A Pawn's Passage

The more terrified Qi Xuansu felt inside, the calmer he appeared on the surface. “Miss Li, are you here to interrogate me on behalf of Beichen Hall?”

Li Zhuyu shook her head. “Not entirely.”

Qi Xuansu said bluntly, “I’d appreciate it if you could speak plainly, Miss Li.”

Li Zhuyu replied, “After the calamity in Jinling Prefecture, a relic left behind by True Lord Siming caused a fierce clash between Wu Guangbi, the Grand Leader of the Heavenly Court, and Mogul Yao of the Seven Treasure Pavilion. Yet you were the greatest benefactor of their fight. It’s said that Mogul Yao personally handed the item to you, so I’d like to know your connection with Mogul Yao.”

Qi Xuansu thought to himself, Here it comes.

The Li family was determined to get the Xuan Jade. If not for the Quanzhen Sect backing him, he would likely end up like the scholar in “The Painted Skin” story, disemboweled and left without a heart.

Even with the Quanzhen Sect as his backer, the Li family would not relent, trying to spin this matter into an accusation.

Qi Xuansu put away his book and said slowly, “The Daoist Order is not the Wei Dynasty Court, and Beichen Hall is not the Green Phoenix Guard of the Wei Dynasty. You lack the authority to arbitrarily apprehend, interrogate, or detain anyone. Miss Li, if you want to interrogate me, please present your official decree, badge, and inquiry or arrest warrant.”

Li Zhuyu scoffed, “There is no warrant. I’m not here on behalf of Beichen Hall to interrogate you; I’m here solely as a representative of the Li family.”

Qi Xuansu sneered. “Then please be direct, Miss Li. What is it that you want?”

Li Zhuyu taunted him. “Someone claims that you have private dealings with secret societies. If this were true, Deputy Hall Master Zhang, Sage Pei, and Sage Lei would be deeply grieved. As an old friend of Qing Xiao, I truly hope not to see her partner, who is such a promising talent, stray from the right path.”

Unmoved, Qi Xuansu retorted, “And who is this ‘someone?’ If it’s merely hearsay, I’ve also heard something intriguing myself. Someone claims that Sage Li Tianlan has orchestrated the midnight assault on Zhenwu Temple, using the Heavenly Court demons to destroy evidence. I, too, would hate to see such a respected figure ruin his legacy in old age.”

Li Zhuyu squinted her eyes. “Superintendent Qi, do you know how Fengxian Hall prosecutes people who fabricate baseless accusations and slander a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master?”

Qi Xuansu replied calmly, “During the Jinling calamity, the Heavenly Court dispatched its elite forces. Besides the Grand Leader Wu Guangbi, there were four other Heavenly Beings—Marshal Wind, Marshal Thunder, Marshal Tianpeng, and Feng Bo.

“Marshal Thunder died under Deputy Hall Master Zhang’s sword. His sword, the Azure Thunderbolt, is now in her possession. Marshal Wind fled amidst the chaos from St. Mary’s Church and barely escaped with his life. As for Marshal Tianpeng, it seems he perished at Mogul Yao’s hands.”

Li Zhuyu smiled, her demeanor relaxed.

These were all known facts, nothing extraordinary.

“There’s also Feng Bo—all we know is he’s dead, but how he died remains a mystery.” Qi Xuansu changed the topic abruptly, deliberately raising his right hand to reveal the thumb ring he wore.

Finally, Li Zhuyu’s expression changed dramatically. All traces of her earlier contemptuous smile vanished.

Qi Xuansu looked at Li Zhuyu, his face exuding the killing aura of a battle-hardened wild Daoist.

“Miss Li, Marshal Thunder and Marshal Tianpeng died during the assault on Zhenwu Temple. They were prepared beforehand, so they didn’t carry any magical receptacles or leave any incriminating evidence.

“But Feng Bo was different. His death was sudden, and he had a magical receptacle on him. Do you know how many confidential documents were in his magical receptacle? I’m afraid claiming ‘baseless fabrication’ won’t work in your favor this time.”

Li Zhuyu’s face turned pale.

Qi Xuansu no longer looked at Li Zhuyu. Instead, he gazed out at the vast, misty lake in the distance, so that his profile was facing her.

“Miss Li, you accuse me of colluding with secret societies. If you have evidence, why not present it now? I’ll just remind you of one thing. While the Cult of Fates committed heinous crimes, these events in Jinling Prefecture were preceded by the Heavenly Court’s assault on Zhenwu Temple with a motive to destroy evidence.

“These are undeniable facts. Today, the file on me might be 10 centimeters thick, but when the investigation into the destruction of Zhenwu Temple is pursued, the case files will probably stack up like mountains.”

Li Zhuyu had never expected to encounter someone like Qi Xuansu, who was so willing to risk everything. He was indeed different from those cautious, timid flowerbed Daoists.

The disdain she had for him earlier was completely swept away.

Qi Xuansu asked softly, “Miss Li, is there anything else you’d like to add?”

Li Zhuyu fiddled with the red string on her wrist, her expression unreadable.

Meanwhile, Qi Xuansu turned the thumb ring on his finger, his implied threat unmistakable.

The thumb ring left behind by Feng Bo had indeed contained many documents. But Qi Xuansu had no idea what their contents were.

In fact, the documents were no longer in his possession because Madam Qi had taken them all.

Knowing Madam Qi, she was likely using them to blackmail Wu Guangbi, the Heavenly Court’s Grand Leader, for a hefty sum of Taiping coins at this very moment. However, under Madam Qi’s guidance, Qi Xuansu had long mastered the art of feigning confidence, making it nearly impossible for anyone to detect his bluff.

Li Zhuyu’s gaze shifted to the thumb ring.

Qi Xuansu raised an eyebrow. “Given Feng Bo’s precedent, do you think I’d be so careless to carry those documents on me, Miss Li? Why don’t you take a guess who else might know about their contents?”

Li Zhuyu gave a light snort and averted her gaze.

If she were in Qi Xuansu’s position, she would not carry something so important on her person either.

Qi Xuansu continued, “Miss Li, you just mentioned my miraculous survival. Perhaps you should pray to Wu Luo to snap another flying ship in half later.”

Throughout their whole interaction, Li Zhuyu and Qi Xuansu maintained a safe distance, each sitting on opposite ends of the bench.

Both kept their eyes on the ground and stayed silent for a long time.

After a while, Li Zhuyu spoke again. “Superintendent Qi, since you’ve already put it that way, what else is there for me to say?”

Qi Xuansu clenched his fists and suddenly said, “Does Li Changge need to use the Xuan Jade to complete himself? I thought only nobodies like me would covet such things.”

Li Zhuyu was taken aback. She looked deeply at Qi Xuansu. “I’ve underestimated you, Superintendent Qi. I didn’t expect Sage Pei to hold you in such high regard and reveal even such secrets to you.

“Since you already know, I’ll be frank with you. Our Young Master isn’t a natural-born Banished Immortal, so he needs the Xuan Jade to make up for congenital deficiencies. Years ago, he had already gathered the four lineages—the Earthly Immortal, Manly Immortal, Ghostly Immortal, and Godly Immortal lineages.

“But it’s always better to have an abundance of Xuan Jades. Even if he has fully gathered the lineages, it can further enhance his cultivation. Unlike various pills, the Xuan Jade has no side effects.”

Li Zhuyu’s words confirmed some of Qi Xuansu’s suspicions.

As Qi Xuansu had guessed, Li Changge was a manmade Banished Immortal. With the Li family as his backing, his progress far outpaced Qi Xuansu’s.

However, Li Zhuyu was not Li Changge, and her understanding of manmade Banished Immortals was not entirely accurate. There were still some inaccuracies in her statement.

Qi Xuansu did not believe that Li Changge had fully gathered all four lineages.

Although Qi Xuansu himself had the Martial Arts Practitioner lineage, it was not complete because he could not condense his body and spirit. Hence, Qi Xuansu speculated that Li Changge’s Godly Immortal lineage might also be incomplete and lacking certain qualities. That was why the Li family was so desperate to obtain the Xuan Jade of Divinity left behind by True Lord Siming.

Li Zhuyu rose to her feet. “I’ve finally seen your methods. All I can say is you impress me. I’ve merely shared some tidbits about Jade Capital with you. As for other matters, I know nothing, nor will anyone else.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “I still have one question for you, Miss Li. Where exactly does something like the Xuan Jade come from?”

“Hah!” Li Zhuyu let out a mirthless laugh. “Superintendent Qi, you should ask whoever told you about the Xuan Jade. I’ve already said enough.”

With that, Li Zhuyu paid Qi Xuansu no further attention and sauntered off gracefully.

Not long after Li Zhuyu left, Zhang Yuelu arrived.

Only then did Qi Xuansu realize why Li Zhuyu had left so suddenly. It was not because he had scared her off, but because she feared Zhang Yuelu. After all, Zhang Yuelu had punched Li Tianzhen and decapitated Marshal Thunder. Most people would not dare challenge her.

Zhang Yuelu watched Li Zhuyu’s departing figure and asked, “Li Zhuyu? What’s she doing here?”

Qi Xuansu briefly recounted what had happened and shook the thumb ring on his finger.

“How did you kill Feng Bo?” Zhang Yuelu knew Qi Xuansu had dealings with the Three Yin Beings and had reached an agreement with them. However, she did not know he could summon their help in certain situations.

Qi Xuansu had thought it through. Since Madam Qi would not let him leave the Qingping Society, he would change his earlier strategy of hiding everything from Zhang Yuelu.

Instead, he planned to gradually reveal some secrets to Zhang Yuelu in manageable portions, so that she could slowly come to terms with them. After all, it was better to confess proactively than to let her discover any inconsistencies herself.

As such, he decided to start opening up to her regarding the Three Yin Beings and explained the agreement he made with them in detail.

After listening to Qi Xuansu’s explanation, Zhang Yuelu was stunned for a long moment before she finally spoke. “No matter what, these Three Yin Beings are considered elders of the Daoist Order, so asking them to take down Feng Bo isn’t exactly wrong.”