A Pawn's Passage

Zhang Yuelu’s line of thinking remained clear. Since Corpse Liberation Immortals were extremely rare, so much so that their numbers rivaled even those of manmade Banished Immortals. Thus, this became a crucial clue. One could even say that once they found that Corpse Liberation Immortal, they could largely determine Qi Haoran.

Thus, both Xu Jiaorong and Lei Xiaohuan immediately voiced their agreement.

Zhang Yuelu continued, “I’m guessing that the Corpse Liberation Immortal was probably not a member of the Daoist Order. We can use the Daoist Order’s resources to search for him. It will be much easier than doing it ourselves. But there’s one thing to note—not being part of the Daoist Order doesn’t mean having no ties to it. The situation is deeply entangled, with everyone intertwined, so we should try to avoid that person.”

“What about Sage Donghua?” Lei Xiaohuan asked.

Qi Xuansu spoke up. “I feel Sage Donghua isn’t on the same side as them.”

All three women turned to look at him.

Qi Xuansu explained, “As Qing Xiao just mentioned, we don’t have proof whether it’s that person. It’s just a feeling. My thinking that Sage Donghua isn’t aligned with them is also just an intuition. I don’t want to hide this matter from him. If he already knows, there’s no need to conceal anything. If he doesn’t, then it’s even more important not to keep him in the dark. So I’d rather speak with him personally.”

Lei Xiaohuan nodded. “That’s good. My brother-in-law values you greatly. It’s better if you speak to him directly rather than having someone else relay the message.”

Zhang Yuelu suddenly asked, “Daoist Xu, what is Great Sage Lan’s relationship with the Earthly Preceptor?”

As Great Sage Lan’s former chief secretary, Xu Jiaorong was well acquainted with the internal dynamics. “Their relationship is just average. As everyone knows, the Quanzhen Sect is the largest in scale but also the least unified. The Yao family is also the newest and weakest among the Three Great Families. The combination of the largest sect with the weakest ruling clan means the Yao family’s control over the Quanzhen Sect is far weaker than the Zhang family’s control over the Zhengyi Sect or the Li family’s control over the Taiping Sect.

“In fact, there are three major factions within the Quanzhen Sect. These factions are also quite broad—hardly harmonious, and often fighting among themselves. The boundaries between them are rather blurred.

“The largest faction is led by the Yao family, inheriting from Elder Yao and incorporating most of the Central Sect’s forces. The second faction mainly traces its lineage to Elder Xu, integrating the Western Sect’s forces that remained in the Central Plains, though it’s fragmented into many sub-groups. The third faction is somewhat analogous to the Grand Master’s lineage, which is formed largely from the Holy Xuan’s efforts to divide and reorganize the Quanzhen Sect, integrating a smaller portion of the Central Sect groups. The Pei family actually belongs to the Holy Xuan’s faction. Their later alliance with the Yao family only highlights how loose and blurred the structure of the Holy Xuan faction is.

“Though the second faction mainly inherits from Elder Xu, a considerable portion comes from the Ancient Gezao Sect. Since Elder Xu was one of Gezao Sect’s successors, they were included in the Quanzhen Sect and were nominally classified under his faction. However, they lack direct master-disciple ties to him, and the Earthly Preceptor Shangguan failed to fully integrate them, which is why Elder Xu’s faction remains fragmented into many independent groups.

“Strictly speaking, Great Sage Lan should belong to Elder Xu’s faction and inherit the legacy of the Ancient Gezao Sect. As a Virtuous Great Sage, he ought to have unified Elder Xu’s faction and become its leader, ranking only below the Earthly Preceptor within the Quanzhen Sect. However, because of his overly laid-back personality, he failed to consolidate Elder Xu’s faction and instead became closely aligned with the Holy Xuan faction and the Grand Master’s lineage.”

Zhang Yuelu said thoughtfully, “In other words, Great Sage Lan and Sage Donghua’s positions have become misaligned. Great Sage Lan, who comes from Elder Xu’s faction, has become the nominal leader of the Holy Xuan faction, while Sage Donghua, who originates from the Holy Xuan faction, has effectively become the second-most powerful figure in the Quanzhen Sect after the Earthly Preceptor. If that’s the case, then we may be able to rely on Great Sage Lan.”

“That’s right.” Xu Jiaorong nodded. “The Zhengyi Sect was the Southern Sect, the Taiping Sect was the Eastern Sect, and the Imperial Court represented the Northern Sect. Later, they merely changed names and trimmed certain branches, but their core structures remained unchanged, which is why those three remained relatively stable. The Central Sect of the past was too loose and lacked a central backbone, making it unable to stand as an equal third power alongside the other two. But once parts of the Western Sect and the Ancient Gezao Sect were absorbed into it, the Quanzhen Sect became the largest sect. Though still loosely unified, its sheer size allowed it to form a three-way balance. But internal problems became a nearly unsolvable issue.

“When the Holy Xuan did this, it wasn’t because he failed to foresee the issue. Rather, he believed the Three Daoist Sects would eventually be dismantled and reorganized. It was meant to be a temporary expedient measure, not something of lasting importance. However, the Holy Xuan never anticipated that his temporary measure became a lingering problem for later generations.”

Although Qi Xuansu belonged to the Quanzhen Sect, he had never seriously studied its internal factional divisions. He asked, “Which faction does the Qi family belong to?”

Xu Jiaorong replied, “The Qi family is quite special. They have no direct ties with Elder Xu, Elder Yao, the Western Sect, or the Central Sect. Strictly speaking, they belong to the Holy Xuan faction. But as I said, the structures of these three major factions are very loose and their boundaries are quite blurred. The current Qi family is relatively close to the Yao family, though it still maintains a certain degree of independence.”

Qi Xuansu fell into thought.

Qi Jiaozheng, also known as Sage Wanmiao, was the head of the Qi family. Those unaware might even assume they were father and son or uncle and nephew.

If Qi Jianyuan knew about Qi Haoran, there was no reason Qi Jiaozheng wouldn’t.

Qi Xuansu carefully recalled his earlier conversation with Qi Jianyuan at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Qi Jianyuan had said, “I’ve read your records. Your master was Qi Haoran, a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master from the Zhengyi Sect.”

Curious, Qi Xuansu asked, “Do you have past ties with my master?”

Qi Jianyuan said nonchalantly, “Strictly speaking, I should call him my uncle. But I suppose he’s best left forgotten. I never expected him to leave behind a disciple.”

Qi Xuansu immediately sensed something was off and slowly asked, “You’re from the Qi family, which means my master should also be from the same family. If the Qi family is a major lineage in the Quanzhen Sect, how did my master become a disciple of the Zhengyi Sect?”

Qi Jianyuan countered with a question, “He never told you?”

Qi Xuansu remained silent.

“He didn’t want to tell you because he was guilty,” Qi Jianyuan said. “I just never thought he would let you carry my last name.

On the surface, Qi Haoran clearly existed as a real person. Or rather, even if it were fabricated, the fabrication was complete. He had a background and a history, not someone conjured out of thin air on a whim. This was one of the reasons why Qi Xuansu had never sensed anything amiss before.

From another perspective, perhaps Qi Haoran was the true identity, and he used the Liberation Method to create an incarnation identical to his original self. Then, he feigned death, shed his old shell, and continued living in the mortal world under a different identity.

Both seemed plausible.

There was even a third possibility. Qi Haoran was real, but someone had seized his body and used his identity to live in this world.

Too many conjectures were as good as having none at all.

However, one thing was certain. The Qi family definitely knew something.

Unfortunately, Qi Jianyuan was dead. Otherwise, he would have been an excellent point of breakthrough. Qi Jiaozheng’s status was too high, so Qi Xuansu had no way of forcing the truth out of him anytime soon.

Qi Xuansu thought for a moment and said, “My master transferred from the Quanzhen Sect to the Zhengyi Sect back then. According to Qi Jianyuan, my master was his uncle and left the Quanzhen Sect because he was in the wrong. It seems there are some unknown circumstances here. This could be another lead worth investigating.”

Lei Xiaohuan said, “After everything that’s happened, you still call him your master?”

Qi Xuansu sighed. “Whether in Daoist records or in basic fact, he is still my master. If he deceived me or schemed against me, that’s for another day. Besides, I’ve called him that for so many years. It’s a habit I can’t change overnight.”

Lei Xiaohuan said no more on that topic. Instead, she suggested, “I’ve spent many years in Ziwei Hall and have some connections. I can look into some relevant archives. There might be some findings, though we can’t rule out the possibility that certain records have disappeared.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “I understand.”

Xu Jiaorong continued, “After we return to the Poluo Daoist Mansion, I’ll go meet Great Sage Lan.”

Zhang Yuelu concluded. “Then it’s settled. The four of us will proceed in four directions. I’ll handle matters with the Heavenly Preceptor. Daoist Xu will deal with Great Sage Lan. Daoist Lei will investigate the Qi family, and Tian Yuan will speak directly with Sage Donghua.”

After arranging their tasks, Lei Xiaohuan and Xu Jiaorong took their leave, while Qi Xuansu stayed the night.

After all, Qi Xuansu was Zhang Yuelu’s soon-to-be Daoist companion, so no one would fault him for staying over.

But after everything that had happened, Qi Xuansu had no desire for romantic matters.

Zhang Yuelu’s residence in Taishang Place originally belonged to Zhang Yuyue. After Zhang Yuelu arrived in Jade Capital, she lived with Zhang Yuyue for a time, and despite their completely different personalities, they developed a close bond. Even after Zhang Yuelu rose in status and became an important figure, she never distanced herself from Zhang Yuyue. Later, Zhang Yuelu acquired a residence in Xuan City and moved out. Afterwards, when Zhang Yuyue left Jade Capital to marry, she gifted this place to Zhang Yuelu.

Under normal circumstances, Zhang Yuelu seldom came here, so the furnishings remained just as Zhang Yuyue had left them.

Influenced by her friend in Fenglin, Zhang Yuyue installed a wooden veranda between the living room and the courtyard. Raised above the ground and sheltered by an overhanging roof, it was called an engawa—a place where one could sit, listen to the rain, drink tea, and relax.

Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu came to the engawa and sat facing each other. Beyond lay a tranquil courtyard and a pond shimmering under the moonlight. A full moon hung in the sky. Since Jade Capital stood so high above sea level, the moon seemed especially large.

Zhang Yuelu took out two wine cups and a flask. “It’s been a long time since we drank together. Today’s a rare opportunity, with such a beautiful moon and scenery. Shall we have a drink?”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Let’s drink. One drunken night can dissolve a thousand sorrows.”

Zhang Yuelu filled both cups and lifted one.

Qi Xuansu picked up the other cup and clinked it against hers.

Zhang Yuelu joked, “Are you not going to link arms with me and share a drink?”

“Isn’t it a bit too early for that?” Qi Xuansu paused in surprise, though his body moved quickly, already linking his arm with Zhang Yuelu’s.

Under the moonlight, their arms intertwined, and they downed their drinks simultaneously.