A Pawn's Passage

The 6th checkpoint was located in Guide Prefecture, at the border of Chuzhou, Luzhou, Zhongzhou, and Qizhou. It was adjacent to Tianwei Lake in the north, Peng Prefecture in the west, Yunshang Prefecture in the east, and Suning Prefecture in the south. The Grand Canal ran through it, so it was known as the thoroughfare of five provinces. Since ancient times, this place has been the key stronghold to the North, the gateway to the South, a place of military importance, and a bustling hub of commerce.

After Guide Prefecture was the territory of Qizhou, which was the core area of ​the ​Taiping Sect. Since the revival of the Daoist Order, all the successive heads of the Qizhou Daoist Mansion were served by Taiping Sect disciples without exception.

The current Qizhou Daoist Mansion Master was the former Beichen Hall Master. Before Shangguan Jing’s death and Ning Lingge’s resignation as the Tiangang Hall Master, Sage Qingwei had served as the Qizhou Daoist Mansion Master. After the incident, Sage Qingwei swapped positions with the Beichen Hall Master.

The Zhenjing Courtyard and Qingling Palace were not located in Qizhou but on the Three Immortal Islands. However, the Li family’s ancestral home was located in Qizhou. Thus, many Li family members still lived in Qizhou, earning the well-deserved title of the largest clan in the state. They were even more influential than the descendants of Confucius.

The Li family had a long history, with many prominent figures such as the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, the Holy Xuan, and the royal family of the Qi Dynasty. Thus, the Li family held themselves in high regard as descendants of such monumental figures.

If given a choice, Qi Xuansu would not want to set foot in Qizhou because he found himself to be repeatedly at odds with the Li family. First, he had stolen the Xuan Jade from the Li family in Fengtai County. Then he inadvertently became Li Tianzhen’s enemy when he became Zhang Yuelu’s confidant. Later, he killed Su Ran at the Purple Immortal Mountain, which led to this series of events.

Before this, Qi Xuansu could not conclude that this case was related to the Li family. But after the Yuan family’s extermination and Wang Baoyue’s elimination, it was clear as day that the Li family was sacrificing their pawns for the larger goal.

Qi Xuansu could not fathom what would happen to him if the Li family got wind of his involvement in these “mishaps.” They would most probably obliterate him from the surface of Earth.

However, Qi Xuansu had no choice but to step foot in the Li family's territory because he still had to escort Liu Hu to Zhili.

Fortunately for Qi Xuansu, the Li family’s attention was diverted by Zhang Yuelu, so they did not notice a nobody like him.

In the blink of an eye, the ironclad ship arrived at the 5th checkpoint, where Xu Kou was scheduled to disembark. After visiting his relatives, Xu Kou would take the flying ship from Beihai Prefecture back to Jade Capital.

Qi Xuansu and Liu Hu would continue north on the Grand Canal until they arrived at the 2nd checkpoint in Bohai Prefecture.

Xu Kou disembarked and cupped his hands in salute. “I wish you a safe journey.”

Qi Xuansu was at the top of the ramp. He returned the salute and said, “Please send my regards to your parents.”

Their farewell was short and sweet.

The ship stayed at the 5th checkpoint for four hours for some passengers to disembark and get on board. Most of the passengers who came onboard were heading to the Imperial Capital or Bohai Prefecture.

Since they had four hours to kill, Qi Xuansu took Liu Hu to a restaurant on the shore.

It was a mom-and-pop restaurant. The owner was a skinny woman struggling to make a living, serving as a waiter and cashier, while her husband worked in the kitchen as the cook.

Qi Xuansu asked for a pot of rice wine and some beef to go with it. Since grain production far exceeded that of previous dynasties, the ban on killing cattle had been relaxed, so beef was no longer rare or expensive.

Liu Hu looked at the rice wine longingly, but she was too embarrassed to ask for a taste.

Qi Xuansu poured himself a glass and said with a smile, “Go ahead and try it. You have to taste it yourself to know whether you like it.”

Liu Hu’s eyes lit up. She quickly took another glass, which Qi Xuansu filled to the brim.

Qi Xuansu raised his glass and clinked it gently with Liu Hu’s before they both gulped down the wine.

Drinking was all about the atmosphere. Drinking alone in solitude had its own appeal at times. Sharing a drink with others, clinking glasses, and exchanging unspoken words was wholesome. Drinking in a crowd with boisterous shouts, laughter, and playful banter was also fun.

Qi Xuansu was not an alcoholic, but he liked the atmosphere.

While the two of them were drinking, four men came in, looking hostile.

The real world consisted of constant bloodshed and fighting. No matter what the reason was for killing, it was still illegal. Therefore, there were few honest people. Although there were still gallant people standing up for others, most were merely arrogant and profit-seeking.

The four men looked around and made a beeline for Qi Xuansu and Liu Hu.

Qi Xuansu wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble, so he left with Liu Hu, but one of the men blocked Qi Xuansu’s path forward.

This man’s lecherous eyes kept harassing Liu Hu. Although Liu Hu was just mediocre in looks, that was only compared to Zhang Yuelu. Moreover, Liu Hu was a teen, so her body was still developing. This lewd man was attracted to Liu Hu’s slim figure.

Qi Xuansu pretended not to have seen the man and walked into him. The moment they brushed shoulders, the man flew back from the force.

The other three men saw that their brother had suffered a loss, so they rushed over to block Qi Xuansu’s and Liu Hu’s path.

Even so, Qi Xuansu had no intention of stopping. Two men stretched out their hands to grab Qi Xuansu’s shoulders. Just as they were about to touch Qi Xuansu, their bodies flew several meters back before landing heavily on the ground.

It would not have been shocking if Qi Xuansu had built up his momentum and then knocked the two of them away. The strange thing was that Qi Xuansu only approached them slowly without making any forceful moves. His qi shield was so intense that his attackers were knocked back.

Seeing the shocking scene before him, the only man among the four left standing knew that they had provoked a master above their weight class.

At the same time, Liu Hu had already raised the Divine Dragon Pistol that Qi Xuansu had temporarily lent her and aimed at the three men on the ground, about to kill them.

Ever since their experience in Jiangling Prefecture, Liu Hu viewed Qi Xuansu and Xu Kou as her role models and was no longer afraid of killing people.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu reached out to press down on the barrel.

Liu Hu looked up at Qi Xuansu, somewhat puzzled.

Qi Xuansu merely shook his head.

Liu Hu pouted unhappily as she put away the gun.

Qi Xuansu just wondered what Liu Hu’s temperament would be like as she grew older and could not help but shake his head again.

When the three men saw Liu Hu taking out the Divine Dragon Pistol, they were so frightened that they quickly ran out the door.

Qi Xuansu did not chase them. Instead, he walked to the counter and asked the frightened restaurant owner for the bill.

By the time they left the restaurant, the four men had already disappeared.

Liu Hu finally could not take it any longer. She questioned, “Why do you want to let them go?”

Qi Xuansu pondered his words before replying, “From a legal point of view, their crime is not worthy of death. One should always weigh the pros and cons before acting. Killing them won’t give us any benefits. It will only cause us more trouble, so it’s not worth it. Moreover, we already have enough to worry about now, so it’s best not to add to our burden.”

Liu Hu nodded slightly, looking pensive.

After the four men fled the restaurant, they came to a guest room of an inn that was separated by a screen.

A scholar sat on a chair in the living room. Song Luodi had taken over the job from The Inn since Thunder Mage and Monk Deng Hua were dead. Several other subordinates were lucky enough to have escaped before Zhang Yuelu shot them all with her paper arrow.

“Master Song, that man is not someone we can mess with. We almost died at his hands!” One of the four men complained loudly.

Song Luodi turned a deaf ear to the complaints and fell into deep thought. “He didn’t fall for it?”