A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu took the thick stack of documents handed over by the butler and quickly skimmed through them.

In truth, Qi Xuansu had an improved aptitude after his transformation, so learning another language was not difficult. After studying intermittently for some time, Qi Xuansu could not only converse normally but also read and write.

That was why Great Sage Shi had criticized Zhang Yuelu. With her aptitude, there was no way she was unable to learn. She simply had not wanted to. After she changed her attitude, she studied only in the spare moments between official duties and cultivation. In less than two years, she could already read rather obscure Western classical works with ease. That was the learning ability of a genius.

Sometimes, inequality was innate. The idea that all people were born equal was based on the equality of dignity. In reality, there was inequality everywhere—of family background and talent. Some geniuses succeeded at anything they tried and mastered whatever they learned, while others, even after tremendous diligence and effort, could not match what those geniuses could casually accomplish.

Imitating others was not difficult for Qi Xuansu. This had little to do with him personally and everything to do with the Martial Arts Practitioner lineage. After reaching the Everchanging Realm, Martial Arts Practitioners were said to be able to control every detail of their bodies with precision.

Once Qi Xuansu memorized all those small gestures, habits, and subtle movements and assigned them to the appropriate body spirits, they would become instinctive reactions with no possibility of error. For this reason, Martial Arts Practitioners were not limited to being battlefield champions. They would do great as assassins as well, especially against Diviners.

The old butler was delighted to discover that Hosea was truly a genius. In an extremely short time, Hosea had completely mastered the Baron’s behavioral habits. After a few adjustments to his appearance, Hosea could pass for the Baron perfectly, as if he had been born to be the Baron’s double. If the butler had not known the Baron’s personal history so well, he might have suspected Hosea to be the Baron’s long-lost brother.

The old butler said, “Excellent, Mr. Matthias. Your talent truly astonishes me!”

Qi Xuansu rasped in a hoarse voice, deliberately sounding weak, as if gravely ill. “Not Mr. Matthias—it’s Baron.”

The butler paused for a moment before replying, “Yes, Baron. Please forgive my mistake.”

In truth, Qi Xuansu could have perfectly imitated the Baron’s voice as well, but there was no need. If it sounded completely identical, the Baron himself might have been frightened.

Next, he had to familiarize himself with the information about the visitors the Baron would have to receive. This was not too concerning, because the Baron was supposedly “gravely ill” and spoke little. Many matters would therefore be handled by the old butler, providing the assistance and cover he had mentioned earlier. This was only natural. No one would recklessly hand over their authority to a stranger without having a trusted subordinate watch over things.

Qi Xuansu had no particular thoughts or objections. His strength made him indifferent to such minor details. At this moment, he could understand why Immortals of the past enjoyed wandering among mortals. This sort of role-playing was rather entertaining.

......

With Qi Xuansu away and Zhang Yuelu having just assumed her new role as Chief Deputy of the Poluo Daoist Mansion, she was overwhelmed with countless matters and responsibilities. As a result, Little Yin was effectively left to roam free, bouncing across the lands of Nanyang like a deer that had slipped its reins, completely carefree and unrestrained.

Over the past few years, Little Yin had spent half the time at the Lingnan Daoist Mansion. Even when she was in Nanyang, she spent most of her time in Lion City, and a smaller portion in Thanglong Prefecture. She had rarely visited anywhere else.

Thus, Little Yin decided to take this opportunity to explore the unknown regions beyond Lion City and Thanglong Prefecture. She refused to bring Old Lin along, as she branded him a traitor and did not want to be associated with him.

However, Little Yin knew that her current appearance was too conspicuous. Many people recognized her, especially Daoists. Wherever she went, they would swarm around her, flattering and fawning over her. It was amusing at first, but over time, it became tiresome. If people constantly surrounded and praised her, how could that count as roaming Jianghu?

With this thought, Little Yin stretched herself longer and reshaped her face, using Qi Xuansu as a model. She now looked like a teenage boy—essentially a younger Qi Xuansu.

Of course, no one would mistake her for Qi Xuansu. First, Qi Xuansu had appeared before the public as an adult man, not a teenager. Second, their temperaments were entirely different. Little Yin’s demeanor resembled Madam Qi’s, though she was far more simple-minded, lacking Madam Qi’s experience and complexity.

Qi Xuansu would never have imagined that while he was impersonating others in the New Continent, his little imp was using his teenage face to roam Jianghu.

Little Yin changed into men’s clothing, put on the sunglasses given to her by Madam Qi, and hung the magical brush her grandfather had given her at her side. Just like that, she transformed from the cherished daughter of Chief Deputy Qi and Chief Deputy Zhang into a young hero, setting off to roam the martial world.

The martial world of Nanyang was essentially the domain of the Heavenly Court. Yet within the Heavenly Court, there were countless factions—Wu Guangbi’s, Liu Gui’s, and even the various pirate groups under the Heavenly Court. Internal conflicts and bloodshed frequently erupted over trade, loyalty, and old grudges. The middle ranks also each had their own background, calculations, factions, and interests, constantly scheming against one another.

Just as the Holy Xuan had failed to end the internal strife of the Daoist Order, the Golden Patriarch could not make the Heavenly Court completely unified.

With the addition of Buddhist forces and various secret societies, the martial world of Nanyang was quite an interesting place.

However, Little Yin was no ordinary person. She had a Wuliang-stage cultivation. Even without Lin Yuanmiao’s protection, she could dominate a part of Jianghu. Lin Yuanmiao himself was already among the top-tier Pseudo-Immortals, especially having survived Chen Shuhua’s attack.

In truth, Little Yin had little understanding of what roaming Jianghu really meant. When Qi Xuansu was a wandering Daoist, he always had a clear purpose. In essence, roaming the martial world was much like doing business. It was just another way to make a living, and force was simply a method of solving problems.

However, Little Yin did not know that. The stories she read were all about true heroes serving the nation and the people—punishing the strong who oppressed the weak and robbing the rich to help the poor. Thus, her first venture began with that ideal: punishing the powerful and aiding the oppressed.

When it came to power and wealth, the Poluo Daoist Mansion was the strongest and richest of them all. But Little Yin did not dare to touch the Daoist Mansion. If Zhang Yuelu found out, there would be serious consequences. Moreover, Old Qi was not around, so no one could stop Zhang Yuelu’s fury.

So, Little Yin needed another target. That wasn’t bullying the weak and fearing the strong. It was simply wise judgment.

Second only to the Poluo Daoist Mansion was the Heavenly Court.

In truth, the Buddhist forces should have ranked higher, but they had been extremely low-profile in recent years and had little visible presence. Little Yin did not know the internal reasons behind this.

On the first day of her journey, she made sure to stay far away from Zhang Yuelu. On the second day, she hijacked a Heavenly Court cargo ship.

Little Yin had intended to rob the rich and help the poor by sailing the cargo ship to a region filled with impoverished people. Unfortunately, her plan lacked forethought.

She first threw the sailors steering the ship overboard. But since she did not know how to sail a ship—and unlike Madam Qi, she could not casually lift and move a large ship with sheer cultivation—her chaotic attempts at control ended with the cargo ship sinking.

Having suffered a loss, the Heavenly Court had to make an example of someone, so they dispatched Yushi to deal with the matter.

Yushi was equally baffled. Anyone capable of hijacking a cargo ship alone must possess considerable cultivation. Yet the way this person acted could not even be considered crude. It was downright childish. Hence, he concluded that it could not be someone from the Daoist Order.

Daoists were rarely so naive. They were known for their caution and calculation, not recklessness. So where did this hotheaded fool come from?

After some thought, Yushi decided to capture the culprit first and consider the rest later. Even if the troublemaker’s cultivation were impressive, the Heavenly Court could still outnumber an individual.

Under Yushi’s arrangements, the Heavenly Court mobilized its experts and laid down an inescapable net.

This was how Little Yin’s journey through the martial world began.

......

Qi Xuansu had already assumed the role of the Baron completely, becoming the nominal master of the estate.

Before leaving the Baron’s residence, the Baron had given Qi Xuansu a cloak. Once worn, it could create a special aura that intimidated others. After all, as one of the four gang leaders of the underground city, the Baron could not possibly be an ordinary weakling. He had to have formidable cultivation. With the aura created by the cloak, combined with the Baron’s past reputation and the assistance of the old butler, the act would be convincing.

Without that special aura, mere resemblance in appearance and behavior would arouse suspicion among his subordinates. They would either believe this Baron to be a fake or think that the Baron had lost his power.

The illness was easy to explain, as it was not an actual ailment, but rather symptoms resembling the rebirth transformation experienced by Immortals. This was a completely different matter from losing power.

Qi Xuansu could display an aura far more terrifying and powerful than the Baron’s, yet he found it difficult to imitate the Baron’s particular aura. After carefully studying the cloak, he discovered that it contained a power condensed from blood.

In other words, the Baron was a vampire.

Qi Xuansu did not understand these Western monsters. Thus, even though his cultivation far surpassed the Baron’s, he had not recognized the Baron’s origins at first glance. Without a concrete concept, he could only sense that something was unusual, but he had no idea what it meant. He merely thought that Westerners in general were incompatible with the Eastern cultivation system and possessed too many strange traits, so he had not paid much attention.

It was only while studying the cloak that Qi Xuansu suddenly recalled Desmond from years ago and finally connected the two.

No wonder he had taken the nickname “Baron.” He was a vampire. Come to think of it, a place like the underground city where sunlight never reached was indeed perfect for vampires to live.

This also explained why the Baron could plausibly fall “ill” without arousing suspicion. Creatures like this possessed severe natural weaknesses. Perhaps he had been exposed to too much sunlight, or perhaps he had drunk blood containing too much silver. In short, many explanations were possible.