A Pawn's Passage

In fact, Qi Xuansu had some guesses about the identities of the others. According to Xie Linyuan, members of the Qingping Society were constrained by their dual identities, which meant that people like Dreaming Cloud and Ceremony Prelude were most likely based in the capital or surrounding regions such as Zhili.

There were also Madam Qi’s subordinates. Qi Xuansu was certain that Drunken Whip was most likely from the Divine Central Guard. Heavenly Fairy was capable of monitoring the Xuanhui Court, and Red Robes Lover, who had ties with members of the Ziguang Society, was likely a local powerhouse in the Imperial Capital.

To uncover the true situation at Wuxing Mountain, assistance from these people would be essential.

Qi Xuansu glanced at the sky, then looked toward Saintly Peace beside him.

Xie Linyuan said slowly, “The reason I didn’t return to the capital was because I had just escaped a dangerous situation, and the Imitation Shebishi Venom flared up, nearly causing my innate qi to spiral out of control. I had no choice but to stay hidden and suppress it. Even after removing the poison, I haven’t fully recovered my cultivation, though at least my innate qi is stable again. It’s like recovering from a serious illness, still weak, but no longer wracked with chills. For now, I’ll focus on recuperating. This sort of mission is better left to Madam Qi.”

Qi Xuansu nodded.

After a short discussion, the two men decided to return to the Imperial Capital from the western gate. The city gates were not yet open, so of course, they climbed the walls. As long as the capital’s warding formation was not active, scaling its walls under the cover of night for Heavenly Beings was no different from an ordinary person hopping over a low fence.

After all, the expansion of the outer city was meant to deter invading land armies, not Heavenly Beings.

The inner city was the true heart of the Imperial Capital and a different matter altogether. It was managed by the Tianchen Division. However, both Xie Linyuan and Qi Xuansu had official identities and could enter the inner city openly.

Their entry into the city went without incident. Though Prince Liao had indeed tightened security via the Divine Central Guard, without any senior officers personally overseeing operations, there was no way they could detect the two.

In the dynamic between the emperor and the Imperial Cabinet, the emperor naturally held more authority. However, the emperor held the power of appointment, while the Cabinet controlled administration. All edicts issued came from the Cabinet. If the emperor wished to impose his will, he would have to appoint obedient officials. But for the sake of balance in court, the high-ranking officials of the Cabinet could not be casually replaced, which in turn formed a check on imperial authority.

It was said that this system was influenced by the Holy Xuan. Although the Holy Xuan had not taken part in founding the Great Xuan Dynasty’s court, he had indirectly shaped its early structure and even influenced many of the founding emperor’s decisions.

The founding emperor had a daughter late in life and, for a long time, had no other heir. The Holy Xuan was his son-in-law. Thus, it was often said at the time that everything under the heavens was jointly decided by this pair of father-in-law and son-in-law. Naturally, this became a source of frustration for the later emperors of the Great Xuan Dynasty. Since it was an ancestral institution, they dared not and could not easily change it.

After entering the city without further incident, Qi Xuansu and Xie Linyuan reverted to their true appearances and outfits. They exchanged mother-child talismans before going their separate ways.

Even without the talismans, as long as they knew each other’s identities, contacting one another again would not be difficult.

Qi Xuansu naturally returned to the Yuhuang Palace located in Xuanshang North District, while Xie Linyuan’s residence was in the Duxian Northeast District.

Yuhuang Palace did not enforce curfews, so Qi Xuansu returned without obstruction. Since dawn was near, he did not go back to his residence but went straight to his office.

When Qi Xuansu approached his office, he noticed the lights were still on. His heart skipped a beat. Ordinarily, no one should be on duty at night. Ke Qingqing would not be here this early, and Su Li had her own office. She definitely would not be in his. Who was inside? It was unlikely someone had simply forgotten to extinguish the lamps.

Qi Xuansu hesitated briefly, then silently stepped into the office.

There was no one in the outer room. Qi Xuansu proceeded to the inner reception hall, but it was still empty.

He had no choice but to push open the study door, only to find Zhang Yuelu seated in his chair, reading a scroll of Extensive Records of the Taiping Era by candlelight.

Hearing the door open, Zhang Yuelu looked up and gazed at Qi Xuansu.

Their eyes met, and they fell into silence.

At that moment, Qi Xuansu felt as though he were a boy sneaking out of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, only to return and find his instructor waiting in his room. That kind of “surprise” was hard to describe.

After a while, Qi Xuansu was the one who broke the silence. “Qing Xiao, what are you doing here?”

Zhang Yuelu set down the scroll, rose to give Qi Xuansu his seat, and sat in the guest chair. “I’ve been very busy these past few days, so I’ve neglected you.”

Qi Xuansu cleared his throat awkwardly. “I’ve been busy too.”

“Yes, busy enough to vanish until late into the night,” Zhang Yuelu said calmly, her tone neither angry nor pleased.

Just as Qi Xuansu was about to explain himself, Zhang Yuelu continued, “Last night, I finally had a bit of free time and thought of sharing a few drinks with you. But your Daoist attendant told me that he hasn’t seen you in days. I assumed you were busy with work and were staying in your office, so I came to find you, only to find it empty. So I asked your partner, but Superintendent Su said you had handed over the follow-up work of Oriental Autumn Villa to her and shouldn’t be busy at all. She didn’t know why you hadn’t come back either. That’s why I sat here and waited for you.”

Even if Qi Xuansu were slow-witted, he could still hear the displeasure hidden in Zhang Yuelu’s words. But in that brief moment, he had already regained his composure and sat beside her. “It’s all my fault for making you sit here all night.”

Zhang Yuelu was not the kind to make people guess what she was thinking. She got straight to the point. “Where did you go last night?”

Qi Xuansu did not want to lie to her, but he could not spill everything either, so he played a little trick. “I went to see Madam Qi.”

Zhang Yuelu was momentarily stunned. That answer was not what she had expected. It was not that she suspected Qi Xuansu of visiting brothels or having an affair. She trusted him enough to know that he would not do that. What she feared was that he might be involved with some secret society. She was not some naive girl and was well aware of many things. She just chose not to dwell on them. Otherwise, why would Yao Pei say she was deceiving herself?

But now that they were nearing the point of discussing marriage, she had no choice but to think deeply.

“Is Madam Qi in the capital too?” Zhang Yuelu asked.

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “Madam Qi is usually elusive. If I want to meet her, I need to contact her in advance using the talismans. Either she comes to see me, or she names a location for me to meet her.”

Zhang Yuelu nodded slightly, then asked, “Did you pass on my request to her?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “That’s exactly why I went to see her. After all, some things can’t be explained clearly through the talismans. It’s better to talk face-to-face.”

There was a trace of barely visible worry in Zhang Yuelu’s eyes. “What did Madam Qi say?”

Qi Xuansu answered truthfully, “Madam Qi said now isn’t the time. She’ll meet you of her own accord. She’ll also meet Sage Cihang. But she won’t bother to meet Madam Tantai because she said she only talks to people who have influence. She also mentioned that the day won’t be far off.”

Zhang Yuelu fell silent, her brows faintly furrowed.

Qi Xuansu deliberately reached out to smooth the crease on her forehead.

“Don’t mess around,” Zhang Yuelu said, brushing his hand away.

Qi Xuansu said nothing and simply reached out again to smooth her frown.

Zhang Yuelu relented and smoothed her brow herself. “Fine, you win. What do you think Madam Qi meant by that?”

Qi Xuansu countered with a question of his own. “Why do you suddenly want to meet Madam Qi?”

“I’m asking you, and now you’re interrogating me?” Zhang Yuelu said with a hint of annoyance.

Qi Xuansu replied, “I can only figure out what Madam Qi is thinking if I know your intent. You two are playing mind games, and I’m caught in the middle. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”

Zhang Yuelu was silent for a long time before she solemnly said, “What I’m about to say might upset you, maybe even anger you, but you must let me finish.”

Seeing the seriousness in her expression, Qi Xuansu composed himself as well. “Alright.”

Zhang Yuelu spoke slowly. “There’s no such thing as love or hate without reason. If Madam Qi had found you when you were still an infant, taken you in out of a moment of compassion, and raised you for over 20 years like a son, then everything she’s done would be reasonable, and I wouldn’t doubt her for a moment.

“But from what you’ve told me, you were already quite grown when Madam Qi saved you, no longer a child. Then why would she go to such lengths for you? Even factoring in transfer of affection, isn’t her care for you a bit too much? I’m not accusing her unjustly. My own mother may not have treated me with such devotion.

“Every time I think of this, I can’t help but grow suspicious. What does she really want? Is she plotting something through you? Will everything done today have to be repaid a hundredfold in the future? I’m not trying to drive a wedge between you two. I just want to meet her and make things clear.”

Qi Xuansu fell silent.

To Zhang Yuelu’s surprise, Qi Xuansu remained very calm. He was not angry, and he showed no signs of pain, conflict, or rejection.

She immediately understood that Qi Xuansu had long thought about all this. Any emotions he had were either already expressed or deeply buried.

Qi Xuansu did not stay silent for long. He spoke softly. “I trust Madam Qi. Even if we take the worst-case scenario, so what if she has a scheme? Is she going to dig out the Longevity Stone Heart from my chest? Would the outcome be worse than dying at the hands of The Inn’s assassins? No matter what, the life I have now was given by her. Saying she gave me a second life wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”

Zhang Yuelu fell silent too.

She had been deceiving herself, and so had he.

Qi Xuansu’s voice grew softer and softer. “I was born without knowing who my parents were. The more a person lacks something, the more they long for it. So I cherish everyone who treats me well.”

Zhang Yuelu looked at him and said gently, “Tian Yuan, I’m not trying to take you away from Madam Qi, nor am I asking you to disown her. I just don’t want to see the day when you’re driven to a dead end, doomed beyond redemption.”