A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu continued forward. Zhang Yuelu said, “If I’m not mistaken, Su Yi and Li Changge have already begun fighting by now.”

Qi Xuansu did not think too highly of Yao Pei. He asked, “If Su Yi loses, would Li Changge really dare kill her?”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “You’re underestimating the courage of the Li family. Why wouldn’t he dare?”

Qi Xuansu said, “I mean, how would the Li family clean up the mess afterward? Or rather, how would they offer a reasonable explanation?”

“A duel,” Zhang Yuelu answered with certainty. “That’s exactly why Li Changge insisted on taking the field himself. A duel must be consensual. How would he lure Su Yi into agreeing? By baiting her with himself. Li Changge wants to kill Su Yi, and I’m sure she wants the same. Clearly, both of them think I’m just a filler without my family’s backing, so they aren’t afraid of me reaping the spoils. As long as they eliminate the other, they’ll certainly seize the advantage over me.”

Qi Xuansu sighed. “Then what about the mission?”

Zhang Yuelu said, “No matter who survives, it won’t be seen as putting personal interest above duty. If Su Yi survives, she’s the Pinky. Her job is to stall Li Changge anyway. That can be considered a stopgap tactic, which is perfectly justifiable. If Li Changge survives, he has a valid excuse for being unaware of the situation, since this Anchor the Monkey operation is classified, and Li Changge has been excluded from it. Since he technically doesn’t know about it, there’s no clear evidence that he intends to sabotage it. He can claim that crossing paths with Su Yi in Wuxing Mountain is a coincidence.”

Qi Xuansu muttered, “That excuse barely holds up. It’s skating that line of ambiguity.”

Zhang Yuelu scoffed. “For Li Changge, ‘barely’ is more than enough. A lot of things don’t hold up if you dig too deep, but the key is how much people choose to dig. Look at the two major Jiangnan cases. Weren’t they both brushed aside in the end? Now, imagine it were you who dueled Su Yi and killed her. Even if you carefully orchestrated everything, followed every rule, and had witnesses and physical evidence, the Quanzhen Sect would still find ways to deal with you. That’s because you have no influence. Power trumps reason, simple as that.

“Li Changge is different. He has the backing of the Taiping Sect, so it’s very hard to touch him. To put it bluntly, if someone dies in a duel, no matter how impressive Yao Pei’s background is, she’s only officially a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master, nowhere near important enough to escalate the matter to the Golden Tower Council. So in the end, the case will fall to Beichen Hall and Fengxian Hall. Need I remind you which sect is heading those halls?

“Of course, if Su Yi kills Li Changge, it will be the same outcome. The Taiping Sect won’t be able to do much, and the Quanzhen Sect will protect her. In that sense, Li Changge actually simplified a very complicated matter. Forget the politics, forget the schemes, and they’ll settle it with their fists. The winner stands, and the loser dies. Winner takes all. It’s a risky move for sure, and Li Changge is arrogant enough to bet on himself.”

Qi Xuansu sighed and lamented. “Coming from such a prestigious family, Li Changge daring to stake his life is no small feat, even if he is being arrogant. If I had his background and power, I probably would’ve grown complacent.”

Zhang Yuelu said leisurely, “One must have this level of awareness to ascend to the position of Grand Master. If someone merely wants to be a wealthy idler, they can live like my cousin. Besides, the competition within the Li family is extremely fierce and venomous. If you don’t advance, you fall behind, and there’s no room for the useless.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Then who do you think will win?”

Zhang Yuelu was silent for a moment. “Putting aside our faction and friendship, I think Li Changge has the greater chance of winning. He already holds the initiative by coming prepared. He’s also a manmade Banished Immortal. At this point, we can only hope that Su Yi has a hidden trump card, perhaps her Ancestral Witch bloodline. Honestly, I don’t support this. I asked her if she could really manage it, and she said she would never overestimate herself. So, I had no choice but to respect her decision.”

Qi Xuansu asked again, “Did you guess from the start that Li Changge would enter the field?”

“Use your brain.” Zhang Yuelu tapped her forehead with a finger.

Qi Xuansu clicked his tongue. “With you being so clever, nothing will escape your sharp eyes, huh? If so, I can’t make any sneaky moves in the future.”

Zhang Yuelu raised an eyebrow. “That’s not necessarily true. You know full well how much you’ve hidden from me. If you really wanted to do something underhanded behind my back, it probably wouldn’t be that hard.”

Qi Xuansu replied seriously, “What’s that supposed to mean? You make it sound like I’m a repeat offender!”

“Are you not?” Zhang Yuelu chuckled. “I’m not boasting about my intelligence. But if I were just a naive little girl, you’d probably still have me wrapped around your finger.”

Qi Xuansu cleared his throat. “Even if I am a repeat offender, I’ve already come clean about everything that needs to be confessed.”

“And what about the things that shouldn’t be confessed?” Zhang Yuelu’s tone softened. “Don’t play word games with me. Once everything here is over, and I’ve met with Madam Qi, we’ll have a proper talk on equal footing, with emphasis on mutual respect and sympathy.”

Qi Xuansu blinked and wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.

Having a Daoist companion who was too clever was both a blessing and a curse.

It was a blessing because both would be able to support each other in times of need. No one would be a burden to one another. But it was also a curse because any little schemes would get seen through immediately.

For example, a simpler girl would see Madam Qi as a good woman and feel nothing but respect and gratitude for Qi Xuansu’s adoptive mother. But Zhang Yuelu instantly noticed the inconsistencies in Madam Qi’s behavior. The conflict between them rose naturally even before they met, with Qi Xuansu playing peacemaker.

The Sages always had lofty sayings about how everything had two sides. Qi Xuansu used to brush that off, but now that it was happening to him, he finally realized that they had a point.

As the two continued deeper down the corridor, they began to feel the earth qi growing more and more turbulent, signaling that they were getting closer to their destination. This long passage was finally nearing its end.

The two of them put away their earlier joking demeanor, and their expressions turned solemn.

At the end of the corridor was another cavern, but it was far larger than any of the previous ones, several times the size of the chamber where Spirit Guard Jia Chen and Renatus had been.

The entire chamber was shaped like a concentric circle, with a round lake at the center. A figure sat on the surface of the lake with his back to the tunnel entrance, surrounded by utterly still waters. Yet the lake itself was far from calm. It had a swirling vortex in the middle. Only the figure sitting upon it was suppressing the turbulence, preventing the waters from spilling beyond the banks.

Zhang Yuelu murmured, “This lake isn’t made of water. It’s the manifestation of earth qi. That means the Monkey must be at the bottom of this lake.”

Qi Xuansu gave a faint nod.

This was the earth qi of Wuxing Mountain. Though it was being suppressed, Qi Xuansu could still feel the immense, overwhelming power it contained. If one were to fall into the lake by accident, survival would be next to impossible.

By the lakeside stood another figure, dressed in plain black robes, also facing away from them with his hands clasped behind his back.

He was already aware of Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu’s arrival, but he did not turn around. He simply said, “There’s still an hour until midnight. The fireworks in the Imperial Capital are ready. If one were to stand atop Wuxing Mountain, they’d see a sky full of colors over the capital, lighting up the night and drowning out the stars. Thousands of trees bloom with fire; stars fall like rain on the breeze. What a beautiful image, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to look upon such a scene and savor the joy of success?”

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were both startled and instinctively looked at each other. Only an hour left?!

Zhang Yuelu said solemnly, “Prince Liao?”

Prince Liao chuckled. “I’ve long heard of your name, High Mage Zhang. In about an hour, you two will witness a legendary creation, something on par with the Sakka.”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “The Daoist Order won’t allow this.”

Prince Liao’s tone remained calm. “The Imperial Court does not need the Daoist Order’s permission to act. The Daoist Order has no authority to interfere.”

Zhang Yuelu said, “If that’s the case, then why all the secrecy? Go explain that to the Golden Tower Council instead.”

Prince Liao finally turned around, revealing his true appearance.

He, too, had inherited the Qin family’s handsome features, but compared to Prince Jin, Qin Quanyi, Prince Liao appeared younger, roughly in his early thirties.

A sword hung at his waist.

The entire sword was carved in the likeness of a golden dragon. The pommel was a dragon’s head, with a golden gem embedded like a pearl between its jaws. Below that, the hilt formed the dragon’s neck and part of its body, with intricate scales replacing the usual wire wrapping. The crossguard was carved to resemble a pair of dragon claws.

The Great Xuan Dynasty followed ancient rituals. Due to the Daoist purge of dragons, they did not revere dragons. The so-called Twelve Ornaments Robe featured 12 emblematic patterns, with the dragon being just one of them. In fact, there was no such thing as a Dragon Robe, nor was bright yellow held in special esteem. It was not until the era of the Golden Horde and the Wei Dynasty that the dragon became a dominant motif.

In the Qi Dynasty, the standard attire still bore the sun and moon on the shoulders and stars on the back. This remained the standard pattern of ceremonial robes in the Great Xuan Dynasty.

This golden dragon longsword clearly did not align with the Great Xuan Dynasty’s aesthetic. Rather, it resembled an artifact from the Wei Dynasty.

The knowledgeable Zhang Yuelu only needed a moment to recognize the sword’s origin. She spoke softly, “That’s the Sword of Mandate, the ancestral sword of the Wei Dynasty’s Xu royal family, a semi-immortal object as famous as Mortal Vitality. But aside from Emperors Taizu and Taizong, later emperors gradually lacked the extraordinary martial prowess to wield it. Thus, the famous sword faded into obscurity and was sealed away in the royal vault.”

“Impressive insight,” Prince Liao said with a chuckle. “Indeed, this sword was passed down through generations of the Xu family. When their house fell, it ended up in the hands of the Li family. It’s only when my sister-in-law married into the Qin family did the sword finally return to the Imperial Capital as part of her dowry.”

Qi Xuansu sighed inwardly, thinking to himself, How extravagant, using a semi-immortal object as dowry! But surely, the betrothal gifts must have been equally lavish.

Prince Liao slowly pressed the crossguard with his thumb.

The Sword of Mandate slid 10 centimeters from its scabbard, and a faint dragon’s roar could be heard, shaking their souls. It was as if a real dragon had descended. Its immense might filled all mortals with dread.