A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu took the prescription and the pill but did not even bother to glance at them.

That was because he had no knowledge about medicine, so he could not tell anything from them, even if he tried. More importantly, Chen Shuhua would not have handed them over so casually unless she was certain he would not find a problem with them.

So Qi Xuansu simply summoned Shangguan Ya, who was right outside the door.

Admittedly, it was a risky move. If Chen Shuhua recognized Shangguan Ya’s true identity, Qi Xuansu would be in a precarious position. But at that moment, he could not afford to hesitate and took a gamble.

Shangguan Ya accepted the prescription and pill from him, scanning them quickly. Her artificial eye glimmered faintly, though the light was entirely concealed by her glasses.

Then she whispered to Qi Xuansu, “I’ll need to examine the patient before coming to a conclusion.”

Chen Shuhua returned the Pure Bodhi blade to Qi Xuansu and turned her gaze to Shangguan Ya. “Who might this be?”

Qi Xuansu replied casually, “A friend from Huasheng Hall.”

The current head of Huasheng Hall was Xu Dacheng, a member of the Quanzhen Sect and an acquaintance of Qi Xuansu. Xu Dacheng’s younger sister, Xu Xiaoying, was also close to Zhang Yuelu. The previous Huasheng Hall Master had been Sage Cihang, Qi Xuansu’s prospective mother-in-law. In short, Huasheng Hall was considered his family, so spinning this lie was not difficult for him.

Chen Shuhua gave a light nod and did not press further.

Qi Xuansu casually rested his hand on the Pure Bodhi and continued, “The King of the Yu Kingdom has been ill for too long. I believe that the local branch of Huasheng Hall lacked expertise, so I invited a master healer from the headquarters in Jade Capital to take a look.”

Chen Shuhua smiled faintly. “Second Deputy Qi, you are most considerate. Allow me to thank you on behalf of the King.”

Qi Xuansu studied Chen Shuhua’s expression carefully but did not find the slightest trace of deceit. He thought, What a cunning fox.

Chen Shuhua rose from where the King would normally sit and said, “It’s about time. Let’s go, Second Deputy Qi.”

Without waiting for his reply, she turned and walked straight out.

Qi Xuansu watched her leave, a flicker of doubt surfacing in his heart. What exactly was she trying to achieve by putting on this act? Was it just to inspect his blade? To test him? That would be making a mountain out of a molehill. Had she sensed something? Was the probing merely a smokescreen?

He temporarily suppressed his doubts and headed toward the King’s bedchamber.

Since Chen Shuhua had shown up, Chen Jianqiu did not stand guard over her father. Only a few palace maids and eunuchs remained.

When they saw Qi Xuansu enter, the maids and eunuchs all bowed.

Qi Xuansu ordered, “All of you may leave.”

The maids and eunuchs hurried out at once.

All that was left was the giant bed.

Shangguan Ya pulled down her hood, revealing her true face. A faint light shimmered beneath her glasses.

She did not rush toward the Yu King, who was lying on the bed. Instead, she swept her gaze across the entire bedchamber first.

Qi Xuansu finally understood why Madam Qi had sent Shangguan Ya. That artificial eye was certainly useful, able to see through nearly everything. It was far superior to the Immortal Eye of Providence. The only drawback was that one had to gouge out their real eye to use it.

After scanning the room, Shangguan Ya reported, “There’s a formation here. But it’s deeply concealed, so I can’t see its full structure. If we want to dig it out completely, we’d probably have to dismantle the entire room.”

Qi Xuansu considered it before answering, “It’s not surprising. The royal palace was built atop the Southern Dragon’s node to draw in dragon qi. Its layout imitates the Great Xuan Imperial Palace, so it may contain a similar grand formation. This formation could be part of the official dragon qi formation or one that hides malicious intent. It could even be a mix of both by using the legitimate formation to mask ulterior motives.”

Shangguan Ya nodded. “You’re right. The dragon qi formation is too significant. Altering any part could affect the whole. Without knowing its structure or having a formation diagram, rash action could trigger unpredictable consequences.”

Qi Xuansu proposed, “Let’s examine the King first.”

Shangguan Ya approached the bed but did not lift the curtains. She removed her glasses, allowing a beam of light to shoot out from her artificial eye, penetrating all obstructions.

She then began a deep structural analysis of the King’s body.

Unlike Qi Xuansu’s six-colored radiance, the King’s body had no color at all. His essence was depleted, and his organs were failing. He was a dying man.

Shangguan Ya frowned slightly.

Since the King had just taken the medicine, where had the pill’s medicinal power gone? Even if the King’s body was riddled with flaws and the medicinal power dispersed instantly, there should have been traces left behind in such a short span.

But strangely, not a single trace remained. It was unnaturally clean, which made it seem fishy.

More importantly, Huasheng Hall’s medical records had clearly stated that the King was afflicted with the Lost Soul Syndrome and that his physical body was intact. So how had he suddenly deteriorated into a dying man?

In other words, the King’s condition had worsened since the previous medical records and had not improved at all despite Great Sage Lan defeating Wu Luo’s red-robed Bodhisattva incarnation.

After reporting her observations to Qi Xuansu, Shangguan Ya took out Chen Shuhua’s pill, scraped off a small fragment with her fingernail, and placed it on her tongue to taste.

Seeing this, Qi Xuansu could not help but lament how bold these people who were passionate about experiments were. It explained why Shangguan Ya had destroyed half of her own face.

Shangguan Ya tasted it carefully and said after a while, “This pill is indeed suspicious.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Chen Shuhua must’ve assumed I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. She didn’t expect I’d bring a true expert like you.”

Shangguan Ya spat out the residue. “I know a little about Daoist alchemy. This pill contains components strictly forbidden by Huasheng Hall. But if you want to use one pill to bring down a Chief Deputy Mansion Master, I don’t think it would be enough. This would at most earn her a demerit. Chief Deputy Chen likely knows this as well, which is why she’s so fearless.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “What is this forbidden ingredient you’re referring to?”

Shangguan Ya answered, “The sap of the Refined Jade Tree.”

Qi Xuansu had no impression of such a thing and pressed further, “What is it?”

Shangguan Ya replied matter-of-factly. “It seems you didn’t score very well in alchemical studies. There’s a secondary cave beneath the Kunlun Paradise called the Five Elements Cave. It’s the Daoist Order’s medicinal garden. Within it are Pearl Trees, Refined Jade Trees, Radiant Jade Trees, and Undying Trees. Their fruits and saps are the main ingredients for refining the Elixir of Immortality.

“In the early days, these items were scarce. After the Daoist Order took over Kunlun Paradise and began large-scale cultivation, they became less rare and started being used in other ways. Some discovered that the Refined Jade Tree’s sap could greatly strengthen one’s physique, even when used alone. The effect was astonishing.

“However, its drawbacks are equally severe. Long-term use causes the entire body to stiffen, one’s blood and qi will stagnate until eventually, the person turns into a motionless living corpse, like a vegetable. Therefore, the Refined Jade Tree sap, like Flood Dragon Blood and Qilin Blood, has been strictly regulated by Huasheng Hall.”

Qi Xuansu actually knew a bit about consuming beast blood directly.

Flood Dragon Blood could cleanse and remake the meridians. Even a cripple whose meridians were blocked or whose Dantian was destroyed could become agile again.

Phoenix Blood granted an undying body and the ability to regenerate flesh and bone.

White Tiger Blood dramatically increased strength and vitality, breaking the physical limits of mere mortals.

Qilin Blood enhanced cultivation and retained its potency until the Longevity stage.

However, consuming divine beast blood was extremely dangerous. A small mistake could lead to death. One could also manifest beastly traits, turning them into part beast and distorting one’s mind. There would be violent berserk rages, murderous instincts, uncontrollable lust, and drastic changes in personality. In the long term, such external power was detrimental to one’s cultivation.

For example, when Flood Dragon Blood was used properly, it could remake the meridians. But if consumed raw, one would turn into a half-dragon creature. Rampant lust would be inevitable, and in time, the lingering consciousness of the flood dragon could even possess the person completely. Thus, Daoists only used it for pill refinement. No one dared to ingest it directly.

This inevitably made Qi Xuansu think of Little Yin. Just a few days earlier, he had heard about her situation from Zhang Yuelu.

That girl had eaten raw dragon meat. Not only had not suffered backlash, but she even advanced a whole realm. It was easier than Qi Xuansu advancing with the Xuan Jade.

It was completely unreasonable.

But on second thought, it made sense. In Fenglin, that little imp had swallowed countless demons whole. Her stomach was not something regular humans could compare with.

In a way, she seemed more like the incarnation of some great being than Qi Xuansu did.

Qi Xuansu looked again at the stiff, unmoving Yu King. “Full-body rigidity, stagnant blood and qi, like a living corpse. The symptoms match.”

Holding the remaining pill, Shangguan Ya said, “I don’t have the proper tools with me, so I can’t determine the pill’s exact function here. If you want to know its true purpose, I can send it to the Leader using the Five Ghost Transport Method.”

Qi Xuansu could not help but ask, “Madam Qi knows about this as well?”

Shangguan Ya answered, “The reason the Leader is above me is because her mastery in all things creation far surpasses mine.”

Qi Xuansu was not that surprised. Madam Qi was born into the Yao family, and her ancestor, Elder Yao, had led the entire Creation Project. Huasheng Hall and the Eight Divisions had inherited that project, so it would be strange if Madam Qi did not understand it.

Qi Xuansu asked, “How long will it take?”

Shangguan Ya hesitated before replying, “That depends on whether the Leader has time. It would be ideal if you can urge her a little...”