A Pawn's Passage-Chapter 774: Confess

When Qi Xuansu left home, he was worried about a thorough search by the Spirit Guards in Purple Mansion, so he hid the fish talisman in his bedroom. Unexpectedly, the Spirit Guards did not find it, but Zhang Yuelu did.

Qi Xuansu began to suspect that Zhang Yuelu had initially intended to place him on the bed. However, upon discovering this item, she angrily threw him onto the floor instead.

Thinking carefully, Qi Xuansu came up with a bold plan. Dreaming Death was known for its powerful after-effects that would make people pass out and forget many things. Perhaps Zhang Yuelu would not remember much from her drunken state. So why not get rid of the evidence before she woke up?

With this thought in mind, Qi Xuansu cautiously reached out with two fingers, trying to carefully pry the fish talisman from Zhang Yuelu’s grip.

However, he found that Zhang Yuelu was clenching it too tightly. He could not take it away.

Left with no other choice, Qi Xuansu decided to gently pry open her fingers.

At that exact moment, Zhang Yuelu suddenly opened her eyes.

When their eyes met, Qi Xuansu felt as if time itself had stopped, like when Yao Pei wielded the Staff of Merit.

Zhang Yuelu grabbed Qi Xuansu’s wrist, catching him red-handed. She questioned him, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Nothing at all,” Qi Xuansu said guiltily.

“Nothing at all?” Zhang Yuelu raised an eyebrow. “Then why were you prying my fingers open?”

Normally, Qi Xuansu would deny it to the end, but this time, Zhang Yuelu had caught him in the act, leaving him unable to argue otherwise.

Zhang Yuelu raised the fish talisman and asked, “You want this?”

Qi Xuansu cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to deflect the question. “What exactly happened last night?”

Zhang Yuelu released Qi Xuansu and sat cross-legged on the bed, smiling dangerously. “Nothing special. I just happened to find this object on your bed. If I’m not mistaken, this should be a fish talisman, specifically a golden-purple fish talisman belonging to a B-rank member of the Qingping Society.”

Feigning surprise, Qi Xuansu remarked, “Deputy Hall Master Zhang, you’re so knowledgeable! Impressive, very impressive!”

“Now, this gets interesting,” Zhang Yuelu remarked while playing with the token. “Why would a Qingping Society member’s golden-purple fish talisman be on your bed? Do you have another lover who left this here?”

Caught off guard, Qi Xuansu had not prepared a proper explanation, so he decided to play dumb to the end. “I only have one lover—that’s you. Are you a Qingping Society member?!”

Zhang Yuelu slapped the bed. “You’d better come clean!”

Qi Xuansu immediately relented. “I was young and ignorant back then, so I joined the Qingping Society. Honestly, I’ve wanted to quit ever since, but Madam Qi wouldn’t let me, and somehow, I ended up becoming a B-rank member.”

Zhang Yuelu’s expression was ambiguous as she maintained that eerie smile. “So that’s how it is.”

Qi Xuansu asked, puzzled, “You don’t seem surprised at all.”

Zhang Yuelu sighed. “To be honest, I was only one step away from joining the Ziguang Society. If I had lost that wager, I wouldn’t have had a choice, so I understand your situation. During the battle at Wuxing Mountain, all of the Qingping Society’s elites appeared, and you were at the center of coordination. It would’ve been more odd if you had no connection with the Qingping Society.”

Qi Xuansu muttered softly, “You said you wouldn’t pursue the past...”

“I did say that.” Zhang Yuelu nodded. “But not pursuing the past is one thing. You still need to let me know the full picture. You can’t keep me in the dark forever. Just how long were you planning on hiding this?”

Qi Xuansu raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. It all started when my master was murdered.”

Zhang Yuelu remained sitting cross-legged on the bed. Qi Xuansu settled down beside her and began to recount the nightmare that changed his destiny.

Qi Xuansu had previously mentioned bits and pieces of these experiences. However, they were fragmented, requiring Zhang Yuelu to piece everything together herself. It was far better for Qi Xuansu to recount the story clearly from start to finish.

Logically speaking, these secrets were crucial, not only to Qi Xuansu’s future but even to his very life. He should not have spoken a word, even under threat of death. But going through so many life-and-death situations with Zhang Yuelu, Qi Xuansu chose to trust her fully and decided to disclose everything honestly.

Zhang Yuelu listened attentively, without the slightest trace of jest.

Qi Xuansu soon recounted how the assassins from The Inn had toyed with him like a cat with a mouse and how Madam Qi saved him, giving him the Longevity Stone Heart. This led directly to his joining the Qingping Society.

Following this were the small adventures he had shared with Madam Qi while traveling the world. These details were neither thrilling nor legendary, yet these mundane experiences had sustained and deepened their relationship.

Qi Xuansu rambled on for nearly three hours, finally arriving at the story of his trip to Fengtai County with Madam Qi. Throughout this time, Zhang Yuelu showed no impatience. She maintained her sitting posture and even let Qi Xuansu lean against her comfortably.

“...Then Madam Qi killed Zhuge Yongming with a single punch and brought me back to the county to recover. She then went back to clean up the aftermath, arranging to meet me again in the prefectural capital. At the time, I had no idea that I had a Longevity Stone Heart, nor did I understand the miraculous properties of the Xuan Jade. After taking the Xuan Jade, Madam Qi gave me two options—either take a Divine Dragon Pistol or be sent to Tiangang Hall,” Qi Xuansu explained slowly.

Zhang Yuelu pondered aloud. “So you chose Tiangang Hall.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “I spent a small portion of my savings to buy a flying ship ticket to Jade Capital. Then I used the rest of my savings to buy Sun Yongfeng’s recommendation. After leaving Nanhua Place, I went to Taiqing Square, and that’s when I met you in the weapons shop.”

Zhang Yuelu suddenly understood. “No wonder you seemed nervous the second time we met. So you were feeling guilty.”

Qi Xuansu took the opportunity to lie down on Zhang Yuelu’s lap. “Could you blame me? There’s a saying that unexpected favors either hide treachery or theft. When a beautiful and well-connected woman suddenly showed me kindness, it was only natural for me to feel suspicious...”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “If I had known you thought that way when we first met, there wouldn’t have been any future between us.”

Qi Xuansu sighed softly. “Right? Later on, I realized maybe it was just fate.”

Zhang Yuelu pinched Qi Xuansu’s nose gently. “But you’re right about one thing. I was indeed suspicious of you at the time. Your records were too clean, listing only basic details like your name, master, age, affiliation, and cultivation. You had no achievements or mistakes recorded, nor any relatives or friends. You didn’t live in the Jade Capital, and you didn’t hold office anywhere else. It was as if you stood completely apart from the Daoist system. I thought rather than alarming you prematurely, it was better to feign ignorance and let you relax your guard. That way, you might expose yourself eventually. I never expected that by keeping you close, I’d end up falling into your trap instead.”

Qi Xuansu chuckled. “Actually, I already knew about you before going to Jade Capital. I’d heard about a prodigy, a young fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master who had received a semi-immortal object from the Daoist Order. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that one day I’d be sharing a room with this genius, resting comfortably on her lap.”

Zhang Yuelu playfully pinched Qi Xuansu’s nose. “Feeling quite proud of yourself, are you?”

Qi Xuansu said righteously, “With such a wonderful partner, why shouldn’t I be proud?”

“Cocky.” Zhang Yuelu rolled her eyes, speechless.

Qi Xuansu continued, “You already know what happened afterward. We traveled to the Western Region and then to Yunjin Mountain. I didn’t hide anything from you during that time. After the flying ship crash, I assumed the alias Wei Wugui and began traveling in Jianghu again. It’s a long story, but you’ve probably pieced together most of my route—from Starry Sea to Salt Lake, then Cuowenbu, circling the northwest, and finally crossing through Qinzhou into Longmen Prefecture in Zhongzhou. You’re already familiar with what happened with the Three Yin Beings, so I won’t repeat that. At the time, I took on a mission from the Qingping Society to escort a young girl to Bohai Prefecture. To avoid the Heavenly Court, I traveled through Purple Immortal Mountain, inadvertently uncovering the major scandal there. That’s how our chance reunion in Jiangling Prefecture happened.”

Zhang Yuelu let out a long sigh. “I understand everything now.”

Qi Xuansu sat up and reaffirmed, “You said you wouldn’t pursue my past!”

“I won’t pursue it,” Zhang Yuelu said as she prepared to get up.

Qi Xuansu usually upheld equality and never acted subserviently in front of women, unlike some men who seemed eager to kneel and become servants. But today was an exception, mostly due to guilt. He took the initiative to help Zhang Yuelu put on her shoes.

“This isn’t like you at all.” Zhang Yuelu did not refuse, propping herself up with both hands behind her as she allowed Qi Xuansu to help put on her shoes.

Holding a shoe in one hand and grasping Zhang Yuelu’s ankle with the other, Qi Xuansu clumsily shoved her foot into the shoe. “Isn’t this called doting on my wife?”

“Oh, stop it. You can’t pull it off. You lack that charm entirely. It’s just not in your nature.” Zhang Yuelu scoffed as she put on the other shoe herself.

Qi Xuansu cleared his throat. “I can’t help it. My legs aren’t flexible enough to kneel.”

Zhang Yuelu placed her feet firmly on the floor, stamping lightly to adjust her shoes. She then said, “I have hands and feet, so I don’t need others to serve me. Even if I did, I wouldn’t pick someone as clumsy as you. Still, I’m glad you were honest with me.”

Qi Xuansu decided to drop the pretense entirely. He simply could not fake that attitude. His fear of Zhang Yuelu depended solely on whether or not he felt guilty and nothing else.

On the other hand, Qi Xuansu’s fear of Madam Qi was due to her unreasonable strength. She could even provoke True Lord Siming and Wu Guangbi, so until Qi Xuansu could surpass her in martial prowess, he would never gain the upper hand. Even if he someday overcame her through strength, Madam Qi would still take the moral high ground, complaining about her hardships and accusing him of being unfilial, making it nearly impossible for Qi Xuansu to ever recover his dignity.

“Are you hungry?” Qi Xuansu asked. “I still have some food stored here.”

Zhang Yuelu shook her head. “I’m fasting.”

Qi Xuansu sighed. “Then you’re missing out.”

Zhang Yuelu offered. “If you don’t mind, you can try my cooking.”

Qi Xuansu suddenly fell silent, his face full of distrust.

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