A Pawn’s Passage

On the other side, Qi Xuansu and Little Yin had no leisure to spectate the battle, not even when Master Wan was displaying his might.

Taking advantage of the situation, they ran at full speed, completely shaking off the pursuit from the Jingu. Finally, they left Anno District and entered Suzuka District.

Qi Xuansu's destination—Mount Suzuka—was already within reach.

As long as he entered Mount Suzuka and persuaded Suzuka Gozen, who had inherited Ootakemaru's forces, Qi Xuansu's mission would be considered complete. Then, he could return to the field camp to report to Sage Qingwei.

At that moment, Little Yin sighed and said, "I hope Grandpa Wan can bring back something tasty for me."

Qi Xuansu couldn't help but ask, "Do all Three Yin Beings like to eat the kind of...delicacies like you?"

Little Yin shook her head and said, "No, Grandpa Wan isn't picky. He eats anything and everything, raw or cold, even dirt, though he prefers bloody mud with heavy yin energy. That's why Grandpa Wan is the tallest and strongest. But my grandpa hasn't eaten in years. I remember he used to love eating wandering ghosts, but he said now that the world is at peace, there aren't that many ghosts around to eat. He's also reached a point where he doesn't need to rely on them anymore."

Qi Xuansu pressed on, "What if Master Yin suffers a serious injury?"

Little Yin replied, "In the Ghost Kingdom, there's a huge yin-yang rift that's like an abyss. It's filled with abundant yin energy and is said to lead directly to the netherworld. As long as Grandpa enters it, absorbing yin energy alone is enough to sustain him."

Qi Xuansu grew somewhat curious and asked, "What about Madam Bai? Surely she doesn't just chew bones while Master Wan eats the meat, right?"

Little Yin laughed. "Of course not! Aunt Bai is the pickiest of them all. She would rather eat nothing than force herself to consume something she doesn't like. Her favorite food is Buddhist monks' sariras. During the great war between Daoism and Buddhism, the Buddhist Sect lost. The living couldn't even escape in time, let alone retrieve the corpses on the battlefield. Many of those monk corpses were sent to the Ghost Kingdom, and Aunt Bai reaped all the benefits. That's when she began her meteoric rise and gradually caught up to Grandpa and Grandpa Wan. Too bad I wasn't born yet. Otherwise, I could've had a share too."

Qi Xuansu more or less understood. Master Wan resembled a Martial Arts Practitioner. He had to keep eating to maintain his strength and size, and he mainly consumed various corpses. It was possible that after the war in Fenglin, the Daoist Order might deploy Master Wan to handle the cleanup, preventing corpse tides from disturbing the peace. As for Madam Bai and Master Yin, they had reached a realm where they no longer needed to eat. They could absorb yin energy to sustain themselves, which was somewhat similar to the Fasting Technique.

As for Little Yin, she seemed to embody the strengths of all Three Yin Beings. She ate everything, but having grown up impoverished in the Ghost Kingdom, she rarely had anything to eat. Thus, this trip to Fenglin was her golden opportunity. Whenever she saw food, she would cry and clamor for a bite. Yet Qi Xuansu could clearly sense that each time Little Yin consumed something, her aura changed. Her growth was astonishingly rapid, comparable to himself and Li Changge, who were both manmade Banished Immortals. He was still unsure whether she was born this way or if she was some sort of creation.

If she was born this way, Qi Xuansu guessed that it should be related to the Emperor Willow.

If she were some sort of creation, Qi Xuansu suspected that Little Yin might be the second Sakka that the Daoist Order secretly cultivated.

However, Qi Xuansu leaned more toward the former, simply because Little Yin's inability to move once she saw food did not resemble someone the Daoist Order cultivated with care.

If the Daoist Order were indeed raising a second Sakka, then Little Yin should be constantly eating, sleeping, and repeating the cycle with no concept of hunger because of their abundant resources. She should have been overstuffed.

Fenglin was already far smaller than the Central Plains, and it was divided into 64 provinces, so it was easy to imagine how small each one was. Each district within each province was not that large.

Qi Xuansu and Little Yin ran at full speed and soon bypassed Kameyama Castle, arriving at the foot of Mount Suzuka.

To Qi Xuansu's surprise, the place appeared to have experienced battle, as he could see nothing but ruins.

There should have been a town here, but all the buildings had collapsed, leaving only shattered walls and broken structures. Some had nothing but foundations remaining.

This was not too surprising. The monsters of Fenglin were vastly different from those of the Central Plains. The latter were usually demonic beasts or plants, but many of Fenglin's monsters were humans turned into monsters, retaining human habits like farming, building houses, and so on. It was said that Mount Oe had even developed into something close to a city.

As the former domain of Ootakemaru, Mount Suzuka was once favored after Suzuka Gozen joined forces with the Fenglin Court to defeat him. It had even established trade relations, where merchants brought goods to trade with the mountain's monsters for mutual benefit. So it was not strange that a town existed. What was strange was that now, the entire town had been destroyed, reduced to ruins with not a soul in sight.

Who did this?

Was it the Ise-jingu striking first out of fear that Suzuka Gozen might defect? Or had some yin creature attacked Mount Suzuka?

It surely could not have been the Tsuchimikado Onmyoji. If it was, things would really get interesting.

Qi Xuansu and Little Yin walked into the town and passed through a relatively intact street. However, there were no corpses or even many signs of battle. It seemed more like the residents had left voluntarily.

Little Yin flared her nostrils slightly. "No trace of the living. No yin creatures either. It's like this place has been deserted for a long time. Strange."

Qi Xuansu drew Green Cloud and held it in his right hand while lifting a compass with his left. Just as expected, the compass needle spun wildly with no signs of stopping.

Little Yin sighed. "This piece of junk never works when you need it."

Qi Xuansu replied, "The compass isn't faulty. It's showing that there's something wrong with this land. I just hope Master Wan isn't affected."

Little Yin quipped, "Rather than worrying about the mighty Grandpa Wan, we should be worrying about ourselves."

As they spoke, the two had reached the edge of the town, where a shrine stood, fused with the cliff behind it. There had originally been a cave here, but someone had built the cave's entrance to resemble a shrine. From the front, it looked like a shrine, but from the side, it was only half of one.

The shrine's surface was covered in talismans. Since these talismans were not from the Central Plains, it was hard to determine their exact purpose. But judging by the formation, it was clear that something had been sealed within the shrine.

Little Yin suggested, "Wanna go take a look inside?"

Qi Xuansu hesitated. "Do you know what's inside?"

"Nope." Little Yin shook her head. "Last time, I could only tell it was a head because that seal was really old and loose, so its aura was constantly leaking out. But this seal is relatively new, probably just recently placed. Since it's tightly shut, I can't sense what's inside at all. But if you really want to know, it's simple. Just rip off all these talismans and open the door to see."

Qi Xuansu frowned. "This place is already strange enough. If we recklessly break the seal—"

Little Yin interrupted him. "This is Mount Suzuka. Maybe the Suzuka Gozen you're looking for is sealed in there! If you don't check, wouldn't that be a missed chance? How are you going to explain yourself when you return?"

Qi Xuansu pondered for a moment longer and felt that Little Yin had a point, so he stepped forward.

Qi Xuansu reached out and pulled the shrine's door. To his surprise, there was barely any resistance. It opened effortlessly, as if the seals were completely useless.

As expected, the shrine was only half a structure. Beyond the door was a small section with wooden flooring. The deep cave stretched into the dark unknown.

Little Yin poked her head in from the side. "Well, we won't gain anything if we don't explore. Let's go have a look!"

Qi Xuansu put away his compass and switched to the Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica before cautiously stepping into the cave.

Little Yin was utterly fearless as she followed right behind him.

Even with the Nine Yang Fiery Dome for illumination, and despite the fact that Heavenly Beings could see in the dark, Qi Xuansu still could not pierce through the darkness ahead. He could only see about one meter in front of him.

Their footsteps were almost soundless. One could clearly hear the drip of water echoing in the cave that sounded like a ticking Western clock.

The path was long but not winding, stretching straight ahead.

After walking for some time, a faint light finally appeared ahead.

"Is that the exit?" Little Yin asked excitedly.

The two quickened their pace. The dot of light grew larger and eventually became an opening.

As they stepped out of the cave, they saw a village bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun.

It was peaceful and serene.

This place looked like a basin surrounded by mountains on all sides.

At that moment, Qi Xuansu recalled the ancient prose,Peach Blossom Spring.

"At first, the path was narrow, just wide enough for one person to pass through. After several dozen steps, it suddenly opened up. The land was flat and vast, houses neatly arranged, with fertile fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, and bamboo groves. Paths crisscrossed, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard."

Could this be the true face of Mount Suzuka?

With that thought in mind, Qi Xuansu approached the village entrance. Not daring to enter recklessly, he pulled out several military-grade talismans, functioning to ward off evil, dispel malice, calm the spirit, and steady the heart. He then swallowed a Clarity Pill to guard against illusions. Only then did he cautiously step into this hidden village.

At this time, the village was eerily quiet. Qi Xuansu first entered a courtyard with its gate wide open and called out softly, but there was no response. He stepped into the house and searched it thoroughly but found not a single person. The kettle was still boiling on the hanging stove, and a hoe leaned against the door as if someone had just been about to head out to the fields.

Feeling more confused, Qi Xuansu left the courtyard and returned to the street. However, he still did not see a soul—not just people, even animals were missing. Every house had its doors wide open, but there was no trace of human or beast. It was as if the entire village had vanished into thin air.

It was the first time Qi Xuansu had witnessed such a strange scene. A chill rose in his heart, and he wanted to leave immediately. But at that moment, he suddenly spotted a Tsuchimikado Onmyoji pacing back and forth in the distance.

The man had his eyes tightly shut and his brow deeply furrowed. He looked like he was sleepwalking, his arms and legs stretching out straight without bending, and each step was perfectly uniform in length, like a mechanical doll. It was extremely unsettling.