A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu did not wear a cloak because it was warm. That was why he did not want to strap his two cutlasses by his waist and decided to put them in his saddlebag. He only kept his Divine Dragon Pistol and Qing Yuan by his side.

As they approached the city gate, Qi Xuansu and Liu Hu dismounted and took their horses by the reins.

When entering the city, Qi Xuansu showed his Black Robes badge so that he would not have to waste time explaining the origin of the Divine Dragon Pistol. When the soldiers guarding the city saw Qi Xuansu, who was disguised as an old man, carrying a Divine Dragon Pistol and Black Robes badge, with a “granddaughter” beside him who could already ride a horse at a young age, they thought that Qi Xuansu was from a general’s family and let them pass without questions.

Qi Xuansu and Liu Hu successfully entered Jiangling Prefecture, but they did not stay at the famous Taiping Inn as a precaution.

Instead, they found a smaller inn, the kind where there were guest rooms on the second floor and a small restaurant on the first floor.

Qi Xuansu gave Liu Hu a Taiping coin and asked her to get their rooms while he led their horses to the stables at the back. Ever since getting Bu Yue, Qi Xuansu found that his horse understood human language. So he patted Bu Yue’s saddlebag and warned, “I’ll hold you accountable for anything that goes missing.”

Bu Yue snorted, as if to tell Qi Xuansu to rest assured.

Qi Xuansu then went to the lobby. Liu Hu had already gotten the keys to their rooms, holding them in one hand while she had a handful of change in the other.

Seeing this, Qi Xuansu took one key and waved to Liu Hu, signaling for her to keep the change. After all, it was less than one Taiping coin, and he was not a miser like Madam Qi.

Liu Hu did not refuse and kept the change in her purse.

To outsiders, they looked like a cute pair of grandfather and granddaughter.

They followed the waiter to the guest room on the second floor. After settling in, they returned to the first floor and ordered some food.

Liu Hu asked, “Aren’t you going to drink?”

Qi Xuansu immediately thought of the alcoholic Wild Bodhisattva. He could not help but shake his head and laugh. “No, we’re outside. It’s better to stay vigilant.”

Liu Hu nodded and concentrated on her food.

Not long after, a group of people whizzed by the door. The person leading the group was a young master in lavish clothes and a jade belt.

Wherever the group passed, pedestrians gave way. It was chaotic outside.

Seeing this scene, the innkeeper shook his head and sighed.

Qi Xuansu took the opportunity to ask, “Innkeeper, who is that young master galloping wildly in this bustling city as if he’s above the law?”

“Sir, are you from out of state?” The innkeeper did not answer his question immediately.

Qi Xuansu nodded. “I’m just passing by.”

The innkeeper explained, “That young master is from the Yuan family, a local wealthy family that is revered within the city. I heard that Old Master Yuan is hosting a banquet in Taiping Inn today to entertain a distinguished guest. This young master is probably in a hurry to attend the banquet.”

“Revered, huh?” Qi Xuansu clicked his tongue. He had a rough understanding of this young man.

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves approached the inn.

The innkeeper was startled and subconsciously looked out.

Not long after, the group stopped directly at the entrance of the inn.

The young man in the brocade clothes got off his horse and strode into the inn.

The innkeeper hurriedly came out from behind the counter and took the initiative to greet the young master. However, before the innkeeper could say a word, the young master’s attendant shoved the innkeeper aside. The innkeeper stumbled back, knocking over a table before falling to the floor, unable to get up.

The waiters were so scared that they dared not breathe loudly, let alone move.

The young master walked straight to Qi Xuansu and Liu Hu, but his eyes were locked on the girl.

Qi Xuansu could tell what was about to happen. However, he could not understand what this young master saw in Liu Hu. He would have understood if it was Zhang Yuelu sitting next to him. After all, Zhang Yuelu was both talented and beautiful, coveted by many.

On the other hand, Liu Hu was just mediocre at best. Qi Xuansu wondered if this young master was bored of the pretty women around him and had a change of palate.

This young master was Yuan Fengchan, the son of Yuan Shangdao, who was the current head of the Yuan family. His grandfather was the great Confucian scholar, Yuan Chongzong.

Scholarly families usually had strict rules. However, etiquette and family tradition were dependent on the receiving party. In front of friends and elders, young masters like Yuan Fengchan would be courteous so that no one could fault him. However, they thought there was no need to be courteous to peasants since they were superior.

Earlier, when Yuan Fengchan passed by the inn on horseback, he accidentally caught a glimpse of Liu Hu and her “grandfather,” Qi Xuansu. He was captivated by Liu Hu’s animated, starry eyes, so much so that he could not take his mind off of her. Thus, he turned back to the inn with hopes of taking Liu Hu for himself, just as Qi Xuansu thought.

Seeing this, Qi Xuansu stood up, cleared his throat, and planned to speak.

However, Yuan Fengchan spoke first. “My name is Yuan Fengchan. Miss, what is your name?”

Qi Xuansu interjected, “Young master, I think this is inappropriate.”

Yuan Fengchan did not bother to reply, but someone in his entourage stepped forward to shove Qi Xuansu aside.

“My young master wasn’t asking you, so you have no right to speak!”

Qi Xuansu allowed the man to shove him, but he did not budge. Instead, he exuded some innate qi so that the force of the impact broke the man’s wrist.

The man’s face immediately turned pale, and he took a few steps back. He still maintained his posture of wanting to push Qi Xuansu, but he dared not move.

Qi Xuansu stretched out his hand to dust his clothes. “I am talking to your young master, so you have no right to interrupt.”

Yuan Fengchan’s guards immediately gathered around Qi Xuansu in a hostile stance.

Qi Xuansu looked calm as he asked, “Are you planning to kidnap a civilian?”

One of the guards said coldly, “Civilian? I only see two criminals here.”

Qi Xuansu laughed.

In a sense, these people were right. He really was a criminal on the run, especially after killing a fourth-rank superintendent.

Since the Daoist Order was vigorously suppressing secret societies, local vigilantes and civilians were encouraged to report any sightings of secret society members. Some were afraid of retaliation by the secret societies, so they dared not offend them. However, some would bravely use this matter to falsely accuse innocent people of being secret society members.

Liu Hu remained silent. Along the way, she got to know that Uncle Wei was ruthless. He could kill a fourth-rank superintendent easily, let alone these lackeys.

The guard did not dare to be too careless. He warned, “No one in Jiangling Prefecture dares to be rude to my young master!”

“Oh?” Qi Xuansu smirked. “I have been to many places. You might think that you’re all that, but there are plenty of people better than you, so don’t think so highly of yourself.”

The guard was furious, pulling out his sword. The light reflected on the blade was blinding.

Several waiters were so frightened that they immediately hid in a corner and protected their heads with their hands.

The guard dared not move because a gun was pressed against his forehead.

Qi Xuansu held the Divine Dragon Pistol and pressed on the hammer. “You’re right, I really am a criminal; a secret society member to be exact. If you dare touch me today, the Lingshan Witch Cult will go to the Yuan Residence and kill all of you tomorrow. Also, you don’t need to scare me with the Imperial Court and the Daoist Order. If we were afraid of them, we wouldn’t have formed this cult in the first place.”

The guard was silent for a moment. However, he regained his confidence and said, “Do you dare to pull the trigger?”

Qi Xuansu did not respond.

“If you don’t dare to, why are you holding—” The guard suddenly reached out to snatch the Divine Dragon Pistol from Qi Xuansu’s hand.

Bang!

A dark, bloody hole appeared on the guard’s forehead. His eyes were wide open as he fell backward, unable to rest in peace.

“I’m a timid old man and can’t bear to be frightened.” Qi Xuansu reloaded the gun without changing his expression or batting an eyelid.

This time, no one asked Qi Xuansu whether he dared to pull the trigger. They just watched in fear as Qi Xuansu leisurely loaded his Divine Dragon Pistol.

Qi Xuansu raised his gun again, this time pointing it directly at Yuan Fengchan. He said in the gentlest tone possible, “Get out.”

Yuan Fengchan’s face darkened. He took a step back, but he could not swallow his pride. When had he ever been humiliated like this? But he was also a little scared.

He would not have been scared if this old man was an ordinary thug. What worried him was the possibility of this old man being from the Lingshan Witch Cult, which happened to be the most terrifying of all secret societies.

The Lingshan Witch Cult was known to be vengeful and unscrupulous. They even dared to kill a Sage.