Xu Lai took Yiyi to school and made a cloud-shaped lollipop for both his daughter and Qian Xiao.

Qian Xiao sat on a roadside flowerbed and said with a melancholic expression, "Uncle Xu, my mom quietly left again yesterday."

Xu Lai didn't speak, waiting for what would come next.

"I want to prepare a gift to surprise my dad and mom when they come home." Qian Xiao scratched his head. "So I wanted to ask you, Uncle Xu, what kind of gift would make you really happy?"

"I didn't expect you to have such a filial side. That's good. As for what gift would make me happy..." Pinching his chin in thought for a moment, Xu Lai finally said, "As long as it's from my child, I'll love it."

Hearing this, Yiyi stood on her tiptoes and kissed Xu Lai on the cheek. "Yiyi wants to give Daddy a gift too! MWAH."

Xu Lai chuckled with a silly grin. To him, this was the best gift in the entire world.

However, Qian Xiao scratched his head. Kissing Mom is okay, but kissing Dad seems a bit odd…

The little fellow sighed. "Ah, I wonder when my mom and dad will be back."

Xu Lai gazed toward the moon hanging on the horizon, nearly invisible to the naked eye, and said calmly, "Soon."

...

...

「Above the moon.」

The area Chang'an City could affect was only a twenty-kilometer radius. This was due to geographical reasons; even Watchmen with profound Boundaries couldn't extend their Divine Sense any further. After all, they still had to protect Chang'an City's Barrier and the gate that led to Hua Country.

The Flower Fairy stood on the city wall. Through her hazy vision, she saw the fully prepared Luo Chu leaving alone under the watchful eyes of the city's Martial Artists.

"Luo Chu, make sure you bring Qian Song back alive! He still owes this old man three bottles of white wine!" an elder yelled. His voice, neither too loud nor too soft, carried perfectly to Luo Chu's ears.

She turned back and smiled warmly, as if to say, "Alright, Elder." Then, with an utterly serious expression, Luo Chu performed a solemn Martial Dao salute. The twenty or so Martial Artists on the city walls solemnly returned the salute.

Among them were members of the Martial Dao Association, scions of Martial Dao families, and geniuses from various major sects. For instance, Yan Shili, the lead swordswoman of the Penglai Sword Pavilion—the first of the Nine Pavilions—was in the crowd. She carried a greatsword on her back and, without a word, silently walked down the city wall.

Many Martial Artists sighed, knowing that Yan Shili's heart had died long ago. The reason she remained in the city was that she was waiting for a large-scale invasion by the Otherworlders or a chance to take on an offensive mission. A ceremonial mound had already been erected for her in the city, right next to the one for Ji Zhao, an early Ninth Grade Martial Artist who had died at the hands of the Otherworlder Gu Jiu'an.

This city of Chang'an had stood for three hundred years, hiding countless heartbreaking stories. It had been the final resting place for several Watchmen and dozens of night guards. The One Sect, Three Orders, and Nine Pavilions had all nearly exhausted their supply of exceptional disciples and powerful experts in the effort to protect Hua Country.

In the very center of Chang'an City stood twelve inconspicuous stone towers arranged in a circle. Any Martial Artist, whether Eighth or Ninth Grade, who passed by would respectfully clasp their fists in salute before quickly departing, afraid of disturbing the people inside. This was because the towers housed the twelve Watchmen, each codenamed after one of the twelve traditional two-hour blocks of the day. These twelve individuals were the greatest powerhouses in Hua Country today; only those at the peak of the Divine Gate Realm were worthy of this honor. Under normal circumstances, however, the twelve Watchmen were divided into four groups that took turns being stationed here.

「Weishi Building.」

Inside, a young woman with a plain, freckled face sat in a chair, staring blankly out the window at the brilliant stars in the sky. Opposite her sat a blind, elderly gentleman dressed in a green robe. If Xu Lai or Ruan Tang were here, they would have instantly recognized these two as the cashier and the storyteller from the teahouse in the corner of Yuhua Alley.

Sitting across from the blind old man was another, middle-aged man. The middle-aged man said with a wry smile, "Elder Zhang, Su Zi really loves staring at the stars, doesn't she? She's been at it all day."

Zhang Henshui sipped his tea and chuckled. "Just one day? She could watch for a whole month."

The three of them were the guardians for this month: Zhang Henshui of the Noon Hour, Zhang Suzi of the Weishi Hour, and Zhao Wumian of the Early Morning Hour.

Zhao Wumian sighed in admiration. "Who would have thought that the most mysterious Watchman of the Weishi hour would turn out to be a twenty-year-old girl."

Even for geniuses with exceptional Martial Dao talent, it would be impossible to reach the Divine Gate Realm in just twenty years of cultivation. Su Zi's existence was nothing short of a myth.

Zhang Henshui said with a bitter smile, "She isn't a true Watchman yet. She has the Boundary but can only use a fraction of its power."

Hearing this, Zhang Suzi didn't retort, but her eyes grew red. Her own talent was mediocre, but before her parents died, they had found a Secret Technique from an Exotic Realm, along with miraculous Spirit Plants. Combining these, the two dying peak Divine Gate cultivators transferred their entire life's cultivation to Zhang Suzi, forcibly elevating her to the peak of the Divine Gate. However, she was likely the weakest person at the Divine Gate Realm. Afterward, the fifteen-year-old Zhang Suzi was entrusted to her grandfather, Zhang Henshui.

That's right. For a hundred years, the Zhang Family had produced four members who reached the peak of the Divine Gate. Compared to them, prominent Martial Dao families like the Jiang Family of Yanjing or the Ye Family of Hangcheng weren't even worthy of carrying their shoes. It was just that all information on the Watchmen, down to their gender and age, was a top-level secret. Thus, no one knew that among the twelve Watchmen was a twenty-year-old woman.

"Uncle Zhao, Grandpa, it's so boring. Let's go out for a walk," Zhang Suzi said, stretching lazily.

"It is a bit boring." A cold glint reflected in Zhao Wumian's eyes. "The Otherworlders haven't come within twenty kilometers of Chang'an for a month now."

"According to intelligence from our undercover agents, the Foreign Clans are preparing for war. They don't want to maintain this stalemate. They'll launch a full-scale assault—in a month or two at the earliest, or a year or two at the latest. When that happens..."

Although Zhang Henshui was blind, his hearing was exceptionally sharp. He said, exasperated, "Su Zi, stay put."

Zhang Suzi, who had been tiptoeing in an attempt to sneak away, froze. Even though she had already reached the door, she had no choice but to trudge back and sit down.

"The prophesied Eternal Night is coming," Zhao Wumian stared at the stars, muttering in a voice only he could hear. The Watchmen had guarded Chang'an for three hundred years, all for this very day. I wonder if that will be a good thing or a bad thing.

"Grandpa, Luo Chu is an early Ninth Grade, and she's entering the heartland of the Exotic Realm to find Qian Song. Are we really not going to help?" Zhang Suzi asked in a small voice.

"We can't help." The blind Zhang Henshui remained silent, but Zhao Wumian spoke up. "Watchmen cannot take a single step out of Chang'an City. That's the iron rule."

"But—"

Before Zhang Suzi could say more, her grandfather cut her off. "Su Zi, you should rest for a while. I'm going back into seclusion."

"Oh," Zhang Suzi responded reluctantly.

It was so much more interesting on Earth. Even just being a cashier in a little teahouse was better than being stuck on this planet, which doesn't even have electricity. It's like being in prison. So incredibly dull.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.