A Pawn's Passage

Wherever the invisible ripples pass, a faint mist arose.

Qi Xuansu could have dodged it, but he did not.

Lu Long and Qi Xuansu’s gazes met amidst the mist.

The old Diviner’s eyes turned dark and deep. His pupils were like whirlpools, in which stars were being created and destroyed simultaneously.

Qi Xuansu’s gaze was drawn into this whirlpool with no way to escape. The whirlpool grew larger until it threatened to swallow him whole.

Suddenly, Qi Xuansu entered a state between sleep and wakefulness. Everything around him became hazy, like a lucid dream.

When Qi Xuansu came to his senses again, Lu Long was no longer in front of him. Instead, he found himself in a huge peach grove. The petals fell like rain as the east wind blew, making the ground seem like it was paved with a red carpet.

The peach blossoms fluttered endlessly. It was an incredible sight.

Diviners in the Dream Entering Realm could enter other people’s dreams, whereas those in the Thunder Realm could force people into dreams that they created.

Typical Martial Arts Practitioners had no dreams because they could condense their spirit and body. This old Diviner was experienced and could tell at a glance that Qi Xuansu was not a pure Martial Arts Practitioner who had not condensed his spirit and body, so Lu Long used a spiritual object to pull Qi Xuansu into a dream.

When one was in a dream, it was a battle between souls. No matter how strong one’s body or innate qi was, it was useless in dreams. Thus, Diviners had the advantage in dreams, as they could use their strengths to attack the enemy’s weaknesses.

This was not the first time Qi Xuansu fell into a dream, so he did not panic. He merely waved his sleeves casually to block the falling petals.

At this moment, a figure holding a paper umbrella appeared among the peach blossoms, vaguely visible in the rain of flowers.

Qi Xuansu frowned slightly.

This figure slowly approached Qi Xuansu, becoming more real with every step. However, the paper umbrella blocked the woman’s face, so Qi Xuansu still could not make out who it was.

Even without seeing the woman’s face, Qi Xuansu felt a sense of familiarity.

He instantly became alert because he knew that the woman in front of him could not be Zhang Yuelu.

Qi Xuansu was about to speak when he suddenly heard his own voice coming from behind. “Qing Xiao!”

He turned around abruptly and saw a man in Daoist formal attire walking quickly toward the woman holding the umbrella. However, the man looked identical to him.

Qi Xuansu swallowed the words that had reached his lips, feeling a little uncertain.

While he was still thinking about what he should do, his clone had already walked past him without even so much as a glance, as if he was invisible.

Only then did Qi Xuansu realize that the woman holding an umbrella was not walking toward him, but toward his clone.

At this moment, the couple finally met.

When the woman put away her paper umbrella, Qi Xuansu noticed that her face was also identical to Zhang Yuelu’s.

“Qing Xiao, I miss you so much!”

His clone took hold of Zhang Yuelu’s hand.

However, her attitude was indifferent. She slowly withdrew her hand from his. “I thought you were dead. How did you survive the fall?”

His clone’s expression suddenly froze, and the man stuttered. “I-I...”

“What? Cat got your tongue?” Zhang Yuelu narrowed her eyes. “You’ve been lying to me, right?”

His clone took a few steps back under Zhang Yuelu’s sharp gaze while stammering in a panic. “I-I didn’t lie to you. I really didn’t! Y-You have to believe me!”

Zhang Yuelu snorted coldly. “Even if I believe you, will Beichen Hall believe you? Let me ask you, where have you been in the few years between your master Qi Haoran’s death and your tenure in Tiangang Hall? What have you done?”

Qi Xuansu’s clone was rendered speechless.

Zhang Yuelu sneered. “Qi Haoran, a Guizhen-stage fourth-rank Daoist master died in the ambush, so how did you manage to survive? Where were you when Shen Yuzu was murdered? Where were you when the Fengtai County Magistrate Li Hongwen was killed? What did you take from Li Hongwen? How did you manage to escape from Wu Luo’s divine descent in Yulan Temple? So many people died when Wu Luo snapped the flying ship in half, but how did you survive the fall?”

Forced into a corner, his clone was no longer submissive. Instead, his clone retorted. “Why should I die if my master is dead? Shen Yuzu deserves to die! You shouldn’t ask me how Li Hongwen died, you should be asking the Taiping Sect! I have a clear conscience, and I have never wronged anyone. What the hell do you want?!”

Zhang Yuelu scoffed. “In that case, do you dare to hash out the details?”

His clone shouted, “Why the hell not?”

The wind grew stronger, bringing with it countless petals. It was truly mesmerizing.

With a wave of her hand, Zhang Yuelu conjured a charred corpse out of thin air. It was unrecognizable due to the degree of burning.

Qi Xuansu’s face turned grim when he saw the corpse.

It was Wan Xiuwu, who almost killed Qi Xuansu once in the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. However, Qi Xuansu killed him outside Xijing Prefecture and burned his body.

Zhang Yuelu pointed at the burnt corpse. “Although he harmed you once, you are still alive and well, so why must you kill him?”

Qi Xuansu’s clone said in a deep voice, “He wanted to kill me, but he’s just not capable enough. It’s not because he was merciful. The reason he’s dead and I’m still alive is simply because his combat skills are inferior to mine. I’m not to blame for that.”

Zhang Yuelu waved her hand again, conjuring yet another corpse. This time, the corpse was a huge white fox with four tails that was covered with scars.

“Su Ran is a superintendent of the Daoist Order, but you brazenly killed her. Even if she committed a serious crime, she should be tried and convicted by Fengxian Hall and then sentenced to death. You have no right to kill her.”

Qi Xuansu’s clone glared at her resentfully. “She was the one who wanted to kill me first. I was just trying to protect myself! Should I have stood still and let her kill me? Moreover, you people in the Daoist Order are corrupt. If I reported her to Fengxian Hall, I’m afraid she won’t even get a slap on the wrist! All the serial murders would be reduced to a trivial matter!”

Zhang Yuelu sniggered. “You people, huh? Well, I suppose you’re finally exposing your true colors. Even if your killing of Wan Xiuwu and Su Ran is justified, what’s your excuse for joining a secret society?”

All color instantly drained from his clone’s face. He stammered, “W-What secret society? Don’t you dare wrongly accuse me!”

Zhang Yuelu clapped her hands gently.

This time, two Spirit Guards carried a woman over, leaving a trail of blood. When the woman raised her head, Qi Xuansu saw that it was Madam Qi.

At this time, Madam Qi was covered in blood, obviously having just been tortured. Her voice was feeble. “T-Tian...Y-Yuan...”

His clone’s eyes turned red, his fists were clenched tightly.

Zhang Yuelu stared intently at his clone and questioned him. “This person is a member of the Qingping Society, known as Madam Qi. Do you recognize her?”

His clone replied through gritted teeth, “What does it matter if I recognize her or not?”

Zhang Yuelu raised the paper umbrella in her hand to point at Qi Xuansu’s clone. “If you don’t know her, then I want you to kill this cult demon to prove your innocence. That way, you and I can still be friends. If you know her, then it proves that you are a cult demon. That gives me a reason to kill you in the name of the Daoist Order. Or you can kill me instead.”

To kill Madam Qi or Zhang Yuelu—this was the dilemma.

Putting aside everything else, this was an age-old problem: who should the husband help first if both his wife and his mother were in trouble?

At this moment, Qi Xuansu fell into the same dilemma as his clone. He realized that all of what just played out were his deepest fears.

Qi Xuansu was terrified that his identity would be exposed. He was afraid that Zhang Yuelu would find out about his shady past. He was also scared that he would one day have to make a choice between Zhang Yuelu and Madam Qi.

Now, this dream unearthed all of his deepest fears and threw them back in his face.

Lu Long took advantage of Qi Xuansu’s distraction to trap the latter in this custom-made ”cage.”

If Qi Xuansu was not aware that the dream was actually a trap, he would not be able to extricate himself.

Before this ”cage” was broken, neither Qi Xuansu nor Lu Long could leave the dream.

At this moment, the black yin energy lingering between Qi Xuansu’s five fingers finally took shape, turning into a black ghosthead machete with a strong killing aura.

Fortunately, Qi Xuansu had the magical powers of a Diviner, so he could break this cage with force.

In an instant, both Zhang Yuelu and Madam Qi turned to Qi Xuansu, not his clone.

Zhang Yuelu panicked and said softly, “Tian Yuan, there is no end to this sea of ​​suffering. As long as you can make a clean break with the past, I will still believe in you. Have you forgotten our vow?”

With tears in her eyes, Madam Qi pleaded. “Tian Yuan, I saved you so many times before, and I have always treated you as my son. We’ve been dependent on each other for so long. Do you really want to ditch me for this woman?”

Qi Xuansu slowly closed his eyes, steadying his emotions.

He found that it was always most terrifying before striking a killing blow. When the knife fell, it was no longer scary.

In fact, the same was true for fear. Many problems were scariest before one tried to solve them because people became uneasy worrying about the consequences. However, the moment it occurred, they could often face it calmly.

“Qing Xiao wouldn’t force me to make this decision, and Madam Qi wouldn’t beg me like this. I like this saying that a man will have a heart of stone before death. These illusions can’t mess with my mind.”

Qi Xuansu opened his eyes abruptly and raised his machete, slashing it down at the two women before him.

Countless peach blossoms flew over, as if they were going to completely bury Qi Xuansu.

For a moment, Qi Xuansu was in a brief trance, and everything around him shattered like a mirror.

He had awakened from this dream.

Qi Xuansu found himself in Sycamore Villa, with his left hand still raised.

Madam Qi and Zhang Yuelu were no longer in front of him. All he could see was Lu Long.

The old Diviner still maintained a standing posture. His eyes were closed, as if he was taking a nap. However, there was an additional wound on his chest, with blood trickling down.

Lu Long was dead.