A Pawn's Passage

After exiting the dream, Qi Xuansu also wanted to visit the Lower Palace. Since the Upper Palace was suspended in midair and flying was forbidden, the only way to reach the Lower Palace was by passing through Xingye Lake.

Qi Xuansu was familiar with the Lower Palace because he had lived there for over a decade. Even if certain areas were restricted, he could still make an educated guess about their layout.

However, the Upper and Lower Palaces were separated by a powerful formation, so jumping down from the Upper Palace was clearly unrealistic. The only passage was through Ming Hall.

It was a mystery how Yao Pei managed to get down, but Qi Xuansu figured that she could not travel freely between the two palaces, which was why she had arranged to meet Qi Xuansu in a dream instead.

Ming Hall was heavily guarded by Spirit Guards, who patrolled in shifts day and night, so sneaking past them would be no easy task.

Qi Xuansu projected his yin spirit and floated to a stone bridge between the Li Gate and Ming Hall. Peering down, he could see numerous Spirit Guards stationed around the first floor of Ming Hall, their security far tighter than that on the second floor.

At that moment, Qi Xuansu noticed a shadowy figure moving under the cover of night, crossing another stone bridge toward Dui Garden, where the instructors resided.

Although he could not see the person’s face, the longsword strapped to the person’s back gave it away—it was Qi Jianyuan.

Qi Jianyuan had no one to blame but himself. He had a magical receptacle, yet he insisted on carrying his sword openly, making himself far too conspicuous.

It seemed that Yao Pei and Qi Jianyuan had split up. Yao Pei went to the Lower Palace, while Qi Jianyuan stayed in the Upper Palace, covering both fronts. Now, Qi Jianyuan was sneaking into Dui Garden under the cover of night, most likely due to the cult demon infiltration.

Qi Xuansu immediately followed.

This was the advantage of projecting his yin spirit. It was difficult to detect, especially at night when yin energy was stronger. Unless Qi Jianyuan was actively on guard, he would struggle to notice even with his higher cultivation level.

Qi Xuansu trailed Qi Jianyuan into Dui Garden, careful not to get too close. Suddenly, a woman’s voice rang out from a standalone courtyard ahead. “Who’s there?”

Outside the dream realm, Qi Xuansu’s yin spirit no longer had a third-person perspective. He was now back to a normal field of vision that was limited by his physical body. Since he was positioned behind a corner, he could only hear the conversation but not see the two people speaking.

He heard Qi Jianyuan’s voice saying, “You still want to keep pretending?”

“What do you mean?” the woman asked, puzzled.

Qi Jianyuan replied, “I’m asking—what is your rank in Ziguang Society?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the woman said, her tone carrying a hint of irritation.

Qi Jianyuan sneered, “Ziguang Society traces its lineage back to True Lord Ziguang. Each of the Ancient Immortals has a distinctive divine power. For example, Wu Luo’s divine power is blood-red, True Lord Siming’s is black and white, and True Lord Ziguang’s is purple. Just now, a trace of purple light flickered in your eyes when you looked at me. That leaves only two possibilities—you are either a Banished Immortal or you are one of True Lord Ziguang’s cult followers.”

The woman scoffed, “That makes no sense. What do you mean by a trace of purple light in my eyes? There’s no one else here but the two of us, so it’s entirely your word against mine. If you claim there was purple light, does that make it true? What, do you think you’re the Grand Master and that your word is the law? Who the hell are you to act so brazenly in the Wanxiang Daoist Palace? If you keep this up, I’ll report you to the Deputy Palace Masters and have the Spirit Guards arrest you!”

Qi Jianyuan smirked. “Great! Let’s bring in the Deputy Palace Masters and see who really gets arrested.”

Qi Xuansu thought to himself, Qi Jianyuan is bluffing. Sage Donghua specifically ordered secrecy. If this could be handled openly, why would Qi Jianyuan come in such a covert manner?

Although Wanxiang Daoist Palace was located within the Quanzhen Sect’s territory, it was technically independent, much like the Nine Halls. These institutions were directly subordinate to the Grand Master and remained politically neutral.

Neutrality meant that they could side with any sect, even though their history and affiliations were deeply intertwined with the Quanzhen Sect.

The woman was silent for a moment, likely realizing the same thing. She sneered dismissively. “If you were really going to report this, why come alone? And why in the dead of night? If you ask me, you’re the only shady one here.”

Qi Xuansu’s yin spirit crept closer, turning a corner to see the two standing off at the courtyard gate. Qi Jianyuan’s back was to him, while the woman was facing him.

The woman was tall and slender, with an oval face, single eyelids, large eyes, and thin lips—certainly a beauty. Qi Xuansu vaguely remembered her to be a music instructor in the Upper Palace.

Qi Xuansu had always found it puzzling why music training was needed. The Upper Palace was meant to train high-ranking Daoists, covering subjects like governance, handling demons and monsters, economics, philosophy, and so on. Even learning calligraphy was reasonable. After all, as superiors, they had to approve official documents, and poor handwriting was unacceptable. But why did they need basic musical training? It felt more like noble education than Daoist training. Qi Xuansu had heard that it was even more absurd in the Western Continent, where they even had to learn how to dance. What nonsense was that!

To Qi Xuansu, there were professionals trained to play music or perform all sorts of dances. Everyone had their role. So why were they expecting people to become masters of everything?

Qi Jianyuan did not deny what the female instructor said. Instead, he asked, “Have you heard of Pei Muyu?”

The woman’s expression changed slightly, but she feigned ignorance. “Pei who? Never heard of him.”

Qi Jianyuan chuckled. “Do you want to know how he’s doing and where he is now?”

The woman’s face finally showed signs of unease. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Qi Jianyuan taunted her. “My master, Sage Donghua, is from the Pei family, and so is this man. In theory, I should be calling him Senior Brother. But unfortunately, he strayed from the righteous path, so my master had to—”

He deliberately paused for effect.

The female instructor had remained relatively composed, but upon hearing this, her mind became unsettled.

Observing her reaction, Qi Jianyuan continued, “He was arrested on my master’s orders and is now being detained in Wuxu Palace. The Chongyang Palace of Immortality is directly overseen by the Earthly Preceptor, while Wuxu Palace had long been under my master’s command. Although my master has now stepped down as the Wuxu Palace Master, the entire institution still follows his directives. So imprisoning him there is as secure as it gets.”

The female instructor murmured, “So...that’s how it is. He—he—he—”

She repeated “he” three times but could not finish her sentence because her voice trembled violently.

Qi Xuansu was no fool. From what he had just heard, it was clear that this female instructor must have had some relationship with Pei Muyu, perhaps even as lovers.

Now that Pei Muyu had been captured, she was naturally in turmoil. The fact that Qi Jianyuan had managed to track her down was likely because Pei Muyu outed her.

The female instructor was silent for a long time before finally regaining some composure. She forced herself to sound calm as she asked, “Then he—how is he now? What have you done to him?”

Qi Jianyuan deliberately asked, “Do you really want to know?”

The female instructor no longer bothered to hide her feelings and snapped, “Do I even need to answer that? Of course, I want to know!”

Qi Jianyuan tried to goad her into revealing more. “Strictly speaking, torture is not permitted in interrogations, but these rules are made by people. It’s not some immutable cosmic law, so there’s always room for flexibility. Since he is also a Pei, my master had him subjected to the Pei family’s disciplinary methods.”

The female instructor gasped. Her previously steady demeanor shattered again. She hurriedly asked, “Did you all beat him to death?!”

Qi Jianyuan scoffed. “Do you think it would be that simple? The Daoist Order always has a consistent stance on traitors. Death alone is never enough.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Xuansu could not help but shudder. He cursed inwardly, Madam Qi, what exactly were you thinking? Why did you want me to return to the Daoist Order yet not leave Qingping Society? Are you trying to turn me into a traitor?

The female instructor steadied herself slightly before asking, “How did you discover him?”

“It wasn’t us who discovered him,” Qi Jianyuan replied. “It was my master. His keen eyes saw through Pei Muyu’s flaws. That’s how that traitor was captured.”

The female instructor sneered, “Who doesn’t know what kind of person Sage Donghua is? If he says someone is guilty, then they must be guilty. Even if they weren’t, he’d find a way to beat a confession out of them.”

Qi Jianyuan had no intention of arguing over evidence with her. “Pei Muyu is not a true heretic or cultist. He couldn’t endure the Pei family’s disciplinary methods and had already confessed. It was through his confession that I tracked this case all the way to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. Never did I expect that the Ziguang Society would set its sights on the statue left behind by the Confucian School, thinking to offer the immense divine power stored within it to True Lord Ziguang.”

The female instructor laughed mockingly. “If that’s the case, shouldn’t you immediately report this to the Deputy Palace Masters? You can have them thoroughly search the entire palace, even if it means executing a thousand innocent people just to ensure not a single traitor escapes. That way, the whole Daoist Order will learn that the Quanzhen Sect harbored a member of the Ziguang Society. When that happens, the Taiping Sect will undoubtedly seize the opportunity to attack—especially now, during the crucial struggle for the Grand Master’s position. With such a scandal occurring in Sage Donghua’s household, the Quanzhen Sect’s political foundation that the Earthly Preceptor and Sage Donghua so carefully cultivated could be seriously shaken.”

Qi Jianyuan’s hand was already gripping the hilt of his sword. “That is exactly why my master sent me here—to handle this matter in secret. Weren’t you curious why I came here in the middle of the night? Well, this is the reason.”

The female instructor’s expression turned completely cold, devoid of all emotion. Her hands lowered naturally, fingers slightly spread apart. Her nails began to lengthen and glow faintly with a purple luster. It was the Yin Slaughter Technique.

Qi Xuansu regretted not being there in person. If it were his real body, he might have had some say in the matter. But as a mere yin spirit, he could only watch from the sidelines.

Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind tore through the air as the female instructor lunged at Qi Jianyuan.

Qi Jianyuan drew his sword in response, clashing head-on against the woman’s claws.

The sound of metal and stone clashing echoed through the courtyard as the two engaged in a fierce duel.

Qi Xuansu was taken aback. This seemingly unassuming female instructor had been hiding her true strength. She was actually a Heavenly Being!

Since neither wanted to alarm the others, they fought with deliberate restraint. Their battle resembled a clash between lower-level Xiantian Beings, lacking even the sheer forcefulness of Guizhen-stage combatants. Yet within this tight space, their strikes were precise and deadly.

Qi Xuansu instinctively drifted backward to distance himself, lest he get caught in the crossfire.