Record of Protecting the Nation

[Dragon Veins] [Secret Government Agency] [Legacy of an Ancient Clan] [China's Superpowered Fight Against the World] [Rags-to-Riches Comeback]. Yesterday, I was hawking fake antiques at Panjiayuan. Today, the stone lions on the street came to life, and winged birdmen are flying through the sky.

My name is Qin Jian. I'm an ordinary street vendor. The jade pendant passed down in my family, which I used to weigh down a pickle jar, suddenly grew hot against my chest. A heartbeat-like tremor came from the earth beneath my feet, and countless unfamiliar images flooded my mind: figures walking across mountains and rivers, obscure incantations, and the weighty duty of "guarding the imperial tombs."

I was stunned. So my ancestors weren't down-on-their-luck commoners, but guardians of the tombs beneath this land? And I'm the only one left in my generation?

Before I could figure it out, a beam of holy light crashed into the market. At the brink of life and death, instinctively gripping the burning jade pendant, I stomped hard on the ground:

"Get out!"

Pale golden ripples spread from beneath my feet. The holy light struck them and vanished with a hiss, as if someone had erased chalk from a blackboard.

The market fell silent. I slumped onto my stool, panting like a dog. The jade pendant burned my hand, and several cracks had appeared in it.

My phone was ringing. My uncle was screaming from the next stall, asking what I'd done.

I looked at the shadows darting through the sky, then at the glowing ancestral jade pendant in my hand.

Well, looks like I can't run my stall anymore.

My new job is to "defend the nation."

No salary, but risking my life is part of the deal.

"My name is Qin Jian."

"I used to appraise antiques to make a living."

"Now I'm in charge of identifying every clueless 'immortal' who barges in here... as a corpse."