Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Lighters
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Night descended, and darkness once again enveloped Xianghe City.
After the sunlight disappeared, this world belonged to the darkness. Darkness would bring quiet and would also bring terror. There were countless tales and legends about the darkness.
After most people in the city had fallen asleep after a long day, in a few corners of the city that no one paid attention to, a few special ‘lights’ quietly lit up.
…
Tu Polu’s figure was like a steel tower as he stood on the roof of a tall building. He looked down upon the entire Xianghe City. His bald head was especially bright under the lightning rod of the building.
The huge machete, which was like a fodder chopper, was next to him. Tu Polu was like a ferocious tiger waiting for his prey. His eyes flickered, and he was prepared to attack at any moment.
Next to Tu Polu, Fang Lingshan, who was wearing a black windbreaker, looked exceptionally beautiful under the night sky. Her cold beauty complemented the night very well.
An intricate ancient bronze lantern rested on the slender and fair fingers of Fang Lingshan.
On the ancient bronze lantern were densely packed ‘divine runes’.
In the ancient lantern, there was no oil and also no wick. Where the wick should have been was a golden light flame. It was burning stable and warm.
The winds on the roof of the building were very strong. The gale howled and blew so hard that the windbreaker on Fang Lingshan was thrashed by the wind. Her short hair fluttered gracefully in the wind. However, the flame in the ancient bronze lantern did not quiver at all. It seemed to completely ignore the surrounding gale.
This lantern was the ‘heartlight’ of summoners. The burning golden light of the lantern was ignited by channeling the divine power of the summoner into the lantern. It was unaffected by wind and rain, and could be lit in any environment.
This was why the term ‘Lighter’ had been passed down for tens of thousands of years. As long as the heartlight of the Lighters was not extinguished, their homes and country would be safe.
However, nowadays, they were no longer called Lighters. They were the special officers of the National Order Council Xianghe City branch Special Forces Unit.
“I feel that it was better back then. Lighters could handle anything. With a sword in hand, they could take down misguided leaders and demons alike. With lanterns in hand, they could enact the will of the heavens and defend the peace in the realm,” Tu Polu said in a leisurely manner as he smacked his lips. “I feel that I am suitable to be sent back to older times. Being a Lighter back then should be more fun than it is now. We could take down anyone that we couldn’t stand looking at.”
Fang Lingshan ignored him and immediately closed her eyes, seemingly pretending to be asleep.
…
A few kilometers away, underneath a bridge, a light had been ignited too.
The bridge spanned across the wide river. Waves surged on the river as ships came and went.
Cao Xinghua and Li Yunzhou were stationed underneath the bridge. They were on a pier.
In the end, Li Yunzhou’s wish of being teamed up with Mo Yanshao was not granted. Instead, he was assigned to team up with the stony-faced Cao Xinghua.
Cao Xinghua sat cross-legged, and his eyes were closed. His sword was placed on top of his knees. An ancient bronze lantern was placed right in front of him as the flame lit up like a speck of gold. Cao Xinghua seemed to have entered into meditation.
Li Yunzhou raised his head and stared at the gigantic steel beam above his head. He killed a few mosquitoes with his claps. Then, like a housewife with lots of pent-up emotions, he grumbled, “Big Cao, why did you choose such a terrible place as our station? There are many mosquitoes here. We’re basically feeding them here. Do you have a secret love relationship with the mosquitoes here? Are you using this chance to deliver food to them? I dressed up so nicely tonight, yet nobody is appreciating my outfit.”
Cao Xinghua opened his eyes and glanced at Li Yunzhou. Then, he extended his hand and threw an item at Li Yunzhou.
Li Yunzhou grabbed it and saw that it was a small bottle of essential ointment.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Li Yunzhou finally chose the essential ointment over the mosquitoes. As he was applying the ointment, he was still complaining nonstop, “I never imagined that a handsome guy like me would one day end up using essential ointment too. I have always assumed that this is an item that is used only by the elderly. Big Cao, remember this moment. I have sacrificed my taste in fashion and applied essential ointment. You owe me now. Next time, you can choose to be stationed at the jetty over there. We can find a place to drink and look at pretty girls while we ignite the light. When we do that, a night of duty will pass by in the blink of an eye.”
“Alright. Next time you ignite the light. I will follow you wherever you want to go,” Cao Xinghua finally said coldly.
Li Yunzhou laughed. He flinched his head and said, “I don’t have enough divine power this month. I have yet to recover. Also, recently I have low blood sugar, neurasthenia, and endocrine disorder. My heart is beating irregularly and, occasionally, my temper is ill. So, the light should still be ignited by you. An able man should take up more responsibilities.”
Cao Xinghua shut his eyes and ignored Li Yunzhou.
However, Li Yunzhou was a ‘talkaholic’. After remaining quiet for 30 seconds, he found another topic to talk about. Before he began, he suavely flipped his long hair.
His facial expression turned lewd as he lowered his voice and said, “When we were having dinner just now, didn’t you sit with Fang Lingshan? Did she mention me to you? She didn’t, right? I knew it. She pretends to be aloof in front of me and sits very far from me every time we eat together. Actually, she wants to attract my attention. It’s just that this trick of hers is too shallow. I have seen through her intentions long ago. As the most handsome guy in the National Order Council Xianghe City branch…”
“Shut up.”
Li Yunzhou shut his mouth for a while. However, one minute later, he babbled again, “I knew it. Big Cao, you are envious of me for being better-looking and more popular than you among our female colleagues. But that’s not my fault. God has given me both good looks and talents. Sometimes, when I look at the mirror, I’m envious of myself too. Actually, you don’t understand. A handsome and talented guy like me lives a tiring life. I have many burdens of love…”
A few minutes later…
Cao Xinghua let out a roar. A silhouette was seen flying down from the pier, which was more than 20 meters above the water. The silhouette fell into the water with a plop.
The surroundings had finally turned quiet.
The light was still on.
…
At a park west of Xianghe City, a light was ignited too.
Mo Yanshao and An Qing were sitting at both ends of a bench. Mo Yanshao was holding a lantern, which had been lit up.
This park was the nearest to the old neighborhood in the northwest of Xianghe City. Beside the park were the pubs and red-light district. At night, the crowd was dense here, and the surrounding was noisy. It was the area that the authorities monitored the closest at night since criminal cases had the highest chance of happening here.
As they sat in the park, they could see the main street across the woods and an artificial lake in the park through the gaps behind the trees. Once in a while, police cars with flashing red and blue warning lights would dash down the street. However, those police cars and warning lights were only sufficient to handle ordinary delinquents and gang members. If they were faced with certain things, the police would become as helpless as lambs too.
The three burning lights were like three dots in three directions. They formed a gigantic triangle in Xianghe City. On this quiet night, they silently included the entire Xianghe City in their protection range.
A security guard was patrolling the park with a torchlight in his hand. When he saw the two people sitting on the bench, he wanted to say something. An Qing turned around and glanced at the guard. Immediately, the facial expression of the guard turned blank. Then, he walked down the path right in front of An Qing and Mo Yanshao, as though he had never noticed the two of them.
“You have gone on a mission with Xia Ping’an. What do you think about him?” Mo Yanshao asked.
Mo Yanshao was well-aware of An Qing’s special power. Prior to this, he hadn’t randomly assigned the task to An Qing and Xia Ping’an.
An Qing shook her head. A glint of surprise flashed past her brilliant eyes. “I can’t see through him. I could only sense that his heart is clean. However, his heart is shrouded by layers of fog. The fog is even darker and more mysterious than the night. He is a man with stories and secrets. His plain and ordinary appearance is his best disguise.” An Qing laughed softly and ed, “A man like him is quite fascinating, actually.”
“Yes, I also sensed it. He was unwilling to reveal his clairvoyance before this for so many years. It is because he has an even greater secret that he does not want to be known,” Mo Yanshao said as he shook his head slightly.
An Qing also nodded. She gazed out into the deep darkness outside. She sighed softly and said, “A youth and his sister who has yet to come of age… They have no one to turn to and are wandering in the dangerous and dark forest. They would rather not light a torch and would rather fumble their way through the darkness. It is even smarter than lighting a torch. It is convenient for the torch to be lit. They can pick up all the gemstones and gold that are scattered in the forest. However, the beasts and things that walk in the darkness will also be able to see them.
“If he doesn’t light it, he will still just be part of the background in the dark forest. He will not find the gemstones and gold. He will be like a blade of grass or a leaf that no one pays attention to. He will be like a spider web in a corner, silently gathering dew and food that comes to its door. He will not be noticed by anyone. He lit a match last time and was found by you. If I was his sister, I would also hope for an elder brother like him.”
“You seem to have taken a liking to him.”
“Didn’t you know? A compassionate and warm man that can raise his sister well will easily be liked by women,” An Qing said with a slight smile. She stroked her hair charmingly. “By the way, the provincial inspector will be bringing the divine fire boundary bead over tomorrow?”
“Hmm, yes. The provincial inspection has been completed. The inspector will bring the divine fire boundary bead tomorrow. Our Special Forces Unit might have an additional backup summoner. If all goes well, he will grow to become a summoner in two years.”
“Director, the chances of an Awakened becoming a summoner is only twice as high as that of an ordinary person. Their bodies do not reject the boundary beads, but the odds are still less than one in 50. Since when did you have such confidence in the newbie?”
“It is just my intuition.”
…
After an hour, on the roof of the building where Tu Polu and Fang Lingshan were.
The golden flame in the lantern that Fang Lingshan held in her hands suddenly changed color into a bizarre deep purple hue.
The light in the lantern suddenly shot out half a foot long. The flames began to flicker. The tongue of the flame was pointing in one direction as it flickered, like a magnet being attracted to something.
“So they came,” Tu Polu ed as he let out a low growl in his throat like a ferocious tiger. His eyes were filled with murderous intent.
The next moment, the two of them disappeared from the roof of the building.
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