A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu asked, “Since you’ve been trapped here for so long, why didn’t you go to Lingshan?”

“Do you think I didn’t want to?” Qi Jiaoyao said indignantly. “I only found out that Lingshan was sealed off after I got in. I simply couldn’t enter. That means others can’t get in either. The person you mentioned who got there first can’t be the Earthly Preceptor, right?”

Qi Xuansu thought to himself, Of course, it was someone from the Yao family. Just because you can’t get in doesn’t mean they can’t.

Qi Jiaoyao observed Qi Xuansu’s expression and said, “It seems you didn’t know that Lingshan was sealed either. So are you still going?”

“Well, I’m unwilling to just give up like that. We have to go and take a look. What if we can get in?” Qi Xuansu asked.

Qi Jiaoyao said, “Then we can travel together.”

Qi Xuansu did not refuse, believing that a Daoist was always more trustworthy than an Ancient Witch.

The two of them fell into silence, with only a faint trace of blood-red moonlight shining in from outside.

However, Qi Xuansu still could not completely relax and wanted to probe for information, so he made conversation out of nothing. “Sage Qi’s name is Qi Jiaozheng, and you’re Qi Jiaoyao. Why isn’t Qi Muyu called Qi Jiaoyu?”

Qi Jiaoyao retorted, “Why are you called Qi Xuansu and not Qi Xuandu or Qi Yongsu?”

Qi Xuansu was left speechless.

That said, he had not always been called Qi Xuansu. He had been named by his master upon graduation. Back when he was at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, he had another name, something starting with “Yong,” without a last name.

When he had first met Yue Liuli at Shangqing Palace, Yue Liuli had never heard of the name “Qi Xuansu.” She had only felt that Qi Xuansu looked somewhat familiar and later learned that Qi Xuansu had changed his name.

Mo Qingdi, Yue Liuli, Wan Xiuwu, Shi Yu, and others—they were different. The Wanxiang Daoist Lower Palace was not composed entirely of orphans. Some were also children from humble families sent there by their parents. Although they could not meet their parents, they still had parents, so they had names and last names. What the Wanxiang Daoist Palace did not have were scions of great families. Even those from the minor branch, like Zhang Yuelu, had studied in the clan academy.

Everyone had a past. Even Zhang Yuelu was originally supposed to be named Zhang Xinyue.

Going further back, even the founding emperor of the Wei Dynasty had changed his name. It was clear that once one achieved great things, one would change to a name befitting one’s status and position.

Qi Xuansu stopped trying to probe for information. He simply laid Green Cloud across his knees and waited for dawn.

This time, it was Qi Jiaoyao who took the initiative to probe. “Qi Xuan—Tian Yuan, why does the license hanging at your waist look like that of a second-rank Taiyi Daoist?”

Qi Xuansu could not help but be startled. This time, he was not wearing a lotus crown or a hechang, but the Youyi Cloud Robe gifted by Sage Donghua. He had merely hung his license at his waist out of habit. After all, it was something frequently used and not suitable to be stored in a magical receptacle.

Since Qi Jiaoyao noticed, Qi Xuansu did not deny it and said, “It is indeed the Shangdong License.”

Qi Jiaoyao exclaimed in surprise, “Are you really a second-rank Taiyi Daoist? How old are you? No wonder you asked earlier whether I knew you. Everyone would know a Sage as young as you.”

Qi Xuansu shrugged. “I’m just lucky.”

Qi Jiaoyao muttered to herself, “How long have I been trapped here? This damned Lingshan Paradise!”

Since Qi Jiaoyao had taken the initiative to start the topic, Qi Xuansu continued probing. “Since you’ve been trapped in the Lingshan Paradise for so long, you must also know what dangers are hidden here, right?”

Qi Jiaoyao nodded. “You must have already seen it. The most obvious danger is the Blood Moon overhead. Wherever the blood-red moonlight shines, projections of Ancient Witches and savage beasts will be revived. They’re not very dangerous, but extremely annoying. However, the real danger doesn’t come from the Blood Moon, but from the Lingshan Paradise itself.”

Qi Xuansu was startled, then said, “You mean the various spatial rifts from the collapse of the Lingshan Paradise?”

Although Qi Xuansu could not see Qi Jiaoyao’s expression, he could tell from her serious tone that she must be wearing a solemn expression. “Spatial rifts are dead things. You just need to avoid them. What’s so dangerous about that? What I mean is, if you stay in the Lingshan Paradise for too long, you’ll gradually assimilate with it and merge into it. Back when the Kunlun Paradise had not yet descended into the mortal world, many people tried to enter it. In the end, they became trapped within it and became part of the Kunlun Paradise. They were driven like slaves by God Luwu. It was only after the Holy Xuan rebuilt the Daoist Order and the Kunlun Paradise fully descended that those people were finally freed.”

Qi Xuansu felt a chill in his heart. He had indeed read records about this before. Among the earliest 36 Omniscient Sages, several had come from the Kunlun Paradise. If Lingshan Paradise was the same as Kunlun Paradise, then he had to complete his journey to Lingshan as soon as possible. After all, being a pawn in the outside world is much better than becoming fertilizer for the Lingshan Paradise.

However, Qi Xuansu also realized a flaw and asked, “But you’ve been in Lingshan Paradise for so long. Why haven’t you merged with it?”

Qi Jiaoyao let out a sinister snigger and asked in return, “How do you know that I haven’t merged with the Lingshan Paradise?”

Startled, Qi Xuansu quickly grasped the hilt of Green Cloud on his knees.

Qi Jiaoyao’s tone changed again as she burst into laughter. “Obviously, I’m lying! Look at how scared you are—so much for being the youngest Sage!”

Qi Xuansu frowned and glared at Qi Jiaoyao.

Qi Jiaoyao explained, “Lingshan Paradise has already decayed into this state, like a broken house with drafts coming in from all sides. How could it possibly be compared with the Kunlun Paradise of the past? Don’t worry. It won’t affect you no matter how long you stay here.”

Qi Xuansu was annoyed at Qi Jiaoyao and found her irritating. He scowled and warned her. “Don’t joke when we’re discussing serious matters.”

“Aww...are you angry?” Qi Jiaoyao mocked. “How boring. A grown man should be forgiving, not petty and narrow-minded.”

Qi Xuansu spat, “And women should be virtuous and gentle, not spoiled and willful.”

Qi Jiaoyao argued confidently, “Virtue and gentleness are constraints imposed on women by the Confucians. The Daoist Order advocates equality. We should discard the dross, dare to break cages, and pursue the self. Fellow Daoist, I’m afraid the Wei Dynasty has long since fallen.”

Qi Xuansu retorted, “In that case, your stereotype about men is also a traditional constraint, so why can’t men be calculative? Fellow Daoist, you can’t have double standards.”

Qi Jiaoyao pointed at Qi Xuansu, finding herself speechless. This kid’s quite slippery and pretty good at debating. Had the moral standards outside Lingshan Paradise changed so rapidly?

Qi Xuansu did not want to dwell on such topics and returned to the main point. “So what are the dangers here, exactly?”

Qi Jiaoyao replied, “The greatest danger lies at Lingshan, where the remains of three Ancestral Witches are located.”

Qi Xuansu immediately understood. “Among the Eleven Witches, the Six Enlightened Witches went to the Kunlun Paradise, and Wu Xian was buried in the Nether Valley. Only four Great Witches remained in Lingshan Paradise and died in battle there, excluding Wu Luo.”

Qi Jiaoyao nodded. “Exactly. Wu Luo and Wu Xian have already been revived, so who can be certain that these three Ancestral Witches won’t resurrect as well? Even if they cannot return from the dead, they could be zombies. That would still be extremely troublesome.”

Qi Xuansu pondered for a moment and then asked, “What about the journey to Lingshan? What dangers are there along the way?”

Qi Jiaoyao rubbed her belly. “I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten for too long. Do you have anything to eat?”

As a Zaohua-stage Heavenly Being, Qi Xuansu did not carry food with him. He had not eaten for a long time either. Although Martial Arts Practitioners had a need for food, once one reached the Zaohua stage, only special meats containing immense blood qi—such as dragon flesh—would provide benefits. One might have to eat nine oxen a day, relying on sheer quantity, to achieve any kind of benefits, which would be extremely troublesome. Qi Xuansu was far too busy to spend half a day eating, so he simply stopped eating altogether. After all, his advancement relied on the Xuan Jade, so abandoning the traditional cultivation method of Martial Arts Practitioners posed no major problem.

However, Qi Xuansu had a solution. He could produce objects out of thin air at the Diviner’s Creation Realm. So, he asked, “What do you want to eat?”

Qi Jiaoyao placed her order as if she were at a restaurant. “Sweet-and-sour carp, braised sea cucumber with scallions, braised intestines in brown sauce, and top-grade tofu. You can skip the soup and desserts. Oh, and a pot of wine.”

“You really know how to eat.” Qi Xuansu chuckled. He had eaten all of these dishes before, so they were not difficult to reproduce.

With a flick of his sleeve, four plates appeared before Qi Jiaoyao. They were the four dishes she had requested.

Then, Qi Xuansu pointed again, and a long-spouted wine pot and a wine cup appeared. An invisible hand lifted the pot and poured wine for Qi Jiaoyao.

Qi Jiaoyao could not hide her surprise. “Aren’t you a Martial Arts Practitioner? How can you use a Diviner’s techniques, and at the Creation Realm, no less.”

Qi Xuansu did not want to explain his origins and merely said, “None of your business. Just eat.”

Qi Jiaoyao muttered, “Hmph! It’s all fake. I’ll only be able to taste the flavor. Once the magical power dissipates, it’ll be as if I never ate anything.”

Qi Xuansu said, “So are you eating or not? If you’re not, I’ll take it back.”

“Of course, I’ll eat it!” Qi Jiaoyao hurriedly said. She did not remove her mask but lifted a plate and inhaled the dish.

Then she let out a sigh of lingering satisfaction. “Ahhh...that was good!”

She repeated this action, savoring the flavors. The exact tastes had been recreated by Qi Xuansu based on memory, and the chefs who cooked for Sage Qi were naturally top-notch.

After she was fully satisfied, Qi Jiaoyao said, “For the sake of these dishes, I’ll tell you the truth. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. In fact, only the remains of Wu Gu are on Lingshan. The other two Great Witches—Wu Ji and Wu Zhen—fell outside Lingshan. Wu Ji specializes in creating illusions and Wu Zhen in capturing souls. Wu Gu has the strongest physique, comparable to many ancient beasts. Our current position isn’t far from where Wu Ji fell.”

Qi Xuansu said with some uncertainty, “You’ve already changed your story several times. Is there any truth in what you say?”

Qi Jiaoyao said nonchalantly, “Just as I’ll eat if I feel like it, it’s up to you whether to believe me.”

With no other choice, Qi Xuansu decided to believe her for now. “Fine. If we want to go to Lingshan, do we have to pass through Wu Ji’s territory?”

Qi Jiaoyao replied, “We can take a detour. But it’s hard to say what are the unknown situations we’ll face.”

Qi Xuansu thought for a moment, then made up his mind. “Alright, then we’ll go to Wu Ji.”