A Pawn's Passage

A powerful cult stronghold in the face of Tiangang Hall was like a candle flame in strong winds. It could only flicker a few times before being extinguished.

The Yinglong Warship set sail again; this time with a full load.

Not everyone would be escorted back to the Jade Capital. Zhang Yuelu had ordered the Tiangang Hall priests to properly screen and categorize these people by their crimes.

Most of the manor’s guests were left to the local Daoist mansions and the local magistrate. The Daoist mansion would not interfere and would only supervise the entire process to ensure no bribery or foul play. In most cases, the local magistrate would usually convict the cult demon. But the punishment ranged from imprisonment and exile to paying fines of varying amounts and removing one’s status as a gentry.

When the Great Xuan Dynasty was first established, they implemented a new policy for tax. Instead of taxing people based on the head count within a household, the new tax system would be based on the amount of land one used. Those with less land would pay less tax, which was ultimately more beneficial to the poor people who could not afford to pay high taxes.

As such, this policy angered the rich, who typically had more land than head count. However, the Confucian School and the former Wei Dynasty were defeated, and the focus of the Daoist Order and the Great Xuan Dynasty was no longer on the fields but on maritime trade. Thus, the gentry’s protests failed, resulting in some of their privileges being stripped.

The gentry was exempted from corvee labor, but this exemption was not extended to one’s family members. If they were stripped of their gentry status, then they would no longer be exempted from corvee labor, which was a form of disguised punishment.

Aside from those who were killed on the spot, all cult members in the manor were escorted back to the Jade Capital to be tried by Beichen Hall. If any Daoist disciples were involved, Fengxian Hall would also be involved.

Since every inch of land in Jade Capital was precious. Only serious criminals were eligible to be imprisoned in Jade Capital. Most of these people would be imprisoned on the Yuzhu Peak, where there was no formation to keep out the brutal cold all year round.

The money they had confiscated during this raid was more than 200,000 Taiping coins. This was only what they managed to find, not including those that had been transferred out.

In the major Jiangnan case that shook the Daoist Order in which a second-rank Taiyi Daoist priest was executed and hundreds of people were implicated, the amount involved was a few million Taiping coins. This raid of 200,000 Taiping coins was not exactly a small amount either.

According to Sage Cihang’s orders, all confiscated funds should be sealed and transported back to Jade Capital and handed over to the Duzhi Hall for disposal. Part of these confiscated funds would be allocated to Tiangang Hall as a reward. This was the special subsidy that Qi Xuansu used to enjoy. In the case of no asset forfeitures during raids, Duzhi Hall would front the subsidies first.

The manor was handed over to the local magistrate. They would not destroy the building but would convert it for other purposes, such as a charity shelter, a nursery, an academy, or a warehouse.

As the leader of this operation, Zhang Yuelu had her own independent study on the Yinglong Warship. Since it was only a temporary study, there were not many personal belongings, only mountains of files.

These files were from the manor, including ledgers. Since Tiangang Hall was stealthy in their raid, the cult demons were caught off guard, having no time to destroy confidential documents. They even left behind a roster of their cult members.

Zhang Yuelu browsed through the roster at this time and found many gentry among them. Some even had their entire families join the cult.

She sighed and thought, This is the consequence of human desire.

Naturally, she would hand over this list to the local magistrate so that the arrests could be made, since there was no room for mercy in such matters.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Zhang Yuelu’s eyes were still fixed on the roster as she answered, “Come in.”

Mu Jin walked in with another stack of official documents in her hands. However, she hesitated to speak.

The Yinglong Warship was equipped with the rapid post talisman for easy communication.

“Speak up.” Zhang Yuelu turned another page.

Mu Jin reported, “There is news from the Wuxu Palace, requesting Tiangang Hall to help solve a case.”

“Crack a case? Isn’t that Beichen Hall’s job?” Zhang Yuelu finally looked up from the roster. “Our duty is to eradicate secret societies. Is someone trying to use us for their personal gain?”

Mu Jin hesitated for a moment before answering, “They suspect this matter is related to secret societies.”

Zhang Yuelu reached out to take the letter from Mu Jin’s hand and read it.

“Wan Xiuwu? This name sounds familiar. I think I’ve heard of it somewhere.” Zhang Yuelu frowned slightly.

Mu Jin said, “Wan Xiuwu is one of the disciples of the Wuxu Palace Master. That’s why the Wuxu Palace is paying more attention to this case. The Junior Wuxu Palace Master, Pan Cuiqing, is personally handling the case.”

Pan Cuiqing was the successor of the Wuxu Palace Master, hence the nickname Junior Wuxu Palace Master. It was just like Zhang Yuelu’s nickname as the Junior Tiangang Hall Master because she was the successor of Sage Cihang, who was the Tiangang Hall Master.

Although Zhang Yuelu did not like these nicknames, she recognized that it was indeed easier to determine the status of said person.

Zhang Yuelu finally remembered where she had heard this name. When the Quanzhen Sect priests visited Yunjin Mountain before New Year’s Day, she had met Wan Xiuwu in the Shangqing Palace.

At that time, Qi Xuansu was still with her. She never imagined that they would be separated forever just a few days after that.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yuelu was in a depressed mood. She held the letter without speaking for a long time.

“Qing Xiao?” Mu Jin whispered.

Zhang Yuelu snapped back to her senses and regained her composure. “I don’t care if he’s the Junior Wuxu Palace Master or not. I just want to know whether this case is related to secret societies.”

The piece of paper in Zhang Yuelu’s hand was just a simple official letter requesting her help. There were other official documents describing the case in detail.

“Judging from the Wuxu Palace’s statement, it should be related.” Mu Jin took out another detailed case file and handed it to her.

Zhang Yuelu took it over and browsed it quickly. “Are they suspecting Feng Bo for this death? It’s simply ridiculous! First of all, the timing doesn’t match up at all. Moreover, with Feng Bo’s level of cultivation, there’s no need to make such a fuss about killing someone of Wan Xiuwu’s level.”

Mu Jin remarked, “But apart from Feng Bo, there are no other clues.”

Zhang Yuelu asked, “Have you checked Wan Xiuwu’s background and personal relationships?”

“Yes. Wan Xiuwu hasn’t made any enemies recently,” Mu Jin replied.

Zhang Yuelu reminded her. “Vengeance doesn’t have an expiry date. Don’t just check his recent records. Dig further. Did he make any enemies when he was in the Wanxiang Daoist Palace?”

Mu Jin had a strange expression, but she said nothing.

As a close confidant of Zhang Yuelu, Mu Jin would screen through the official documents for Zhang Yuelu before reporting to her. So she would have been familiar with what she read.

At this time, Zhang Yuelu happened to see the last page of the document. It seemed that Wan Xiuwu did have an enemy in the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Suspect

|| Name: Qi Xuansu.

|| Courtesy Name: Tian Yuan.

|| Age: 25 years old.

|| Rank: Sixth-rank Daoist priest.

Note: Eligible for the treatment of a fifth-rank Daoist priest.

|| Background: Wanxiang Daoist Palace, Bingzi Year, Class A.

|| Master: Qi Haoran.

Note: Fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist priest, deceased due to an accident.

|| Position: Deacon of Yaoguang Division, Tiangang Hall.

Note: Missing in action, suspected dead.

Zhang Yuelu was silent for a long time before she muttered, “What malicious intentions.”

This was the reason Mu Jin was awkward and hesitant when reporting this to Zhang Yuelu. As Zhang Yuelu’s close confidant, Mu Jin knew that Qi Xuansu was a thorn that could never be removed from Zhang Yuelu’s heart. Thus, there was a tacit understanding within the Yaoguang Division not to mention Qi Xuansu’s name.

During this period, Zhang Yuelu had almost no spare time. She threw herself into work and did not seem much different from before.

However, asking Zhang Yuelu to investigate Qi Xuansu was equivalent to stabbing her in the heart.

Zhang Yuelu asked, “Don’t they know that Tian Yuan is my friend? What are they implying by asking me to handle this case? Are they laughing at my misery? Or is this not the point at all?”

Mu Jin hurriedly added, “Actually, the Wuxu Palace reported it to Tiangang Hall, but the Hall Master assigned this case to you.”

“My master?” Zhang Yuelu was startled. She then fell into deep thought.

Mu Jin did not dare say another word.

After a long time, Zhang Yuelu finally spoke. “Alright. In that case, I will go to Wuxu Palace after we’re done here.”