A Pawn's Passage

The Requiem Division under Ciji Hall was a place that managed the dead. Most often, those who held positions in this hall were deliberately marginalized, a soft exile of sorts.

Many Daoists were buried there after death, and Qi Haoran was no exception.

Madam Qi’s prediction had been accurate. After encountering two dead ends, Qi Xuansu headed straight to Jade Capital. It was already midnight when Qi Xuansu arrived at the Requiem Division.

“Sage Qi! Hey, Chief Deputy Qi!” The superintendent of the Requiem Division had just been roused from sleep, dressed only in a simple Daoist robe as he hurried after Qi Xuansu, who was ascending the long stone steps alone. “There’s no such precedent. You should at least inform the Hall Master...”

Qi Xuansu ignored him and continued forward with long strides.

The superintendent had no choice but to follow this young Sage with a group of attendants. He explained, “No matter what, you need to notify the Ciji Hall—perhaps a Deputy Hall Master? The Hall Master used to be your superior, so surely, he won’t stop you.”

Qi Xuansu suddenly stopped and turned around. “I don’t want to make a public spectacle of this. Do me a favor and pretend you never saw me. I’ll handle any consequences myself later.”

“Uh...I...” The superintendent hesitated, feeling uncertain. But in the end, he refused. “This violates the procedure. I can’t bear such a responsibility, so please forgive me, Sage Qi.”

Qi Xuansu said nothing more and continued forward.

The advantage of being a regional powerhouse was that one could wield immense influence within one’s own territory, often surpassing peers of the same rank. But outside one’s domain, especially in Jade Capital, that influence weakened considerably. If Qi Xuansu had been a Chief Deputy Hall Master in Jade Capital, things would certainly have been different.

The superintendent had already been reassigned to such a place and no longer cared about prospects for advancement. Seeing Qi Xuansu attempting to push through by force, he stood firm. “Since you have not obtained authorization from the Ciji Hall, I cannot allow you to pass.”

Qi Xuansu stopped once more and said patiently, “I will take all the blame. This has nothing to do with you.”

The superintendent continued, “Sage Qi, you hold such a high position, so who would dare hold you accountable? In the end, wouldn’t the responsibility still fall on us low-ranking people?”

Qi Xuansu took a deep breath to calm his emotions, which were on the verge of spilling over. He even forced a faint smile. “If that’s the case, come here. I’ll write you a formal note of guarantee to absolve you of all blame. That should be enough, right?”

The superintendent hesitated but did not wish to push too far. He forced a smile and stepped forward. “There’s no need for a written guarantee, Sage Qi. I don’t mean to oppose you. If you could just inform the Ciji Hall, that would already be considerate of my position...”

Before he finished speaking, Qi Xuansu reached out and restrained him. “Enough. Consider this a forced entry on my part. You’ve done your duty by trying your best to stop me, so you bear no responsibility. That should suffice.”

Then Qi Xuansu turned to the others. “My patience is limited. If anyone still intends to stop me, don’t blame me for being mean.”

This time, it was Qi Xuansu who disregarded the rules. Under normal circumstances, he would never act this way, but now, he no longer cared.

Hearing this, no one dared to stop him again. They remained rooted in place.

Only then did Qi Xuansu continue forward. The bright moonlight washed over the lush hills and tomb mounds, casting everything into a hazy blur. The scattered glow of a few lamps flickered like fireflies in the open expanse, making the world feel unreal.

Without slowing his pace, Qi Xuansu headed straight toward the cemetery.

The others watched his receding figure, unsure whether to advance or retreat. Though Chief Deputy Qi had been considerate enough to shoulder the responsibility himself, they could not exactly pretend as if nothing had happened and go back to sleep, especially with their superior still standing there.

No one knew what method Qi Xuansu had used, but the superintendent remained motionless. Only his eyes were able to move, and he could not even speak. His eyes darted wildly, but the others did not know what to do.

After some time, more people arrived. To be exact, it was three women—Zhang Yuelu, Xu Jiaorong, and Lei Xiaohuan.

Most did not recognize Xu Jiaorong, as she had long been stationed in the regional Daoist Mansion. But they recognized Zhang Yuelu and Lei Xiaohuan immediately. The legendary Zhang Yuelu needed no introduction, and Lei Xiaohuan, who used to be the Deputy Ziwei Hall Master, also had a unique build that was unforgettable.

Without wasting any words, Zhang Yuelu removed the restraint placed on the superintendent.

The superintendent knew the relationship between Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu, so he was more than glad to see her, regarding her as his savior. He immediately began complaining, “Second Deputy Zhang, you’ve finally arrived! I don’t know what has gotten into Chief Deputy Qi today. He just forced his way in, and we couldn’t stop him no matter what...”

Zhang Yuelu raised a hand, cutting off his complaints. She then asked, “Where is he?”

The superintendent replied, “He went to the cemetery.”

Zhang Yuelu immediately strode forward.

At this point, the superintendent dared not stop her, because it was obvious that Second Deputy Zhang was on the way to stop whatever Chief Deputy Qi was up to.

Ever meticulous, Xu Jiaorong deliberately lagged behind and added, “Not a word about what happened tonight can be leaked. Otherwise...”

She did not need to finish her sentence. The superintendent understood at once and hurriedly said, “Nothing happened tonight.”

The others quickly echoed, “Right, nothing happened tonight.”

From the looks of it, something was clearly wrong with Chief Deputy Qi. His behavior was certainly abnormal. Second Deputy Zhang had rushed over in great urgency with two helpers, all of them high-ranking figures. Under normal circumstances, this would look like an arrest. Yet judging from their reactions, it seemed more like they feared Chief Deputy Qi might attempt something drastic.

How strange.

But they clearly had no place to meddle in such a situation. It was also best if they kept their distance. After all, knowing things beyond one’s station would only lead to trouble.

After receiving Madam Qi’s message, Zhang Yuelu wanted to rush to the Requiem Division immediately. Unfortunately, she had to attend the joint council meeting, and she could not request leave without a reason. After all, she did not want Qi Xuansu’s situation to become public gossip.

Thus, Zhang Yuelu endured patiently until the meeting ended. These multi-day sessions ran late into the night. Once it was over, Zhang Yuelu feared she might not be able to manage the situation alone, so she brought her trustworthy allies—Xu Jiaorong and Lei Xiaohuan.

On the way to the Requiem Division, Zhang Yuelu briefly explained the situation to the other two women, omitting the parts about Lingshan Paradise that she herself did not fully understand. She simply said that Qi Xuansu had abruptly come out of seclusion and had been acting strangely. He had come here alone without a word, so she feared something might happen to him.

At that moment, Xu Jiaorong and Lei Xiaohuan assumed Qi Xuansu had suffered a backlash from cultivation, causing mental instability. They did not think much of it.

Zhang Yuelu knew the location of Qi Haoran’s grave and rushed ahead, but despite her haste, she arrived a moment too late.

When she arrived, she saw Qi Xuansu digging at the mound from afar.

Her heart tightened as she approached slowly.

Qi Xuansu was digging up his master’s grave. That was why the Daoists of the Requiem Division had tried so desperately to stop him, shouting about violations of ethics and ritual propriety.

After all, such an act carried a deeply negative impact.

Zhang Yuelu came up behind Qi Xuansu and called out to him softly, “Tian Yuan.”

Qi Xuansu’s movements paused slightly, then he continued digging the grave.

Soon after, Lei Xiaohuan and Xu Jiaorong arrived as well. They were both so shocked by the scene that they were momentarily speechless.

Lei Xiaohuan glanced at the tombstone and saw the name “Qi Haoran.”

Since master and disciple relationships were akin to parent and child, for Qi Xuansu to suddenly come dig up his master’s grave was truly inappropriate. If word spread, the scandal would be far worse than any rumor of debauchery.

No wonder Zhang Yuelu had said Qi Xuansu was mentally unstable right now.

What normal person would do something like this?

The two women exchanged a glance, unsure what the safest course of action would be. They then looked toward Zhang Yuelu.

After some hesitation, Zhang Yuelu signaled for them not to act rashly. She intended to see what Qi Xuansu was actually trying to do.

Before long, Qi Xuansu had dug up the grave and single-handedly lifted a stone coffin from within.

Only then did Zhang Yuelu ask in a gentle voice, “Tian Yuan, are you planning to open the coffin and examine the body?”

Perhaps after digging for some time, Qi Xuansu’s emotions had calmed slightly. He finally replied, “Yes. I want to see what secrets lie inside.”

Zhang Yuelu could not help but ask, “What exactly is going on?”

Qi Xuansu fell silent. After a moment, he said, “Qing Xiao, if you suddenly discovered that the first half of your life was just a performance and that someone extremely important to you was actually fake, what would you think?”

Zhang Yuelu froze, unsure how to answer. Thinking back to Madam Qi’s earlier words, she began to form a conjecture.

Qi Xuansu said nothing more and turned his attention back to the stone coffin.

At the four corners of the coffin were four strange-looking iron nails. They sealed the coffin shut and isolated it from inside and out, preventing anyone from probing its contents. The coffin had to be opened physically.

Zhang Yuelu did not block Qi Xuansu and even stopped Xu Jiaorong and Lei Xiaohuan from interfering.

Qi Xuansu pulled out the four nails with his bare hands, then gathered his strength and pushed the coffin lid open with both hands.

The stone coffin, made of some unknown material, opened with a rumbling sound as the lid shifted aside.

Qi Xuansu’s expression froze. Initially, he had still harbored a faint hope. But now, that last trace of belief had been extinguished. His expression turned complex as he seemed to be grieving and laughing at the same time.

Zhang Yuelu stepped forward and looked inside, only to find that the coffin was empty.