A Pawn's Passage

As soon as the words left Qi Xuansu’s mouth, the atmosphere instantly grew tense.

The leading woman, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. “Mage Qi, you are clearly extraordinary to be able to rise swiftly through the ranks at such a young age. But I didn’t expect you’d have such a sharp tongue, too.”

Qi Xuansu cupped his hands politely. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of knowing your name, Miss.”

The woman replied coolly, “Du Yuyan.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Ah, Lady Du, why don’t we just skip the nonsense and cut to the chase? What do you intend to do with me?”

“You’re absolutely right, Mage Qi. We must act in accordance with the Great Xuan Penal Code. You’re suspected of instigating unrest in the Inner City, so please come with us to the Tianchen Division to assist with our investigation. This request is reasonable, wouldn’t you agree? Surely it’s not a violation of the law,” Du Yuyan replied.

Qi answered calmly, “If I go to the Tianchen Division, I’ll be at your mercy. It’s a possibility that I’d accidentally die in custody.”

Du Yuyan stared at him intently. “So what you’re saying is, you refuse to come with me.”

Qi Xuansu did not even bother to mince words. “Exactly.”

Du Yuyan let out a cold snort. “Then you’re violating the Great Xuan Penal Code right now.”

Qi Xuansu replied confidently, “I am a member of the Daoist Order. I have not taken a life. In fact, I was the target of an attempted assassination. This hardly seems like a matter for the Tianchen Division. If you truly must intervene, you should at least notify the Daoist Relations Department—”

Before Qi Xuansu could finish, Du Yuyan snapped, thoroughly losing patience. “Qi Xuansu, why don’t you become a pettifogger? You hardly look the part of a Daoist priest.”

Glaring at him, she continued and enunciated each word, “If you must know, I’ll be blunt with you. Someone wants you dead. You can recite the Great Xuan Penal Code forward and backward, but you won’t be able to escape our blade today. All you can do is blame yourself for crossing someone you shouldn’t have.”

Qi Xuansu laughed out loud. “You’re finally revealing your true intentions now, huh?”

As he spoke, he reached into his sleeve and retrieved a round, stone-like object. “Recorded and archived.”

At the sight of the stone, Du Yuyan’s expression changed dramatically.

The object was called an image recording stone. As the name implied, it could capture both image and sound. It was more advanced than a simple voice retention talisman. It was the sort of item typically issued by the Daoist Order. The Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion had plenty, so Qi Xuansu had made sure to carry one before meeting Gao Mingyin.

But Gao Mingyin was not worthy of its use. Qi Xuansu had been saving it for the true mastermind behind Old Master Gao. Now, it seemed, he had waited for just the right moment.

His earlier legal wrangling with the Great Xuan Penal Code was not because he wanted to be a petty lawyer or because he enjoyed scoring points in verbal sparring. It was all about laying down evidence to ensure that when the real battle came, he would have the moral and legal high ground.

As long as he upheld righteousness, the Daoist Order would have reason to shield him.

He was not alone, after all. At the very least, he had backing from Sage Donghua and Shi Bingyun. The entirety of the Daoist Order would also stand behind him, especially when it came to external threats.

Qi Xuansu goaded her. “If I don’t die today, then you all will be dead tomorrow...”

Du Yuyan no longer hesitated. She barked, “Take him!”

The seven who had surrounded him struck at once, launching seven flying swords in unison, all aimed at Qi Xuansu.

As they had said, they were there to kill him, and the most efficient lineage for killing was Qi Refiners.

Strictly speaking, Banished Immortals were the strongest across the board. But they were too rare. When one did emerge, they were treasured, so none of them would be assigned to such dirty tasks.

Among the remaining major lineages, Diviners were weak in close combat, Martial Arts Practitioners were powerful but could not fly, and Shamans were limited by incense power. Only Qi Refiners were best suited for this work. Thus, the Tianchen Division was composed primarily of Qi Refiners, including these seven.

But as the seven swords pierced through him, Qi Xuansu’s figure shattered like a mirror, scattering into dots of light resembling fireflies. This was not his true body.

“The Cicada Molting Technique of Rogue Cultivators!” Du Yuyan’s eyes flickered with realization. She had been fooled, and now her fury showed. If Qi Xuansu managed to flee back to the Xuanshang North District, they could not exactly storm the Yuhuang Palace.

Qi Xuansu’s true body appeared beneath the arch of the city gate, facing one of the White Robes stationed there.

At this time, Qi Xuansu had fully activated his Golden Body and was clad in the Green Netherworld Armor. He also had his Martial Arts Practitioner’s physique while channeling his innate qi. Thus, his charge was as unstoppable as the Black Robes’ heavy cavalry storming a fortress.

Though the white-robed man before him was also a Heavenly Being, he was only at Qi Jianyuan’s level, nowhere near the level of veterans like Marshal Thunder. Thus, the White Robes stood no chance and tumbled like a ragdoll upon impact.

Qi Xuansu burst out of the city gate laughing as he dashed into the south. With curfew drawing near, the streets were empty. He sprinted with nothing in his way, faster than a galloping horse.

Du Yuyan made a snap decision. Though Qi Xuansu appeared to be fleeing south, she feared it might be a feint, so she ordered three of them to remain and block any return toward the Xuanshang North District. In the meantime, she and the remaining three would hunt him down.

When it came to the art of escape, Qi Xuansu had Feng Bo to thank. He was no stranger to fleeing for his life because he had evaded death at Feng Bo’s hands twice before he became a Heavenly Being. Now that he had joined their ranks and even stood out among them, what were the odds that these seven could catch him?

Fighting all seven at once might have been impossible, but breaking their encirclement and fleeing was well within his ability. Their numbers meant nothing if they could not pin him down.

So although the situation seemed dire, everything was unfolding just as Qi Xuansu had planned.

Du Yuyan knew this too. Normally, if a hunt went awry, they would hurl some insults and retreat. Whether Gao Mingyin lived or died was not their concern.

But today was different. Qi Xuansu had caught them in his image recording stone. If they did not kill him now, they would surely be implicated. It might not be a capital punishment, but their careers would be ruined.

Thus, what might have been a show of force turned into a matter of survival for the sake of the powerful person pulling their strings and their own futures. They had no choice but to go all in.

While fleeing, Qi Xuansu quietly reflected. Seven Heavenly Beings was no small number. But then again, this was the Imperial Capital, where talent from all corners of the empire gathered. Such a heavy hand was not entirely unexpected. It was no wonder people often said the Imperial Capital had more Heavenly Beings than Jade Capital itself. Though the Daoist Order boasted the largest number of Heavenly Beings in the world, they were scattered across the local Daoist mansions and secret strongholds like the Ghost Pass. Many had gone into seclusion, and not all even carried the title of a Sage. If every Heavenly Being were granted the title of a Sage, then the merit system would be meaningless. Not to mention, the Daoist Order had a vast host of Spirit Guards.

Du Yuyan and her team pursued relentlessly, launching flying sword attacks whenever the opportunity arose.

However, Qi Xuansu was not just running blindly down Zhuque Street. He darted behind buildings and slipped through alleyways, using walls and rooftops to block their line of sight. When the occasional sword did find its mark, his Golden Body and Green Netherworld Armor absorbed the blow, rendering their efforts ineffective.

After about half an hour of full-tilt sprinting, Qi Xuansu finally caught sight of the South City wall.

Qi Xuansu was fast, but his evasive maneuvers had added considerable distance to his route. Had Du Yuyan dispatched a flanking force directly to the wall, they might have intercepted him.

However, Du Yuyan had not dared to risk it. For all she knew, Qi Xuansu’s escape toward the South City could have been another feint. South City was connected to both the East and West Cities, so he could change his route at the last minute. Even if they knew he intended to leave the city, they could not predict where along dozens of kilometers of city wall he would make his break. So their only option had been to chase him, not try to cut him off.

Thus, when Qi Xuansu arrived at the South City wall, there were no Heavenly Beings waiting to stop him, only a group of Black Robes.

When he reached the base of the wall, Qi Xuansu launched himself skyward, soaring over the ramparts in the blink of an eye.

The Black Robes spotted him immediately, but there was no time to activate the city’s heavy weaponry. Those weapons could not be aimed inward to begin with. Thus, all they could do was raise their long rifles on instinct and aim them at Qi Xuansu midair.

However, Qi Xuansu was simply too fast. Most of the gunshots missed completely. The few that landed on him bounced harmlessly off his body, not even leaving a mark.

Moments later, three streaks of light flashed over the wall in pursuit. Du Yuyan and the other White Robes flew at full speed after him.

A creeping unease stirred in Du Yuyan’s heart. Everything about Qi Xuansu’s movements was too calm and calculated. There was not a trace of panic or a hint of hesitation. It did not feel like he was reacting. Instead, it felt like he was following a script.

It was as if Qi Xuansu had mapped out every possibility beforehand and prepared countermeasures in advance. Everything—his meeting with Gao Mingyin, the decision not to return to Xuanshang North District, the subtle baiting, the escape—had the eerie rhythm of forethought. Each action had seemed strange in the moment, but in hindsight, it all fit together with impeccable order, as though playing out a long-rehearsed performance.

Could Qi Xuansu have expected their ambush all along? Was that why he had not fallen into a trap but instead turned the trap against them? But what was his trump card?

Du Yuyan racked her mind but could not imagine what else he might have prepared. However, that image recording stone left them with no choice but to chase him down or risk ruin.

In truth, Du Yuyan’s suspicion was entirely correct. Qi Xuansu had planned this from the very beginning.

In the past, his hands had been tied, so he had no choice but to bow and yield, to prioritize survival over pride. But what man could bury his ambition or swallow his pride forever?

After arriving in the Imperial Capital, Qi Xuansu held real authority, with powerful backers supporting him. Qi Xuansu was not content to just bide his time because he was given the opportunity to make a name for himself.

He wanted to make a mark to prove his worth. As the saying went, one had to protect oneself in times of hardship and only serve the world in times of prosperity.

This was clear in his conversation with Zhang Yuelu. Why did Yao Pei get to arrest rogue Daoists and Zhang Yuelu get to strike down cultists while he had to catch bawds?

Since Gao Mingyin had stumbled into his path, Qi Xuansu was determined to follow the thread to its end and see if he could shatter the glass ceiling above the Imperial Capital.