A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu gazed at Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu stared back at Qi Xuansu.

As their eyes met, countless thoughts welled up in Qi Xuansu’s mind. But eventually, it all condensed into one long sigh. “One day, I might be forced into a dead end.”

“What dead end?”

Madam Qi and Qi Xuansu were walking side by side down the bustling streets of the South City.

Qi Xuansu was still thinking about what Zhang Yuelu had said this morning and muttered repeatedly under his breath, “Forced into a dead end, doomed beyond redemption.”

Madam Qi was quite displeased with his mumbling and gave his shin a swift kick. “I didn’t go through all the trouble of coming to the capital just to listen to you mumble. What are you muttering about?”

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

“Spit it out, or I’ll read your mind,” Madam Qi threatened.

Qi Xuansu had no choice but to confess, “I was wondering if one day, I’d be forced into a corner and be doomed beyond redemption.”

Madam Qi gave him a look. “Did Zhang Yuelu say something to you again?”

“It has nothing to do with her,” Qi Xuansu denied instinctively.

Without hesitation, Madam Qi declared the culprit, “That damned girl!”

Qi Xuansu frowned. “Did you use the Telepathic Technique on me?”

“You really are easy to trick,” Madam Qi said with a smirk. “So it was really that brat stirring things up. If I’d known earlier, I wouldn’t have let you go to Tiangang Hall in the first place.”

Qi Xuansu sighed in exasperation and gave up pretending. “Other men’s hardest trials with women are usually two beauties vying for a husband. Why has mine turned into a mother-in-law versus daughter-in-law feud?”

Madam Qi spat in mock contempt. “Aren’t you full of yourself? Mother-in-law feud? You and that brat combined aren’t even a match for me. I’d still win in a fight against you two with one hand tied behind my back. That brat needs at least another 20 years before she’s qualified to talk back to me.”

Qi Xuansu replied listlessly, “Yes, yes—Madam Qi is peerless, looking down upon all heroes. She suppresses the heavens and dominates the world. One glance at Madam Qi, and all others pale to nothing. Madam Qi remains invincible with the Qingping Society in one palm and the Seven Treasure Pavilion in the other. Were Madam Qi never born, the Daoist Order would have remained in endless nights. In front of Madam Qi, even the Holy Xuan is just a—”

Madam Qi poked Qi Xuansu with her smoking pipe. “You’ve got some nerve to make fun of me!”

“How am I making fun of you? I’m clearly praising how amazing you are!” Qi Xuansu said with an innocent face.

Madam Qi smacked him again with the bowl of her pipe. “Still being mouthy?!”

Even though Qi Xuansu had the physique of a Heavenly Being, being struck by a Pseudo-Immortal with the bladed tobacco pipe known as the Face Wrecker still made him wince and gasp in pain. As such, he dared not make any more sarcastic remarks.

Madam Qi was holding the reins of a donkey—the same one she had ridden back in Fengtai County. She tossed the reins to Qi Xuansu and casually swung herself sideways onto the donkey, puffing smoke leisurely.

Qi Xuansu walked beside the donkey, holding its reins as he asked, “Madam Qi, don’t you have anything to say?”

“Say what?” Madam Qi shot him a sidelong glance.

Qi Xuansu said, “About me being forced into a dead end and doomed for eternity, of course.”

Madam Qi exhaled a puff of smoke. “Let me ask you—would you rather be a nobody, living a life of trivial pursuits and slowly growing old at the foot of the mountain? Or would you risk dying before 30 to achieve something earth-shattering and perhaps even ascend to the peak of Kunlun like the Holy Xuan?”

Qi Xuansu had no answer.

To die a nobody or to be known across the land? Dilemmas never allowed for both choices. Ultimately, he must choose one over the other.

Of course, he wanted to accomplish something magnificent and stand atop Kunlun like the Holy Xuan, gazing down upon the entire Daoist Order.

Madam Qi scoffed. “That girl wants you to make a name for yourself but also live a peaceful life. How could things be that easy? Even the Holy Xuan back then fought through countless perils and still met a tragic end in his twilight years.”

At this point, Madam Qi paused deliberately and rested her pipe on Qi Xuansu’s shoulder, looking down on him. “Or are you, a grown man, content to spend your life in her shadow, letting her shield you from the storm while you wait behind her for a few scraps of affection?”

Qi Xuansu was speechless.

It was always like this with Madam Qi. Before meeting her, he would prepare a thousand arguments. But once they met, a few words from her would unravel them all.

Zhang Yuelu might not be like Madam Qi, but she was not far behind either.

This made Qi Xuansu seem indecisive, swaying like a pendulum between two women.

As they spoke, the two arrived at the entrance of a small tavern.

Madam Qi signaled Qi Xuansu to stop, dismounted the donkey, and led the way into the tavern.

Qi Xuansu tied the donkey and followed her inside.

Madam Qi walked up to the counter, poured out a handful of Ruyi coins from her pouch, and laid out 20 of them. “A jar of green plum wine.”

The shopkeeper enthusiastically tried to upsell them. “We just brewed a new batch of green plum sake. It costs only 35 Ruyi coins. Would you like to give it a try?”

“The cloudy one is fine.” Madam Qi swept the remaining coins back into her pouch.

The shopkeeper muttered under his breath, likely complaining about Madam Qi being stingy. He would never have guessed that the woman before him was a millionaire in Taiping coins, and a Pseudo-Immortal who was only one step away from becoming an Immortal.

The two sat down at a table. Madam Qi did not even need to cast a privacy barrier. If she did not want others to hear their conversation, then no one could.

“I don’t live in the capital. I only come here when something requires my presence. This time, I’ve come for two main matters. First, to take over from Saintly Peace and manage the larger situation. You should already know that.” Madam Qi tapped her pipe, knocking out a small heap of pure white ash.

This was not tobacco, but an authentic Liaodong medicinal herb. Each plant had four to five layers. The higher the leaf, the thinner and more fragrant. Tiny white flowers bloomed at the top. The uppermost leaves were called pure fragrance, the middle was called blended fragrance, and the bottom was called rich fragrance. It was said that these herbs would enhance the Blood Roar of Martial Arts Practitioners. Naturally, it was worth a fortune and beyond the reach of common folk.

Qi Xuansu said, “I know. Master Xie said he needs to rest and recover, so the Qingping Society will rely on you now. Madam Qi, doesn’t that make you second only to the Head of Society? From today on, you’re the Deputy Head of Society, aren’t you?”

“What’s so great about being the Head of Society? I’ve been the Acting Mogul of Seven Treasure Pavilion.” Madam Qi dismissed it nonchalantly. “The second matter is about the Xuan Jade. I told you that I’d think about your request. Since you did well this time, I’ve decided to extend you credit.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Because I saved Saintly Peace?”

“What gave you the illusion that I helped him out of pure public spirit?” Madam Qi had never built herself a moral pedestal. “Of course, it’s because you helped me close a big deal. A dead Saintly Peace is worthless, but alive, he’s worth a fortune! Do you know how much I earned from that Cosmic Worm?”

Qi Xuansu snorted. “You’re heartless to profit from someone else’s disaster.”

Madam Qi was in a good mood and did not bother arguing with Qi Xuansu. “Nonsense. You can say I’m greedy, even stingy, but don’t call me heartless. I’ve always done business fairly and have never cheated the old or the young. How could that be profiteering? This kind of item is just hard to sell. Most people who get poisoned by the Shebishi Venom, even the imitation version, can’t withstand it. They die before I can even make the sale. If someone’s cultivation is a bit higher, like mine, they can forcefully neutralize it without a Cosmic Worm. So a case like Saintly Peace, at just the right fit, is really rare. If not for you, he wouldn’t have even contacted me. So, yes, you deserve the credit.”

Qi Xuansu accepted the wine jar from the server. “Three years without a sale, but one deal feeds you for the next three, right?”

“You could say that.” Madam Qi nodded. “Actually, the Taiping coins are secondary. What I really want is for Xie Linyuan to owe me a favor. That’s more valuable than gold, and it can generate even more Taiping coins!”

Qi Xuansu gave her a strange look. He remembered Xie Linyuan had personally said that he owed him a favor.

Madam Qi took out the Xuan Jade, still wrapped in wax paper. She did not hand it over right away. Instead, she placed it on the table with her hand resting on it. “You ambushed the Inn’s Imperial Capital branch and killed an Earth-ranked member. Then you attacked the Zhili branch and killed another. Both were Heavenly Beings, earning you 2,000 merits. Participating in joint operations, especially the highest-level revenge missions, earns you another 600. You also came to the aid of an A-rank member, Saintly Peace, so I’ll round it up to 3,000 merits for you. If we include your previous credits, it tallies to 4,000 merits. Any objections?”

Qi Xuansu said, “Very fair. No objections.”

“Good.” Madam Qi continued, “This piece of Xuan Jade is worth 6,000 merits. You’re short 2,000 merits, so you still owe me two Heavenly-Being kills from The Inn. Remember that.”

Qi Xuansu nodded in acknowledgment.

Only then did Madam Qi slide the Xuan Jade over to Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu reached for the wrapped jade, gently rubbing it through the wax paper. It felt like reconnecting with an old friend.

“Would this count as returning the jade to its rightful owner?” Qi Xuansu joked.

Madam Qi clicked her tongue. “Useless. You’ve clearly never seen a woman, so you’re so easily bewitched by that Zhang girl to the point you’ve forgotten your own name. You’ve also never seen money either because you’re treating a single piece of Xuan Jade like it’s some priceless treasure.”

Qi Xuansu ignored her teasing and stored the Xuan Jade in his magical receptacle.

Then Qi Xuansu spoke a fair word on Zhang Yuelu’s behalf. “Madam Qi, you must admit that Qing Xiao may not be the number one beauty in the world, but she’s far from average. Among people my age, how many can you name who compare to her? Honestly, if she were the number one beauty, there would be men fighting for her already. Would I even get the chance to slowly build a relationship with her?”

This time, Madam Qi did not argue. “True beauty lies in one’s bones, not in their skin. If we’re only talking about looks, that Zhang girl is just average. But when it comes to character and spirit, she and I are of the same kind.”

Qi Xuansu lowered his head and took a sip of wine, silently thinking to himself, The kind of spirit that doesn’t win anyone’s favor! Haha!

Perhaps that “inner voice” had been a little too loud, as Madam Qi heard it clearly and immediately smacked Qi Xuansu hard on the head with her tobacco pipe.

Madam Qi did not forget to threaten him either. “Just you wait. Next time I see that Zhang girl, I’ll make sure to tell her what you said. You’ll be in for it!”

Qi Xuansu was not afraid in the slightest, thinking his beloved Qing Xiao was not the kind of person to fuss over such things.