Li Xin blended into the life of the Night Watchmen even faster than expected—not his own opinion, but the general feeling among the Night Watchmen, as if this kid had been born for this.
Li Xin’s current tasks were skill training—things like firearms and hand-to-hand combat—and knowledge training, covering the kinds of mysterious incidents Night Watchmen usually encountered and how to respond to them, focusing mainly on teamwork and cooperation rather than glorifying individual heroism.
The Night Watchmen’s battle doctrine was simple: group brawls over one-on-one duels whenever possible.
There was also a portion covering the Night Watchmen’s rules and duties; when Grand Chancellor Luther first founded the Night Watchmen, he granted them immense power and many civilians the chance to serve, but he also set down strict regulations in exchange.
"More than a hundred rules big and small—read them when you have time," Casey said, "but mainly, there are the Eight Disciplines—those you must not break, or no one will be able to save you."
Li Xin nodded; the Night Watchmen indeed had many rules, which made sense given their power—handling supernatural incidents could easily cause collateral trouble, and if someone tried to abuse the situation, it would be a disaster; without restrictions, neither power nor authority could last.
"Li Xin, do you have a girlfriend yet? Want me to introduce you to someone? Your big sister here knows a lot of beautiful girls!" Casey gossiped enthusiastically, rare excitement sparked by a newcomer who wasn’t rough or ugly.
Today, the stewardess wore small riding boots and a light yellow three-quarter-sleeve shirt, the turned-down collar beautifully tailored, with fine edges and a diamond necklace highlighting her fair, elegant neck—especially charming, mixing pure innocence with a mature woman’s allure.
"Big Sister Casey, is the Captain around?"
"Oh, him? Probably. He's been staring at paperwork so much lately he’s about to lose his mind," Casey said with a touch of sympathy.
"The boss works so hard; he really deserves more care. All of us here are rough guys—only Big Sister Casey is truly attentive," Li Xin said with a laugh.
Only then did Casey realize it—Li Xin was also an expert at gathering information; after buying Mo Feng and the others a round of drinks, gossip of all kinds poured out without even needing to ask.
It wasn’t a secret that Casey had been secretly in love with the Captain for years—and it wasn't like her background and qualifications were ordinary either; back then, the Captain had saved her from a disaster, and despite family objections, she insisted on joining the Night Watchmen when she grew up; anyone with eyes could see it, but the Captain remained as unmoving as an iron tree.
"Li Xin, you're just a kid, and you dare tease me? We’re talking about you!" Casey snapped, hands on her hips to cover up her inner panic.
"Yeah, I’m still young—and in this job, where you might not live to see tomorrow, I wouldn't dare drag anyone else down," Li Xin said quickly, waving his hands. "Big Sister Casey, I’ll let you get back to work. I’ll take the handbook with me—I’ve still got training today."
Saying that, he dashed off like a gust of wind.
Aside from firearms, Li Xin was especially interested in psionics and the history of psionic energy; the Night Watchmen provided some specialized instruction on it, but after listening for a while, he felt a bit disappointed—Night Watchmen focused only on the surface-level use of psionic energy, caring little about its origins or deeper applications.
Psionic energy could strengthen the body, mobility, and other basic qualities, but to truly generate combat power still required training—especially against all kinds of mysterious creatures, where knowledge was the key to dealing damage.
Aberrant creatures were beings that naturally generated psionic energy; some were intelligent and harmless—many nobles even enjoyed keeping them as pets—while others would erupt in predatory instinct and hunt humans, requiring immediate elimination; their vital points usually remained the same as before mutation, but killing them needed special materials.
"You must be absolutely clear about this—a regular knife, even if it stabs deep, won't kill them; you'll just get yourself counter-killed. You have to use Night Watchmen weapons, which are forged with mythril. If you don't have one, you have to be a thousand times more careful. Beheading isn’t necessary; you have to see the psionic energy scatter when they die—if you don't see it, it’s not dead," Heisenberg said. He wasn’t a Night Watchman himself—he was from the Order Academy, part-time training new recruits in basic knowledge.
"The real troublemakers are creatures tainted by Abyssal forces. They have intelligence, immense combat power, and they constantly evolve by devouring prey. The most common are Lickers—they feed on flesh and blood. Awakened individuals are a delicacy to them. Once they devour an Awakened, they can evolve hunting abilities like mimicry, and their movements will get faster too. You must kill the Abyssal Worm parasitizing inside them—otherwise, they won't die. And if a worm senses severe damage or finds a better host, it’ll try to transfer," Heisenberg continued.
"Teacher, what exactly is the Abyss? How do worms come out of it? How long can they survive in the Daoyuan World? Or do they absolutely need to parasitize a host? I’m curious—what triggers their appearance—summoning, or something else?" Li Xin asked.
Heisenberg paused in surprise—most Night Watchmen didn't care much for his lectures, so he usually stuck to practical basics.
Too much occult theory was pointless for Night Watchmen anyway; the Church, the Order Academy, the Night Watchmen, and the Knights all dealt with supernatural events, with some overlap and some division of duties, and sometimes they worked together—but the Night Watchmen were the most flexible and least fond of rules.
Seeing Li Xin’s serious face, Heisenberg drew three lines on the blackboard: at the top he wrote "Daoyuan Continent," in the middle "Spirit Realm," and at the bottom "Abyss."
"Up top is where we live—the Daoyuan Continent, also called the Real World. The Spirit Realm and the Abyss aren’t physically 'above' or 'below'—that’s just for easier understanding. Gods dwell in the Spirit Realm, while the Abyss is where the gods suppress the forces of destruction. Legend says that if the Abyss descends, so will the apocalypse."
The Church’s foundation lay in the mysteries of the Spirit Realm and Abyss—no one had ever truly given a complete answer; every denomination had its own explanation about the gods, but regarding the Abyss, the descriptions were remarkably similar.
"What do the Spirit Realm and Abyss look like?"
Heisenberg smiled faintly. "They’re indescribable. I prefer to call them plastic worlds—or real imaginary worlds. Step into them, and you’ll understand; no amount of description will help. But remember—every step comes with a price."
Seeing Li Xin still listening intently, Heisenberg’s spirit lifted.
"You asked how the worms come into being—they seep into the Spirit Realm from the Abyss. When a worm accidentally descends, it usually dies quickly. They can't survive long on the Daoyuan Continent without a host. Hosts mean living beings. Humans have a high survival rate."
As Li Xin listened, it struck him—these worms sounded suspiciously similar to Divine Relics: both involved supernatural powers, both needed human vessels, and both granted abilities and strength while altering personalities. Of course, there was a key difference—worms turned you into a monster, which was disgusting; no wonder the Licker’s grotesque appearance killed your appetite.
"Can the worms be controlled?" Li Xin asked casually.
Heisenberg glanced at him oddly, then smiled. "That’s all for today’s lesson. Anyone with more questions can stay—I’m willing to work overtime."
The others had been dozing off for a while and now scattered immediately; only Li Xin stayed behind.
Heisenberg looked at him thoughtfully. "You shouldn’t be in the Night Watchmen. You should have joined the Order Academy."
"Being here doesn’t kill my thirst for knowledge."
"Knowledge is the Daoyuan Continent’s most expensive luxury," Heisenberg said proudly, stroking his beard.
"Ah, Professor Heisenberg, I just remembered—I have work and training. Let’s save the rest for next time—preferably for free," Li Xin said with a grin.
"Ahem, knowledge is priceless, so I don't charge," Heisenberg quickly clarified. For scholars, the worst feeling was having an interesting conversation cut short—whether he looked cool doing it or not didn’t matter much.
Besides, he also wanted to get some intelligence from the Night Watchmen.
The older ones were all slippery and suspicious—not easy to deal with.
This young kid, though, was a rare opportunity. Plus, he'd heard Li Xin had been involved in the Licker Incident—and there were things he wanted to know.
"We can trade."
(End of Chapter)