A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 665: Leave When It’s Over

Qi Xuansu had said he would test his blade on Yan Xiu, but when the moment came, he changed his mind. After all, the Flying White Shadow was too eye-catching and would likely leave traces. So in the end, Qi Xuansu decided to settle the matter with his fists.

It was not a real concern whether anyone could identify him from his fist technique, because since the Holy Xuan restructured the lineages, there had not been any truly secret techniques. Even the Taiyin 13 Swords had been made public, let alone a high-attainment method like the Tantai Fist Intention.

Moreover, even if Qi Xuansu had used a completely unknown technique, those who were inclined to suspect him still would.

It was like what the Taiping Sect had done in Jinling Prefecture. Everyone knew the truth, but without solid proof, nothing could be done officially.

Strictly speaking, Qi Xuansu should not have acted in such haste, as this was a particularly sensitive time. But life rarely followed one’s wishes. That bald monk Yan Xiu would not remain at Sycamore Villa forever. Qi Xuansu was also no longer a wandering Daoist. He had duties now and could not roam the world freely, so if he missed this opportunity, it would be hard to track down that monk again.

Moreover, Yan Xiu was a Buddhist prodigy, making his advancement to a Heavenly Being almost inevitable. At the moment, Qi Xuansu still had a level advantage over him, but if he missed this chance, their cultivation levels might be equal next time, so even if he could beat Yan Xiu then, he might not be able to kill the monk. Yan Xiu’s ability to preserve his life was on par with Qi Xuansu’s, which was evident when he managed to escape Prince Qin and Xie Qiuniang’s attack.

For that very reason, Qi Xuansu decided to take the risk of killing his enemy at this time. The key was to make a clean kill.

Qi Xuansu moved like lightning, pulling the flying dagger from Yan Xiu’s right eye while pressing down with more force until Yan Xiu’s neck struggled to bear the pressure.

At the moment of life and death, Yan Xiu finally activated the Great Solar Self-Destruction Method. His entire body burst with red light like a blazing sun. At the same time, his flesh withered rapidly, visibly shrinking in an instant.

With a final burst of strength before death, Yan Xiu managed to resist Qi Xuansu’s downward pressure.

If their cultivation levels had been equal, Qi Xuansu might have had the tables turned on him by Yan Xiu’s desperate effort for survival. Even if the difference was just a minor tier, Yan Xiu could have had a fighting chance. Unfortunately for him, their gap was too large.

A minor difference, such as between the Yuxu stage and the Guizhen stage, was merely a quantitative change, as both would have been Xiantian Beings. However, the leap from the Guizhen stage to the Xiaoyao stage was not just a difference in one level. It was, in fact, a significant qualitative transformation from a Xiantian Being to a Heavenly Being.

Neither Qi Xuansu nor Zhang Yuelu could kill a Heavenly Being in single combat while they were in the Guizhen stage. In the history of the Daoist Order, fewer than ten had ever accomplished this, and most came from the chaotic era when the Daoist Order was just founded. They not only had exceptional talent but were also battle-hardened veterans.

After all, human nature was not suited to combat. When humans were hurt, their instinct was to panic and retreat, whereas beasts had a natural ability to suppress pain. That was why most people, once injured, quickly fell into a passive state. For example, the first time Qi Xuansu encountered The Inn’s assassins, he could not even flee and was stabbed through the heart. Yan Xiu was no different. After being stabbed in the eye by Qi Xuansu’s flying dagger, the pain alone rendered him unable to activate his lifesaving method.

Trying to overcome this instinct required extensive real battle experience and the ability to tap into one’s inner beast. The principle behind the Demonic Blade was based on this. That was also why wild Daoists looked down on flowerbed Daoists.

The Heavenly Blade took the opposite approach, discarding human nature and emulating divine will by calculating with the precision of a chess game. It was far more stable than the Demonic Blade, which had a tendency for a cultivator to go berserk.

Since the world had transitioned from chaos to peace, Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei both had sufficient talent, but they lacked battle experience. In this regard, they fell short compared to Qi Xuansu, let alone the great ancestors who lived through the chaos. People like Qi Xuansu and Xu Kou had some experience but lacked the talent to match. That was how Xu Kou was defeated when he confidently challenged Zhang Yuelu.

For this very reason, Yan Xiu at the Guizhen stage had no hope of contending with Qi Xuansu, who was now a Heavenly Being.

Though there was some resistance, Qi Xuansu continued to press his palm firmly against Yan Xiu’s bald head, slowly pushing downward with a steady force. “Since you’re bent on dying, I shall grant your wish.”

Yan Xiu’s face was already twisted and contorted. He pressed his palms together and began chanting Buddhist sutras.

Qi Xuansu’s sleeves billowed as he employed his full strength and innate qi. His arm also entered the golden body state before extending to the rest of his body. His skin and flesh became translucent, making his meridians and bones visible. But all of this was hidden beneath the red light radiating from Yan Xiu.

After a brief stalemate, Yan Xiu was reduced to skin and bones. Unable to sustain the Great Solar Self-Destruction Method any longer, the red light around Yan Xiu dissipated. Almost simultaneously, Qi Xuansu’s golden-body transformation also receded.

Yan Xiu could no longer endure the pressure. Blood gushed from his orifices. His bones cracked in chaotic succession, crushed into powder by the sheer force.

In the blink of an eye, Yan Xiu had turned into a pile of pulp, his flesh mangled beyond recognition. There was no need for an autopsy, as nothing distinguishable remained.

Qi Xuansu retrieved a magical receptacle from the bloody mess and pretended to search the area for a while. After confirming there was nothing more to find, he turned around and swiftly departed.

He had originally planned to take Yan Xiu’s body to Tianshou Mountain and throw it into the Ghost Kingdom. However, he realized it was impossible to kill Yan Xiu without leaving signs of combat. After all, this method would not work if he could not create the illusion that Yan Xiu had left of his own accord. Moreover, smuggling the corpse out of the city was too risky because the Tianchen Division had tightened security around Tianshou Mountain since the disappearance of Du Yuyan and her subordinates. As such, one careless move could ruin everything.

After much deliberation, Qi Xuansu abandoned that idea and chose to kill Yan Xiu as a member of the Qingping Society, leaving no loophole in the process. He had nothing to fear, even if there was a voice retention talisman or an image recording stone.

Qi Xuansu exited Sycamore Villa under the cover of night and returned to the South City, where he changed back into his original clothes and removed the White Fox Mask.

Naturally, someone would ask what he had been doing in the South City, to which Qi Xuansu had already thought of a cover story. The key was to have a witness of sufficient standing.

Zhang Yuelu would be the best choice. The excuse was ready-made. Deputy Hall Master Zhang had just arrived in the Imperial Capital, and as a close friend, Qi Xuansu had taken her around. The South City was the most prosperous of the outer four cities, so naturally, it would be part of the tour.

However, Zhang Yuelu would never actively participate in such a cover-up, though she might be willing to turn a blind eye to it.

For example, Zhang Yuelu knew that Sun Yongfeng secretly collected bribes in exchange for recommendations. She also said she disliked such behavior, yet she never exposed it because she did not aim to be a moral paragon. To reform the Daoist Order, she needed her own faction and trusted allies. So she had no choice but to blend in.

In fact, Zhang Yuelu had studied political strategy under both the Heavenly Preceptor and the Earthly Preceptor. The Earthly Preceptor had even taught her imperial tactics, using the former dynasty’s Emperor Shizong as an example.

Use greed to bind loyalty; abandon the greedy to purge dissent; kill the greedy to quell public anger; confiscate their wealth to fill the treasury—these were the timeless tactics employed by emperors throughout time.

If she wanted others to work for her, she had to give them benefits and grant them power, so they could use it for profit. Where there was power, there was gain, so loyalty became inevitable.

If someone engaged in corruption, they effectively handed over leverage to those above. If they ever defy their superiors, the charge of corruption would become a ready-made excuse for execution. That was how dissent was purged.

When public resentment peaked, the world must be led to believe that the fault did not lie with those above, but with those below. Then, a scapegoat would be chosen and executed to appease the masses.

This was how Emperor Shizong cultivated in seclusion for 20 years without attending court, yet remained firmly in control of power.

In this way, power remained secure, but the ethos of governance was thoroughly corrupted.

The current Daoist Order showed signs of heading in the same direction.

This was why Zhang Yuelu was often torn and helpless. She could not do without these tactics, but using them further fueled this unhealthy trend. She wished to purify the system, but her rank was not high or stable enough to do so with confidence. All she could do at the moment was follow the existing rules. Only after securing victory could she attempt to change them.

Throughout the Wei dynasty, there was only one truly incorruptible official, so expecting all subordinates to be spotless was as unrealistic as wishing for a utopian world.

Some did not crave wealth but hungered for fame. Some craved neither but were violent in temper or disdainful of the law, such as Xu Kou and Qi Xuansu. Others craved power. In short, there were no perfect people.

Even Zhang Yuelu herself was not perfect. All she could do was constantly weigh her options and keep things within a relatively reasonable range.

Zhang Yuelu was undoubtedly following the path once taken by Zhang Suqing. Rather than demanding moral perfection, she set boundaries, judged by deeds, and allowed merit to atone for misdeeds.

Zhang Yuelu also had her own bottom line. She lived a modest and frugal life, refusing to participate in such dealings. Her only exception was when she helped Qi Xuansu deal with Yue Liuli.

Thus, asking Zhang Yuelu to provide an alibi for him would go against her true nature. Not wanting to put her in a difficult position, Qi Xuansu chose someone else instead.