A Pawn's Passage

Zhang Yuelu thought about it and sized Qi Xuansu up.

Qi Xuansu felt uneasy from her stare, so he asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You know the ropes very well, huh?” Zhang Yuelu said with a mocking smile, “If I hadn’t known that you were dirt poor, I would have suspected that you used to take up this kind of deal.”

Qi Xuansu muttered, “Well, there’s a thing called secondhand experience. This kind of thing is quite common in the real world.”

“In that case, we shouldn’t stay here for long. Let’s go to Jinguan Prefecture and sort things out there. We can only investigate who the hitman’s employer is once we return to the Jade Capital.” Zhang Yuelu suggested.

Qi Xuansu had no objections.

After daybreak, the sky cleared and the rain stopped, so they continued on their journey to Jinguan Prefecture.

This time, the two of them no longer took their time. Qi Xuansu put on his Jiama again and ran along the Chamagu Road without stopping, heading straight to Jinguan Prefecture.

Jinguan Prefecture was the core sphere of influence of the Shuzhou Daoist Mansion. Just as the Luzhou Daoist Mansion was located on Taiping Mountain outside Huainan City, the Shuzhou Daoist Mansion was located in Green City on Tiancang Mountain, southwest of the Jinguan Prefecture.

Green City got its name from the ten thousand acres of bamboo forest that stayed evergreen all year round, surrounding the Tiancang Mountain like a moat.

This was a sacred place for the Quanzhen Sect and Zhengyi Sect. Back then, the Heavenly Preceptor of the Zhengyi Sect lived in seclusion on Yunjin Mountain, but he later moved to Yangping Mountain, Heming Mountain, Xicheng Mountain, Gekui Mountain, Qinzhong Mountain, Changli Mountain, Yongquan Mountain, Zhendu Mountain, Beiping Mountain, and finally Tiancang Mountain.

Tiancang Mountain was where the Heavenly Preceptor commanded the Heavenly Sect disciples to fight against the Ancient Immortals. His cave still remained on Tiancang Mountain. After the Heavenly Sect fell apart and became the Zhengyi Sect, they withdrew from Shuzhou. That was when the Quanzhen Sect occupied the area and made Tiancang Mountain the sacred land of their Longmen Clan.

In the Quanzhen Sect, Tiancang Mountain’s status was only slightly inferior to Difei Mountain, which was known as their top sacred site.

Generally speaking, no one would dare to assassinate a fourth-rank Daoist master here. After all, the local Daoist Mansion also had the authority to arrest those who committed crimes with their cultivation.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu relaxed slightly and no longer felt so tense as soon as they entered Jinguan Prefecture. They did not rush to Tiancang Mountain first because the branch of Huasheng Hall in Shuzhou was not there but in the capital city of Jinguan Prefecture.

Huasheng Hall was also an important part of the Daoist Order’s profit-making business, so they established branches in cities instead of Daoist temples.

The two of them walked along the main road to the west gate of Jinguan Prefecture, where the Black Robes were checking travel permits. Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu did not have travel permits, but they had their Daoist insignias.

The brigade leader at the gate was startled when he saw Zhang Yuelu’s fourth-rank insignia. He respectfully handed it back to her with both hands and said, “My apologies for not knowing about your arrival, Mage. I hope you will forgive my impudence earlier.”

Qi Xuansu took it on behalf of Zhang Yuelu and asked, “Where is the Huasheng Hall located in the city?”

The brigade leader replied, “You will see a marketplace that has been demolished if you head east along the main road after entering the city gate. But there are still some houses, taverns, inns, banks, and shops located there. Huasheng Hall is there. It’s easy to spot because it has an impressive facade.”

“Thank you.” Qi Xuansu then entered the city with Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu asked, “Tian Yuan, what day is it today?”

Qi Xuansu counted before replying, “We left Jade Capital on October 16th. Today is November 2nd. It’s been more than half a month.”

Zhang Yuelu sighed softly. “There are no flying ships on November 2nd.”

The number of flights was limited and only available on the first and fifteenth days of each month. They would have to wait half a month since they missed it. Moreover, the flying ships between the capital cities were not interconnected. All flights would stop at Jade Capital, so they would have to take the flying ship back to the Jade Capital before taking another flight to the capital city closest to her hometown, which was very troublesome.

Qi Xuansu immediately understood Zhang Yuelu’s intention. “Are you afraid that you’ll implicate me? Is that why you want me to take a flying ship back to the Jade Capital?”

Zhang Yuelu murmured, “I don’t mean to look down on you. Actually, it’s just the opposite. I admire you for being able to turn the tide each time. If I were at your cultivation level, I wouldn’t have been able to fight as well as you do.”

Qi Xuansu assured her. “Then let’s just go with the flow. We’ll follow our original route and take the waterway to Huzhou, then proceed to Wuzhou from there.”

Zhang Yuelu did not persist since Qi Xuansu said this.

While they were talking, a large crowd gathered on the road ahead. There was a makeshift grass platform in the middle with people performing. A crowd had blocked the entire road.

Qi Xuansu raised his eyes and noticed a few scantily clad dancers. They were not dressed like people from the Central Plains, but more like people from the Western Region. They also had high noses, deep-set eyes, and green eyes, with a thin veil over their faces.

The dancers only wore a tube top that exposed their navel as well as wide-legged pants that were tied at the ankles. They were also barefoot, with bells on their wrists that jingled when they moved.

Through the corner of his eye, Qi Xuansu spotted Zhang Yuelu looking at him. So he immediately swallowed back the appreciative sigh that had reached his lips. He slowly changed his expression to one of contempt and scoffed. “How indecent!”

“Indeed.” Zhang Yuelu nodded in agreement.

Qi Xuansu suggested, “Shall we take a detour?”

Zhang Yuelu shook her head. “Let’s take a look first.”

Since Zhang Yuelu wanted to see the dance, Qi Xuansu certainly had no objection.

There were also musicians on the stage, playing the pipa and drums. The dancers moved with the beat of the drums and the melody of the pipa.

Qi Xuansu had not learned dancing, so he could not comment on their technique. All he knew was that the dance was alluring and the dancers were seductive, enough to attract ordinary people. After all, everyone had innate desires.

This was also the reason for the big crowd that had gathered around the platform.

Zhang Yuelu gathered the cloak around her body and shivered, even though she was not affected by the cold. “Even if the climate in Shuzhou is warmer than the north, it’s still winter. Don’t the dancers feel cold wearing such thin clothes?”

Qi Xuansu said thoughtfully, “Qing Xiao, do you mean that there’s something fishy going on with these women?”

Zhang Yuelu stated, “The Daoist priests in Shuzhou Daoist Mansion did mention that there have been scammers in Jinguan Prefecture.”

“Honey traps?” Qi Xuansu pondered. “It’s possible, I guess. But we can’t tell just from one dance.”

Zhang Yuelu suggested, “Why don’t you be the bait? You’ll be at an advantage after all.”

Qi Xuansu asked her back, “Are you willing to let me become the bait?”

“Why not?” Zhang Yuelu was startled at first, but then she punched Qi Xuansu lightly. “We will never achieve much if we’re not willing to take risks.”

Qi Xuansu mumbled, “But... I’m a little boy.”

Zhang Yuelu was speechless. After a long time, she muttered, “So what? I’m also a little girl.”

They were not referring to their age but to the fact that they were inexperienced in matters of physical intimacy.

It was not because they did not have the opportunity. For Qi Xuansu, it would be easy for him to sleep with a woman. However, most Daoist techniques required a pure body with undisrupted innate yang or yin energy. If this energy was disrupted, it would be hard to successfully practice certain techniques. That was why most people in the Daoist community remained virgins and were not shy about it.

Qi Xuansu said, “Aren’t you afraid that I won’t be able to control myself?”

“Then you can get married and have children here. I can go home by myself,” Zhang Yuelu said expressionlessly.

Qi Xuansu laughed dryly. “I’m an experienced traveler and have seen my fair share of pretty women. These women are vulgar and covered in thick makeup. How can they compare to—?”

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Yuelu kicked him lightly. “Stop talking so much and approach them.”

While they were talking, the dancers got into a blooming flower formation and moved in sync with each other, resembling a flower that bloomed layer by layer.

Immediately afterward, a woman in an elaborate costume appeared from the center of the flower.

She was dressed differently from other dancers, with a tight, exotic red dress, a veil on her face, and a tall gold crown on her head. It was very eye-catching.

This dancer was the flower, and the other accompanying dancers were just the leaves around the flower.

This woman also noticed Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu. Her eyes lingered on the duo with a flash of green energy.

She first spotted Qi Xuansu. Although his Daoist robe was damaged, it was of good material. Qi Xuansu’s complexion was rosy, and his skin was glowing. His surging blood qi turned into a flame around his body that could not be seen with the naked eye, swaying in the wind. This was the aura that was unique to Guizhen-stage Martial Arts Practitioners.

The woman was slightly startled by this finding. Immediately afterward, she shifted her gaze to Zhang Yuelu, who was next to Qi Xuansu.

Zhang Yuelu wrapped herself in a cloak and wore a hood, so only her chin was exposed. There was a mist surrounding Zhang Yuelu that was invisible to the naked eye. This mist changed erratically and appeared at random intervals, a sharp contrast compared to the Guizhen-stage Martial Arts Practitioner next to her.

The woman thought that Zhang Yuelu’s aura did not seem like a Qi Refiner, Scribe, Thinker, Brahma, or the like. Thus, she wondered if Zhang Yuelu was a Banished Immortal.

Qi Xuansu clicked his tongue and stopped moving forward.

Zhang Yuelu asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

Qi Xuansu remarked, “The authorities are already eyeing this place. It looks like we don’t need to do anything.”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a commotion from the front. “The Green Phoenix Guard is handling a case! Everyone, retreat!”

Zhang Yuelu was taken aback. She had not noticed the guard yelling beforehand since he was a Houtian Being. The reason Qi Xuansu was able to spot the man was probably because he observed some characteristics of the Green Phoenix Guard, not from the man’s aura.

She secretly made a note to not rely too much on sensing one’s aura. Instead, she should start observing with her eyes more in the future.

At this moment, the crowd immediately dispersed as soon as they heard the Green Phoenix Guard was involved, leaving a mess on the ground.