A Pawn's Passage-Chapter 681: Stakeout

Madam Qi took the lead, with Qi Xuansu following behind as they flew away from the scene.

Qi Xuansu quickly understood Madam Qi’s intent. She was tracking the fleeing reinforcement from The Inn.

To avoid being noticed by following too closely, she had deliberately lingered for a while and used the chance to dismiss the other Qingping Society members.

As such, the flickering instability of Madam Qi’s form was likely a ruse to mislead The Inn’s reinforcements, making him think she was too weak to give chase and thus lowering his guard. Unfortunately, even Dreaming Cloud had been fooled. Fearing Madam Qi’s projection would not last, he had gone all-out to kill the enemy, expending so much energy that he would need days of rest to fully recover.

Realizing this, Qi Xuansu was not all that surprised. He had grown almost numb to it. He only had to look away for a moment before finding himself caught in yet another of Madam Qi’s webs of lies.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Who was that Martial Arts Practitioner who escaped?”

“He’s The Inn’s Server, ranked lowest among their six top figures,” Madam Qi replied. “During our fight, I planted a golden tracking worm on him. I can sense his general location without needing to follow too closely as long as he’s within a 500-kilometer radius. After all, he’s a Wuliang-stage Heavenly Being. Even if Martial Arts Practitioners aren’t as sensitive as Diviners, you can’t underestimate them. You’ve heard of Martial Arts Practitioners killing in their sleep, haven’t you? It’s really just their body instinctively reacting to danger.”

Qi Xuansu said, “I thought tracking worms was a technique from the Nanjiang Wuist Sect?”

Madam Qi admitted. “The Nanyang Wuist Sect, Nanjiang Wuist Sect, and Grasslands Shamanistic Sect are all offshoots of Ancient Wuism. They’re not considered secret cults but rather tolerated religions by the Daoist Order. The Shamanistic Sect of the Grasslands is the strongest among them and often clashes with the Western Region Daoist Mansion. I’ve been wandering Jianghu for years. It’s only reasonable I’d pick up a few unorthodox tricks here and there, right?”

“Fair enough, totally reasonable,” Qi Xuansu replied offhandedly, though he did not believe a word of it.

But Madam Qi also could not care less whether he believed her or not.

Qi Xuansu followed Madam Qi out of South City and beyond the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.

Qi Xuansu thought that if they went to Tianshou Mountain, he could call upon the Three Yin Beings. But Madam Qi clearly had no such intention and instead flew northwest in the direction of Wuxing Mountain.

They flew for a while, but perhaps annoyed by Qi Xuansu’s slow pace, Madam Qi directly attached herself to him, like a ghost possessing someone’s body, instantly accelerating their flight.

In the dark of night, Wuxing Mountain loomed ahead, shrouded in shadows. The view grew nearer with each passing moment.

As expected, the Server was fleeing toward Wuxing Mountain.

At this point, Qi Xuansu could already see the Server’s back in the distance. But thanks to Madam Qi, the Server had yet to detect him.

While possessed by Madam Qi, Qi Xuansu communicated with her via divine thought. “So it’s not just the Divine Central Guards and the Xuanhui Court. The Inn is involved too. They’re all imperial forces.”

“Of course!” Madam Qi replied. “Now, I’m certain of one thing. The higher-ups of The Inn are also at Wuxing Mountain. That’s why the Server is fleeing there.”

Apparently, some sort of restriction was in place around Wuxing Mountain, because the Server did not fly directly into the area. Instead, he descended from the sky and proceeded on foot.

“Should we go in?” Qi Xuansu asked.

“Do you have a death wish?” Madam Qi replied. “There are plenty of hidden traps in there—spies and Eagle Claws from the Divine Pivot Battalion and the Xuanhui Court. Even if Prince Liao isn’t present, there’ll still be some old eunuch at the Pseudo-Immortal level holding down the fort. Don’t forget the Owner and Innkeeper from The Inn. You’d need a Pseudo-Immortal level at the very least just to dip your toes into those waters.”

Qi Xuansu tried to flatter her. “But I’ve got you, Madam Qi.”

Madam Qi replied bluntly, “I’m not the problem. You’re the burden here.”

Qi Xuansu snapped, “Then why’d you ask me to come along?”

“I brought you here not to storm the place, but so you could see how the Server gets into Wuxing Mountain.”

As soon as Madam Qi finished speaking, the Server had already begun climbing the mountain on foot. Being a Wuliang-stage Martial Arts Practitioner, the Server moved swiftly. In the blink of an eye, he reached a mountainside platform and chose to stop there without going any farther.

At this point, they were several kilometers apart. Normally, this distance would be too far for Qi Xuansu to see clearly. But with Madam Qi possessing him, it felt as though he had summoned a god into his body. Not only had his flight speed greatly increased, but he could now see with perfect vision for five kilometers in all directions.

He saw the Server approach a barren rock wall, pull out a token, and wave it toward the wall.

The token in his hand emitted a dim purple light, causing the rock wall before him to blur and shimmer, eventually revealing a dark portal.

The Server stepped into the portal and vanished.

Madam Qi explained, “That’s a permanent Yin-Yang Gate. The Server didn’t just phase through the wall. He was teleported. Martial Arts Practitioners have intense blood qi, so only a gate anchored by formation and earth qi can handle that. If a Diviner had created a temporary Yin-Yang Gate, it would’ve collapsed in an instant. Also, if anything goes wrong, they can just destroy the formation sustaining the Yin-Yang Gate from the other side. So if you want to sneak in, you’d best not alert the enemy.

“I’m bringing you here mainly to scout the terrain. With your current cultivation, even if you did sneak in, you wouldn’t be able to do much. These Eagle Claws are no pushovers, and the place is filled with booby traps. If you trigger one, you could get injured at best or completely eviscerated at worst. Even I would have to retreat if something went wrong.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “I wonder if there’s ever a time when they let their guard down.”

“Impossible.” Madam Qi shot down the idea without even thinking.

The two of them had naturally slipped into their old ways when they scouted out targets in Jianghu for shady deals.

In truth, Jianghu was not at all as it was romanticized to be. There were no noble swordsmen in snowy white robes. If anything, there were more rogues clad in black robes. But they did move like the wind, always ready to bolt when things went awry.

The Yin-Yang Gate gradually faded away, and the mountainside returned to its original state.

Madam Qi declared, “Scouting’s done. Time to scram.”

With that, Qi Xuansu, who was still possessed by Madam Qi, turned around and flew back the way they came.

Qi Xuansu was not at all surprised. As a Pseudo-Immortal, Madam Qi had extraordinary abilities. After all, Master Yin could turn a group of Heavenly Beings into puppets reciting lessons like obedient school children.

Soon, Qi Xuansu returned to the South City, easily clearing the city wall without being spotted by the Black Robes and landing in a narrow alley in a rundown shantytown.

Although there were patrol guards and night watchmen, they had no hopes of detecting a Heavenly Being, especially one possessed by a Pseudo-Immortal.

Madam Qi floated out from Qi Xuansu’s body. “You come up with a cover story and tell the Daoist Order what you saw at Wuxing Mountain. As for what happens next, like how to sneak in and the detailed plan, leave that to Pei Xuanzhi or Shi Bingyun. Don’t make any decisions on your own. If your story doesn’t hold up, get Yao Pei or Zhang Yuelu to smooth things over for you.”

Qi Xuansu never made decisions around Madam Qi because she would just find some reason to shoot them down. So he asked, “Madam Qi, aren’t you acquainted with Sage Donghua? Why don’t you just tell him yourself?”

Madam Qi replied, “Of course I could tell Pei Xuanzhi, but would he give me any credit for it? I’m not even part of the Daoist Order.”

Qi Xuansu suddenly realized her intentions. “If I were the one to speak up, I’d get a Xuan merit at the very least. Madam Qi, thanks for your painstaking efforts!”

Madam Qi seized the chance to take a jab at him. “Who do you think I’m doing all this for? For you, of course. But what do you do for me? The moment Zhang Yuelu came along, you lost your sense of self. You’re practically part of the Zhang family now!”

Qi Xuansu did not dare admit to this. “Now that’s a ridiculous accusation. My last name is and will always be Qi. It will never be Yao or Zhang, and I certainly won’t become some matrilocal husband. To be honest, I don’t care for the way the Zhang family does things. But my future father-in-law is an exception. He seems like a decent man. It’s just a pity he’s been held back his whole life.” freēnovelkiss.com

Madam Qi clicked her tongue. “What a boastful tone. Back in the day, the Holy Xuan killed the Deposed Heavenly Preceptor in the Dazhen Mansion with his own hands and brought down Yunjin Mountain, shifting the rivers and land formation. If you ever gain that kind of power, you can go show off in front of the Zhang family too.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Even if I had that kind of power, why would I show off at the Zhang family’s doorstep for no reason?”

“Obviously, because the Zhangs refuse to marry off Zhang Yuelu to you. You can fly into a righteous fury, storm their estate, and show off your might! That’s how it always goes in novels,” Madam Qi said matter-of-factly.

Qi Xuansu pursed his lips. “You make it sound like the Zhangs are all fools. If I ever reached the Holy Xuan’s level, they’d be tripping over themselves to curry favor with me. They’ll deliver the dowry in the morning and have Qing Xiao dragged to my residence for the marriage ceremony by that afternoon.”

Madam Qi could not help but laugh. “Looks like you’ve got quite the opinion of the Zhang family.”

“Of course. I like Qing Xiao for who she is. It has nothing to do with the Zhang family,” Qi Xuansu said.

At this point, Qi Xuansu hesitated for a moment before finally saying, “By the way, Qing Xiao mentioned wanting to meet you. I’ve already met her parents and Sage Cihang, but she hasn’t met you yet.”

Madam Qi was not surprised that Zhang Yuelu knew about her existence. She simply glanced at Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu calmly met Madam Qi’s gaze.

At that moment, Qi Xuansu was no longer a child before Madam Qi but a man ready to start his own household and life.

Madam Qi did not say yes or no. She merely sighed dramatically. “When sons grow up, they no longer belong to their mothers.”

Qi Xuansu lowered his gaze slightly, bowing his head.

Madam Qi said, “Go back and tell her that it’s not the right time yet. When the moment comes, I’ll meet her myself. I won’t just meet her, either. I’ll meet Su Yuanyi too. But I won’t meet that Madam Tantai because I only speak to people who matter. Don’t worry. That day isn’t far off.”

Qi Xuansu nodded, then asked, “Who’s Su Yuanyi?”

“She’s who you referred to as Sage Cihang,” Madam Qi replied.