A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of urgency.

How could the poor fight against the rich?

It was like playing the Holy Xuan Cards, but Li Changge held a complete hand of 10-point Longevity cards, while Qi Xuansu only had regular cards with 3, 4, or 5 points. How was he supposed to win like this?

Qi Xuansu asked, “Madam Qi, why didn’t you tell me these things earlier?”

Madam Qi scoffed and said righteously, “You only have three pieces of Xuan Jade, two of which I gave you. Is worrying about the dangers of fusing too many Xuan Jades really something you need to concern yourself with? Don’t you think you’re jumping the gun here?”

Qi Xuansu was left speechless.

He had to admit that the issue was indeed far removed from his reality, much like competing to become the eighth-generation Grand Master.

But Qi Xuansu stubbornly said, “Just because I don’t need to consider it now doesn’t mean I won’t have to in the future. I need to plan ahead!”

Madam Qi casually retorted, “Since it’s for the future, it won’t be too late even if I tell you later.”

Qi Xuansu was once again rendered speechless.

Madam Qi lit her tobacco pipe, holding it horizontally as she puffed smoke. “Anything else? If not, I’m leaving. I’ve been very busy lately, making hundreds of thousands every hour.”

Qi Xuansu pursed his lips and muttered, “Ruyi coins, right?”

One Taiping coin equaled 1,000 Ruyi coins, so hundreds of thousands of Ruyi coins amounted to only a few hundred Taiping coins.

Madam Qi casually knocked Qi Xuansu on the head with her tobacco pipe.

Qi Xuansu immediately corrected himself, “I meant Wuyou coins.”

Madam Qi snorted lightly. “In that case, I’d be richer than a nation. Even the seven assistant managers of the Taiping Bank combined wouldn’t match my wealth.”

Qi Xuansu flattered her. “Just as a great man wields a sword to make achievements, you can conquer the world with your abacus, Madam Qi.”

Madam Qi was silent for a moment. “Why is it that even perfectly good words are tinged with the Li family’s tone when they come out of your mouth?”

Qi Xuansu thought for a moment and shirked responsibility. “Probably because I was influenced by Li Qingnu.”

Madam Qi corrected him. “Don’t call her by her given name. Use her courtesy name, Yu Bo.”

As she spoke, she traced the characters for Yu Bo in the air with her finger.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Who gave her that courtesy name?”

Madam Qi pointed at herself. “Me, of course.”

Qi Xuansu asked again, “What does it mean?”

Madam Qi patiently explained, “Yu Bo is a homophone, like Qingnu’s name.”

Qi Xuansu immediately understood.

Yu Bo was another name for the Qingfu insect, which was also called Qingnu.

The name “Qingnu” had two meanings—one was the Qingfu insect, and the other referred to a bamboo bolster used in summer to keep cool, known as the “bamboo wife.”

The implications of a woman named after a bed accessory were self-evident.

In the beginning, Li Tianyue had indeed treated Li Qingnu as an object, planning to gift this bed accessory to the emperor.

However, Li Tianyue later changed her mind. But even so, the name Li Qingnu had already spread far and wide, making it difficult to change.

The courtesy name Madam Qi chose was based on the other explanation, associating Li Qingnu’s name with the insect. It was better than being a bed accessory, but only marginally so.

The Qingfu insect was said to originate from the South Seas. They were shaped like cicadas, and their offspring clung to trees. There was also a legend claiming that whoever owned these insects would somehow get a return on whatever they spent. As such, Qingfu also symbolized wealth regeneration.

This perfectly matched Madam Qi’s style.

She gave Qi Xuansu the alias of Gold-Plated Knife and Li Qingnu the courtesy name that meant return on investment. Both were related to money, staying true to her original intention.

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Ohhhh, I see. Good, good, very good.”

Madam Qi asked, “Good in what way?”

Qi Xuansu explained his thoughts and said, “Even the heavens bear witness to your heartfelt intentions.”

Madam Qi was overjoyed and praised him. “I see that you’ve improved in literature. I heard from Su Yi that you’ve misread the Master of Jianxiu Mountain as a Grain Person? You’re truly something to turn the Holy Xuan into a farmer. At least this time, you didn’t make a fool of yourself and understood my intentions behind Qingnu’s courtesy name.”

Qi Xuansu’s expression froze. When these two Yao women got together, they had never said a single good word about me, had they?

Feeling helpless and embarrassed, he changed the subject. “I heard that Drenched Green Robes had some past grudge with Prince Liao?”

Madam Qi did not beat around the bush. “You already know?”

“Know what?” Qi Xuansu looked puzzled.

“That Prince Liao sent people to kill Drenched Green Robes,” Madam Qi said lightly.

Although Qi Xuansu had suspected it, he was still a bit shocked upon hearing the truth.

According to Zhang Yuelu, Prince Liao had been stuck in the Wuliang stage for years after losing to Drenched Green Robes and had only recently moved past it.

So this was how he “moved on,” by eliminating the problem he could not seem to solve. This indicated that Prince Liao was no longer the impulsive martial fanatic of his youth and had become a prince with real power.

It also suggested that the upper echelons of the Qingping Society had long uncovered the truth but had chosen not to reveal it for certain reasons.

Qi Xuansu asked, “What was Drenched Green Robes’ cultivation?”

“He’s only recently stepped into the Zaohua stage, so he acted recklessly, not expecting to be taken down,” Madam Qi explained. “It’s said that the Cook from The Inn personally led a team of one Zaohua-stage and three Wuliang-stage Heavenly Beings. Before dying, Drenched Green Robes managed to take down one Wuliang-stage Heavenly Being, which wasn’t bad.”

Qi Xuansu felt a chill down his spine. Even a Zaohua-stage Heavenly Being could die just like that. If he did not have his Daoist post, he would have likely died countless times already. Even with protection from Sage Donghua and Madam Qi, the Tianchen Division had tried to kill him before, but they had not succeeded.

Simply put, Qi Xuansu had not even touched Prince Liao yet, only his household’s chief administrator. Even Gao Mingyin, who dominated the North City, was only Wen Weng’s lackey and was not even qualified to meet the prince himself.

Of course, while Prince Liao dared to move against Drenched Green Robes, he absolutely would not dare touch people like Zhang Yuelu. Such was the power of strong backing.

Qi Xuansu asked, “What does the Society plan to do?”

Madam Qi replied, “During a recent Privy Council meeting, four voted for revenge, one opposed, and one abstained. I was the one who abstained.”

Qi Xuansu could not help but ask, “What about the Head of Society? Don’t they speak on major matters like this?”

Madam Qi said, “If it had been a tie, the Head of Society would have intervened. Normally, they would not interfere with the Privy Council’s decisions.”

Qi Xuansu said in a whisper, “So we’re going to war with The Inn?”

Madam Qi nodded. “Although The Inn is just a blade for hire, such simple reasoning won’t do when they’ve killed someone of Drenched Green Robes’ stature. The Inn clearly knew he was one of Qingping Society’s leaders, yet they still made a move. That’s a statement in itself by declaring their position. If The Inn could operate without bearing any risk or responsibility and merely blame the client, then their business would be too easy.”

Qi Xuansu did not feel excited. Instead, he was deeply worried. He was not some hot-blooded youngster who got fired up at big news, nor an inexperienced trainee. Having faced life and death before, he knew well how merciless and brutal such matters were.

War was the gravest matter for a nation. It was a matter of life and death, survival and ruin, which must be treated with utmost caution.

Before the Quanzhen Sect even clashed with the Taiping Sect, the Qingping Society was about to face off against The Inn.

Qi Xuansu asked again, “What about the Seven Treasure Pavilion?”

Madam Qi said, “Seven Treasure Pavilion and The Inn are separate. Just because I hold dual roles doesn’t mean the two are linked. Besides, I’ve already stepped down as the Acting Mogul.”

Qi Xuansu rubbed his hands together. “Am I going to have to take part too?”

“There will be merits.” Madam Qi tempted him. “These merits can also be exchanged for Xuan Jade.”

“Count me in!” Qi Xuansu immediately volunteered. “Men die for wealth, just as birds die for food. I’d rather struggle through fire and water so that I wouldn’t live this life in vain.”

Madam Qi continued, “The Privy Council has decided that during the revenge operation, there will be a double merit system. For example, if you kill a Yellow-ranked Waiter from The Inn, you’ll now get 4 merits instead of the usual 2. There’s also a kill-ten-get-one-free deal, in which you’ll be awarded merit for 11 kills for killing just 10. Even if you don’t directly engage in combat but work on intelligence gathering, there’s a guaranteed base reward. As long as the information is accurate, even if it’s ultimately useless, you’ll still receive the merits.”

Qi Xuansu fell silent for a long moment after hearing this, then muttered, “This must be your idea.”

Madam Qi was quite pleased with herself. She opened the fingers of her free left hand, made a fist, and said, “Who else but me could come up with such an ingenious idea? The Qingping Society wanted to avenge Drenched Green Robes. With my added incentives, it’s like adding wings to a tiger. If the Society is united as one, how could The Inn possibly withstand our blow?”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Don’t you all share the same roots? So why the rush to turn against each other?”

He was referring to how the Qingping Society and The Inn had once been the same entity under the Holy Xuan, yet now they were poised for bloody conflict.

Madam Qi dismissed it lightly. “It was The Inn that betrayed the Qingping Society. Qingping Society is the head, and The Inn is the limb. It’s always the head that controls the limbs, never the other way around.”

Qi Xuansu could not be bothered to argue against her twisted reasoning. Instead, he asked, “What do I need to do?”

Madam Qi thought for a moment and said, “Qingnu isn’t suited for bloodshed, so I’ll have someone else contact you, someone you’ve already met at the Dream Meeting last time.”

Qi Xuansu figured that it would be one of the core figures from Madam Qi’s inner circle.