As the casual conversation continued, many began urging Qi Xuansu to talk about his experiences over the years. Though most people already knew the general outline, hearing it from him personally was a different matter. It was partly to flatter him, but also to learn details others did not know.

Qi Xuansu briefly spoke about the Fenglin Campaign, omitting sensitive matters such as the Zhang-Li conflict and Izanagi.

After that, he said no more and let the others carry the conversation.

The atmosphere began to warm and intensify.

Stirred by emotion and alcohol, former lovers who reunited in this setting held hands and gazed at each other tearfully.

Others, already prone to emotional intoxication, combined with actual drinking, began venting their feelings, arms around each other, laughing and crying in turns. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The vigor and freedom of youth had long faded with those carefree days. Compared to the past, present struggles and disappointments felt even more confusing and disheartening.

Sitting there, Qi Xuansu remained sober among the intoxicated, observing with detached indifference.

After leaving the Daoist Palace, everyone went their separate ways. The divergence in their lives had become immense, like the difference between heaven and earth. All they could do was hold on to the memory of the past.

After the gathering ended, Qi Xuansu went to his former instructor’s grave to offer incense.

Qi Xuansu took a detached view toward matters of death. It had been the same when he visited Qi Haoran. If he had time, he would go. If not, he would not force it. Funerals and rituals were not for the dead, but for the living. People often failed to show filial devotion while their elders were alive, only to perform it at the grave. Qi Xuansu had no interest in putting on such displays or crafting an image of deep loyalty.

He had long said he was stingy with emotional investment. As an orphan who grew up with little warmth, expecting him to radiate warmth like the sun was unrealistic. The fact that he did not emit coldness was already an achievement.

Afterward, Qi Xuansu prepared to leave the Wanxiang Daoist Palace and accompany the Western Daoist delegation to the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion.

He wondered how Zhang Jucheng handled Li Tianlan’s matter.

Thinking back, the last time he visited Jiangnan was to see Madam Qi at the Gratitude Temple, where he had come and gone in haste. Before that was the second major Jiangnan case.

It was precisely the severity of that case that led to the early retirement of the previous Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master. At the same time, it accelerated Qi Xuansu’s rise, earning him promotion to Chief Superintendent of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion.

That time, Qi Xuansu traveled from Jinling Prefecture to the Upper Palace of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. This time, he was traveling in reverse.

Soon, the Western Daoist delegation’s Solar Ark landed at Zhenwu Lake.

The Zhenwu Temple that had once been burned down had already been fully restored, and it was now even more exquisite than before.

The three top figures of Jiangnan Daoist Mansion—Zhang Jucheng, Lei Xiaohuan, and Li Tianlan—personally came to receive them.

All of them were old acquaintances in one way or another.

Huangfu Ji had already met Zhang Jucheng and Lei Xiaohuan during Qi Xuansu’s apprenticeship ceremony. Only Li Tianlan was meeting him for the first time. Still, he had long heard of the man. After all, Huangfu Ji had been present when Ye Qingshuang dealt with Li Ping’s matter in Sahul. He had also heard some details about the second major Jiangnan case. Setting aside issues of stance and morality, this Second Deputy Li was undeniably capable and very much a reflection of the Li family itself.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, a welcome banquet was arranged.

Since the true guest of honor at this banquet was Huangfu Ji, Qi Xuansu found an excuse not to attend and quietly left Zhenwu Temple alone.

Naturally, Qi Xuansu had important business to handle. He had an appointment with Qi Jiaozheng, and the meeting place was at the Gratitude Temple.

The Gratitude Temple had been built by Emperor Taizong of the Wei Dynasty in memory of Emperor Taizu and his mother. Construction lasted 19 years, with 100,000 laborers and soldiers, costing 3 million taels of silver. It was built entirely to the imperial palace standards, so it was magnificent and resplendent and remained illuminated day and night. The temple complex contained 30 halls and pavilions, 150 monks’ quarters, 120 side chambers, and 38 scripture halls, making it the foremost among all temples.

Within the temple stood the Porcelain Tower, constructed entirely of colored glazed tiles, with 146 eternal lamps placed both inside and outside the tower, making it the tallest pagoda in the world.

For this reason, the Gratitude Temple was not truly a Buddhist temple. In reality, it was an imperial temple closely tied to the Confucian School.

Thus, this place had witnessed and embodied the entire struggle between Confucianism and Daoism. This was also where Qi Xuansu had confronted Madam Qi about his identity.

Familiar with the route, Qi Xuansu changed into ordinary clothes and headed toward the Gratitude Temple. Passing through the front temple and crossing the Perfume River, he arrived at the rear temple grounds.

Qi Jiaozheng did not choose to meet at the Porcelain Tower but selected the Pagoda Forest.

The Pagoda Forest lay behind the world-famous Porcelain Tower. It was the resting place for the relics and remains of the temple’s successive monks. Several ascetic monks resided there year-round, meditating in silence while also serving as guardians.

Due to this, the area was considered a forbidden zone within the Gratitude Temple. Ordinary temple goers were not allowed entry, and even the temple monks themselves could not freely enter. Only the abbot and a few senior monks possessed that privilege.

As a result, the place was unusually deserted during ordinary times, making Qi Xuansu all the more conspicuous as he walked into the area alone.

Relying on his cultivation, Qi Xuansu moved through the area effortlessly. After the attack on Donghuang, the Daoist Order had carried out a thorough purge of the Gratitude Temple, so there were no longer any hidden masters or reclusive experts left here. Although Qi Xuansu had not yet reached the Pseudo-Immortal stage, it was more than sufficient to evade the notice of ordinary people.

After passing through the Pagoda Forest, he entered a vast clearing. The terrain here was relatively gentle, allowing one to overlook the city of Jinling in the distance. Most people would never imagine that such a tranquil place filled with green grass and blooming flowers lay beyond the cold and gloomy Pagoda Forest. There was even a small thatched cottage here, with bamboo tables and chairs set outside.

This had once been the residence of Zen Master Hu. Qi Jiaozheng was already waiting there, seated calmly on one of the chairs. He had even prepared a pot of tea and two teacups.

Qi Xuansu walked over and sat opposite Qi Jiaozheng, who picked up the teapot and poured tea for him.

Qi Xuansu lightly steadied the teacup with his hand as a gesture of respect toward his senior. “My apologies for keeping you waiting, Sage Wanmiao.”

“I didn’t wait long,” Qi Jiaozheng replied. “The scenery here is quite nice. It has allowed me to sneak in half a day of leisure from the burdens of life.”

Qi Xuansu did not respond.

Back when Qi Xuansu had only just begun to make a name for himself, many people had speculated that he had some sort of connection with Qi Jiaozheng. Yet throughout Qi Xuansu’s rise, he actually had very little contact with Sage Wanmiao. In fact, this was the first truly substantial interaction between the two.

Although the two appeared cordial, the reason for this meeting was far from pleasant.

Qi Xuansu did not wish to become enemies with Qi Jiaozheng, so he was in no hurry to speak first and did not want to appear overly aggressive.

Qi Jiaozheng took a sip of tea. “Tian Yuan, I imagine you must have quite a few questions for me.”

Qi Xuansu cupped the teacup in both hands, slowly turning it as he spoke. “The first time I met Senior Brother Qi, he mentioned Qi Haoran. He said that, strictly speaking, he ought to call Qi Haoran ‘uncle,’ though this particular uncle was better left unmentioned. He also said he never expected Qi Haoran to still have a disciple alive in this world.

“That disciple was referring to me. I sensed that something was off, so I asked Senior Brother Qi why my master ended up becoming a Daoist of the Zhengyi Sect if the Qi family is from the Quanzhen Sect. Senior Brother Qi answered that Qi Haoran never told me because Qi Haoran was in the wrong.

“Sage Wanmiao, I once asked you about this matter as well, at the Emerald Plain of the Ziwei Hall. At the time, Wang Jiaohe was still an Omniscient Sage, and I had a conflict with Wang Danqing. You were also present then. You told me that you did not know Qi Haoran. Later, because of some business dealings, I became somewhat acquainted with Daoist Qi Muyu, and I asked her as well. She also knew nothing about it.

“In my view, it’s possible for her not to know a thing. But I’m guessing that there were things you couldn’t speak about openly back then. Now, with only the two of us present, I would like to ask once more. Who exactly was Qi Haoran?”

Qi Jiaozheng fell into a long silence.

Qi Xuansu did not urge him to continue. He merely stared at the tea in his cup, watching the faint ripples spread across the surface.

The white steam rising from the tea drifted softly through the air between the two men.

To be fair, Qi Jiaozheng had long anticipated what Qi Xuansu wanted to ask, so he was not surprised. Even so, now that the moment had truly arrived, he still had not fully made up his mind.

After all, the issues involved here ran unfathomably deep. Even he would not dare claim that he fully understood everything.

If not for Qi Wangui, he would never have discussed this matter with Qi Xuansu.

After a long while, Qi Jiaozheng finally spoke. “Your senior brother did not lie to you, nor did he have any reason to. Qi Haoran truly was my cousin.”

Qi Xuansu immediately followed up with another question. “If that’s the case, then why did Qi Haoran leave the Quanzhen Sect and become a Daoist of the Zhengyi Sect?”

Qi Jiaozheng had already made up his mind, so he no longer hesitated. “This is an old story. It’s not exactly a glorious one for the Qi family.

“There were six siblings in our generation. Aside from myself, Muyu, and Jianyuan’s father, there were three others. One died young, another rarely involved himself in either family affairs or Daoist affairs, and the last one was Qi Haoran, whom the Beichen Hall has now officially labeled as disloyal to the Daoist Order.

“In the beginning, as the elder brother, I had very high hopes for him. The other brothers had no real ambitions within the Daoist Order, and Jianyuan was still too young. I wanted a brother who could become my right-hand man, and Qi Haoran was the most suitable candidate. I invested enormous effort into him and paved the road ahead for him.

“At first, he did not disappoint me. But this is a painfully cliché story. Once that woman appeared, everything began to slip beyond my control.”