A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1430: Speculation

The two fell into a long silence.

Qi Xuansu, in particular, sank into deep contemplation. Qi Jiaozheng did not urge him and merely sipped his tea while waiting quietly.

In truth, Qi Xuansu’s very first thought was the Longevity Stone Heart.

As long as one possessed a Longevity Stone Heart and had a sufficient supply of Xuan Jade, it was entirely possible to become an Immortal within a very short period of time.

The key to the Longevity Stone Heart was being a Rogue Cultivator, which also happened to perfectly match the characteristics displayed by a Corpse Liberation Immortal.

There were known to be a total of three Longevity Stone Hearts—one in the possession of the Li family, one belonging to the Yao family, and the third was placed in the Huasheng Hall as a research sample.

The Xuan Jade had originally spread from the Huasheng Hall, which had inherited the Creation Project. This was firmly within the sphere of influence of the Quanzhen Sect and the Yao family.

The Qingping Society was also secretly collecting Xuan Jade, so it was almost impossible to claim that the Yao family possessed none. Given the close relationship between the Zhou family and the Yao family, obtaining the Xuan Jade would not have been an issue.

One could even say that obtaining the Xuan Jade was only a problem for Qi Xuansu. For everyone else, it was hardly an issue at all. After all, he did not come from one of the great aristocratic families and had instead wasted away his years struggling within the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Now the key question was whether the Longevity Stone Heart kept within the Huasheng Hall was still there.

It was most likely still there. Sage Cihang had once served for a time as the Huasheng Hall Master, during the same period when Ning Lingge was the Tiangang Hall Master.

The Quanzhen Sect might have been able to deceive others, but they certainly could not deceive Sage Cihang. Qi Xuansu’s future mother-in-law was not someone who blindly obeyed the Earthly Preceptor. All Qi Xuansu needed to do was confirm the matter with her directly.

The second possibility was the Longevity Stone.

This method was rather crude and came with many hidden dangers, but it was undeniably a shortcut to rapid advancement. Chen Shuhua had mainly relied on her own resources, so her progress had naturally been slow. But behind the Qingping Society stood the Quanzhen Sect itself, something Chen Shuhua could never compare to.

However, this raised another question. If the Quanzhen Sect truly intended to create an Immortal, why choose Qi Haoran? Wouldn’t Yao Shu or Yao Yi have been far better candidates?

Even if they were public figures whose sudden ascension to immortality would arouse suspicion, Zhou Mengyao herself would still have been more reliable than Qi Haoran. So why choose him instead of her?

If the Quanzhen Sect truly possessed that capability, then the Taiping Sect and the Zhengyi Sect would probably already have formed an alliance to oppose them.

Thus, the Longevity Stone explanation did not fully make sense.

The third possibility was that Qi Haoran, whom Qi Xuansu had encountered, was not the same Qi Haoran that Qi Jiaozheng remembered.

After Qi Haoran left the Qi family, the family did not investigate deeply into his well-being. So if someone else had stolen Qi Haoran’s appearance and identity during that time, the Qi family might never have discovered it.

Qi Xuansu suddenly arrived at a bold hypothesis. Could the Qi Haoran he had known actually have been Zhou Mengyao, the Qingping Melody of the Qingping Society and Madam Qi’s colleague?

Since Zhou Mengyao carried historical baggage, there were many matters in which she could not appear openly, making an alternate identity absolutely necessary. The precedent set by True Lord Ziguang had caused the Daoist Order to impose extremely strict identity checks and background investigations, making impersonation exceedingly difficult and highly risky. One could even say that True Lord Ziguang had completely blocked the path for future imitators.

Qi Haoran, however, was an abandoned son of the Qi family whom nobody paid attention to, making him an ideal candidate. He had distanced himself from his former social network, severed all connections, and wandered alone like a living corpse. Replacing someone like him would have been easy, as no one would have discovered anything.

To eliminate someone safely, the first step was to sever all of the target’s relationships.

It was like the death of a Godly Immortal. They did not fear physical destruction, but rather being completely forgotten by everyone.

This could also explain who Madam Qi had made her contract with. Madam Qi had once said it was not with the Earthly Preceptor. If that person were Zhou Mengyao, everything would make more sense.

This contract restrained Madam Qi while also restraining another person. That meant the two of them must once have done something major together, involving secrets of the highest order.

But what exactly was it?

Even if this theory were true, many things still could not be explained, like why did Zhou Mengyao choose Qi Haoran and Qi Xuansu? What was so special about the two of them?

There was also the paradox of where exactly had the name “Qi Xuansu” originated from?

Was the name given to him by Qi Haoran or Zhou Mengyao?

Or had a Qi Xuansu from the future told the name to Madam Qi, who then told it to Zhou Mengyao, eventually causing Zhou Mengyao to name the later Qi Xuansu as such?

Where did this time loop begin? Where in the future would it finally end?

Where had Qi Xuansu’s existence truly originated from?

Why had Qi Xuansu appeared in this world? Did he hold some special meaning? Was it he who had chosen the world or the world that had chosen him?

This was an extremely complicated problem, which Qi Xuansu ultimately decided not to think about for now.

If he could not figure it out himself, it was better to simply wait for an explanation from the Heavenly Preceptor.

Qi Xuansu gathered his thoughts and looked once more at Qi Jiaozheng. “Sage Wanmiao, thanks for clearing up my doubts and confusion.”

Qi Jiaozheng set down the teacup in his hand and said, “Truthfully, I also wish to know what the real truth behind all this is. Tian Yuan, if you one day manage to unravel this mystery, and if it turns out my younger cousin truly met with misfortune, I hope you will inform me so that I may at least handle his funeral affairs.”

Qi Xuansu fell silent.

Being a veteran navigating the currents of the Daoist Order for many years, Qi Jiaozheng could infer what Qi Xuansu thought of. This younger cousin had disappeared for years, only to suddenly possess immortal-level cultivation. No matter how he looked at it, it defied common sense. Most likely, he had already fallen victim to foul play. That was why Qi Jiaozheng spoke in such a manner.

Meanwhile, Qi Xuansu suffered another small blow. Originally, the issue had merely been one of a faked death. But now, even Qi Haoran’s identity might have been fabricated. If that was false as well, then the emotions attached to it could hardly have been genuine either. What part of their relationship could still be considered real?

What a misplaced trust it had all been.

This was the sort of matter one could not even afford to think too deeply about. What if the whole thing had been an elaborate performance? Whether Qi Haoran or Zhou Mengyao, perhaps they had merely been supporting actors setting the stage, while the true lead had been Madam Qi all along. That was why they had arranged for Madam Qi to save Qi Xuansu, earn his gratitude, and thereby gain control over him.

Had Qi Xuansu not experienced the journey into Lingshan Paradise and known that he and Madam Qi truly shared a bond forged through life-and-death experiences, giving her genuine reason to save him, he would inevitably have begun thinking along those darker lines.

This led to another question. Had Madam Qi told anyone else about the events in Lingshan Paradise? If she had, how much had she revealed? Had she merely mentioned the name “Qi Xuansu” while glossing over everything else? Or had she explained every detail from beginning to end?

This meeting was not completely unproductive. At the very least, it pointed Qi Xuansu toward a direction. The Qingping Melody—Zhou Mengyao—would become the breakthrough point. Qi Xuansu still had some contacts and connections within the Qingping Society, and they ought to prove useful. Coincidentally, he would soon be heading to Qizhou Daoist Mansion, giving him the opportunity to visit Li Qingnu, whom he had not seen in a long time.

Qi Xuansu quickly regained his composure and changed the topic. “Let’s discuss Qi Wangui’s matter.”

Qi Jiaozheng said nothing, but this was precisely the reason he had come.

Some matters did not need to be spelled out explicitly. Mutual understanding was enough.

Since Qi Jiaozheng had already demonstrated his sincerity, Qi Xuansu naturally had to yield a step as well. That was what true compromise meant.

Qi Xuansu said, “Whether from Gu Dalin’s confession or from our own investigation, one thing can be confirmed—the death of this female instructor is related to Qi Wangui. Qi Wangui was the instigator. But Qi Wangui has not confessed his motive. According to Gu Dalin’s testimony, Qi Wangui claimed that the female instructor was his lover and had constantly harassed and pestered him, which was why he developed murderous intent.”

Qi Jiaozheng thought for a moment before saying, “Qi Wangui is both lustful and afraid of his wife. Killing for such a motive would not be particularly surprising.”

Clearly, Qi Jiaozheng accepted this explanation, so Qi Xuansu said nothing further.

If Qi Jiaozheng had refused to compromise, Qi Xuansu would naturally have dug deeper into the matter. He would have insisted on exposing Qi Wangui’s motives publicly, perhaps even allowing the Beichen Hall investigators some freedom in their interpretation, piling various past crimes of secret societies onto Qi Wangui’s head as well. In the end, the affair would have exploded into a massive scandal, serving as a warning to others.

But now that Qi Jiaozheng wanted the matter to be handled discreetly, investigating up to this point was sufficient. The murder charge itself was beyond doubt, and Qi Xuansu would not pursue the other matters any further.

Right in front of Qi Jiaozheng, Qi Xuansu took out the Cloud Message and contacted Li Zhuyu. “Deputy Hall Master Dan Jin, transfer Qi Wangui and Gu Dalin to Fengxian Hall with the case files. Proceed with the normal procedures. There’s no need to say anything extra. That’s all.”

This was also Qi Xuansu’s stance. He would hand Qi Wangui over to the Fengxian Hall and then cease interfering. How the Fengxian Hall judged Qi Wangui, whether they executed him or merely exiled him to some remote Daoist temple, was no longer his business. As for whether Qi Jiaozheng chose to intervene and save Qi Wangui’s life, that was his own affair. Qi Xuansu would not interfere.

Qi Xuansu only chose not to investigate further, leaving room for maneuver. If Qi Wangui were truly tied to charges involving secret societies, then no one would have been able to save him.

At the same time, this also protected Qi Xuansu from future blame. If anyone later wished to make an issue out of the case, responsibility would belong to the Fengxian Hall because he handled only the investigation, not the sentencing. Gu Dalin had committed the murder, and Qi Wangui had ordered it. Neither had been falsely accused, neither had been released, nor were there any scapegoats. Everything was clear and straightforward. No one could accuse Qi Xuansu of dereliction of duty.

The female instructor was not truly innocent, because she allowed those children to ostracize Little Yin. Had she acted under someone’s instructions? In the end, why would Qi Xuansu, the victim of this scheme, seek justice on the female instructor’s behalf?

Qi Jiaozheng was still fairly satisfied with this outcome. Qi Wangui’s position was certainly beyond saving, and even his Daoist rank was likely doomed. But with some maneuvering, he could probably keep his life. Being exiled to the Kunlun Daoist Mansion in some Daoist temple was far preferable to walking onto an execution ground.

Thus, Qi Jiaozheng took his leave and departed.

Qi Xuansu did not hurry to leave. Instead, he contacted Sage Cihang. “Secretary Qian? This is Qi Xuansu. Is Sage Cihang currently available to talk?”