A Pawn's Passage

The second floor of Tianshui Core Tower was no smaller than the first floor, but it had far fewer bookshelves, making it feel more spacious. It was evident that the quality of the books here surpassed those on the first floor.

Additionally, there were desks and chairs placed near many windows, but all of these windows were currently sealed. If one approached, the familiar Eight Trigrams symbols of the restrictions would appear.

However, Yao Pei remained indifferent to the vast collection of books on the second floor. Since all the bookshelves were protected by restrictive seals, Yao Pei would not waste any one of the limited uses of her counterfeit jade token to unlock the book, no matter how valuable it was. Thus, she did not even glance at them.

After weaving through the labyrinthine bookshelves, the two of them arrived at the stairway leading to the third floor. There, a massive figure over 3 meters tall loomed before them, with its head nearly touching the ceiling. It was made entirely of gold and iron, bearing a resemblance to a Spirit Guard’s armor but significantly larger. It was wielding a weapon, and it had two glowing red lights flickering where its eyes should be.

The Daoist Order referred to this as a mechanical puppet, a masterpiece created before the split between Tianji Hall and Huasheng Hall. It combined the mechanics of automation engineering with the mystical power of talismans.

With its indestructible body, immunity to fire and water, and immense strength, its combat abilities were on par with those of a Heavenly Being. Moreover, due to its massive frame, it could be equipped with Imitation Dragon Pearls and even connected to formation-based earth energy, granting it far greater endurance than a Spirit Guard. Its only real drawback was its exorbitant cost.

Certain locations had to remain sealed for long periods, yet these places were of immense importance and required strict guarding. Assigning living guards to such places would be impractical because those willing to take the job would be too weak, while those strong enough would be unwilling.

Additionally, Spirit Guards required periodic shifts to replenish their divine power. Thus, these mechanical puppets, which could enter a dormant state to conserve energy when not in use, came in handy.

For example, Tianshui Core Tower was sealed for years, and the Spirit Guards who once guarded it had long been withdrawn. However, the Wanxiang Daoist Palace had still prepared a final safeguard by deploying a mechanical puppet in place of the original Spirit Guards.

More importantly, this mechanical puppet was not linked to the sealing mechanism of the Tianshui Core Tower. After all, anyone who reached the second floor must have already broken the tower’s restrictions. If the puppet were connected to that same seal, it would be rendered useless, defeating its purpose as a guard.

In other words, this was a completely separate security system in addition to the tower’s restrictions.

The mechanical puppet immediately locked onto the two of them.

At that moment, Yao Pei retrieved a seal and turned its engraved surface upward.

Due to the traditional Eastern writing format, which read from top to bottom and right to left, the inscription on the seal was arranged in three columns. The rightmost column bore two characters from top to bottom, Jian[1] and Xiu[2]; the middle column read Shan[3] and Zhu[4]; and the leftmost column contained an elongated, uncommon variant of the character Ren[5] that occupied the vertical space of two characters. The junction of the upper and lower components of the character Ren was aligned in the middle, so it was easily mistaken for two other characters, He[6] and Ren[7]. This gave the illusion of five characters appearing as six.

Qi Xuansu was not very proficient in literature. He glanced at the seal inscription and asked in confusion, “Jianxiu Mountain Master…Grain…Person…? What does that mean? Is this master a farmer on Jianxiu Mountain?”

Yao Pei turned to look at Qi Xuansu. This time, her face held an expression of astonishment, disdain, helplessness, ridicule, and amusement, all at once.

Seeing Yao Pei’s expression, Qi Xuansu realized he had made a fool of himself and kept his mouth shut.

Yao Pei took a light breath and muttered, “It’s just Master of Jianxiu Mountain. What on earth is a Grain Person, anyway?”

With that, Yao Pei raised the seal engraved with “Master of Jianxiu Mountain” toward the mechanical puppet and commanded, “By the order of the Master of Jianxiu Mountain, return to position!”

Strangely enough, the mechanical puppet suddenly stopped moving. The red light in its eyes gradually dimmed, and it returned to its dormant state, akin to a statue.

Qi Xuansu was secretly astonished by Yao Pei’s thorough preparation and could not help but ask, “Daoist Yao, what is Jianxiu Mountain?”

Yao Pei did not hide it from him. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but since you are Madam Qi’s adopted son, I won’t keep it from you.”

Originally, Yao Pei referred to Madam Qi as Seventh Grandaunt. However, perhaps to avoid awkwardly addressing Qi Xuansu as her uncle, she casually switched to calling her Madam Qi.

Qi Xuansu naturally noticed Yao Pei’s change in address but chose not to expose it. After all, Yao Pei was completely sober and way more expressive than usual. Who knew what she would do to him if she was angered?

This also made Qi Xuansu realize that Yao Pei carried too many secrets. Whether it was the blank jade token capable of imitating the Palace Master’s token or this seal from the Master of Jianxiu Mountain, they were things she could not reveal to outsiders. Yet, she needed a helper in this mission.

Since Qi Xuansu had been praised and promoted by Sage Donghua, Yao Pei had her eye on him. Even so, she was still cautious, repeatedly questioning his relationship with Madam Qi. Unexpectedly, she ended up with a new “uncle,” so now she had no choice but to gloss over this address.

This also proved that Yao Pei had planned this heist long in advance and was not acting on impulse.

Yao Pei once again used the counterfeit jade token to unlock the restriction leading to the third floor. She asked, “How much do you know about the Daoist Order’s creation projects?”

“I heard that its core was established in the paradise in Jade Capital, but later split into the Huasheng Hall and the Tianji Hall,” Qi Xuansu answered honestly.

Yao Pei nodded. “That was something that happened later. In the earliest days, when Difei Mountain’s Chongyang Palace of Immortality was still the Daoist Order’s auxiliary capital, the creation projects were established in Jianxiu Mountain, not far from Difei Mountain.

“Even after this arm relocated to the Kunlun Cave, Jianxiu Mountain remained crucial. These mechanical puppets are products of the creation projects, and all of them have a backdoor command. By issuing an order in the name of the Master of Jianxiu Mountain, the puppet will stand down.”

Qi Xuansu asked in surprise, “Where is Jianxiu Mountain?”

Yao Pei answered, “It’s in Zhongzhou, not far from Purple Immortal Mountain and Longmen Prefecture. However, it is extremely well-hidden. If one does not know the method to open the entrance, one would not be able to enter even if standing right in front of it.”

Qi Xuansu sighed. “I see. The saying is true that one can guard against a thousand external threats, but it’s hardest to guard against betrayal from within.”

Yao Pei shot Qi Xuansu a sharp glare before heading up to the third floor.

Qi Xuansu followed behind. The moment he stepped onto the third floor, a mighty dragon roar erupted. The rolling sound waves crashed toward him. Before he could react, his ears instantly went deaf, his vision darkened, and he staggered several steps back, nearly collapsing to the ground. He also felt a violent contraction in his heart. Though not painful, it was certainly terrifying.

If Qi Xuansu did not have his exceptionally resilient Auxiliary Heart, this single dragon roar alone would have gravely injured him. If it had been someone with a lower cultivation level, their heart might have ruptured on the spot, killing them instantly.

This mature flood dragon was truly powerful, capable of rivaling a Pseudo-Immortal.

Yao Pei’s body only swayed slightly. Her complexion paled for a brief moment before she quickly regained her composure.

Upon reaching the third floor, the two of them could only stand on the narrow space at the stairway entrance. In front of them was another barrier, appearing like a curtain of water that reflected their mirror images.

At this time, Yao Pei’s forged jade token had only one last use remaining.

Without hesitation, Yao Pei activated the counterfeit jade token. The water curtain rippled in waves, after which the forged jade token dimmed. Cracks spread across the token's surface until it finally crumbled into fine sand.

Yao Pei, meticulous as ever, did not scatter the fine sand carelessly. Instead, she carefully gathered it up, leaving no trace behind.

Seeing Yao Pei’s actions, Qi Xuansu suddenly thought of something and asked, “As we retrieve the treasure, we might end up facing the flood dragon inside. It’s not a mute beast, and it possesses intelligence equal to that of humans. What if it identifies the two of us in the future when the seventh-generation Grand Master releases it?”

Yao Pei responded in an indifferent tone, “Is it a Daoist disciple? Since when did the words of an outsider become admissible evidence? Without proof, it’s just a baseless accusation. We will only need to act as we always have.”

Qi Xuansu frowned slightly. “Is it really that simple?”

Yao Pei countered, “Let me ask you, who was the person responsible for the second Jiangnan case?”

Qi Xuansu hesitated for a moment before answering, “The Second Deputy Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master, Li Tianlan.”

“You and Zhang Yuelu have been investigating this case for so long, but what did you manage to do with him?” Yao Pei sneered. “Everyone knows Li Tianlan is corrupt, but without evidence, he remains in his position as the Second Deputy Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master.”

Qi Xuansu had no choice but to acknowledge Yao Pei’s words.

“Let’s go.” Yao Pei stepped through the rippling water barrier first.

Qi Xuansu followed closely behind.

At last, the two of them reached the third floor.

In the past, only Great Sages and Omniscient Sages could step onto this floor. The books here were classified as confidential, which was why the flood dragon had been caught here and imprisoned by the sixth-generation Grand Master.

At this moment, everything on the third floor was tinged with a layer of black and white, as if time had frozen at this very moment. The arrangement of the bookshelves mirrored the outer 81 archive towers, forming concentric circles. At the very center of these rings, a black-and-white pillar of light cascaded from above, forming a yin-yang symbol on the ground.

Inside the black-and-white light pillar sat a stunningly beautiful woman, clad in white robes, white gauze, white hair, and white boots—not a stark white, but rather a hazy, misty shade, like clouds enveloping the moon.

Ordinary people would struggle to wear such a shade of white without appearing dull in contrast, yet her fair, translucent skin made her look even more vibrant.

Her face was as delicate as a flower moist with dew, her arched brows like willows tinged with mist, exquisitely alluring yet with an indifferent, icy gaze that made her seem otherworldly.

If it was as expected, this must be the prisoner of the Tianshui Core Tower—the flood dragon.

A thought even crossed Qi Xuansu’s mind. Could the sixth-generation Grand Master have spared her out of pity for her beauty?

However, Yao Pei only gave the woman a brief glance before shifting her gaze upward, where an Eight Trigrams Mirror was suspended above her head. It was this mirror that pinned the dragon in place.

Qi Xuansu followed Yao Pei’s gaze and spotted the mirror as well, though he had yet to locate the second semi-immortal object.

The dragon lady coldly gazed at the two of them and asked, “Who are you?”

Yao Pei countered, “Are you the flood dragon imprisoned here by the Grand Master?”

The dragon lady let out a cold laugh. “So, you are Daoist disciples. But with your level of cultivation, I doubt you can kill me. You’d best summon your elders.”

1. 剑(jiàn) means sword. ☜

2. 秀(xiù) means elegance. ☜

3. 山(shān) means mountain. ☜

4. 主(zhǔ) means master. ☜

5. 秂(rén) means fruition. ☜

6. 禾(hé) means grain. ☜

7. 人(rén) means human. ☜