patrols.
However, Wang Chen did not let down his guard.
He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but several times during the night patrol, he felt as though someone was secretly watching him.
When he cautiously searched, he found nothing.
Recently, the outer mountain gate of the Yunyang Sect had been very quiet, so still it felt like a stagnant pool.
Yet, Wang Chen’s instincts told him that beneath this calm surface lurked hidden currents he could not perceive!
It was this intuition that not only kept Wang Chen from relaxing but also drove him to seize every moment to strengthen his skills.
He resumed his practice of the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method, pushing his Vajra Fist and Spirit Light Shield to the limit of entry-level mastery.
At the same time, he studied the Fire Crow Technique, aiming to grasp the fundamentals in the shortest time possible.
On the tenth day since he was recruited into the Fourth Night Patrol Team, just as the White Jade Rice in the spirit fields was about to be harvested, Wang Chen followed the team out for patrol as usual.
In the deep of night, the team moved forward silently, and even Guo Ping, who usually liked to talk, had closed his mouth.
The frequent patrols during this time had left many team members quite fatigued.
They walked lazily now.
But surprises often come at the most relaxed moments.
Suddenly, it happened!
Whoosh!
As the team was nearing the boundary, a crossbow arrow, glinting coldly, shot through the air.
It instantly pierced the neck of a young cultivator!
“Enemy attack!”
