A Pawn's Passage

After Zhang Yuelu left, Qi Xuansu and Li Qingnu were the only ones left in the room.

Li Qingnu said bluntly, “I’ve set up a formation so that Mage Zhang won’t be able to hear our conversation. But it doesn’t stop her from barging in.”

Qi Xuansu held the Divine Dragon Pistol tightly and stood in a defensive posture. “Miss Li, go ahead and say what you want to.”

At such a close distance, the Divine Dragon Pistol filled with a Grade-B Series Two Dragon Eye Bullet was indeed a threat to a physically weak Diviner. Moreover, Qi Xuansu’s physique was comparable to that of a Yuxu-stage Martial Arts Practitioner, so he could resist a Diviner’s spell to a certain extent.

Li Qingnu asked back, “What should I say?”

“Your purpose for coming here, of course. Aren’t you a member of the Ziguang Society, Miss Li?”

“Ziguang Society, the secret association.” Li Qingnu laughed. “Young Master Qi, are you from the Tiangang Hall?”

Qi Xuansu answered calmly, “I am.”

Li Qingnu mocked. “Amazing. You must be very upright, then.”

Qi Xuansu did not get provoked. “What exactly are you hinting at, Miss Li?”

Li Qingnu stopped smiling. “Do you really think of yourself as a Daoist priest from Tiangang Hall who hunts down cult demons?”

“What do you mean by this?” Qi Xuansu was shaken.

Li Qingnu finally revealed her motives. “Have you forgotten your identity, Gold-Plated Knife?”

Qi Xuansu was startled for a moment. Soon after, he calmed down and stared at Li Qingnu. His thumb had quietly pressed down on the hammer of the gun.

At this time, Qi Xuansu feigned ignorance. “Miss Li, you might as well make yourself clear. What’s a gold-plated knife? What identity? I don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”

Sometimes, Qi Xuansu had the illusion that he was living another life. He was an upright Daoist priest of Tiangang Hall who would be promoted to the sixth rank and enjoy the treatment of a fifth-rank Prospective Jijiu Daoist priest after he returned to the Jade Capital. He would receive 100 Taiping coins a month and was expected to be promoted to a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master. The Tiangang Hall Master had heard of his name, and more importantly, he had Zhang Yuelu as a close friend. He had a bright future ahead.

Qi Xuansu understood that all this was hard-won, so he did not want to lose everything he had. He no longer wanted to wander the world on his own.

As the saying goes, he who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. During the time Qi Xuansu was around Zhang Yuelu, he was influenced by her. He gradually abandoned some of his bad habits and learned to become a qualified Daoist priest of Tiangang Hall and abide by the rules of the Daoist Order.

He would try his best to capture cult members and even occasionally think about grand propositions, such as the future of the Daoist Order.

However, four months in Tiangang Hall could not erase all the traces left by his past four years roaming the world on his own and completing missions for the Qingping Society. Qi Xuansu was still the same deep down.

He did not intend to kill anyone, but he would not show any mercy to anyone who blocked his way or ruined his life.

Qi Xuansu would only be bound by morals if he were a normal person. However, Qi Xuansu could not follow through on this because he was hiding something.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu exuded a strong murderous intent.

If Li Qingnu intended to blackmail him with his identity or even tried to expose his identity, then he would not hesitate to kill her.

He had killed people who were in the Guizhen stage before, so he had nothing to be afraid of. At worst, he would just explain to Zhang Yuelu that Li Qingnu tried to escape or that Li Qingnu tried to kill him, so he had to act in self-defense. He could not care less at this moment if Zhang Yuelu doubted him.

If Qi Xuansu died at the hands of Li Qingnu, then he would not need to explain himself to Zhang Yuelu.

Aware of Qi Xuansu’s murderous intent, Li Qingnu probed. “Do you really think that a mouse like you can be recognized as a cat of the Daoist Order after entering the Tiangang Hall? You will always be a shady mouse.”

Qi Xuansu calmed himself. “What do you want? You’re the cash cow of the Li family, so you don’t have to worry about food, clothing, or money. I don’t have as much money as you do. Does that mean you want me to help you cover up your identity?”

Li Qingnu did not answer him. Instead, she said, “Aren’t you curious about how I got to know your identity? The reason why the Qingping Society members use an alias is to hide their identity. Logically speaking, all members of the Qingping Society would not know each other.”

Qi Xuansu was not curious at all. “Madam Qi must have told you.”

She glanced at Qi Xuansu in surprise but did not deny it. “That’s why you didn’t kill me at the first opportunity. You should listen to what I have to say first.”

Qi Xuansu did not respond, but he was still holding the Divine Dragon Pistol tightly in his hand.

Li Qingnu continued, “Madam Qi told me that you would most likely pass by Shangqing Prefecture, so I estimated the time of your journey and came here to wait for you. But I didn’t expect to meet you in this manner.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Did you recognize me when we were in the pavilion?”

“No.” Li Qingnu shook her head and explained, “The information Madam Qi gave about you is a bit out of date. She told me that you were at the Kunlun stage. But you’re clearly at the Yuxu stage now, and you seem to be a Martial Arts Practitioner. If I had known this, I would never have let you get so close to me. It wasn’t until I guessed Zhang Yuelu’s identity and you told me your last name that I confirmed your identity.”

Qi Xuansu pondered in silence, finding no obvious flaws in her explanation. He then asked, “Are you also a member of the Qingping Society?”

Li Qingnu nodded. “You can call me Crimson Lips. Madam Qi sent me here. Madam Qi didn’t use the mother-child talisman to contact you because she was afraid that Mage Zhang would find out about your identity.”

Qi Xuansu did not think there was anything wrong with this statement. During this period of time, he and Zhang Yuelu were indeed inseparable. Madam Qi was thousands of kilometers away, and she was not certain when Qi Xuansu would be able to step away from Zhang Yuelu. That was why she did not dare to contact Qi Xuansu rashly with the mother-child talisman. Clearly, the dream meeting was also not an option.

“Having said that, I don’t think making contact with me like this is any better than contacting me directly with the mother-child talisman.” Qi Xuansu raised his brows.

Li Qingnu sighed. “This isn’t my original plan. You two disrupted my plans. But that’s also partially my fault for underestimating Zhang Yuelu. Anyway, since we’ve come to this point, I can’t worry so much.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “So what did Madam Qi want you to tell me that made you go so far as to risk exposure?”

Li Qingnu warned. “Madam Qi wants me to tell you that you are being targeted by a group of people, so you should be careful.”

“Who?” Qi Xuansu inquired.

Li Qingnu did not beat around the bush. “Three B-rank members of the Qingping Society: Prince Qin, Xie Qiuniang, and Hua Jianyi. You have to stay on guard. As you know, the Qingping Society isn’t united. It’s common for members to fight each other, just like when you wanted to kill me earlier.”

When Qi Xuansu heard the name “Xie Qiuniang,” he felt a shiver down his spine because he recalled his experience in the Yulan Temple. Although Xie Qiuniang’s combat skills were slightly inferior to Zhang Yuelu’s, she was certainly far superior to Qi Xuansu.

Li Qingnu added, “According to Madam Qi’s information, Prince Qin and Xie Qiuniang went to Zhongzhou, while Hua Jianyi got people to monitor your movements.”

Qi Xuansu immediately thought of the group of swindlers they met in Jinguan Prefecture that seemed random at the time. But after connecting the dots, those people were most likely Hua Jianyi’s subordinates.

Everything was interconnected.

Li Qingnu continued, “Madam Qi also wants me to tell you that Sage Qingwei of the Taiping Sect is going to the Imperial Capital to meet the Emperor. The Taiping Sect arranged an entourage of 36 high-ranking Daoist priests for Sage Qingwei this time.

“One of them is called Jiang Bieyun, a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master who happens to be the man behind the Fengtai County incident. Zhao Guangji, the Lieutenant Colonel of the Green Phoenix Guard in Luzhou, has also gone to the Imperial Guard’s Office to await Sage Qingwei’s arrival.”

Qi Xuansu frowned. This time, he did not bother to wonder in awe at how wide Madam Qi’s network was. His full attention was on Sage Qingwei.

In this regard, Sage Qingwei was also involved in the search for the Xuan Jade. If Madam Qi had not cleaned up after Qi Xuansu, he would have been summoned to face the behemoth of the Taiping Sect. If that were the case, he would surely have been killed.

Li Qingnu said, “Madam Qi once helped me, so I came here to repay her kindness by relaying her message to you. But I didn’t expect to be caught by Zhang Yuelu, the upright Deputy Hall Master of Tiangang Hall. What should I do?”

Qi Xuansu closed the hammer of the Divine Dragon Pistol. “Leave this matter to me.”

“How will you explain my purpose for coming here to the clever Mage Zhang?” Li Qingnu asked.

Qi Xuansu put away the Divine Dragon Pistol. “That’s none of your business.”

Li Qingnu chuckled. “Do you like Mage Zhang?”

“That’s also none of your business.” Qi Xuansu quipped.

Li Qingnu once again put on her charming courtesan facade and covered her mouth with her round fan. “Fine. I won’t ask, as long as you can resolve this smoothly.”