A Pawn's Passage

It was still some distance from Xingye Lake to the Taiping Inn, which was located in the city. Thus, Mo Qingdi specially hired a Western-style four-wheeled carriage, which could seat four people.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu sat on one side, while Mo Qingdi and Shi Yu sat across from them.

Zhang Yuelu rarely took carriages because they were too slow. She would only take one if she was unfamiliar with the roads.

On the rare occasions she had to take a carriage, she always rode alone. After boarding, she instinctively closed her eyes to rest. However, she quickly remembered she had company, so she opened them again.

Qi Xuansu noticed the luxurious interior of the carriage and asked, “It must have cost quite a bit to rent this carriage, huh?”

Mo Qingdi smiled. “Just a few Taiping coins; not much.”

Qi Xuansu lightly tapped the velvet-lined carriage wall and said, “You’re thoughtful. Actually, I could’ve walked. Although there weren’t many chances to go out back when we were at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, I still remember the way to Taiping Inn.”

Actually, Qi Xuansu had recently visited Longmen Prefecture, so he remembered the route.

Qi Xuansu continued, “I still remember how we used to sneak out of Wanxiang Daoist Palace to play all day. When we returned, punishment was inevitable. At best, we were forced to skip meals and do menial work; at worst, we’d be flogged. So before heading back, we’d always feast at Taiping Inn and jokingly call it our last supper. “At least then, our stomachs would be full to get us through the impending punishment.”

A smile appeared on Mo Qingdi’s face. “We didn’t have much money back then, so we pooled together some loose change to buy the cheapest broad noodles. Each time, we’d slurp the soup and noodles down to the last drop, pretty much licking the bowl clean. I can still remember that taste to this day! When we get to the inn, we’ll have to try it again.”

Qi Xuansu turned to Zhang Yuelu and gently patted the back of her hand. “Qing Xiao, you probably won’t ever experience something like this in your life.”

Zhang Yuelu smiled faintly and did not deny it.

Shi Yu seized the opportunity to ask. “Qing Xiao, is this your first time in Longmen Prefecture?”

Zhang Yuelu shook her head. “No, it’s not my first time. Actually, I was here just recently.”

At this, she paused slightly and glanced sideways at Qi Xuansu. “I was here at the invitation of Wuxu Palace to investigate Wan Xiuwu’s case.”

Of course, she would not admit that she had actually followed Wei Wugui’s tracks to Longmen Prefecture.

Shi Yu exclaimed in surprise, “Old Wan’s case has been solved?”

As she spoke, she could not help but glance at Qi Xuansu.

All of their classmates knew about what happened back then. Qi Xuansu had a grudge against Wan Xiuwu, and Zhang Yuelu had a close relationship with Qi Xuansu. Everyone was wondering what Qi Xuansu’s thoughts were on this matter.

Zhang Yuelu shook her head. “We’ve opened the case file, but just as the investigation began, I was reassigned to investigate another case at the Purple Immortal Mountain.”

During this period, everyone in the Daoist Order had already heard of the events in Jinling Prefecture.

The official reports briefly outlined the causes and progress of the case. Although, in essence, this was a continuation of the major Jiangnan case from years ago, without substantial evidence, they could not say so outright. Thus, Purple Immortal Mountain became the origin of the case.

Shi Yu and Mo Qingdi exchanged a glance. Shi Yu cautiously asked, “Qing Xiao, did you and Old Qi come from Jinling Prefecture?”

Zhang Yuelu nodded.

Mo Qingdi asked again, “The reports say True Lord Siming descended in Jinling Prefecture. Is that true?”

Qi Xuansu smiled bitterly. “The closest Qing Xiao and I were to True Lord Siming was about 500 meters away. That kind of sheer power was honestly terrifying. If not for the timely arrival of reinforcements from Tiangang Hall, at least half of Jinling Prefecture would have become a dead city by now.”

Shi Yu could not help but click her tongue. “No wonder you’ve been promoted so quickly. You’ve earned it by risking your lives.”

Qi Xuansu did not respond and fell into silence.

Mo Qingdi changed the subject. “Old Qi, I thought you wouldn’t come. Not because you’ve made it and no longer recognize old friends, but because things ended so unpleasantly back then. Although Wan Xiuwu deserved his fate, Yue Liuli is still around, and she’s the one organizing this class reunion.”

Qi Xuansu did not hold back and spoke bluntly. “We’re all old acquaintances, so I’ll be straightforward. If I was still the same person as I was back then, I certainly wouldn’t have come to subject myself to humiliation. I might’ve even avoided Yue Liuli altogether. But things are different now. Yue Liuli suspects that I’m the one who killed Wan Xiuwu. If I avoid her, it’ll just make me look guilty. So I had to come.”

Shi Yu blurted out, “Yue Liuli suspects you’re the killer?!”

Qi Xuansu said calmly, “It’s clearly written in the case files.”

Unlike the Confucians, the Daoist Order always upheld the presumption of innocence. The accused had no obligation to prove their innocence.

Yue Liuli suspected Qi Xuansu but had no evidence, whereas Qi Xuansu had alibis from Ziwei Hall and the Chongyang Palace of Immortality. It did not even qualify as reasonable suspicion. Tiangang Hall had informed Qi Xuansu of this, which was not against the rules.

Shi Yu was speechless.

She could not quite understand what Yue Liuli was thinking. Telling Zhang Yuelu that Qi Xuansu killed Wan Xiuwu was as good as a biased trial.

In truth, Yue Liuli was not to be blamed. At the time, Wuxu Palace transferred the case to Tiangang Hall on the grounds that Wan Xiuwu might have been killed by a secret society member.

Normally, a case of this scale could have been handled by any Deputy Hall Master. Zhang Yuelu happened to be away from Tiangang Hall at the time to eradicate the Lingshan Witch Cult, so she could not have been involved, conveniently bypassing her.

However, who could have expected Sage Cihang would personally intervene and assign the case to Zhang Yuelu?

This act was akin to Wuxu Palace shooting itself in the foot.

Mo Qingdi hesitated for a moment before asking in a whisper, “Old Qi, does Old Wan’s death have anything to do with you?”

Qi Xuansu maintained his composure as he answered, “No, it has nothing to do with me.”

At the same time, Qi Xuansu thought to himself, Old Wan was killed by Wei Wugui, the Gold-Plated Knife of the Qingping Society. What does it have to do with me, the Superintendent of Ziwei Hall?

Mo Qingdi felt conflicted. While he supported his old friend in seeking vengeance, he did not want Old Qi to become consumed by bloodlust. He preferred legitimate means of getting justice. Thus, hearing Qi Xuansu’s response gave him a sense of relief.

This type of thinking was not Mo Qingdi’s fault because he had always been under the protection of the Daoist Order and had never been involved in the infighting. Having lived a sheltered life—wielding a pen rather than a sword—Mo Qingdi still retained some naivety like that of a flowerbed Daoist.

However, Qi Xuansu was different. Whether it was his bad luck or unique experiences, Qi Xuansu had seen his share of darkness.

First, he was nearly killed by Yue Liuli and Wan Xiuwu’s schemes during the Tiger and Dragon Camp scrimmage. Then, his master was surrounded and assassinated by hired killers. Later, he entered Jianghu and relied on his blade for a living, becoming mired in filth.

From the massacre of County Magistrate Li Hongwen’s entire family in Fengtai County, The Inn’s assassination attempt on Zhang Yuelu’s life, and the annihilation of the Yuan family to the night raid on Zhenwu Temple—Qi Xuansu had witnessed too many such events. How could he still believe in the common societal rules?

Qi Xuansu’s and Mo Qingdi’s perspectives had long diverged and become worlds apart.

As they spoke, the carriage slowly came to a stop. They finally arrived at Taiping Inn.

The four of them got down from the carriage one by one.

Seeing Yue Liuli waiting at the entrance, Qi Xuansu smiled faintly.

Back in Wanxiang Daoist Palace, Qi Xuansu was low-key and reserved. Some might even describe him as reclusive and unsociable. He did not have many true friends. If it were not for the leader of the Dragon Camp, Qi Xuansu would not have been willing to come to this class reunion.