A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 31: Friends

These days, Qi Xuansu lived a monotonous life—eating, sleeping, cultivating, taking medicine, and reading the bulletin. However, his aptitude was not great. He also lacked the corresponding elixirs and resources, which explained his slow progress in cultivation. He still had a considerable gap to reach the Yuding Realm. But at this rate, it would take him at least three years to get there.

In fact, the series of realms of the Rogue Cultivators could be inferred from other lineages. For example, the Qi Refining Realm of Rogue Cultivators was different from the Qi Refinement Realm of the Qi Refiners, and the Inner Dan Realm of the Rogue Cultivators corresponded to the Nectar Refinement Realm of the Banished Immortals.

However, the Rogue Cultivators’ realms were not just pieced together from other lineages. It had its own logic. The Xiantian Being’s stages started with the Inner Dan Realm, the Yuding Realm, and finally the Holy Embryo Realm. It followed the principles of the Golden Elixir Path. In other words, Rogue Cultivators primarily inherited the legacies of the Heavenly and Earthly Immortals, thus still relying on nurturing and strengthening the body’s qi.

Many Rogue Cultivators were unaware of the principles of these stages. It was only when they became Heavenly Beings that they could thoroughly understand it upon reflection.

Qi Xuansu only knew this because of Madam Qi, who simplified it for him. “The Daoist Order likes to complicate things. Just think of it like making an elixir. Once successful, you’ll reach the Holy Embryo Realm.”

Madam Qi also explained the origin of Rogue Cultivators to him. The Five Lineages corresponded to the five immortals of Heaven, Earth, Man, God, and Ghost. The Holy Xuan did not create them out of thin air and merely integrated these five lineages. Before the Holy Xuan, these five lineages had been in existence for centuries, albeit without a systematic structure.

Rogue Cultivators were the only lineage forcibly created by the Daoist Order through human intervention. Originally, the intention was to cultivate Banished Immortals, similar to farming, where one could manually increase the yield of certain crops by changing certain parameters instead of relying on the weather. The result of this experiment was a failure to create Banished Immortals, but they had inadvertently established a new lineage of Rogue Cultivators, providing some consolation for those unable to follow the original five lineages.

According to Madam Qi, Rogue Cultivators could also eventually become Banished Immortals, but it required something extremely valuable to compensate for their innate deficiencies.

It was like putting the finishing touches on a painting of a dragon. Banished Immortals were the real dragons, while Rogue Cultivators were false dragons drawn based on the real ones. They could almost pass for the real deal, but they were lacking the final touches to transform into real dragons.

That extremely valuable thing was this finishing touch.

The Daoist Order had this valuable material, but it was not cost-effective. Even if the Banished Immortals they cultivated did not die prematurely, it was difficult to gain a profit with such costs. At most, they would break even, but if the cultivated Banished Immortal died prematurely, they would lose everything. Thus, the Daoist Order ultimately decided to terminate this project.

Qi Xuansu was shocked by Madam Qi’s extensive knowledge of this. It further confirmed his speculation that Madam Qi was once a member of the Daoist Order and that she was most likely a fourth-rank Daoist master or higher because she had access to the core secrets.

During this half-month, the Daoist Order convened a meeting at the Golden Tower, where the 36 Sages gathered for important discussions. Their meetings were called the Golden Tower Meeting.

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However, not all 36 Sages had to attend the Golden Tower Meeting. Sometimes, it would suffice as long as 12 Sages were present. Such meetings with insufficient numbers were called small meetings. There were also mid-level meetings with 24 Sages and high-level meetings with all 36 Sages.

This time, it was just a small meeting with only 13 Sages present. Even the Great Sage Lunzhi, who was supposed to preside over the meeting, did not show up. Instead, the Earthly Preceptor’s trusted subordinate, Sage Donghua, presided over this meeting. The main discussion was about the specific regulations for cracking down on secret societies, with the Qingping Society and The Inn listed as key targets.

After reading the news in the bulletin, Qi Xuansu felt inexplicably anxious. If his identity were exposed, he feared he would be arrested by Beichen Hall, and he would never see the sun again.

In the blink of an eye, it was already August 1st, with only half a month left until August 16th.

Qi Xuansu decided to take a walk around the Jade Capital to calm his restless mind.

The best attraction in Jade Capital was the vast Taiqing Square, which covered an area equivalent to two neighborhoods. This square essentially served as a bustling marketplace with a multitude of shops. It was a lively area. While Xuan City had its own attractions, many residents of Xuan City liked to spend their leisure time in Taiqing Square.

Haichan Place was not exactly near Taiqing Square, but Qi Xuansu decided to walk there anyway.

When he was almost at Taiqing Square, Qi Xuansu ran into an acquaintance, Miss Tantai, whom he shared a drink with a few days ago. It was truly coincidental.

Madam Qi often reminded Qi Xuansu that coincidences only happen once. Meeting someone twice was definitely not a coincidence and was most likely intentional.

Qi Xuansu was vigilant, but he showed no signs of wariness on his face as he greeted her. “Miss Tantai, do you also live nearby?"

Tantai Chu, or rather Zhang Yuelu, smiled faintly and said, “I live in Taishang Place.”

Qi Xuansu looked at her with surprise. “That’s the best neighborhood in Jade Capital! Those who can live in Taishang Place are either wealthy or noble.”

Zhang Yuelu smiled and replied, “Well, if it’s based on my own abilities, I can’t afford to live in Taishang Place. An elder transferred the lease to me.”

She did not lie about this. The Heavenly Preceptor did arrange a small residence for her in Taishang Place, but she had never been there. Most of the time, she stayed in her residence in Xuan City.

Just as Madam Qi warned, Zhang Yuelu intentionally sought out Qi Xuansu.

Previously, Zhang Yuelu served as a superintendent in Beichen Hall. She was recently promoted to be the Deputy Tiangang Hall Master. Besides her aptitude and talent, Zhang Yuelu was intelligent and maintained her network in Beichen Hall. Thus, it was not difficult for her to track Qi Xuansu’s movements.

At first, Zhang Yuelu wanted to see where Qi Xuansu frequented or whom he interacted with so that she could determine his true identity. However, she did not expect Qi Xuansu to be so homebound. He rarely stepped foot outside and stayed at home all day. He even got someone to deliver the daily bulletin.

Zhang Yuelu was somewhat disheartened by this. She thought, Was my intuition wrong?

For the past two weeks, Zhang Yuelu had been busy with work, so she did not have time to pay attention to Qi Xuansu.

Finally, after so long, Zhang Yuelu received a report from her informant in Beichen Hall that Qi Xuansu had left his house. Since she had the day off, she decided to meet Qi Xuansu again on a whim. She considered it a preliminary assessment of him.

Qi Xuansu walked at an ordinary leisurely pace, but Zhang Yuelu speed walked, so she arrived at Taiqing Square first, leading to their reunion.

This time, they had their own suspicions about each other because they were no longer strangers.

Qi Xuansu took the initiative to speak. “I remember reciting a poem when I was drunk during our last meeting. Come dawn, with lute embraced, seek my light. I didn’t expect it to come true and that I could see you again so soon. I wonder. Did you bring a lute, Miss Tantai?”

Zhang Yuelu shook her head. “I don’t have a lute, but I have a sword.”

Qi Xuansu’s heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface. “And where is this sword?”

Zhang Yuelu smiled. “A sword is a weapon. There’s no need to flaunt it around.”

Qi Xuansu glanced at the sword hanging from his waist and chuckled.

Zhang Yuelu’s gaze fell on the short sword at Qi Xuansu’s waist. She asked, “Is this your weapon, Tian Yuan?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “I travel frequently outside Jade Capital, so I’ve developed the habit of bringing my sword with me everywhere I go.”

Zhang Yuelu nodded without saying much.

Qi Xuansu thought that Zhang Yuelu might ask to see his sword, but her lack of interest caught him off guard. It made him ease up slightly.

Although Zhang Yuelu was not an extraordinary beauty, she had a natural elegance and a noble air around her. Qi Xuansu could not match her temperament, but he was no ordinary person either. He was not completely overwhelmed by Zhang Yuelu’s aura, so when they were walking together, they seemed like a match made in heaven.

Passersby could not help but glance at them. A young Daoist priest was touched by Zhang Yuelu’s faint smile. He felt as if a gentle breeze had stirred up his calm emotions. However, he was devastated when he realized that Zhang Yuelu’s smile was not directed toward him and was for Qi Xuansu instead. So he looked at Qi Xuansu with a hostile gaze.

However, Qi Xuansu did not feel smug about having a beautiful woman by his side. He only felt that Zhang Yuelu was like a fierce tiger watching her prey—him—intently. To Qi Xuansu, they were not a match made in heaven but rather a cat stalking a mouse. He had to remain on high alert, so he was in no mood to appreciate the beauty beside him.

Qi Xuansu could not understand why Zhang Yuelu decided to watch him so closely. It made him wonder if he had accidentally revealed his identity during their last drinking session.

After walking for a while, Zhang Yuelu suddenly asked, “Tian Yuan, are you nervous?”

Qi Xuansu was caught off guard by the question, so his body stiffened slightly. However, he was quick-witted.

He glanced at the surrounding pedestrians and swiftly came up with a response. He smiled bitterly and said, “I’m not intentionally flattering you, Miss Tantai. But you’re so remarkably beautiful that many young men are glaring at me enviously. I feel like they want to rip me apart out of jealousy.”

Zhang Yuelu also noticed the gazes of those young men. She said helplessly, “You’re exaggerating. They’re just a little competitive, perhaps.”

Qi Xuansu said, "Fortunately, we’re in the Jade Capital, so they won’t dare cause trouble. But if we were elsewhere, it’s hard to say what they’ll do to me.”

Zhang Yuelu laughed. “You make it sound like I’m an object to be fought over without having any say in the matter. If they defeat you, am I supposed to like them? What are they jealous about, anyway? They didn’t ask for my opinion.”

Qi Xuansu’s heart skipped a beat. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Zhang Yuelu felt that her words might come across as a little harsh, so she softened her tone. “I didn’t mean to blame you, Tian Yuan. By the way, have you eaten yet?”

“I haven’t. What about you?” Qi Xuansu breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’ve been practicing the Fasting Technique, but I have yet to reach the level of subsisting on air and dew. It’s been three days since I last ate.” Zhang Yuelu calculated. “Since you haven’t eaten, I can accompany you for a meal.”

Qi Xuansu increasingly felt that Zhang Yuelu had some ulterior motives, but he said, “It’s my honor to be in your company.”

“You’re flattering me. Aren’t we friends?” Zhang Yuelu batted her lashes.

Qi Xuansu chuckled awkwardly. “Yes, friends.”