A Pawn's Passage

“Is it just a dereliction of duty?” Wang Zicheng suddenly raised his voice.

Lin Zhenyuan looked at Wang Zicheng and said in a deep voice, “Pacification Commander, what do you mean by that?”

Wang Zicheng stared at Lin Zhenyuan intently. “Let me make it clear. Our superiors sent me here to inspect Liangzhou, Yongzhou, Xizhou, Qinzhou, and the surrounding area because something shady was going on. I even got ambushed on the way here. It makes me wonder if someone was afraid I’d discover something, so they wanted to do whatever it took to silence me.”

“Pacification Commander, you might as well just get to the point and name your suspect.” Lin Zhenyuan’s expression changed.

The entire courtyard was deadly silent, with only the sound of wind and falling snow.

Many Green Phoenix Guards, including Luo Xiao, never thought that two high-ranking officers would confront each other so openly. As mere subordinates, they could only pretend to be deaf, blind, and mute for a while.

Wang Zicheng suddenly questioned, “Lieutenant Colonel, how did this group of demons know my whereabouts?”

Lin Zhenyuan also raised his voice. “Pacification Commander, are you suspecting me?”

Wang Zicheng rebutted. “Who should I suspect, then? Why don’t you enlighten me?”

Lin Zhenyuan sneered. “You claimed that you were ambushed, but no one witnessed it. It was merely your one-sided statement. If you want to frame me with this, then I have no choice but to report this matter to the Commander Adjutant, who will then report it to the Lord Commander.”

Wang Zicheng did not conceal his anger. He stopped arguing with Lin Zhenyuan and said, “There’s no need for the Commander Adjutant to relay this to the Lord Commander. Since I am an envoy, I can meet the Lord Commander directly. Why don’t you come with me to the Capital? You can explain yourself to the Lord Commander as well.”

Lin Zhenyuan stared straight at Wang Zicheng. “The law of our Great Xuan Dynasty stipulates that if the incumbent official has not collaborated with the enemy, lost the city, or been involved in bribery, then a Pacification Commander has no right to detain the official without an imperial decree. The Pacification Commander could report it to the superiors. If you want me to follow you to the Capital, you must first produce evidence of my wrongdoing.”

Wang Zicheng was able to rise to the lower-fourth rank in the Green Phoenix Guard due to his cultivation level. He was an outstanding individual.

He stated, “I took a boat on the Tongtian River, but a Diviner used magic to destroy my boat, killing my entourage. I am a Martial Arts Practitioner, so I can’t find out who did this. But the Diviners in the Green Phoenix Guard will be able to find some clues.

“After I swam ashore, three more Shamans in the Yuxu stage besieged me. Our Diviners can also use the Earth Qi Recalling Technique to verify what happened. If anyone disturbs the earth’s energy, it only means that they have something to hide.

“Even if the Green Phoenix Guard doesn’t care about this matter, since it involves demons from the Lingshan Witch Cult, the Daoist Order will definitely get to the bottom of it.

“Lieutenant Colonel, if you are not willing to come with me today, someone else will summon you soon. I only hope that you can be as confident as you are now when the time comes.”

Lin Zhenyuan was startled. He immediately lost the arrogance he had earlier, and the cold light in his eyes slowly subsided.

After a while, Lin Zhenyuan tried to manipulate the situation. “Pacification Commander, these are groundless fabrications and false accusations. As a member of the Green Phoenix Guard, you colluded with people from the Daoist Order. This is a big taboo, and as the Pacification Commander of the Southern Military Commission, you should know how such crimes are convicted.”

Wang Zicheng said, “Of course, I’m aware. But that only applies if secret associations aren’t involved. Emperor Gaozu once left a mandate stating that all ministries and officials of the Imperial Court must fully assist the Daoist Order in matters involving the Ancient Immortals and secret societies.

“The Holy Xuan also said that the Zhengyi Sect is in charge of affairs relating to ghosts and gods, the Taiping Sect is in charge of worldly affairs, and the Quanzhen Sect is in charge of inventions. The three Daoist Sects are not subordinate to each other and are clearly distinct.

“However, when it comes to matters involving Ancient Immortals, the Taiping Sect and the Quanzhen Sect would also give their full assistance. Are you saying that Emperor Gaozu and the Holy Xuan are wrong in this decree?”

With Emperor Gaozu and the Holy Xuan mentioned, even the Grand Master of the Daoist Order and the Emperor would not dare go against the decree, let alone Lin Zhenyuan.

The Lieutenant Colonel was speechless for a moment.

Wang Zicheng added, “Besides, this matter already involved the Daoist Order.” He turned back and ordered, “Deacon Qi.”

Qi Xuansu, who had been silent the whole time, took a step forward and put Bai Yongguan’s decapitated head on the ground. He carefully brushed aside Bai Yongguan’s hair to reveal his face.

“I am Qi Xuansu, a deacon of Tiangang Hall. This man was the abbot of Qingbai Temple, Bai Yongguan. He was a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master who was also a member of the Lingshan Witch Cult. Pacification Commander Wang and I killed him. This is the evidence.”

Then he took out the simple jade pendant and a string of prayer beads that could prove Bai Yongguan’s affiliation with the secret society. It was clear that Bai Yongguan had a higher status in the Lingshan Witch Cult than Chu Liangwang because the former’s beads were made of jade.

Lin Zhenyuan’s face turned pale, while Luo Xiao’s expression changed dramatically.

The rest of the Green Phoenix Guards were also shocked.

Although He Nian did not carry the prayer beads that directly indicated his identity as an Ancient Immortal believer, he had a similar jade pendant to Bai Yongguan.

Zhang Yuelu could not help but feel a little scared. She originally thought that Qingbai Temple had been attacked by the demons from the Lingshan Witch Cult. Unexpectedly, the abbot of Qingbai Temple was already a member of the secret society.

Sending Qi Xuansu to Qingbai Temple alone was akin to pushing a sheep into a tiger’s den. Fortunately, Qi Xuansu returned safely. Otherwise, she would not know how she would get over the guilt.

Zhang Yuelu took the jade pendant from Qi Xuansu and asked Luo Xiao for the jade pendant he had found on He Nian. She raised the two jade pendants and said, “Lieutenant Colonel Lin, Major Luo, you two owe me an explanation.”

Luo Xiao suddenly remembered Zhang Yuelu’s question not long ago. His heart pounded, and he quickly defended himself. “I have just assumed my position for less than a year, so I’m not familiar with the situation here. However, He Nian has been a veteran in this office for more than ten years. He’s in charge of all documents, and many of the office affairs go through his hands. I really don’t know the details.”

Although Luo Xiao did not explicitly state it, Wang Zicheng keenly captured the keywords and immediately asked, “Major Luo, who is your predecessor?”

Luo Xiao glanced at Lin Zhenyuan next to him and spoke hesitantly. “The fundamental workings of an office often persist even with a change in leadership. My predecessor—”

Wang Zicheng interrupted, “It can’t be Lieutenant Colonel Lin, right?”

There was no emotion on Lin Zhenyuan’s face as he admitted it. “It’s me. Back then, the position of Major was vacant here, so the superiors asked me to concurrently hold the positions of the Senior Major in the Lieutenant Colonel’s Office and the Major in this office.”

“In other words, He Nian was once your direct subordinate.” Wang Zicheng remarked. “Whether you are a demon from the Lingshan Witch Cult or colluded with He Nian, you can be convicted of negligence just because your confidant is a demon from the Lingshan Witch Cult. Although it’s not a big crime, it’s still enough for you to be brought to the Imperial Capital for a face-to-face interrogation.”

At this moment, Bai Yongguan’s head suddenly came to life and uttered, “The seventh-rank Daoist priest is the vessel we are looking for!”

Immediately afterward, Lin Zhenyuan suddenly jumped up and charged at Qi Xuansu.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu no longer had the Dragon Eye Bullet. How could he possibly fight a Green Phoenix Guard Lieutenant Colonel head-on?

......

At the same time, a scholar asked the waiter of an inn in Yishan City for a basin of water.

The scholar stretched out his hand and stirred the water. Instantly, the current scene in the Major’s Office appeared in the basin.

Not far from the water basin was an incense burner the size of a human head, filled with incense sticks as thick as a little finger. The incense burned and flickered inside the burner.

The white smoke rose in swirls, twisting and changing until it turned into someone’s face. The smoke image resembled Wang Zicheng, but it was not very clear, like an ink-wash painting.

The scholar laughed as he flicked his finger at Wang Zicheng’s image, dissipating the smoke quickly.

......

Wang Zicheng, who was in the Major’s Office, only felt a sudden blow to his chest. He could not help but groan while stumbling back a few steps.

In close combat, Diviners were likely to be killed by a Martial Arts Practitioner after a few moves. But if the Diviner distanced themselves or simply hid in the dark, then the Martial Arts Practitioner would be toyed with.

Although Wang Zicheng was hindered, Zhang Yuelu was there to protect Qi Xuansu. She turned the Amorphous Paper into a long sword and stood in front of Qi Xuansu, shielding him from the Lieutenant Colonel.

Lin Zhenyuan did not dare underestimate Zhang Yuelu. He used his Nine Yin Ghost Hand to grab the paper sword. A black, evil energy lingered on his five fingers, bringing with it cries and resentful complaints of wronged souls. This was a technique that could only be learned in the Guizhen stage.

At the same time, he used the Green Phoenix Guard’s Black Devil Palm with his left hand. This palm strike had an extremely cold energy that would cause the opponent’s body to freeze in an instant. A black palm print would appear on the opponent’s body as the cold poison seeped through the opponent’s skin. The pain during the attack was unbearable, and it was a narrow escape from death.

To Lin Zhenyuan’s surprise, the paper sword in Zhang Yuelu’s hand was so sharp that it neutralized his Nine Yin Ghost Hand and almost cut off all five of his fingers.

At the same time, his left palm could not touch Zhang Yuelu at all. That was because her Five Elements Qi Shield, which was around three centimeters thick, made it impossible for his left palm to reach her, let alone hurt her.

Lin Zhenyuan’s expression changed greatly. He clearly had not expected Zhang Yuelu to be so powerful. The Green Phoenix Sword on his waist unsheathed itself and flew into his palm.

The Green Phoenix Sword was also one of the standard-issue weapons of the Green Phoenix Guard. It was far better than the Slim Tiger Saber and could only be used by those at the Lieutenant Colonel level.

The continuous sounds of metal clanging made it seem like they were on a battlefield. Erratic energy also surged in the air in the Major’s Office.

At this moment, the scholar, who was far away at an inn, used the green smoke from the incense burner to form Zhang Yuelu’s face, wanting to get rid of her.

However, Zhang Yuelu seemed to be aware of the scholar’s movements. While Zhang Yuelu was forcing Lin Zhenyuan back, she slashed her paper sword in the air. Suddenly, they could hear the soft sound of a taut string snapping.

At the same time, thunder struck the ground in the inn. The basin broke into pieces, spraying countless water droplets on the walls and windows, creating countless holes from the impact.

The incense stick in the burner was also broken into two halves, as if it had been sliced cleanly by a sharp weapon.

The scholar was horrified by this scene. He staggered back a few steps and had to hold the table next to him for support, as he felt like he had been punched hard in the heart. Soon after, the whole table shattered.