Nightwatcher

# 412. The Female National Teacher

An ordinary protective talisman, burning with bright flames, rapidly turned to ash.

The cry of “National Teacher, save me” was still ringing in the audience’s ears when the talisman had already burned to nothing, the flames extinguished.

*National Teacher? The National Teacher he was calling to must be Luo Yuheng, the Human Sect’s Daoist Leader — the court’s female National Teacher…*

*What? Xu Qi’an can summon the Human Sect’s Daoist Leader?*

*Is this talisman a magical artefact to summon Luo Yuheng?*

*Impossible. The Human Sect’s Daoist Leader, Luo Yuheng, has been cultivating in seclusion in the capital, detached from worldly affairs. How could someone like Xu Qi’an possibly summon her…*

The crowd stared at the ashes of the talisman, their minds filled with thoughts and speculations, their inner dramas extraordinarily rich.

And yet… nothing happened. The only change was the increasingly noisy wind.

The ashes of the talisman were swept up by the wind and carried away into the distance.

*So awkward. I knew it wouldn’t work. Daoist Jinlian’s just grasping at straws…* Xu Qi’an’s mouth twitched, overwhelmed by a deep sense of humiliation at having ruined his own image of wisdom and brilliance.

In his eyes, Luo Yuheng was the lofty National Teacher, a Rank Two expert with no ties to him whatsoever. She wasn’t his real aunt, either.

Why would she give him face and rush all this way to help him?

*Did Daoist Jinlian give him the talisman just to set up this farce?* Chu Yuanzhen, disappointed yet unsurprised, felt this was only to be expected.

*If the talisman wasn’t a magical artefact, how could it summon the National Teacher? Even if it could establish contact with her, there’s no way someone like Xu Qi’an could summon her.*

Even as an honorary disciple of the Human Sect, representing the sect in a challenge against Li Miaozhen, the National Teacher’s attitude towards him had remained cold — at most, there was a faint trace of appreciation.

Had it been the Earth Sect, the Heaven Sect, or any other faction, someone like him would already be nurtured as a key talent, even a future successor.

Luo Yuheng’s indifferent nature was evident.

And Xu Qi’an had no particular connection to her. They had only met a few times — at best, they were merely acquainted.

Li Miaozhen’s thoughts were similar. Luo Yuheng, as the Human Sect’s Daoist Leader, held the same status as the Heaven Sect’s Daoist Leader.

As the Holy Maiden of the Heaven Sect, could she summon her Daoist Leader for help when encountering trouble in the martial world?

Of course not. Otherwise, her senior brother wouldn’t have been relentlessly hunted down by a woman for his romantic entanglements, vanishing to this day.

Therefore, Xu Qi’an wanting to summon the Human Sect’s Daoist Leader was nothing more than a delusion.

The Wulin Alliance and the wandering martial artists shook their heads with amused smiles. So Silver Gong Xu was just bluffing, playing a prank on everyone.

The Earth Sect Daoists burst into laughter, launching a round of mockery, adding exaggerated gestures to fully enjoy ridiculing Xu Qi’an.

Tianji, the secret agent, gave a cold sneer and mocked, “How noble is the National Teacher’s status? How could a mere ant like you summon her at will? Xu Qi’an, you’re ridiculous enough to make anyone laugh their heads off.”

The female spy Tianshu said coolly, “A naive child.”

No one noticed that the wind was growing even louder, stirring up dust, lifting green leaves, and rippling a pool’s surface.

Cao Qingyang seemed to sense something. He suddenly turned around, looking towards the southeast.

In the distant sky, a golden star lit up.

The starlight sped towards them, like a meteor streaking across the heavens, trailing a tail of light, crashing into everyone’s line of sight, into their eyes.

Then, the brilliant golden light plunged into the Yue Clan Manor, landing right in front of Xu Qi’an.

She descended gracefully, the golden light swirling around her like mist, spreading out in ripples upon the ground.

Her long sleeves billowed, her feathered robe fluttering. Her full head of azure hair was secured with a single blackwood hairpin. A red cinnabar mark adorned her brow. Her beauty seemed to surpass all earthly limits, transcending any singular form.

Pure, cute, alluring, aloof, elegant… To different men, she appeared as a different kind of beauty.

Every man present found in her the ideal woman they had always yearned for.

*She… she really came?!*

Xu Qi’an stared in stunned disbelief at his little aunt’s graceful figure. A well-known line flashed through his mind:

*Auntie, I don’t want to try anymore!*

Not far away, Chu Yuanzhen blankly gazed at the devastatingly beautiful woman in the centre of the field. What rose in his mind first wasn’t shock, but a complete blankness.

He was trapped in confusion, unable to comprehend what was happening, his normally sharp and analytical mind grinding to a halt.

Li Miaozhen was stunned too.

She stared at Xu Qi’an, her heart filled with sour envy. She also wanted to be able to toss out a talisman and summon her Daoist Leader with a single call.

…Compared to this, she, the Holy Maiden of the Heaven Sect, suddenly felt utterly insignificant.

“N-National Teacher…”

Tianji couldn’t help but stumble back a few steps, eyes wide in disbelief, screaming internally: *How could you come? Why would you answer the summons of an ant…*

He wanted to question, to scold, to invoke the Emperor’s authority.

He was furious, shocked, confused — his face turned ashen — but in the end, he chose silence.

Faced with a Rank Two expert, even with the Emperor backing him, it was meaningless. If Luo Yuheng decided to kill him on the spot, no one would stand up for him.

He would die like a worthless insect.

With that thought, Tianji glanced at Tianshu, seeing her fists clenched tightly, her petite figure trembling slightly, struggling to suppress her anger and shock.

“Is… is she really the Human Sect’s Daoist Leader, the female National Teacher?”

Someone murmured.

How could ordinary Jianghu folk have ever laid eyes on Luo Yuheng’s face? Only a handful here had ever seen her before.

“She… she really was summoned by Silver Gong Xu…”

The moment those words were spoken, the scene fell into a hushed silence.

Everyone instinctively shifted their gaze to the female National Teacher’s back — to the young man with the high ponytail standing behind her.

His expression was calm, his posture straight, as if completely confident that the Human Sect’s Daoist Leader would answer his summons. There was no trace of emotion on his face.

*This… what exactly is Xu Qi’an’s relationship with the Human Sect’s Daoist Leader?*

For someone of Luo Yuheng’s status, as the National Teacher, to be summoned by Silver Gong Xu — it was simply unimaginable.

*There must be some hidden connection. Even if Silver Gong Xu’s reputation was sky-high, there had to be a limit. There was no way a Rank Two expert would treat him like this…*

*Rank Two experts stood at the pinnacle of the world. To say there was nothing between them? Not a chance — you’d have to kill me before I’d believe it…*

At that moment, the inner monologues of the “audience” exploded.

The Earth Sect Demon Daoists stared, mesmerised, at the celestial-like Luo Yuheng. The malice in their eyes faded slightly, replaced by lust. Their expressions screamed desire and possessiveness.

The Demon Daoists of the Earth Sect were creatures who embraced indulgence and depravity, amplifying the darkest urges of human nature hundredfold.

Luo Yuheng’s Human Sect path had its own flaws in this regard, so the Earth Sect Demon Daoists were all lost in their lustful fantasies. Were it not for the shred of reason left to them, reminding them who she was, they would have already pounced on her with twisted grins.

But there was one person who cared nothing for this.

A vortex reappeared at Daoist Jinlian’s brow, and a black mist emerged, forming a half-body shadow with a blurred face.

The aspect of Heilian stared greedily at Luo Yuheng and sneered, “Luo Yuheng, my dear niece, your senior uncle’s long wanted to dual cultivate with you. The karmic flames within you must be delicious — they’ll do wonders for my demonic nature.”

Daoist Jinlian’s scalp went numb, his face changed drastically, and he hastily shouted, “Demon Daoist, cease your vile nonsense! Today I’ll cleanse our sect and annihilate you completely!”

The brow vortex abruptly unleashed a powerful suction, dragging the black mist back inside.

Luo Yuheng nodded in satisfaction and lowered her whisk.

In reality, she was countered by Heilian. Heilian had already given in to indulgence and fallen into the demonic path, whilst she was entangled with karmic fire, cautiously maintaining her true nature.

At times like this, if she were to be tainted by Heilian’s demonic nature, it could easily trigger the karmic fire within her, causing her to fall into the demonic path.

Of course, all of this presumed her true form was present.

Cao Qingyang’s expression was serious as he said in a deep voice, “The National Teacher’s avatar isn’t weak even amongst third ranks.”

Luo Yuheng said blandly, “If you know, why aren’t you getting lost.”

Cao Qingyang showed no anger, instead giving a carefree laugh. “To a martial artist, even thousands of troops can be blocked with a single arm.”

In simple terms: martial artists are stubborn — they won’t back down even if it kills them.

“This mindset isn’t bad. Not all martial artists can be so unafraid of death.” Luo Yuheng nodded slightly, then with a flick of her whisk, sent Cao Qingyang flying.

Clang, clang, clang!

Segments of sword qi exploded on the purple-robed alliance leader, forcing him to retreat continuously, shredding his purple robe into ragged strips.

The scattered sword qi brought disaster to the surrounding crowd, killing over a dozen people on the spot — though they were all wandering cultivators.

The likes of Heaven and Earth Society, Earth Sect, secret agents, and Wulin Alliance martial artists were protected by Rank Four experts, barely able to withstand the aftershocks.

“Fall back, fall back…” Xiao Yuenu shouted sharply.

“Get out of Yue Clan Manor, the further the better.”

The Rank Four experts shouted.

Hundreds scrambled to flee towards the manor’s outskirts.

Once all sides had withdrawn, leaving only Daoist Jinlian still in meditation, with no one else to obstruct, Cao Qingyang could no longer hold back. He raised one arm, forming his palm into a blade.

The flow of qi surged, condensing into a forty-metre long sabre, its radiance twisting the air itself.

This was no ordinary qi weapon, but a qi weapon infused with the blade intent of Rank Three.

“Your sabre intent lacks refinement. Seems like it’s the blood essence of a third rank martial artist forcing it to grow.” Luo Yuheng’s tone was cold.

Cao Qingyang sneered, seeming both amused and disdainful. “I would appreciate your guidance, National Teacher.”

The forty-metre blade slashed down in an instant.

In that moment, Luo Yuheng’s eyes saw only the blade’s brilliance — dazzling, stunning brilliance. The air around her seemed to solidify into a barrier, blocking all paths of evasion.

Luo Yuheng’s gaze lowered slightly, her curled, thick lashes casting shadows. Her right hand gripped her whisk, while her left hand formed a sword-finger, slowly brushing along the whisk’s strands.

Countless fine threads fused into a single, straight and unyielding strand. In this moment, the whisk had become a sword in her hand.

She gently thrust it forward.

Boom!

The blade radiance and sword qi annihilated each other, sending out a shockwave laced with sharpness, tearing through everything around them like paper.

Only a shimmering barrier appeared before Daoist Jinlian, blocking the shockwave. Fragments of blade radiance and sword qi crashed into the barrier, scattering into sparks and ripples of light like water.

Boom!

Under the force of the shockwave, the cold pool’s walls cracked, sending a towering column of water skyward. From within it, a section of golden lotus root was blown out, attached to a gently curving stem. At the stem’s end was not a mushroom, but a dark-gold lotus seedpod.

At this point, the nine differently coloured petals had already withered, leaving fourteen lotus seeds arrayed within the dark-gold pod.

Cao Qingyang’s eyes suddenly blazed with fervour. In a flash, he appeared above the cold pool, reaching out to seize the flying lotus root and seeds.

Clang, clang, clang!

The rising water column had not yet fallen when the droplets all transformed into tiny swords, forming a rain of blades that pelted Cao Qingyang relentlessly.

Step by step, they forced him back, driving him further from the lotus root.

Luo Yuheng seized the chance to sweep her sleeve, whisking away the lotus root and seeds, hiding them somewhere unknown.

Cao Qingyang gave an angry, low roar. His tattered purple robe billowed, and the terrifying surge of qi left those hundreds of metres away trembling with fear.

Luo Yuheng’s delicately arched brow lifted slightly as she rose with the wind, soaring into the clouds.

She intended to leave with the lotus root, not entangle herself with the thick-skinned martial artist.

Cao Qingyang raised his head, seemingly not planning to pursue. Instead, he lifted his palm-blade, slicing horizontally, vertically, and diagonally in rapid succession, unleashing hundreds of blade strikes in an instant.

These blades vanished abruptly after being unleashed, only to reappear around Luo Yuheng, enclosing her within a range of dozens of metres.

Cao Qingyang clenched his fist sharply.

The annihilating blade intent rapidly contracted, reducing Luo Yuheng to ashes.

In mid-air, a section of lotus root and a lotus seedpod fell.

Just as Cao Qingyang was about to catch them, his martial instincts screamed danger. He sensed the threat, but instead of dodging, he played along, leaning diagonally like a collapsing pillar.

Out of thin air, a sword-finger thrust out, colliding directly with the leaning pillar. With a pop, a pale hand shattered into pure motes of light.

Cao Qingyang froze abruptly, no longer moving.

Luo Yuheng’s figure appeared, her aura slightly weaker. She raised her severed arm, and motes of light gathered, reforming into a lotus-like arm.

Then, she opened her palm, where fragmented souls gathered, forming a faint, unreal shadow — its face vaguely resembling Cao Qingyang.

………

Hiding among the distant crowd, the Heaven and Earth Society members on guard against attacks from other factions saw a flash of light before them. In the golden light, the alluring figure of Lady Luo appeared.

“National Teacher!”

Xu Qi’an’s face lit up with joy, understanding that the battle was over and victory belonged to them.

Luo Yuheng nodded slightly. Golden light flickered across her abdomen, and a few objects emerged — the lotus seedpod, a section of lotus root the length of an adult’s arm, and a palm-sized piece of lotus root.

This piece had been sliced off.

“What do you plan to do with his soul?” Luo Yuheng opened her palm, where a tiny figure floated, its features blurred but still recognisably Cao Qingyang.

“You are remarkable, National Teacher. To so cleanly and efficiently deal with a third rank — your ascension to first rank is just around the corner. There is no other celestial like you in all Jiuzhou.”

Xu Qi’an spared no effort, weaving together a string of colourful praises.

“He had the power of Rank Three, but his soul was still Rank Four. A single heart-sword was enough to shatter his soul.” Luo Yuheng’s tone was calm, as if defeating such an opponent was unworthy of pride.

After a pause, she asked, “What shall we do with him?”

*Er… The National Teacher values my opinion this much? I’m a bit flattered…* Xu Qi’an pondered briefly and said, “How about you give him to me for now? This man has done me a favour.”

Cao Qingyang’s five slaps had pushed him into Rank Five Transforming Force — a favour owed indeed.

Luo Yuheng nodded, unconcerned about Cao Qingyang’s fate. “This avatar is exhausted. I’ll be going back now — be careful on your own.”

With that, she dissolved into pure golden light and vanished.

“Ask Daoist Jinlian for that small piece of lotus root….”

Just before the golden light faded, Xu Qi’an received Luo Yuheng’s parting message.

*Asking for the lotus root — is this my new task from the National Teacher?* Xu Qi’an was briefly taken aback.