A Pawn's Passage

Each of the Sages mounted their giant white cranes and flew off toward the next firing position. This marked the prelude to their actual discussions. Naturally, the juniors stayed behind.

Though it was called a shooting range, this place’s primary function was not to test artillery. It was essentially Ziwei Hall’s reception venue. The arrangements were meticulous, with outdoor tables and chairs. It was even well-stocked with wine chillers, offering a full range of beverages from both the East and the West.

Qi Xuansu had originally planned to leave immediately after requesting a leave of absence, but before departing, Sage Donghua said, “The Heavenly Preceptor won’t depart until evening. In the meantime, why don’t you use this free time to get better acquainted with your peers?”

Left with no choice, Qi Xuansu stayed. He might as well treat it as a chance to build connections.

Qi Xuansu took a bottle of yellow rice wine from the cabinet, but the memory of last night’s Dreaming Death suddenly resurfaced. A wave of nausea surged in his chest and belly, so he put the bottle back.

A voice asked, “Deputy Hall Master Qi, do you not like to drink?”

Without turning around, Qi Xuansu replied, “I had too much to drink last night, so I’m still feeling a bit hungover.”

Drinking with Zhang Yuelu had one drawback—he could not use his cultivation to neutralize the alcohol. Moreover, with a wine like Dreaming Death, it was nearly impossible not to get drunk.

Qi Xuansu turned to look and saw a pale, pudgy man. He could not understand why the man had not adjusted his physique. Why would a Xiantian Being who could change their outlook at will insist on maintaining such a figure?

The man before him was a flabby kind of fat, like a ball of cotton. Qi Xuansu concluded that this man must be an eccentric scion of a noble house, flaunting his difference on purpose.

Qi Xuansu did not like this kind of conduct. As an admirer of the fifth-generation Grand Master, he preferred uniformity over flamboyance.

Still, Qi Xuansu kept his dislike to himself. After all, Sage Donghua had instructed him to connect with his peers as a way to foster rapport. So Qi Xuansu maintained a gentle smile and asked, “May I ask for your name?”

“I’m Wang Danqing.” The pudgy man answered with a forced smile. “I’ve long heard of your reputation, Deputy Hall Master Qi. Now that I’ve met you in person, you are truly remarkable.”

Qi Xuansu could sense the sarcasm beneath the words and replied with a question, “Remarkable? In what way?”

Wang Danqing sneered, “Isn’t being the matrilocal son-in-law of the Zhang family remarkable enough? After all, Deputy Hall Master Zhang is notoriously hard to please. For you to have served her so well, you must’ve put in quite some effort, especially with your silver tongue. I imagine your oral skills go far beyond conversation...”

He even made a lewd licking gesture.

As soon as those words were spoken, several younger juniors who had originally considered stepping in to mediate froze, their faces stiffening. They instinctively stepped back, realizing there was no longer any room for a peaceful resolution.

Wang Danqing’s companions also looked visibly uncomfortable. They knew that Wang Danqing would not actively stir up trouble usually, but he was notoriously stubborn. Once he fixated on something, not even eight oxen could drag him back.

But the real issue was that Wang Danqing fancied himself extraordinary. He believed that while the world was drunk, he alone was sober, that he saw through society’s hypocrisy and refused to conform to the norms. Thus, he always went against the grain. While others fought hard to climb the ladder, he deliberately refused promotion and remained a mere seventh-rank Daoist priest. While others kept fit, he insisted on being plump. While others followed the rules, he took pride in being contrarian.

Back when he first met Zhang Yuelu by chance, he had been stunned by her beauty and became convinced she was his kindred spirit. He declared that he would not marry anyone but her.

Unfortunately, Zhang Yuelu found his eccentric persona unappealing, even deeply off-putting. At first, it did not matter, since Zhang Yuelu looked down on everyone anyway. Even Li Tianzhen had failed to win her over. But once rumors spread that she had become entangled with a Rogue Cultivator named Qi Xuansu, Wang Danqing snapped. Resentment took root, and he ranted that Zhang Yuelu was just another shallow commoner who had taken on a boytoy.

So today, upon meeting Qi Xuansu face-to-face, he had no intention of holding back.

Qi Xuansu had heard far worse insults, so these words were not enough to shake him. He replied calmly, “Calling me a matrilocal son-in-law seems a bit premature, don’t you think?”

“Not at all.” Wang Danqing scoffed. “I heard you were Deputy Hall Master Zhang’s subordinate. But now, you’re her equal? I refuse to believe that you could climb so fast in less than two years if the Zhang family didn’t grease the wheels behind the scenes. Why else would they help if you’re not a matrilocal son-in-law?”

Qi Xuansu did not show his anger, but that did not mean he did not take it to heart. In truth, he had never been a patient man. Before Zhang Yuelu’s influence, he was quick to fight at the slightest provocation, not caring about life and death. He also preferred ambushes and dirty tricks, like Madam Qi.

But with so many eyes watching, it was not appropriate to strike immediately. So he said, “I get it. You keep bringing up Deputy Hall Master Zhang because you admire her, and now, that love has turned to hate. You’re looking for trouble, so cut the nonsense and just say it straight. Are you challenging me to a duel?”

Wang Danqing sneered again. “They say you’re a decorated warrior. I’m just an unknown nobody, so how would I dare challenge someone like you?”

Qi Xuansu laughed. “So you’re just a spineless rat who only knows how to yap. No wonder Deputy Hall Master Zhang rejected you.”

Wang Danqing’s expression instantly turned dark.

Qi Xuansu turned, ready to walk away.

Having had his sore spot thoroughly exposed, Wang Danqing suddenly lunged and headbutted Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu did not even look back. Instead, he sidestepped as if he had eyes in the back of his head. In one smooth motion, he locked his arm around Wang Danqing’s neck, pinning the pudgy man under his armpit, and suddenly exerted force.

Wang Danqing’s face turned crimson in an instant. His arms flailed wildly, pounding frantically at Qi Xuansu’s waist and abdomen.

But Qi Xuansu remained unmoved. One by one, his body spirits lit up, each mirroring his stance and motion exactly. All of his 365 body spirits unleashed their combined might to strangle this eccentric fat man to death.

After a moment, Qi Xuansu realized that strangling Wang Danqing to death would take too long, so he changed tactics. He would twist the man’s head clean off instead.

Qi Xuansu freed one hand and pressed it atop Wang Danqing’s head, which was still tightly fixed under his arm. His five fingers pierced into Wang Danqing’s scalp and skull, beginning to twist slowly.

From start to finish, Qi Xuansu’s expression remained blank, as though he were performing an everyday chore. The onlookers were chilled to the bone by the sight.

Wang Danqing’s neck emitted a series of gruesome cracks, but he clenched his teeth and did not utter a word.

Of course, Wang Danqing was an unyielding mule. At home, no one could deal with him. Scolding did not work, beatings were useless, and he was uncontrollable. But to an outsider like Qi Xuansu, none of that mattered. He simply wanted the pudgy man dead. Wang Danqing’s stubbornness meant nothing to him.

In a split second, Wang Danqing’s head had been twisted more than halfway. Any normal person would have long been dead. But his exceptionally tough body kept him barely breathing, though more air was leaving than entering.

Qi Xuansu had no intention of letting go. He said in a low voice, “Why did you have to provoke me? Who do you think you are? Li Changge?”

Wang Danqing’s bulging eyes stared daggers at Qi Xuansu with fury and defiance.

“Impressive,” Qi Xuansu praised before twisting again with renewed force.

At last, Wang Danqing’s neck gave way completely, snapped clean through. Yet, miraculously, he still clung to life.

Qi Xuansu had never claimed to be a good person. His name, Xuan and Su, implied the pure heavens and the deep abyss.

At this point, someone could no longer stay silent and pleaded, “Deputy Hall Master Qi, please stop! Don’t cause a fatality!”

“Deputy Hall Master Qi, this is the Jade Capital. You won’t be able to walk away unscathed if you take a life here.”

“Deputy Hall Master Qi, why stoop to his level?”

“Deputy Hall Master Qi...”

No one dared threaten him aloud. Anyone could see that Deputy Hall Master Qi was not someone who responded to threats. He only yielded to reason, not force.

Only then did Qi Xuansu release Wang Danqing. “I really don’t like your tone. Even Li Changge and Yao Pei aren’t as snobbish as you. Who exactly do you think you are to justify such arrogance?”

Wang Danqing reached up and straightened his head. His broken neck healed rapidly as he panted heavily. “If you’ve got the guts, let’s fight fair and square, man to man.”

Qi Xuansu chuckled. “Perfect.”

Before the words even left his mouth, Qi Xuansu’s fist slammed straight into Wang Danqing’s face, which caved inward.

Almost at the same moment, the air split with a sharp rip, like silk tearing.

A Spirit Guard rushed in, wielding a massive halberd, sweeping it horizontally at Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu did not even look. He casually raised a single hand and grasped the crescent blade of the halberd.

When the two made contact, Qi Xuansu’s palm gleamed with golden light, completely unscathed. However, the halberd bent into a wide arc under the force.

“Which household do you serve?” Qi Xuansu asked calmly.

The Spirit Guard did not answer, struggling to break free from Qi Xuansu’s grip.

Qi Xuansu said no more. Soon, he would show everyone here exactly why he deserved the position of a third-rank Deputy Hall Master and why Li Changge had willingly addressed him as “Brother Tian Yuan.”

With a sudden tug, he yanked the halberd and the Spirit Guard holding it toward him. Then his fist struck squarely at the Spirit Guard’s chest, cracking the armor with a thunderous impact.

Qi Xuansu pressed the advantage. He followed up with another strike. This time, with a downward hammering punch.

The Spirit Guard had no choice but to abandon his weapon, hastily crossing his arms before his head in defense.

Qi Xuansu’s blow drove the Spirit Guard’s feet into the ground.

Without pause, Qi Xuansu struck again. This time, it blasted straight through the Spirit Guard’s central defense, his fist echoing like thunder.

The Spirit Guard staggered backward uncontrollably, his feet dragging two furrows several meters long into the ground.

Qi Xuansu closed in instantly, his leg sweeping out like a whip, striking the same spot again and again.

At last, the Spirit Guard Armor could no longer bear the force and shattered into fragments.

With one final punch, Qi Xuansu struck the Spirit Guard in the abdomen. The blow lifted him off the ground and sent him hurtling over 30 meters backward, crashing down in a heap. His belly was a ruined mess of blood and flesh, and blood seeped from his orifices.

Though both were at the Heavenly-Being level, Spirit Guards were no match for Daoist priests.