A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu did not return to Sycamore Villa. Instead, he went to the only ready-made clothing shop in Bohai Prefectural City and bought three sets of clothes.

One was a standard Daoist robe, costing 50 Taiping coins. Another was a formal hechang priced at 110 Taiping coins.

After all, he was going to meet Zhang Yuelu, so he needed to change into new clothes. Additionally, the Daoist Order was unlike Jianghu, especially after the reform efforts led by the fifth-generation Grand Master. Since then, it was important for Daoists to keep a tidy appearance, leaving no room for sloppiness.

In Jade Capital, there were even specially appointed Daoist priests from the Ciji Hall tasked with supervising etiquette and appearance. Qi Xuansu could not possibly meet his superiors and peers wearing his current attire, which was only fit for Jianghu.

The third set of clothes was a simple, common Jianghu outfit, with narrow sleeves instead of wide ones, a streamlined hem, and flat-topped boots without pointed tips. These were all designed for ease of movement. This set cost 10 Taiping coins.

After leaving the clothing shop, Qi Xuansu headed to the local Taiping Inn and rented a room under his real name.

Once in his room, Qi Xuansu left his Divine Dragon Pistol and the two additional outfits and stowed away his Nine Yang Fiery Dome. He changed into the 10-Taiping-coin Jianghu outfit and donned the white fox mask, transforming himself into an elderly man.

Staying at the Taiping Inn required registration, but guests were free to leave without the need to notify anyone. Qi Xuansu quietly exited through the side door in his elderly disguise and headed to the black market.

The black market, also known as a mountain city, was backed by Seven Treasure Pavilion. While not located everywhere, major hubs like Bohai Prefecture certainly had a black market. However, finding the exact location required a guide or a referral, so outsiders had little chance of barging in.

For a seasoned traveler like Qi Xuansu, locating the black market was no challenge.

Soon, he found a local gangster and bargained with the latter, settling on a guide fee of 20 Taiping coins.

The gangster guided Qi Xuansu through a winding maze of streets in the busy city for the better part of a day, finally arriving at a shantytown on the outskirts of the city.

It was well known that even the most prosperous towns had areas where impoverished people gathered. Such places were chaotic in every sense—from security and population mobility to architecture and road layouts.

This “chaos” encompassed more than just security. It included erratic movement of crowds, haphazard building layouts, and confusing roads. The area had people from all walks of life. Besides ordinary civilians, it was inevitable that there would be pickpockets, swindlers, prostitutes, kidnappers, human traffickers, infamous outlaws, and cult members, making it a lawless place.

This shantytown sprawled along the city walls, with countless low huts haphazardly constructed. The huts were so densely packed that their eaves nearly touched. Walking through them, one could only see a narrow sliver of blue sky above, making the place dim.

Bohai Prefectural City had a complete sewer system that discharged wastewater into rivers and the sea. However, the shantytown outside lacked such infrastructure, leaving sewage everywhere. During the height of summer, swarms of mosquitoes filled the air, accompanied by an assortment of foul odors.

Compared to the orderly city within the walls, it was like an entirely different world.

This became commonplace because various manufacturing plants were concentrated in major towns. Many civilians who lost their farmland were forced to leave their hometowns in the countryside and flock to urban centers to work in these plants.

The city could not accommodate the influx of migrant workers, so the workers had no choice but to build makeshift shelters out of broken bricks and scrap wood along the edge of the city. Over time, these settlements expanded into the sprawling shantytown they had become.

Under the local gangster’s guidance, Qi Xuansu arrived at the northwest corner of the shantytown with a massive courtyard.

Calling this a courtyard was misleading. Unlike the walled courtyards of well-designed mansions in the city, this “courtyard” used interconnected shanties as its boundary, making it highly accessible and easy to escape from.

This was where the black market was located in Bohai Prefecture. Even if the Green Phoenix Guard or Daoist Order conducted surprise raids, it would be difficult to make arrests without surrounding the entire shantytown and conducting a meticulous search. However, the black market usually maintained good connections with officials by bribing them, so spot checks were usually avoided.

The local gangster knocked on the door. Soon after, a narrow slot opened, revealing a pair of wary eyes.

The gangster said, “We have a guest.”

The owner of those eyes responded, “10 Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu recalled that the black market along the Chamagu Road only charged 1 Taiping coin for entry. This place charged ten times that. It seemed that there was a correlation between entry fees and the location’s prosperity.

The gangster gestured subtly to Qi Xuansu, who handed over a small cash note.

The narrow slot slammed shut, and the small door within the big door creaked open.

That was when Qi Xuansu noticed that the door actually had another small door within it. The larger gate could accommodate carriages, but the smaller door was for individual entry.

The person behind the door finally emerged. He appeared to be in his forties, dressed in a short robe ending above the knees, flat cloth shoes, and a skullcap—the standard attire of Seven Treasure Pavilion staff.

“This way, please.” The man led Qi Xuansu inside while the gangster remained outside.

The 20 Taiping coins Qi Xuansu paid were not a simple fee for just guidance. The gangster also served as a guarantee. If Qi Xuansu caused trouble or turned out to be an undercover agent, the gangster would have to face the consequences. Thus, while lucrative, the job required sharp judgment.

This “courtyard” was not in a traditional square shape, but an irregular concave configuration. After taking two turns, Qi Xuansu discovered an entirely different scene. At the upper right corner of the concave layout was a massive tent, even larger than the General’s tents used in the military. It rivaled the tents of the Golden Horde Khan, capable of accommodating hundreds of people with ease.

More than ten skilled guards stood in front of the tent, their waists gleaming with firearms and blades while their sharp eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly.

The man led Qi Xuansu inside. It was not much different from the black market along the Chamagu Road, with stalls for both buying and selling.

In addition to the free trade, Seven Treasure Pavilion, which managed the black market, also purchased and sold certain items, somewhat similar to the Daoist Huasheng Hall.

Qi Xuansu had no intention of setting up his own stall. He went straight to the only counter in the tent, which was located at the innermost part, indicating its distinct status compared to ordinary stalls.

Behind the counter stood an elderly man with white hair and a beard, appearing about the same age as Qi Xuansu’s disguised form. As soon as Qi Xuansu approached, the elderly man activated a privacy barrier that blocked out both sight and sound. He then asked, “Brother, do you have items to sell?”

Qi Xuansu took out his flaming cutlass and placed it on the counter. “State a price.”

The old man glanced at it and pondered before finally saying, “800.”

“Too little.” Qi Xuansu shook his head and negotiated. “1100.”

“That’s too high. No deal.” The old man shook his head as well. “Let’s come to a compromise—900.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “I’ll compromise at 1,000. I originally bought this cutlass for 1,250 Taiping coins. At most, it has depreciated by 250 Taiping coins. 1,000 is the lowest I can go.”

The old man pondered for a moment and proposed, “That’s not possible in cash. But we can barter to offset the 1,000 Taiping coins.”

“Deal!” Qi Xuansu immediately accepted the offer. “Do you have a better blade?”

The man grinned. “We do have one.”

With that, the old man turned around and went behind the counter. When he returned, he held a sheathed horizontal blade.

During the Li royal dynasty, four types of Qi blades were crafted: ceremonial blades, defensive blades, horizontal blades, and cavalry blades.

Horizontal blades were generally about 60 to 80 centimeters, rarely reaching one meter, so they were not considered long blades. There was a slight angle between the grip and blade that resembled a straight, single-edged sword. It was unsuitable for battlefield combat but ideal for skirmishes.

The blade before him was about 80 centimeters, slightly longer than Qi Xuansu’s short sword. It was lavishly decorated, with a dragon-phoenix loop on the hilt—symbols of the royal family—indicating a connection to the Qi Dynasty’s royal lineage.

Qi Xuansu asked, “May I try it?”

“Of course,” the old man replied, handing over the blade.

Qi Xuansu took the blade, unsheathed it, and felt an intense chill radiate toward him, causing a faint stinging sensation on his skin.

The old man explained, “This horizontal blade can’t ignite flames or conjure frost. Its sole strength lies in its sharpness, rivaling many treasures. It can cut through hair in mid-air with ease. Even an ordinary person without cultivation could effortlessly pierce the Green Phoenix Guard’s Bull Dragon Armor with it. Its only flaw is that it’s somewhat brittle, so it may break against a true treasure-level blade. It’s not suited for direct clashes; hence, it’s only considered a spiritual object.”

“Is it really that sharp?” Qi Xuansu activated his qi shield and lightly grazed the blade across his finger.

The blade easily sliced through Qi Xuansu’s qi shield, leaving a bright red cut on his fingertip.

Amazed, Qi Xuansu remarked, “It is undoubtedly a top-grade spiritual object. What’s the name of this blade? How much does it cost?”

The old man replied, “This blade is called the Flying Shadow.”

“Flying Shadow, Dancing Snow. That’s a great name!” Qi Xuansu praised.

“Indeed.” The old man said, “This blade is part of a pair; its counterpart is called the Flying White Shadow, though it’s not in our possession. The price for the Flying Shadow is 4,000 Taiping coins. If you’d like it, you need to top up 3,000 Taiping coins, as we can offset the agreed 1,000 Taiping coins from trading in the flaming cutlass.”

Qi Xuansu’s eyelid twitched slightly.

He only had 2,000 Taiping coins, but after spending 200 Taiping coins on clothes, that left him with only 1,800 Taiping coins. He was still short of 1,200 Taiping coins.

Qi Xuansu complained, “That’s a sky-high price! I’m sincerely interested in it, so let’s skip the theatrics and name a fair rate.”

The old man deliberated again before saying, “Very well. I can give you a personal discount by deducting another 500 Taiping coins. But any more than that is beyond my authority.”

Qi Xuansu did a quick calculation. He was still 700 Taiping coins short.

After some thought, Qi Xuansu laid out 18 large cash notes and the set of Seven Phoenix Feathers on the counter. “If you find this acceptable, we have a deal. If not, I’ll look elsewhere.”

The old man’s gaze lingered on the Seven Phoenix Feathers for a moment before nodding. “Deal!”