A Pawn's Passage

Madam Qi lightly waved Feng Bo’s feather fan and admired it. “This is quite a fruitful harvest!”

Qi Xuansu finally asked the question that had been lingering in his mind. “Madam Qi, is your last name Yao?”

“Yeah. Why? Are you thinking of changing your name to Yao Xuansu?” Madam Qi gave him a sidelong glance. “It’s not a bad idea. It actually sounds rather nice.”

Qi Xuansu quickly waved his hands. “I’ll just stick with Qi Xuansu.”

Although Madam Qi was like a mother to him, his late master was akin to his father because he was an orphan when his master first came into his life, so he had to respect precedence.

Qi Xuansu continued to ask, “Madam Qi, when did you become Mogul Yao of the Seven Treasure Pavilion?”

Madam Qi replied, “I didn’t become a Mogul of the Seven Treasure Pavilion after we met. I was already one long before we crossed paths.”

For a moment, Qi Xuansu did not know what to say.

Madam Qi continued, “As for why I never told you, it was mainly because I was afraid you’d squander my wealth.”

“Me? Squander?” Qi Xuansu muttered under his breath. “I would actually need something to squander first. With those few Taiping coins you give me, I can’t even afford to watch Li Qingnu dance, let alone squander anything.”

Madam Qi played dumb to Qi Xuansu’s snide remarks. Instead, she teased, “Oh? You want to watch Li Qingnu dance? No problem! As long as your Miss Zhang doesn’t mind, I can have Qingnu perform exclusively for you. She knows all sorts of dances. You can watch them all to your heart’s content!”

Qi Xuansu coughed awkwardly. “I was just giving an example.”

Madam Qi grinned mischievously. “There’s no need to be shy. We’re a family after all.”

Qi Xuansu quickly changed the subject. “Madam Qi, are you hurt from fighting Wu Guangbi?”

“Hah! Wu Guangbi’s no match for me.” Madam Qi waved her newly attained feather fan with an air of smugness.

Qi Xuansu was not sure whether Madam Qi was bluffing or genuinely confident. He asked, “Madam Qi, you and Wu Guangbi weren’t the only ones fighting for the Xuan Jade. Li Tianlan wanted it too, so it’s clearly valuable. But why didn’t I become a Heavenly Being after the jade fused into my body?”

Having anticipated this question, she patiently explained, “Generally, the Xuan Jade’s power doesn’t deplete. But this one is an exception because it was used for a Divine Descent, which had nearly exhausted it completely. The good news is that the Xuan Jade can slowly recover by absorbing the essence from heaven and earth. The bad news is that it’ll take about thirty years to fully recover.”

Qi Xuansu immediately grasped the key point. “Li Changge can’t wait 30 years. The Li family must have a way to shorten that time. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be fighting for this piece of Xuan Jade.”

Madam Qi gave Qi Xuansu an approving look and nodded. “This piece of Xuan Jade corresponds to the Shaman lineage, so the way to speed up its recovery is to use incense power to replace the essence of heaven and earth. The amount of incense power required is roughly equivalent to that of a third-rank Spirit Guard.”

Qi Xuansu felt a bit disheartened. “The Daoist Order strictly regulates incense power. It’s easy for the Li family to gather some, but it’s nearly impossible for me.”

Madam Qi, who had always taken a hands-off approach with Qi Xuansu, simply patted his shoulder and comforted him. “Aren’t you about to be promoted to a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master? It’s not entirely impossible.”

Qi Xuansu’s eyes lit up.

This time last year, Qi Xuansu was a seventh-rank Daoist priest with no official position. Now, he was on the cusp of being promoted to the fourth rank. So he had not yet adjusted his mindset.

As Madam Qi said, Qi Xuansu was about to become a high-ranking Daoist priest. Although he could not compare to the Li family, he was no longer a commoner, so acquiring incense power was not as difficult as he thought.

Madam Qi continued, “This Xuan Jade does have its benefits. At the very least, it has opened the gate for you to become a Heavenly Being. Countless people get stuck at that threshold, unable to proceed to the next level. For them, that gate is closed, and they don’t know the way forward.

“But the gate is open for you now. There are no barriers or bottlenecks. Even without enough incense power, you’ll naturally advance to a Heavenly Being if you cultivate steadily for a few years.”

Qi Xuansu let out a breath of relief. “That’s good to know.”

Madam Qi put away the feather fan, preparing to take her leave.

Just then, Qi Xuansu grabbed Madam Qi’s sleeve.

Madam Qi turned her head to glance at him. “Aww...can’t bear to part with your mother? Don’t you think you’re a bit too old for this?”

As she spoke, Madam Qi tried to shake Qi Xuansu off.

However, Qi Xuansu held on tightly and shamelessly asked, “Madam Qi, since you’re the great Mogul Yao of Seven Treasure Pavilion, can I use your name the next time I shop in the black market?”

“No,” Madam Qi rejected him outright. “Even if you use my name, I won’t acknowledge it. I suggest you give up on that idea.”

Qi Xuansu refused to give up and added, “But can you at least talk to your people? Then maybe next time, I can get a discount when I visit the black market. I don’t need half off. A 20% discount will do.”

“Dream on.” Madam Qi flicked her sleeve, shaking off Qi Xuansu. “Even if you were my biological son, we must settle accounts properly. Don’t even think about paying a coin less!”

Qi Xuansu knew Madam Qi as well as she knew him, so he compromised. “Madam Qi, how about this? If you give me a discount, I’ll give you half of the money I save. That should work, right? That way, we get to keep the wealth in the family.”

Madam Qi was momentarily tempted, so she did not refuse outright. Instead, she explained honestly, “There are over a thousand black markets under the Seven Treasure Pavilion. If I’m at a specific market, I can certainly issue a temporary order. But a formal order is needed for all black markets to offer you a discount. The Seven Treasure Pavilion has a rotation system in which only the Acting Mogul has the authority to issue such orders.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “How often is the rotation?”

Madam Qi held up three fingers. “Every 3 years.”

Qi Xuansu’s heart sank. With seven Moguls rotating every 3 years, a full cycle would take 21 years. Still, he was unwilling to give up. “Madam Qi, when was the last time you were the Acting Mogul?”

Madam Qi smiled faintly. “The year I saved you, I had just stepped down as Acting Mogul.”

Hearing this, Qi Xuansu lost all hope.

Waiting for Madam Qi’s rotation into the role would take more than 10 years. By then, Zhang Yuelu would likely be a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master, possibly even on the path to becoming a lower-ranked Omniscient Sage. Qi Xuansu might even be a third-rank Youyi Daoist master by then, or possibly a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master. By then, why would he care about this small discount?

Qi Xuansu sighed dramatically. “Fine, fine. I’ll just tighten my belt and live a bit more frugally.”

Madam Qi remained utterly unmoved.

Qi Xuansu dropped the act and switched topics. “Madam Qi, let’s not talk about the Seven Treasure Pavilion for now. Let’s talk about the Qingping Society. With your status, there’s no way you’re just an ordinary B-rank member. You must hold significant power there, right?”

“What are you getting at?” Madam Qi gave him a sidelong glance.

Qi Xuansu treaded this topic carefully. “The Qingping Society missions I did in the past were all decided by you, right? There weren’t actually any higher-ups issuing orders.”

Madam Qi smiled cryptically. “So what if they were? So what if they weren’t?”

Qi Xuansu continued, “If you can call the shots, then can I leave the Qingping Society? You just need to say the word. Surely, I don’t need approval from the Qingping Society’s leader, right?”

Madam Qi’s expression changed abruptly as she said angrily, “Well, well, it looks like you’ve truly forgotten your mother now that you’ve got a wife!”

Qi Xuansu was stunned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re trying every possible way to shake off your identity as a Qingping Society member all because of Zhang Yuelu, isn’t it? Are you afraid she’ll discover your true identity and turn on you? Have you forgotten who gave you this identity? Have you ever considered how I’d feel?”

Qi Xuansu no longer dared to keep joking around. He quickly stood up straight obediently. If this were the Confucian era, he would have had to kneel.

Madam Qi removed her sunglasses and pretended to wipe away her tears. “You’ve gone out of your way to please Zhang Yuelu, even risking your life for her. But have you thought about who gave you the life that you’re risking? Have you considered my feelings?

“Now, you want to leave the Qingping Society. When you succeed in the future, will you dig out that Auxiliary Heart I gave you and sever all ties with me—the shady cult demon? That way, you can live as a clean and proper Daoist Sage, marry your beloved Miss Zhang, and act like you never knew me.”

Qi Xuansu’s face turned beet red as he stammered, “I—I never thought that way.”

Madam Qi put her sunglasses back on and stood up to leave. “Whether you’ve thought about it or not, let’s leave it at that.”

Qi Xuansu quickly grabbed the edge of Madam Qi’s sleeve. “I really never thought of it that way! I promise I won’t bring it up again.”

With her back still turned to Qi Xuansu, Madam Qi let a faint smile creep onto her face, though her tone remained harsh. “Hmph! We’ll see your performance.”

Unable to see Madam Qi’s expression, Qi Xuansu slowly released her sleeve, feeling deeply ashamed of himself and starting to reflect on his actions.

Madam Qi left the Huasheng Hall branch feeling victorious, even humming a tune. “Kid, you’re still way too green to take me on.”