A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu casually pulled up a chair and sat down. He had a commanding aura that came naturally from pretending to be part of the Black Robes for so long.

Liu Hu stood beside Qi Xuansu, still silent as usual. But her eyes were bright. Her unique character was a result of her background and experiences.

Both Liu Hu and Qi Xuansu grew up without parents, but they also had an elder who was not related by blood. Even so, Liu Hu and Qi Xuansu were not the same.

Qi Xuansu was complex and contradictory. He was not inherently good or bad and would treat people as they treated him. He would also accept whatever benefitted him, even though it might not be legal.

An example would be his belief in rules and orthodoxy. That was why Qi Xuansu wanted to leave the Qingping Society and return to the Daoist Order. He dreamed of climbing the ranks within the Daoist Order rather than wandering around the world and getting promoted within the Qingping Society.

However, after encountering various problems with the rules and bureaucracy, Qi Xuansu decided to go beyond the rules to solve his own problems. That was why he killed Wan Xiuwu instead of getting Beichen Hall or Fengxian Hall involved.

This was where his contradiction lies, which was a result of his past experience.

Qi Xuansu had spent nearly twenty years in the Wanxiang Daoist Palace and a few years under his master, Qi Haoran. Thus, Qi Xuansu felt a strong sense of belonging to the Daoist Order. However, his master’s death and Madam Qi’s influence made Qi Xuansu extremely distrustful of the Daoist rules.

He was not ambitious like Zhang Yuelu to think about changing the status quo. He would only adapt wherever possible, and if that did not work, he would just break the rules.

Qi Xuansu’s education in the Wanxiang Daoist Palace instilled some gallant behavior in him. However, his chivalry was not from empathy. It was more of a habit. That was why he did not feel the need to fight against all injustice. His experience traveling alone in this cruel world also made him more ruthless and indifferent to killing.

This explained why Qi Xuansu was two-faced, just like his dual identities.

One could think of Qi Xuansu’s boundaries as an erratic curve, while Zhang Yuelu’s was a clear-cut straight line. Since survival was always his first priority, his perception of good and evil would change with his circumstances. On the other hand, Zhang Yuelu would always put justice first without fearing death.

That was why Zhang Yuelu was willing to get to the bottom of the major Jiangnan case that year, even at the cost of her life. If Qi Xuansu were to place himself in Zhang Yuelu's shoes, he might not be able to persist until the end.

Compared with Qi Xuansu, Liu Hu was more extreme.

Qi Xuansu was considered an adult when his master died, so although his master’s death was a big blow to him, it was not enough to destroy the various principles he had formed over the many years. He also knew the cause of his master’s death.

However, Liu Hu was just a little girl when her parents died, so she did not understand how they died and how complicated the major Jiangnan case was. Her obedience was just a front for her indifference, which was just as much as Qi Xuansu’s and Xu Kou’s, evident in the way Liu Hu could kill without batting an eyelid.

Qi Xuansu and Xu Kou could vaguely sense Liu Hu’s coldness, but they understood her because they were all similar.

From this point of view, Liu Hu’s boundaries were also a straight line, but compared to Zhang Yuelu’s solid line, Liu Hu’s was a dotted line because she was confused and failed to act consistently.

Qi Xuansu’s erratic curve and Liu Hu’s dotted line were formed due to their mentors. The seemingly capricious Madam Qi actually had a strict attitude with Qi Xuansu, while the seemingly reliable Wild Bodhisattva had a more laissez-faire attitude with Liu Hu.

Due to this, Liu Hu did not feel a hint of sympathy or anger at this time. She was more curious and excited about the drama that was about to unfold so that she could compare this real-life experience to the stories she read in novels.

Qi Xuansu glanced at the abused woman sitting not far away. With Liu Hu’s help, the woman got dressed, but she looked to be in a daze as if she had lost her soul.

The young man was standing on the other side of the room after being beaten by Xu Kou. His nose was bruised, and his face was swollen. He no longer had the arrogance of a young master, but his eyes were full of resentment.

Qi Xuansu asked the woman, “What is your name, Miss?”

The woman came back to her senses and replied in a whisper, “Zhao Ying.”

Qi Xuansu nodded and asked, “Would you mind telling us what happened?”

Zhao Ying kept quiet.

Xu Kou looked indifferent. This was expected. He would not even be surprised if the woman turned around and accused them of being nosy. She could even claim that she was consensual due to various concerns, such as the safety of her family.

That was why Xu Kou had already made it clear that he was only beating up this kid because his drinking session was disturbed. To Xu Kou, all principles and righteousness were just for show in this dog-eat-dog world. Only the strong could survive.

Qi Xuansu did not rush the woman. He just waited quietly for an answer.

After a moment, Zhao Ying suddenly burst into tears. She kneeled in front of Qi Xuansu and urged, “Sir, you should leave quickly because when the officers come, you won’t be able to leave anymore.”

Qi Xuansu remained calm. “We’re not vigilantes. We’re officers too.”

Zhao Ying was startled.

The young man on the other side of the room was also stunned to hear this.

Qi Xuansu made his best impression of a government official, saying righteous phrases that he did not believe came out of his mouth. “Raping an innocent civilian girl is a crime that will be punished under the laws of the Great Xuan Dynasty. It’s even better if more officers come over. I’d like to see if they will turn a blind eye to this and be complicit in wrongdoing. If so, they will be punished accordingly.”

Xu Kou burst his friend’s bubble. “It’s too early to conclude this as rape.”

Qi Xuansu looked at Zhao Ying again.

Zhao Ying looked at her abuser. “My brother owes Young Master Shen money, so I wanted to ask him to grant us an extension. But he asked me to come here to meet him. After I came over, he—”

Qi Xuansu suddenly thought of something. He looked at the young man with a bruised face and asked, “What’s your name?”

The young man pretended not to hear him, keeping his mouth shut.

Seeing this, Xu Kou raised his voice. “He asked you a question. Are you deaf?!”

The young man could not help but shudder at the sound of Xu Kou’s voice. Xu Kou’s beating was a cruel method honed by years of torturing people, so even though the injuries did not look severe, the pain was bone-crushing.

“Shen Yugui.” The young master answered quickly this time.

Qi Xuansu suddenly thought of someone from his past—Shen Yuzu.

In an instant, all the past events surged to the forefront of his mind.

His master, covered in blood, rushed out of the encirclement, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and threw him out as far as he could manage. Then his master shouted at him to run.

Qi Xuansu was so frightened that he subconsciously turned around and ran with all his might until all he could hear was his own labored breathing and heartbeat.

All this time, an assassin chased after him. But the assassin did not rush to kill him. Instead, the assassin waited until he was completely exhausted and could no longer run to attack him.

He wanted to resist, but he did not even have the strength to draw his sword. His vision went black as the assassin stabbed him in the chest.

Just before he passed out, he saw a hand piercing through the assassin’s chest from the back.

That was how Madam Qi appeared in his life for the first time.

The Qingping Society was resourceful and omnipotent, helping him find out the details of his enemy, who was none other than Shen Yuzu.

Later, in a courtyard at Jinling Prefecture, Qi Xuansu stabbed the drunk Shen Yuzu in the chest with his sword.

That was the first time Qi Xuansu took a life.

Qi Xuansu did not expect that he would meet a member of the Shen family again after so many years. However, on second thought, it made sense because Luzhou was the Shen family’s territory.

Although Qi Xuansu was not so irrational to regard the entire Shen family as his enemy just because of Shen Yuzu, he did not have to like them either.

Shen Yugui argued, “It’s natural for people to pay back any debt owed! Your brother owes me 300 Taiping coins. Even if I grant you a 10-year grace period, will you be able to pay me back? So it’s only right that you repay this debt with your body. You won’t have a case even if you sue me before a judge!”

Zhao Ying anxiously rebutted. “You…you clearly set up a trap for me! You’ve arranged all those people to come.”

“Do you have evidence? It’s slander if you don’t!” Shen Yugui shouted.

While he was talking, there was a loud commotion outside.

Qi Xuansu knew that the real boss had arrived.

The middle-aged man leading the group was dressed in a brocade robe. He had a smile on his face and gray hair on his temples. His entourage included servants, officers in square hats, and the Green Phoenix Guard. Fortunately for Qi Xuansu, there were no Black Robes or Daoist priests among them.

Qi Xuansu stood up next to Xu Kou.

The middle-aged man exuded an air of authority, albeit with unscrupulous undertones. However, he looked like an elegant Confucian scholar. He motioned to his entourage to wait outside while he walked into the private room alone.

His eyes scanned the room before landing on Qi Xuansu and Xu Kou.

Qi Xuansu mocked. “You’re brave to walk in alone knowing that there are brutes in here.”

“Sir, you must be joking. There are no brutes here. We’re all friends.” The man saluted them.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Your name?”

“Shen Mingshu.” The middle-aged man smiled warmly and pointed at Shen Yugui. “This is my son.”

Xu Kou interjected. “It is the father’s fault for not raising his son to be an upright man.”

“And you are?” Shen Mingshu turned to look at Xu Kou, still smiling, not at all offended by that statement.

“Xu Kou.” He did not bother using a false name.

Shen Mingshu pondered for a moment and suddenly recalled. “It turns out that you’re the famous Little Yama. It seems that this is a small misunderstanding.”

Xu Kou asked nonchalantly, “Is it really a misunderstanding?”

Shen Mingshu turned to Shen Yugui. The smile on his face gradually faded as he questioned his son. “What happened?”

Shen Yugui seemed to fear his father. He lowered his head and replied, “Father, it’s a misunderstanding! This woman owed me money and promised to pay off the debt by offering herself to me. But she went back on her word halfway and yelled as if I’d abused her, which alerted these two officers.”

Xu Kou asked, “If it was agreed upon in advance, why did she regret it halfway?”

Shen Yugui glanced at his father and laughed dryly. “Her brother owed me 300 Taiping coins. I only agreed to waive 100 Taiping coins for every time she accompanies me. But this damned bitch was so greedy, asking me to waive all debts! Since I refused, she went back on her word.”

Tears rolled down Zhao Ying’s face as she said in a trembling voice, “I didn’t intend to sell myself to pay off the debt. I just wanted to ask him to grant me an extension. I didn’t expect that he—”

Shen Yugui’s expression turned menacing. “How can you afford 300 Taiping coins even if I grant you an extension? You deliberately approached me using this as an excuse. Do you think I can’t get women on my own? If it weren’t for you taking the initiative to seduce me, why would I even glance at a mediocre bitch like you?!”

Zhao Ying was so angry that her body shook, but she could not say a word of rebuttal.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Why did she want to borrow 300 Taiping coins from you? Is there any collateral?”

Shen Yugui shook his head. “I didn’t ask for the reason. I just lent her the money. But I didn’t ask for collateral because I saw how pitiful they were.”

Qi Xuansu continued, “Weren’t you afraid that they would renege on their debt? Or was it your plan all along for this woman to pay off this debt with her body?”

Shen Yugui was about to speak when he was suddenly slapped hard in the face. He felt as if the room was spinning, and he was utterly speechless.

The one who hit him was none other than his father, Shen Mingshu.

Shen Mingshu slowly withdrew his hand, his face expressionless as he stared at his son.

Shen Yugui’s legs went limp, so he dropped to his knees with cold sweat dripping down his face.

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