A Pawn's Passage

The young thief looked flustered and wanted to escape, but he found that Qi Xuansu was holding him in a vice-like grip. The young man stuttered, “W-What do you mean by that?”

Qi Xuansu released his grip and pushed him away with just enough force so that the young man could stand upright.

Qi Xuansu said, “I can’t believe a young chap like you chooses to be a lag. You shouldn’t target me just because I’m wearing a nicer robe. You’re a nub, huh?”

He was speaking with some slang words. A lag was a thief, and nub meant new to the streets.

The young man immediately understood that he had targeted the wrong person and hurriedly begged. “Hewu! I’m new to this and targeted the wrong person. Please let me go, good sir.”

Qi Xuansu merely asked, “Do you gain a lot?”

The young man replied quickly, “No, sir, just small gains.”

Qi Xuansu inquired, “Who’s your boss?”

The young man’s eyes flickered, and he hesitated. He even tried to run away.

Seeing this, Qi Xuansu threatened. “I dare you to run.”

The young thief instantly froze.

At this time, Qi Xuansu and the young man’s interaction had attracted the attention of other passengers, who were looking in their direction.

Zhang Yuelu continued sipping on her wine while glancing at the two men from the corner of her eyes.

In the end, Qi Xuansu did not expose the young thief or report him to the local police. He merely jabbed a finger at the young man’s chest. Upon impact, the young man groaned and almost fell to the ground. His face turned pale, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Qi Xuansu warned. “Take this as a lesson and change your profession.”

The young man did not dare to say anything and staggered away while clutching his chest. He made a mistake by targeting an experienced traveler like Qi Xuansu, so he could only admit his defeat and leave in shame.

Shortly after the young man left, the ferry set off. Zhang Yuelu asked softly, “Why didn’t you press for that young man’s boss?”

Qi Xuansu shrugged. “What can I do about it anyway? I won’t be able to uproot them. Even if I do, other similar gangs will fill in. I can’t possibly suppress them all. Stopping one or two thieves won’t solve the problem. The harsh punishments imposed by the Imperial Court and its officials are the key to solving this issue.”

Zhang Yuelu nodded in admiration. “I’m impressed by your views.”

“These are the basic teachings at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.” Qi Xuansu coughed lightly. “Oh, I forgot that you’ve never taken classes there.”

Zhang Yuelu slighted him. “Who said so? I studied there, but I was in the Upper Palace. You were just in the Lower Palace.”

Qi Xuansu laughed and did not refute.

Studying at the Upper Palace meant being promoted to the fourth rank, while those who came from the Lower Palace were merely ninth-rank Daoist priests. There was a huge difference between the two palaces.

Qi Xuansu also wanted to return to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace for further study so that he could be a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master, buy a house in Jade Capital, make some friends, and get called a Mage. That way, he would have the confidence to build his own family.

To him, starting a family would need four components: cultivation, wealth, a companion, and a house.

This showed just how simple-minded Qi Xuansu was.

The ship sailed down the river.

Qi Xuansu’s satchel was not a magical receptacle, so it could not hold many things. The flask he gave to Zhang Yuelu was not big and did not hold much wine, so Zhang Yuelu finished her drink quickly.

Without alcohol, Zhang Yuelu looked sickly again and did not speak much. She only occasionally spoke to give Qi Xuansu some advice on cultivation.

Qi Xuansu was not very interested in the Fasting Technique. He mainly wanted to learn the Cicada Molting Technique, derived from the Banished Immortal’s Illusory Body Technique. Many of the sutras between the two were the same. To be precise, the Cicada Molting Technique was a semi-finished product that negated certain sutras.

Thus, a Banished Immortal like Zhang Yuelu could certainly guide a Rogue Cultivator like Qi Xuansu in terms of cultivation.

Qi Xuansu did not expect to excel immediately. He merely recited the sutra over and over again and tried to understand it while reciting. He would also ask Zhang Yuelu if there was a part he did not understand.

In fact, Zhang Yuelu had no experience as a teacher, so she could only guide Qi Xuansu according to how her master, Sage Cihang, taught her. That was, to learn on her own and ask questions later.

At first, Zhang Yuelu was a little worried because she knew this teaching method was not suitable for everyone. Most teachers would guide their students in accordance with the student’s aptitude. But she soon discovered that Qi Xuansu was intelligent and naturally talented. The only disadvantage he had was his hand-eye coordination. In combat, his eyes could keep up, but his hands could not.

Qi Xuansu was able to learn the Martial Arts Practitioner’s Blood Roar on his own, but merely understanding the principles of a technique was not sufficient. He still needed to have enough blood qi to use the technique to its fullest potential.

After Qi Xuansu had memorized the formula, Zhang Yuelu suddenly said, “Tian Yuan, can you teach me how to speak some slang?”

“Don’t you already know some?” Qi Xuansu was slightly surprised.

“I know a little bit, but not much.”

He asked, “Then what do you want to know?”

Zhang Yuelu thought about it for a while. “How do you say pistol in slang?”

“Sprayer.” Qi Xuansu explained, “The old-fashioned pistols did not have rifling and used iron sand, which sprays out upon shooting. Hence the name.”

“What about drinking?”

He replied, “Swig.”

“Buying wine?”

“Get juice.”

“Shaojiu?”

“Fire juice.”

“Drunk?”

“Smashed.”

Finally, Qi Xuansu asked, “Why are all your questions related to drinking? Are you learning slang to drink with a stranger?”

Zhang Yuelu waved her hand. “Why would I want to drink with someone who talks in slang?”

“Aren’t I one?” Qi Xuansu pointed at himself.

Zhang Yuelu was rendered speechless. After a while, she scoffed. “Well, I didn’t see your true colors back then, so it’s too late for me to back out now.”

Qi Xuansu interpreted her words in another way. He felt disheartened at first, but later, a glimmer of hope emerged. He prayed that Zhang Yuelu would say the same thing after learning of his true identity.

Zhang Yuelu murmured to herself, “I want a swig, so you should get the juice...preferably, fire juice. Then let’s get smashed.”

Qi Xuansu was speechless.

Soon after, Zhang Yuelu turned to Qi Xuansu and said excitedly, “Let’s use slang when we get to my house!”

Only then did Qi Xuansu realize the reason Zhang Yuelu wanted to learn slang. She planned to use it to deceive her parents. At this time, Qi Xuansu found Zhang Yuelu’s childish demeanor endearing.

He asked, “Can’t you just buy more wine and store it in your magical receptacle?”

Zhang Yuelu rolled her eyes at him. “Your luggage is in there, so I don’t have any more room for wine.”

Having said this, Zhang Yuelu looked at Qi Xuansu’s satchel and asked, “Tian Yuan, what’s in your satchel?”

Qi Xuansu panicked, but he did not show it on his face. “Just some ordinary things.”

Zhang Yuelu said, “Since you’ve seen my magical receptacle, can I see your satchel?”

“Of course.” Qi Xuansu handed his satchel to Zhang Yuelu without any hesitation.

On the contrary, Zhang Yuelu hesitated. “You don’t have anything embarrassing in your bag, right? For example, erotic drawings and the like?”

Qi Xuansu’s face flushed. “Do I look like someone who would keep those things? Go ahead and check my bag.”

Zhang Yuelu opened Qi Xuansu’s satchel and casually flipped through it.

She muttered while going through the items. “Seventh-rank certificate, medicine for external and internal wounds, matchsticks, spikes, projectiles, Tiangang Hall’s deacon insignia, cheap talisman paper, stamp, Taiping coins, some cash notes, sunglasses from our last trip to the Western Region, a bag of Army Pills, a packet of dried meat, two strings of prayer beads from the cult demons, and a Feng Shui compass. Do you know how to read Feng Shui?”

Qi Xuan spoke without changing his expression. “I’ve read classic texts like the Jade Pouch Classic and the Shaking Dragon Sutra. There’s a saying that one must look to the mountains in search of dragons. The tougher the road, the stronger the barrier, often hiding the door to paradise.

“The mountains are on the earth, while the stars are in the sky, bringing luck and ill fortune to those below. A star in its true form will have three auspicious signs that don’t always appear. It takes careful observation to recognize a star in its true form—”

“Alright, that’s enough. You don’t have to show off your knowledge.” Zhang Yuelu did not associate Qi Xuansu with the Qingping Society because of this compass since it was a common item for Daoist disciples. However, Zhang Yuelu had some skewed thoughts.

She suddenly lowered her voice. “Tian Yuan, be honest with me. When you were traveling on your own, have you ever been involved in tomb raiding?”

Qi Xuansu almost choked on his saliva. “If I was involved in tomb raiding, I wouldn’t have only 200 Taiping coins on me right now!”

“Didn’t you use your money to ‘make connections?’” Zhang Yuelu teased.

That was when he realized that he had to use more lies to cover up one lie. “I swear by the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, the Holy Xuan, and all my ancestors that I have never been involved in tomb raiding. If I am lying about tomb raiding, I shall never get promoted to the fourth rank.”

Zhang Yuelu laughed. “You didn’t have to take it so seriously. I asked because I recently read a book about tomb raiding, which I found quite interesting. Since you have never done it before, forget I asked.”

Qi Xuansu breathed a sigh of relief.