A Pawn's Passage

When Qi Xuansu arrived at the main hall, the host was already waiting for him. A scholarly middle-aged man, about 40 years old, was sitting there elegantly, dressed in warm woolen clothes.

Qi Xuansu glanced at the man a few times with his Yin-Yang Eyes. The man’s yang energy was weak, but the Three Yang Lights on him were still shining brightly with no signs of flickering.

In comparison, Qi Xuansu’s Three Yang Lights was like a furnace fire that could not be extinguished with a simple blow. No matter how many times he looked over his shoulder in the night, his Three Yang Lights would still be shining intensely. Ordinary ghosts who dared to come close to Qi Xuansu would burn like moths to the flame.

A Martial Arts Practitioner at its peak had strong blood qi, comparable to that of ancient wild beasts. Ordinary people would not be able to see anything, but to ghosts, the Three Yang Lights were like the sun. A Martial Arts Practitioner would just have to stand there for everything around them to be illuminated, and the ghosts would burn and be reduced to ashes.

Someone brought out a brazier and some hot tea, and a servant helped Qi Xuansu remove his cloak.

Without the cloak, all the weapons on Qi Xuansu’s waist could no longer be hidden, especially the Divine Dragon Pistol, Qing Yuan, and the Dual Cutlass. His satchel and various items were also visible.

Qi Xuansu smiled apologetically. “When traveling alone, I have to carry weapons with me. I never part with them, as they can come in handy.”

“I understand.” The host nodded calmly.

In the former Wei Dynasty, civil officials were more powerful than military officials. However, the Great Xuan Dynasty valued both civil and military officials equally. Military generals could become prime ministers, and the Black Robes were revered. The army no longer consisted of prisoners or farmers as it was in the past, so warriors were no longer looked down on.

The two exchanged pleasantries.

Qi Xuansu used his alias, Wei Wugui. However, he claimed to be part of the Black Robes, serving as a personal guard to Qin Wubing, the General of Loulan.

Usually, no one would pay attention to low-ranking soldiers or officials. However, it made a difference if this low-ranking soldier was the personal guard of a general. It was akin to the Emperor’s personal eunuch, or the Empress’s personal maid. These were low-ranking positions, but they were close to those in power, so no one would dare to be disrespectful.

Due to this, the owner of the Xiang Residence did not look down on Qi Xuansu for having no official rank or position.

As they conversed, Qi Xuansu learned that the Xiang family had been a scholarly family for generations. The deceased Old Master Xiang once served as the Director of the Ministry of Revenue, but he died of illness while in his post.

The current head of the family was called Xiang Rulin. He was the owner of this place and a Juren Scholar[1], but he failed to pass the examination to become a Jinshi Scholar[2]. However, Xiang Rulin came from generational wealth, so he did not have to work for a living and merely spent his days leisurely.

The two men exchanged some pleasantries until Xiang Rulin hosted a banquet in honor of Qi Xuansu.

This was not a big city, so there were not many delicacies. However, Xiang Rulin was generous, serving large portions of meat and warmed wine. In this snowy weather, this was the best treatment one could expect.

Qi Xuansu did not refuse, and the two men drank to their heart’s content.

After a few glasses of wine, Xiang Rulin asked Qi Xuansu about his errand in a rather cryptic way. After all, the Black Robes usually moved in a cohort and were rarely seen alone.

Qi Xuansu’s ability to fabricate stories off the top of his head was a close second to Madam Qi. He even managed to fool Zhang Yuelu, let alone Xiang Rulin. Qi Xuansu pretended to be drunk and talked about Qin Wubing’s family background, saying that he was ordered to meet the Commandery Prince and pass on a gift that Qin Wubing had prepared for his father. Qin Wubing did not want to draw unnecessary attention, so he dispatched Qi Xuansu, his personal guard, to go on this journey.

Xiang Rulin asked a lot more questions. Qi Xuansu deliberately answered half of his questions while brushing over the rest, leaving Xiang Rulin to piece the story together. Qi Xuansu would feign drunkenness, shouting occasionally and purposely losing composure.

Xiang Rulin also knew that Qi Xuansu would not disclose everything to him, so he never asked what kind of gift Qi Xuansu was bringing to the Commandery Prince. He would only talk about the local customs or some interesting things he had seen in the past.

After the meal, Xiang Rulin had someone help the drunken Qi Xuansu back to the guest room. Two more servants trailed behind, carrying Qi Xuansu’s cloak and cutlasses. Perhaps out of curiosity, one of the servants secretly drew the cutlass from its sheath. Although the servant did not inject qi into it, a rush of hot air still struck his face when the blade was unsheathed. Startled, the servant almost dropped the knife on the ground.

Upon hearing the clang, Qi Xuansu turned around. “This is a weapon for killing people, not a butcher’s knife.”

Although Qi Xuansu’s tone was light, it was still imposing.

“Yes, sir.” The servant was frightened and quickly sheathed the blade.

When they arrived at the guest room, Qi Xuansu asked the servant to leave his things on the table while he sat on the bed.

Someone even brought him a tub of hot water to soak his feet.

Qi Xuansu could not help but think of a conversation he had with Sun Yongfeng and Lingquanzi back then. With a few thousand Taiping coins, he could be a rich man in a small county. This kind of leisurely life was indeed much better than traveling the world alone.

The servants excused themselves. “Sir, please let me know if you need anything else.”

“Thank you.” Qi Xuansu nodded, took off his boots, and immersed his feet in the hot water.

Although Xiantian Beings did not sweat, lose hair, or shed dead skin cells, hence eliminating the need for bathing and changing clothes, it was still comfortable to be able to soak in hot water in the cold weather.

However, the weather was too cold, so the hot water cooled quickly.

Qi Xuansu lifted his wet feet and placed them on the edge of the tub. Suddenly, he sighed, thinking of his situation. At the moment, he felt as if he were stepping on two boats, struggling to keep his balance. These two boats were the Daoist Order and the Qingping Society.

It was clear to anyone that the Daoist Order was undoubtedly the better choice between the two. However, since Qi Xuansu had faked his death, he did not know when he would ever be able to return to the Daoist Order.

Qi Xuansu lamented. “I intended to direct my heart toward the bright moon, but alas, the moonlight only shines on the ditch.”

While staring out into space, Qi Xuansu suddenly noticed some marks on the wall.

He instantly sobered up and stood up, splashing the water out from the tub.

His bare feet were grounded next to the wall as he leaned in closer.

Although the marks were faint, they were still vaguely visible. The color of the wall was a little different compared to its surroundings.

“This is…” Qi Xuansu discovered that this wall was added later. It was not the original wall.

Normally, Qi Xuansu would not give much thought to it, but because he had a premonition before, he was more wary of his surroundings. After some hesitation, he pressed his fingers on the wall and exerted a little force.

The wall began to crumble, revealing gray bricks underneath.

Qi Xuansu’s expression turned solemn the moment he saw the talismans painted on these bricks.

Although Qi Xuansu was not a Diviner proficient in drawing talismans, he could identify them thanks to a basic course in the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

These talismans were incomplete, with vague outlines. They seemed to be used to ward off ghosts. Moreover, these talismans were not drawn on talisman paper but were drawn on the brick wall with blood. This was a tactic used by Diviners against opponents. However, it indicated that the Diviner was likely in a precarious situation, as he or she was forced to draw talismans using their blood, which was full of yang energy.

Qi Xuansu gasped. Have I stepped into a demon’s lair?

1. Title for those who passed the Provincial Exams. ☜

2. Highest title for scholars, with more privileges to become high-ranking officials in the Imperial Court ☜

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