A Pawn's Passage-Chapter 1278: Loss of Composure

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jucheng’s doubts multiplied further.

It was not unusual for Qi Xuansu to have dealings with the Heavenly Preceptor. But that usually came through Zhang Yuelu’s connections. So why had Qi Xuansu come to him this time and not Zhang Yuelu? Moreover, there was no prior notice, and Qi Xuansu was clearly traveling discreetly, concealing his movements from Poluo to Jinling. Geographically, Lingnan Prefecture would have been closer to Poluo.

Though Zhang Jucheng’s relationship with Qi Xuansu was not hostile, they merely maintained polite surface relations and were far from being steadfast allies.

Though these thoughts ran through his mind, Zhang Jucheng said, “This is such a small matter. You could’ve just informed Old Tang. There’s no need for you to make the trip personally.”

In truth, Qi Xuansu had not thought that far ahead. At first, he had not intended to see the Heavenly Preceptor immediately and was hoping to find answers through Madam Qi instead. But when that yielded no breakthrough, he had no choice but to turn his hopes toward the Heavenly Preceptor.

Though Qi Xuansu appeared calm and unconcerned on the surface, inwardly, he was not so composed. At the Gratitude Temple earlier, he had already shown signs of losing control, quarreling pointlessly with two unrelated strangers. That alone spoke volumes.

Qi Xuansu had not carefully thought things through. Instead, he came straight to Zhang Jucheng due to proximity.

Of course, he could not say this aloud, so he simply replied, “I don’t have that much influence, so I have no choice but to seek your help, Uncle.”

This statement flattered Zhang Jucheng, implying that only the future head of the Zhang family possessed such influence. This made it difficult for him to refuse.

Zhang Jucheng found this quite pleasing. With his position, many wanted to flatter him, but not many could compare to Qi Xuansu. While Qi Xuansu might not yet stand fully as his equal, this young man was the youngest Sage of the Daoist Order with boundless potential.

If one day Qi Xuansu became Grand Master, these words would carry even greater weight, something worth boasting about. Even Omniscient Sages had a sense of pride.

Zhang Jucheng was already inclined to help, though he did not lose his composure. He asked further, “Even if you didn’t want to trouble Old Tang, and Qing Xiao is in Jade Capital attending a council meeting, you still didn’t need to come to Jinling in person. With communication methods so advanced nowadays, you could’ve just sent me a message. Did you think I’d deliberately make things difficult for you?”

Qi Xuansu hesitated briefly before replying, “To be honest, besides visiting you, I came to Jinling to see my adoptive mother. Since it’s a personal matter, I didn’t notify anyone in advance and came alone.”

“Madam Qi?” Zhang Jucheng paused in surprise. Of course, he knew her. He was also a seventh-generation disciple, along with Madam Qi, Sage Donghua, Sage Cihang, Sage Qingwei, and others. They might even have been classmates at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. Madam Qi was most likely the exception, as she had remained at the fourth rank and never had the opportunity to participate in the training reserved for second-rank Taiyi Daoists.

Zhang Jucheng looked somewhat surprised. “Madam Qi is also in Jinling? I had no idea.”

Qi Xuansu said with a helpless smile, “That’s just how she is. I’m always the last to know when she comes to the Poluo Daoist Mansion or when she leaves.”

With that, Zhang Jucheng set his doubts aside and stopped probing further. He asked Qi Xuansu to wait while he went to contact the Heavenly Preceptor.

Such a minor matter certainly did not require Zhang Jucheng to return to the Dazhen Mansion in person. As the second-in-command of the Zhang family, he naturally had direct channels to reach the Heavenly Preceptor.

He returned quickly, though his expression was somewhat strange. “The Heavenly Preceptor isn’t at Yunjin Mountain. Apparently, he’s gone down the mountain.”

Down the mountain generally referred to the various prefectures. Simply put, it was an inspection tour. Daoists at every level would treat it like a major event, responding cautiously and preparing thoroughly. Qi Xuansu had experienced this himself. When Sage Qingwei inspected Fenglin, the local personnel went into overdrive—cleaning everything, warning local power brokers to behave themselves, and putting up various superficial displays.

When the Heavenly Preceptor conducted inspections, it was not necessarily a grand affair. More often, he traveled incognito, giving no advance notice and disguising himself as an ordinary old man. He would wander about to observe and understand the real situation on the ground. Under such circumstances, no one could find him.

Qi Xuansu’s first reaction was that the Heavenly Preceptor had done this deliberately.

Based on the time he borrowed the Guizang Lantern, it would not be difficult to calculate when he learned the truth. Yet the Heavenly Preceptor had chosen precisely this moment to depart on an inspection tour. It was hard to believe this was a mere coincidence.

Still, Qi Xuansu was hardly important enough to make the Heavenly Preceptor avoid him out of fear. Perhaps the Heavenly Preceptor felt the timing was not yet right, yet did not wish to outright refuse Qi Xuansu and cause unnecessary speculation. So the old man chose a more indirect way to avoid the meeting.

Zhang Jucheng added, “However, before leaving, the Heavenly Preceptor specifically instructed that there’s no need to hurry in returning the Guizang Lantern. While some of its mystical functions can only be used once every sixty years, its ability to revisit the past can still be used normally. You can just treat it as a tool for Earth Qi Recall. Watching past events in spare moments can be quite interesting.”

As an Omniscient Sage, Zhang Jucheng naturally understood the function of the Heavenly Preceptor’s Guizang Lantern. But he did not understand why Qi Xuansu had borrowed it. After all, Qi Xuansu could not even wield it at his cultivation level. The Heavenly Preceptor’s tone was also frivolous, leaving Qi Xuansu momentarily distracted.

Qi Xuansu rose to his feet, thanked Zhang Jucheng, and prepared to take his leave.

After hesitating several times, Zhang Jucheng finally asked, “Tian Yuan, is something wrong?”

Qi Xuansu took a deep breath. “No...nothing major.”

At this point, Zhang Jucheng could hardly probe further. After all, it was improper to speak too deeply when their relationship was still shallow.

Qi Xuansu left Jinling Prefecture. Instead of taking a flying ship, he traveled alone toward Kunlun.

Faced with something that almost negated the entirety of his earlier life, Qi Xuansu could not remain completely unaffected. His apparent indifference when facing Madam Qi was not entirely an act, but to say he truly did not care at all would be a lie.

In fact, Madam Qi had already asked why he was behaving strangely.

The signs had already begun to show at that moment.

Qi Xuansu’s behavior resembled that of most men. At first calm and resilient, able to talk and laugh as though nothing were wrong. But as time passed, the delayed impact began to set in, and he gradually found it harder to keep his emotions under control.

Meanwhile, during a break in the council meeting, Zhang Yuelu received an unexpected message. It was from Madam Qi.

Back at the Poluo Daoist Mansion, the two had exchanged contact methods, yet they had never used them.

Thus, Madam Qi initiating contact for the first time made Zhang Yuelu uneasy.

Nevertheless, Zhang Yuelu accepted the call.

Madam Qi went straight to the point without any pleasantries. “Tian Yuan isn’t in good condition now.”

Zhang Yuelu paused. “Tian Yuan is in seclusion.”

“He’s already out, and we just met,” Madam Qi said bluntly. “While we were talking, I could tell something was very wrong with him.”

Zhang Yuelu was even more surprised. “He came out of seclusion? He didn’t contact me. What exactly is wrong with him? Did something go wrong with his cultivation?”

Madam Qi replied, “It has nothing to do with cultivation. It’s his emotions. He learned certain things that hit him very hard.”

Zhang Yuelu immediately understood. Qi Xuansu had told her about his intention to investigate the truth within the Lingshan Paradise since the beginning. She had even helped him borrow the Guizang Lantern from the Heavenly Preceptor. Now, it seemed that he had discovered the truth, or at least part of it. This truth had dealt him a severe blow.

In Zhang Yuelu’s eyes, Qi Xuansu was not prone to intense emotional swings. Especially in recent years, he had grown increasingly mature. So for a truth to shake him so deeply that he became unsettled, it must have overturned many of his long-held beliefs.

Zhang Yuelu did not ask what this truth was, nor what Qi Xuansu had discussed with Madam Qi. Instead, she asked, “Where is he now?”

“I’d guess he went to Jade Capital, to the Requiem Division,” Madam Qi answered. She knew Qi Xuansu well enough to be precise in her guess.

Zhang Yuelu probed. “Does it involve his master?”

Madam Qi nodded. “It involves me as well. There are things I can’t say, so you should be the one to talk to him.”

There had been a time when Zhang Yuelu found it deeply troubling that the bond between Qi Xuansu and Madam Qi was so close that nothing could shake it, making it extremely difficult for her to influence him. But now, judging from Madam Qi’s tone, there was clearly a rift between mother and son. Yet Zhang Yuelu did not feel smug about it. All she felt was a deep concern.

Zhang Yuelu did not linger on further questions. After ending the conversation, she immediately tried to contact Qi Xuansu, but he failed to respond for a long time.

She then contacted Lin Yuanmiao, only then confirming that Qi Xuansu had indeed come out of seclusion.

Zhang Yuelu, who had never lost her temper at Lin Yuanmiao before, suddenly erupted in anger. “Old Lin, what on earth were you thinking? How can you not tell me about something this big?”

Lin Yuanmiao replied, “Tian Yuan told me not to inform anyone.”

“Am I just ‘anyone’?” Zhang Yuelu retorted. “Didn’t you notice something was wrong with him? Why would you let him go off like that?”

Lin Yuanmiao fell silent for a moment before answering, “He looked perfectly normal at the time—no different from usual.”

Zhang Yuelu ended their communication. She wanted to rush to the Requiem Division immediately, but the joint council was still ongoing. Left with no choice, she forced herself to sit through the rest of the proceedings.

Meanwhile, Lin Yuanmiao was on the way back to Lingnan Daoist Mansion with Little Yin. Little Yin was still unaware of what had happened, but when she saw Old Lin get scolded, she teased with gleeful satisfaction, “Old Lin, I didn’t think you’d get chewed out, too! Hahaha!”