Chapter 55

## Chapter Guide

**Prepare to Depart!** (准备出发! *Zhǔn Bèi Chū Fā!*) is the fifty-fifth chapter of Tong Yao's *Guardians of Night*.

## Summary

Che Yongtai coughs heavily as he tries to smoke a cigarette, and questions the point of smoking. Li Lingbiao tells him that smoking would increase his masculinity, which would help him be attractive to girls since they like mature men. Hearing this, Che Yongtai declares that he will diligently learn how to smoke for the sake of his goddess. He tries and fails, causing him to cough again. He then practices holding the cigarette in his mouth and remarks the difficulty of it. Ye Yan, who is sitting nearby, asks Li Lingbiao to light his cigarette. Ye Yan's leisurely attitude while smoking angers Che Yongtai, who punches him in the face for "flaunting" in front of him, and Ye retaliates. As the two fight and insult each other, Li Lingbiao warns them that Huang Xiaoyan is approaching, causing the two to stop fighting in fear of being hit by her. Despite this, she still punches the two onto the ground and warns them for smoking on school grounds. Xi Sha then joins the fight and tries to bite Huang for "bullying" Ye Yan, but she dodges. A melee ensues as the four brawl and hurl insults at each other.

Wang Shengli and Yan Wen watch the situation from a nearby building's window while holding glasses of wine. Wang Shengli notes that all the newcomers are prideful and won't back down against each other, and thus will need time to adjust. Yan Wen remarks that the the world is in an unstable state, and that turmoil caused by anyone could result in a calamity in the human world that would affect the Underworld as well. Wang Shengli considers it destiny that the demon lords became guardians, since those who can maintain control over both realms are heroes of the era. The two then toast to their alliance. Yan Wen then asks how the benefits will be divided, specifically the possession of the Heaven Crystal. Wang Shengli claims that since the crystal originated from the human world, it belongs to the humans, much to Yan Wen's displeasure. She angrily complains about the unfairness of the claim, citing that the alliance is already disadvantageous for the Underworld since the demon lords are working for the human world and their contributions will be credited to the Department of Night. Wang retorts, reminding her that he is helping her train the two and it was her idea to have the demon lords join the Department. Wang remains adamant in his position, causing Yan Wan to threaten to report him to the Discipline Commission for secretly admitting demon lords into the Department, forcing him to comply with her demands again. Wang Shengli reluctantly agrees to give the Heaven Crystal to the guardian with the best performance, whether they be a demon lord or a human, pleasing Yan Wen. She then proposes to discuss how to grade the guardians' performances when Wuren suddenly enters the room while holding a white bikini. Wuren informs the two that they have situation to deal with and asks to have Huang Xiaoyan change into the swimsuit and depart immediately, much to their confusion.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Che Yongtai
* Li Lingbiao
* Ye Yan
* Huang Xiaoyan
* Xi Sha
* Wang Shengli
* Yan Wen