A Pawn's Passage

During the Qi Dynasty under the Li royal family, Longmen Prefecture was known as the East Capital, which was not too far nor too close to Xijing Prefecture. The key issue was passing through Beimang Mountain, which was only second in importance to Difei Mountain and Tiancang Mountain for the Quanzhen Sect.

Qi Xuansu had traveled this route once before, but the last time was by land. This time, he flew directly, saving a great deal of time.

Thus, within four hours, they had crossed Beimang Mountain and Xijing Prefecture, arriving within the territory of Difei Mountain.

Difei Mountain was known as the foremost of the 72 Blessed Lands. Its status as a renowned Daoist mountain dated back to when the Primordial Daoist Ancestor passed through the area to preach the Dao. Since then, it had been home to many Immortals, who resided there to cultivate.

Later, Elder Chongyang and his disciples established and promoted the Quanzhen Sect, founding the Chongyang Palace of Immortality as their ancestral court.

Thus, Difei Mountain stood alongside the Zhengyi Sect’s ancestral court in Yunjin Mountain and was second only to Kunlun Mountain, the ancestral court of the entire Daoist Order.

After the Holy Xuan took power, the Daoist Order was not as wealthy as it currently was, without the convenience of the many flying ships connecting the different regions.

Kunlun Mountain was far away in the Western Region, making travel inconvenient. Thus an alternate center for administration was needed.

Since Difei Mountain was conveniently located at the center of the empire—between Penglai Island and Yunjin Mountain—it became a suitable compromise.

As a result, the Holy Xuan elevated Difei Mountain to the status of the Daoist Order’s auxiliary capital. For a long time, the Chongyang Palace of Immortality served as the Grand Master’s residence, far surpassing the status of Yunjin Mountain, whose earth’s veins had been severed by the Holy Xuan.

Upon entering the territory of Difei Mountain, one could always see the Chongyang Palace of Immortality towering at the peak. Its grand halls and layered structures gave off a majestic impression that would make one feel minuscule standing beneath it.

Without the proper method of entry, one would not be able to set foot in the Chongyang Palace of Immortality.

Qi Xuansu initially thought he would get a different feeling viewing the Chongyang Palace of Immortality from the sky. However, he was mistaken. This majestic palace remained just as lofty and awe-inspiring as a celestial palace.

This was likely due to the layered formations. No matter which angle one viewed it from, one could only ever see the palace’s grand facade, which always gave one the feeling that it was high above and unreachable.

Qi Xuansu could not help but pause and ask, “Qing Xiao, how do we get inside?”

Zhang Yuelu guided Qi Xuansu toward the ground and explained, “Normally, you will need to apply for entry for your first visit to the Chongyang Palace of Immortality, then someone will escort you inside. But the Earthly Preceptor also issues special tokens that act as keys for high-ranking Daoists to enter freely. Depending on the level, some will be able to bring guests.”

As she spoke, Zhang Yuelu retrieved an ink-black token from her magical receptacle that bore the engraved seal with the words—Quanzhen.

Qi Xuansu teased, “A core disciple of the Zhengyi Sect holding the key to the Quanzhen Sect’s sacred land? Someone who doesn’t know better might think that your name is Shangguan Yuelu since you all share the same ancestors anyway.”

“Pft!” Zhang Yuelu spat playfully. “You should be teasing yourself. There really is a Qi family in the Quanzhen Sect.”

As they spoke, the couple had already landed on solid ground.

Zhang Yuelu was obviously familiar with Difei Mountain, leading the way while Qi Xuansu trailed behind.

After walking along the mountain path for a while, Qi Xuansu did not feel like they were any closer to the seemingly unreachable Chongyang Palace of Immortality.

Just then, a stone stele appeared in the distance, accompanied by a pavilion.

When they arrived at the stone stele, the mountain path beneath their feet ended abruptly.

That was when Qi Xuansu noticed a fog-like barrier ahead, blocking their way. This barrier extended endlessly in all directions, resembling a massive dome that enveloped the core area of Difei Mountain.

Zhang Yuelu raised the black token in her hand and gave it a slight shake. The token shimmered with light, triggering a response.

The fog barrier rippled, opening a doorway in its midst and revealing the rest of the mountain path.

“Let’s go.” Zhang Yuelu stepped through the doorway first, with Qi Xuansu following closely behind.

Qi Xuansu had seen quite a lot thus far in his lifetime. He had been to the Taiping Palace which was filled with intricate mechanisms, the snow-covered Daxue Mountain Palace, the eerie Ghost Pass, and Shangqing Palace on Yunjin Mountain. Yet, none of them had been as labyrinthine as this.

He could not help but remark, “I don’t recall Dazhen Mansion's entrance being this complicated when you visited it.”

Zhang Yuelu explained, “Since this was once the auxiliary capital of the Daoist Order and the Grand Master’s residence, it couldn’t be compared to other places. Furthermore, both the Dazhen Mansion and the Zhenjing Courtyard serve as residences for the Zhang and Li families, respectively, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to make their entry overly complicated.”

Since this mountain path was not the wide main road leading directly to the Chongyang Palace of Immortality but rather a more secluded trail, there were no travelers in sight.

Occasionally, they saw some mystical creatures that had gained sentience. Fortunately, they were all herbivores rather than flesh-eating monsters. Thus, instead of instilling fear, these creatures added to the mystical aura of the place.

After walking for nearly an hour, they finally reached the end of the mountain path with a side gate.

Though called a side gate, it was no less grand than the main entrance of Zhenwu Temple. One could only imagine how imposing the Chongyang Palace of Immortality’s main entrance must be.

Two armored Spirit Guards stood before the gate. Recognizing Zhang Yuelu, they immediately saluted.

Although Zhang Yuelu was a Zhengyi Sect disciple, her connection with the Quanzhen Sect was well known, especially now, with the alliance between the two sects.

Zhang Yuelu introduced Qi Xuansu to them. “This is Superintendent Qi from Ziwei Hall, Sage Lei’s subordinate.”

With this explanation, the two guards immediately understood. There was only one Sage Lei in Ziwei Hall, which meant that Superintendent Qi was also from the Quanzhen Sect.

The guards did not bother checking his credentials further and stepped aside to let them through.

Zhang Yuelu casually asked, “Is Deputy Palace Master Xu here?”

One of the spiritual guards replied, “Yes, Sage Xu should be at the Yuzhen Temple at this time.”

Zhang Yuelu thanked him and led Qi Xuansu through the side gate into the southern section of the Chongyang Palace of Immortality.

There were numerous halls and temples within the Chongyang Palace of Immortality, including Wangxian Palace, Danyang Temple, Changchun Temple, Taiyi Temple, Sihao Shrine, Yuzhen Temple, Jinxian Temple, Kaiyuan Temple, Lingquan Temple, Bailu Temple, Taiyuan Temple, Fuli Temple, Huayang Palace, and Taiping Temple, among dozens of others.

Each Deputy Palace Master had their own temple, while only the Earthly Preceptor resided in the main palace, which was also called the Chongyang Palace.

Qi Xuansu was a bit disappointed. “I had hoped to meet the Earthly Preceptor.”

After all, the Earthly Preceptor had helped Zhang Yuelu more than once, and this time, Qi Xuansu had also benefited. As such, among the top three figures of the Daoist Order, Qi Xuansu had the best impression of the Quanzhen Sect’s Great Sage.

“The Earthly Preceptor is probably not in the Chongyang Palace at the moment and more likely in Jade Capital,” Zhang Yuelu said. “The three Deputy Grand Masters have their own residences in Jade Capital, located within the Grand Master’s Zixiao Palace.”

Qi Xuansu asked out of curiosity, “Have you been to Zixiao Palace?”

“Once,” Zhang Yuelu replied. “Zixiao Palace is the Grand Master’s residence and covers a vast area. The three Deputy Grand Masters also live there, but their residences are far apart. Unless one makes a formal visit, they rarely meet.”

Qi Xuansu sighed. “When I was your age, I didn’t even know where the gate of Zixiao Palace was facing. Yet you’ve already been there.”

Zhang Yuelu laughed. “Do you know where Zixiao Palace’s gate is facing now?”

Stumped by the question, Qi Xuansu muttered, “Uh...I still have no idea.”

The Chongyang Palace of Immortality was certainly worthy of its past status as the auxiliary capital of the Daoist Order. It was like a city in itself, with a similar layout to the Xuan City in Jade Capital.

Zhang Yuelu had chosen this route because it was the shortest path to Yuzhen Temple. As they chatted, they soon arrived at their destination.

Zhang Yuelu explained, “After the revitalization of the Daoist Order, the first master of Yuzhen Temple was Sage Yuying. She was a princess of the Wei Dynasty’s royal family before becoming a Daoist.”

Qi Xuansu remarked, “I recall that the Earthly Preceptor Xu Wugui was also from the Wei Dynasty’s royal family.”

“That’s right. Sage Yuying was the aunt of Emperor Aizong Tianbao and the daughter of Emperor Shizong of the Wei Dynasty, while Elder Xu was Emperor Shizong’s brother. So in that sense, Sage Yuying was Elder Xu’s niece. As such, Yuzhen Temple has always been managed by Daoists from the Xu family,” Zhang Yuelu explained.

Qi Xuansu sighed. “How great is it to be from an aristocratic family, having a title to inherit and pass down through generations.”

Zhang Yuelu was not shy about it. “It has always been this way since ancient times. Even I owe my current status to my family background.”

A young Daoist attendant announced their arrival and led them to an office inside Yuzhen Temple.

Seeing the couple, a Daoist nun with her hair tied high stood up from behind the desk to greet them. “Qing Xiao, what a rare visitor!”

Qi Xuansu was slightly surprised to see the nun, as he had always assumed that Sage Xu was a man.

“Greetings, Sage.” Zhang Yuelu paid respects as a junior, and Qi Xuansu followed suit.

Sage Xu turned her gaze to Qi Xuansu. “Superintendent Qi, I have long heard of your name. After all, there aren’t many young people who can earn Sage Donghua's accolades.”

“I dare not accept such praise,” Qi Xuansu humbly responded.

The approachable Sage Xu continued, “But the first time I heard your name was from Qing Xiao. I must say, she sure has a keen eye for people. Your willingness to risk your life to save her makes you worthy of Sage Donghua’s praise.”

Qi Xuansu was momentarily at a loss for words.

Sage Xu was quite talkative. She gestured for them to sit before she asked, “By the way, I heard you have a good relationship with Sage Pei and Sage Lei?”

“Yes,” Qi Xuansu replied. “It was fate, really. I was taking a flying ship to Jade Capital when I happened to meet Sage Pei and Sage Lei, who were also onboard at the time. Sage Pei insisted on reading my fortune. That was how we got acquainted.”

Sage Xu could not help but laugh. “Reading fortunes? That’s very much like what Sage Pei would do. As far as I know, Sage Lei despises such things, and they often quarrel over it.”

Qi Xuansu recalled his first encounter with Pei Xiaolou and found it entirely accurate.

After some polite conversation, Sage Xu finally asked, “Qing Xiao, you’re always busy and never visit without a reason. What brings you here today?”

Zhang Yuelu gave Qi Xuansu a look. Qi Xuansu took out a voice retention talisman and recounted his entanglements with Yue Liuli, only omitting the part where he had killed Wan Xiuwu.

After listening, Sage Xu pondered for a moment and declared, “If you were asking me to falsely accuse someone, I would never do it even if I owed someone a favor. But since you have solid evidence, that makes things straightforward. I will ensure you get a fair resolution without even a hint of favoritism.”

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