A Pawn's Passage

Now that Zhang Yuelu knew everything, Qi Xuansu had nothing to hide. He started telling his story from the beginning while drinking.

Of course, his story did not start from when he woke up in the Starry Sea, but from when he was “rescued by Sage Donghua.”

Aside from this fabricated beginning, everything that followed was Qi Xuansu’s personal experience.

Qi Xuansu first talked about meeting Eighth Tianyang at the Feilong Inn in Salt Lake, hence the start of the grudge between him and the Heavenly Court.

Then he talked about how he was “ordered” to go to Cuowenbu to investigate the White Jade Hall, where he saved the District Princess Qin Xiang, met General Qin Wubing, and, by chance, witnessed the fall of the Yinglong Warship. He even mentioned meeting Sage Cihang.

Qi Xuansu could not help but sigh. “I didn’t expect that Sage to be your master. I suppose that’s the reason my identity was exposed. Sage Cihang must have told you about me.”

Zhang Yuelu did not deny it. She explained, “When I was exchanging letters with my master, she mentioned that she once met a person by the Cuowenbu Lake who called himself Wei Wugui. He left an impression on her because he possessed Daoist techniques.

“At that time, I had a feeling that everything was connected. Although I didn’t know that you were Wei Wugui, I could guess your route. You first met Eighth Tianyang at the Feilong Inn in Salt Lake, where you worked together to kill cult demons from the Heavenly Court. Then you went to Xiping Prefecture to participate in the Eagle and Dog Slaughtering Assembly before going to the West Gobi, where you met Qin Wubing.

“After that, you appeared at the lakeside of Cuowenbu and met my master. When you were attacked by Feng Bo in Xijing Prefecture, you used the power of the Daoist Order to force Feng Bo into retreating. That’s where you met Sage Pei. On the way to Zhongzhou from Xijing Prefecture, you met Wan Xiuwu on the way and killed him because of past grudges.

“To avoid getting caught, you entered the Ghost Pass with Sage Pei’s token and met the Three Yin Beings. After going through the Ghost Pass, you stayed in Longmen Prefecture briefly and met Eight Tianyang again in Purple Immortal Mountain, where you helped him solve the case.

“Am I right?” Zhang Yuelu looked at Qi Xuansu expectantly.

Qi Xuansu was shocked by how accurate Zhang Yuelu’s guess was. All he felt was awe and admiration, so he could only clap and praise. “You’re absolutely amazing!”

Zhang Yuelu did not hide her curiosity. “But I still have some things I’m confused about. But don’t worry if you can’t answer them; I won’t force you.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Ask away.”

“Really?” Zhang Yuelu perked up.

Qi Xuansu nodded.

Zhang Yuelu carefully considered her words before asking, “What did you do in the Ghost Pass?”

Qi Xuansu was not surprised by her question. “It’s a long story. Have you heard about the Daoist Order’s plan to replenish the Banished Immortals?”

Zhang Yuelu was stunned by this response. She looked pensive before she replied, “I have some impression of it. It seems to be related to Rogue Cultivators. As far as I know, Rogue Cultivators are independent of the conventional Five Immortal Lineages.

“Rogue Cultivators actually correspond to the Corpse Liberation Immortal, which has a long history, even before the Five Immortals. Some elders once proposed the theory of the Three Immortals, which includes the Heavenly Immortal, the Earthly Immortal, and the Corpse Liberation Immortal.

“They believed that after attaining the Dao, one could abandon the body and ascend to immortality. One could also leave an item behind and ascend to heaven, such as clothing, accessories, a staff, or a sword. That’s why it’s called Corpse Liberation.

“Volume 87 of The Supreme Secret states that Corpse Liberation is the transformation of the physical form, the refinement and shedding of the true essence, and the escape and metamorphosis of the mortal body. Thus, it is also metaphorically referred to as cicada molting, akin to how a cicada leaves behind its shell and transforms. The practice involves preserving one’s qi and stabilizing the physical form in secluded caves, eventually ascending to immortality.

“Later, with the theory of the Five Immortals, the Corpse Liberation Immortal was subdivided into Godly Immortals, Manly Immortals, and Ghostly Immortals. Gradually, the Corpse Liberation Immortal was slowly forgotten. It was not until the Holy Xuan revitalized the Daoist Order and integrated the Five Immortal Lineages that the long-lost Corpse Liberation Immortal came to light again.

“However, the current Corpse Liberation Immortal is different from the ancient one. Today’s Rogue Cultivators are indeed like ’Lesser Banished Immortals’ because they have made corresponding adjustments. This change relates to what you’ve mentioned about replenishing Banished Immortals. The main purpose is not to revive the Corpse Liberation Immortal lineage, but to cultivate more Banished Immortals.

“Judging from the theory of the Three Immortals, the Corpse Liberation Immortal is inferior to the Heavenly Immortal and the Earthly Immortal. So it may not be that easy to turn the Corpse Liberation Immortal into an Earthly Immortal, though the Daoist creation project back then was capable of anything, even creating first-rank Spirit Guards.

“But seeing as how the Daoist Order still has yet to mass produce Banished Immortals, I think the project could have been halted due to its high costs. However, the Corpse Liberation Immortal lineage that came to light in the process was retained, hence becoming the sixth lineage. The Heavenly Immortal, Earthly Immortal, Corpse Liberation Immortal, Godly Immortal, Manly Immortal, and Ghostly Immortal are the Six Immortals we know today, corresponding to the six qis.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “To put it bluntly, Rogue Cultivators are simplified versions of Banished Immortals. They can also become Banished Immortals, but they need something extremely valuable to make up for their innate deficiencies and alter their capabilities. Do you still remember what happened at Yulan Temple in Yishan City?”

Zhang Yuelu was extremely smart, so she vaguely understood what Qi Xuansu was getting at. “Of course, I remember. I was fighting with Xie Qiuniang at Yulan Temple, while you were attacked by Monk Yan Xiu. I was really afraid that you wouldn’t be able to escape from Wu Luo’s divine power. If that were the case, I would’ve drowned in regret for the rest of my life.

“Not long after you left Yulan Temple, you advanced to the Yuxu stage, claiming that you took a legendary demon pill from the broken Buddha statue. The pill healed your injuries and increased your cultivation level greatly, allowing you to escape from Yulan Temple safely.”

Qi Xuansu sighed. “I lied to you back then. It wasn’t a demon pill, but a piece of jade. Later, I found out that it was called a Xuan Jade, which was the key to completing Rogue Cultivators. Wu Luo’s divine power fused the Xuan Jade into me, improving my cultivation.”

Zhang Yuelu raised her eyebrows. “Why did you lie to me?”

Qi Xuansu smiled bitterly. “Since it was related to Wu Luo’s divine power, I was afraid that you’d associate me with a secret society and eliminate me then and there.”

A lie always had to be covered with more lies. Qi Xuansu felt guilty about it, but he was also helpless, as he had no room for regrets. That was because he had long been a member of the Qingping Society before he met Zhang Yuelu.

No matter what, he did not want Zhang Yuelu to know that he was a member of the Qingping Society.

Killing Wan Xiuwu was one thing, but joining a secret society was another. Even if he did not have a choice in joining said secret society, he dared not bet on how Zhang Yuelu would react to the discovery.

Qi Xuansu also believed that there would come a day when he would leave the Qingping Society. At that time, he would be able to face Zhang Yuelu without guilt, and he could finally bury this dirty secret in the past.

Zhang Yuelu snorted slightly, expressing her dissatisfaction.

Qi Xuansu anxiously held her hand again in an attempt to appease her.

Fortunately, Zhang Yuelu did not dodge and let him hold her. It seemed that she was not that angry after all.

Qi Xuansu breathed a sigh of relief and continued, “Later, I found White Jade Hall’s hideout in the Eastern Oasis of Cuowenbu. However, by the time I arrived, the cult demons had already fled. All that was left was this piece of Xuan Jade.

“I suspect that this piece of Xuan Jade is related to the Huasheng Hall’s manufacturing plant in Cuowenbu. As you know, the reason why Sage Shangguan appeared in Cuowenbu on the Yinglong Warship was to suppress the out-of-control Great Asura at the manufacturing plant.

“In order to investigate the matter, I infiltrated The Inn’s team and went to the manufacturing plant, so I was there to witness the Great Asura being manipulated by the people from White Jade Hall. Fortunately, that was where I obtained a Blood Pill.

“Oh, I forgot to mention that there was a letter next to the Xuan Jade left by White Jade Hall as a gift to someone from the Qingping Society. It meant that these two secret societies had come to a prior agreement about this Xuan Jade’s ownership. Since the Daoist Order discovered their tracks, White Jade Hall had to retreat from their hideout and left the Xuan Jade there, waiting for the people from the Qingping Society to collect it.”

Zhang Yuelu could not help but laugh. “In the end, you somehow managed to take that Xuan Jade by accident, right?”

Qi Xuansu nodded and continued telling his story. “I left Cuowenbu with that Xuan Jade. You’re aware of what happened after. Feng Bo hunted me down and attacked me at Xijing Prefecture. Sage Pei also knew of my identity due to his relationship with Sage Donghua and Sage Lei, so I was able to recuperate at Sage Pei’s place.

“Sage Lei is my immediate superior, and she taught me the Tantai Fist Intention. Later, when I left Xijing Prefecture, I ran into Wan Xiuwu on the road. You must have investigated the grudges between me and him, right? When I saw that he was alone, anger and vengeance took over me. We had a fair fight to the death, and I won in the end. It was probably because Wan Xiuwu had enjoyed the comfy life in recent years and became unfamiliar with combat.

“I knew that Wuxu Palace would definitely not let this slide, so I did the opposite of what was logical and went to Longmen Prefecture via the Ghost Pass. That was when I met the Three Yin Beings. But I’d like to clarify that I didn’t take the initiative to summon them. Before that, I didn’t even know of their existence.

“It was this piece of Xuan Jade that inexplicably brought me to the Ghost Kingdom, where I met Master Yin, Master Wan, and Madam Bai. In my opinion, these Three Yin Beings aren’t any different from humans.

“They were the ones who told me that the Xuan Jade was the key to completing Rogue Cultivators and that it must be activated with divine power. So they helped me activate the Xuan Jade I got from White Jade Hall, allowing me to advance to the Guizhen stage. In return, they only wanted me to do them a favor in the future because they were afraid that the Daoist Order would get rid of them once they had outlived their usefulness.”

Qi Xuansu honestly told Zhang Yuelu about his experiences in the Ghost Kingdom, including his deal with the Three Yin Beings.

He felt like there was nothing to hide about this because the Three Yin Beings were also members of the Daoist Order, so it was not taboo to interact with them.

As expected, Zhang Yuelu did not have much reaction to this. She only nodded and said thoughtfully, “I see...”