A Pawn's Passage

With Pei Xiaolou’s help, Qi Xuansu successfully escaped from Zhang Yuelu’s claws.

Qi Xuansu had to search for Liu Hu. But he did not do so aimlessly. He first sorted out his thoughts.

If a Heavenly Being caught Liu Hu, there would still be some traces of hoof prints at the very least. After all, it was unlikely that the Heavenly Being would abduct the horse as well.

It was also unlikely for someone to use some kind of moving spell, as it required a certain amount of preparation time and could not be improvised. If so, how could they predict that Liu Hu would definitely enter the woods?

Thus, Qi Xuansu ruled out these possibilities.

He suddenly thought of another possibility. Could this have something to do with Bu Yue?

When Qi Xuansu first bought Bu Yue, it was an ordinary and old grade horse. But after their trip to the Ghost Kingdom, Bu Yue seemed to be reborn, with more energy and a yin aura.

Qi Xuansu could not help but think of the magical power he had obtained from the Xuan Jade of Death, which could open a Yin-Yang Gate leading to the Ghost Kingdom. Although he could not pass through the Yin-Yang Gate due to his blood qi, it did not mean that his horse could not.

As such, Qi Xuansu patiently waited until nightfall. After confirming that no one was following him, he quietly left Jiangling Prefecture and went to a deserted place. Then he summoned the vengeful ghost he had subdued from the Xiang Residence.

This vengeful female ghost was smart. She was also naturally sensitive to yin energy, so under her guidance, Qi Xuansu found a cemetery outside the city.

From a distance, he could see a few will-o’-the-wisps. This was the first time Qi Xuansu had used this kind of magical power. There was no need to draw talismans or recite incantations; the key was the environment. If the place had strong yin energy, the spell would consume less magical power. On the other hand, it would be impossible to open a portal in places with strong yang energy.

Even though the cemetery had some yin energy, it was still quite close in proximity to a densely populated city like Jiangling Prefecture. Thus, after Qi Xuansu opened the Yin-Yang Gate, he felt that nearly half of his magical power was gone in an instant.

Several sparks connected into a line, forming the outline of a rectangular door. The door itself resembled the rippling surface of water.

This portal could summon one of the Three Yin Beings. But at this time, a horse’s head poked out through the ripples. When Bu Yue saw Qi Xuansu, it blinked and nickered happily.

Qi Xuansu could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. His guess was right!

Then, Bu Yue walked out of the Yin-Yang Gate with two girls sitting on its back.

The older girl was Liu Hu, and the younger girl was Yin Jiuyin’s granddaughter.

Seeing the little girl again, Qi Xuansu still could not figure out how a millennial ghost could have a granddaughter.

“Hello!” Miss Yin took the initiative to wave to Qi Xuansu. “Are you wearing a mask? That’s interesting!”

Miss Yin probably recognized him under the white fox face mask because Qi Xuansu could open this portal. It could also be that she was able to see through all kinds of disguises.

“Hello, Miss Yin.” Qi Xuansu cupped his hands in greeting. He glanced at Liu Hu, who was sitting behind the little girl.

Liu Hu’s face was slightly pale. Although her journey in the Ghost Kingdom did not last long, it shocked her considerably. Liu Hu only felt a little relieved after Miss Yin comforted her that they would be able to leave soon.

After dismounting, Liu Hu came to Qi Xuansu’s side and said softly, “Uncle Wei.”

Qi Xuansu nodded calmly, as if he had deliberately sent Liu Hu to the Ghost Kingdom for refuge.

He turned his attention to Bu Yue, reaching out to pet the horse’s head. “Wow, I didn’t know that you have the ability to travel through the yin and yang realms. You’re also smart to run off to the Ghost Kingdom when you noticed that the situation was awry.”

Bu Yue nickered again.

Miss Yin jumped off the horse and said goodbye to Qi Xuansu. “It’s time for me to go back. If you have anything you need help with, just open this gate. By the way, you can also leave your horse here. It can come here on its own, and I will take care of it for you!”

Upon hearing this, Qi Xuansu glanced at his horse and thanked the little girl.

Miss Yin turned around and walked back into the Yin-Yang Gate, which quickly shrank, eventually turning into a black spot and disappearing completely.

Qi Xuansu recalled the vengeful ghost, leaving only Bu Yue and Liu Hu with him.

Liu Hu asked, “Uncle Wei, are we going to Jiangzhou next?”

Qi Xuansu pondered. “Well, Qing Xiao and Sage Pei are going to Jiangzhou to continue investigating the case, but I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to go along with them. On the other hand, this case is related to the Taiping Sect. If we go to Zhili by land through the Taiping Sect’s territory, our risk will be considerably higher.

“But there is another way to get to Zhili, which is to take a ship along the Grand Canal. We can stay onboard without having to stay at inns until we get there.”

Qi Xuansu was not really discussing the plan with Liu Hu. He was just asking and answering the questions himself.

The major routes by land, sea, and river led to Zhili.

After the Purple Immortal Mountain incident, Qi Xuansu finally understood the power of the Taiping Sect and the Li family. They could mobilize hundreds of fighters recruited by the Yuan family and destroy all of them in the span of a few hours. The Yuan family could entertain guests in the morning, but on the same night, they were eliminated, and the Yuan Residence was razed to the ground with nothing left.

The Li family did not even take matters into their own hands. It was their peripheral forces who stepped in to clean up the mess.

Thus, Qi Xuansu was not confident in crossing the Taiping Sect’s core sphere of influence safely.

However, Qi Xuansu also had an advantage. He was too small of a target for the Taiping Sect to notice him. Previously, Qi Xuansu had killed Shen Yuzu to avenge his master, stolen the Xuan Jade, and killed Su Ran, which indirectly caused the exposure of the Purple Immortal Mountain case. Even though a small pawn like him had constantly stirred up trouble, the Taiping Sect was still unaware of his existence.

Thinking of this, Qi Xuansu suddenly noticed a connection between all of these events—Madam Qi.

He reflected on his past.

The fight for the Xuan Jade in Fengtai County was truly strange. The Taiping Sect only sent a group of ordinary Green Phoenix Guards and two assistant majors. Even if the Taiping Sect did not want to draw the attention of the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect, it did not make sense.

If Madam Qi had not protected Qi Xuansu in secret, would he have been able to meet some masters from the Taiping Sect? Or perhaps Zhuge Yongming was not the only one that Madam Qi had killed?

As for Shen Yuzu, that was the first time Qi Xuansu ever killed someone, and Madam Qi had taught him how to, step by step.

The Purple Immortal Mountain case seemed to have nothing to do with Madam Qi, but she was the one who arranged this escort job for him.

Qi Xuansu had long known that Madam Qi was not ordinary, but he did not expect Madam Qi to be so mysterious and powerful.

If Madam Qi represented the Qingping Society, then based on the relationship between the Heavenly Court and the Taiping Sect, who was the Qingping Society’s backer? Was it the Quanzhen Sect? Or was it the Confucian School that had been silent all these years?

Qi Xuansu did not want to delve too deep into this. That was because Madam Qi had never once harmed him or forced him into doing anything he did not want to.

Not to mention, Madam Qi was his savior. If not for her, he would have already been dead, like his master. Even if he was lucky enough to survive, he would not even know who his enemy was without Madam Qi’s help.

Without Madam Qi, Qi Xuansu would not have all the mysterious powers or his bright future. He would have been an ordinary wandering Daoist, and Zhang Yuelu would have been an unattainable goddess. Big shots like Pei Xiaolou and Lei Xiaohuan would not have taken a second look at him. He would also never be able to catch up to Yue Liuli and Wan Xiuwu and would have had no choice but to put up with all the grudges back then.

Madam Qi had not just saved his life. She had also reinvented him and treated him as a son.

Due to this, Qi Xuansu did not want to think about the meaning behind Madam Qi’s actions.

If he figured it out, their relationship could grow estranged, and then Qi Xuansu would be all alone in this world again. It would be pointless.

Qi Xuansu gathered his thoughts and finally made a decision. “We will take the waterway through the Grand Canal.”