A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu went to Tianji Hall at dusk.

The branch of Tianji Hall in Jinling Prefecture was not far from Zhenwu Temple, separated by just two streets.

Unlike before, Qi Xuansu could finally walk into the Tianji Hall branch openly this time, as a fifth-rank superintendent of Ziwei Hall. Daoist priests from the Nine Halls had a higher status than those from local Daoist offices. As a superintendent of the top hall among the Nine Halls, Qi Xuansu was seen as another level higher, so he was treated with the respect given to a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master. The superintendent of Tianji Hall even came out to personally receive him.

The superintendent of Tianji Hall invited Qi Xuansu into the inner hall, which had a small reception room. Once they sat down, someone immediately brought over a pot of hot tea, which was worth a Taiping coin.

However, Qi Xuansu was not here to do business. Ever since obtaining Flying Shadow, his new horizontal blade, he had been left with only some loose change—barely enough for basic needs, let alone purchasing the Phoenix Eye or Dragon Eye Series Ammunition or a ticket on a flying ship.

This was the advantage of being affiliated with the Daoist Order. Everything could be free as long as certain conditions were met—free flying ship rides, free lodging at temples, and free Dragon Eye and Phoenix Eye Series Ammunition.

The two superintendents exchanged polite pleasantries as colleagues. The Tianji Hall superintendent praised Qi Xuansu for being young and promising, becoming a superintendent of Ziwei Hall at such a young age. A promotion to the fourth rank was only a matter of time, making his future bright and boundless. Qi Xuansu, in turn, modestly deflected the praise, inquired about the local customs and culture, and casually chatted about the case everyone was interested in.

Only then did they get to the main topic.

Qi Xuansu handed over Lei Xiaohuan’s written directive to the Tianji Hall superintendent.

The superintendent read through it and immediately followed orders without the need to clarify further. He summoned a subordinate and instructed him to prepare the necessary items according to the instructions.

Meanwhile, the superintendent continued drinking tea and chatting with Qi Xuansu.

About half an hour later, a seventh-rank Daoist priest came in carrying a briefcase with a distinctly Western-style influence.

The superintendent pointed to the table between them and instructed, “Open it.”

The seventh-rank priest placed the briefcase on the table, opened it, and turned it to face Qi Xuansu.

There were specialized slots inside the case for securing items, which included 5 rounds of Grade-B Series Two Phoenix Eye Bullet, 3 rounds of Grade-B Series One Phoenix Eye Bullet, and 2 rounds of Grade-A Series Nine Phoenix Eye Bomb.

Qi Xuansu stared at the Grade-A Series Nine Phoenix Eye Bomb, an inexplicable emotion surging within him. The last time he used this bullet was in the Western Region, which had been instrumental in his killing of the severely wounded vampire, Desmond.

Around the Phoenix Eye Series Ammunition was a smaller set of slots holding a total of 10 Grade-B Series One Dragon Eye Bullets.

Compared to the Grade-B Series Two Dragon Eye Bullets, the Grade-B Series One Dragon Eye Bullets were much slimmer, increasing their range and armor-piercing capabilities. It was better suited for long-barreled guns, but it was also suited for the Divine Dragon Pistol as well, which was designed specifically for the Dragon Eye Series Ammunition.

However, its massive recoil was not something anyone could handle using one hand.

Qi Xuansu was surprised by how generous Lei Xiaohuan was, with the lowest grade ammunition being the Grade-B Series Two Phoenix Eye Bullet and the Grade-B Series One Dragon Eye Bullet, far superior to what Qi Xuansu used to work with.

After inspecting the ammunition, Qi Xuansu closed the briefcase and stood up. “Thank you.”

“It’s our duty,” the superintendent of Tianji Hall stood up to see him off.

After leaving the Tianji Hall branch, Qi Xuansu went back to his residence in Zhenwu Temple, as he needed to make further preparations before starting his task.

Since Qi Xuansu did not possess a magical receptacle, he could not carry all of the Phoenix Eye Series ammunition. Aside from the two most powerful Grade-A Series Nine Phoenix Eye Bombs, he could only carry two each of the Grade-B Series Two and Grade-B Series One Phoenix Eye Bullets.

However, he could carry all of the Dragon Eye Series Bullets, which were smaller in size. As such, Qi Xuansu left behind the normal armor-piercing projectiles.

Adding on 4 rounds of Grade-B Series Two Dragon Eye Bullets, 8 rounds of Grade-B Series Three Dragon Eye Bullets, and 10 rounds of Grade-B Series One Dragon Eye Bullet, Qi Xuansu felt heavily armed and extremely wealthy.

Qi Xuansu even considered acquiring a repeating firearm later on.

The principle behind a repeating firearm was not complicated. The Divine Dragon Pistol had been designed as a single-shot weapon because of the Dragon Eye Series ammunition’s immense firepower.

However, Tianji Hall did have a weapon called the Sun-Shooting Rifle. While it could not fire continuously without intervals, it had an expanded ammunition chamber capable of holding 9 rounds of bullets, eliminating the need to reload after every shot, thus greatly saving time.

Then there were melee weapons. For Qi Xuansu, firearms were not indispensable. Blades were his true fundamentals. His short sword, Qing Yuan, and horizontal blade, Flying Shadow, were his primary tools of survival and had to be carried with him at all times.

Lastly were the concealed weapons. Qi Xuansu had sold the Seven Phoenix Feathers and was left with only four Bliss Needles. Unless the Bliss Needles struck a vital point, their power was limited. Their key feature lay in restricting an opponent’s cultivation. Even someone like Zhang Yuelu had fallen victim to them.

His pistol and horizontal blade hung from both sides of his waist, while his short sword was sheathed at his back. The Dragon Eye and Phoenix Eye Series Ammunition were stored in his satchel, and the concealed weapons were stored in his sleeves.

After finishing these preparations, Qi Xuansu donned the white fox face mask, selecting the young male face from its three preset options. He then changed out of the fifth-rank Daoist formal attire he had only recently started wearing and opted for his casual attire.

He wisely did not change into the Jianghu attire because that would be far too conspicuous in a place like Zhenwu Temple.

In addition, Qi Xuansu had received 500 Taiping coins in “mission funds” from Lei Xiaohuan, which he could use for daily expenses or bribes.

Qi Xuansu was also given a stipend for the past few months based on his rank as a fifth-rank priest. His base stipend was 50 Taiping coins per month, with an additional 20 Taiping coins as a Prospective Mage, amounting to a monthly income of 70 Taiping coins. That totaled 350 coins over the course of 5 months, but he would have to wait until June 1st for it to be paid out.

Moreover, he still had yet to receive the 1,000 Taiping coins from Madam Qi. So he would have to wait until she arrived in Jinling Prefecture.

By this time, night had fallen. In the summer season, Jinling Prefecture was a bustling place, with countless people out to enjoy the cool night air. The night markets were lively. However, the area around Zhenwu Temple was utterly quiet. The vast courtyards of the temple, combined with the solemn atmosphere due to the ongoing case, made it devoid of any cheerfulness—only stillness and silence prevailed.

Qi Xuansu left his residence and headed toward the back gate of Zhenwu Temple along the winding paths lit by the dim streetlamps.

After a heavy rain, the sky cleared, revealing a bright full moon.

“Who’s there?” A Spirit Guard from the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion suddenly called out from the shadows.

Qi Xuansu was unsurprised by the guards hiding in the shadows. He replied, “I’m a deacon from Tiangang Hall, just stepping out for a stroll.”

The guards on duty were stationed in different spots. One of them stepped out from the shadows and saluted him. “Please present your insignia.”

Generally speaking, Daoist certificates were mostly for outsiders. Within the Daoist Order, one’s position was more significant.

Although Qi Xuansu now had a new Daoist certificate and a Ziwei Hall insignia, Zhang Yuelu had not yet taken back his Tiangang Hall insignia.

Qi Xuansu took out the insignia and handed it to the Spirit Guard.

One advantage of this insignia was that it bore no name, only a number. This number could be used to verify the holder’s identity through further checks. To prevent counterfeiting, insignias were made from special materials. They were also reused, as crafting a new badge for every reassigned official would be too costly, especially since transfers for deacons and superintendents happened quite frequently.

However, at the fourth rank and above, or higher level positions like Deputy Hall Master, one was also given a special license that was unique to the individual and could not be reused levels.

After verifying Qi Xuansu’s insignia, the Spirit Guard unlocked the gate, removed a large horizontal bar, and opened the gate to Zhenwu Temple.

As soon as Qi Xuansu exited Zhenwu Temple, he saw many more Spirit Guards lined up against the wall in full armor, showing how strict the security was.

Qi Xuansu did not linger and quickly disappeared into the night.