A Pawn's Passage

Madam Qi leaned down and yanked off the string of beads carved into human skulls on Marshal Tianpeng’s neck, weighing it in her hand. “If you had used this as barter, I could’ve given you 10,000 Taiping coins. It wouldn’t have been enough for you to leave unscathed, but you could’ve at least kept your life. But you didn’t listen.”

As she spoke, Madam Qi tucked the string of beads into her chest pocket.

Qi Xuansu was shocked by what had just transpired, but at the same time, such a result was also somewhat expected.

He had long known that Madam Qi was no ordinary person. She could do business with the Xizhou Protector and had connections with Pei Xiaolou and Lei Xiaohuan. She even made White Jade Hall wary of breaking agreements with her.

Not only that, she casually gifted him a Xuan Jade of Death that was treasured by the Three Yin Beings. Li Qingnu, the Finest Courtesan groomed by the Li family, was also her subordinate.

With Madam Qi’s extensive influence in the Qingping Society, Qi Xuansu was not foolish enough to view her as an ordinary person. So, he was not surprised that she could deal with Marshal Tianpeng.

What shocked him was how decisively and effortlessly Madam Qi killed Marshal Tianpeng, as though it was no more difficult than killing Zhuge Yongming.

What level of cultivation did Madam Qi possess?! Was she on par with Lei Xiaohuan? Or was she an equal to Master Wan?

Qi Xuansu took the initiative to approach her.

Madam Qi sized him up and shook her head helplessly. “Pathetic.”

Qi Xuansu was indeed in a sorry state at the moment. His nose was flattened, and one of his hands was severed. He also bore several gunshot wounds from the Grade-B Series One Dragon Eye Bullets and bruises from Marshal Tianpeng’s punches and kicks.

He lowered his head to look at his severed wrist, unsure of what to say.

Madam Qi, clearly not the nurturing type, gave Qi Xuansu a light kick in the shin. “Why are you just standing there? Fix your hand by yourself! Or are you waiting for me to do it for you?”

Qi Xuansu picked up his severed hand, aligned it with the stump where his wrist was, and reattached it, using his uninjured hand to hold his severed one in place while waiting for his flesh to regenerate.

As Madam Qi puffed on her pipe, she nagged incessantly. “You’re a grown man, yet you’re still so reckless. Are you feeling aggrieved? Do you need me to comfort you?”

Qi Xuansu laughed dryly. “No thanks.”

Madam Qi kicked aside the desiccated corpse of Marshal Tianpeng. “Tian Yuan, it’s been a while since we last met. Did you prepare a gift for me? Lei Xiaohuan should’ve already told you I was coming to Jinling Prefecture.”

That kick completely ended Marshal Tianpeng’s last vestiges of life. His skull-like head detached from his body and rolled far away.

He was so thoroughly dead that there was no chance of him being revived even if he were immediately sent to the headquarters of Huasheng Hall in Jade Capital. No one would recognize him as the infamous Marshal Tianpeng.

Qi Xuansu raised his healing severed hand with his good hand, signaling that he was too preoccupied.

Madam Qi pulled a bottle from her pouch, uncorked it, and poured half of its contents onto Qi Xuansu’s wrist. She then poured the remaining half onto his nose.

Strangely enough, the liquid combined with his regenerative ability caused Qi Xuansu’s injuries to heal rapidly. His wrist had already begun to mend. Although he still could not exert force, he could move his fingers without issue.

Madam Qi reached out to adjust Qi Xuansu’s nose, pressing and smoothing it back into place until it returned to its original shape.

Qi Xuansu reached into his pocket and pulled out the cigar that Pei Xiaolou had given him.

Madam Qi stared at the cigar in silence for a long moment before forcing out two words. “Just...this...?”

“Yup.” Qi Xuansu nodded. “It’s a top-grade cigar from the New World!”

Madam Qi pinched the slightly misshapen cigar between two fingers and held it up. “I don’t like these Western goods, but I don’t hate them either. Still...if you’re going to give me something, at least show some sincerity.

“I know you’re not doing well out there—pushing thirty yet not even a fourth-rank priest, with no wife to show for either. So I don’t expect a whole crate of it. But at least give me a full pack, right? What’s the point of giving me just one stick? Do they even sell these things individually?”

Qi Xuansu clutched his chest, feeling deeply hurt but still managed to explain. “I only have a little pocket money left, plus 500 Taiping coins of mission funds that I can’t touch. So I could only afford one stick of cigar.”

Madam Qi pocketed the cigar and sighed, giving him a look of pity. “What do you have? You have no background, no cultivation, no position, no rank, no Taiping coins, not even a house in Taishang Place, yet you want to get married? I guess living off a woman seems more realistic for you.”

Qi Xuansu lowered his head, unsure how to respond.

If anyone else had said this, Qi Xuansu would have either dismissed it or gotten angry. But when it came from someone dear to him, all he felt was shame.

Seeing Qi Xuansu’s dejected state, Madam Qi realized she might have been too harsh.

She softened her tone. “It’s fine. I know you had a late start, so catching up takes time. I understand that you’re struggling now, so I’ll let it slide this time. But don’t do this again.”

Qi Xuansu knew he had passed this hurdle and raised his head, his gloom dissipated.

He was not surprised that Madam Qi had come to Jinling Prefecture since Lei Xiaohuan had mentioned inviting her and the Qingping Society to deal with the Heavenly Court.

What shocked him was her exceedingly high cultivation level, so he could not help but ask, “Madam Qi, what’s your cultivation level now?”

Through her sunglasses, Madam Qi cast a sidelong glance at him. “Definitely higher than yours.”

“Obviously!” Qi Xuansu replied. “I’m asking what stage exactly? Xiaoyao stage? Wuliang stage? Or the Zaohua stage?”

Madam Qi leaned her face close to Qi Xuansu, her black lenses reflecting his figure. She reached out and patted his cheek. “Aren’t you good at guessing? Why don’t you guess what level I’m at?”

Qi Xuansu realized this was not the way to get an answer, so he tried a different approach. “Madam Qi, with your cultivation level, why are you only a B-rank member? I’m a nobody in the Qingping Society, so I wouldn’t know.”

Madam Qi straightened up and retorted, “The Qingping Society has a rule that A-rank members must be Heavenly Beings, but they don’t mandate that Heavenly Beings must be A-rank members, nor do they prohibit Heavenly Beings from staying at the B-rank. I like being a B-rank member and acting weak to catch people off guard. What’s wrong with that?”

Qi Xuansu was rendered speechless.

Fair enough. Marshal Tianpeng had also fallen for her act.

Qi Xuansu suddenly remembered the reason he was here. Pointing toward the dungeon, he pleaded, “By the way, Madam Qi...Qing Xiao is still in there. Will you—”

Madam Qi rolled her eyes at him and clicked her tongue. “Miss Zhang? You haven’t even married her yet. I wonder if you’ll still remember me when she becomes your wife.”

“I will never dare forget you, Madam Qi.” Qi Xuansu smiled sheepishly.

Madam Qi spoke unhurriedly. “Well, I have good and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”

After a slight hesitation, Qi Xuansu decided. “The bad news.”

“The bad news is that the Heavenly Court has sent two Heavenly Beings. One of them is this dead one here, and the other has already gone underwater.” Madam Qi cradled her right elbow with her left hand while holding her pipe gracefully in her right, showing no urgency.

Qi Xuansu, however, was growing anxious. “What’s the good news?”

Madam Qi replied calmly, “The good news is that they’re about to come out.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhenwu Lake erupted with a massive wave. Countless droplets splashed everywhere, like a sudden rainstorm, as two figures shot up from beneath the water and soared into the air.

Qi Xuansu looked up and saw that one of them was Zhang Yuelu.

She was draped in a moonlight-white robe, secured with a seven-colored sash, which seemed to be generating white clouds. She held a paper sword in her hand while numerous smaller paper swords encircled her, forming a sword array.

Madam Qi took the initiative to explain. “That robe is the renowned Taiyi Cloud Robe of the Cihang lineage. Wearing it repels all evil and wards off spells. That colorful sash allows even non-Heavenly Beings to fly effortlessly. It’s a top-tier treasure, comparable to the Nine Yang Fiery Dome. That person fighting your girl is one of the Four Marshals of the Heavenly Court, known as Marshal Thunder.”

“So it’s him.” Qi Xuansu was stunned.

Qi Xuansu had never met Marshal Thunder but had heard of his infamous reputation. The Yuan family’s massacre was his doing. He had even fought Pei Xiaolou.

This pivotal figure in the Heavenly Court was ranked even higher than Marshal Wind and Marshal Tianpeng. His presence was imposing, and his voice boomed like thunder. “Sage Cihang is quite generous to bestow you with the Taiyi Cloud Robe. Did she also give you the Dharma Lotus?”