A Pawn's Passage

Pei Xiaolou never showed up in the following few days. Qi Xuansu thought that perhaps the Sage was caught up in the Daoist Order's politics.

Qi Xuansu focused on recuperating. His severed arm could finally move freely, and he could finally feel some sensations on his fingertips. However, he still could not exert strength in his broken arm. It would take some more time before his arm could fully recover.

At this time, Qi Xuansu replayed the whole incident in his mind. He had mixed feelings about it.

He finally understood why the outside world had a derogatory nickname for Daoist priests—Daoist dogs. In the past, he was a seventh-rank Daoist priest, so as long as there was no direct conflict of interest, other Daoist disciples would not do anything to him.

The Daoist Order could turn a blind eye to Daoist priests bullying outsiders, but bullying their own kind was another matter completely. Aside from people like Li Tianzhen, who had strong backers, only a few would dare to bully fellow priests.

After Qi Xuansu joined Tiangang Hall, Zhang Yuelu was his biggest backer. Naturally, no one would dare to bully him either. Since he no longer had his Daoist identity, Qi Xuansu finally realized how domineering the Daoist priests were.

Pei Xiaolou finally showed up five days later.

Qi Xuansu realized that he was wrong about Pei Xiaolou being caught up in politics. After all, Cen Li was an insignificant person, unlike the prodigies rumored to be in the running for the title of eighth-generation Grand Master—Li Changge, Zhang Yuelu, or Yao Pei. The Qinzhou Daoist Mansion would not go against Pei Xiaolou just for Cen Li, so this matter would have been settled in the span of a banquet, not five days.

The real reason Pei Xiaolou did not show up for the past few days was because of his Daoist companion.

Since their last interaction on his first ride on the flying ship, Qi Xuansu had a deep impression of Pei Xiaolou’s wife—tall, imposing, crude, foul-mouthed, and violent.

Ever since the fifth-generation Grand Master rectified the Daoist Order’s image and emphasized the importance of etiquette, it was rare to see crude people in the Daoist community.

No wonder Pei Xiaolou seemed like a henpecked man. What else could he do but obey her?

As soon as Pei Xiaolou’s wife heard about Qi Xuansu, she wanted to see this young man, so Pei Xiaolou had no choice but to bring her over.

Before that, Pei Xiaolou warned Qi Xuansu to be mentally prepared for anything because his wife had always done things according to her liking. Except for Pei Xiaolou’s brother, Sage Donghua, no one in the Pei family could control her.

Pei Xiaolou even sighed and complained. “It’s difficult for a good man to avoid having an unworthy wife, an unfilial son, and an unstable household.”

Qi Xuansu was doubtful and unconvinced. He only felt that the pot was calling the kettle black, but he dared not say this to Pei Xiaolou and only kept it to himself.

Liu Yuchun, the boss of the Taiping Inn, heard news of this and dared not show up.

Qi Xuansu had nowhere to escape, so he could only wait to meet this formidable woman.

To Qi Xuansu’s surprise, Pei Xiaolou’s wife was not as crude as she was the first time he saw her on the flying ship. She seemed to be a completely different person from the borderline-feral woman in his impression.

After sitting down, Pei Xiaolou’s wife sized up Qi Xuansu and remarked, “So, you’re Qi Xuansu?”

Qi Xuansu was shocked to hear his real name. He wondered, Why does everyone know my true identity? Did Sage Pei tell his wife about me?

Seeing Qi Xuansu’s expression, the woman waved her hand. “There’s no need to be shocked or afraid. Madam Qi and I have been friends for many years. By the way, my name is Lei Xiaohuan.”

Qi Xuansu wondered if it was a coincidence that both Pei Xiaolou and Lei Xiaohuan had the same character Xiao[1] in their names.

Hearing this, Qi Xuansu breathed a sigh of relief and saluted her. “Greetings, Madam Lei.”

In the Daoist community, married women were addressed by their maiden names because women and men had the same status.

Lei Xiaohuan asked, “Are you also a Martial Arts Practitioner?”

“I’m not a true Martial Arts Practitioner. But due to a stroke of luck, I share some of the properties of Martial Arts Practitioners,” Qi Xuansu answered truthfully.

“What a pity.” Lei Xiaohuan shook her head.

Pei Xiaolou explained, “My wife is from a family of military generals, so she has practiced martial arts since she was young. After joining the Daoist Order, she received the tutelage of a Virtuous Great Sage and became a genuine Wuliang-stage Martial Arts Practitioner.”

No matter what one’s background was, one would have to convert to Daoism after marrying a Daoist disciple. They would also have to obey the orders of the Daoist Order.

Like Xiantian Beings, Heavenly Beings also had three stages. The first stage of Heavenly Beings was called the Xiaoyao stage, the second was the Wuliang stage, and the third was the Zaohua stage.

Zhao Fu’an, the Heavenly Being that injured Qi Xuansu in Baidi City, was in the Xiaoyao stage, corresponding to the Martial Arts Practitioner’s Divinity Realm. However, Zhao Fu’an was no match for Daoist Ji, whose cultivation level was a mystery to Qi Xuansu.

Lei Xiaohuan was in the Wuliang stage, which corresponded to the Martial Arts Practitioner’s Everchanging Realm. Qi Xuansu figured that Pei Xiaolou could not win a fight against his wife. It was no wonder that Pei Xiaolou seemed henpecked.

Qi Xuansu was perceptive enough to understand that Lei Xiaohuan had intended to accept him as a disciple or give him some guidance. However, since he was not a true Martial Arts Practitioner, there was no need for this.

Thinking of this, Qi Xuansu also felt that it was a pity. He had benefited from Zhang Yuelu’s guidance. If he were to learn from a Heavenly Being Martial Arts Practitioner, his cultivation would surely improve even more.

However, one’s lineage could not be forced. Although several major lineages had similarities, there were strict requirements for transferring one’s lineage.

In terms of the Five Immortals Lineage, the most rigid among them was the Godly Immortal lineage, which could not be transformed into any other lineages. The most flexible one was the Earthly Immortal lineage. One could advance to become a Heavenly Immortal or move laterally to become a Manly Immortal or a Ghostly Immortal.

Other lineages had many restrictions. The Manly Immortal and Ghostly Immortal lineages were extreme opposites, so they could not transform into each other. However, they could move onto the Earthly Immortal or the Godly Immortal lineages. The Godly Immortal lineage was irreversible, so one would have to be sure before changing paths.

Moreover, transferring one’s lineage would inevitably damage one’s cultivation. Sometimes, the damage would be so severe that one would no longer be able to advance further in cultivation level. Therefore, very few would make this desperate move of changing one’s lineage.

Theoretically, Rogue Cultivators could transfer to any lineage. However, that was only in theory, just like how a Rogue Cultivator could supposedly become a Banished Immortal with enough resources.

In the past hundred years, there had been no news of any Rogue Cultivators becoming a Banished Immortal. The Xuan Jade being the key to the transformation process and Li Changge’s status as a Banished Immortal were just Qi Xuansu’s speculations. He did not have any evidence to support his hypothesis yet.

Lei Xiaohuan pondered for a while before taking out a book from her magical receptacle.

It was a boxing manual.

Pei Xiaolou took the book from his wife and handed it to Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu took the book with both hands, stunned to see the words “Fist Intention” written on the cover.

A Martial Arts Practitioner’s fist intention was just like a Qi Refiner’s sword qi and a Diviner’s talismans. They were basic mystical abilities that could be continuously refined and cultivated until one became an immortal.

Qi Xuansu wondered if he could also practice the fist intention.

However, this manual was too general. There should be various types of fist intentions, just as there were different sword qi. Qi Xuansu’s sword qi was completely different from Feng Bo’s sword qi. Zhang Yuelu’s sword qi was also not the same as Xie Qiuniang’s. That was why Qi Xuansu believed that there would be more than one type of fist intention.

Lei Xiaohuan explained, “This is a book I read when I was a teenager. I specifically wrote “fist intention” on the cover to categorize it so as to avoid getting this book mixed up with others. It doesn’t imply that it covers all types of fist intentions in this world.”

Qi Xuansu nodded.

Lei Xiaohuan paused before adding, “If I remember correctly, it should be the Tantai Fist Intention.”

1. The character, Xiao, means small. ☜