A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu used the jade token to unlock the restriction and stepped into the narrow alley.

The alley itself was nothing particularly remarkable. It was just extremely long, which made it evident that the nine library towers hidden within were far from ordinary structures.

Emerging from the alley, the nine library towers formed a courtyard around an open atrium with a shimmering pond and a small island in the middle. A three-story tower rose from the island, perfectly mirrored by its reflection in the water.

Qi Xuansu did not pause to admire its beauty. He proceeded straight ahead toward the island at the center of the lake.

There was an invisible bridge over the lake, imperceptible to the naked eye. As long as one walked straight ahead after leaving the alley, one would naturally step onto the bridge without obstruction.

After crossing the bridge and circling a short distance, Qi Xuansu arrived before the main entrance. A plaque above read, “Virtue Like Water.”

Beneath the plaque, the doors were tightly shut, upon which another Taiji Eight Trigrams symbol appeared.

With a flick of the jade token in his hand, Qi Xuansu lifted the restriction and pushed the door open.

The first floor of the Tianshui Core Tower was filled with tightly packed bookshelves from wall to wall. Books of every category were carefully arranged and stored in protective cases. For a first-time visitor, the sight was inevitably overwhelming.

Nearby was a record of past borrowers. Every name listed belonged to a person of great authority and influence. Qi Xuansu glanced at it, and as expected, the most recent name was Sun Hewu.

Qi Xuansu recalled something Yao Pei had once said, that Great Sage Shi was an upright man who placed great importance on rules. Though he had the authority to enter the third floor, he would not do so, as there was no need. He was neither the Grand Master nor the Zixiao Palace Master and had no authority to deal with prisoners, so there was no reason for him to inspect the detained dragon. Therefore, Great Sage Shi surely would not know what had transpired on the third floor.

At the time, Qi Xuansu had already harbored doubts.

In theory, Great Sage Shi should not have known about the matter. But no one could guarantee that he would not one day act on a whim and take a look for himself.

Yao Pei’s response had been, “There is no such thing as absolute certainty in this world. Having 70% confidence is already enough.”

Now, it seemed that Qi Xuansu’s concerns had not been unfounded. Great Sage Shi did go to the third floor and had thoroughly investigated the entire incident, uncovering everything in full detail.

At this point, Qi Xuansu suddenly realized what had really been going on.

In fact, Great Sage Shi had already hinted at this long ago.

Qi Xuansu had mistakenly read “Jianxiu Mountain Master” as “Jianxiu Mountain Grain Person” during the night of Yao Pei’s heist. By all logic, only Qi Xuansu and Yao Pei should have known about it. After all, it was nothing to be proud of. Qi Xuansu would never go around advertising that he had misread characters, and the always expressionless Yao Pei was certainly not one to gossip. Yet Great Sage Shi not only knew about it, but he even demanded that Qi Xuansu strengthen his literature studies.

How had Great Sage Shi found out?

There were only two possible explanations.

One possibility was that the Tianshui Core Tower had a monitoring object like the Sky Eye or an image recording stone, which recorded everything that happened. When Great Sage Shi later reviewed the recordings, he learned of the incident.

The other possibility was that after investigating the matter thoroughly, Great Sage Shi had already spoken with Yao Pei, and Yao Pei had confessed everything, including this incident.

Although Great Sage Shi had already hinted at it, Qi Xuansu was completely lost in his embarrassment and failed to notice this detail. Later, when Qi Xuansu himself brought up the Tianshui Core Tower again, Great Sage Shi felt he had no choice but to point it out directly. Otherwise, Qi Xuansu might actually believe the old man was unaware of the matter. Still, considering that Qi Xuansu was one of his own, Great Sage Shi ultimately agreed to his request.

In truth, elders were usually not averse to the younger generation asking them for help and often liked it, as it signified closeness.

Qi Xuansu did not dwell on the matter because he was merely an accomplice. If someone were to be held accountable, it would be Yao Pei. Moreover, given Qi Xuansu’s current status and position, there was no way he would be made to take the blame for Yao Pei.

Despite having already transferred the dragon away, Great Sage Shi still did not reopen the Tianshui Core Tower due to long-standing habit.

The Tianshui Core Tower had remained sealed for many years, so it required no personnel to manage it. Reopening it now would entail a whole chain of procedures, like appointing a Special-Rank Golden Purple Instructor or a Deputy Palace Master to oversee it, assigning guards and maintenance staff, and establishing permissions on who could enter and who could not. It was far from a simple matter of opening the doors, and it would be a major hassle.

It was better to leave everything as it was, since nothing was truly affected anyway. Or perhaps wait until the seventh-generation Grand Master took office for a symbolic reopening.

Qi Xuansu steadied his mind and began to browse the shelves one by one, merely skimming through them at a glance.

The books here had already been categorized according to the Hundred Schools of Thought, so browsing them was not troublesome at all. There was no need to read every single book. Simply checking the labels on the shelves was sufficient.

Before long, Qi Xuansu had gone through all the shelves on the first floor. Finding nothing related to Ancient Wuism. He had no choice but to head up to the second floor.

The second floor of the Tianshui Core Tower was no smaller than the first, but there were far fewer shelves, making the space feel much more open. It went without saying that the quality of the books stored here surpassed those on the first floor.

In addition, many tables and chairs had been placed near the windows. However, all of these windows were sealed shut. Approaching them would likewise cause the Taiji Eight Trigrams symbol to appear.

There was also a gigantic figure over 3 meters tall, its head nearly brushing the ceiling. Its entire body was forged of metal, resembling a Spirit Guard’s armor in appearance.

The Daoist Order referred to this construct as a mechanical puppet, a classic example of cooperation between the Tianji Hall and the Huasheng Hall back before they split. It combined mechanical arts with talismanic power. Its indestructible body was immune to water and fire. It also had immense strength and combat power that could rival a Heavenly Being. Moreover, due to its massive size, it could be equipped with Imitation Dragon Pearls and connected to formation-based earth qi, giving it an endurance far surpassing that of regular Spirit Guards. It had almost no obvious drawbacks aside from its exorbitant cost.

Some places remained sealed year-round, so sending humans into such environments would drive them mad. However, these places were extremely important and could not be left unguarded.

Usually, those willing to do the job lacked sufficient cultivation, while those with adequate cultivation were unwilling to be “exiled” to such locations. Spirit Guards had to rotate shifts frequently to replenish divine power. As a result, these mechanical puppets, which could also remain dormant to conserve energy, were perfect for such applications.

Since the Tianshui Core Tower had been sealed for many years, all Spirit Guards originally stationed here had been withdrawn. Instead, a mechanical puppet replaced the former guards.

The moment Qi Xuansu stepped onto the second floor, the mechanical puppet detected him and locked onto its target. Red light flickered from its eye sockets.

Qi Xuansu naturally remembered this thing and did not panic.

This was especially memorable for Qi Xuansu because if not for this mechanical puppet, Yao Pei would not have taken out the Jianxiu Mountain Master Seal, and Qi Xuansu would not have misread it and made such a fool of himself.

Now, not only Yao Pei knew about it. Even Great Sage Shi and Zhang Yuelu were aware as well.

Zhang Yuelu was kindhearted and never mocked Qi Xuansu, so the blunder stayed contained. Had it been Little Yin and her big mouth, half of the Poluo Daoist Mansion would probably have known in no time.

Fortunately, Little Yin did not know of this incident. Otherwise, Qi Xuansu would be humiliated and could never discipline Little Yin again.

The massive puppet merely stood on alert and did not enter a hostile state. A stern mechanical voice came from the puppet. “Respected second-rank Taiyi Daoist, please leave the second floor immediately. Otherwise, force will be used to expel you. I repeat: please leave the second floor.”

Qi Xuansu merely extended his hand, and a mountain-shaped sigil surfaced, like a talismanic mark. That was Jianxiu Mountain.

The red light flickering in the giant puppet’s eyes immediately dimmed, turning into two strands of green light. Its voice softened as well. “Class-C access confirmed. Respected second-rank Taiyi Daoist, please enjoy your reading.”

The massive mechanical puppet turned and departed.

Back then, the Earthly Preceptor had reclaimed Qi Xuansu’s Class-A access, which allowed him to control the Sakka in Fenglin. In the end, Qi Xuansu was left with Class-C access. This mechanical puppet originated from Jianxiu Mountain, which fell within the scope of Class-C authority. Class C access was not at all low, only second to the Three Yin Beings.

Qi Xuansu began browsing the books on the second floor. This time, he was not disappointed. At the northeastern corner, he found a shelf labeled “Ancient Wuism.”

However, the materials here consisted entirely of turtle shells and bamboo slips, truly unique copies. Fortunately, the library had likely considered that some readers might lack the ability to read oracle-bone script, so corresponding translations were also provided. Even so, these translations were over 800 years old and exceedingly precious.

Qi Xuansu opened one of them.

It recorded the origins of Ancient Wuism. The Eleven Great Witches were essentially subordinates of the Heavenly Emperor, who was the sovereign of humans during ancient times. In truth, Ancient Wuism was more like a branch of the Court, akin to a combination of the Directorate of Astronomy, the Directorate of Ceremonies, the Imperial Medical Office, and the Ministry of Rites, equivalent to half of the cabinet and half of the inner court.

The main duties of the Ten Great Witches of Lingshan were divination, ritual sacrifice, and healing the sick.

In matters of state, the greatest concerns were rites and warfare.

Ritual sacrifices were handled by the Ten Great Witches of Lingshan, which granted them extremely high status and great authority at the time. Meanwhile, Wu Yang was akin to the Heavenly Emperor’s personal secretary, often independently carrying out the Emperor’s commands.

If the Heavenly Emperor were likened to the Heavenly Preceptor, then the Ancient Wuist Sect would be the Shangqing Palace. Wu Xian would be the Shangqing Palace Master, while the other nine Great Witches would be equivalent to the Deputy Palace Masters under Wu Xian’s authority. The Shangqing Palace Master was essentially the secretary for the Zhengyi Sect. Wu Yang, on the other hand, was similar to Tang Jiaohua, the Heavenly Preceptor’s personal secretary. Though Tang Jiaohua’s status was lower than the Shangqing Palace Master, he spent the most time with the Heavenly Preceptor and stood closest to him, making him the person most capable of influencing the Heavenly Preceptor.

Qi Xuansu summed it up concisely. “The Heavenly Emperor’s eleven secretaries.”