A Pawn's Passage

Qi Jianyuan was dead, and Qi Xuansu had been the first to discover his body. Even though the Acting Palace Master had already made his judgment and the culprit’s corpse had also been found, rumors still spread.

Some suspected that Qi Xuansu was involved, as it was well-known that he and Qi Jianyuan held personal grudges. The two had even fought openly by Xingye Lake, their duel witnessed by many during the Zhongyuan Festival.

The deceased female instructor was labeled a cultist from a secret society, but no concrete evidence had been publicly disclosed. Or rather, if there was evidence, it had not been revealed for various reasons.

Thus, rumors claiming that this was a crime of passion emerged, and the stories were quite vivid. It was said that Qi Jianyuan and the female instructor were lovers. Having reached marriageable age and being older, the female instructor was eager to settle down, while Qi Jianyuan, with his bright future and youthful ambition, was unwilling to marry so soon.

She allegedly pressured him repeatedly about this matter. This meeting had been to discuss marriage. However, their conversation took a turn for the worse. In a fit of rage, the two Heavenly Beings dueled, ending in their mutual demise.

Since Qi Jianyuan hailed from the prestigious Qi family, with an illustrious background and a renowned master, some believed that powerful connections were used to cover up a scandal. According to these rumors, the deceased female instructor—known for her kind demeanor—was falsely labeled as a cultist to protect Qi Jianyuan’s reputation.

Qi Xuansu paid no attention to these rumors, or rather, he had no time to care. At that moment, he finally met the long-overdue Yao Pei in the vast square of Qian Garden.

The two of them sat on opposite ends of the same stone bench.

Due to her practice of the Taishang Emotionless Sutra, Yao Pei was expressionless as usual. However, her words hinted at surprise. “This was truly beyond my expectations.”

Judging by the fact that Yao Pei had chosen to meet Qi Xuansu in a dream, she likely had not intended to return to the Upper Palace immediately and had planned to stay in the Lower Palace for some time. However, due to this unexpected incident, she had no choice but to return early.

Qi Xuansu smirked, “Don’t you practice Heavenly Calculation? I thought everything was within your anticipation.”

“It seems my Heavenly Calculation isn’t fully mastered yet,” Yao Pei replied expressionlessly. “Tell me what you think.”

Qi Xuansu recounted his experience in full, then added, “From the moment my yin spirit returned to my body to the time I arrived at the scene, it took at most 15 minutes. That was the only period during which Qi Jiangyuan and the female instructor were out of my sight. Yet, both ended up dead in this short time. I don’t think this was a mutual kill.”

Yao Pei pondered for a moment and mused, “You’re suggesting that the female instructor killed Qi Jianyuan, but when she tried to escape, she was silenced by someone else?”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “I wouldn’t rule out that possibility. Before I left, Qi Jianyuan simply didn’t have the strength to kill her.”

“It had only been 15 minutes from the moment you left to the moment you returned...” Yao Pei reiterated.

“Let’s assume our hypothesis is correct—that there really is another killer. It would be too much of a coincidence for the killer to arrive just as you left, narrowly missing you like that. Instead, it’s more likely that the killer was already hiding nearby, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. After you left, the killer used Qi Jianyuan’s flying sword to silence the female instructor. The reason for silencing her would not be hard to guess either.

“The Wanxiang Daoist Palace’s barrier formation isolates the place from the outside world. So the female instructor had no means of escape, especially when she was already so severely weakened. Even without the formation, she wouldn’t have gotten far. Rather than letting her fall into the hands of the Daoist Order, allowing us to track down others through her, the cultists thought it was better to sever a limb to save the body, ensuring the survival of the rest.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “That makes sense.”

Yao Pei continued, “If we assume the killer theory is true, then what’s more important is whether the killer noticed your presence. If it wasn’t a coincidence, and they were deliberately waiting for you to leave, does that mean you know the killer? Perhaps the killer is a well-known figure in the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. Since the attack was too sudden, the killer didn’t have time to disguise themself. Since they were not confident in instantly killing your yin spirit, they had to act in this way.”

Qi Xuansu agreed. “By then, both Qi Jianyuan and the female instructor were exhausted, so silencing them would not have required a very high cultivation level. If the killer was not confident in eliminating me in one strike, that also makes sense. This means our suspect pool just got much smaller.”

Yao Pei absentmindedly tapped her knuckles with her thumb. “The key is proving our first assumption—that there really was another killer.”

Qi Xuansu said, “The female instructor was killed by Qi Jianyuan’s flying sword. If someone else used it to kill her, there must be some traces left behind.”

Yao Pei asked, “Where is the flying sword?”

“It should be with Sage Sun,” Qi Xuansu replied.

Yao Pei stood up. “I’ll go see Sage Sun. No matter what, there has to be an explanation for Qi Jianyuan’s death.”

Qi Xuansu also stood. “What about me?”

Yao Pei glanced at him. “This has nothing to do with you, so you can go about your business.”

Qi Xuansu probed, “How’s your investigation at the Lower Palace?”

Yao Pei answered, “I don’t have time for that right now. I had planned to wipe them all out in one operation, but that’s no longer realistic. In the meantime, I’ll wait for my master’s instructions. Right now, my priority is investigating Qi Jianyuan’s death. The Wanxiang Daoist Palace has a long-standing tradition of sealing itself off, and during these times, having one or two outsiders enter is manageable.

“But if too many people are brought in, it breaks the rules and will immediately alert the entire Daoist Order. So for now, my master won’t send reinforcements. However, there’s always an opportunity in a crisis. With this murder, security will tighten, and no one inside can leave. If our guess is correct, then I will catch this big fish myself.”

Qi Xuansu thought for a moment. “Regardless of everything, Qi Jianyuan died for the Daoist Order. We had our grudges, but death ends all conflicts. That’s in the past now, so count me in!”

Yao Pei cast a sidelong glance at Qi Xuansu. “Since when were you so kindhearted?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Of course, I’m not that kindhearted. I’m simply balancing personal and public interests. I suddenly realized that targeting the Confucian Sage statue at the bottom of Xingye Lake is too unrealistic. It’s too big and incredibly difficult to make a move on, so the risk of exposure is too great. Besides, stealing something like that would be undermining the Daoist Order itself. If I did that, I would be no different from those people from the Taiping Sect. So, consider this my turning point—a moment of enlightenment. On the other hand, these Ziguang Society cultists might actually carry divine power on them.”

Yao Pei stared at Qi Xuansu. “You suddenly seem so self-aware. Why haven’t I ever seen this side of you?”

Qi Xuansu chuckled. “If necessary, I can be even more self-aware. The Confucian Second Sage once said that if a ruler treats his ministers as trusted confidants, the ministers will serve the ruler wholeheartedly. If he treats them as animals, they will serve as mere subjects. But if he treats them as dirt, then the ministers will see the ruler as an enemy.

“I treat people the way they treat me. Since Sage Pei and Sage Donghua are willing to support me, I’ll stand with them. Qing Xiao treats me with genuine sincerity despite my humble origins, so I’ll gladly give my life to her. Madam Qi treats me as her son, so I’ll treat her as my mother. Qing Xiao once said something wise—no one is expected to be a saint or a perfect man, nor does one have to be a good person. But whatever it is, one should never become a petty person.”

Yao Pei shook her head. “This is just another philosophy of a follower doing anything for the revered. If you only see yourself as a follower, how do you expect to accomplish great things?”

Qi Xuansu laughed. “I’m just a humble, wild Daoist. If not a follower, what else am I supposed to be—a ruler?”

Yao Pei dropped the subject and said, “Fine, I’ll count you in. I’m going to see Sage Sun first.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Are you confident that you can find whatever small traces that may or may not exist on the flying sword?”

Yao Pei looked at Qi Xuansu as if he were an idiot. “Of course not. But Sage Sun has the ability to do it. I just need to point him in the right direction, and he’ll handle the rest. No matter what the outcome is, his findings will be far more convincing than anything I could come up with myself.”

Qi Xuansu was momentarily speechless. He then waved his hand dismissively, feigning the tone of an elder. “Off you go, then. Sage Sun should be in his office.”

Yao Pei turned and left without hesitation.

Watching her leave, Qi Xuansu muttered under his breath, “She sure has no respect for her elders, daring to talk to her uncle like that.”

Yao Pei, already some distance away, seemed to have heard him. She suddenly stopped, turned her body slightly, and flicked her hand.

A cold gleam of light flickered in the air. The speed was so fast that Qi Xuansu did not even see it clearly, let alone have time to react. He only felt a cool sensation on his cheek, and a few strands of hair drifted down.

The wound was not deep, and with Qi Xuansu’s self-healing ability, it was hardly worth mentioning. But the sheer speed and precision of the strike startled him. It was even more impressive than a flying sword.

Qi Xuansu quickly turned his head and saw a small flying dagger embedded deep into a stone pillar nearby, with only its handle left visible.

Yao Pei made no move to retrieve the dagger. She simply turned and walked away.

Qi Xuansu went up to the pillar and struggled to pull the dagger out, muttering to himself, “So this is the Heavenly Blade?”

He examined the dagger’s material. It was not a treasure or a spiritual object. It was just an ordinary blade, similar in quality to the Slim Tiger Saber used by the Green Phoenix Guards. Yet, despite its ordinary nature, it had penetrated a reinforced stone pillar after being thrown. This showed just how terrifying Yao Pei’s throwing knife technique was. It was far beyond anything Qi Xuansu could achieve with his Sword Controlling Technique.

Qi Xuansu held the dagger in his hand, pressing its blade against his palm.

Without any external force, the blade alone could not cut through his resilient body. But with Yao Pei’s force, it had easily sliced open his cheek.

Qi Xuansu touched the wound on his cheek to find that it had already healed.

If this knife had been aimed at his throat instead of grazing his cheek as a warning, and if it had been a spiritual object or a treasure, could it have killed him in a single strike?

Whatever pride Qi Xuansu had felt from defeating Qi Jianyuan in the duel completely vanished.

If his opponent had been Yao Pei instead of Qi Jianyuan, he would have lost miserably. Even if Yao Pei did not use the Staff of Merit, he doubted he had much chance of victory. If she did use the Staff of Merit, even Zhang Yuelu might not be able to defeat her.

It was clear that Yao Pei would not have needed any help had she been the one fighting that female instructor.