A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu did not risk climbing over the city wall again. Instead, he waited outside the city until the gates opened and entered with the common folk.

The unexpected events of last night completely disrupted Qi Xuansu’s plans. While killing Feng Bo was satisfying, he had no choice but to consider the follow-up issues.

The only person who knew about his encounter with Feng Bo was Bai Xiaojin. If Bai Xiaojin had already been rescued, then Qi Xuansu would need to explain Feng Bo’s death.

If Bai Xiaojin was still lost, then no one would connect him to Feng Bo’s death for the time being.

He could, of course, return to his original appearance and resume his identity as Qi Xuansu to firmly deny any involvement. However, in doing so, he would be forfeiting a valuable merit. Moreover, it would be hard to explain why traces of Flying Shadow, Qing Yuan, and various firearms were present at the crime scenes.

Speaking of firearms, Qi Xuansu recalled that he had exhausted all the Phoenix Eye Series Ammunition he carried last night and used two rounds of Grade-B Series One Dragon Eye Bullet. So for now, he decided to return to the Taiping Inn to fetch the last three rounds of Grade-B Series Two Phoenix Eye Bullet and one Grade-B Series One Phoenix Eye Bullet. He had already used up the Grade-A Series Nine Phoenix Eye Bombs.

Zhang Yuelu arrived shortly after Qi Xuansu returned to the Taiping Inn.

With no time to freshen up or change his attire, Qi Xuansu met Zhang Yuelu as he was.

Zhang Yuelu had initially planned to inform Qi Xuansu about Bai Yingqiong’s stance, but she was startled to see him covered in dust and blood, as if he had just been through a fierce battle.

“Did the people from Heavenly Court make a move on you? Are you alright?” Zhang Yuelu temporarily set aside Bai Yingqiong’s matter, expressing concern for Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu hesitated for a moment. In the end, he decided to give a rough account of what happened. However, he omitted the part where he killed Feng Bo, claiming instead that Feng Bo had encountered an old enemy. That was how he managed to escape by sheer luck.

As for who that enemy was, Qi Xuansu feigned ignorance, explaining that it was too dark to make out anything and that the two Heavenly Beings were battling mid-air. At the time, he was also too preoccupied with fleeing to see who had confronted Feng Bo.

Zhang Yuelu showed no concern for Feng Bo’s supposed opponent and merely said, “I’m glad you’re alright.”

Qi Xuansu felt touched and did not know what to say, so he changed the subject. “How’s your progress?”

“There’s no rush. I’ll fetch you some hot water so you can wash up and get changed.” Zhang Yuelu stood up and left with a bucket.

Before long, Zhang Yuelu returned with a bucket of hot water.

Qi Xuansu felt a bit embarrassed to change in Zhang Yuelu’s presence.

Zhang Yuelu stared at him. “Surely you don’t expect me to help you change, right?”

Qi Xuansu dared not entertain such thoughts. He removed his outer robe, leaving only his inner garments. He then walked to the bucket to wash his hands and face.

Only then did Zhang Yuelu speak. “The situation is quite clear now. My senior sister’s ambiguous attitude can be fully explained by Bai Xiaojin’s kidnapping. The question now is, where has Bai Xiaojin gone? If she has fallen into the hands of the Heavenly Court again, it will be very difficult for us to find her. But we should be able to find the dungeon you mentioned. I think it would be located in one of the villas, so we can order a thorough investigation to get some clues.

“Oh, by the way, I spotted the Heavenly Court’s Marshal Wind in the city yesterday. He’s the Heavenly Being who fought with us and killed Yuan Shangdao back in Jiangling Prefecture. He’s currently hiding in St. Mary’s Church near Shangyuan Gate. Sage Lei has already ordered our Spirit Guards to surround the church.

“But now that the Holy Court is involved, it further complicates the situation. Moreover, there’s also a cardinal deacon equivalent to a Sage there. While Marshal Wind can’t escape, we can’t enter either, putting us at this impasse.”

After Qi Xuansu finished washing his face, Zhang Yuelu handed him a towel and asked, “What’s your take on this?”

“The situation has indeed become more complicated,” Qi Xuansu remarked as he patted his face dry. “If we don’t make any progress on this case, we’ll soon enter what Sage Lei calls the second stage, where criticism will begin to emerge. That will be unfavorable for us.”

Zhang Yuelu interjected. “Risk and opportunity always go hand in hand. While the situation has indeed become more complicated, this sudden change has exceeded everyone’s expectations, giving us an opening. As long as we can seize this opportunity, we can even ignore the person secretly muddying the waters and attack their vitals.”

Qi Xuansu did not deny Zhang Yuelu’s viewpoint. “The key is to seize it.”

Zhang Yuelu sighed. “We’ll just have to see how the Golden Tower Council will negotiate with the cardinal deacon of St. Mary’s Church. It’s untouchable for now. But there’s indeed something fishy about Ye Xiu. That’s our opening.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “I plan to meet Ye Xiu. Do you want to come along?”

“By the way, what excuse did you use to meet Ye Xiu yesterday?” Zhang Yuelu was curious.

Qi Xuansu replied, “I asked him to look into someone.”

“Who?” Zhang Yuelu asked.

“Ziwei Hall’s fifth-rank superintendent, Qi Xuansu.”

Zhang Yuelu was momentarily stunned. She then understood Qi Xuansu’s intention and could not help but laugh. “You’ve really got a way with things!”

As they spoke, Qi Xuansu had already changed into a clean Daoist robe and equipped himself with his weapons.

Qi Xuansu asked again, “So do you want to come along?”

Zhang Yuelu only hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Alright.”

She added, “It’s not that I want to join in the fun, but with Bai Xiaojin rescued, there might be some changes on Ye Xiu’s side. At the very least, I will be able to back you up if something does happen.”

For some reason, Qi Xuansu felt that Zhang Yuelu’s explanation made her seem like she was trying hard to cover up her eagerness. But he did not point it out and merely nodded. “Of course.”

The two left the Taiping Inn and headed toward the slums where Ye Xiu resided.

This was not Qi Xuansu’s first time here, so he knew his way around. However, Zhang Yuelu was excited since this was her first time visiting the slums.

Before long, the two arrived at Ye Xiu’s residence. The gatekeeper expressed dissatisfaction with Qi Xuansu bringing an extra person, but after Qi Xuansu handed him 10 Taiping coins, he stopped complaining.

As usual, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu waited for about an hour before getting to meet Ye Xiu.

The Beggar King looked visibly exhausted with bloodshot eyes, likely having stayed up all night. He no longer carried the composure he had during their previous meeting. Given the magnitude of recent events, it was understandable that he could not sleep or remain calm.

“I told you three days. It’s only been one day. Don’t you think that you’re being a bit too impatient?” Ye Xiu’s tone carried a hint of irritation.

Qi Xuansu’s original intention was to use this visit to test Ye Xiu.

However, it was clear that Ye Xiu was involved in Bai Xiaojin’s abduction. On their way over, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu briefly discussed contingency plans and decided to attempt to apprehend Ye Xiu.

Since their plan was made on the spur of the moment, there was no way Ye Xiu could have received advance warning.

Zhang Yuelu had also analyzed the situation. Bai Xiaojin was not rescued from Ye Xiu’s residence, and Ye Xiu was unaware that Qi Xuansu had followed the carriages from the slums to the dungeon in the old city.

Thus, Ye Xiu was likely holding onto a sense of false security. Furthermore, with his large operation in this area, it was natural that he would be reluctant to abandon everything and flee. Not to mention, there was also the possibility that Ye Xiu was an unwitting pawn being used.

Now it seemed Zhang Yuelu’s predictions were spot on because Ye Xiu had not fled or gone into hiding.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu exchanged glances.

He scoffed. “Three days? I’m afraid the Beggar King will no longer exist in Jinling Prefecture by then. That’s why I’ve come early.”

Ye Xiu’s expression shifted slightly. “What do you mean?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “A dignified second-rank Taiyi Daoist master who is the Chief Deputy Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master is no small figure to trifle with, yet you still dared to target her daughter. Did you really think you could continue to operate in Jinling Prefecture?”

Ye Xiu’s face darkened drastically.

Seeing his reaction, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were now certain that Ye Xiu was complicit. They could rule out the possibility of him being unwittingly used by others.

Since Ye Xiu was an accomplice, they decided to take action and apprehend him.

Zhang Yuelu did not want to expose her identity, so she did not use her Amorphous Paper. Instead, she gathered the Five Elements Qi Shield in her hand and lunged at Ye Xiu.

Her hand-to-hand combat skills were formidable. She had once snapped the wrist of Xu Kou, a renowned Guizhen-stage Martial Arts Practitioner.

Ye Xiu, being the Beggar King, was not weak either. Though not a Heavenly Being, he was close. Faced with Zhang Yuelu’s attack, he was startled but did not panic. He quickly retreated backward.

However, Qi Xuansu was already prepared, blocking Ye Xiu’s escape route and unleashing the River Fist from the Tantai Fist Intention.

Ye Xiu was left with no choice but to face two opponents alone, so he let out a sharp, piercing whistle, intending to alert his subordinates outside.