A Pawn's Passage

The Taiping Sect and the Xuanhui Court were plotting something significant, though not necessarily earth-shattering.

Eunuchs had little personal ambition. More often than not, they acted on behalf of the royal family. The Taiping Sect had long enjoyed close ties with the royal family as well, so the two joining forces on a major plan was not exactly surprising.

The key issue was that the Qingping Society intended to sabotage that plan.

The Qingping Society was no ordinary secret society. It had deep and intricate ties to the Quanzhen Sect.

Sage Donghua, representing the Quanzhen Sect, had temporarily transferred Qi Xuansu to the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion and even spoke with him personally before his departure, telling him to await further orders.

Madam Qi, on behalf of the Qingping Society, had also instructed Qi Xuansu to establish a connection with Li Qingnu in preparation for the society’s grand undertaking.

The situation could not be clearer. Whatever the Taiping Sect was planning likely pertained to the political balance within the Jade Capital. The Quanzhen Sect had no intention of standing by and had already resolved to intervene.

With both the Taiping Sect and the Quanzhen Sect in play, the Zhengyi Sect was unlikely to remain a bystander. They would probably join in as well. With the Xuanhui Court representing the royal family, four of the five Daoist sects of the past—excluding only the Western Sect that had journeyed westward—were about to clash in the Imperial Capital.

Both Qi Xuansu and Li Qingnu were merely pieces on the chessboard, responsible for just one part of the whole. They might not even fully understand what was happening until it was all over. Of course, that was assuming they lived to see the end.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Do you know what the actual plan is?”

Li Qingnu replied unapologetically, “I’m not Madam Qi—how would I know?”

Qi Xuansu was not surprised by her answer. “So we’re the same after all—just little pawns on the board.”

“What else did you expect?” Li Qingnu mocked. “If you’re not a pawn, do you think you’re the one moving the pieces? You’d best not daydream.”

Qi Xuansu was momentarily speechless. After a pause, he said, “Still, one should look forward in life. We can’t stay pawns forever. What’s the meaning in having your life and death decided on someone else’s whim?”

This time, Li Qingnu did not argue.

The feeling of being under someone else’s thumb was never pleasant, no matter how dazzling one appeared on the surface.

If she were happy being a pawn, Li Qingnu would have never joined the Qingping Society. What was wrong with living peacefully as a famous courtesan? Why take such a risk? It was all for the same goal—to one day break free from the grip of others and live freely.

From this aspect, the two of them were like-minded, sharing the same ambition.

In a sense, Li Qingnu was a spy Madam Qi had placed within the Li family. That explained why Li Qingnu kept such a low profile upon arriving at the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion. After all, the Mansion Master, Li Ruoshui, was also a member of the Li family.

Noticing Li Qingnu’s silence, Qi Xuansu changed the subject. “What’s your cultivation level now? I recall when we first met in Wuzhou, you were already at the Guizhen stage. Even Qing Xiao was surprised, not expecting the Finest Courtesan to hide your cultivation so well.”

Li Qingnu had no shortage of the Li family’s classic sarcasm. She smirked. “Now that you’ve ascended to the Xiaoyao stage, are you looking down on us Xiantian Beings? Don’t worry, Mage Qi, I won’t hold you back if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Qi Xuansu did not take offense. He simply rolled his eyes. “Of all the people I’ve talked to, you rank second for being the most exhausting.”

That piqued Li Qingnu’s interest. “Who’s first? It can’t be Qing Xiao, since you two have endless things to talk about. Is it Madam Qi?”

“It’s Yao Pei,” Qi Xuansu answered directly.

Li Qingnu clicked her tongue. “Yao Pei, huh? Turns out you’re quite the charmer! You bagged a Zhang family noble lady, and now you’ve got your hooks in a Yao family heiress too. I’ve really underestimated you.”

Qi Xuansu could not be bothered to argue. He merely stated, “Madam Qi is from the Yao family.”

“So what if—” Li Qingnu paused mid-sentence, a realization dawning on her. “Madam Qi is part of the Yao family?”

This was her first time hearing it, so she was shocked by the information.

Qi Xuansu explained, “Madam Qi holds a senior position in the Yao family as Yao Pei’s seventh grandaunt.”

Li Qingnu mused, “That would make us a whole generation above Yao Pei, wouldn’t it?”

Qi Xuansu chuckled. “If I remember correctly, the Li family’s Tian-generation corresponds to the Zhang family’s Yue-generation. That makes Qing Xiao and Li Tianzhen peers. Since your godmother is Li Tianyue, that makes you from the Ming-generation, doesn’t it?”

Li Qingnu quickly waved it off. “We’re not even from the same family. What’s the point of all this generational talk? I prefer the standardized Daoist generation. We’re all eighth-generation disciples.”

She suddenly realized that if she acknowledged that she had outranked Yao Pei, then it would put her at a disadvantage with Zhang Yuelu. Qi Xuansu had no clan or formal lineage, so his status rose alongside Zhang Yuelu’s. Li Qingnu was not about to take that kind of loss.

Qi Xuansu smiled. “Alright, let’s drop it. You still haven’t told me. What’s your current cultivation level?”

Li Qingnu dropped the pretense and answered frankly, “After I returned from Liaodong, I met with Madam Qi. She didn’t pay me in Taiping coins. Instead, she handed me a pill. It’s slightly inferior to the Huasheng Hall’s Great Elixirs, but it could still aid my cultivation. The effects were immediate. After taking it, I’ve leaped to the final level of the Guizhen stage. So I’m now just one step away from a Heavenly Being. That’s not bad for my age.”

Among Qi Xuansu’s circle of friends and foes, both Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei were two or three years younger than him. Though they seemed more mature and in some ways, even more seasoned than Qi Xuansu, they were indeed his juniors. Li Changge was younger than Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei by a year or so but had the most outstanding achievements in terms of cultivation.

On the other hand, Li Tianzhen was much older, being past thirty, and Li Qingnu was about the same age as Qi Xuansu. Since Qi Xuansu was an orphan, his exact age was never clearly documented and only roughly estimated.

All of them fell within the 24-year window of the eighth generation. An age gap of a few years was critical because the younger one was, the easier it was to ascend through the ranks with one’s cultivation.

This tied back to a widely accepted foundational theory, that a fetus in the womb had fully open meridians and carried a breath of innate energy. While it lacked the strength of a Xiantian Being, it had the form of one. After birth, worldly impurities gradually infiltrated the body, clogging its meridians. As a Xiantian Being, one’s innate qi or blood qi flowed like a river, washing away this “silt” that was clogging the meridians. But infants lacked such power and could only let the “silt” pile up.

This postnatal transformation was difficult to reverse with external force. One had to rely on oneself, capitalizing on the remnant breath of innate energy before it dissipated. If done properly, the effort to progress would yield twice the results. The goal was to become a Xiantian Being quickly so that one could resist the postnatal impurities. As long as this innate energy did not dissipate, it could last until one became a Heavenly Being. That was why there had been legendary teenage Heavenly Beings in Daoist history, prodigies who pushed this advantage to the extreme, like the famed Donghuang.

That was the reason that many believed a child’s path was set by the age of three and that one’s accomplishments in youth often determined how far they could go in life.

Of course, there were also late bloomers, elders who reached immortality. However, they would have less time to prepare for heavenly tribulations. Thus, the consensus was to start as early as possible. It was best to seize the chance while young. This philosophy was even embedded into the Daoist Order’s nine rank system, which encouraged younger cultivators to rise quickly.

While it was difficult to alter this path with external forces, it was not entirely impossible. Qi Xuansu and Li Changge were exceptions, whose trajectories had been altered by external means at immense costs. But they were rare cases that did not represent the general population.

Li Qingnu was a few years older than Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei, yet her cultivation level lagged by an entire stage. This alone marked a clear difference. Even though Qi Xuansu was a Heavenly Being before thirty, he was seen as somewhat behind the three prodigies simply due to his older age. The reason Li Changge was regarded as the foremost of the three was, in part, because he was the youngest among them.

Still, as long as she was not being compared to those few geniuses, Li Qingnu’s progress was far from poor. She was perfectly content with it.

Qi Xuansu mused, “It’s not that I’m worried you’ll hold us back. To be honest, what can a newly ascended Heavenly Being like me even accomplish? Even seven Heavenly Beings combined wouldn’t be a match for a Pseudo-Immortal. I just think that becoming a Heavenly Being gives you a better shot at staying alive. After all, survival is our shared goal.”

Li Qingnu’s eyes sparkled, and her smile was suggestive as she teased him. “So what you’re saying is that you’re worried about my safety?”

Qi Xuansu answered frankly, “You and I are in the same boat. If a storm hits and the boat capsizes, it won’t matter who falls into the water first or who falls later, because neither of us will be spared. So we must not only share the same boat but also the same goal.”

Upon hearing this, Li Qingnu’s smile faded, and her expression turned solemn. “You’re right. Of all things, nothing is greater than being alive. Once we fall into the water, we might never surface again because of all the undercurrents churning beneath the capital.”

Qi Xuansu continued, “Too much has been going on lately. I haven’t been to the Dream Meeting in a while. Any changes over there recently?”

“Yes,” Li Qingnu answered without hesitation. “The biggest change is that it’s gotten crowded, and the atmosphere is tense. As they say, big events often start from tiny causes. We’re not the only ones who have sensed it. This round might even surpass the Jinling calamity.”

Qi Xuansu sank into deep thought.

Li Qingnu took out an ornate gold-inlaid jade pocket watch and glanced at the time. “It’s getting late. I should head back.”

Qi Xuansu stood up. “I’ll walk you out.”

“No need.” Li Qingnu declined immediately. “You’re far too conspicuous, Mighty Mage Qi. I’d rather have that secretary of yours see me out.”

Qi Xuansu did not insist. He asked, “By the way, where should I go if I need to find you?”

Li Qingnu handed him a child talisman and a mother talisman as a means of contact and replied, “Sycamore Villa.”