A Pawn's Passage

Zhang Juping and Pei Xiaolou climbed to the highest point of Yunjin Mountain. Generally, only the core disciples of the Zhengyi Sect could set foot here because it was an excellent location for cultivating Pure Yang Purple Qi.

The Pure Yang Purple Qi Technique was a unique practice in the Zhengyi Sect that used pure yang energy as a foundation and was supplemented by the Purple Cloud Technique. A practitioner could collect the first ray of pure yang energy when the sun rises, refine it to remove impurities and retain the pure purple qi left behind. This Pure Yang Purple Qi was a natural repellent of all evil things in the world.

Only a touch of Pure Yang Purple Qi could be accumulated in a day, so it would take decades of hard work to cultivate enough Pure Yang Purple Qi to repel evil within a kilometer radius. According to legend, the Primordial Daoist Ancestor was so powerful that he could exert this Pure Yang Purple Qi up to 15,000 kilometers.

Besides collecting Pure Yang Purple Qi, the top of Yunjin Mountain was a good spot for sightseeing. It had a magnificent view of Shangqing Town during sunrise and sunset.

Zhang Juping had been there often, so he was numb to the beautiful scenery. While looking out, Zhang Juping said, “Brother Pei, you seem to be acquainted with Tian Yuan.”

“You know him too?” Pei Xiaolou asked.

Zhang Juping smiled and admitted. “Only because of Qing Xiao. I met him once, and I have quite a good impression of that boy.”

Pei Xiaolou chuckled. “I don’t know him well, but I’m good friends with his elder.”

“Isn’t he from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace? He can’t possibly be related to Sage Qi, right?” Zhang Juping joked.

Pei Xiaolou waved his hand. “We mustn’t speculate about such matters.”

Since Pei Xiaolou had no intention of elaborating, Zhang Juping stopped pursuing the topic. Instead, he shared, “I heard that he got into a fight with a boy from the Yan family.”

Pei Xiaolou became interested. “What’s the result?”

Zhang Juping noticed that Pei Xiaolou did not look too worried. He was not sure whether Pei Xiaolou was simply indifferent or particularly confident in Qi Xuansu. He answered truthfully, “He didn't suffer a loss even though he was weaker than the Yan boy. He even held an advantage. He’s indeed extraordinary. But in the end, Qing Xiao stepped in to stop the fight, siding with Tian Yuan.”

Pei Xiaolou could not help but laugh. “Miss Zhang intervened? That’s interesting.”

Zhang Juping sighed helplessly. “In any case, the Zhang family has been friends with the Yan family for decades. So I think Qing Xiao’s reaction is inappropriate.”

Pei Xiaolou remarked, “It’s tiring to always keep up with appearances and act appropriately all the time. I think the elders shouldn't get involved in fights among the youngsters.

“Just look at how liberal the Li family is; they can turn a blind eye to Miss Zhang defeating Li Tianzhen, who has quite a high level of seniority in the Li family. Even Li Minghuang, that boy who deceived your niece, should be addressing Li Tianzhen as ‘uncle.’ Even so, none of the Li family elders stood up for him when he was beaten by Miss Zhang. But no one dared to look down on the Li family because of this matter.

“So I have to say, the Zhang family ought to learn from the Li family in this regard.”

Zhang Juping did not comment.

Pei Xiaolou added, “It’s better if you advise some people that brawling with a junior is unsightly of a senior. Nothing good will come of it. If you win, people will accuse you of bullying the weak. It’s even more embarrassing if you lose.”

Zhang Juping nodded in agreement.

……

After Yan Mingchen was defeated, he left Yunjin Mountain immediately to get some peace of mind.

Yan Mingchen’s departure disrupted some of Tantai Qiong’s plans, forcing her to temporarily change her strategy into something more long-term.

Of course, if Qi Xuansu had a stroke of luck and soared higher up the ranks during this time, Tantai Qiong would willingly alter her plans and accept Qi Xuansu. She would even take the initiative to apologize to him in an attempt to dismiss all past grudges with a smile.

While Tantai Qiong gladly changed her plans, Zhang Yuelu was extremely annoyed. Zhang Yuelu even planned to return to the Jade Capital earlier than her original schedule.

Although the flying ship temporarily increased the number of flights for the New Year, the flight dates still remained as the first and fifteenth of the month. Originally, Zhang Yuelu wanted to leave on the 15th of January, but she decided to leave early, on the first day of the New Year.

She even thought of an excuse. Pei Xiaolou mentioned that the secret societies were making their moves, and Tiangang Hall was short of manpower. So as the Deputy Hall Master, Zhang Yuelu ought to report to duty as soon as possible. This sounded reasonable enough.

Twenty days passed by quickly. During this time, Qi Xuansu spent most of the time in his room, training his qi to improve his cultivation. Occasionally, he and Zhang Yuelu would visit Yunjin Mountain. With Zhang Yuelu accompanying him, Qi Xuansu was not afraid of the underhanded tricks that would come out of nowhere, so he could enjoy the scenery with peace of mind.

Qi Xuansu would also train with Zhang Yuelu in martial arts. Being at the higher level, Zhang Yuelu would only use a cultivation level equal to the Yuxu stage to compete with Qi Xuansu.

Zhang Yuelu was proficient in eighteen types of martial arts. She was the best at swordsmanship and delved into the arts of spearmanship, knifemanship, whipmanship, mounted archery, boxing, and many more. She had learned most of these from her master, Sage Cihang.

The royal family was known to have the best knifemanship. But Zhang Yuelu had also learned an extremely powerful, high-attainment method called the Dayan Spirit Blade Technique. It was knifemanship that focused on the swift movement of the blade, allowing for sharp strikes from a distance without the use of sword qi.

It was as if the blade itself traveled through space, inflicting injury with its edge without leaving a trace, making it extremely difficult to guard against. It could also catch opponents off guard.

In fact, Qi Xuansu did not like to use swords. He preferred knives and guns, as they were convenient weapons for killing people. However, his master left him a short sword, so he started using swords.

Zhang Yuelu noticed Qi Xuansu's preference for knives, so she decided to teach Qi Xuansu the Dayan Spirit Blade Technique. Since she was a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master, she was qualified to recruit disciples. But she had not taken in a disciple and decided to practice with Qi Xuansu.

Her teaching method was simple and crude. She would make a move, while Qi Xuansu defended himself until he slowly understood it. If he was unsure about something, he could ask her.

This method of learning suited Qi Xuansu because he was perceptive. Due to his lower cultivation level, he could not keep up with many techniques that required a certain level of cultivation. Fortunately, his recent progress made up for his shortcomings.

During the lesson, Zhang Yuelu did not speak much. She turned the Amorphous Paper into a knife and slashed at Qi Xuansu from the front. But somehow, the blade appeared from Qi Xuansu’s back. Fortunately, Qi Xuansu dodged in time and narrowly escaped death.

If this were a real battle and Zhang Yuelu had used her full strength at the Guizhen stage, Qi Xuansu would have been stabbed in the core.

Qi Xuansu kept his feet grounded and pulled out Qing Yuan. With a swoosh, he thrust the sword forward, cutting through the air.

Zhang Yuelu swept the paper knife horizontally, drawing a crescent-shaped arc. Then she placed the flat side of the knife on the spine of Qing Yuan. The knife emitted an intense force that pressed down on the sword.

Qi Xuansu flipped his sword with a flick of his wrist and thrust the tip of the sword toward Zhang Yuelu’s knife-wielding right arm.

Zhang Yuelu spun the knife, which collided with Qi Xuansu’s short sword with a loud clang. The two of them drifted back from the impact, and the paper knife in Zhang Yuelu’s hand vibrated and buzzed for a long time before settling down.

Most people were confined within various limitations, unable to break free due to the lack of creativity. However, a master could effortlessly grasp the essence of an art and transcend boundaries and rules. This intent was what one needed to control one's sword when facing an opponent. With intent, one would not be restricted by just a set of techniques. One would be flexible and have boundless potential.

Zhang Yuelu vaguely understood this concept, while Qi Xuansu was still slightly lacking in intent. As the two continued to fight, the sound of their swords clashing intensified. Zhang Yuelu’s strikes were fierce, ruthless, and extremely cunning.

The position of her blade and her movement were completely different. Her swift movement enveloped Qi Xuansu in the sword qi and light flashes from the blade, forcing him to retreat step by step.

After Zhang Yuelu stopped moving her knife, she asked Qi Xuansu to reflect on the moves carefully. Then they would switch positions, with Qi Xuansu on the offense while Zhang Yuelu took defense. Qi Xuansu used all his knowledge trying to break through Zhang Yuelu’s defenses. But he failed to do so because Zhang Yuelu was not a flowerbed priest. She also had rich combat experience.

As they fought, Qi Xuansu asked questions while Zhang Yuelu answered them one by one. Qi Xuansu continued to practice what he learned diligently.

According to Zhang Yuelu, she took three days to comprehend this technique, but she had a foundation of the Cihang Sword Sequence. Even so, she was not considered a master of this technique, just proficient at best. However, Qi Xuansu only managed to get a grip of this technique on New Year’s Eve. He was still far away from Zhang Yuelu’s level.