A Pawn's Passage

Suddenly, at the very edge of his vision, Qi Xuansu noticed a faint glimmer of light, flickering and indistinct, easily missed if not watched closely.

Qi Xuansu pondered for a moment, then memorized the general direction of the light before descending. After briefly informing the others, he said, “I don’t know what’s ahead, but at this point, we have no choice but to go take a look.”

None of the others objected.

Qi Xuansu was only wearing his Youyi Cloud Robe, not the wind-resistant hechang, so he retrieved his hechang from his magical receptacle and draped it over Lu Yuting’s shoulders. Then, he led the way while pressing forward with a wall of qi.

Lu Yuting was the only woman in the group and the weakest in combat, but she was the most learned. She wrapped the cloak tightly around herself, coughing as she explained, “In the Central Plains, mountain gods and river lords are nearly extinct. But in Fenglin, mountain gods are plentiful. They’re not true deities but more like impostor spirits occupying sacred places. In terms of cultivation, they aren’t real immortals and can’t compare to the Ancient Immortals of our homeland. Most aren’t even Pseudo-Immortals. They’re mostly mountain bandit overlords.

“These mountain gods often demand strange things like child sacrifices, virgins, and the like. But the people here have grown used to these bizarre and grotesque requests, as they confuse gods and ghosts. In the Central Plains, when strange happenings occur, people seek out Daoists for exorcisms. Though there are ignorant people in the Central Plains, they are in the minority. Here, it’s the opposite. Most people choose to worship the mountain gods. Over time, these so-called gods gain incense power from the offerings, gradually transforming from parasitic spirits to permanent fixtures of the land.

“In short, these mountain gods gain immense territorial advantage on their own turf, allowing them to unleash power far beyond their true level.”

Qi Xuansu listened intently and responded without turning, “If this is truly the work of a mountain god stirring up snowstorms, then we’re likely facing something on par with a Wuliang-stage Qi Refiner.”

The others grew visibly tense.

A Wuliang-stage cultivator was no small matter. Among the three Daoist prodigies, only Zhang Yuelu had reached that level.

Even if they were not all wounded, they would not stand a chance against a Wuliang-stage cultivator.

But Qi Xuansu quickly reassured them. “There’s no need to fear. It’s just a wild god with raw power but without our Daoist techniques and divine arts. Let’s not forget—we still have treasures and even a semi-immortal object.”

Everyone immediately felt at ease.

To them, Qi Xuansu had just subtly hinted that he possessed a semi-immortal object.

Human strength was no match for that of tigers or leopards, but humans could hunt them simply because humans could wield weapons.

It was possible for a Heavenly Being fighting with a semi-immortal object to defeat an unarmed cultivator of a higher level.

This led the group to revisit a familiar speculation. Deputy Hall Master Qi was said to have strong backing, because how else could he hold such a high office at such a young age? Thus, Qi Xuansu possessing a semi-immortal object only reinforced this belief. Yet no one could pinpoint the source of his background. It could not be the Li family, nor the Zhang family, because he would not have been able to become Zhang Yuelu’s Daoist companion if he were a Zhang. When counting off the possible powers capable of gifting such a valuable artifact, the Yao family seemed like the only candidate.

Of course, Qi Xuansu’s semi-immortal object had not come from the Yao family, but from the Heavenly Preceptor. However, many of his resources had come from the Yao family, which made their guess oddly accurate by coincidence.

Relying on his Heavenly Being cultivation, Qi Xuansu pushed forward the meter-tall qi barrier for nearly 10 kilometers. The faint glimmer grew brighter until even the others could see it. In truth, this showed his limited foundation. His repertoire of mystical abilities was still lacking. If he had access to the Banished Immortal’s Five Elements Qi Shield, he could have shielded everyone within it, and the veil would have moved with him effortlessly, providing better protection with less effort.

Unfortunately, Qi Xuansu did not know that technique.

The group finally arrived at the source of the light. It was a wooden house. A warm, amber glow leaked from its window, offering a comforting sight.

A solitary house appearing deep in the snowy wilderness in the dead of night would raise red flags not only for a seasoned wanderer like Qi Xuansu, but even for a novice flowerbed Daoist.

Qi Xuansu dissolved the qi barrier and looked back at Lu Yuting, who was struggling to stay on her feet.

But challenges must be faced, and problems must be solved.

Qi Xuansu signaled the group to halt, calling only Li Mingshan forward to knock on the door.

The reason was simple—Qi Xuansu neither spoke the Wa language nor possessed the Telepathic Technique.

Li Mingshan gently knocked on the door.

Moments later, the door opened to reveal a woman standing behind it.

The woman wore an all-white outfit—not a typical kimono, but something resembling both a haori and a shiromuku.

The haori was similar to the Central Plains’ hechang, though not entirely the same.

The shiromuku was a bridal garment that was entirely white. It featured a tsunokakushi, which looked like an oversized cowl at first glance.

Her attire was peculiar, but the woman herself was stunningly beautiful. In Qi Xuansu’s eyes, even Li Qingnu paled in comparison.

The woman was dressed in pure white mourning garb that did nothing to hide her graceful figure. Her white hood framed her long, willow-leaf brows and a cascade of ebony hair, creating a stark contrast. Her long eyes shimmered like autumn waters, and her complexion was as pale and translucent as the snow. Her entire being was a contrast of black and white. Only her lips bore a faint touch of crimson, a perfect final flourish.

She looked as though she had stepped straight out of a painting.

With a cold tone, she spoke a sentence in the Wa language.

Qi Xuansu did not understand and gestured for Li Mingshan to handle the exchange.

“What a beauty,” Tang Yongshui muttered. “I knew it. Out of eight million ghosts and spirits, there had to be a few lookers. They couldn’t all be fanged and hideous.”

Though he meant it as a joke, anyone could hear the unease behind Tang Yongshui’s jest.

After all, this was a lone woman appearing deep in the forest during a snowstorm filled with yin energy.

They were all seasoned Daoists, so they could certainly tell something was off.

Qi Xuansu was fully aware of the issue.

In the past, when dynasties had campaigned against Borneo, their biggest challenge was not the enemy army but the local conditions. Often, they would lose half their forces to illness before a single battle had begun.

Now that the Daoist Order was trying to suppress Fenglin, it faced the same dilemma. The greatest threat was not the daimyos or rebel factions. It was the eight million ghosts and spirits that had been left unchecked for over a thousand years.

A single army entering the deep forests might suffer massive losses just from the environment alone. They were living proof of this. Before even encountering a feudal lord, they were already entangled with monsters. One misstep, and they would be permanently buried here.

Moreover, subduing demons and spirits had never been a one-day task. Even if the Daoist Order poured all its strength into it, they could not possibly exterminate eight million spirits in just three months. That was why the Daoist Order never aimed for full control of Fenglin. Instead, it supported the Regent and Chancellor.

After a while, Li Mingshan finished speaking with the woman and said, “She has agreed to let us stay the night.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “What is this young lady’s name?”

Li Mingshan replied, “These barbarians lack culture, so the commoners here don’t even have last names—only nobles do. She says she’s a villager with no family name. Her name is simply Yuki.”

Han Yongfeng asked, “Didn’t they say women in Fenglin all have names ending in ‘-ko’? So shouldn’t she be called ‘Yuki-ko’?”

Li Mingshan explained, “First, the ‘-ko’ suffix is actually gender-neutral and conveys respect. Second, it’s usually reserved for women with official court titles, like the wife of Toyotomi Kampaku. Commoner women generally have very simple names in hiragana, without using our borrowed characters. In fact, only the aristocracy here is allowed to use kanji.”

Han Yongfeng sighed. “Then by that logic, the commoners in Central Plains are practically nobles in Fenglin. Society here is still so unequal, bound by so many rules. The Great Xuan Dynasty already allowed commoners to wear imperial yellow and dragon patterns. I suppose it’s definitely time for us to reform this place.”

Had Zhang Yuelu been here, Qi Xuansu might have joined the discussion. But in front of subordinates, he kept his composure and merely said, “A villager, huh? If women like her are common here, then it shouldn’t be us pacifying Fenglin’s rebellion. They should be the ones conquering the Central Plains.”

Lu Yuting coughed and added, “I agree. Many female Daoists—myself included—are inferior to this young lady in both looks and cultivation.”

Qi Xuansu fell silent for a moment before saying, “Let’s go inside first. You all take care of Superintendent Lu.”

The male Daoists all responded affirmatively. While court officials loved mocking Daoists as spineless, when it came to protecting women, Daoist men were clearly the better kind.

If Lu Yuting did not already have a Daoist companion, they would not have minded carrying her themselves.

Qi Xuansu led the way in, followed by the others in a single file. The house had wooden flooring, with a square cut out in the center exposing the earth beneath. A stove had been set there, and a pot hung from a rope attached to the rafters above. This was called an irori suspended stove. The blazing fire filled the room with a cozy warmth.

Glancing at the pot, Qi Xuansu asked, “Miss, is that water?”

Li Mingshan translated the question almost immediately.

The woman nodded but remained silent.

Qi Xuansu channeled about 10 marks of divine power into Lu Yuting, helping her to dispel the yin energy in her body. Then he asked again, “It’s such a warm fire. Won’t the snow melt?”

The woman still said nothing. She merely ladled a bowl of hot water from the pot and handed it to Lu Yuting, whose face had turned so pale to the point of blue.