A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu entered the Ghost Pass and rode slowly.

Besides the armored Spirit Guards who were constantly patrolling the area, there were many regular people in casual attire. Qi Xuansu figured that they were ordinary civilians who worked in the manufacturing plant and usually lived in the Ghost Pass. Some were also from the Divine Armory and the Imperial Observatory.

Generally speaking, the Divine Armory was the Imperial Court’s equivalent of the Daoist Tianji Hall. The Imperial Observatory and the Imperial Medical Office were the equivalent of the Daoist Huasheng Hall. However, no one from the Imperial Medical Office would appear in this place.

Qi Xuansu did not intend to stop at the Ghost Pass. He wanted to ride by this place to get to Zhongzhou. However, after he learned about the movements of the Wuxu Palace’s investigation team from the Spirit Guard earlier, he was not in a hurry to leave.

This was what Qi Xuansu expected. His old identity as the deacon of Tiangang Hall died in the flying ship crash, so if he were to appear in Xijing Prefecture, he would surely become the biggest suspect. Even if there was no evidence, he would be brought back to the Wuxu Palace for interrogation.

However, his new identity, Wei Wugui, had nothing to do with Wan Xiuwu. They had never even met each other, so there was no motive for Wei Wugui to kill Wan Xiuwu.

As for the fact that both Qi Xuansu and Wei Wugui were acquainted with Pei Xiaolou, it was not worth doubting unless someone looked into it carefully.

Pei Xiaolou was an outlier among the many Sages in the Daoist Order, infamous for his unruly behavior. Although he did not accept disciples, he often liked making friends with young people.

Once, he even did something outrageous, such as bringing a young Buddhist disciple to a brothel. If it were not for his blood relation to Sage Donghua, who was the first among the 36 Omniscient Sages and the Ziwei Hall Master, Pei Xiaolou would have long been arrested by Fengxian Hall.

Qi Xuansu was walking when he suddenly heard a chuckle. “Grandpa, look! That man looks so funny carrying so many things with him.”

Upon hearing that voice, Qi Xuansu turned around and saw a little girl in a yellow shirt pointing at him.

Next to the little girl was a tall old man, whom Qi Xuansu presumed was her grandpa.

Qi Xuansu lowered his head and looked at himself. He had four weapons, a satchel, a leather pouch containing the projectiles, a saddle bag, and a bundle of miscellaneous things that was placed on the horse.

It seemed that the little girl was indeed laughing at him.

The old man was a little embarrassed when he saw Qi Xuansu staring back at them. He shot a warning glance at the little girl and apologized to Qi Xuansu with a salute. “My apologies. The kid doesn’t understand etiquette.”

“No worries; children can speak freely.” Qi Xuansu got off his horse and returned the salute.

The old man sized up Qi Xuansu briefly and said, “You’re an unfamiliar face around here. Is this your first time coming to the Ghost Pass?”

“You have a keen eye, sir. It is indeed my first time here. I’m just passing by,” Qi Xuansu replied with a smile.

The old man asked, “Isn’t it a pity not to visit the Ghost Kingdom since you’ve already made it to the Ghost Pass?”

Qi Xuansu smiled bitterly. “I heard that the Ghost Kingdom has many restrictions, with many inspections and checkpoints to get through. I’m afraid I don’t have the clearance.”

“Right.” The old man nodded. “Since the destruction of Cuowenbu’s manufacturing plant, the Daoist Order has strengthened its defenses for fear that this Ghost Kingdom will also be destroyed. If history repeats itself, I’m afraid Beimang Mountain will turn into the netherworld. By then, it’ll take much more effort to clean up such a mess.”

The little girl interrupted them. “Grandpa, this is like a levee being washed away by a flood. The key issue isn’t about how much money it takes to repair the levee, but rather the damage caused by the flood, right?”

“You’re right, clever girl.” The old man praised his granddaughter.

The girl asked, “Grandpa, if the Ghost Kingdom is so scary, why not demolish it?”

“Because demolishing it also costs money. It could be just as labor-intensive as repairing it. The Ghost Kingdom is like a giant cesspit, if you will. So demolishing it isn’t as simple as it seems. The contents inside must be handled properly before the demolition.

“The only way to go about it is to dismantle it little by little. But that would take more than a hundred years. That’s why it’s better to reinforce it and continue using this place. Of course, I’m merely using cesspit as a metaphor. What’s inside this cesspit could be good and bad depending on its usage, much like fertilizer.”

The girl thought about it seriously and asked, “In that case, wouldn’t it be better if this Ghost Kingdom wasn’t built in the first place?”

The old man chuckled. “My girl, it all comes down to power. Throughout history, many heroes and outstanding individuals have been blinded by power. It is also the reason the Daoist Order is constantly in turmoil.”

Qi Xuansu thought to himself, This statement encompasses the conflict between the Taiping, Quanzhen, and Zhengyi Sects.

The old man paused for a moment before continuing, “No matter how difficult things get in this world, there are always people who make it their mission to try the impossible. This Ghost Kingdom was built by humans. It’s truly a magnificent feat to create a paradise through human efforts and manifest gods through human strength. What the ancient civilizations failed to do, the people have accomplished. But in the end, they cannot escape the nature of humanity. Are there any differences in the human nature of the past and present?”

Qi Xuansu was stunned to hear this.

The old man was clearly implying something. Was he alluding to the chaos in the Daoist Order?

The last person to talk to Qi Xuansu about the Daoist Order’s Grand Master election was Pei Xiaolou. He might be unruly, but because his brother Sage Donghua was a strong contender, he was also involved.

Qi Xuansu figured that the old man before him was most likely a bigshot as well, seeing as he could walk around freely in the Ghost Pass. Was he also a Sage?

Just as Qi Xuansu wanted to inquire about the old man's identity, he found that there was no one around him.

The old man and the girl in the yellow shirt went missing, as if their interaction just now was merely Qi Xuansu’s hallucination.

Qi Xuansu looked around. Although there were some people around him, he felt an intermittent yin energy permeating the air. He could not help but shudder as he felt a chill down his spine.

……

Yue Liuli once suspected that Zhang Yuelu killed Wan Xiuwu.

In fact, she had underestimated Qi Xuansu. Qi Xuansu had some dignity. He did not tell Zhang Yuelu about what happened in the Dragon and Tiger Camp back then because he did not know the reason Yue Liuli targeted him.

Qi Xuansu only knew that Yue Liuli tricked him and made him walk into a trap, and he almost died in that incident. He also wanted to avenge himself without relying on others. That was why he did not tell Zhang Yuelu about it.

On the other side, Zhang Yuelu had seriously thought about avenging Qi Xuansu, but her target was the Ancient Immortal Wu Luo. However, exterminating Wu Luo was next to impossible.

Wu Luo’s cultivation was much higher than hers. Moreover, Wu Luo was a Godly Immortal.

The only way a Godly Immortal could be completely obliterated was by going through the Three Forms of Death.

The first death was the decay and destruction of the golden body. This was just a fake death, just like when a river or lake dried up during a drought. As long as new incense power was offered, the golden body could be rebuilt in the divine kingdom.

The second death was the collapse of the divine kingdom. This was a true death, but it was not a complete extinction, as there was still a trace of lingering spiritual imprint. As long as there were still people who remembered this Godly Immortal, there would be a chance for them to return.

The third death was when everyone had forgotten about this Godly Immortal, resulting in the complete dissipation of the last spiritual imprint. This was an irreversible death.

From this point of view, Godly Immortals were more difficult to eliminate than Earthly Immortals, Ghostly Immortals, and Manly Immortals.

Back when the Heavenly Sect destroyed Ancient Wuism, Wu Luo’s death was only the destruction of her golden body, not a true death. That was why Wu Luo could return to the mortal realm again after a thousand years.

Therefore, if the Daoist Order wanted to eliminate the Ancient Immortals, it was not as simple as just killing them. They must first get rid of the Ancient Immortals’ believers. Otherwise, it would be like burning weeds without eradicating the roots, only to see them spring back to life after some time.

However, it was not easy to eradicate the Ancient Immortals’ believers.

For example, the White Lotus Sect flourished during the Qi Dynasty and dedicated itself to supporting rebellions. It survived through the Jin Dynasty, the Golden Horde, and the Wei Dynasty. It still existed in the Great Xuan Dynasty, simply changing its name and absorbing some Daoist traditions.

The White Lotus Sect was called Luoism during the Qi Dynasty and was renamed the Fragrance Sect during the Jin Dynasty. When the Golden Horde took over the Central Plains, it assumed its original name, the White Lotus Sect. It gained the recognition of the Golden Horde Khanate and prospered for a while.

During the Wei Dynasty, the White Lotus Sect was strictly banned and suppressed, so they renamed themselves the Qingyang Sect. After the Great Xuan Dynasty conquered the world, the Qingyang Sect rebranded themselves as the Heavenly Court, which caused great trouble to the Imperial Court.

After nearly a thousand years of dynasty changes, the White Lotus Sect still could not be eradicated, indicating how difficult it was for the Daoist Order to drive the Ancient Immortals to extinction.

Zhang Yuelu once specifically asked Sage Cihang about this matter. Her master only gave her an ambiguous answer. “Farming requires weeding. Every year, we weed, which may take more effort. But there is no need to demand perfection. In the end, a large fire will turn everything—crops and weeds alike—into ashes.”

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