A Pawn's Passage

Sun Hewu tossed the fragment to Qi Xuansu and said, “Take your time healing. I need to start drafting the official report. Honestly, my luck is terrible for running into this once-in-a-century disaster barely two months as Acting Palace Master!”

The elderly Sage glanced at the partially collapsed Star Observation Deck and sighed. “Another thing to fix...”

With that, he rose into the air and flew toward Ming Hall.

Only Yao Pei and Qi Xuansu remained.

Yao Pei glanced at the amber fragment in Qi Xuansu’s hand and remarked, “Well, you finally got what you wanted.”

Qi Xuansu felt the surging divine power within the fragment and muttered, “Becoming a Heavenly Being is finally within my reach...”

Yao Pei asked, “Do you need me to escort you back?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Since I’m here, I’d like to stay in the Lower Palace a little longer.”

Yao Pei frowned, disagreeing, “There are still some stragglers lurking in the Lower Palace. I don’t feel comfortable letting you wander around alone. If someone ambushes you while you’re in this state, I’d have no idea how to explain it to Madam Qi and Qing Xiao.”

Normally, Qi Xuansu would not have been worried at all. But given his current injuries, that was a real possibility.

Qi Xuansu suggested, “Why don’t you accompany me for a walk through the Lower Palace?”

Yao Pei hesitated for a moment. Eventually, she nodded. “Fine, but only for two hours.”

Qi Xuansu sighed dramatically. “How great is it to have such a caring niece—”

Before he could finish his sentence, a flying dagger struck his forehead. The blade only cut his skin, yet it remained perfectly balanced, stuck in place without falling off. It was a precise and calculated throw.

Unfazed, Qi Xuansu plucked the dagger out and tossed it into his magical receptacle, thinking, I’ll sell this at the black market later as compensation money. Or maybe I should just collect a full set of this and use it for myself!

A poor man sure lacked ambition.

Yao Pei raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

It was late at night as the two walked through the silent Lower Palace. Since Sun Hewu had just issued a strict curfew, there was not another soul in sight aside from the patrolling Spirit Guards.

Qi Xuansu led Yao Pei on a nostalgic tour of the places where he had once studied and lived, taking a glance here and there without lingering. They arrived at the small room where he had spent over 10 years in, though it now had a new occupant.

The Wanxiang Daoist Palace would renovate the room completely every time a new resident moved in. By now, it had changed beyond recognition.

Qi Xuansu sighed. He had initially hoped to visit the Assistant Instructor who had once cared for them, but with tensions running high, he had to abandon the idea.

Soon, Qi Xuansu arrived at the site of the Dragon and Tiger Camp scrimmage. A massive sandpit roughly 300 meters in diameter was centered in the semi-open cave.

This sandpit usually had intricately crafted mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, and buildings that looked astonishingly lifelike but miniaturized. From the outside, the people within the sandpit appeared as tiny as ants, mere black specks. But as one approached the circular sandpit, it became a vast landscape. The mountains stretched endlessly, and one’s own figure seemed ever smaller. By the time one stepped foot into the sandpit, it became indistinguishable from real mountains, rivers, and lakes.

This was the art of concealing entire worlds within a mustard seed.

At this moment, the sandpit was empty, appearing as a flat bed of sand.

Qi Xuansu watched from a distance, his heart flooded with emotions.

Standing beside him, Yao Pei gazed at the sandpit and asked, “This is where you nearly died?”

Qi Xuansu remarked, “Daoist Yao, you’re quite well-informed.”

“Pan Cuiqing was a prominent figure within the Quanzhen Sect. He might not be as renowned as Qi Jianyuan, but he was not far behind. When he met his end, I had to investigate. That was how I learned about Wan Xiuwu, Yue Liuli, and the grudges between you all,” Yao Pei explained.

Qi Xuansu remained silent.

Yao Pei continued, “I never expected Qing Xiao to go to such lengths for you. If it were me, I would never have let this matter touch my hands. Something like this will leave behind loose ends. One day, someone might pick apart the irregularities in this incident and use them to attack Qing Xiao.”

At the mention of Zhang Yuelu, Qi Xuansu’s gaze softened, and he replied softly, “That’s why I cherish Qing Xiao.”

Yao Pei’s tone shifted, “That said, you are indeed worthy of Qing Xiao’s efforts.”

Qi Xuansu let out another sigh. Clenching the amber-like Xuan Jade in his hand, he muttered, “The past is the past. It’s time to move forward.”

Yao Pei clasped her hands behind her back and nodded. “It’s good that you think this way.”

The news regarding Zhang Wuhen quickly reached the Wanxiang Daoist Palace Master. What this esteemed Great Sage truly thought about the matter remained unknown to outsiders. However, after a remote discussion with Sun Hewu, the Palace Master decided to report the incident to the Golden Tower Council immediately.

First, Qi Jianyuan unexpectedly perished at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. Then, Zhang Wuhen, the younger sister of the Heavenly Preceptor Zhang Wushou, had returned from the dead.

These two events had occurred almost back-to-back, so it was difficult not to connect them.

Thus, the matter stirred up discussion within the Golden Tower Council. However, it was nothing more than ripples.

Qi Jianyuan’s death was linked to Pei Muyu, and the Quanzhen Sect had no intention of airing its dirty laundry. Meanwhile, Zhang Wuhen was like a festering wound for the Zhengyi Sect.

Back then, the Heavenly Preceptor had personally dealt with her, and the incident had shaken the entire Daoist community. Even though Zhang Wuhen was no longer affiliated with the Daoist Order, her son Zhang Juyan was. More importantly, he was a legitimate descendant of the Zhang family. No matter what, neither the Zhang family nor the Zhengyi Sect could wash their hands of this matter.

For once, the Taiping Sect had not been dragged into the mess.

Under normal circumstances, the Taiping Sect would have seized the opportunity to attack the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect, or at least ridiculed them. However, the second major Jiangnan case had only concluded less than two months prior, and they had yet to settle public opinion. The Taiping Sect was still neck-deep in trouble, having been on the defensive for a long time. Now that they had barely caught their breath, it was far from the right moment for a counterattack.

With this, all three Daoist sects had unclean hands.

Though the Wanxiang Daoist Palace had belonged to the Grand Master, it had always been relatively neutral. However, this incident had revealed serious dereliction of duty within the palace. Thus, even the Grand Master’s lineage had no grounds to use this as leverage.

Under a silent agreement among all four parties, these two high-profile events were lifted high and gently set aside. Big incidents were downplayed, and small incidents were casually forgotten.

Who would investigate? Who could investigate? More importantly, who would dare? That would mean becoming an enemy to half of the Daoist Order.

Though the conflicts among the three Daoist sects had grown increasingly fierce, it was undeniable that they still shared certain common interests. This was why, even as they fought, they never fully broke apart.

However, as their struggles escalated, these shared interests and common understandings were steadily eroding. One day, the three factions would inevitably clash, transforming from allies who once stood together against the fifth-generation Grand Master into bitter enemies at each other’s throats.

In this incident, the one who stood out the most was Yao Pei.

Not only had she completed Qi Jianyuan’s unfinished mission, but she had also been the first to see through Zhang Juyan’s scheme.

Meanwhile, Qi Xuansu was completely overshadowed by Yao Pei’s brilliance.

It was just like in the second major Jiangnan case, where Zhang Yuelu had taken center stage and Qi Xuansu had been nothing more than a supporting character.

However, after being a supporting character twice in a row, the low-key Qi Xuansu was still noticed.

To many, it was not just about his abilities. The fact that he was acquainted with both Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei was already impressive enough. Now, with Qi Jianyuan’s death, people were once again reviving an old question—was Qi Xuansu related to the Qi family?

That speculation was not entirely wrong. Due to his master, Qi Haoran, Qi Xuansu did indeed have some connection to the Qi family. However, whether this connection was a boon or a burden was still uncertain.

Thus, three rising stars shone one after another.

Zhang Yuelu had taken the lead, becoming the first among the three prodigies to become a third-rank Youyi Daoist master. However, the other two were not far behind, so none of them had secured an absolute victory yet.

......

A young woman kneeled before a goddess statue inside a hidden palace, deep in prayer.

Before her lay a book without a single word in sight.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through. The blank pages of the book fluttered wildly. Soon after, black ink began to surface on the pages.

The praying woman snapped her eyes open and stared intently at the book. The pages were no longer blank. This was an oracle.

Unlike the usual vague, fragmented revelations, this oracle came in full, lengthy passages.

“Years ago, Zhang Wuhen infiltrated the Kunlun Cave and stole the legacy left behind by True Lord Taiyin. But her crime was quickly discovered. After deliberation at the Golden Tower Council, it was decided that Zhang Wushou would personally handle the matter. In the end, Zhang Wushou executed Zhang Wuhen at the Demon-Vanquishing Platform. However, for various reasons, he did not fully eradicate her offspring and instead hoped to compensate his nephew, Zhang Juyan. However, Zhang Juyan rejected reconciliation and resented most of the Zhang family, believing they were responsible for his mother’s death. Under the persuasion of his cousins, Zhang Wushou chose to exile Zhang Juyan.

“This gave the Ziguang Society an opportunity. Using their natural bloodline connection, they successfully located Zhang Juyan and persuaded him to join their ranks. However, the Ziguang Society failed to anticipate one thing—Zhang Wushou could not control Zhang Juyan, and neither could they. Zhang Juyan used their power to steal the divine power beneath Xingye Lake to activate the phylactery and revive Zhang Wuhen.

“Zhang Wuhen successfully escaped the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. Her first priority was not to seek revenge against Zhang Wushou. Instead, she chose to go into hiding to regain her peak strength. In the meantime, she sought to become a Godly Immortal.

“Although Zhang Wuhen was already a Pseudo-Immortal, creating a divine kingdom and igniting her divine fire was still an immense challenge. It required vast amounts of incense power. Since she was no longer a part of the Daoist Order, she could not draw power from Daoist followers.

“Thus, she would inevitably turn to forming her own sect. Zhang Wuhen had no interest in joining the Lingshan Witch Cult, the Cult of Fates, or Ziguang Society, nor did she wish to convert to Buddhism. But she had one other option. Through the legacy of True Lord Taiyin, she could rebuild True Lord Taiyin’s former lineage, the Xuanyin Sect.

“When True Lord Taiyin submitted to the Daoist Order, most of Xuanyin Sect’s members also converted to Daoism. However, a small faction refused to yield. They remained adrift, like stray dogs without a master or a home. Zhang Wuhen would become their new leader.

“Find Zhang Wuhen, show sincerity, offer assistance, and forge an alliance.”