A Pawn’s Passage

The piece of Xuan Jade that Sage Qingwei bestowed was a Xuan Jade of Immortality corresponding to the Qi Refiner's lineage.

Within the Five Immortal Lineages, the Qi Refiner's lineage corresponded to Earthly Immortals, ranking second only to the Banished Immortal lineage that corresponded to Heavenly Immortals.

The main thing was that this Xuan Jade was the final missing lineage for Qi Xuansu. Once he completed the Qi Refiner's lineage, he would become a fully realized manmade Banished Immortal like Li Changge. This would mean he could also advance from the Xiaoyao stage to the Wuliang stage.

This was why Qi Xuansu was so elated.

No matter how the Daoist Order evolved, cultivation and power had always remained the foundation of one's standing.

After leaving Sage Qingwei's central command tent, Qi Xuansu returned to his own quarters, activated a privacy barrier to isolate himself from outside interference, and even posted Little Yin outside to stand guard.

Qi Xuansu once again used a mother-child talisman to contact Madam Qi.

At this time, Madam Qi was seated in a rattan chair beneath a grape arbor. The Qingming Festival had passed, and the grapevines were lush and green, radiating vibrant life.

Qi Xuansu found the setting oddly familiar, as though he had been there before. After thinking for a moment, he remembered that it was likely the Sycamore Villa in Bohai Prefecture. It seemed Madam Qi had gone to freeload off Li Qingnu again.

"If you've got something to say, say it. What are you staring at?" Madam Qi tapped her tobacco pipe against the ground.

Qi Xuansu came back to his senses and gave a brief account of his experiences during this period.

After hearing him out, Madam Qi blinked. "So?"

"Sage Qingwei rewarded me with a Xuan Jade of Immortality!" Qi Xuansu asked, "Madam Qi, there shouldn't be any problem with it, right?"

Madam Qi replied, "There's no problem. The Xuan Jade is a very special substance, almost impossible to tamper with. To alter its internal structure, you'd have to completely break it down, but any structural change would nullify its function in completing a lineage. That would make it obvious and turn it into outright poisoning or cursing, which would cause a major stir. If Li Wugou really wanted to kill you, slapping you with some military crime and executing you would be far easier than such an underhanded method."

Qi Xuansu thought it over carefully. That did make sense.

Sage Qingwei could not have given him a Xuan Jade without a legitimate pretext. Speaking of pretexts, there was no way Sage Qingwei could have foreseen that Qi Xuansu would find Shuten-Doji's head.

Though the Daoist Order had divination methods to foresee the future, in a place as saturated with malignant energy as Fenglin, the divine omens were undoubtedly obscured. Thus, Sage Qingwei's decision to give him a Xuan Jade had truly been a spur-of-the-moment choice and not a long-planned scheme.

Since it had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, Sage Qingwei was unlikely to have been carrying a problematic piece of Xuan Jade in advance, regardless of whether tampering was possible or not.

Qi Xuansu could not help but remark, "Sage Qingwei truly is generous."

Madam Qi said discontentedly, "You call him generous when he rewards you for your merit with a piece of Xuan Jade. I've given you the Longevity Stone Heart for no reason at all, but you still call me stingy!"

Qi Xuansu quickly replied, "When did I ever say you were stingy? You're overthinking it."

"Overthinking? Don't think I'm clueless about you grumbling behind my back, calling me a miser and a money-grubber!" Madam Qi grew more irate as she spoke. "The ancients are right when they say that too much charity could breed resentment."

Feeling both wronged and a little guilty, Qi Xuansu said, "Now you're getting way off track. How can you lump all this together? You're my dearest and most respected mother. On the other hand, he's just an outsider and an opponent of sorts. Such an act from him amounts to aiding the enemy, which is why I said he's generous."

Madam Qi snorted. "He's just looking down on you, thinking that even if he gives you a little stroke of fortune, you won't be able to threaten Li Changge. After all, you're just a poor kid who can't even gather all the Xuan Jade, while they've got so much they can't possibly use it all. What are you going to fight him with?"

Qi Xuansu grunted. "This was a good thing, yet you make it sound like I've suffered a loss. Maybe he's just trying to win me over?"

"In your dreams! Go piss in a pot and take a good look at yourself through the reflection. Do you really think that you're some prize that the three Daoist sects are scrambling for?" Madam Qi said bluntly. "Do you think you're the Holy Xuan's illegitimate son? I think you've gotten carried away and forgotten your own last name."

Qi Xuansu was long accustomed to such remarks from Madam Qi and took no offense. Instead, he said, "Madam Qi, are you scared that I'll become another Li Minghuang? Don't worry, I will never be a traitor. My heart will always be loyal to you!"

Madam Qi leaned close to the light screen and snapped, "Scared? Of you? Hah! You can go ahead and change your name to Li Xuansu. I won't stop you."

Qi Xuansu pointed at the screen and laughed. "See? You're getting worked up again."

A hand shot out from the light screen and smacked him on the head. All was calm again.

Madam Qi asked, "Anything else?"

Qi Xuansu replied respectfully, "Nothing for the time being, ma'am."

Madam Qi sat back down in her rattan chair and said, "I do have one more thing. Do you remember the woman who falsely accused you?"

Qi Xuansu nodded. "I remember. That matter was ultimately suppressed by the Heavenly Preceptor."

Madam Qi continued, "I've already found out that it's connected to the Wang family of Borneo."

Qi Xuansu was startled. "Wang Danqing? The timing doesn't match. When I clashed with him, the file on this matter was already sitting on the Heavenly Preceptor's desk."

Madam Qi blew a smoke ring. "It's just a coincidence. Wang Danqing plotted against you first and clashed with you later. He didn't expect you would meet Pei Xuanzhi, and his scheming is still shallow. Or perhaps he thought victory was already in hand, figured you were just a little ant, and couldn't resist provoking you."

Qi Xuansu thought it over. "That does make sense. If I hadn't gone to see Sage Donghua that day, I wouldn't have run into him or clashed with him. If you told me Wang Danqing was the one plotting against me, I'd be baffled, unable to figure out why. I didn't expect this kid to hate me so much."

Madam Qi teased, "Since ancient times, there's been nothing worse than the hatred for a father's killer or a wife snatcher. He likes Zhang Yuelu, so naturally, he thinks you stole his girl."

Qi Xuansu couldn't help but curse. "Nonsense! I already asked Qing Xiao. She barely remembers him. All she recalls is this punk sneaking glances at her when they were in the Wanxiang Daoist Upper Palace, acting all shy and never daring to speak to her. They had no real contact at all. Who knew he'd turn out to be such a piece of work?"

Madam Qi said, "Although I'm not particularly fond of the Zhang girl, I have to admit she's quite famous and has a lot of supporters. I do have a dirty trick to deal with Wang Danqing. You can spread this matter around and have Zhang Yuelu call out to her supporters. The female Daoists' spit alone could drown him."

"You know it's a dirty trick and a rotten idea. Stirring it up like that will definitely hurt Qing Xiao's reputation. Besides, that jerk is just a useless layabout living off his family's power. He won't care about a tarnished name for himself." Qi Xuansu was entirely against it. "Qing Xiao is clean and upright, so why tie her to someone like that?"

Madam Qi blinked. "Isn't that perfect? Two birds with one stone. You can use this to kick Zhang Yuelu aside, and I'll find you someone better. What do you think of Yu Bo[1]?"

Qi Xuansu scoffed. "Ah, so that's your real goal. Absolutely not!"

Madam Qi did not press the point. Instead, she said seriously, "You just said it yourself. The reason all the spitting and cursing can't kill Wang Danqing is that he's relying on his family's power. If you really want to make him feel pain, the best way is to rip his entire family out by the roots. That's the only way to end it once and for all."

Qi Xuansu was shocked. "Isn't that too ruthless? Even if Wang Danqing has gone too far, there must be innocent people in the Wang family. There's no need to drag them all in. It would just make us look like bullies in the Daoist Order. No matter what, we're all from the Quanzhen Sect. It's better to leave some leeway."

Madam Qi raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I have that kind of power? I'm not the Earthly Preceptor. I can't just uproot a family on a whim. Many things are simply a matter of guiding the situation. The Wang family has offended too many people and now wants to change allegiances. There are already those who have wanted to move against them for a long time, but the timing wasn't right, and they lacked a push. Normally, I don't like to get involved in this kind of mess, but since the Wang family has come after us, we must return blow for blow and add fuel to the fire. Remember—within the Daoist Order, you can either stay friends and get along with someone, or if you make an enemy, you must destroy your opponent completely. The Zhangs and Lis are the rare exceptions since they've been rivals for centuries. In most cases, there isn't another way out of it."

Qi Xuansu murmured, "Madam Qi, are you saying that even if we don't retaliate, someone else is already planning to destroy the Wang family? Who has the power to do that? They have an Omniscient Sage in the family."

Madam Qi countered, "What do you think?"

Qi Xuansu froze for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Sage Donghua?"

Madam Qi said, "Aren't you curious why Pei Xuanzhi didn't try to smooth things over when Wang Danqing provoked you? He didn't even bother with superficial niceties and went straight to giving Wang Danqing a heavy punishment. Do you really think you and I carry that much weight to Pei Xuanzhi?"

Madam Qi's words made Qi Xuansu recall the events.

Sage Donghua had indeed acted with unusual decisiveness.

Madam Qi continued, "At first, I only hoped the Quanzhen Sect would stay neutral, help neither side, and let us handle our own revenge. But after I looked deeper into it, I discovered the Quanzhen Sect was already very displeased with the Wang family.

"Of course, this isn't just Pei Xuanzhi's personal stance. The Yao and Pei families have always advanced and retreated together. Even the Earthly Preceptor has given tacit approval on this matter. Last time, when Pei Xuanzhi met the head of the Wang family in Kunlun Paradise, it was actually his last attempt to persuade them to turn back from the wrong path. But the Wang family remained indecisive, which was a grave taboo. Then Wang Danqing came to provoke us while his family was already in crisis. He thought he had acted flawlessly, but nothing escapes heaven's eye. I believe Pei Xuanzhi will soon make up his mind, and all we need to do is lend a little push from the side."

Qi Xuansu asked, "Madam Qi, you said earlier that the Wang family wanted to change allegiances. Do you mean they want to defect to the Li family?"

Madam Qi nodded. "Yes. In recent years, the Wang family has connected with the Lis through the Heavenly Court, which is entrenched in Nanyang. They want to break away from the far-off Quanzhen Sect, then use the Taiping Sect led by the Li family to counterbalance the Quanzhen Sect. In name, they would still belong to the Daoist Order, but in actuality, they'd establish their own rule in Borneo, imitating the old tale of Zhao Tuo, the general under the First Emperor."

Qi Xuansu hesitated. "If the Li family intervenes..."

Madam Qi sneered. "Wang Danqing thought himself clever. He used his Heavenly Court connections to reach out to someone in the Li family and planned this without informing the Li leadership. He meant to use the Lis as a shield, but only dug his own grave. I've already had Yu Bo leak the matter to the Li family, along with the idea that the Quanzhen Sect intends to retaliate against them. At another time, the Lis might not have reacted, but now it's different. Li Changge is in Su Yi's hands, and I've spoken to Su Yi, who will cooperate. With the war in Fenglin at its height, the Li family's top priority is ensuring victory. Everything else is secondary, and they'll want unity above all. So the Li family will definitely take the initiative to investigate thoroughly to clear up any misunderstanding. Once they've uncovered the truth, do you really think they'll still protect the Wang family wholeheartedly?"

1. Li Qingnu's courtesy name. ☜