A Pawn's Passage

Yao Pei quickly found Sun Hewu, who gave her a definitive answer. The flying sword did indeed bear traces of innate qi that did not belong to Qi Jianyuan.

Qi Refiners from the Daoist Order would have initially cultivated the same foundational techniques, making their base innate qi nearly identical. However, due to differences in mystical abilities and cultivation methods, the outward manifestations of their innate qi would vary significantly.

It was akin to how the divine powers of Ancient Immortals varied. Wu Luo’s divine power was the most domineering, excelling in raw destructive force. True Lord Siming’s divine power granted the miraculous undying ability. True Lord Ziguang’s divine power was the most unique, specializing in imitating the divine powers of others. For instance, the icy divine power that the female instructor used to kill Qi Jianyuan was an imitation of True Lord Taiyin’s divine power.

Once different cultivation techniques were used to refine the base innate qi, whether it was transformed into sword qi or used to control a flying sword, distinctive traces would be left behind. A keen observer could deduce the techniques being practiced through these traces and, from there, identify the practitioner’s origin.

However, these traces were incredibly subtle. Without sufficient cultivation or a keen eye, they would be nearly impossible to detect. Even Yao Pei was not completely confident in finding these traces.

The Wanxiang Daoist Palace Master was a first-rank Tianzhen Daoist master, but he was in Jade Capital at the moment. Thankfully, Sun Hewu was still around.

At first, Sun Hewu had not considered this possibility. But after Yao Pei’s suggestion, he inspected the flying sword with a skeptical yet open mind. His findings confirmed Yao Pei and Qi Xuansu’s theory—that Qi Jianyuan had not used the flying sword to kill the female instructor. The real killer was someone else.

Although the killer had intentionally concealed these minuscule traces, they still could not escape Sun Hewu’s discerning eyes.

Based on Sun Hewu’s conclusion, the technique used to kill the female instructor with the flying sword was the Beidou 36 Swords.

Qi Jianyuan had practiced the Nandou 28 Swords, which were derived from the Beidou 36 Swords, but the two techniques differed vastly. The former was balanced and harmonious, qualifying as an orthodox perfected method.

The Beidou 36 Swords was far more lethal, but like a double-edged sword, it harmed not only its enemies but also its wielder. Its major flaw was that it shortened its wielder’s lifespan. Practitioners aged much faster than those of the same cultivation level. In the past, the Li family had favored this technique for generations, resulting in an abundance of white-haired elders.

In times of great turmoil or war, when life was uncertain and few met peaceful ends, survival became the only priority. Thus, shortening one’s lifespan was not considered a real drawback. That was why many chose to practice the Beidou 36 Swords, and the Li family flourished for a time by mastering this ancestral technique.

However, after the Daoist Order’s revival, conflicts dwindled, and Spirit Guards were assigned to fight in place of Daoist priests. As such, this type of purely offensive technique, which sacrificed lifespan for power, fell out of favor. Even among the Li family, fewer and fewer people chose to practice their ancestral technique.

After all, in times of peace, lifespan became more precious than anything. The core members of the Li family all held powerful positions, so they wished for longer lives to enjoy their wealth and influence, not to sacrifice their years for a sword technique. Who in their right mind would willingly trade longevity for raw killing power?

However, those who had attained immortality naturally did not have to worry about their lifespan. For example, the Li family patriarch, the Holy Xuan, and Donghuang had all practiced the Beidou 36 Swords. But since they had already achieved immortality, they had no concerns about its drawbacks.

In the later generations, few dared to claim they would certainly attain immortality. So they naturally had to consider the risks. Otherwise, by the time they reached the end of their lifespan, it would be too late for regrets.

Nowadays, the higher the status of a Li family core disciple, the less likely they were to practice the Beidou 36 Swords. It seemed that only the current head of the Li family, Li Changgeng, had truly inherited this ancestral technique. Even Sage Qingwei had only dabbled in it.

Despite defeating countless formidable opponents in the Three Religions Assembly, Li Changge never used the Beidou 36 Swords. Instead, he relied on the Taiping Qingling Sutra. The profound brilliance of this perfected method lay in its ability to counter an opponent using the opponent’s own methods. Whatever technique an adversary used, Li Changge would mirror it, rendering his true abilities completely unreadable. Even the brightest young talents from the Confucian School and the Buddhist Sect failed to push him to use his full strength.

For this reason, the mere use of the Beidou 36 Swords was not enough to assume the killer was from the Taiping Sect or the Li family. Besides, the Taiping Sect’s presence in the Wanxiang Daoist Palace had always been weak, especially compared to the Quanzhen Sect, which was much greater in influence.

Simply knowing that the killer practiced the Beidou 36 Swords was far from enough to determine their true identity. Further investigation was needed, and they could not even rule out the possibility that the killer was a Deputy Palace Master. If the culprit truly was a Deputy Palace Master, stationed within the core of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, then any investigation would be nearly futile. Someone with such access would be aware of every movement they made.

Sun Hewu was too high-profile, so any moves he made would easily alert the perpetrator. Thus, the burden of this task ultimately fell onto Yao Pei and Qi Xuansu.

Inside the office, Sun Hewu handed a register to Yao Pei and asked, “Su Yi, how confident are you?”

Yao Pei replied, “Based on what we know, my confidence in finding this person is quite low. Even if I do find the killer, they won’t be some helpless lamb waiting for slaughter. I may not be able to take them down.”

Sun Hewu nodded approvingly. “It’s good that you think this way. People who lack caution will inevitably invite disaster upon themselves. Qi Jianyuan is a prime example of this. Taking down the female instructor should have been a sure victory, yet he lost his life due to arrogance and carelessness. In a way, he brought this misfortune upon himself. So my only requirement for you is this—protect yourself above all else. Frankly speaking, we can still afford to lose Qi Jianyuan. But if anything happens to you, the Earthly Preceptor will come knocking for answers.”

Yao Pei remained expressionless as she nodded slightly.

Sun Hewu continued, “But don’t be overly cautious either. I can call the shots in the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. In extraordinary times, we can use extraordinary methods, so if you need to go somewhere or bend the rules, I can turn a blind eye to them.”

Yao Pei nodded once more.

Sun Hewu waved his hand. “Go on then. Don’t rush into action just yet. Take your time and carefully plan your next move. Act only after thorough consideration.”

Yao Pei exited the office and headed toward her residence. Her courtyard was small and located in a secluded area. Normally, she did not have many visitors. But today, one person stood outside—it was Qi Xuansu.

“Let’s talk inside,” Yao Pei said before Qi Xuansu could open his mouth.

Qi Xuansu quietly followed Yao Pei into the study. The two sat across from each other, separated by the desk.

Yao Pei placed the register from Sun Hewu on the desk, briefly summarizing the old Sage’s deductions before continuing, “Our greatest disadvantage is that the enemy lurks in the dark while we are exposed. But our advantage is that the killer most likely doesn’t realize that we already know they exist. They probably believe their kill was flawless, so they may lower their guard. This gives us the chance to strike with preparation against an unsuspecting opponent, shifting the balance of power.”

Qi Xuansu acknowledged her reasoning.

Yao Pei placed her hand on the cover of the register and continued, “Sage Sun inferred from the residual innate qi on the flying sword that the killer must be at least of the Heavenly Being level. That narrows our search further. He also gave me a register of all 17 known Heavenly Beings within the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, excluding himself and me. This contains detailed records of them all.

“Of course, everyone has their own hidden survival techniques, secrets they wouldn’t easily share. Many things aren’t documented, just like how your Xuan Jade abilities aren’t reported to the Daoist Order. So this register can only serve as a reference and shouldn’t be blindly trusted, but it also can’t be ignored.”

Qi Xuansu raised a question. “That female instructor who died wasn’t listed among the Heavenly Beings within the Wanxiang Daoist Order. She deliberately concealed her true cultivation level. What if the killer is doing the same?”

“You make a good point.” Yao Pei admitted. “That instructor wasn’t listed as a Heavenly Being, so we can’t rule out the possibility that the killer is also hiding their cultivation level. But right now, we have no solid leads. We will need to find a thread to pull on and unravel the mystery slowly. This register is one of our starting points.”

“One of them...?” Qi Xuansu asked immediately. “What’s the other lead?”

Yao Pei answered, “There are still a few fugitives in the Lower Palace. They must have a leader, so they’re another potential lead. But that thread is fragile—if we mishandle it, it could break at any moment.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “That makes sense.”

Yao Pei said, “Forget about those in the Lower Palace for now. We’ll start by investigating the Heavenly Beings in the Upper Palace.”

“Aren’t you worried they might also be silenced?”

Yao Pei shook her head. “Right now, the Wanxiang Daoist Palace is completely sealed off. Without Sage Sun’s permission, no one can leave or enter. If the killer silences someone, they can’t immediately escape and would still have to remain in hiding within the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. So killing to cover up the truth is an extremely reckless move.

“No matter how powerful the Ziguang Society is, we still hold the overwhelming majority here. We are also more alert now with the deaths of two people. So if the killer dares to make another move, we will undoubtedly find traces. The more they move, the more evidence they leave behind. With the barrier between the Upper and Lower Palace still in place, we can actually narrow down our search more effectively.”

Qi Xuansu understood. “You’re using these people as bait. If the big fish takes the bait, it saves us a great deal of trouble.”

Yao Pei continued, “That’s only one reason. Right now, only you, me, and Sage Sun know the truth, that the female instructor did not perish alongside Qi Jianyuan, but was actually silenced by someone else. The one who silenced her doesn’t know that we’ve figured this out. To them, they have successfully deceived everyone.

“On the surface, the female instructor who ‘killed’ Qi Jianyuan is dead, which means there’s no murderer to investigate. The killer probably thinks that the Wanxiang Daoist Palace is only concerned with assigning blame, not continuing the investigation, so no one would suspect them. As far as they’re concerned, the case is closed.

“In that case, why would they take the risk of silencing anyone else? If another murder happens, it’ll be an obvious signal that Qi Jianyuan’s death wasn’t as simple as it seemed. That would go against the killer’s original intention of silencing the female instructor. That’s why I believe they won’t act again. They will only hide deeper. But we won’t be on the losing end whether they take the bait or not.”

Qi Xuansu admired Yao Pei’s analysis. “Makes sense.”