A Pawn's Passage

All onlookers, including Wild Bodhisattva and Xu Changwu himself, could see that Qi Xuansu had not used any effort to subdue Xu Changwu. It was just like an adult beating a child.

At this moment, the Taiping Inn’s Deputy Innkeeper came out because another waiter had reported the incident to him. The real boss did not show up, as they did not necessarily need to be at the Taiping Inn full-time.

The innkeeper first saluted and thanked Qi Xuansu before turning to Xu Changwu. “You clearly know that the Wanxiang Daoist Palace doesn’t care about such things. I won’t complain to them, but I will report you to the Green Phoenix Guard. Come with me to the Major’s Office.”

At this moment, the man Xu Changwu was arguing with earlier finally appeared at the window on the second floor, holding an iron staff as a crutch. This was probably the reason Xu Changwu called this man Cripple Zhou. The “cripple” jumped from the second floor and used the iron staff in his hand to support his landing. He then stood firmly on the ground next to Xu Changwu.

He sized up Qi Xuansu and said, “You’re skilled—at least in the Guizhen stage, right?”

Qi Xuansu did not deny it. “Who are you?”

“My last name is Zhou, so most people call me Cripple Zhou.” Cripple Zhou smiled and pointed at Xu Changwu. “I hope you can let him go.”

Qi Xuansu pondered. “It’s possible to let him go, but he has hurt a waiter...”

Cripple Zhou did not speak. He just turned to Xu Changwu.

Although Xu Changwu was reluctant, he had no choice but to take out a handful of Taiping coins from his pocket. There were around six to seven coins, which he threw at the waiter. “This should be enough for your medical bills, right?”

The innkeeper sneered. “Do you think the Taiping Inn lacks this money?”

Qi Xuansu said, “The innkeeper is right. This isn’t about money. You hurt the waiter and disrespected the Taiping Inn. If we let you off this time, others will follow suit. It sets a precedent that people can wreak havoc in the Taiping Inn, throw a few coins, and walk away. How will they continue their business?”

Xu Changwu reluctantly took out another cash note. “This should be enough, right? If you want more compensation, you might as well beat me to death!”

The cash note was valued at 100 Taiping coins, which was not a small sum. This could be enough for someone’s expenses for a lifetime.

The innkeeper’s face softened slightly. Since they could not really beat Xu Changwu to death, he motioned for another waiter to collect the cash note.

Money could not solve all problems, but it could certainly solve most problems.

“Goodbye.” Cripple Zhou cupped his hands and saluted Qi Xuansu. Then he grabbed Xu Changwu and hobbled away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Qi Xuansu stared at the two departing figures, puzzled.

At this moment, the innkeeper came to Qi Xuansu and presented the cash note with both hands. “Kind sir, thank you very much for your act of kindness. Please accept the 100 Taiping coins as a show of our appreciation.”

Qi Xuansu was startled. Although his first instinct was to refuse, he knew he was not in a position to be generous, so he accepted it shamelessly. Disregarding the loose change, Qi Xuansu still had 600 Taiping coins on him. With this extra 100 Taiping coins, he would have 700 Taiping coins.

Of course, Qi Xuansu could only earn so much because of his increased level of cultivation. If he were still in the Kunlun stage, he would not have been able to kill the snake demon, sell the demon pill, and defeat Xu Changwu so easily, earning him 600 Taiping coins.

To put it bluntly, if Qi Xuansu had not been in the Guizhen stage, Cripple Zhou would not have been so polite to him. The innkeeper would probably not be as generous either.

Sometimes, one had to act within one’s ability to seek justice for others. With a high enough level of cultivation, one would be able to defeat the opponents, hence earning gratitude, respect, awe, and compensation. Without sufficient cultivation, one would end up defeated, worsening the situation. If so, one’s efforts would not have been appreciated.

Therefore, the real world lacked heroism and chivalry, unlike in novels. After all, heroes tend to offend others and make enemies. Only those with enough cultivation would be nonchalant about it.

Although Qi Xuansu was not the best fighter in the world, he was still better than ordinary people. So being a hero at times was still accepted.

When Qi Xuansu returned to the second floor, Wild Bodhisattva had a smile on his face. He sighed in awe. “It’s certainly not easy to have this level of cultivation at your age. Madam Qi is indeed great at cultivating talent.”

Qi Xuansu smiled. “Madam Qi said that you might want to test my skills, so I used this as an excuse to show off. What do you think?”

Wild Bodhisattva laughed. “I have nothing more to say.”

Just as they were talking, a waiter knocked on the door and came in, carrying a jar of fine wine with him. He said that the innkeeper would like to express his gratitude once again.

Qi Xuansu asked the waiter to thank the innkeeper on his behalf and accepted the drink, sharing it with Wild Bodhisattva.

Men could drink with each other for a long time, even if they had just met. Qi Xuansu and Wild Bodhisattva were not close friends, but they shared many similarities. So they chatted about their travels over drinks, exchanging life experiences and stories of the strange things and people they had met over the years.

It was already getting dark, as several hours had passed.

The huge Taiping Inn was still brightly lit, but the surrounding streets were shrouded in darkness.

A wandering Daoist was walking alone on a dark street. He was blind in one eye, so he wore a black eye patch. He held a flag that had the words “Harsh Criticism” written on it. He also had a sword strapped behind his back.

?? Walking around, wandering about,

?? Have no worries about learning naught.

?? Speak not of the truth,

?? Rely on that oily tongue;

?? Kiss that ass till it cramps,

?? Lick that boot till it shines.

?? ‘Tis the way of life in all the land;

?? Kidnapping, swindling, try your hand!

The wandering Daoist bobbed his head leisurely while humming this tune.

......

Although Taiping Inn was the largest in Longmen Prefecture, there were dozens of other inns and restaurants in the city.

In the northwest corner of Longmen Prefecture was a two-story restaurant that looked aged. The red paint was mottled and dull, and the beams and columns were peeling. There was a stage on the first floor for storytelling and operas. The second floor was open-air and had a stairwell that led directly to the roof.

At this time, the restaurant was brightly lit and filled with people, so it was noisy.

“That Bodhisattva guy is an actual Bodhisattva. I don’t dare to provoke him. I’m afraid this money comes at too high a risk.”

“Haha! What kind of money isn’t earned through risk? We’re in risky business. How can you be picky?”

“Besides, the Bodhisattva won’t be there. We just need to deal with the young one.”

“Well, that young man isn’t an easy target either. He has a strong killing aura that can’t be faked, as well as some lingering demon energy around him. I wonder which unlucky demon died at his hands.”

“Why hasn’t Thunder Mage arrived yet?”

“Who knows? Maybe he’ll take advantage of the Bodhisattva’s drunkenness to attack now.”

“No, that house is weird, with all kinds of mechanisms and formations. If we break in rashly, we won’t be able to walk out in one piece.”

“By the way, I heard that Third Master Chang missed the target.”

“He didn’t just miss the target. It’s a downright failure! Only one managed to survive. I heard that the woman was more vicious than us assassins. She’s nothing like those demure and pampered ladies. She’s a real termagant!”

“I wonder who will be so ‘lucky’ to marry her in the future. I just want to wish him all the best! Haha!”

“Well, this isn’t something for you to worry about. She has so many talented Daoist suitors, but none of them made the cut.”

Cripple Zhou and Xu Changwu were among these men, chatting and sitting at the same table. Cripple Zhou’s iron staff was leaning against the table. He poured himself a drink, while Xu Changwu looked depressed.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew the door of the restaurant ajar. A scholar walked in and went straight to the storyteller’s seat on the stage.

The originally noisy restaurant suddenly fell silent.

The scholar clasped his fists in salute. “Greetings, everyone!”

The crowd did not respond in unison and only greeted him in their own time. “Greetings, Master Song.”

It seemed that this scholar was the host for the night.

Master Song was about to speak when he heard someone shouting, “Oh, Venerable One!”

The door of the restaurant opened again. The wandering Daoist, who was blind in one eye, walked in.

Many people stood up one after another. “Thunder Mage is here.”

There were also some who sat still, obviously not belonging to the same group as this wandering Daoist.

The scholar saluted the wandering Daoist, who only nodded as a courtesy.

Thunder Mage scanned the restaurant and asked, “Where’s the monk? The Three Religions are supposed to gather here together. I’m here with the Confucian scholar, but the monk is missing.”

Someone replied, “Master Deng Hua seems to have gone to the Purple Immortal Villa.”

Purple Immortal Villa was the top luxury brothel in Longmen Prefecture.

“Oh, Venerable One!” Thunder Mage cried out again in a strange tone.

The scholar shook his head helplessly.