A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu put away the Guizang Lantern and carefully studied Little Yin on the other side once more.

Being stared at so intently made Little Yin feel uncomfortable. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Little Yin, when you first saw Master Yin, what were you doing?”

Without giving it any thought, Little Yin answered, “Nothing.”

Qi Xuansu patiently guided her. “Before you hugged the willow branch and slid down from the Emperor Willow, what were you doing?”

Little Yin blinked. “I don’t remember.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Think carefully. If you remember, I’ll reward you with 1,000 Taiping coins.”

At first, Little Yin had no concept of the value of Taiping coins. But after learning what they could buy, she became quite interested in them and was, to a certain extent, susceptible to bribery.

Rumor had it that she even kept a little treasury of her own, where she stored the money she had earned from Zhang Yuelu and Madam Qi. Financially speaking, she was actually slightly wealthier than the coinless Qi Xuansu. Even so, Little Yin had principles and would not accept money from just anyone.

Little Yin was deeply skeptical of Qi Xuansu’s financial means and ability to pay. “Do you even have 1,000 Taiping coins?”

Qi Xuansu could only turn for help. “Madam Qi...”

When it came to serious matters, Madam Qi rarely made things difficult for Qi Xuansu. She immediately replied, “Of course he doesn’t. But I’ll pay it on his behalf.”

There was no questioning Madam Qi’s financial strength, so Little Yin raised no objections this time and began recalling seriously.

After a while, Little Yin said, “I really wasn’t doing anything. When I opened my eyes, I saw Grandpa writing. Why are you asking about this? How do you know I slid down holding onto a willow branch?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “The Guizang Lantern told me. What about before you opened your eyes?”

Little Yin answered with perfect confidence, “I don’t remember. Do you remember what happened when you were still in your mother’s womb?”

For a moment, Qi Xuansu was left speechless. He could only say, “Fine, let’s drop that. You once told Qing Xiao that you dreamed about another version of yourself and wanted to go to Nanyang to search for treasure. So...where’s the treasure?”

Little Yin blinked. “I didn’t find it.”

Qi Xuansu asked again, “What about your other self?”

Little Yin shook her head. “I forgot.”

Qi Xuansu could not help but say, “When it comes to making other people write IOUs, your memory is better than anyone else’s. But the moment I ask you to remember something important, you suddenly can’t recall a thing. Just how is your brain wired?”

As he spoke, Qi Xuansu almost wished he could reach through the projection and give Little Yin a light smack on the head.

Little Yin pouted. “As they say, a spring dream leaves no trace. If it was a dream, then of course I’d remember a little when I first woke up, but after enough time passes, I naturally forget it.”

Qi Xuansu sighed, no longer expecting to learn anything substantial from Little Yin. “So you even know that phrase. It looks like your studies weren’t entirely wasted. When I report to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace for my new post, you’re coming with me.”

Little Yin immediately pulled a miserable face. “Can I not go? I don’t want to go to school.”

Qi Xuansu put on a stern expression. “No. It’s settled. With me there this time, no one will dare bully you. If any instructor dares give you trouble, I’ll have them thrown out.”

In truth, ever since the Qi Wangui incident, no one in the Wanxiang Daoist Palace dared provoke Qi Xuansu anymore. He was merely saying it for effect.

Little Yin thought it over and apparently found the arrangement acceptable. At the very least, she’d get to be Boss Yin again. She reluctantly nodded. “Fine then.”

Qi Xuansu ended his conversation with Madam Qi before contacting Zhang Yuelu. He could forget anyone else, but he certainly could not forget the lady of the house.

Whenever Qi Xuansu contacted Zhang Yuelu in the past, she was always dressed in formal robes, seated behind her desk, endlessly working through piles of case files.

This time, however, Zhang Yuelu was different. She was no longer wearing her formal hechang or lotus crown. Instead, she wore casual clothes with her hair loose over her shoulders, having finally set official business aside.

“The Shangyuan Festival is almost here. How are you still so free?” Qi Xuansu asked.

Zhang Yuelu replied, “There are so many Branch Managers and Deputy Mansion Masters that I don’t have to personally arrange everything. Mansion Master Yao also intends to oversee things himself, celebrating alongside the people to demonstrate his closeness to them. Since he’s handling the overall direction, there’s naturally not much left for me to worry about.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “That’s actually not bad. The annual Shangyuan Festival celebration is always a massive undertaking, and the most troublesome one at that.”

Zhang Yuelu was holding her license in one hand and Purple Afterglow in the other, as though she had just finished sword practice. She asked, “How’s Tian Zhong doing?”

Qi Xuansu had never told Zhang Yuelu the whole truth, merely saying that he was bringing Zhang Wuyue along for experience. “For the time being, his main task is to familiarize himself with the environment and build relationships. Once he’s settled in and understands everything, then he’ll start trying his hand at actual work.”

Zhang Yuelu nodded but did not forget to remind him, “Just don’t learn from Xie Jiaofeng.”

Qi Xuansu smirked. “Don’t worry. As his brother-in-law, would I ever lead him astray?”

Zhang Yuelu did not pursue the matter any further and asked, “How are things on your end?”

“Progress has been slow. If things really don’t improve, I plan to go looking for Paititi,” Qi Xuansu replied.

Zhang Yuelu was startled. “The Forgotten Kingdom?”

Qi Xuansu said, “I obtained a map from Wang Jiaohe and acquired a key in St. York. It’s said to be the Kingdom of the Gods, and I suspect it’s a pocket realm that has yet to descend in this world.”

Zhang Yuelu immediately grasped the implication. “An unmanifested pocket realm? Wouldn’t that allow one to evade the Heavenly Tribulation? If that’s the case, the ancient gods could descend in their true forms and wield their full power. With your current cultivation, entering such a place rashly would be extremely dangerous.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “I’ve already considered that. Since Paititi is known as the Forgotten Kingdom, not just anyone can enter it. At the very least, the Apostles of the Holy Court probably don’t know where it is, much like the Lingshan Paradise. The ancient gods of the Southern Continent can most likely enter it. But they’re divided into rival factions, and the situation surrounding Kukulkan remains unclear. I can use the conflict between the two sides to ensure my own safety.”

Zhang Yuelu was unconvinced. “This involves more than one Godly Immortal. I still think it’s far too risky.”

Qi Xuansu said, “It’s a last resort, but it’s still a solution. I can’t just sit here accomplishing nothing forever. I have to find a way to break the deadlock. Besides, I have Madam Wu with me, and the Guizang Lantern can warn me of danger. It should be manageable.”

Since Qi Xuansu had put it that way, Zhang Yuelu did not press the issue further. After all, Qi Xuansu was on the front lines and understood the situation best. She was in Poluo and unfamiliar with the circumstances, so she had no illusion that her judgment surpassed his.

Qi Xuansu changed the subject. “Enough about that. How have you been lately?”

“I’m doing well, although I still find it hard to accept.” Zhang Yuelu sighed. “But putting those troublesome matters behind me has truly lifted a weight off my shoulders. Now I simply refuse to dwell on them and focus all my energy on improving my cultivation. Sometimes I really envy you. You don’t have to devote much time to cultivation, yet your cultivation advances by leaps and bounds, leaving you free to concentrate entirely on official affairs.”

Qi Xuansu smiled. “I’ve simply taken shortcuts. I’m sure the Zhengyi Sect also has methods for doing the same. True Lord Taiyin’s legacy that Zhang Wuhen stole back then was probably one example. But the Heavenly Preceptor would never let you use such methods. It’s not because he begrudges them. Rather, using shortcuts like that on naturally gifted people like you would be an enormous waste. Only people like me, who lack such innate talent, need careful refinement through external means.”

Zhang Yuelu chuckled. “You really do know how to talk. Somehow, I feel much better now.”

Qi Xuansu deliberately teased, “So you’re saying you used to feel a sense of unfairness?”

Zhang Yuelu answered honestly, “I wouldn’t call it unfairness, more like disappointment. When we first met, I was already at the Guizhen stage, just one step away from the Heavenly Being stage. Yet you were still a long way from the Guizhen stage. Back then, you were the one chasing after me. To put it bluntly, your aptitude was quite poor. Meanwhile, I was a natural-born Banished Immortal. At the time, I worried about what would happen if the gap between us only kept growing wider.

“Later, I realized I had been worrying for nothing. What I should have been thinking about was how not to be left far behind by you, not how you would catch up to me. I watched with my own eyes as you caught up to me step by step, then surpassed me step by step. Now, I’m the one chasing after you. Fortunately, I can still see your back in the distance, which means I still have hope of catching up. When I think about the past and compare it with the present, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed.”

After hearing that, Qi Xuansu could not help but laugh. “Back then, when I looked at you, that was what true despair felt like. You were the noble daughter of the Zhang family with a prestigious family background, the youngest fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist and Deputy Hall Master of the Daoist Order. You were also exceptionally talented, being only one step away from the Heavenly Being stage. To sum it up, you had boundless prospects. And then there was me. At the time, I didn’t even know Madam Qi’s true identity. I had nothing. I had no family, and I was just a lowly seventh-rank Daoist with the aptitude of an ordinary cultivator. Whether I could ever even reach the Heavenly Being stage was difficult to say. Under normal circumstances, I’d have been lucky to retire as a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist. To be honest, when we first got together, I really did feel somewhat inferior.”

Zhang Yuelu teased, “I never would have guessed you were capable of feeling inferior.”

Qi Xuansu pinched his fingers together to indicate a tiny amount. “Just a little, not much. I’m a walking contradiction. The inferiority was real, but at the same time, I also had ambition, or you could call it wishful thinking. I suppose I was the toad wanting a taste of swan.”

Zhang Yuelu was not offended at all. She teased, “Oh? So you’re admitting you’re the toad?”

Qi Xuansu immediately changed his tune. “I never admitted that. I’m the one and only chosen one. The Three Prodigies of the Daoist Order are nothing but paper tigers. Hey, why don’t you smile for me?”

“Oh, get lost!” Zhang Yuelu clicked her tongue at him. “You’ve clearly been reading too much of the Scripture of Zuriel.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “It’s called refusing to be conventional. The truth is, when you’re feeling down, other people are already looking down on you. You can’t afford to look down on yourself as well. That’s why I’ll never accept being called a toad.”

After spending so much time with Qi Xuansu, Zhang Yuelu had picked up some of his habits as well. She mocked him. “That’s just self-deception.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Let’s stick to the facts. Back then, I was already carrying an immortal object with me. Did you have one? You only had a semi-immortal object.”

Zhang Yuelu frowned. “What immortal object were you carrying?”

Qi Xuansu answered matter-of-factly, “The Longevity Stone Heart, a genuine immortal object.”

For a moment, Zhang Yuelu was genuinely at a loss for words.

Qi Xuansu continued, “Based on that alone, I couldn’t possibly have been a regular toad. I should have been a black swan.”

Unable to hold it in any longer, Zhang Yuelu burst into laughter. “You really have no shame!”