A Pawn's Passage

“Good punch,” Li Minghuang praised.

“You’re too kind,” Qi Xuansu replied, still smiling.

Both men had come from humble beginnings, and both hailed from Tiangang Hall. However, their ages differed by ten years, which could be considered a generational gap.

Li Minghuang gave a light push, and Qi Xuansu let go of his wrist, drifting backward with ease.

It seemed like an even match, though Qi Xuansu’s first strike had a suspicious hint of ambush about it.

It was practical, but hardly elegant.

Some people within the Daoist Order prized “refined grace” above all. They would rather die than sacrifice their dignity.

This probably came from the Confucian gentry’s flair for refinement. They were the ones who liked to transcend the mundane. For example, it was common sense that one would pursue the art of longevity for eternal life and power. But a refined and graceful reason would be seeking longevity not for power, but for the freedom of choice.

Other examples include rejecting ascension for a lifelong romance, embracing certain death for one’s lover, and remaining devoted and unwavering in an unrequited love for life. To them, that was grace.

So, when someone like Qi Xuansu prioritized victory over decorum, striking from behind rather than shouting a slogan before the fight, he was seen to be disgraceful.

Not to mention, Zhang Yuelu was nowhere near the demure woman that these scions wanted. She was not only intolerant of a womanizing partner but also prone to violence and even murder.

Moreover, Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu actually dared to pursue power, with the Grand Master’s seat as their ultimate ambition. Did they not know that the Grand Master seat was the original sin and the root of all chaos? It would rob one of joy for life. To take that role meant eternal unrest. Retreating to the mountains was the proper path of grace.

Qi Xuansu used to somewhat believe in such notions. But deep down, he did not buy it, though a sliver of doubt lingered.

After all, when he had leaped from the flying ship for Zhang Yuelu, he was ready to die from it. The only reason he survived was because of Madam Qi’s gift—the Longevity Stone Heart.

As for the notion that the Grand Master was the root of all chaos and one could never be happy for life, that was just because the Grand Master’s happiness was beyond their imagination.

These types of people overlapped quite a bit with the flowerbed Daoists, and Qi Xuansu tended to triumph easily when facing them.

Unfortunately, Li Minghuang was not the type who cared about refined grace either, so Qi Xuansu’s ambush had not worked.

“Two more moves.” Li Minghuang reminded him.

Li Minghuang thrust a palm forward. It looked ordinary, yet Qi Xuansu suddenly felt a strange chill in his heart, a deep unease.

It was like a monstrous beast approaching. Even though it was still far off, its overwhelming aura sent birds fleeing. The sheer intensity of its uncontrolled power altered the environment.

This was a particularly sinister mystical ability called the Transforming Demonic Hand. It seized the mind, captured the soul, and sowed inner demons, leaving opponents disoriented and broken.

If one’s will or cultivation was weak, external force was not even needed. They would spontaneously suffer qi deviation, and their innate qi would consume them in flames.

Even those with solid cultivation might resist the mental invasion but still become distracted, missing any external developments. That was when Li Minghuang’s palm would arrive, attacking from both fronts.

Qi Xuansu took the full brunt. From his perspective, Li Minghuang had vanished entirely. He could no longer perceive his location. All he saw was a single palm, its lines flowing like rivers and mountains, utterly obscuring the five peaks before him.

With the aid of the Transforming Demonic Hand, Li Minghuang now radiated a hint of the power a Zaohua-stage Qi Refiner possessed.

Yet Qi Xuansu was no novice. He responded to chaos with constancy, activating his body spirits, the Green Netherworld Armor, and his Spiritual Body.

Qi Xuansu had no fear of the chaotic illusions because his Longevity Stone Heart could shield his soul. Even the divine descent of True Lord Ziguang had not shaken his soul, so how could Li Minghuang hope to do so?

In a flash, Li Minghuang’s palm landed on Qi Xuansu. But not only did it fail to injure him, it struck like a gong, ringing with a resonant boom.

Li Minghuang was taken aback, silently thinking to himself, He has a well-earned reputation, with some true skill to back it up. His body is impervious, like a tortoise shell. I may not be able to hurt him, but neither can he harm me. It’ll take slow, grinding effort to wear him down. But with the three-move limit already set, there’s no time for that...

As Li Minghuang prepared to retreat, Qi Xuansu suddenly switched from defense to offense, unleashing the Dragon Tiger Fist. With roars of dragons and tigers echoing in the air, he launched a double punch.

Li Minghuang let out a cold snort. If this were a contest of brute force, he had no fear at all. He thrust both palms forward to meet the attack head-on.

With a thunderous boom, fist met palm. Li Minghuang was blown backward like a drifting leaf, his path fluttering unpredictably. Qi Xuansu, on the other hand, was forced back three steps, stamping three deep footprints into the ground. Each footprint sank about 9 centimeters deep, and the sole patterns of his shoes were clearly visible.

After landing, Li Minghuang shouted, “Good one!”

He then rushed in once more, colliding again with Qi Xuansu’s Tantai Fist Intention. Their clash sounded like metal striking metal, echoing like thunder.

“Does this count as the third move?” Qi Xuansu shouted, his punches growing ever faster, fist shadows flying and fist intention oppressive.

Such was the benefit of a sturdy physique. A prolonged battle might wear him down, but Qi Xuansu showed no signs of yielding in a short burst of combat.

Though this had begun as a three-move match, the two men ended up exchanging far more than three blows, engaging in a full-on contest of fists, feet, and raw physicality.

The Green Netherworld Armor, being the weakest layer, shattered first. Then Qi Xuansu’s Spiritual Body began to falter since Qi Xuansu lacked abundant divine power and could not bear to casually expend it like the Innkeeper.

In the end, only his body spirits remained. As long as his 365 body spirits remained intact, his core essence would remain unharmed.

Li Minghuang knew full well that breaking Qi Xuansu’s body spirits was only a matter of time. But bound by the three-move agreement, he had no choice but to stop.

The two finally parted, retreating from one another.

Qi Xuansu cupped his hands and said, “Daoist Li, you truly were deserving of being the youngest Deputy Hall Master in Tiangang Hall before Qing Xiao took the title. I admire your strength.”

Li Minghuang replied indifferently, “Those are all old stories, insignificant now. True heroes rise young. Daoist Qi, you are the one to be reckoned with.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Three moves are done, so I won’t keep you any longer, Daoist Li.”

Li Minghuang said no more and left the scene alongside Li Changsheng.

Due to this turn of events, Zhang Yuyue lost all will to block their path again.

Qi Xuansu looked down at his right hand, which was trembling slightly beyond his control.

It just went to show that even within the Wuliang stage, there were different levels of strength. Though both Li Minghuang and Gan Longchi were in the same realm, the former was clearly far superior to the latter. Without using any external tools, Qi Xuansu could barely withstand Li Minghuang’s innate qi.

Moreover, Li Minghuang was only a Qi Refiner, while Qi Xuansu had inherited the Martial Arts Practitioner’s lineage that was most adept in hand-to-hand combat. The fact that he had tried to overcome strength with weakness and still barely held his ground only further showed how formidable Li Minghuang truly was.

Zhang Yuelu walked up beside Qi Xuansu and softly asked, “Are you alright?”

Qi Xuansu clenched his fingers into a fist, steadying the tremor. “Nothing serious. I just didn’t expect this Deputy Hall Master Li to be such a tough opponent. If it were a true fight to the death, and I didn’t use Green Cloud, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be his match.”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “That’s why I said I should handle it.”

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “Forget it. There’s no need for my lady to lift a finger when it comes to fighting off petty men.”

Zhang Yuelu simply said, “If Li Minghuang didn’t have that level of skill, the Li family wouldn’t have taken him in.”

Qi Xuansu sighed and turned to look at Zhang Yuyue and her husband, Dong Baijing.

Dong Baijing, filled with both shame and helplessness, sincerely thanked Qi Xuansu.

Zhang Yuyue, however, had a complex look in her eyes. She probably had not expected Qi Xuansu’s help after the way she had treated him in the past. She gazed at Qi Xuansu for a long while in silence before finally squeezing out two words. “Thank you.”

Qi Xuansu feigned magnanimity and said, “No need for formalities. No matter what, we’re all family.”

In truth, he had not stepped in because he wanted to meddle in Zhang Yuyue’s mess, nor was it really out of noble forgiveness. He just did not want Dong Baijing to be utterly humiliated. Perhaps it was a case of kindred pity. Had it not been for Madam Qi, Qi Xuansu would not have fared much better than Dong Baijing. At best, he could only become a matrilocal son-in-law of the Zhang family. He could not imagine what Dong Baijing was feeling. It would be humiliating to be knocked to the ground before one’s wife by her former lover and be utterly powerless to fight back.

Counting on Zhang Yuyue to force Li Minghuang into bowing his head and apologizing was unrealistic. Zhang Yuelu might be willing to force him, but she would need to wait till the right opportunity.