A Pawn's Passage

When Qi Xuansu asked how much cultivation Quan still had left, anyone with even a bit of experience could hear his malintent.

Although Quan had been asleep for many years and knew nothing of the changes in the outside world, she had once been a high-ranking figure in the Wuist Sect. She was not an innocent child and still retained a basic level of vigilance.

The change in Qi Xuansu’s attitude was due to Wu Luo.

Qi Xuansu was not killing everyone connected to Wu Luo simply because of his grudge. Rather, he sensed a flaw.

Wu Luo was not actually dead. Many years ago, Wu Luo had already established contact with her followers and subordinates through the Zhuyou Spell.

If Quan were a subordinate of Wu Luo, then after awakening, she would already know that Wu Luo was not dead. Yet she still feigned ignorance and asked Qi Xuansu about the fall of the Eleven Ancestral Witches. Even after Qi Xuansu gave a misleading answer, Quan not only failed to expose him but pretended to be misled, lulling Qi Xuansu into a false sense of security. What was her motive? If Quan were not a subordinate of Wu Luo, then why would she claim to be one?

This was precisely where Quan had miscalculated. In the Ancient Wuist Era, the Five Immortal lineages had not yet been complete. Wu Luo’s methods were novel and extremely concealed. Therefore, Quan believed that Qi Xuansu did not know about her connection with Wu Luo. But after so many years, what was once novel had become old, and what was once a secret had become public knowledge. Persisting in acting based on outdated assumptions would inevitably lead to great losses.

Thus, after Quan revealed that she was Wu Luo’s follower, Qi Xuansu immediately realized the loophole.

As a result, the already scarce trust between the two of them collapsed completely.

Quan had deceived Qi Xuansu, who had also returned the favor to a certain extent.

The two told no outright lies, but neither did they tell the whole truth. They held something back to deliberately misdirect the other. After all, Quan had only asked whether the Eleven Ancestral Witches had fallen.

This would trap the two of them in a chain of suspicion, unable to determine whether the other’s intentions were good or malicious. To ensure one’s own safety, the best option was to strike first. After all, this was not the outside world. There were no powerful constraints of reason or rules, nor any guarantees. Genuine communication was difficult to achieve, and no one could know whether seemingly frank dialogue was merely a deliberate facade meant to numb the opponent. It was like a pitch-black, deserted jungle where the only law that prevailed was the strong devouring the weak.