A Pawn's Passage

About 150 kilometers from the Grand Canal stood a secluded estate, the property of a certain high-ranking noble from the Imperial Capital. Several other nobles had estates nearby as well. These capital elites referred to them as gardens, places they would visit under the guise of leisure, serving as summer retreats.

But that was only nominally true. In reality, it was a secret base of the Qingping Society, known only to its A-rank members.

In terms of secrecy, the various branches of The Inn still had to do business and thus were easier to locate. In contrast, the Qingping Society’s bases were entirely off-limits to outsiders. Even lower-ranked members knew little about them, making them far more concealed than The Inn’s branches.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu, Dreaming Cloud, and Ceremony Prelude were waiting here for Madam Qi’s return. The silver shipment was being handled by two Canal Gang leaders, so Dreaming Cloud no longer needed to worry about it.

The three of them sat separately in the main hall, with the central seat left vacant. Dreaming Cloud sat to the upper left, Ceremony Prelude sat across from him, and Qi Xuansu was seated to Dreaming Cloud’s right.

Though it was deep winter and the hour was late, all three of them were Heavenly Beings, unaffected by the cold or heat. The doors of the hall remained wide open, allowing moonlight to stream in.

Just then, a gust of wind mixed with black mist swept in, forming a human shape upon the central seat. It was none other than Madam Qi.

The three Heavenly Beings let out a breath of relief. Although they had believed Madam Qi would be fine, her opponent had been a Pseudo-Immortal, and the Imperial Capital was The Inn’s territory. So they were not 100% confident. Now that they saw her return unharmed, they were completely reassured.

Madam Qi removed the abacus from her waist and got straight to the point. “When I used my Spiritual Body to grab the ship, I roughly tallied the amount. This time, we have secured a total of 480,000 Taiping coins.”

This was not a coincidence. Branches of The Inn did not hand over their entire assets to the headquarters. They had to retain some funds to keep operations running. Hence, the amounts handed over were typically whole numbers. That was because including odd change like Ruyi coins would only trouble the headquarters. Thus, the branches either rounded off or made up the numbers to convenient sums for ease of accounting.

Madam Qi did not actually use the abacus. She was just putting on a show, as usual. She had done the mental math instantly. “According to our prior agreement, I’ll take 40%, which is 192,000 Taiping coins; Dreaming Cloud will take 30%, so that’s 144,000 coins; Ceremony Prelude will get 20%—96,000 coins; and Gold-Plated Knife 10%—48,000 coins.”

Dreaming Cloud took the initiative to say, “The sudden appearance of the Owner this time was completely unexpected. If not for you, Madam Qi, we wouldn’t just have failed to secure the Taiping coins. We might not have been able to get away unscathed as well. Your contribution was truly outstanding, so as a show of gratitude, I’ll settle for just 20%.”

Ceremony Prelude also voiced her agreement. “I feel the same. I’m content with 10%.”

“Are you sure?” Though Madam Qi said this, she barely hesitated before she recalculated. “Then I’ll take 60%, that’s 288,000 Taiping coins; Dreaming Cloud takes 20%—96,000 coins; Ceremony Prelude takes 10%—48,000 coins...”

At this point, Madam Qi deliberately paused and glanced sideways at Qi Xuansu.

Although she was still wearing her bronze mask, Qi Xuansu could tell with years of experience that she was definitely casting a sidelong glance at him.

“Gold-Plated Knife, did you think your contribution was significant?” Madam Qi asked.

Qi Xuansu had no choice but to say, “No, you did all the heavy lifting, Madam Qi.”

Madam Qi pressed on. “Then why don’t you learn from your elders?”

Qi Xuansu stared at Madam Qi, as if saying, “Hadn’t we already agreed beforehand that the 10% was just for show in front of the two outsiders?”

But Madam Qi ignored him, her meaning just as clear. “Circumstances change. All’s fair in business.”

Qi Xuansu already foresaw an outcome he was reluctant to accept, but he could only resign himself to his fate. “Then I’ll just take 5%.”

“Great!” Madam Qi said cheerfully. “Then that makes my share 65%, which is 312,000 Taiping coins, and you’ll get 5%—24,000 coins.”

Madam Qi added with heartfelt concern, “Youngsters must learn the value of contentment. This is already quite a big sum. Besides, you might not be able to handle too much money.”

Qi Xuansu was used to this, so he could no longer be bothered to argue.

Madam Qi continued, “These 480,000 Taiping coins are all dirty money from The Inn, so it will take some time to fully launder them. I’ll personally oversee the process, and I hope both of you will cooperate.”

Dreaming Cloud and Ceremony Prelude both had an odd impression that Madam Qi had not been this serious even when dealing with the Owner. Naturally, they nodded and agreed.

Qi Xuansu pleaded, “Madam Qi, I can’t wait that long...”

Madam Qi replied, “You can take an advance, but laundering and recasting the silver will incur losses, so I’ll charge a 2% handling fee.”

Qi Xuansu had known it would not be that simple. “I’ll just take 14,400 Taiping coins.”

“Your math’s spot on! Tell you what, I’ll subsidize you 600 more Taiping coins to make it an even 15,000. How about that?”

Madam Qi looked at Qi Xuansu with a gaze full of mock affection, as if saying, “See how good I am to you?”

Qi Xuansu muttered listlessly, “Thanks, I guess...”

“That doesn’t sound very sincere.” Madam Qi glared at him.

Qi Xuansu took a deep breath and said loudly, “Thank you, Madam Qi! I am very content.”

Only then did Madam Qi pull out a stack of cash notes from her sleeves. They were all large denominations of 100 Taiping coins each. Clearly, she had prepared them in advance.

“Count them.” Madam Qi gestured for Qi Xuansu to come over.

Qi Xuansu stood up and took the notes, counting them on the spot. There were 150 sheets, not one more or less. Just as Madam Qi said, she was always honest and fair in her dealings.

Madam Qi said in mild annoyance, “You really counted them?”

Qi Xuansu kept his mouth shut and quietly returned to his seat.

Dreaming Cloud found it all absurd. Were these two really mother and son? Did she pick this son off the street?

On the other hand, Madam Qi felt utterly satisfied with this fruitful haul. She had taken 320,000 Taiping coins. Even after deducting the cost of bribing traitors and laundering losses, she would net over 200,000 Taiping coins in profit.

Qi Xuansu got ready to take his leave.

Since Madam Qi was in excellent spirits, everything about Qi Xuansu looked pleasing to her now. She offered, “I’ll take you home.”

“I’ll have to trouble you, then, Madam Qi,” Qi Xuansu replied politely, though he was inwardly irritated.

Madam Qi paid no mind to his mood, stood up, and grabbed his wrist. In a flash, the two vanished.

This time, Qi Xuansu was prepared, so he managed to stand firm when Madam Qi stopped.

By now, the two had arrived at the junction of the North City and the inner city. Beyond the gate was the Xuanshang North District.

“Madam Qi, since you’re already doing a good deed, why not just see it through? It’s so late. Are you really making me climb over the wall to get back?” Qi Xuansu complained.

Still in a good mood, Madam Qi did not take offense at his words. Instead, she patiently explained, “Chengtian Gate marks the boundary between the Imperial City and the inner city. Beyond that is the core of the Imperial Capital’s formation. Even Immortals can’t easily enter. The inner city is on the periphery of the formation and suppresses Pseudo-Immortals, so I can’t enter casually either. But the outer city was expanded later and isn’t part of the original layout of the capital, nor is it within the formation, so I can come and go freely.

“To put it simply, if the Northern Dragon were viewed as a giant dragon flowing from the rivers into the sea, then its tail would lie in Kunlun, and its head at Bohai Prefecture on the eastern shore. Wuxing Mountain is its reverse scale, the Imperial Capital is its eye, and the Imperial City is the pupil. By gathering all the geomantic energy from the two surrounding layers outside the capital and channeling it here to form a grand formation, not even Immortals can withstand the overwhelming might, forcing them to retreat. The later-constructed outer city already lies beyond the bounds of the dragon’s eye.”

Qi Xuansu nodded, indicating he understood.

Madam Qi added, “The Inn has suffered a major loss, so they’ll definitely stir up trouble. For now, don’t get involved in any Qingping Society operations. If necessary, I’ll have the Head of Society step in. He ought to do something for once, instead of constantly pretending to be a reclusive master.”

Qi Xuansu was somewhat moved, thinking that Madam Qi was still looking out for him.

After the reminder, Madam Qi turned and departed.

Qi Xuansu then found a corner hidden from moonlight, removed his mask, changed his outer robe, and finally scaled the wall into the inner city.

The entire Xuanshang North District belonged to the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, so its security was handled by the Daoist Spirit Guards.

As Qi Xuansu neared the front gate of the Yuhuang Palace, a patrolling Spirit Guard loudly challenged, “Who’s there?! What business do you have at this hour?!”

“It’s me. What’s with the shouting?” Qi Xuansu immediately adopted the tone of a superintendent. “Get on with your patrol.”

By now, most within the Yuhuang Palace recognized Qi Xuansu. The Spirit Guard’s voice immediately turned respectful. “Yes, understood. Safe travels, Superintendent Qi.”

Qi Xuansu was just about to enter when another voice teased, “Superintendent Qi, that’s quite a domineering tone.”

Hearing this, Qi Xuansu halted and looked toward the voice.

That was when Zhang Yuelu emerged from the shadows. Clearly, she had been waiting for a while.

Qi Xuansu’s expression stiffened slightly.

However, Zhang Yuelu did not question where Qi Xuansu had been in the dead of night. She simply said, “The moonlight is lovely tonight. Walk with me?”

“Alright.” Qi Xuansu nodded in agreement.

The two walked side by side outside the Yuhuang Palace, their fingers interlaced. They turned around a curved wall. Across the waters of Penglai Pool, they could faintly see the dark city walls and distant lights. That was the direction of the Imperial City.

Penglai Pool never froze, even in winter. Under the glow of lanterns, specks of light shimmered across its surface, blending with the moonlight’s gentle sheen.

Zhang Yuelu sighed. “We both live in the Yuhuang Palace, yet there are times we don’t see each other for days.”

Qi Xuansu sighed as well. “Life in Jade Capital is still the best.”

Zhang Yuelu smiled and recited a short poem. “Blessed beneath the Jade Capital’s towers and set on the path to immortality, yet led astray by worldly turmoil. Even now, the echoes of war linger.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Are you talking about the Wuxing Mountain incident?”

Zhang Yuelu nodded. “I accidentally discovered a cave residence, but I don’t trust anyone else—only you.”

Qi Xuansu asked in confusion, “A cave residence?”

Zhang Yuelu pointed to the ground. “Right beneath Yuhuang Palace.”