Chapter 3 Was it a dream? Actually, yes!

Just as Jiang Chen was about to head out to ask his Senior Brothers for some Cinnabar, he suddenly felt the surrounding scenery shatter.

His steps suddenly became erratic, and his consciousness gradually blurred and fell silent.

"Ugh, what's wrong with my head?"

When Jiang Chen regained consciousness, his head felt as heavy as if it had been filled with lead.

He squinted slightly and found that it was pitch black everywhere.

"Hmm? Is it dark? Seriously, not a single Senior Brother came to check on me."

He muttered to himself and then got out of bed on his own.

But at that moment, he suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

"This! Where is this?"

He reached out and felt along the wall, and sure enough, he found a button.

At this moment, Jiang Chen couldn't quite describe his feelings; he felt both relieved and disappointed.

"Click!"

The room was suddenly illuminated. What appeared before Jiang Chen's eyes was a somewhat old bedroom that clearly belonged to a modern building.

"Heh, so it was just a dream after all. As they say, what you think about during the day, you dream about at night."

Jiang Chen gave a bitter smile. It was just that this dream felt a bit too real—so real that it made him believe he had actually transmigrated.

"Phew!"

He walked off the bed, but Jiang Chen suddenly noticed something was off.

His strength seemed to have increased a bit?

"Wait, no!"

Jiang Chen's consciousness quickly sank, and in the next second, a familiar light screen appeared before him.

[Skills: Combat Mastery (Level 2); Soul-Calming Talisman (Level 1)] (Note: When five types of Talismans reach Level 1, the Soul-Calming Talisman skill will automatically update to the Talisman skill.)

[Experience required for Soul-Calming Talisman upgrade: 10/100]

"Holy crap! This... this is real!" Jiang Chen was shaken.

If this was real, did it mean he had actually transmigrated to the Tang Dynasty?

But that would violate the Grandfather Paradox, and things like time travel weren't scientific at all.

Of course, those demons and ghosts weren't very scientific either, Jiang Chen thought.

Or was it that he had just entered some kind of Secret Realm, or something like the Main God's Space, or perhaps some kind of Simulator?

Jiang Chen was well-read, especially in Fanqie Novels, so he naturally knew that Simulators could allow people to simulate their own futures.

But this was a Transmigration simulation...

Jiang Chen was both shocked and delighted. He then hurriedly ordered a batch of yellow paper, Cinnabar, and writing brushes online.

It was already the middle of the night; even if he wanted to buy them, he couldn't get them right away.

The next day, Jiang Chen went to the Night Watcher Department of the Binhai 749 Bureau.

"Morning, Jiang Chen. It's your turn to be on the night watch tonight," Zhou Ming, the captain of the Night Watcher team Jiang Chen belonged to, said to him.

In fact, the "night watch" he spoke of wasn't the kind where one patrolled everywhere looking for demons and ghosts; it was just being on duty at the 749 Bureau.

Moreover, it wasn't even the same office location as the real 749 Bureau. It could only be described as a peripheral department, and the identity information conveyed to the outside world was similar to that of the police.

In case someone called, the Night Watchers would then notify the 749 Bureau.

As for those who truly had superpowers or Dao arts, they all needed to replenish their Mental Energy or Cultivate at night.

These trivial matters could only fall on ordinary people like Jiang Chen.

Normally, Jiang Chen would have readily agreed, but not now. He still wanted to try and see if he could enter the Tang Dynasty again tonight.

"It's my turn again?" Jiang Chen remembered that he had just been on duty two days ago. Normally, it was once every week or two. It shouldn't have been his turn again so soon, right? However, Jiang Chen didn't think too much about it at the moment.

"Sorry, Captain. I have some business tonight. How about someone else covers the night watch for me, and I'll take their shift next time?"

Captain Zhou Ming's originally friendly expression suddenly darkened. Normally, seeing the captain with such an expression, Jiang Chen would have immediately backed down.

But now, after last night's experiences, Jiang Chen was inexplicably filled with confidence. Looking at Zhou Ming's dark face now, it didn't seem like much.

Zhou Ming usually didn't get along with ordinary members like Jiang Chen. He acted with overbearing authority just because he had a minor official position, making him a classic example of a petty man in power.

Seeing that he hadn't intimidated Jiang Chen, Zhou Ming frowned slightly and then said slowly and earnestly, "Jiang Chen, we don't have many Night Watchers in the bureau to begin with. If you make excuses and others make excuses, how can the bureau's work and my arrangements be carried out?"

Jiang Chen found it somewhat baffling.

No, do you think you're the director? What kind of tone are you using with me? You're just a stinking night watchman!

"Captain, as far as I know, the last two times you were supposed to be on the night watch, you had Lu Xingye cover for you, right? He's new, and you saw he was an easy target, so you kept ordering him around."

Zhou Ming's face turned red with anger. "If you don't want to do the night watch, just say so. Don't say such nonsense and slander my reputation out of thin air. If you don't do the night watch tonight, then Lu Xingye will do it for you."

Jiang Chen's eyes darkened, and he said nothing.

In the evening, when most of the others in the Night Watcher Department had left, Lu Xingye walked over and said, "Brother Chen, the captain asked me to cover the night shift for you. You can head back first; I'll handle things here."

Jiang Chen patted Lu Xingye on the shoulder. "Xingye, thanks for tonight. I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow and cover two of your shifts in return. I really do have something to take care of tonight."

Lu Xingye had just graduated from university. Being from Hebei, he knew a bit of kung fu. He was also a police academy graduate and had encountered a minor supernatural event right around graduation, which was why he was assigned to the Night Watcher Department.

Don't look down on the Night Watcher Department just because it's a peripheral part of the 749 Bureau; it's still a proper government-established position!

Lu Xingye was a sunny and cheerful athletic guy, 188 cm tall, which was two or three centimeters taller than Jiang Chen. A shy smile appeared on his face.

His voice lowered slightly: "It's fine, Brother Chen. I know you're not like 'Zhou the Skinner.' You didn't bully me just because I'm new; instead, you've taken good care of me. I'm happy to cover your shift."

"Besides, my dream since I was a kid has been to serve the people. Serving a bit more or a bit less doesn't really matter," Lu Xingye said with a grin.

"Zhou the Skinner" was the nickname Jiang Chen and the others used for Zhou Ming in private.

"Good lad, you even dare to make jokes about your superiors now. Don't let anyone else hear that."

Jiang Chen patted Lu Xingye's shoulder again. "Then you go ahead and serve the people for me tonight. I'll treat you to a seafood feast tomorrow. I'm off. Call me immediately if anything happens."

After leaving the Night Watcher Department, Jiang Chen couldn't wait to get back home.

He was an orphan, a member of the Fanqie Orphanage. However, he had been an excellent student and received many scholarships. Coupled with the fact that the salary at the 749 Bureau was quite high, he was able to buy a three-bedroom apartment in a city like Binhai within two years of graduating.

After washing up, Jiang Chen drank the Soul-Calming Liquid he had bought.

It seemed that he had exited that... dream last night because his Mental Energy was insufficient.

Let's call it a dream for now.

So Jiang Chen had specifically looked up information online and found that this Soul-Calming Liquid should have a soothing effect.

After drinking it, Jiang Chen lay down, ready to enter the world of dreams.

...

In a daze, once Jiang Chen's consciousness returned, he appeared back in the room where he had been practicing drawing Talismans.

He looked at the setting sun in the west outside the window.

"The time hasn't changed; it seems to have frozen at the moment I woke up."

Jiang Chen composed himself, cleared his stray thoughts, and walked out the door.

He was ready to find someone to ask for some Cinnabar.