A Pawn’s Passage

In that instant, Qi Xuansu felt an invisible barrier shatter like an avalanche and dissolve into nothingness.

Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto's divine power was beginning to dissipate.

Everything suddenly felt vibrant again, like a window opening in a sealed room, letting fresh air circulate once more.

It was clear that Master Yin's strike had exceeded the protective threshold of the divine power. After all, this was only a remnant of Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto's might, not his true self or incarnation. Master Yin, a paragon among Pseudo-Immortals, was clearly stronger.

Qi Xuansu let out a breath of relief. Thankfully, he had enough methods at his disposal. Otherwise, he truly might have died trapped in this place.

He understood that while the final solution was not complicated, without the Longevity Stone Heart, he would not have been able to retain any memories and would have been stuck in this time loop.

In other words, without past memories, Qi Xuansu would have kept walking up to Tsuchimikado Tadataka, asking who he was and why he was here, only for Tsuchimikado to go mad and get cut in half by Qi Xuansu again and again. Then everything would simply repeat in endless cycles.

Without memory, the first and hundredth loops would be identical. Qi Xuansu would not have changed his questions or sought out the truth. He also would not think of summoning Master Yin. After all, requesting help from the Three Yin Beings came at the cost of a big favor. The gifts of fate always came with hidden price tags, and debts of gratitude were the most expensive of all. Qi Xuansu would not casually call upon them for every problem.

Thus, the final outcome would have been Qi Xuansu being utterly lost in an endless loop until the divine power was exhausted or his own lifespan ran out.

Or perhaps he could only hope that the Daoist Order conquered Ise Province, entered Mount Suzuka, noticed the abnormality, and rescued him.

This reminded Qi Xuansu of the tale of the man who watched chess and forgot time. Wang Zhi went into the mountains to chop wood and saw two youths playing Go. Entranced by their skills, he stayed to watch. As they played, the boys ate dates and occasionally offered some to Wang. After one game, the boys told him it was time to go home. When Wang reached for his axe, the handle had rotted away, leaving only the metal head. When he returned to his village, he recognized no one, and upon inquiry, he learned that over 100 years had passed.

In a sense, Wang Zhi might have been trapped in a kind of time loop, endlessly repeating the act of watching the game. Each time the loop began, he forgot everything, unaware of the passing years and never growing tired. The dates extended his lifespan, and only during the final game did something change, breaking the loop and revealing that a century had passed.

Wang Zhi likely watched millions of games over a hundred years, repeating them endlessly. But he only remembered the final one. Subjectively, it felt like a fleeting moment. In reality, the final game did not last one century, but he had forgotten everything before it and only remembered the last fleeting moment.

Thinking of this, the person Qi Xuansu felt most grateful to was Madam Qi. It was the Longevity Stone Heart she gave him that had allowed him to repeatedly escape danger.

Master Yin was in no rush to return to the Ghost Kingdom. Instead, he said, "Since this is a foreign land, I needn't worry about the Daoist Order noticing if I remain out too long. I can stay a while longer. I can accompany you to meet this mountain god."

Qi Xuansu had not expected such a pleasant surprise. He bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Master Yin."

With a wave of Master Yin's sleeve, a black cloud rose beneath their feet, lifting the three of them into the air.

This time, there was no obstruction, and they soon reached the peak of Mount Suzuka, where a shrine was located.

There was a torii gate in front of the shrine with a long flight of bluestone steps connecting them.

Master Yin lowered the cloud, landing before the torii gate, and studied the surrounding architecture.

It was evident that Master Yin had never been to Fenglin before. He had only read about its customs and geography, and this was his first time seeing it with his own eyes.

Master Yin commented, "Just as the books described, Fenglin is deeply influenced by the Qi Dynasty, though it's also blended in some of its own character."

Qi Xuansu had been in Fenglin for some time and was not particularly interested in architectural details. He simply asked, "Master Yin, can you sense the presence of that mountain god?"

Master Yin replied, "Yes, I can sense her presence. She's inside the shrine, but she's weakened, likely heavily wounded. Yet the very existence of Mount Suzuka sustains her life. It reminds me of Master Wan's former master, who once merged with the Ghost Kingdom."

Qi Xuansu let out a sigh of relief. "It's good that she's still alive. I was worried something had happened to her."

Master Yin gently pulled Little Yin aside and spoke in a gentle voice. "Little girl, put that head away. It's improper to bring such a thing when visiting someone."

In front of Master Yin, Little Yin became unusually obedient. She promptly swallowed Shuten-Doji's head back into her belly.

Qi Xuansu stepped through the torii gate and followed the ascending path of bluestone steps toward the shrine at the very top.

The shrine was clearly ancient, though not dilapidated.

Its main doors were wide open, with no sign of restriction against entering.

When Qi Xuansu entered the courtyard of the shrine, he was greeted by a striking woman dressed in red hakama and a wide-neck white blouse that revealed much of her fair skin. Her hair was bound with a jade pin.

She stood in the courtyard with three Fenglin-style swords—or rather, blades—hanging from her waist, named Daitsuren, Shotsuren, and Kenmyoren, collectively known as the Three Radiant Swords. These weapons once belonged to Ootakemaru.

As one of Fenglin's Three Great Yokai, Ootakemaru was incredibly powerful and not someone who would fall easily. However, he fell in love with Suzuka Gozen, as both of them originated from thieving backgrounds. Ootakemaru was also known as the King of the Evil Path.

From this point of view, Ootakemaru and Suzuka Gozen were well matched in status. Both were thieves, with neither in a position to scorn the other. Had they married, it would have been a mutually beneficial union.

But Suzuka Gozen had no intention of marrying Ootakemaru. Instead, she secretly accepted the amnesty offered by General Tamuramaro, the Seii Taishogun.

At General Tamuramaro's request, Suzuka Gozen exploited Ootakemaru's trust, deceiving him as his fiancée and stealing Daitsuren and Shotsuren. In the end, this betrayal led to Ootakemaru's death at General Tamuramaro's hands, after which Suzuka Gozen married the general and gifted him the two swords.

Suzuka Gozen used Ootakemaru's head to cleanse her past, transforming from an outlaw into the wife of a general.

If Ootakemaru's spirit still lingered, what would he have felt seeing his enemy marry the woman he loved and wield the blades he cherished?

But soon after, Suzuka Gozen died a sudden, violent death. Some said it was Ootakemaru's curse, while others claimed it was fate punishing her. After all, deceiving Ootakemaru wasn't a noble deed. This was simply karmic retribution.

Unwilling to accept her death, General Tamuramaro sought a way to revive her. Thus, Suzuka Gozen became a kijo, merging with Mount Suzuka and surviving to this day.

Time passed. General Tamuramaro had long since died. From this perspective, Suzuka Gozen was a widow, inheriting the legacies of her two husbands. All Three Radiant Swords were now in her hands, united once again.

This story made one thing clear to Qi Xuansu. Suzuka Gozen was no simple woman, causing Ootakemaru resentment even in death. She was not some pure, naive lady.

That was why Qi Xuansu readily agreed when Master Yin offered to accompany him. Though he had come to negotiate with Suzuka Gozen, he dared not let his guard down.

Still, it was precisely Suzuka Gozen's acceptance of General Tamuramaro's amnesty and her assistance in eliminating Ootakemaru that led the Daoist Order to see her as someone they could win over. The Daoist Order did not care about her personal morality. They only valued her strategic importance. Thus, she was ranked second on the amnesty list, just after Tamamo-no-Mae.

The Daoist Order would not tolerate betrayal. There was no doubt that traitors would always pay the price.

The reason the Eight Tribes were able to remain unscathed was that they voluntarily left without harming the Daoist Order. They also retained extensive connections within the Daoist hierarchy. In addition, there were internal disagreements within the Daoist Order regarding the restructuring of the creation projects, and some members even felt a sense of compensatory guilt toward these defectors. All these factors combined allowed the Eight Tribes to avoid punishment. However, the ghosts and deities of Fenglin did not enjoy such conditions.

On the other hand, Suzuka Gozen, as if perfectly in tune with the Daoist Order, had yet to make any declaration of allegiance. She seemed to be biding her time, waiting for the Daoist Order to offer her a price she found tempting enough.

Qi Xuansu had already removed the signature tall hat of an Onmyoji, leaving only his Daoist robe, dressed in Central Plains attire.

Suzuka Gozen also saw Qi Xuansu, but her gaze quickly moved past him and landed on Master Yin, her expression turning grave.

Clearly, Suzuka Gozen had sensed Master Yin's immense strength and mistook the elder walking behind as the true leader, while assuming Qi Xuansu to be merely a subordinate.