A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu sat upon the jade platform, the Guizang Lantern beside him, and began recalling the events of his past years.

His name, Xuansu—black and white—suited his personality well. He had once wondered if he developed this style because of the name, or if the style came first and the name followed.

Now it seemed his name was most likely chosen afterward.

Where was the true starting point within this time loop? Was it when Qi Xuansu returned to the Lingshan Paradise of the past or when he and his master were ambushed near the Kunlun Mountain Pass?

Qi Xuansu had yet to figure it out.

However, he discovered some rather interesting details.

After he and Qi Jiaoyao obtained the Bone-Illuminating Mirror and divided the spoils, he guilt-tripped her and raised the price at the last moment. Qi Jiaoyao had said that she would definitely leave him coinless if she ever got the chance to get back at him.

Madam Qi truly held grudges. She definitely followed through with her threat. The present Qi Xuansu was indeed coinless. He often relied on Zhang Yuelu to support him.

No wonder the wealthy Madam Qi was fixated on his meager allowance. It turned out she had a reason to get back at him.

From various signs, it seemed that Madam Qi had eventually learned the truth. But when exactly?

Logically, after Qi Xuansu died in the Lingshan Paradise and Qi Jiaoyao left with the Longevity Stone Heart, she would certainly investigate what had happened in the outside world during the time she was trapped there, which would naturally include learning about Qi Xuansu.

After all, Qi Xuansu had claimed to be a rising star and the youngest Sage of the Daoist Order. Anyone could recognize his name.

Yet after making inquiries, she would discover that she had not been trapped for long at all. Outside, Pei Xuanzhi, Li Wugou, and Su Yuanyi were still the Three Prodigies, and the eighth-generation disciples were nowhere to be seen. They would still need many years before rising to the Daoist Order’s upper ranks.

What was even more shocking was that Qi Xuansu, as a person, simply did not exist.

It was unlikely that Qi Xuansu had been boasting. Even if Qi Xuansu had exaggerated his position, his cultivation as a Zaohua-stage Heavenly Being could not be faked. Such a person could not have simply appeared out of nowhere. Even if he were not of the Daoist Order, he should still be renowned. Most importantly, he wielded the Heavenly Preceptor’s Green Cloud, capable of summoning heavenly lightning, authenticated by the Ancestral Heavenly Preceptor himself. This was something that could not be falsified.

Madam Qi must have verified through various channels and discovered that Green Cloud had always remained in the Heavenly Preceptor’s possession.

But could there really be two Green Clouds? Had the Ancestral Heavenly Preceptor left behind a spare?

That was impossible.

There had to be another explanation.

Madam Qi would certainly have reasoned that a Zaohua-stage Heavenly Being who claimed to be a rising star of the Daoist Order and had arrived at the Lingshan Paradise wielding the Heavenly Preceptor’s personal sword, had to be some influential figure. Yet such a person did not exist in the outside world.

She was no fool, but could she truly have conceived the idea that her dead son Qi Xuansu was a visitor from the future?

If Qi Xuansu had not personally experienced it, he himself would never have believed it. He could understand if it were a fleeting dream or even a glimpse of the past, but actually returning to the past was beyond ordinary comprehension.

If Madam Qi could not figure this out on her own, then who had revealed the truth to her?

Qi Xuansu’s first thought was the Earthly Preceptor.

The Three Deputy Grand Masters had worked together and competed with each other for many years. If the Heavenly Preceptor could foresee 500 years into the future and 500 years into the past, enabling Qi Xuansu to witness the truth, it was unlikely that the Earthly Preceptor would remain oblivious.

Considering the relationship between the Earthly Preceptor and Madam Qi, this seemed plausible.

Yet one thing did not add up. Madam Qi had secretly infiltrated the Lingshan Paradise behind the Earthly Preceptor’s back, taken the Bone-Illuminating Mirror, stolen the Longevity Stone Heart, and even killed Yao Liu. That was far worse than Little Yin sneaking in and meddling with the Guizang Lantern. An equivalent crime would be like Little Yin stealing Qi Xuansu’s Green Cloud and Pure Bodhi, selling them to Li Changge, and casually beating Chen Jianchou half to death.

Qi Xuansu would never let such a matter rest. He would definitely teach Little Yin a lesson she would never forget.

Was the Earthly Preceptor truly that magnanimous? Or had Madam Qi already been captured and punished?

But if she had been captured, the Longevity Stone Heart should have been confiscated by the Earthly Preceptor. So how was it still in her possession? Unless...the Earthly Preceptor had tacitly approved of it or even welcomed the outcome.

Madam Qi was also just a pawn.

But all of this was merely Qi Xuansu’s speculation. It might be correct, or it might be wrong. The key was to meet Madam Qi face to face, since she was the one directly involved.

Yet given Madam Qi’s personality, she might not tell him the full truth. Or rather, she told partial truths that created misleading impressions. For instance, when she said that she had a son, she had not lied. But who could have guessed what she truly meant?

Though Qi Xuansu had found it relatively easy to deal with Qi Jiaoyao, that was because she was young and just beginning her career. She already carried Madam Qi’s traits but still retained some naivety. The present Madam Qi was tempered by many more years of experience. She was seasoned and accomplished, a veteran of Jianghu.

More importantly, Qi Xuansu had been completely unfamiliar to Qi Jiaoyao. She did not know his background and lacked insight into her opponent, making it hard for her to control him. But to Madam Qi, Qi Xuansu was an adopted son she had personally raised. Every little thought he had was known to her. Knowing both herself and her opponent, she would have no trouble handling him.

Time was a potent remedy. It had taken less than ten years for him to transform from Wei Wugui into Sage Qi. After so many years, Madam Qi was certainly no longer the same person as the former Qi Jiaoyao.

Therefore, Qi Xuansu had little confidence.

But having come this far, he had to try regardless. It was time for them to lay their cards on the table.

Qi Xuansu put away the Guizang Lantern, opened the door, and walked out.

At that moment, Little Yin was sitting on the ground at the corner outside the door, a stack of cards spread out before her as she entertained herself. This was a promotional gimmick imported from the Westerners—buy cigars and receive collectible cards.

Little Yin never tired of this. She often used the money Zhang Yuelu gave her to buy cigars, threw them away, and kept only the cards. Several smokers in the Daoist Mansion learned of this and began following her around, happily picking up free packs of cigars whenever she discarded them.

Of course, the merchants were unscrupulous, usually including one or two rare cards that might not appear even after dozens of packs. Little Yin had spent a great deal of money chasing them and had been scolded by Zhang Yuelu more than once. After all, even though Zhang Yuelu was wealthy now, she had once lived through poverty.

Seeing Qi Xuansu at the door, Little Yin hurriedly gathered up her cards, as if he might snatch them away. In truth, Qi Xuansu also enjoyed collecting. Fundamentally, he was no different from Little Yin. But his tastes were more refined and expensive. He mainly collected various Holy Xuan Cards and some unique books. Of course, this money came from Zhang Yuelu.

For Qi Xuansu, accumulating wealth would have been easy. If nothing else, he could have arranged discreet transfers through Genki and Chen Shuwen—both safe and hidden. He simply chose not to do such things.

What made Little Yin feel especially unfair was that both she and Qi Xuansu were collectors and both received money from Zhang Yuelu, yet Zhang Yuelu never criticized Qi Xuansu and only scolded her. This was certainly a double standard.

Between the two parental figures, one usually played the kind role while the other played the strict one. Qi Xuansu always took the gentle role, while Zhang Yuelu acted as the disciplinarian—somewhat reversed from the usual expectations.

So Qi Xuansu merely glanced at her and said nothing.

Seeing that Qi Xuansu remained silent, Little Yin quietly pulled out a small illustrated booklet and began reading on her own.

Before long, Lin Yuanmiao also came over. He normally stayed in the central control area of Tongzhen Palace, able to monitor the entire complex and manage its various formations. Little Yin was unreliable, while Old Lin was the one they truly depended on.

“Are you leaving seclusion?” Lin Yuanmiao asked directly.

Qi Xuansu replied, “Yes, but don’t inform the others yet. I have some matters to handle first. Oh, remember to take Little Yin over to Second Deputy Zhang afterward.”

Lin Yuanmiao simply nodded and returned to the control area, removing the various restrictions both inside and outside Tongzhen Palace for Qi Xuansu.

After leaving Tongzhen Palace, all communication restrictions vanished. Qi Xuansu took out his fish talisman and began contacting Madam Qi.

Soon, a half-body projection of Madam Qi appeared before him.

“What is it?” Madam Qi asked, maintaining her usual casual, unconcerned demeanor.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Madam Qi, where are you right now?”

“Why?” She replied with a question.

Qi Xuansu spoke plainly. “I want to meet you.”

“What for?” Madam Qi refused outright. “I’m in Jinling Prefecture now, and I still have to head to the Imperial Capital tomorrow. My schedule is tight. If you have something to say, just say it directly.”

Qi Xuansu smiled slightly. “There are too many threads to untangle. I don’t even know where to begin. It can’t be explained in just a few words, so let’s meet and talk properly...Daoist Qi.”

Madam Qi was about to speak when she suddenly froze. “What did you just call me?”

Qi Xuansu repeated calmly, “Daoist Qi.”

Madam Qi’s expression immediately became extremely complicated. Even though she still wore those dark glasses, they could not conceal it.

Qi Xuansu continued, “Should I call you Madam Qi? Or Daoist Qi? Or perhaps simply ‘Mother’? After all, we did sign a Heart-Demon Contract.”

Madam Qi fell silent for quite a while, her expression gradually softening. “Just call me Madam Qi. You’ve called me that for so many years, and we’re both used to it. There’s no need to change now. As for that contract...that belongs to a past life.”

Although Qi Xuansu had already been 90% certain, that was just his speculation. Only now, with Madam Qi’s own words, was it truly confirmed.

For a moment, Qi Xuansu was filled with countless emotions.

Qi Xuansu sighed. “A past life indeed. Qi Jiaoyao and Qi Xuansu... Turns out, we were family all along, even sharing the same last name. No wonder I could never understand how a mother suddenly fell from the sky into my life.”

For once, Madam Qi abandoned her usual flippant attitude and asked seriously, “When did you figure it out?”

“Just now,” Qi Xuansu replied. “When shall we meet?”

“Anytime,” Madam Qi said. “I’ll be waiting for you at Gratitude Temple in Jinling Prefecture.”