A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 375: Long Wuji

Chapter 375: Long Wuji

The seat next to Qi Xuansu was occupied by an old man in a bamboo hat. He was holding a tobacco pipe and seemed friendly. He introduced himself. “Greetings, my name is Long Wuji.”

Qi Xuansu cupped his fists and responded. “I’m Wei Wugui. Nice to meet you.”

If they were anywhere else, they would probably use slang to be more casual. However, those who frequented Sycamore Villa might not understand slang. They also had to be a bit more elegant because of the setting.

Liu Hu kept silent, so it was easy for people to ignore her presence.

“Brother Wei, are you from out of town?” Long Wuji briefly sized him up.

Qi Xuansu spoke authentic Mandarin, so he was not afraid that his accent would expose his identity. “I’m from Jiangling Prefecture in Huzhou.”

In any case, Pei Xiaolou had pre-empted him that his identity as Wei Wugui had been recognized by the Commandery Prince of Jiangling. As long as the Commandery Prince did not say otherwise, no one would challenge his identity.

“Huzhou is a nice place.” Long Wuji nodded. “Brother Wei, are you also here to meet the Finest Courtesan?”

“I dare not hope for that. I’m just here to watch the fun.” Qi Xuansu responded casually.

Long Wuji was a well-informed person. He even mentioned the recent extermination of the Yuan family.

“The Yuan family always claimed to be powerful as the scholastic counterpart to the Commandery Prince of Jiangling. As a result, they perished in the fire at the Yuan Residence. Everything turned to ashes,” Long Wuji said with emotion.

Qi Xuansu agreed. “The Yuan family was indeed too proud of themselves.”

“Right.” Long Wuji nodded. “The Commandery Prince of Jiangling is known as the leader of the nobility. Although he has retired, the young Commandery Prince has a bright future and will probably join the Imperial Cabinet soon. The Yuan family certainly doesn’t qualify to compare with the Commandery Prince Mansion, but their backer might.”

“Brother Long, you seem to be hinting at something.” Qi Xuansu glanced at Long Wuji.

Long Wuji laughed. “It’s like lice on a monk’s head—painfully obvious!”

Qi Xuansu remarked, “The Yuan family brought this onto themselves. They have enjoyed the benefits of being associated with powerful people, so they ought to be prepared to be cast aside when things go south, isn’t it?”

“Brother Wei, you are indeed from the Jiangling Prefecture to know so many secrets.” Long Wuji sighed.

At this moment, there was a commotion among the audience, and everyone looked toward the entrance.

Two people walked in side by side. One of them was a big, strong man about 2.5 meters tall. The other was a graceful young woman in a yellow robe.

“Well, fate can’t prevail against human intervention...” Long Wuji said thoughtfully.

Qi Xuansu did not rebut. That did seem to be the case.

In the past, someone with such bizarre abilities would have been the top figure among their generation.

However, with the rapid development of technology and the strong financial resources and connections of the Daoist Order, Li Changge could firmly sit at the top of the Ruyi Leaderboard without ever having to leave home.

That was due to the power of Taiping coins. Li Changge did not even have to do anything to be a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master because of his powerful family.

After all, most people would bow to that much money and power.

Qi Xuansu did not rely entirely on luck, nor did he rely entirely on himself. Madam Qi was a crucial factor in his advancement. He had obtained the Xuan Jade of Life by chance, while the Xuan Jade of Death was a gift from Madam Qi. Without Madam Qi, Qi Xuansu would not have found the White Jade Hall or the Xuan Jade of Death.

“Why is she here to join in the fun then?” Qi Xuansu asked the old man.

Long Wuji chuckled. “So what if she’s a woman? Why can’t women have fun with other women? Besides, without the Li family’s approval, no one will be able to get close to Li Qingnu. So the meeting is probably just drinking tea and chatting. In that case, gender doesn’t really make a difference, does it?”

Qi Xuansu thought it made sense. When Li Qingnu was in Wuzhou, Zhang Yuelu was also curious about Li Qingnu and purposely went to a poetry gathering to see the latter. This indicated just how much attention the Finest Courtesan gained from everyone, regardless of gender.

At that thought, Qi Xuansu figured that the Finest Courtesan might not be as helpless and pitiful as she claimed to be. With the power of the Li family, Li Qingnu could accomplish many things, especially in Jiangbei.

While they were talking, Zhang Feng and Huang Ning took their seats. A woman in colorful clothes rang the bronze bell.

Immediately after, two people left their seats and walked onto the bluestone floor in the center of the field.

One of them held a bamboo staff, while the other held a long sword.

The two did not waste any time and started fighting.

The person wielding the sword raised the long sword slightly, pointing its tip diagonally upward. However, the movement was exceedingly slow and erratic, as if there was no aim. In fact, the sword was aiming for the opponent’s shoulder. The person using the bamboo staff was not mediocre either. A strong wind whistled past with a casual swing of the staff.

The contrasting nature of their weapons seemed to complement each other perfectly.

The person wielding the sword did not want to confront the opponent head-on, drawing circles of sword light with the sword. On the other side, the person using the bamboo staff made some noise and took the initiative to attack.

In terms of cultivation, these two people were on the same level as Song Luodi. They were both masters in their own right. If they were in the Daoist Order, they could at least be a fifth-rank Daoist priest.

The start of the fighting competition already set the bar high, so it was certainly not just a gimmick.