A Pawn's Passage

In truth, Qi Xuansu did not have a date with his fair lady. Zhang Yuelu had been very busy lately. Thus, the two merely walked together for a short distance before parting ways, and Qi Xuansu returned to his office alone.

As soon as he arrived, Qi Xuansu sensed a message coming through the golden-purple fish talisman, which was connected to his mind. He went straight into the innermost meditation room and shut the door.

Only then did he take out the golden-purple fish talisman. As expected, it was Madam Qi.

A light screen formed, but Madam Qi was not in view. Qi Xuansu could only see a ceiling beam. It seemed she had casually placed the talisman on a table rather than aiming it at herself, so her face was not visible.

Madam Qi’s voice came through. “Have you finished merging with the Xuan Jade?”

Following her lead, Qi Xuansu sat on the cushion and laid the talisman beside him to avoid getting slapped again. “Madam Qi, do you have spies around me? How else are you so precise with your timing?”

“Cut the nonsense,” Madam Qi replied curtly. “Now that you’ve fused with the Xuan Jade, it’s time to get to work.”

“Another mission?” Qi Xuansu asked in surprise. “Isn’t this a bit too soon?”

“Exactly. We have to move fast so The Inn won’t have time to react,” Madam Qi said. “The more we retreat, the more they advance. Our people are either dead or injured. If we don’t hit them hard this time, we’ll never recover.”

Being the indebted one without leverage, Qi Xuansu could only resign himself to his fate and ask, “Who’s going?”

As always, Madam Qi said decisively, “We don’t need many people—you, me, Dreaming Cloud, and Ceremony Prelude should be enough. Let the others rest.”

Qi Xuansu silently sighed. He and Dreaming Cloud were like old oxen that were tirelessly exploited by Madam Qi, as they had not missed a single one of the three revenge operations.

But when he remembered that Madam Qi herself would take the field, Qi Xuansu felt reassured and confident. Unlike last time, when only one of her Three Corpses’ avatars acted, this time, her true self would appear. Even if The Innkeeper and The Cook joined forces, they might not be able to handle her. Only The Owner might stand a chance, but he was likely still in Wuxing Mountain, unable to leave. What could he be doing there—maintaining a formation perhaps?

Qi Xuansu could only speculate on the Owner’s actual cultivation level. He figured it was probably a bit lower than that of Wu Luo, True Lord Siming, or True Lord Ziguang, and roughly on par with Wu Guangbi, the Heavenly Court’s Grand Leader, which was around the level of a Pseudo-Immortal.

Among the many secret societies, the three universally acknowledged as the most formidable were the Lingshan Witch Cult, the Cult of Fates, and the Ziguang Society. Others, such as the Qingping Society, Heavenly Court, and The Inn, were all a tier below.

Speaking of Wu Guangbi, beyond his past clash with Madam Qi, Qi Xuansu also remembered that his superior, Shi Bingyun, had once had a complicated relationship with this man. Back then, when grieving the death of her lover, Shi Bingyun had left Putuo Island to wander around the world. She inadvertently rescued Wu Guangbi, who had lost all his cultivation at the time. She helped him recover and searched for a way to restore his strength. Pity turned into affection, and they endured hardship together, only to part ways in the end.

Looking at it now, his superior was no ordinary figure. First, she had contended with Su Yuanyi for the position of Sage Cihang. Then, both Wu Guangbi and Qin Quanyi had fallen for her charms. She was even one of the few bold enough to negotiate terms with Sage Donghua.

Qi Xuansu did not know Shi Bingyun’s exact cultivation level, but it was likely higher than her martial niece, Bai Yingqiong.

Since Bai Yingqiong was at the Wuliang Stage, Shi Bingyun was probably at the Zaohua stage.

This showed how powerful the Cihang lineage was. Even excluding their rarely seen elders, the visible figures—Su Yuanyi, Shi Bingyun, Bai Yingqiong, and Zhang Yuelu—demonstrated a stable and well-ordered progression of cultivation with no signs of decline.

Qi Xuansu had long held a question in mind. It seemed that Sage Donghua, Sage Cihang, and Sage Qingwei had not yet become Immortals, putting them slightly beneath the Earthly Preceptor, the Heavenly Preceptor, and the Imperial Preceptor. Would one only become an Immortal after becoming the Grand Master, or was the highest position of the Daoist Order undecided precisely because they awaited someone to reach immortality?

But considering how Li Changge and Yao Pei had become Heavenly Beings as casually as flipping a switch, Qi Xuansu suspected the three Omniscient Sages could become Immortals at any moment. They simply did not need to yet. Unless absolutely necessary, they preferred to let it happen naturally.

At the Wanxiang Daoist Upper Palace, Qi Xuansu had inquired about the Longevity Stone Heart, and Sun Hewu had given him a clear answer.

It was not even a secret. Qi Xuansu’s level had simply been too low to access such distant truths. Madam Qi certainly knew, but she had never bothered explaining these things unless needed.

The matter primarily involved two factions: inner and outer elixirs.

These two factions were not sects or lineages but broad categories based on differing cultivation philosophies. They encompassed nearly the entire Daoist Order. The concepts were vague and loosely defined, lacking strict organizational structures. Ever since the Holy Xuan regrouped the Five Lineages, the conflicts between them had largely faded. It was similar to the old debate between cultivating strength versus cultivating the mind.

Before the creation projects, the inner elixir faction had always held the upper hand. Only in the past two centuries had the outer elixir faction caught up. The Holy Xuan represented the outer elixir faction, and Donghuang was the face of the inner elixir faction.

Strictly speaking, Qi Xuansu and Li Changge belonged to the outer elixir faction, while Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei were of the inner elixir faction. What it meant was that the former relied on external forces and the latter on innate talent. Though both paths ultimately led to the same result, one key difference remained. The outer elixir faction sought only longevity, with little thought to what came after.

Even the so-called Elixir of Immortality, refined by the Six Enlightened Witches, was only enough for one to survive the first heavenly tribulation. It was the most advanced outer elixir, yet impossible to replicate. Such elixirs no longer existed in the world. Beyond that were the second and third tribulations, for which no elixirs existed. That was because there were too few first-tribulation Immortals, and with the end of the era approaching, the Daoist Order had no motivation to research outer elixirs for transcending tribulations. In the end, one could only rely on oneself. Thus, the inner elixir faction remained superior.

In other words, before becoming Immortals, Qi Xuansu and Li Changge could advance rapidly as long as external aid was sufficient. They might even leave Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei far behind. But once they became Immortals, they would find themselves at a dead end. In contrast, Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei could eventually catch up and even surpass the two men. The distinction here was much like the difference between the unorthodox perfected methods and the orthodox perfected methods.

But Qi Xuansu dared not wish for immortality, so he did not see it as a real problem. If he somehow achieved it and found no path forward, he could simply ascend from this world. Plenty of people dreamed of ascension, yet never even had the chance. There was no reason to cling on to the mortal realm.

However, for the three Omniscient Sages, this was a real issue. After all, none of them were even 60 yet. They had at least 40 more years ahead. Who could say whether they might survive a heavenly tribulation? If they did, they could achieve the unprecedented feat of serving as a Grand Master for 140 years.

So, unless absolutely necessary, the three Omniscient Sages would not rely on external means to achieve immortality. But if push came to shove, with their status and the Daoist Order’s resources, it would not be difficult for them to obtain external aid. They could step into the Longevity Realm anytime.

Many who reached the Pseudo-Immortal level could not take the final step into immortality because it could cost unimaginable sacrifices and leave behind countless hidden dangers.

In truth, much of this could be blamed on the sixth-generation Grand Master. Had he not ascended prematurely, by the time of his natural departure, the three Omniscient Sages would likely have become Immortals. That would have been the normal sequence. But the sixth-generation Grand Master broke from convention, creating today’s situation with three quasi-Immortals vying for the Grand Master’s seat.

It was foreseeable that in ages to come, the sixth-generation Grand Master’s reputation would not be favorable. Perhaps the chaos plaguing today’s Daoist Order would even be blamed on him. He would not be able to escape accusations of incompetence, mediocrity, and weakness.

Qi Xuansu’s thoughts wandered far, completely missing what Madam Qi was saying.

That was when Madam Qi slapped him back to his senses.

Snapping out of it, Qi Xuansu saw that his golden-purple fish talisman had floated up, facing him. Madam Qi was now visible on the light screen, glaring fiercely as if preparing to slap him again.

Qi Xuansu quickly said, “What you said is absolutely right, Madam Qi.”

“And what exactly did I say that’s absolutely right?” Madam Qi was not buying it. “What’s going on in that head of yours? Have I been too gentle with you? Or are you trying to be disobedient?”

In the Confucian system of propriety, the crime of disobedience was one of the Ten Abominations. It was usually paired with terms like “defying superiors” or “being unfilial.” In essence, disloyalty and unfilial conduct were charges that could lead to exile at best, and death at worst.

Children were not allowed to show the slightest disobedience to their parents. Otherwise, it was considered rebellion, a grave crime. But ever since the Daoist Order supplanted the Confucian School, it championed equality and completely debunked the notion of governing the world through filial piety. Zhang Yuelu had made this point abundantly clear at the Three Religions Assembly.

Qi Xuansu said righteously, “Madam Qi, our Daoist tradition doesn’t teach that. The Holy Xuan said that parents and children are independent individuals.”

When Qi Xuansu got slapped again, he immediately changed his tune. “A son must obey his mother, and the world should be ruled with filial piety.”

Madam Qi was not trying to establish her parental authority. She was simply displeased that Qi Xuansu had spaced out and talked back while she was speaking. After two slaps to his head, her anger subsided. She repeated, “Meet me at the tavern in South City tonight.”

“Got it,” Qi Xuansu replied.

Madam Qi reminded him again. “Don’t let that Zhang girl catch any more slip-ups.”

Qi Xuansu answered solemnly, “Of course.”

“We’ll discuss the rest in person.” Madam Qi concluded their conversation.

Qi Xuansu put away the golden-purple fish talisman. Considering how most of his current enemies were Heavenly Beings, the Grade-B Series One Dragon Eye Bullet was no longer effective. He would have to find a way to obtain some Grade-A Series Nine or Series Eight Dragon Eye Bombs.