A Pawn's Passage

It was no small temptation.

For someone like Li Changge or Yao Pei, a former Immortal’s mortal shell with the strength of a Heavenly Being was not particularly valuable. They had no shortage of experts at their command, especially Li Changge. As the third-in-line to the head of the Li family, Li Changge held power that far exceeded what most could imagine. He should never be mistaken for a mere Acting Deputy Hall Master. But for Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu, it was a different story.

The Zhang family certainly had many experts, but without the family’s support, Zhang Yuelu could not mobilize them. As a Deputy Hall Master, she had some authority, but her foundation was still shallow, and she lacked trusted subordinates. Many times, she found herself stretched thin.

As for Qi Xuansu, he was essentially on his own, worse off than Zhang Yuelu. Though he currently commanded hundreds of Spirit Guards and was quite imposing, once he left the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, he would become utterly alone again. While he could still call upon the Three Yin Beings from the Ghost Kingdom, doing so required stringent conditions. So far, he had only managed to summon them twice.

Naturally, neither Zhang Yuelu nor Qi Xuansu would violate ethical taboos by supplying this mortal shell with living souls or flesh. But Soul-Returning Incense only costs some Taiping coins.

It was hard to judge whether the Three Corpse incarnation killing Lin Lingsu was right or wrong by mortal standards. Lin Lingsu and his Three Corpse incarnation were natural enemies. Lin Lingsu himself was originally a Three Corpse, who later transformed into a person. Being killed by his own incarnation was hardly considered murder. It was like two tigers fighting; one would inevitably be injured. Would humans need to seek justice for the tiger?

Besides, although Lin Lingsu was not the sole culprit behind the fall of the Jin Dynasty, he was certainly one of its many sinners. The attitudes of True Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao and Sage Changchun made that clear. So, Lin Lingsu’s Three Corpse incarnation killing him could be seen as divine retribution, a cycle of karma.

For this reason, Qi Xuansu did not feel compelled to destroy this Three Corpse incarnation.

Still, they were not blinded by temptation. Qi Xuansu asked, “How could we restrain you? If you take our Soul-Returning Incense and go back on your word, or simply vanish, wouldn’t we suffer a loss?”

The mortal shell pondered silently for a moment before saying, “You seem to carry the Taiyin divine power. Are you familiar with the Taiyin 13 Swords?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “I know a bit.”

The mortal shell said, “In that case, we can swear an oath of alliance.”

Zhang Yuelu’s expression shifted slightly.

To ordinary people, a so-called oath of alliance was merely a formality. Even if broken, it carried little consequence.

However, for those in the Daoist Order, a sworn oath of alliance was a ritual called the Inner-Demon Oath.

The Inner-Demon Oath originated from the Taiyin 13 Swords. The strength of the inner demon was deeply tied to the host. The higher one’s cultivation, the stronger one’s inner demon. Should the oath be broken, the inner demon would strike instantly. At best, it would cause qi deviation. At worst, one could drop an entire realm of cultivation or even lose one’s cultivation completely.

Back when the Daoist sects were still fragmented, Zhang Jingxiu, the leader of the Southern Sect, and Xu Wugui, the leader of the Central Sect, confronted each other at the Jingchan Temple in Zhongzhou. They agreed to swear an Inner-Demon Oath. Years later, Xu Wugui overcame a heavenly tribulation and fought multiple Immortals alone without falling behind. Yet because of that old oath, Zhang Jingxiu was able to fulfill the exchange, so both ascended to the heavens together.

The full story was too complex for a brief telling. In the end, Zhang Jingxiu was only able to fulfill the exchange against Xu Wugui due to many reasons, including the support of other Immortals, the unique terrain of the Ascension Platform of Kunlun Paradise, and more. Still, the role of the Inner-Demon Oath was pivotal. It indicated that even Immortals could not simply nullify the oath. For Heavenly Beings, it was practically an unbreakable law.

The mortal shell continued, “If you help me gain basic control over this mortal shell, I will serve you for 3 years. If you help me fully master it, I will serve you for 10 years. What do you say?”

Qi Xuansu thought briefly and nodded in agreement. Since Zhang Yuelu had not learned the Taiyin 13 Swords, she could not take the Inner-Demon Oath. Only Qi Xuansu could establish the alliance.

Zhang Yuelu did not object. She simply said, “Be careful.”

Then, Qi Xuansu manifested the Taiyin Spiritual Body, activated the Taiyin 13 Swords, and pressed his index finger to the midpoint between his brows, pulling forth a semi-illusory substance that looked like a glimmer of spiritual light.

The mortal shell remained seated. From the center of his brows, a matching spiritual glimmer emerged.

The two points of light floated toward each other, merged mid-air, and gradually faded into nothingness. The Inner-Demon Oath was sealed, and any violation would trigger immediate retribution by their inner demons.

Having made the Inner-Demon Oath, the two were now bound allies. Qi Xuansu withdrew his Taiyin Spiritual Body, sheathed Flying White Shadow, and said, “Nowadays, people call the Great Sage of the Taiping Sect by the title of Imperial Preceptor, which used to be Lin Lingsu’s title. To distinguish you from Master Tongzhen Daling, I’ll call you Elder Lin and refer to him as Master Lin. Does that suit you?”

The mortal shell replied, “That’s fine. Back then, Lin Lingsu was not only called Master Tongzhen Daling by the Jin Dynasty’s emperor. He was also known as the Jinmen Feathered Guest and Master Yuanmiao. If you’re worried about confusion, just call me Lin Yuanmiao.”

Zhang Yuelu remarked, “True Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao and Master Yuanmiao...no one would believe that’s just a coincidence.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Elder Lin, what is your current cultivation level?”

Lin Yuanmiao replied, “Qian Xiangyun once told me about the modern classification of lineages and realms. At present, I am roughly at the Wuliang stage of Heavenly Beings. Like my original body and Lin Lingsu, I am a Banished Immortal.”

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were not surprised, as this was entirely within their expectations.

Lin Yuanmiao continued, “As long as you give me enough Soul-Returning Incense to let me gain control of this mortal shell, I can regain strength at the Zaohua stage. Once I fully master this body, I’ll be able to return to the Pseudo-Immortal level, equivalent to Lin Lingsu’s cultivation level when he was suppressed by Sage Changchun. As for whether I can achieve true immortality again, that depends on my own fate.”

Qi Xuansu asked bluntly, “How much Soul-Returning Incense do you need to gain initial control over this mortal shell?”

The Soul-Returning Trees in Kunlun Paradise looked like a cross between maples and cypresses. Their flowers and leaves emitted a fragrance detectable from hundreds of kilometers away. The roots were boiled for their essence and refined into a lacquer-like substance known as Soul-Returning Incense, its scent carried for hundreds of kilometers. When a corpse breathed in the aroma, it would stir to life, hence the name.

Currently, Lin Yuanmiao was trapped in a corpse. So to fully integrate Lin Lingsu’s mortal shell with his soul, he could only rely on the Soul-Returning Incense to come back to life.

Upon hearing Qi Xuansu’s question, Lin Yuanmiao did not respond immediately, seemingly unsure of an appropriate unit of measurement.

Qi Xuansu pondered for a moment, then retrieved a stick of Soul-Returning Incense from his magical receptacle. He asked, “How many of these do you need?”

The incense stick sent by Madam Qi was a low-grade Soul-Returning Incense, used for entering the Dream Meeting. One stick costs one Wuyou coin or 10 Taiping coins.

Lin Yuanmiao did not move, but a gust of yin wind swept the incense stick toward him. He silently sensed it for a moment before replying, “About 10,000 sticks of this should suffice.”

Qi Xuansu nearly stumbled on flat ground.

At 10 Taiping coins per stick, 10,000 sticks amounted to 100,000 Taiping coins!

For Madam Qi, this was a modest sum, perhaps half the earnings from their recent loot of The Inn’s silver shipment, but Qi Xuansu simply did not have that kind of money.

Qi Xuansu turned to look at Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu smiled helplessly. “Don’t look at me. I can probably get that kind of money if I sell off my residence at Taishang Place. But unfortunately, that’s not an option.”

Qi Xuansu sighed deeply and asked, “What if you don’t restore your full cultivation? How much incense would it take just to move freely?”

Lin Yuanmiao said, “Then 1,000 sticks of this incense would be enough.”

Qi Xuansu’s expression stiffened. He strongly suspected that this Elder Lin had some form of divination ability. How else could he have quoted such a perfect figure of exactly 10,000 Taiping coins—the right amount after Qi Xuansu had made a windfall?

Lin Yuanmiao also noticed Qi Xuansu’s expression and added, “If it’s top-grade Soul-Returning Incense, then just a small amount might be enough. Qian Xiangyun once gave me some, which allowed me to recover to the Wuliang stage.”

Qi Xuansu naturally knew of top-grade Soul-Returning Incense, but the cost, when converted, was not much different from 1,000 regular sticks.

Zhang Yuelu asked, “What did you give Qian Xiangyun in return?”

Lin Yuanmiao replied, “I’m a man of my word. She was my former ally. Though we never swore an oath, I will still keep her secrets.”

Zhang Yuelu frowned slightly.

Lin Yuanmiao paused, then added, “Unless...you add another 100 sticks of Soul-Returning Incense.”

Zhang Yuelu promptly pulled out ten large cash notes and stuffed them into Qi Xuansu’s hands. “Buy another hundred sticks.”

Qi Xuansu let out a dry laugh. “Since when do officials need to pay out of their own pocket to investigate a case?”

Zhang Yuelu whispered, “I can reimburse it from the Golden Tower Council afterward.”

Qi Xuansu swallowed the words of protest that had reached his lips and simply accepted the money without another word.

“You may speak now,” Zhang Yuelu commanded, looking at Lin Yuanmiao.

Lin Yuanmiao was shrewd. “Back in the day, Lin Lingsu left behind a Tongzhen Palace in Lingnan. I gave Qian Xiangyun a rough idea of its location. I can tell you too, but it’ll cost extra.”

Zhang Yuelu had no more Taiping coins to spare. She also could not leave the Imperial Capital at the moment, so she did not press further.

Qi Xuansu rubbed his temples. “Madam Qi has a lot of pull in the Seven Treasure Pavilion. I can ask her.”

Zhang Yuelu did not seem upset. She merely asked, “Madam Qi is in the capital too?”

Qi Xuansu knew there was no point in lying to Zhang Yuelu anymore, nor could he get away with it. He admitted frankly, “She should still be here.”

Zhang Yuelu suggested, “Shall I go with you to see her?”

Qi Xuansu cleared his throat awkwardly. “I think it’s best if I use the mother-child talisman to contact her.”