A Pawn's Passage

The female instructor’s method was certainly ingenious, but in the end, she sacrificed a great deal of her own cultivation to hurt the enemy, reversing the energy flow to force Qi Jianyuan into a state of energy backlash. Then she forcefully poured all her divine power into his body, successfully freezing him. However, this reckless move also left her severely weakened, pushing her into a state of exhaustion.

At that moment, the fallen flying sword on the ground suddenly quivered and slowly lifted into the air, unsteadily drifting toward the female instructor.

A Heavenly Being was surely strong. Even when frozen solid, Qi Jianyuan could still fight back. Through the sheer force of his will, he controlled his lifebound sword and guided it toward the female instructor. However, with no supporting innate qi, the flying sword relied only on its own spiritual energy, moving at a painfully slow pace toward her heart. Yet, just 15 centimeters away from her chest, the sword suddenly stopped, unable to advance further.

That was because the female instructor accelerated the influx of cold energy, causing Qi Jianyuan’s frozen body to reach its breaking point. His thoughts slowed to a crawl, on the verge of being completely sealed within ice. By extension, the flying sword trembled softly, unable to move another centimeter forward.

In the silence of the night, only the faint sound of dripping blood could be heard. It came from the wound on the female instructor’s wrist that was inflicted earlier by the flying sword. This injury had not healed. In fact, it was expanding—a testament to the sword’s formidable power. Had it pierced her chest, the consequences would have been dire.

Qi Xuansu no longer focused on the two fighters. Instead, he stared at the flying sword that wavered and trembled erratically. Its surface reflected the moonlight in a shaky, flickering glow, but it could not complete its strike.

Seeing this, Qi Xuansu sighed inwardly. Qi Jianyuan is going to die here. But what can I do? I am merely a yin spirit. I can briefly materialize myself, but I lack spellcasting ability and don’t wield any weapons. I might stand a chance against a Xiantian Being, but I am utterly powerless against a Heavenly Being. Even if I returned to my body and rushed over, the most I could do would be to avenge him, not save him. Besides...why should I avenge him? If anything, I have more in common with this Ziguang Society agent than I do with Qi Jianyuan.

Despite these thoughts, Qi Xuansu still decided to help. He had to try regardless if he would succeed. It was not for Qi Jianyuan’s sake—he had no desire to repay enmity with kindness—but because of their Daoist camaraderie and his ties to Sage Donghua and the Pei family. At the very least, this matter concerned the Pei family’s reputation.

With a single thought, Qi Xuansu’s yin spirit surged into motion. In the blink of an eye, he had returned to his physical body.

The moment he regained control of his body, Qi Xuansu’s eyes snapped open, and he bolted toward the door.

However, a mortal body could never match the speed and freedom of a yin spirit. By the time Qi Xuansu arrived, the two combatants were already lying motionless on the ground—dead.

Qi Jianyuan’s face was as white as snow, completely drained of color. The frost covering his body showed no signs of melting.

The female instructor’s chest had been impaled by the flying sword, her blood pooling beneath her and forming a dark crimson puddle.

This was completely beyond Qi Xuansu’s expectations. He had never imagined such an outcome. He thought, Could Qi Jianyuan have used some powerful technique in a final moment of desperation to perish together with the Ziguang Society cultist?

However, something did not add up. At the time, Qi Jianyuan had clearly been on the verge of defeat. Although the female instructor had suffered a great loss of vitality and would need time to recover, she still had the ability to flee.

In the countless novels Qi Xuansu read in the past, the plot should have unfolded differently. Usually, a skilled female warrior who was hunted down and forced into hiding would encounter a weak yet kind-hearted young man. This young man would help conceal her presence, mislead her pursuers, and even tend to her wounds. At first, the woman was cold and distant, looking down on the man for being weak. But over time, she would be moved by his sincerity. Love would blossom amidst hardship, and once her wounds healed, she would vanish without a word, leaving behind a tale of longing and heartbreak.

Besides, if Qi Jianyuan had such a powerful technique, why wait until the very last moment to use it? Why not employ it earlier to turn the tide?

Judging from the state of Qi Jianyuan’s corpse, he had clearly perished due to the female instructor’s divine power rather than from some form of backlash from his own technique. So it was still uncertain whether this was truly a case of mutual destruction.

But for now, the most pressing matter was to notify the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

There was an old saying that nothing else beyond life and death was truly important. No matter the situation, the loss of life was always a major event.

At this moment, someone had died, and not just anyone. He was a promising young talent—the Ninth Deputy Ziwei Hall Master, disciple to Sage Donghua, and the nephew of the Shuzhou Daoist Mansion Master Qi Jiaozheng.

Qi Xuansu could not afford to bear this responsibility alone, nor could he possibly suppress such an incident.

After careful thought, Qi Xuansu decided to use the Blood Roar of a Martial Arts Practitioner. He bellowed at the top of his lungs, “Someone’s dead!”

In the dead of night, his roar exploded like a thunderclap on a clear day, shaking nearly all of Dui Garden.

One by one, the surrounding windows lit up, illuminating the once-dark Dui Garden. Before long, the entire area was ablaze with lantern lights.

The first to arrive were the night-watch Spirit Guards, who were momentarily taken aback upon witnessing the scene.

Qi Xuansu wasted no time and ordered, “Go to Kun Garden immediately and notify the Acting Palace Master and the Deputy Palace Masters.”

The leading Spirit Guard recognized Qi Xuansu and knew that he was a promising fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist Master. After a brief moment of hesitation, the Spirit Guard nodded and hurried off to carry out the order.

About half an hour later, Sun Hewu arrived at Dui Garden. Surprisingly, he had not come from Kun Garden but from Gen Garden, where the library was. Since the archive towers were completely sealed off from the outside world, it was difficult to receive news when one was inside. Fortunately, the Spirit Guards were familiar with this old Sage’s habits and managed to find him cooped up in a stone chamber.

When Sun Hewu saw Qi Jianyuan’s corpse, his expression turned gloomy. No matter how much he preferred scholarly work in his study, he was still an elder who had witnessed the reign of three generations of Grand Masters. Naturally, he knew the repercussions of such an event.

The other Deputy Palace Masters remained silent.

After a brief silence, Ning Lingyun, the second-highest-ranking figure after Sun Hewu, spoke up. “Tian Yuan, you were the first to discover this. Please explain what happened.”

The Deputy Palace Masters did not rashly suspect Qi Xuansu. After all, they considered him an insider since he was from the Lower Palace. No matter where Qi Xuansu’s future path led, the imprint of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace on him could never be erased. This was one of the reasons why Sun Hewu regarded Qi Xuansu highly—not just out of respect for Zhang Yuelu.

Qi Xuansu nodded. “You all likely know that I come from the Lower Palace, so returning to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace feels like returning home. However, the Upper Palace and Lower Palace are ultimately different, so I wanted to revisit the place where I spent over ten years of my life. That was why I projected my yin spirit onto the sky bridge between Ming Hall and Li Gate after dark, to survey the terrain in hopes of finding a way down.”

At this point, Qi Xuansu cleared his throat awkwardly.

Under normal circumstances, the Deputy Palace Masters might have scolded Qi Xuansu for breaking the rules. But compared to a murder case, this was hardly worth mentioning. Even if Qi Xuansu had truly ventured into the Lower Palace, it would not have been a serious offense. At most, it would be a recorded infraction. After all, given Qi Xuansu’s origins, nostalgia for home was understandable.

Sun Hewu interjected, “Get to the point.”

“Yes, Sage,” Qi Xuansu acknowledged. “At that time, I happened to see Qi Jianyuan heading toward Dui Garden. Since we had some personal grievances, I decided to follow him to see what he was up to.”

Qi Xuansu did not hide his conflicts with Qi Jianyuan. By openly admitting their past grudges, he made his reasons for tracking Qi Jianyuan clear and justifiable, removing any suspicion that he had ulterior motives. Had he tried to conceal this fact, it would have only aroused greater doubt.

He then recounted everything he had seen and heard in careful detail. Thanks to Madam Qi’s teachings, Qi Xuansu was well-versed in the art of deception. A successful lie consisted of 90% truths and 10% omissions, making it nearly impossible to detect. Thus, he did not fabricate events and only selectively omitted certain facts to subtly mislead his audience. Even if someone uncovered the truth later, he would still have room to argue his case.

Qi Xuansu deliberately omitted all mention of the Pei family. In his version of events, Qi Jianyuan and the female instructor barely exchanged a few words before they began fighting.

Due to a lack of experience, Qi Jianyuan fell for the cultist’s tricks, ultimately leading to his defeat. By the time Qi Xuansu arrived at the scene with his physical body, both combatants were already dead on the ground.

Sun Hewu affirmed. “Tian Yuan is telling the truth. Qi Jianyuan did, in fact, come here to deal with some cultists, which is why I allowed him entry into the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.”

The elderly Sage proceeded to examine the two corpses, after which he shook his head in frustration and grumbled. “Qi Jianyuan was indeed killed by a form of divine power. It appears he was caught in the reverse energy backlash created by the Umbra Method, like a flood breaking through a dam. The energy surged uncontrollably, clogged his meridians, froze his entire body, and ultimately extinguished his life force.

“I’ve said this before. Young Daoists today must either actively learn from real-life experiences or study diligently to absorb the wisdom of our ancestors. During the great struggle between the Confucian School and the Daoist Order, the Holy Xuan’s wife used this very method to kill the Confucian Grand Libationer. It’s written clearly in the books, so why wasn’t he prepared to counter this method? He clearly didn’t read enough!

“If not through studying, then at least train like Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu. Our youngsters should go out into the real world, fight real battles, and gain firsthand experience! That was how our ancestors grew strong. Instead, we now have so-called ‘cultivators’ who neither study nor train, becoming nothing more than fragile greenhouse flowers that are unable to withstand the slightest storm. It’s no wonder people mock them as flowerbed Daoists—they crumble at the first sign of adversity!

“Qi Jianyuan was a Heavenly Being in his thirties, but all his cultivation clearly meant nothing! First, he lost to Tian Yuan, who had a lower cultivation. Now, he got himself killed by a mere cultist from a secret society. How could Pei Xuanzhi claim that he doesn’t tolerate mediocrity? It’s clear that his disciple is the biggest mediocrity—no, the biggest joke of all!”

The Deputy Palace Masters present looked visibly uncomfortable. No one dared to respond.

Qi Xuansu lowered his head as well, unsure of what to say.

This elderly Sage had seen through so much, so he dared say whatever he pleased, and no one could stop him. With his high moral standing and detachment from political power struggles, no one would take Sun Hewu’s words as a personal attack. But the same could not be said for the rest of them.

After a long silence, Ning Lingyun finally spoke. “Elder Sun, it’s too late to vent about these grievances now. We need to come up with a plan to handle the aftermath.”

Sun Hewu, having vented his anger, rubbed his forehead and sighed. “There’s no way we can keep this completely under wraps, but we can at least contain the news for as long as possible. For now, place the corpses in an empty office within Ming Hall and assign Spirit Guards to guard the room around the clock for the next 24 hours. In the meantime, notify Old Shi, Pei Xuanzhi, and Qi Jiaozheng and wait for their responses. We’ll see what they have to say before taking further action.”

Ning Lingyun agreed. “That’s probably our best course of action.”

The other Deputy Palace Masters also nodded in agreement.