A Pawn's Passage

It was only now that Zhang Yuelu understood why her master, Sage Cihang, had vetoed her proposal to investigate the Ghost Kingdom.

Firstly, the Ghost Kingdom was indeed of great importance and could not be touched lightly. Secondly, the relationship between the Three Yin Beings and the Daoist Order was delicate. A reckless investigation could worsen the situation, possibly triggering unforeseen changes.

From the perspective of vying for the position of Grand Master, the Ghost Kingdom was a hornet’s nest. Until a victor was definitively determined, none of the three candidates would dare poke it.

“I have another question,” Zhang Yuelu said, pulling herself back from her thoughts. “Who is that little girl?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Her name is Liu Hu. She’s a survivor of the Jiangnan Case.”

Zhang Yuelu was taken aback.

Qi Xuansu continued, “You were personally involved in the case, so you should remember Fang Linhou and the shares under his name. The Jiangnan Case involved shares processed through anonymous accounts in the Taiping Bank, which were hard to trace.

“These shares weren’t solely owned by Fang Linhou but also included profits distributed among his subordinates. However, they were all registered under Fang Linhou’s name. How they divided the profits among themselves was unknown to outsiders. After Fang Linhou was executed, his subordinates were either dead or arrested, and the few who escaped didn’t dare bring up the matter. Thus, the money remains in the Taiping Bank account to this day.”

Zhang Yuelu asked, “Is Liu Hu Fang Linhou’s daughter?”

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “Liu Hu isn’t Fang Linhou’s daughter. She’s the daughter of one of his subordinates. As a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master, Fang Linhou held a high position but was not skilled in financial matters, so he had someone manage the accounts for him. That person was Liu Hu’s father. Before the case broke out, her father was silenced, leaving Liu Hu as the sole survivor.”

Zhang Yuelu gave Qi Xuansu a deep look and remarked, “It seems you gained a lot from your undercover investigation.”

“I don’t know all the specifics,” Qi Xuansu replied. “I was ordered to escort her to Liaodong, but along the way, I encountered assassins from The Inn again.”

Zhang Yuelu immediately recalled, “The time we were ambushed...”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “They weren’t the same group, but they were related. You cut off the mastermind’s financial pipeline, so they targeted you. Liu Hu’s existence involves the ownership of hundreds of thousands of Taiping coins, so they needed her alive. As far as I know, the leader of the group that ambushed us at the dilapidated temple was called Third Master Chang, a ruthless figure far more dangerous than the group I encountered.”

Zhang Yuelu fell into deep thought and muttered, “When the Jiangnan Case broke out, it was Sage Donghua who advocated for a thorough investigation, claiming it as an opportunity to crack open a wedge in the veil of darkness. In the end, the case fizzled out. Now, it seems Sage Donghua hasn’t given up; he’s just shifted from an open to a covert action.”

Hearing Zhang Yuelu’s words and reflecting on his own experiences, Qi Xuansu began to piece things together.

Pei Xiaolou clearly knew about Liu Hu’s existence and approved of it.

According to Zhang Yuelu, Sage Donghua advocated for a thorough investigation of the Jiangnan Case.

Zhang Yuelu gained the favor of the Earthly Preceptor for her meritorious service in the Jiangnan Case and was promoted to Deputy Hall Master.

Liu Hu was taken in by Wild Bodhisattva, who was affiliated with the Qingping Society and closely connected to Madam Qi, who, in turn, had ties with Pei Xiaolou and Lei Xiaohuan.

Sage Cihang was not initially involved in the Jiangnan Case but only intervened after her disciple, Zhang Yuelu, was endangered.

From this perspective, the situation became clearer. Pei Xiaolou, Sage Donghua, and the Earthly Preceptor were all from the Quanzhen Sect, and their stance had remained consistent from the beginning.

As for Sage Cihang, the Zhengyi Sect initially seemed neutral, like an observer on the sidelines. That was until Zhang Yuelu, the audacious newcomer, stepped in, forcing their hand.

As for who the mastermind was, it seemed almost unnecessary to elaborate.

It certainly would not be the Western Sect that had retreated to the Western Region or the Northern Sect, which had become part of the royal family.

Of course, when it came to interests, the distinctions between sects blurred. There was inevitably mutual infiltration. It was highly likely that some Quanzhen Sect members were involved but were righteously purged under the Earthly Preceptor’s leadership.

Even the Zhengyi Sect’s initial neutrality might have been due to internal involvement, only for them to abandon those people for the greater good as the situation evolved.

Qi Xuansu inquired, “Qing Xiao, what sect was the previous Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master and Fang Linhou from?”

Zhang Yuelu paused momentarily before understanding his intent. She answered, “The previous Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master was from the Quanzhen Sect, while Fang Linhou was from the Taiping Sect. The Taiping Sect would not let it slide after their disciple was executed, so they retaliated by charging the Quanzhen Sect’s Mansion Master with dereliction of duty, resulting in his transfer out of the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion.”

Qi Xuansu could already imagine the drama. The newly appointed Quanzhen Sect Mansion Master descended into Jiangnan Daoist Mansion with a mission, clashing with the internal corrupt forces and facing an undercurrent of schemes, unclear alliances, and treacherous power plays. All of this intertwined with high-level disputes, ultimately leading to mutual destruction.

He remarked, “That makes sense. I think sending Liu Hu to Liaodong is likely connected to this former Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master. The reason I went to Longmen Prefecture was to meet Liu Hu. But I don’t know who was the one who arranged for her to be there.”

Zhang Yuelu mused, “It seems the only way to understand the full picture is to ask Sage Donghua.”

Qi Xuansu nodded in agreement.

Zhang Yuelu asked, “My final question is about the Purple Immortal Mountain case. Now it seems that the Purple Immortal Mountain case is actually a continuation of the Jiangnan Case. It’s only a matter of time before the two cases are tried together. Did you go to Purple Immortal Mountain under Sage Donghua’s orders?”

Qi Xuansu smiled bitterly. “That was actually a coincidence. If not for evading the assassins from The Inn, I wouldn’t have gone to Purple Immortal Mountain. Once there, I discovered that Shimen County had been sealed off by the Green Phoenix Guard due to a serial murder case.

“The one in charge of the murder investigation was an old acquaintance, Eighth Tianyang. At first, I didn’t think much of it and just thought of helping him solve the case as a friend. I didn’t expect this case to escalate greatly, with all clues pointing to Superintendent Liu Futong.”

Zhang Yuelu, being the handler of the case, was familiar with the details. “So you and the other superintendent, Su Ran, joined forces to take down Liu Futong?”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “If it weren’t for Su Ran, we wouldn’t have been able to enter the Ecstasy Palace. But even then, I found it suspicious, as Su Ran’s timing was too coincidental. So afterward, I went to see Su Ran again.”

“You killed Su Ran,” Zhang Yuelu stated. She had never believed that Eighth Tianyang had killed Su Ran. She just had no proof.

Qi Xuansu replied, “To be precise, Su Ran tried to kill me. I was merely acting in self-defense. Those foxes of the Qingqiu lineage are indeed outliers within the Taiping Sect. She was a conservative, seeing Purple Immortal Mountain as a stain on the Daoist Order, so she wanted to destroy it. Liu Futong was her obstacle, so she took him down. When I discovered some clues, she tried to silence me. Unfortunately for her, she underestimated me and ended up like Wan Xiuwu—dead at my hands.”

Zhang Yuelu sighed deeply. “From what you’ve said so far, I understand most of it now. No matter Su Ran’s motivations, this was an internal conflict. If not for their infighting, this case wouldn’t have come to light. But you were the key to uncovering this case.

“If you hadn’t killed Su Ran, the situation in Purple Immortal Mountain wouldn’t have spiraled out of control. It was your actions that made the matter escalate beyond a simple cover-up. Since it happened so suddenly, those behind Purple Immortal Mountain couldn’t salvage the situation in time and had to hastily silence witnesses.

“In this sense, you deserve the most credit, so it’s reasonable for Sage Donghua to promote you to superintendent.”

Qi Xuansu laughed. “Clearly, it was the two of us working seamlessly together. I think this is what they call a spiritual connection between two hearts.”

Zhang Yuelu raised her wine glass and beamed. “Then...let’s toast to our seamless cooperation!”

Qi Xuansu also raised his glass, gently clinking it against Zhang Yuelu’s.

Both of them downed the wine.

True to its reputation as a drink reserved for Heavenly Beings, the Dreaming Death immediately made Qi Xuansu feel intoxicated, leaving him groggy and forcing him to use his cultivation to dispel the effects.

Zhang Yuelu’s alcohol tolerance was much better, and her cultivation level was higher than his. Her eyes sparkled like stars, her face flushed with a rosy hue, looking exceptionally radiant.

Gazing at this beauty through tipsy lenses, Qi Xuansu found himself momentarily mesmerized.

Zhang Yuelu set down her wine glass and waved her hand in front of Qi Xuansu’s dazed eyes. “What are you looking at?”

“I’m looking at you, of course.”

Alcohol was usually referred to as liquid courage, but Qi Xuansu was never one to be timid anyway.

With her face already flushed from the wine, it was hard to tell if Zhang Yuelu was blushing from shyness. She giggled. “What’s there to look at?”

Qi Xuansu just continued gawking at Zhang Yuelu without saying a word.

Feeling a bit embarrassed under his infatuated gaze, Zhang Yuelu turned to look at the lake outside the pavilion.

It was near dusk, and the setting sun painted the entire lake an orange-red gradient.

Qi Xuansu followed her gaze.

Suddenly, he felt crestfallen. He had confessed much to Zhang Yuelu, yet he still withheld much. He only wished he could be completely open and honest with her.

Just then, Zhang Yuelu settled her emotions and stole a glance at Qi Xuansu, only to see him peering blankly into the distance.

Looking closely, she could discern a faint melancholia in his eyes.

The curiosity she felt when they first met bubbled up again in Zhang Yuelu’s heart. Why was he sad? What had he experienced in the past years after his master’s death?

Before Zhang Yuelu could voice her question, Qi Xuansu had already concealed his sorrow. After all, he was never one to wallow in sadness.

When Qi Xuansu caught Zhang Yuelu sneaking a glance at him, he immediately turned to look at her again.

This was, by now, the nth time they had locked eyes. What began with a bit of shyness had now become more natural and confident.

Qi Xuansu asked, echoing Zhang Yuelu’s earlier words, “What are you looking at?”

Zhang Yuelu only mimicked his reply. “I’m looking at you, of course.”