A Pawn's Passage

Over the next few days, Qi Xuansu focused on improving his cultivation. Ever since reaching the Cicada Shedding Realm, his aptitude had improved significantly. Any effort he put in now yielded immediate and remarkable results.

Days passed, yet the Tianchen Division never came knocking with accusations, which honestly surprised Qi Xuansu.

He had to admit that the officialdom certainly tempered the mind. If this were to happen in Jianghu, someone’s brains would have splattered all over the floor by now. Unexpectedly, the Tianchen Division endured their loss of four Heavenly Beings without saying a word.

If Qi Xuansu had been the Mansion Master, he would have already stormed over to demand an explanation as to why the Tianchen Division had attacked a Daoist. Unfortunately, he was merely a superintendent, so all he could do was wait and see while he continued to focus on his cultivation.

In the Daoist Order, one’s cultivation level still mattered greatly, not only for accomplishing tasks but also for keeping subordinates in line. Since private duels were permitted in the Daoist Order, if one’s strength was not up to par and a tough subordinate asked for a challenge, losing would mean disgrace, while refusing would invite ridicule for being a coward. Either way, it was a loss for the superior.

Qi Xuansu remembered how Xu Kou had once challenged Zhang Yuelu when she first assumed her position as Deputy Tiangang Hall Master. Fortunately, Zhang Yuelu easily subdued Xu Kou. If she had failed, who would respect her afterward? It was probably for a similar reason that Sage Donghua had arranged for Pei Xiaolou to marry Lei Xiaohuan. Pei Xiaolou himself was not very capable, but Lei Xiaohuan’s cultivation was no joke.

During this period, Qi Xuansu would ask Shi Bingyun for help when cultivating the Demonic Blade. As always, if he wanted to delve deeper into the Demonic Blade, he needed someone capable of awakening him from that state. Yao Pei, Zhang Yuelu, Sun Hewu, and Ji Jiaozhen had done so before. Now, it was Shi Bingyun’s turn.

Shi Bingyun’s cultivation level was indeed impressive—at least on par with Ji Jiaozhen. But Qi Xuansu could not tell whether she was at the Zaohua stage.

The Sage helped Qi Xuansu a few times, but she soon found the task too dull and stopped paying him any attention. So Qi Xuansu had no choice but to practice on his own in a shallow state. Even so, his progress was significant. He could already enter and exit this shallow state of the Demonic Blade with ease.

However, the Demonic Blade’s true power was directly tied to how deep he was immersed in that state. Thus, there was still a long way to go before he could enter and exit the deep state of the Demonic Blade at will.

In the blink of an eye, it was November 1st, the day of the Qingping Society’s Dream Meeting.

Qi Xuansu had missed many sessions of the Dream Meeting, so he decided to attend this time. Back at his residence in the Yuhuang Palace, he activated every privacy barrier and formation, then retrieved the silver-crimson fish talisman from his magical receptacle, along with various materials stored within it.

Afterward, he did the same old ritual to enter the Dream Meeting. First, he poured a small bowl of Imitation Torch Dragon Blood from the crimson gourd and used it to draw a yin-yang symbol on the floor. Then, he placed the special black and white candles at the two dots and lit them.

The fish talisman was placed at the very center of the yin-yang formation before he dipped a brush into vermilion ink and began drawing symbols on blank talisman paper according to the pattern.

Finally, he brought out an incense burner, lit a stick of Soul-Returning Incense, and burned the two drawn talismans over the black and white candles respectively.

With all preparations complete, Qi Xuansu sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. Before long, the candles flickered out with a sudden gust of wind, the blood markings on the ground gradually faded, leaving only drifting smoke and the faint red ember of incense glowing dimly in the darkness.

Qi Xuansu’s face was serene, and his breathing was steady as he drifted into a deep sleep in this meditative posture.

Having previously tried the Dream-Entering Technique at the Wanxiang Daoist Upper Palace, Qi Xuansu felt a notable difference this time in his journey to the Dream Meeting.

Just as he had suspected, the Dream Meeting existed within an enormous dream realm.

Normally, traversing dreams was constrained by real-world distances, but the Dream Meeting clearly transcended such limitations. Regardless of one’s lineage—whether a Diviner or a Martial Arts Practitioner, anyone could enter this Dream Meeting from the farthest corners of the land. It was likely due to the fish talisman and the ritual.

The Dream Meeting was also the same as before. The vast, grand hall was shrouded in mist, making everything indistinct and hazy. There was also no ceiling overhead, only a boundless canopy of stars.

But today’s Dream Meeting was unusually lively and bustling with people, unlike the previous sessions where attendance was sparse. At the moment, it was more like a busy marketplace than a secret society’s gathering.

Qi Xuansu recalled what Madam Qi had once said about the fish talisman being made of the dream stone, so it could not only connect dreams but also manifest within them.

In practice, this was a bit trickier for Martial Arts Practitioners, but simpler for Diviners. Regardless, it was possible—one merely had to visualize the fish talisman to manifest it in the dream.

Once manifested, the fish talisman could connect with other talismans. As long as both parties were in the Dream Meeting, they would feel a pull to each other. But that connection could be severed at will when no longer needed.

Qi Xuansu’s fish talisman was connected to Madam Qi’s and Li Qingnu’s. The link to Li Qingnu was established during Liu Hu’s escort mission for ease of communication.

Based on the talisman’s feedback, Qi Xuansu could sense that both Madam Qi and Li Qingnu were present in the Dream Meeting.

At that moment, a figure approached Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu asked. “Who is it?”

“Me!” The person replied.

Speak of the devil—it was Li Qingnu.

“Madam Qi asked me to come fetch you.” Li Qingnu motioned for Qi Xuansu to follow.

Qi Xuansu did not object. Li Qingnu had far more experience navigating this Dream Realm than he did because he rarely visited.

She led him through the palace, deep into the mist. The ground beneath their feet gradually became stairs that led them to the second floor.

This was Qi Xuansu’s first time realizing there was even a second floor. He had always assumed the palace consisted of only one hall on the first floor.

Li Qingnu explained, “The second floor is where B-rank members gather.”

Qi Xuansu simply nodded, refraining from asking why he was allowed in a B-rank area when he was only in the C-rank. Given Madam Qi’s status, she was clearly qualified as an A-rank member, but she somehow identified as a B-rank member. So technically, as Madam Qi’s direct subordinate, Qi Xuansu should be counted as a B-rank member.

But regardless of which rank he was in, Qi Xuansu no longer cared. He had even stopped keeping track of his own merits within the Qingping Society.

Li Qingnu led Qi Xuansu to a door and pushed it open. That was when Qi Xuansu noticed that the surroundings resembled the Taiping Inn. The main hall downstairs was like the public lounge, while the second floor consisted of private rooms for small groups to meet.

They belonged to Madam Qi’s small group.

The interior had a Western aesthetic. A large round table stood at the center, surrounded by 12 chairs. Madam Qi was already seated in the main chair. She waved them over upon seeing them.

Being Madam Qi’s adopted son, Qi Xuansu took the seat to her left; as her adopted daughter, Li Qingnu sat to her right.

The relationship between Qi Xuansu and Li Qingnu resembled that of half-siblings from a blended family, like a widow remarrying with a child in tow, while the husband also had one of his own. They were siblings on paper, yet they shared no blood ties, and their closeness was laced with subtle rivalry and mutual wariness.

Before long, nine more people arrived, one after another, and took their seats.

Most of them immediately turned their attention to Qi Xuansu.

The reason was simple. This particular seat had always been vacant at previous Dream Meetings. Naturally, people were curious about who the honored guest was, sitting so close to Madam Qi. Whoever it was had to be someone close to her, yet their constant absence seemed to signal an aloof arrogance. Today, they finally met the man who belonged in this chair.

Still, no one dared to speak recklessly.

Qi Xuansu had no intention of speaking first. But he was curious. Madam Qi gave him great autonomy and never forced him to attend these meetings. Yet when he did show up, she neither discouraged him nor hid his presence. On the contrary, she had always prepared a seat for him. To put it bluntly, his presence or absence did not really change anything.

But that was understandable. In the past, Qi Xuansu had only been in the Kunlun stage, so he would not have been of much use. By the time he advanced to a Heavenly Being, various matters had kept him too busy. Even if he could have helped, he might not have had the time.

Madam Qi looked around the room and announced, “Since everyone is here, let’s begin.”

Everyone, except Qi Xuansu, sat upright, showing their utmost respect toward Madam Qi.

After all, Madam Qi was a Pseudo-Immortal. Within the Daoist hierarchy, she was at least on par with an Omniscient Sage.

Qi Xuansu never behaved properly in front of Madam Qi—tugging her sleeves, speaking loudly, and countless other improprieties. But seeing how formal everyone else was now, he straightened up too, as he did not want to appear too out of place.

He keenly noticed that each person had a nameplate in front of them, marked with their alias. His own was Gold-Plated Knife, Li Qingnu’s was Crimson Lips, and Madam Qi’s was simply Lady Qi.

Madam Qi spoke. “Some of you already know about the last incident, and some don’t, but that’s alright. I’ll explain it all in detail later. But first, do you all have any progress regarding the lead I asked for?”

Someone who went by the alias of Heavenly Fairy replied, “We’ve got a few leads. But the Xuanhui Court is filled with Yin-Yang People. It’s impossible to infiltrate. I’ve only managed to keep watch from the outside. So far, all I know is that one of their ancestors has left the palace. But I have no idea where he went.”

Qi Xuansu was startled to hear this.

Several old eunuchs from the previous dynasty still lingered in the Xuanhui Court. They were not Immortals, but they were stubbornly clinging to life by relying on the Palace City’s dragon qi. All the current eunuchs were their disciples or successors, and these unnaturally old eunuchs were called ancestors.

For one of those ancestors to leave the palace was no small matter. Outside the Palace City, they lost the protective boost of the dragon qi. Thus, they would not be able to fight against an Immortal for long. Their time was also limited, having to return to the Palace City once the dragon qi they carried ran out. But still, their cultivation was equivalent to Pseudo-Immortals.

Madam Qi, being a Pseudo-Immortal herself, was unafraid. She simply asked, “Anything else?”

In truth, the Yin-Yang People were not particularly powerful. They were just mysterious. One only had to understand their secrets to defeat them. Even so, they could not defeat a Banished Immortal of the same cultivation level.

In other words, if this so-called ancestor faced someone like Sage Donghua, they would certainly lose. However, this ancestor could defeat anyone below the level of a Pseudo-Immortal.