A Pawn's Passage

In truth, Madam Qi was not wrong. No one else could really compare to her.

Given her family background and capabilities, had she focused solely on advancing within the Daoist Order, she would at the very least have become an Omniscient Sage. Even blending into the various secret societies, she remained an exceptionally unique figure.

Wu Guangbi, the Grand Leader of the Heavenly Court, was indeed formidable, nearly equal to Madam Qi, yet his influence was confined to his own organization. Outside of the Heavenly Court, few from other secret societies would recognize him.

Madam Qi was different. She simultaneously held leadership roles in two separate secret societies that were not even allies, which was an extraordinary feat.

Thus, it was only natural that the other Privy Council members could not compare to her. Even those with dual identities fell short because, counting her Yao family ties, Madam Qi had three impressive identities.

Qi Xuansu had long suspected that Madam Qi might have a fourth secret identity, as she had the makings of a true mastermind.

Recently, Qi Xuansu rarely dreamt of Lingshan. Instead, he had a different dream not long ago. It was not particularly bizarre but thoroughly absurd.

In the dream, Madam Qi suddenly revealed that she was actually a chess piece that the Taiping Sect planted within the Yao family. Her real name was Li Changqi—“Qi” being a homophone for Madam Qi. She was the younger sister of the Imperial Preceptor Li Changgeng and elder sister to the Junior Imperial Preceptor Li Changge. Moreover, Qi Xuansu was also not his real name. He was part of the Li family’s You-generation named Li Youdao, with the courtesy name Shengcai, which meant born to generate wealth.

Qi Xuansu realized he was not even shocked because Madam Qi just gave off that kind of vibe. However, he did think that his courtesy name was absolutely ridiculous, though it sounded like something Madam Qi would come up with.

Shaking off these wild thoughts, Qi Xuansu replied, “Got it. As long as our Wuliang-stage Heavenly Being doesn’t run into The Inn’s Owner, Innkeeper, or Cook, there shouldn’t be a major problem. When it comes to intelligence, the Qingping Society is still trustworthy.”

Madam Qi emphasized again. “Dreaming Cloud is technically between the Wuliang stage and Zaohua stage...”

She thought for a moment before adding, “Practically, you can call it the Half-Step Zaohua stage.”

Qi Xuansu could not help but laugh. “My dear mother, where did you even learn that nonsense? Have you been reading brainless novels lately? Half-Step Zaohua stage? What’s next, Lesser Wuliang stage? Why not divide the Wuliang stage into nine levels like the Guizhen stage while you’re at it?”

He made no attempt to hide the mockery.

After all, Madam Qi was not here in person and could not do anything to him. Who knew when they would meet again anyway?

Madam Qi flew into a rage. “If I say it’s Half-Step, then it’s Half-Step! What do you know anyway? How dare you, a menial Xiaoyao-stage Heavenly Being, question me, a dignified Pseudo-Immortal?”

Qi Xuansu pushed further. “I heard there was originally no such thing as a Pseudo-Immortal. After the Zaohua stage, one simply became an Immortal. It’s only because there were too many people like you that a whole new stage called the Pseudo-Immortal was invented.”

Madam Qi suddenly fell silent. She slowly stepped back a few paces, held her fish talisman up to maintain the light screen, and gestured around it with her other hand as if trying to find the right angle.

Qi Xuansu grew puzzled.

Just then, Madam Qi thrust her hand forward. Her palm shot out of her coin-patterned robe, reaching through the light screen and slapping Qi Xuansu across the face.

Qi Xuansu was momentarily stunned.

It did not actually hurt, like the force used when a mother disciplined her child. Even a young boy would not have flinched, let alone a Heavenly Being like Qi Xuansu.

What startled Qi Xuansu was that he had never seen such a mystical technique before.

Seeing him stunned, Madam Qi felt her anger dissipating. She snorted coldly. “You’re becoming more and more unruly. It looks like I’ve been too lenient with you. I heard some pedantic Confucian scholar recently wrote a book called The Disciple’s Etiquette. You ought to read it carefully.”

Qi Xuansu snapped back to his senses and put on a solemn expression. “Could this be the wrath of a Half-Step Immortal?”

Madam Qi nearly broke character at his “Half-Step” quip, for there was indeed no such concept in the Daoist Order. Having been exposed, she felt like an adult caught sneaking a peek at children’s comics.

She cursed at him and yelled, “Get lost! Get your ass to the Heaven Bridge within half an hour! If you’re late, I’ll dock 1,000 merits from you!”

With that, Madam Qi ended the conversation.

Qi Xuansu immediately dropped his act, unable to restrain his laughter. “Half-Step Zaohua, Half-Step Immortal. Haha! Li Changge must be in the Half-Step Wuliang stage, and I used to be in the Half-Step Xiaoyao stage back when I was in the Upper Palace. Everything can be half-stepped!”

It took Qi Xuansu quite a while to compose himself.

Before people like Gao Mingyin and Ke Qingqing, Qi Xuansu was the cold and ruthless Superintendent Qi. Before Zhang Yuelu, he was the steady, dependable, yet sometimes cheeky Tian Yuan. But in front of Madam Qi, he could laugh, curse, and be completely free like a child.

These three sides of him were not in conflict with each other.

Humans often had many sides. A bloodthirsty fiend could still be a tender, doting father at home. A grim, stern superior could still be a fawning, sycophantic servant before the emperor.

For example, Madam Qi was the petty, money-grubbing, miserly, and vulgar mother in front of Qi Xuansu. Yet before outsiders, she was the respected Mogul Yao of the Seven Treasure Pavilion who could compete with Wu Guangbi, the Grand Leader of the Heavenly Court. She was formidable and mysterious, like a goddess descended to the mortal world.

Zhang Yuelu, who usually radiated an unspoken majesty, was somewhat different when alone with Qi Xuansu.

Yao Pei, who seemed like a lifeless puppet, also had two faces—one was blank and emotionless with fleeting moods, and the other was sharp as an unsheathed blade, reclusive and decisive in action, carrying a resemblance to Sage Donghua.

Qi Xuansu returned to his usual self. Though he lacked authority, as his cultivation and status rose, he developed a faint, elusive aura that made him quite intimidating when he was serious. When he had arrested Gao Mingyin, a whole crowd had been left speechless in his presence. Yet before Madam Qi, he could never stay serious for long, easily reduced to his true form by her amusing company.

Madam Qi was exactly the kind of person the Fifth Grand Master hated most—sloppy and irreverent, tarnishing the Daoist Order’s reputation.

While letting his mind wander, Qi Xuansu changed into his newly purchased clothes, put on his White Fox Mask, selected the youthful male face in the preset disguises, and once again resumed the identity of Wei Wugui, the Qingping Society’s Gold-Plated Knife.

He put on a bamboo hat to conceal his features and took out his blade, hesitating over whether to use the Flying White Shadow when necessary. After some deliberation, he decided it was fine.

Thanks to the Daoist Orders’ advancements in mass production, spiritual objects and treasures had moved beyond handcrafting. Items like the Divine Dragon Pistol were now produced en masse. For example, the Purple and Green Swallows wielded by Third Master Chang during the assassination attempt on Zhang Yuelu were made in 365 sets to mirror the days of the year. Similarly, the twin blades Flying Shadow and Flying White Shadow were rare but not unique. Even if he used them, it would not expose that Qi Xuansu and Wei Wugui were the same person.

Qi Xuansu quietly left the bustling main branch of Taiping Inn and headed toward Heaven Bridge in the South City.

The Wei Dynasty had originally planned to build four outer cities, but only managed to complete one, the South City. The other three were later constructed under the Great Xuan Dynasty. The South City was prioritized because it was the most prosperous suburb at the time, housing the Imperial Altars.

Before the reign of Emperor Shizong in the Wei Dynasty, the Son of Heaven had to leave the capital to perform sacrifices. Now, these altars lie in the South City, within the Imperial Capital’s boundaries.

Heaven Bridge was a high, single-arched, white jade bridge running north to south. It was the only route the emperor could take to reach the altar for sacrifices, symbolizing a bridge to Heaven or a bridge for the Son of Heaven, hence its name.

Since only the emperor was permitted to cross it, it was usually kept closed to the public.

Strictly speaking, Heaven Bridge referred solely to the imperial bridge itself. But sometimes, it meant the sprawling area surrounding it. In earlier years, before the expansion of South City, this had been a marshland full of waterways. It had improved since then, with paved stone roads and street performers gathering by day. But after nightfall, the area grew desolate.

Imperial Capital was vast enough to accommodate a struggle for supremacy between two secret societies.

After leaving the main branch of the Taiping Inn, Qi Xuansu silently slipped out of the Inner City into the South City, proceeding southward along Zhuque Street before turning into a side alley.

By this time, Qi Xuansu had figured it out. The Qingping Society had deliberately changed the plan at the last moment, so even if The Inn had obtained advance intelligence, it would be rendered useless. Should they act on the misinformation, they would fall into a diversion trick, allowing the Qingping Society to strike elsewhere by surprise.

Even Qi Xuansu, a B-rank member, was unaware of this last-minute change. Only A-rank members were privy to the truth.

The reason was simple. A lone individual was minute in this massive world. For the Cook from The Inn to ambush Drenched Green Robes so precisely along his route meant there was a mole within the Qingping Society. The remaining A-rank members were no fools. Before catching the mole, they would first guard against leaks—or do both—hence the sudden shift in plan.

If there had been another slip this time, the scope of suspicion would have narrowed significantly since there were only so many A-rank members, and not all of them were involved or informed. The chief suspects would naturally be those few who had planned this operation.

As Qi Xuansu pondered this, Heaven Bridge came into distant view.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before Qi Xuansu, clad in a plain robe, wearing an Ancient Wuist bronze mask, exuding no hostility.

Qi Xuansu immediately knew that the masked figure was his ally from the Qingping Society.

Seeing the mask up close, he also realized that the Qingping Society likely did maintain some ties to the legendary Grand Shaman.

The newcomer cupped their fists and introduced themself, “Dreaming Cloud.”

Qi Xuansu returned the gesture. “Gold-Plated Knife.”