A Pawn's Passage

“What are you doing? You must be drunk, Brother. You shouldn’t be pointing the gun at people because you might slip and misfire.” Qi Xuansu remained calm.

Wang Baoyue pursed his lips. He no longer had a friendly smile on his face, but he had a cold sneer. “I gave you a chance to leave, but you insisted on drinking with me. You were the one knocking on the door of hell, so you can’t blame anyone but yourself.”

Qi Xuansu raised his hands in surrender, purposely showing Wang Baoyue that he would not resist.

The gun in Wang Baoyue’s hand was not the Divine Dragon Pistol, nor was it produced by Tianji Hall or the Divine Armory. It was a large-caliber gun that had a distinctive Western style. Judging from his posture, Wang Baoyue should be an extremely experienced gunman who might not have received professional training but had a considerably high body count.

Wang Baoyue did not relax his vigilance, even though Qi Xuansu had raised his arms in surrender. He pressed the hammer while saying, “Brother Wei, you have an intense killing aura that I am very familiar with, so you must have taken countless lives as a master among the Black Robes. You’re certainly not a naive boy who has never seen a lick of blood. But you’ve probably been too comfortable lately, so you’ve let your guard down.”

Qi Xuansu kept silent. He had no doubt that Wang Baoyue would pull the trigger as long as he made the slightest move.

Although the situation had progressed beyond Qi Xuansu’s expectations, he was still capable of fighting back. But he had two concerns.

At such a close distance, he was not confident enough to avoid the bullet relying on just his reflexes. Moreover, he did not know what kind of projectiles Wang Baoyue loaded in his gun. Ordinary projectiles were not a threat to Qi Xuansu. Armor-piercing projectiles were a bit risky. What he feared most was the Dragon Eye Series ammunition because it could cost him his life.

Although Qi Xuansu had an Auxiliary Heart and body-regenerative abilities, he was unsure whether those would work if his head exploded. So he dared not act rashly.

Qi Xuansu remained calm. “We’re not out at sea. We’re inland, on the heavily guarded Grand Canal. Even if you manage to kill me now, do you think that you can escape?”

Wang Baoyue did not deny Qi Xuansu’s statement. The sea was so vast that it was impossible for orthodox authorities like the Imperial Court, the Daoist Order, and the Western Holy Court to maintain full governance over it. Therefore, the sea was often referred to as a lawless place. That was why many outlaws roamed the seas.

However, the situation inland was different. The laws here were strict. Once broken, it would be difficult to escape punishment unless one exploited the loopholes.

At this moment, the door opened again. Three more people dressed in servant uniforms walked in. However, they looked fierce, with similar guns in hand.

Qi Xuansu instantly knew that these people were the pirates that the Green Phoenix Guards were looking for. However, the Green Phoenix Guards were distracted by the commotion on the cargo ship earlier, so they accidentally let this big fish slip through the net.

Realizing this, Qi Xuansu could not help but sigh in disappointment. “The Green Phoenix Guards are really a bunch of idiots.”

When the three people standing behind Qi Xuansu aimed their guns at their hostage, Wang Baoyue finally put down his gun.

“Take him to the inner room.” Wang Baoyue ordered.

The three people manhandled Qi Xuansu, pushing him toward the room in the back. One of them removed Qi Xuansu’s Divine Dragon Pistol from the holster and admired the masterpiece. “Nice! This thing ain’t cheap.”

At this time, a naked body was curled up in a square metal cage inside the room. Judging from the body’s discoloration, the man had been dead for some time. It seemed that the lavish clothes Wang Baoyue was wearing had come from this corpse.

Qi Xuansu merely glanced at the corpse, completely unfazed.

A man jammed the muzzle of the gun against Qi Xuansu’s lower back. “You’re a brave one, Eagle Claw.”

Qi Xuansu spoke calmly. “I’m guessing that you’ve killed a lot of people as pirates. But since ancient times, there have always been more dead bodies on land. So seeing a corpse isn’t a big deal.”

Another person pressed the muzzle of his gun against the back of Qi Xuansu’s head. “Since you’re not afraid of corpses, are you afraid of death?”

“Of course, I’m afraid of death.” Qi Xuansu goaded. “But do you dare to kill me?”

“Hah! What a stubborn Eagle Claw!” The man seemed provoked by Qi Xuansu, immediately pressing down on the hammer.

At this moment, Wang Baoyue warned. “Don’t be impulsive.”

Wang Baoyue was clearly the leader among them, so the other three men dared not make a move. They backed away because Wang Baoyue had ingrained fear in their bones.

Qi Xuansu’s back was facing the three of them. He was still calm because he had gone through much worse before. After all, these pirates, no matter how ruthless, could not hold a candle to Wu Luo snapping the flying ship in half.

Wang Baoyue walked over. “Brother, didn’t you mention a friend who was drinking downstairs? Why don’t you call him to come up here too?”

Qi Xuansu asked back. “You want to use our identities to get through customs?”

“Brother Wei, I knew you were smart. This identity can only get me so far. I won’t be able to hide forever. But being part of the Black Robes is much more convenient than being a regular gentry. I won’t have to worry about the customs anymore. I can even get some useful intel by befriending some Green Phoenix Guards and Black Robes.” Wang Baoyue explained.

This was the reason Wang Baoyue was not in a hurry to kill Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu said, “That friend of mine is from the Daoist Tiangang Hall. Aren’t you afraid of getting yourself into trouble?”

“If I were one to get scared so easily, I wouldn’t have been a pirate. I would’ve been better off being a good citizen, living out my days with peace of mind. Don’t you think so?” Wang Baoyue chuckled.

Qi Xuansu challenged him. “What if I don’t want to call him up here?”

“Then you can’t blame us for what happens next.” Wang Baoyue pointed his gun at Qi Xuansu’s head again.

Qi Xuansu sneered. “Do you think I was born yesterday? Why should I cooperate with you when you won’t let me live either way? I’d rather drag you all down with me before dying. If you’re so brave, blow out my brains right now! If not, I advise you to put away that gun.”

Wang Baoyue’s face flushed red with anger. He suddenly pulled the trigger, and fire spewed out from the muzzle.

Xu Kou, who was drinking alone downstairs, put down his glass when he heard a gunshot.

Qi Xuansu’s head did not explode. Instead, his whole body dissipated like mist.

“The Cicada Molting Technique?!” Wang Baoyue was startled.

Almost at the same time, Qi Xuansu appeared behind the man who took his Divine Dragon Pistol and punched him in the head, splattering pinkish-gray brain matter everywhere.

A second later, Qi Xuansu took back his Divine Dragon Pistol and shot the pirate behind him without looking. This shot was purely based on his feeling, but the bullet accurately pierced through the pirate’s head. Blood gushed out, staining the carpet and the wooden walls red.

The pirate still had a look of disbelief on his face as the life force slipped out of him. The tables turned so quickly that the abductors barely had any time to react. The fish that swam into their trap turned out to be a vicious shark that could break their net.

In a flash, Qi Xuansu had already subdued the last pirate dressed as a servant, dragging the pirate in front of him to act as a human shield.

Wang Baoyue raised the gun and pointed it at Qi Xuansu. However, Qi Xuansu had hidden behind Wang Baoyue’s subordinate, so there was no opening for a gunshot.

“Only one projectile could be loaded at a time in the Divine Dragon Pistol.” Wang Baoyue remained calm, but his gaze was fierce and sinister, like an unscrupulous criminal.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Would you like a taste of my fist?”

“So what if you’re a Yuxu-stage Martial Arts Practitioner? You’ll die anyway if I shoot you in the head.”

“The gunshots have already alerted my friend. Let’s see if you’ll still be so confident fighting against the two of us when he arrives.”

The pirate laughed. “You’ll be dead before he gets here.”

“Then why haven’t you shot me?”

They were talking nonsense as they paced slowly in a circle, confronting each other. None of them dared to make a rash move.

Qi Xuansu discovered that although the projectiles in the pirate’s gun were not the Dragon Eye Series ammunition, the Western gun itself was as powerful as a Grade-B Series Three Dragon Eye Bullet. Moreover, it could be fired continuously. Qi Xuansu had defeated many opponents of higher cultivation levels with his gun, so he dared not let his guard down.

On the other hand, Wang Baoyue was wary and afraid of Qi Xuansu. After all, this soldier could smash his subordinate’s head to pieces with just one punch, indicating just how strong the soldier was in close combat.

Wang Baoyue was not a Martial Arts Practitioner, so he did not want to risk his life.

The pirate who was held hostage only had a look of horror on his face.

The next moment, Wang Baoyue suddenly pulled the trigger. The body of the pirate who was held hostage blasted into several sections. Qi Xuansu, who was hiding behind the pirate, had long since disappeared and reappeared next to Wang Baoyue.

A cold light flashed from his sleeves as one of the Seven Phoenix Feathers shot out, stabbing Wang Baoyue in the wrist of his gun-wielding hand.

However, to Qi Xuansu’s surprise, the Seven Phoenix Feathers that managed to hurt Monk Deng Hua failed to pierce through Wang Baoyue’s wrist. Instead, he heard the distinct sound of metal and stone colliding before the Seven Phoenix Feather bounced back.

Seeing this, Wang Baoyue smirked. Once again, he aimed the muzzle of his gun at Qi Xuansu.