A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu came to the bridge. If this was the Naihe Bridge, then below it would be the legendary Weak River. The water from the Weak River was known not to be able to support any weight; even a feather would sink if it landed on the surface of the water.

However, Qi Xuansu was unafraid as he stepped onto the stone bridge.

In an instant, turbulent fog surged in from all directions, blurring his sight and making it impossible to see where the bridge was leading.

The only thing visible was the old woman on the bridge. She was holding an alms bowl in her hand, from which came bursts of aroma.

At this moment, the old woman suddenly raised her head and grinned at Qi Xuansu, revealing her white, jagged teeth. Her hair was white, and the wrinkles on her face were deep like ravines. Her eyes were neither black and white, nor murky and yellow. Instead, they were a hue of green that sent a shiver down one’s spine.

“Drink this.” The old woman raised the alms bowl in front of Qi Xuansu, her voice ethereal and enchanting. At the same time, the aroma from the alms bowl wafted straight into Qi Xuansu’s nostrils.

Qi Xuansu took the alms bowl expressionlessly.

A smile appeared on the old woman's face, and her voice became increasingly affectionate. “Drink up, and all your troubles will disappear.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Does it taste good?”

“Of course, it tastes good. Nothing in this world can beat this taste.” The old woman’s voice was captivating.

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Alright.”

Suddenly, he stepped forward, grabbed the old woman by the neck, and lifted her up.

The old woman clearly did not expect this assault. The kindness she had shown earlier was gone. Her green eyes now shone with hostility. However, in this position, she could not move and was forced to open her mouth wide.

Qi Xuansu raised the bowl in his hand and poured the drink into the old woman’s mouth. “If it tastes so good, you should drink more.”

By the time the bowl was empty, the old woman was in a daze. All she could do was giggle mindlessly.

Qi Xuansu threw her aside and strode forward, the fog receding wherever he passed.

At this moment, someone shouted angrily from the front. “How bold of you!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a metal chain penetrated the mist and shot toward Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu reached out to catch the chain, wrapped it around his palms and wrists, and pulled it back, straightening it.

That was when he saw a huge 7-meter-tall figure emerge from the fog, with a horse head, human body, and red skin. The figure was wearing armor and holding a metal chain in his hand. It was trying to tug on the chain, but it staggered forward because of Qi Xuansu.

Immediately afterward, another huge 7-meter-tall figure slowly appeared, also wearing armor. However, this figure had an ox head, human body, and blue skin. It was holding a green banana leaf fan.

These two blue and red figures turned out to be the legendary Ox-Head and Horse-Face, who were subordinates of the King of Hell.

Ox-Head raised the banana leaf in his hand and swept it down violently, conjuring a tornado of wind and flames that spun toward Qi Xuansu.

If it were before, Qi Xuansu would have been helpless, but he had obtained some properties of the Diviner lineage through the Xuan Jade of Death. His Thoughts and magical powers were equivalent to a Diviner in the Thunder Realm.

Before the Thunder Realm was the Dream Entering Realm. A Diviner in this stage would be able to enter people’s dreams. In many legends, some people met Immortals or masters in their dreams who taught them new techniques or gave them advice. In these cases, it was most likely a Diviner who had visited someone’s dream.

Some Diviners with bad intentions would enter women’s dreams to be intimate with them. As such, the woman would wake up and think that it was an erotic dream. She would not suspect that someone had harassed her.

That was because illusions could deceive the dream owner. Magic was only effective if one believed in it.

Qi Xuansu had the ability to enter dreams as well. However, he did not believe in this illusion and wanted to destroy the intruder.

He suddenly exerted force to pull Horse-Face toward him, using it as a shield.

The flames from Ox-Head’s fan fell on Horse-Face, immediately turning the latter into a charred corpse, its embers faintly flickering.

Ox-Head did not expect this situation. It grunted and charged at Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu dodged the attack. With a wave of his hand, a group of ghost soldiers in square caps and boots appeared around Ox-Head. These ghost soldiers lassoed Ox-Head with metal chains, restraining it.

Without Qi Xuansu’s instructions, the ghost soldiers had already pushed Ox-Head toward their master.

Qi Xuansu stretched out his hand and ordered, “Get my machete!”

Two more ghost soldiers carried Qi Xuansu’s ghosthead machete and handed it over to him.

Qi Xuansu picked up the ghosthead machete without saying a word and slashed it at Ox-Head.

A huge ox's head rolled to the ground with its eyes wide open.

……

A campfire was set up about 50 kilometers away from the Taiping Inn. Three people were sitting around it with their eyes closed, as if they were asleep.

Not far away, there was a group of men with weapons, protecting the three of them.

Suddenly, one of them opened his eyes and looked dazed. He kept giggling as saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth to his chest. He had already lost his sanity.

Immediately afterward, fierce flames inexplicably ignited on the second man’s body, burning his skin and flesh. All that was left was a charred corpse.

In the end, the third person groaned as a thin red line appeared on his neck. A second later, his head rolled off his shoulders.

Seeing this, the people guarding them gasped in shock. They were not Diviners, but they knew that this mission had failed and even backfired.

“This is a tough opponent.” Someone muttered before turning his eyes in another direction.

Not far away from this bonfire was a makeshift tent, in which the scholar, Song Luodi, was sitting cross-legged. At this time, his eyes were tightly shut.

An illusion in a dream was not the same as in the real world. In dreams, anything was possible.

Since someone could create Fengdu in Qi Xuansu’s dream, Qi Xuansu could also turn several ghost soldiers into a ghost army.

Qi Xuansu refused to let someone else defeat him in his own dream.

With a wave of his hand, Qi Xuansu multiplied the ghost soldiers until they formed a black mass of ghost soldiers, with no end in sight. These ghost soldiers were carrying battle flags, wearing black armor, riding on black horses, and pushing artillery. They filled out the Weak River, cutting off the flow of the water.

Qi Xuansu waved his hand.

In his dream, the army of ghost soldiers surged forward and headed straight for Fengdu, blasting the city gates and overwhelming the city walls.

As the city gate collapsed, the army of ghost soldiers poured into the city like a torrent.

After a night of fierce fighting, Fengdu fell and turned into nothingness. The millions of ghost soldiers also disappeared without a trace.

......

Qi Xuansu slowly woke up at around 9:00 a.m. The sunlight shone through the window and fell on Qi Xuansu’s body.

Noticing this, Qi Xuansu hurriedly got up, left his room, and knocked on Liu Hu’s door.

Liu Hu, already well dressed, opened the door and greeted him. “Uncle Wei.”

“Was there anything unusual last night? Did you have a nightmare or something?” Qi Xuansu asked.

Judging from what happened in his dream last night, Qi Xuansu was certain that someone wanted to attack Liu Hu, but they dared not enter the Taiping Inn rashly. It was one thing to be drunk and cause trouble in the Taiping Inn like Xu Changwu, and another matter entirely to ambush a guest in the Taiping Inn at night.

Now that the Daoist Order was using Shangguan Jing’s death as an excuse to eradicate secret societies, attacking the Taiping Inn at night would be akin to blatantly walking into trouble.

Qi Xuansu was afraid that Liu Hu would be coerced to walk into a trap while she was asleep. If that happened, he would have let down Wild Bodhisattva and Madam Qi.

Liu Hu shook her head.

“Good.” Qi Xuansu breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Hu hesitated for a moment, turned around, and took out a jade pendant from her collar. She faced Qi Xuansu and explained, “My adoptive father gave this to me for protection. He said it can ward off ghosts and evil spirits, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

Qi Xuansu glanced at the jade pendant that was carved into the shape of Guanyin Bodhisattva. It had a strong aura and was at least a spiritual object. He could finally rest assured. “That’s good.”

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