Nightwatcher-Chapter 449: Number One’s Identity

# 449. Number One's Identity

“Dragon Ley Geomantic Survey?”

*Why would Lin’an’s study have such a book—no, why would she be reading something like this?*

Xu Qi’an’s pupils seemed to freeze in place. The words “Dragon Ley” struck a nerve, triggering an intense sensitivity within him.

As a police academy graduate and veteran investigator with years of experience, this book alone made countless associations flash through his mind in an instant.

The first idea that surfaced: *Number One in the Earth Book chat group holds a high position in the court. He or she had only just announced they were taking over the Hengyuan case not long ago, and that case was tied to the dragon ley...*

*This high position didn’t necessarily refer to an official post. A princess also counted as someone of high status.*

A few seconds later, his second thought surfaced: *no, Lin’an doesn’t have the brains for that.*

*In the chat group, although Number One tended to lurk and remain silent, whenever they did speak, they demonstrated sharp intelligence, not inferior to Chu Yuanzhen.*

*Lin’an was one of the “three fools of the fishpond”—how could she possibly be that clever?*

*Besides, if she really were Number One, then given how much he pampered her and let down his guard, she would likely have figured out he was Number Three. In that case, how could she just openly leave the Dragon Ley Geomantic Survey out on her desk like that?*

A few more seconds passed. A third possibility emerged: *was she using this as a subtle way of hinting at her identity?*

Countless thoughts exploded in his mind like a thunderclap. Xu Qi’an was overwhelmed, emotions tangled and conflicted—half of him was spinning through deduction and speculation, the other half simply couldn’t accept the idea that Lin’an might be Number One.

While Xu Qi’an was deep in this mental whirlwind, Lin’an skipped merrily over to the desk, her dainty feet bouncing. Her little hands slapped the tabletop with excited taps as she urged with a beaming smile:

“Where’s the writing? Quickly, bring it out and let me see! We shall teach you how to read cursive!”

Xu Qi’an stared at her. A few seconds later, he smiled as if nothing was wrong and said, “One moment, your servant needs to go to the privy first.”

Before she could respond, he left the study on his own and walked some distance. He found a palace maid and asked, “Where’s the privy in this residence?”

He actually knew already. Other than Lin’an’s bedchamber and the servants’ quarters, he’d already toured the entirety of Lin’an’s residence.

But just because Xu Qi’an knew didn’t mean Li Yuchun did.

The palace maid led him towards the latrine, pointing at a small courtyard: “That way, Sir Li.”

“The princess’s privy is bigger than most people’s homes.” Xu Qi’an said in mock awe.

*This Silver Gong Li is so uncouth...* the maid forced a smile, grumbling inwardly.

Once inside, Xu Qi’an took out the “Confucian magic book,” tore out a page containing the Qi-watching technique, and set it alight with a flick. Two streaks of pure light burst from his eyes before gradually fading.

Once the light fully withdrew, he exited the latrine and returned to Lin’an’s study.

Xu Qi’an cast a calm glance over the room. The Dragon Ley Geomantic Survey was no longer on the desk. He asked casually, “Oh? Your Highness, where’s that book from earlier?”

Lin’an responded just as casually, “I put it away.”

Xu Qi’an continued naturally, giving her a look of newfound interest. “Since when were you into geomantic surveys like that?”

Lin’an straightened her slender waist, put on a serious little face, and said, “Storybooks are only for when I’m bored. I quite like exploring obscure knowledge. For example, hm, feng-shui.”

*She’s lying…* Xu Qi’an could tell right away.

But he was still stuck. He couldn’t determine what she was lying about—was it “I love studying,” or “I have another reason for reading about feng shui”?

*Should I just let it go?*

Suppress it for now and keep observing. With a suspect in mind, investigating further will be much easier later…

That thought shattered in the next moment.

Lin’an held a place near the top of his heart. More importantly, she was one of the very few people in this world he could trust without reserve.

She might be a bit silly, a bit naïve, and didn’t have much power to help him with big matters. But it was precisely because someone like her existed that Xu Qi’an could feel at home in this unfamiliar world—she was a safe harbour for his soul.

To him, Lin’an was like family. She was part of his emotional redemption.

So, he chose not to investigate her behind her back. Instead, he decided to confront her openly.

Looking into her bright, black-peach eyes, he asked offhandedly, “Lately I heard about a treasure called the ‘Earth Book’. It’s a relic of the Earth Sect. Has Your Highness ever heard of it?”

Lin’an tilted her head and shook it in confusion.

“Truly never heard of it?” Xu Qi’an pressed gently, as if it mattered greatly.

“No,” Lin’an replied.

As soon as she spoke, the Qi-watching technique reacted—she wasn’t lying.

*She wasn’t lying. She… she’s not Number One. She’s still that silly Lin’an. Thank goodness...* Xu Qi’an felt a weight lift from his heart, his body suddenly light, suffused with a quiet joy.

But soon, a new doubt crept in.

If Lin’an wasn’t Number One, and judging from what he knew of her, she clearly wasn’t the scholarly type, then why had she picked up a book like the Dragon Ley Geomantic Survey at this exact time, of all times?

“What made you start reading that kind of useless book?” Xu Qi’an asked.

“I told you, didn’t I? I’ve always been reading and studying.” The delicate princess slapped the table with her tiny hand, her brows slightly furrowed, clearly displeased at being doubted.

*She’s lying…* Xu Qi’an fought the urge to cover his face.

A young woman with a budding heart would always want to show her best side in front of the man she liked, even if that meant telling lies.

Considering her pride, Xu Qi’an stifled his curiosity. He had other ways to verify it and wasn’t in a rush. He placed a stack of paper on the table and said:

“Your Highness, read this aloud for me.”

“I thought you wanted to learn cursive?” Lin’an blinked.

“One step at a time,” he brushed it off casually.

“Okay!”

Lin’an picked up the moderately thick stack and looked closely. The moment she recognised it, she let out a cry: “This is the late emperor’s imperial diary?! Why are you transcribing his records?”

*I’ve not only copied your grandfather’s records, I’m also investigating your father…* Xu Qi’an replied mysteriously:

“I’m looking into some secrets about King Huai. He may be dead, but he still had secrets. What exactly, I don’t yet know, so I can’t explain clearly. Your Highness, this is our little secret, don’t tell anyone.”

His explanation was intentional. With a girl like Lin’an, if you told her nothing, she’d be upset. But if you revealed just a little and made it sound exclusive, she’d be delighted.

Of course, he couldn’t reveal too much. As a royal princess, she had some sense of court intrigue, but against the palace veterans, she was far too green. So he couldn’t say he was investigating Emperor Yuanjing directly.

Lin’an’s face bloomed with a pleased smile. Feigning aloofness, she said, “Very well, we suppose we shall keep your little secret.”

For the next hour, Lin’an read aloud from the late emperor’s daily records. Xu Qi’an sat quietly beside her, listening intently. Twice he poured her water, and each time she rewarded him with a sweet smile.

Xu Qi’an had, as he wished, finally heard the “Dao discourse” between the Daoist Leaders of the Human and Earth Sects, and the late emperor.

The former emperor once again asked the Earth Sect Daoist Leader whether it was possible for an emperor to cultivate the Dao.

The Earth Sect Daoist Leader gave the same answer as the Human Sect counterpart: “Longevity, yes. Immortality, no.”

Here, “longevity” referred to prolonging life; “immortality” meant truly undying.

After a long conversation on health and longevity, the former emperor asked: “It is said the Daoist Venerable split himself into three Pure Ones with a single breath. Are the three one person, or three separate people?”

The Earth Sect Daoist Leader replied, “They can be three as one, three as three, or one as three.”

“Isn’t that a bit too convoluted?”

Xu Qi’an frowned, raising his hand to stop Lin’an. “Let me ponder that a moment.”

*Three as one—does that mean the three were actually the same person split?*

*Three as three—three distinct individuals?*

*Then what about one as three? How’s that different from three as one? Or is it the opposite?*

“Go on,” he said.

Lin’an nodded and resumed reading. To Xu Qi’an’s disappointment, there was no further elaboration on “one as three.”

*Who knows if it’s because the Earth Sect Daoist Leader didn’t explain, or the imperial recorder had just not bothered to write it down. After all, he couldn’t have written down everything the Emperor said word for word. If that were the case, then every recorder would have severe chronic RSI…*

He muttered inwardly.

“Oh! So the reason the former emperor called King Huai the Pillar of the Realm was because of this...”

Biaobiao suddenly exclaimed in delight.

She had come upon an old anecdote: during their youth, Emperor Yuanjing and the young King Huai went hunting in the royal grounds, where they encountered a vicious bear. The guards were all badly injured, and in the moment of peril, King Huai tore the beast apart barehanded.

When the emperor heard of this, he praised King Huai as the future Pillar of the Realm.

*As a martial artist, tearing apart a bear is hardly impressive...* Xu Qi’an thought dismissively.

Biaobiao continued, “But really, father and uncle were too bold. The inner parts of the Southern Park are usually off-limits, except during the Autumn Hunt. That’s when the imperial experts are there to protect against wild beasts.”

…

In the final third of the former emperor’s life, not much of consequence happened. As a ruler with a Buddhist temperament, he wasn’t diligent in governance but wasn’t negligent either. In private life, though, he often held selection ceremonies to expand his harem.

That, of course, wasn’t considered an issue. After all, in this era, most men shared the same thoughts as Old Ji.

Still, even in his later years, he hadn’t changed this habit. As a result, in the latter half of the court journal, a medicinal pill called “Dragon Yang Pill” appeared frequently.

This “Dragon Yang” wasn’t in the usual sense. “Dragon” stood for the true dragon emperor, and “Yang” for masculine vitality.

Combined, the meaning was similar to that of Liuwei Dihuang Pills — keeping one’s “spirits” up.

When Biaobiao read those entries, she looked visibly awkward. After all, she was seeing her grandfather’s private life recorded in black and white. But then again, an emperor had no privacy, and likely didn’t care.

*These two men really are something else...* Xu Qi’an thought dryly.

One spends all day thinking about [REDACTED]

The other ignores all the fine mature women in the harem.

With the journal read through, this lead had reached its end. Xu Qi’an felt a trace of disappointment, he hadn’t gained any truly critical information.

He put the court journal away, then suddenly smiled in a knowing way and said:

“Your Highness, dragon ley maps involve feng shui, which is a complex subject. It must be discussed with others. One person alone can’t make sense of it. With whom do you usually discuss such matters?”

He was betting on Biaobiao being an academic deadweight. His statement was made confidently, intended to bluff her.

Biaobiao, unwilling to lose face, would surely play along. It was just like back in school, when girls chatted about male celebrities. Xu Qi’an didn’t follow entertainment, but still wanted to join in, so he’d pretend to know, parroting back things like: “Yes, yes, I totally agree.”

“That’s right, it needs to be discussed,” Biaobiao looked up and said, “I usually talk it over with Huaiqing.”

*Huaiqing...* Xu Qi’an’s body swayed, nearly losing his footing.

He took a deep breath, forced down his emotions, and looked at Lin’an. “Where did you get this book?”

“From Wenyuan Pavilion.”

Xu Qi’an murmured, “Huaiqing told you to borrow it, didn’t she?”

A flicker of panic crossed Biaobiao’s affectionate gaze. She hesitated a moment, then confessed softly, “You’re really good at guessing.”

Xu Qi’an collapsed into a chair, looking dazed.

…

Leaving Lin’an’s residence, Xu Qi’an was filled with questions and exclamations.

*Number One is... Huaiqing?!*

*Number One is actually Huaiqing!!!*

With this assumption, he began reviewing past details.

Number One was mysterious, held a high and influential post in the court. Few people matched the profile, but not too few either.

If Lin’an could fit, Huaiqing even more so. Her intellect and composure were a perfect match.

*In all the major cases so far, Number One showed signs of great power and authority. I recall it was Number One who leaked the truth about the Crown Prince’s drowning at Sangpo five centuries ago. But the old ministers could’ve found those clues too—it’s not enough to confirm Huaiqing’s identity...*

*Number One often expressed loyalty to the court, and showed disapproval of Number Two, Li Miaozhen, who challenged the law under the guise of chivalry. That too could describe many officials...*

*But assuming Number One is Huaiqing, then her volunteering to investigate Hengyuan’s disappearance makes sense. The old ministers may have access to the palace, but only to specific areas—they can’t freely roam even the inner court, much less the harem. But Huaiqing can go wherever she likes.*

*She told Biaobiao to borrow the dragon ley map from Wenyuan Pavilion out of caution. Also, no one would be suspicious of a person of Biaobiao’s academic ability borrowing any book. But even still, you use my belovid little mare—no, my beloved Lin’an—as a pawn, I’ll still be upset.*

Xu Qi’an remembered other moments too. Like the time he’d been joking with Lina in the chat about kidnapping the beautiful princess of the Great Feng to marry off to Lina’s brother.

At the time, Number One had clearly been displeased.

*And if Number One is Huaiqing, then she must have known my identity long ago. She’s far too clever—I couldn’t have fooled her…*

Riding his horse, Xu Qi’an looked dazed again, a touch of despair creeping into his expression, as if life had lost its meaning.

…

Back at the Xu residence, Auntie had taken the two girls, along with Lina and Li Miaozhen, out to hear some music.

“That Auntie really doesn’t have a care in the world. She only worried for a few days when Erlang went off to war, and now she’s strutting around like she’s a fairy princess…”

Xu Qi’an grumbled, nearly turning around to go to the Goulan.

But he wasn’t in the mood. He planned to take a bath, disguise himself, and pay a visit to the widow he kept outside.

Just then, he felt a familiar lurch in his heart. He instinctively pulled out the Earth Book fragment to check the messages:

Read 𝓁at𝙚st chapters at ƒrēenovelkiss.com Only.

【ONE: There’s a lead on Hengyuan’s whereabouts, but I can’t pursue it alone. I need your help.】