A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu was the first to leave the Taiping Inn branch. He ordered, “Get ready. Lead a team to wipe out the Beggar Gang in the North City. Don’t let anyone escape. After that, start compiling all the evidence related to Gao Mingyin. This case has dragged on long enough. It’s time to bring it to an end.”

“Yes, Superintendent,” Wang Chongnian replied.

Qi Xuansu asked, “I need to leave the city for a bit. Did you finish scouting the location I asked about?”

Wang Chongnian handed over a map. “All done.”

Qi Xuansu took the map. “Good.”

He motioned for Wang Chongnian and the others to leave first. Then he opened the map and scanned it quickly, memorizing the marked routes.

A moment later, Gao Mingyin also came downstairs. Seeing Qi Xuansu standing alone outside, he flashed a polite smile and said, “Safe travels, Mage Qi.”

Qi Xuansu returned the smile. “Old Master Gao, have your people get ready. Once this opportunity’s gone, there won’t be another. Because if I decide to hole up in the Yuhuang Palace, can you really barge in to come after me?”

Qi Xuansu was not the least bit surprised that Gao Mingyin might try to kill him. After all, Gao Mingyin had a powerful backer as well. As long as he did a clean job and left no evidence, his powerful backers could protect him openly and legally. This was the Imperial Capital, not the Jade Capital, so the Daoist Order was just one of many forces, hardly omnipotent.

Sage Donghua and Sage Cihang wielded tremendous power, but they were too far away. One was rooted in Jiangnan, the other in the Northwest, so their influence could not easily reach the Imperial Capital. Without evidence or proper cause, they could not intervene directly.

Sage Qingwei could be considered a local. But unfortunately, Qi Xuansu had no ties to him. There might even be some bad blood between them.

From Gao Mingyin’s perspective, luring Qi Xuansu out of the Yuhuang Palace had been ideal—either to talk peace or take the chance to strike. A win-win for him.

That was why the seasoned Wang Chongnian’s first reaction had been to warn Qi Xuansu of this trap dressed as hospitality.

Qi Xuansu had anticipated this too, which was why he told Gao Mingyin that he had granted the local overlord this chance. Had he refused to come, Gao Mingyin would not even have had a chance to insult him, let alone make a final desperate move.

The reason Qi Xuansu came to meet Gao Mingyin was for one purpose—to force Gao Mingyin to make the first move, drawing the snake from its den.

Qi Xuansu knew it was risky, but he did not think it could be considered perilous. First, this was the Imperial Capital, where there were many restraints. Second, Qi Xuansu was confident in his own strength. After defeating both Qi Jianyuan and Zhao Fu’an in succession, he had a decent sense of his own capabilities. Among the Xiaoyao-stage Heavenly Beings, he counted himself as one of the top. After all, Banished Immortals and semi-immortal objects were still exceedingly rare among the masses.

If Gao Mingyin had not taken the bait and had chosen to hole up or truly surrender and confess, he would certainly have suffered heavy losses, but he would probably have gotten to keep his life. He might even have a chance to make a comeback. Like a great tree chopped at the trunk, there was still hope for regrowth so long as the roots remained. That was the dignity that Qi Xuansu referred to.

However, if Gao Mingyin could not resist gambling everything in a desperate fight, that would give Qi Xuansu the perfect excuse to destroy him outright, uprooting the entire tree. If so, the outcome would not be dignified.

Gao Mingyin’s family enjoyed power and wealth alongside him when times were good. They wielded influence and basked in luxury, so how could they cut ties and claim innocence now when the axe was falling? It was impossible for one to reap all the benefits but shoulder none of the blame. Usually, a family would rise and fall together.

Seeing Qi Xuansu’s attitude, Gao Mingyin grew suspicious. His expression stiffened. But since the arrow was already nocked, there was no turning back. With no other path before him, Old Master Gao gave a light snort and stepped into his carriage.

The journey from the Haosheng Southeast District to the Xuanshang North District would be especially risky for Qi Xuansu. After all, the inner city was not the heavily guarded Imperial City. For a Heavenly Being, the inner city’s defenses were not particularly tight. There were still plenty of chances to make a move.

But Qi Xuansu had no intention of returning to the Xuanshang North District. Instead, he turned and headed toward South City.

At this hour, dusk had only just settled, and it was still well before curfew.

The Imperial Capital enforced a strict curfew except on special festivals. The night drum was sounded at 8:12 PM, signaling the start of the curfew. The morning bell rang at 4:12 AM, marking the lifting of the restriction.

The night was divided into five watches. The first watch ran from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, the second watch from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM, and so on, with an interval of 2 hours for each night watch. Ordinary folk being caught out during the second, third, or fourth watches would be punished with 50 lashes. If caught just before the curfew lifted, they would be punished with 40 lashes. Only those who had medical emergencies, childbirth, or funerals were exempt from curfew.

The nightly curfew did not affect ordinary folks too much. But for certain trades, it was a real problem. For example, courtesans who attended evening banquets often found themselves in trouble on the way home. Gambling was strictly illegal, so most gamblers met at night. After losing everything deep into the night, they would have to sneak home. But with the curfew, they could not walk the streets, so they had to detour through cesspools or cross the wilderness, only to risk being stopped and interrogated by night watchmen or patrolling Black Robes. Getting caught was inevitable.

Qi Xuansu glanced at his pocket watch. It was now 7:30 PM, still some time before curfew. Once it began, the night watchmen and the Black Robes from the Wardens’ Office would begin their street patrols.

For Qi Xuansu, that was enough.

He walked at a steady, unhurried pace, just a little faster than an average person on foot. By the time he arrived at the city gate between Haosheng Southeast District and the South City, it was nearly curfew. Though the gate had not closed yet, the streets were already deserted.

Strangely, there were no gatekeepers in sight. Only one person stood there.

The person wore coarse hemp robes and a mask concealing his true appearance. His hands were folded behind his back, and his presence was immovable, like a mountain—no doubt a Heavenly Being.

Qi Xuansu came to a halt.

At that moment, a woman appeared behind Qi Xuansu, wearing a wide-brimmed veil concealing her face, dressed in plain robes. She, too, was a Heavenly Being.

It was no coincidence for two Heavenly Beings to appear at once, blocking him in the front and back.

However, Qi Xuansu did not show a hint of panic. He said nonchalantly, “You two must be raking it in with such a big job, huh? If I weren’t concerned about my future career, I’d almost want to take a commission like this myself.”

Qi Xuansu meant it. Back when he escorted Liu Hu from Longmen Prefecture in Zhongzhou to Bohai Prefecture in Zhili, he had only earned 1,000 Taiping coins. These two were likely making no less than 50,000 Taiping coins on this job.

Then again, assassinating a Daoist in the Imperial Capital came with astronomical risk, so this payout was not exactly generous.

The man guffawed. “As expected of the famed Mage Qi. Your composure alone puts countless pampered scions to shame. But tell me—are you truly calm, or just putting on a brave face?”

Qi Xuansu flicked his wrist and drew Flying Shadow. “Why don’t we test it and see?”

Before he finished his sentence, Qi Xuansu had already turned around and lunged at the veiled woman behind him.

Equipped with the abilities from four lineages, Qi Xuansu could easily sense the man’s surging blood qi that was akin to fire coursing through the man’s limbs. Without a doubt, the man was a Martial Arts Practitioner. The woman behind Qi Xuansu had weak circulation of blood and innate qi, making her a Diviner.

Even a Heavenly-Being Diviner would avoid close combat with other lineages, especially Martial Arts Practitioners. But if the Diviner gained distance, they could easily wear their opponent down to the point of death.

If Qi Xuansu got locked in a head-on duel with the Martial Arts Practitioner while the Diviner harassed him from afar, he would surely lose the upper hand. That was why he went straight for the Diviner before she could unleash her tricks.

In the Imperial Capital, Qi Xuansu had his limitations. He could not recklessly unleash the full power of the Demonic Blade because no one was around to stop him. If he lost control and went on a killing spree, his life would be over. He would either have to take his own life to atone for his sins, or he would have to turn to secret societies for protection and live out the rest of his days.

A restrained Demonic Blade could never deliver its full effect.

In the blink of an eye, Qi Xuansu was within 10 meters of the Diviner. She threw out a paper figurine and tapped it with her finger. “Warrior, arise!”

Golden light flared from the paper doll as a gust of wind arose. The figurine transformed into a towering warrior with a face like ruby and a beard like black velvet. It was 3 meters tall, clad in golden armor with fluttering sashes. A radiant golden halo shone behind the warrior like the sun.

This was none other than the Yellow Turban Warrior of the Taiping Sect. During the Taiping Rebellion, everyone wrapped their heads in yellow turbans in a show of defiance to the previous dynasty. Hence the name Yellow Turban Warrior.

Qi Xuansu slashed down with his blade. The Yellow Turban Warrior raised twin hammers to block, barely deflecting the blow. But its whole frame shuddered, and the golden glow of its armor dimmed significantly.

Qi Xuansu could destroy the warrior with three slashes at most and two at best. But the Martial Arts Practitioner was not going to give him the chance. With a sudden stomp, the Martial Arts Practitioner shattered the bluestone pavement beneath him and shot forward, slamming a fist toward the back of Qi Xuansu’s head.

Thanks to the Demonic Blade’s instinctive awareness, Qi Xuansu did not waste a moment reacting. He shifted his body just enough to narrowly evade the strike.

At nearly the same moment, Qi Xuansu drew his Dragon Painting Pistol with his left hand and fired two angled shots in rapid succession.

At such close range, even a Heavenly-Being Martial Arts Practitioner struck head-on by the Grade-B Series One Dragon Eye Bullet would be sent flying. His feet lifted more than 10 meters off the ground from the force alone.

Still in his shallow state of the Demonic Blade, Qi Xuansu dodged just in time as the ground beside him blackened from a bolt of heavenly lightning summoned by the Diviner.

If Qi Xuansu were just a Heavenly-Being Rogue Cultivator, even with the Demonic Blade’s instincts, his body would not have been able to keep up. However, he had the physique of a Heavenly-Being Martial Arts Practitioner. Even without the body spirit of a true Martial Arts Practitioner, his strong physique that was enhanced by innate qi was enough to keep up with the Demonic Blade’s instincts in perfect harmony.