A Pawn's Passage

Pei Xiaolou’s answer was unexpected, but it made sense. Qi Xuansu had long suspected that Madam Qi was a high-ranking Daoist priest but had somehow betrayed the Daoist Order to become a B-rank member of the Qingping Society. Otherwise, Madam Qi would not have known so many of the Daoist Order’s secrets.

Judging from Xie Qiuniang’s ability, the B-rank members of the Qingping Society were quite powerful, not nobodies.

There was another possibility that Madam Qi had just resigned from her position in the Daoist Order and became an idle Daoist master. There were many Daoists who chose to have a leisurely life, so it was not surprising. Then it would make perfect sense that Pei Xiaolou and Madam Qi were old friends.

However, Qi Xuansu was still unsure about Pei Xiaolou’s motives. Madam Qi was not her real name but her alias in the Qingping Society. If Pei Xiaolou knew this name, did it mean that he was also a member of the Qingping Society? Or was this a test? But why bother with a test when a Sage like him could just kill Qi Xuansu in one strike? It would only make sense unless Pei Xiaolou wanted to use Qi Xuansu to deal with Madam Qi.

Pei Xiaolou seemed to have understood what Qi Xuansu was thinking. He waved his hand and said, “Don’t be nervous. You can clarify with Madam Qi later. In fact, I don’t know her true identity either. When I met her, she introduced herself as Madam Qi. That was ten years ago when I was still a third-rank Youyi Daoist master.”

Qi Xuansu relaxed slightly and asked, “Sage, will you tell me something about Madam Qi?”

“Madam Qi?” Pei Xiaolou shared, “I have tons to say about her! She’s stingy, money-minded, and likes to do business. She’s the kind who wishes that she could turn back time to get a head start in every business. Perhaps she’s in the midst of opening a shop right now. I’ve actually partnered with her to open a business once, but we lost money. Madam Qi blamed me for being a jinx, causing our business to lose money. So we parted ways.”

For some reason, Qi Xuansu wanted to laugh when he heard that they lost money. He could tell how similar Pei Xiaolou and Madam Qi were. Unlike Zhang Yuelu, who was usually serious, Pei Xiaolou and Madam Qi were very nonchalant about everything, so most people would think that they were not very reliable.

Pei Xiaolou muttered, “Madam Qi is not young anymore, but she has never been married. I think we were a good match. Unfortunately, I’m already married.”

Qi Xuansu curled his lips, full of doubt. He felt like it was Pei Xiaolou’s one-sided opinion that Madam Qi and him made a good match. Madam Qi might not even like this man.

Pei Xiaolou added, “People tend to be fond of children as they get older. Madam Qi often bragged about her godson in front of her friends, so I got curious.”

Qi Xuansu raised his eyebrows. “Me?”

“Who else can it be?” Pei Xiaolou chuckled.

Qi Xuansu was speechless. Although he did regard Madam Qi as an elder rather than a friend, Madam Qi was still far from his image of what a mother should be like. Qi Xuansu felt that a mother should be dignified, kind, and gentle, but Madam Qi had none of those qualities.

Pei Xiaolou patted Qi Xuansu on the shoulder. “Madam Qi likes you very much and hopes that you can succeed, but she can’t help you much.”

Qi Xuansu muttered, “She doesn’t need to help me with anything. I can work hard on my own.”

Pei Xiaolou smiled and said nothing more.

Qi Xuansu asked, “May I know what you think of me?”

Pei Xiaolou asked back, “Do you want to hear the truth?”

Qi Xuansu hesitated before answering, “Yes, please.”

“The truth is, I’m not as impressed. Perhaps Madam Qi might have exaggerated a little, or perhaps I don’t have a keen eye for people. In my opinion, Miss Zhang is indeed a junior worthy of training. No wonder the Earthly Preceptor made an exception and promoted her to Deputy Hall Master.”

Qi Xuansu did not show it on his face, but he was inevitably disappointed by such feedback. He felt like he had let Madam Qi down by not having achieved much.

When the Holy Xuan was Qi Xuansu’s age, he was already world-famous. Zhang Yuelu, who was a year younger than Qi Xuansu, was already a fourth-rank Daoist master and a Deputy Hall Master.

At the same age, most people had already accumulated riches or fame, but Qi Xuansu was still wandering aimlessly. If it were not for Pei Xiaolou, Zhang Yuelu, and Madam Qi, no one would have noticed Qi Xuansu. Only Zhang Yuelu and Madam Qi had high hopes for him.

Qi Xuansu was disheartened by this. He vowed to live up to the expectations of Madam Qi and Zhang Yuelu so as not to disappoint them.

......

Wan Xiuwu and Yue Liuli returned to the guest room of Dazhen Mansion together. This guest room was, in fact, an individual courtyard with an open, simple, and elegant layout. It perfectly embodied the heritage of a thousand-year-old family.

In fact, the Dazhen Mansion occupied a vast area, far larger than the Shangqing Palace. Even when the Holy Xuan damaged the terrain of the mountain, it only caused the collapse of one corner of the Dazhen Mansion.

When they entered the living room, Wan Xiuwu sat on a chair near the door. Yue Liuli poured a glass of water and handed it to him.

Yue Liuli said, “They say that there are three major families in the world: the descendants of Confucius, the Zhang family of Shangqing Prefecture, and the Qin family of Dragon City. From my point of view, the Daoist community only has two major families: the Zhang family of Shangqing Prefecture and the Li family of Donghai, from the Zhengyi Sect and Taiping Sect, respectively.

“The Quanzhen Sect loses in this aspect because we don’t have such large and well-established families. But we do have a few first-class families, like the Qi, Pei, Tang, and Ji families. Although these families in the Quanzhen Sect haven’t yet produced a Grand Master or a Deputy Grand Master, they have many Omniscient Sages and a strong foundation.”

Wan Xiuwu took over the glass of water. “The Holy Xuan worked hard all his life to eliminate the differences between the families and sects. In the end, it still boils down to this family or that family. Those of us from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace who want to get ahead will either have to keep our heads down and act like dogs or—”

Yue Liuli interrupted, “Without the Holy Xuan, the Li family would still be strong. There’s not much difference. This is what it means to have a strong family background. Those from a small family without any backing will disappear without a trace, and there’s nothing we can do to change that.”

Wan Xiuwu sighed, his breath creating ripples on the surface of the water. “That Qi Xuansu...”

“We have to be wary of him,” Yue Liuli said in a deep voice.

Wan Xiuwu frowned. “Do you think he’ll take revenge on us?”

“It’s hard to say. Those who have nothing to lose will not be afraid to kill an emperor. Of course, that’s only a saying. We’re not the emperor, and Qi Xuansu has things to lose. But this saying reminds us that it’s not a matter of courage but a matter of desire for vengeance,” Yue Liuli warned.

Wan Xiuwu disagreed. Although he felt that Qi Xuansu had changed from the past, he still looked down on the latter. He would only change his mind if Qi Xuansu could defeat him in a duel.

Yue Liuli noticed Wan Xiuwu’s attitude and reminded him. “Qi Xuansu won’t forget what happened back then in the Dragon and Tiger Camps. I abandoned him, and you almost stabbed him to death. If you were in his shoes, would you ever forget such a traumatic incident and just laugh it off?”

Speechless, Wan Xiuwu downed the glass of water. Yue Liuli also fell into silence.

What happened at the Dragon and Tiger Camps back then was not without reason. Qi Xuansu felt wronged because he had no enmity with Yue Liuli, yet she sent him to a trap for no reason. But to Yue Liuli, Qi Xuansu deserved to die.

Back when they were still in the Wanxian Daoist Palace, the Hundred Flowers Festival was a grand gathering held at the Star Observation Deck. Not far from the observation deck was the forbidden Xingye Lake. Between the mountain and the lake was a vast field with all kinds of flowers, like peonies, peach blossoms, daffodils, jasmine, primula, daphne, camellia, magnolia, clivia, viburnum, crabapple, azalea, cyclamen, and many more. The flowers were in full bloom at this time, making it a colorful and vibrant sight.

During that period, most Daoist attendants gathered with their friends at the observation deck to enjoy the scenery. At the Hundred Flowers Festival that year, Yue Liuli left the observation deck and went to the flower field below. Behind her was the forbidden Xingye Lake.

Yue Liuli looked like a fairy, with the flower field and lake as her backdrop. All the Daoist attendants present stared at her in awe, but Qi Xuansu did not even glance at her.

At the time, Qi Xuansu was probably thinking about unfinished schoolwork or lamenting about life. He might even be sleepy. In short, he did not notice the beautiful scenery, let alone Yue Liuli. That was why Yue Liulu was resentful.

Yue Liuli was not curious about Qi Xuansu because of his indifference. Instead, she developed a hatred for him. That was because she enjoyed the feeling of superiority and admiration, as if she were the moon. Thus, she viewed anyone who did not appreciate her beauty as a thorn in her side.

If Qi Xuansu tried to please her, she would have other means to toy with him and embarrass him. However, Qi Xuansu was not interested in women at that time, so Yue Liuli did not have the opportunity to exact revenge until she became the leader of the Dragon Camp. That was when Yue Liuli seized the opportunity and sent Qi Xuansu into a death trap.

Qi Xuansu did not even know the inside story. He could not imagine that someone so young could have such vicious thoughts due to a trivial matter. But he knew that Yue Liuli was not as pure as she appeared on the surface. That was why he was disgusted by this kind of woman and why he was moved by the kind-hearted and righteous Zhang Yuelu.

In fact, Wan Xiuwu was also unaware of Yue Liuli’s dark thoughts. He only thought that Qi Xuansu was the unlucky one, as anything could happen on the battlefield. That was why Wan Xiuwu did not think that slashing Qi Xuansu was a big deal, while Yue Liuli felt guilty about what she did.

Yue Liuli felt guilty but not remorseful. She only regretted that she failed to kill Qi Xuansu back then. Otherwise, she would not have such troubles at this moment. Thinking of this, Yue Liuli’s eyes darkened. Since she had a grudge against Qi Xuansu, she would not show any mercy if given a second chance to get rid of him.