A Pawn's Passage

Marshal Tianpeng was startled. He slowly turned around to see a figure appearing in the distance.

The approaching person was a woman who looked to be in her thirties, wearing oversized sunglasses that covered much of her face. She was dressed in a dark green long gown with a black gauze outer garment and matching embroidered shoes. Her clothes and shoes were decorated with patterns resembling the ancient square-holed copper coins, which seemed gaudy.

Various trinkets hung from her waist, such as a sachet, a jade pendant, and several pouches. On her left side was a long tobacco pipe, known as the Face Wrecker, with a dull golden stummel, an ebony stem, and an emerald lip. It was paired with an aged pouch for tobacco leaves that appeared to have seen better days. On her right hung a small, golden abacus—whether it was made of solid gold or just gold-plated was unclear.

Marshal Tianpeng, unsure how to react, asked in a deep voice, “Who are you?”

The woman replied, “People call me Madam Qi, a B-rank member of the Qingping Society.”

Marshal Tianpeng froze for a moment before breaking into laughter. “Oh, merely B-rank.”

He had never heard of Madam Qi, but he knew what being a B-rank member of the Qingping Society signified.

The Qingping Society had four tiers of members: A, B, C, and D. D-rank was for peripheral members with some affiliation to the secret society. C-rank was for official members, B-rank was for elites, and A-rank was for the core members.

By cultivation level, D-rank members were typically Houtian Beings, C-rank members were lower-level Xiantian Beings, B-rank members were in the Guizhen stage of Xiantian Beings, and A-rank members were Heavenly Beings.

Although there were various stages to Heavenly Beings, A-rank members followed a ranking system akin to the Daoist Order’s hierarchy for Omniscient Sages.

In terms of official rank, all 36 Omniscient Sages were equal. However, in reality, their influence varied significantly. Some were second only to the three Deputy Grand Masters, even surpassing Virtuous Great Sages in authority, while others were mere figureheads, only slightly more notable than ordinary Sages.

This discrepancy gave rise to informal rankings. For example, Sage Donghua was recognized as the foremost of the 36 Omniscient Sages, while Sage Qingwei and Sage Cihang were second and third, respectively.

However, this was an unwritten rule. Beyond the top ten, the rankings became less specific, as no one wanted to be labeled as the last Omniscient Sage. Such distinctions could easily offend the Heavenly Being. After all, these figureheads were still formidable compared to others.

The Qingping Society operated similarly. Once members became Heavenly Beings, they were considered A-rank members. However, even among the A-rank members, there were internal rankings that outsiders were not privy to and were only known among themselves.

If Madam Qi claimed to be an A-rank member, Marshal Tianpeng might have been a little apprehensive. After all, it was highly likely that the Qingping Society had Heavenly Beings in the Zaohua stage as A-rank members.

However, this woman was merely a B-rank member, likely the highest level of the Guizhen stage, so there was nothing to fear.

Marshal Tianpeng smirked, making no effort to hide his disdain.

In this world, might makes right, whether in Jianghu or the courts. During the Qi Dynasty’s coup, brothers killed each other, and sons betrayed their fathers. Concepts like filial piety and rules were just empty words.

In a world that revered strength, why would Marshal Tianpeng respect someone whose cultivation level was inferior to his own?

Madam Qi walked toward Marshal Tianpeng while casually popping a mint candy into her mouth. Her words were slightly muffled as she proposed, “Considering we’re both from secret societies, why don’t you show me some respect and let this go?”

Marshal Tianpeng burst into laughter, pointing a fat, stubby finger at the presumptuous woman. “Respect between secret societies? There’s a saying that those from the same industry make natural enemies. Since when were the Heavenly Court and the Qingping Society on the same side? There’s no camaraderie between us.”

Madam Qi nodded. “What you say makes sense.”

Marshal Tianpeng snorted before continuing, “Besides, who do you think you are to demand my respect? Do you even deserve it?”

Madam Qi stopped in her tracks and spat out the candy. “Say that again.”

“Do you even know my cultivation level?” Marshal Tianpeng sneered.

Madam Qi touched her Face Wrecker at her waist and spoke in a flat tone. “You’re just practicing a bastardized version of the Nandi Lineage from the Golden Horde Buddhist Sect. You’ve absorbed so much yin energy from women and gorged yourself into this bloated form, which is nothing but flashy nonsense. Sure, it’s good enough to bully children, but do you really think you can dominate the world with such meager skills?”

Marshal Tianpeng’s expression shifted slightly.

Madam Qi made a circular gesture with her hand. “You’re like a toad sitting in a well and looking at the sky, thinking that the sky is only this big.”

Marshal Tianpeng replied coldly, “You’ve got sharp eyes, but what about your skills?”

Madam Qi held her Face Wrecker in her right hand and extended two fingers with her left. “If you hand over 20,000 Taiping coins, I’ll allow you to leave here unscathed.”

The Bhikkhu was so enraged that he laughed.

Madam Qi retracted her middle finger, leaving only her index finger raised. “Fine. If you don’t have 20,000 Taiping coins, 10,000 will do. But I can’t promise you won’t be unscathed, only that you’ll still be alive. Oh, I accept bartered items as well. I can appraise them on the spot, no scams guaranteed.”

At first, Marshal Tianpeng wondered if he was mistaken. But upon hearing her words, he concluded that this madwoman was bluffing. He goaded, “What if I don’t want to give you a single Taiping coin?”

Madam Qi lowered her last finger, forming a fist. “Then there’s nothing more to discuss.”

“Discuss? You’re using my life to haggle over money. That’s not business; that’s daylight robbery!” Marshal Tianpeng was not at all threatened by this madwoman. Instead, he enjoyed sparring verbally with her.

Madam Qi replied earnestly, “My life is in my hands, and so is your life. Since I control your fate, it isn’t robbery. I prefer to call it ransom money. It’s perfectly reasonable for you to buy back your life from me.”

Marshal Tianpeng cackled. His booming laughter shook the trees, stirred up clouds of dust, and caused ripples across Zhenwu Lake, but Madam Qi stood motionless.

When his laughter subsided, Marshal Tianpeng walked directly toward the madwoman.

Though his pace seemed slow, he appeared in front of Madam Qi in the blink of an eye, swinging a slap at her face.

The force of the slap was so strong that her head would likely spin a full circle had he managed to land this slap.

In the next moment, Marshal Tianpeng’s eyes widened in shock.

Madam Qi had caught his wrist with one hand, immobilizing him completely.

From Qi Xuansu’s perspective, Marshal Tianpeng’s mountainous body visibly shrank, like a chunk of fat in a frying pan, gradually losing mass until only a tiny bit of residue remained. The common folk called this process rendering fat.

Such was the fate of Marshal Tianpeng. His mountainous body and immense blood qi drained rapidly or rather, burned away. His once-smooth skin lost its luster, becoming dull, sallow, and wrinkled. The muscles beneath his skin deflated.

Terror and despair filled the Bhikku’s face as if he had seen an ultimate monster.

Unfortunately, Marshal Tianpeng could not see Madam Qi’s eyes, only his own reflection in the black lenses of her sunglasses.

Moments later, Marshal Tianpeng had shriveled beyond recognition. His once Buddha-like face with broad features and large ears was now sunken, with hollow cheeks, deep eye sockets, and a face covered in wrinkles. His exposed chest revealed starkly visible ribs.

Qi Xuansu’s Flying Shadow, which had been lodged in his body, fell to the ground with a clang, no longer held in place by his now-absent muscles.

He opened his mouth as if to speak but could only produce incomprehensible, raspy sounds.

As soon as Madam Qi released his wrist, Marshal Tianpeng collapsed to the ground, curling up like a withered mummy.

The hechang he wore now looked like an oversized sack, awkwardly enveloping his emaciated frame.

Madam Qi snapped her fingers, lighting her tobacco pipe. She took a puff and exhaled a cloud of white smoke. “Even the Protector of the Xizhou treats me with respect. Who do you think you are to dare shout at me?”