A Pawn's Passage

The atmosphere inside the private room turned cold in an instant.

Qi Xuansu stared at Gao Mingyin. “I didn’t ask you to die. You are the only person who can cause your death. Did I make you traffic humans and force decent women into prostitution at the Green Den? Did I tell you to hire an assassin to kill Wu Si? Did I force you into all those other filthy affairs? Why are you pinning this on me as if I’m responsible?”

“Please watch your accusations, Mage Qi.” Gao Mingyin also leaned back in his chair. “I came today to speak with you about my son. I know nothing of the Green Den or hiring assassins.”

Both men were wary of voice retention talismans, so neither wanted to leave any clear verbal evidence. Gao Mingyin refused to admit to any of Qi Xuansu’s accusations. Vague phrases like “the dead cannot return to life” or “you’re asking me to die” were as far as he would go. But since Gao Shide had already been publicly paraded. Everything about his son was out in the open, so there was no need to dodge the subject.

“Whether you’re aware or not isn’t your call. All I care about is evidence. Old Master Gao, why don’t you take a guess as to how many anonymous reports I’ve received over the past few days?” Qi Xuansu smirked.

Gao Mingyin chuckled. “Reports? Surely not about me, right?”

“If someone were reporting me, they would go to the Fengxian Hall in Jade Capital, not the Yuhuang Palace. Even if they did report to the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, the evidence should go to the Mansion Master’s office, not mine. What, am I supposed to put myself on trial?”

Gao Mingyin scoffed. “They must all be baseless rumors and unfounded accusations, not worth mentioning.”

Qi Xuansu warned, “I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you. Normally, even the strongest wind can’t fell a deep-rooted tree, but it can loosen the soil at the base.”

Out of the blue, Gao Mingyin spoke. “These past days, I’ve done only one thing—thoroughly investigated your background. To my surprise, you were just a seventh-rank Daoist only a year ago. In the span of a year, you jumped three ranks and became a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master. That speed of promotion is nearly unheard of, similar to High Mage Zhang, who rose from fifth rank to third rank within a year.”

When Qi Xuansu first showed up in Fengtai County, Zhang Yuelu had just been promoted to the fourth rank. Almost at the same time, the Earthly Preceptor promoted her to a Deputy Hall Master. Before that, Zhang Yuelu was also a fifth rank, like Li Changge and Yao Pei. Zhang Yuelu’s advancement of two ranks in a year was still not as abrupt as Qi Xuansu’s.

However, Qi Xuansu’s three-rank leap in a single year was irrefutable. After all, he had gone to the Wanxiang Daoist Upper Palace as a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master.

Qi Xuansu did not speak. He could not even be bothered to argue. Though he had bent the rules on many things, his promotions were not one of them. His advancement was fully legitimate because he had accumulated the necessary merits. It was even more convincing than the exceptional promotions granted to Li Changge and Yao Pei for their Heavenly Being status.

Gao Mingyin changed the topic. “At first, there was something I couldn’t understand. When you first entered the Tiangang Hall, you were only at the Kunlun stage, perhaps the Yuxu stage at most. So how did you ascend to the Xiaoyao stage in just one year? So I asked several well-placed friends and finally learned the story. After the Jinling calamity, True Lord Siming left behind an artifact so valuable that it sparked a fierce battle between the Heavenly Court’s Grand Leader Wu Guangbi and the Seven Treasure Pavilion’s Mogul Yao. But in the end, you were the one who benefited, Mage Qi. Word is that Mogul Yao delivered the item to you personally. That must be how you rose so fast. But it’s such a priceless artifact. What exactly is your relationship with Mogul Yao that warrants such treatment?”

Instead of being rattled, Qi Xuansu chuckled. “Old Master Gao, would your friend’s last name happen to be Li?”

“What do you mean by that, Mage Qi?” Gao Mingyin’s face darkened.

Qi Xuansu replied, “Because what you just said sounds oddly familiar. The last time I heard it was outside Jade Capital while waiting for the flying ship, spoken by Li Zhuyu, an adopted daughter of the Li family and a superintendent at Beichen Hall. At the time, I hadn’t even begun my Upper Palace training. A few months have passed since then, and yet here I am, safe and sound, discussing matters with you. Neither Miss Li nor Beichen Hall has come knocking at my door. Doesn’t that strike you as odd, Old Master Gao?”

Gao Mingyin had thought he had found a sore spot. Perhaps not enough to topple Qi Xuansu, but enough to rattle him and loosen his stance so that the boy would retreat. He had not expected Qi Xuansu to be completely unshaken, with not even a flicker of emotion. That caught Gao Mingyin entirely off guard.

Based on Qi Xuansu’s demeanor alone, Gao Mingyin was sure that he had powerful backing.

Naturally, Gao Mingyin did not believe that Qi Xuansu was innocent. The fact that the three major Daoist sects had some level of entanglement with the secret societies was not a secret among people of their standing. This led Gao Mingyin to one conclusion—Qi Xuansu’s backers were far more formidable than he could imagine, or Sage Donghua and Sage Cihang valued this young man far more than anyone expected.

Among the top-ranked Omniscient Sages in the Golden Tower Council, two were willing to shield Qi Xuansu. Even the powerful Li family of the Taiping Sect had to think twice about touching him. That was the true source of Qi Xuansu’s confidence.

Gao Mingyin could not quite describe what he was feeling—mostly regret, probably. This freshly appointed superintendent had come to the Imperial Capital to establish his authority, and the Green Den was unfortunate to be in the line of fire. All Gao Mingyin could do now was surrender, as resisting him was equivalent to a fight to the death.

Realizing this, Gao Mingyin took out a talisman and gave it a gentle flick. It ignited, instantly cutting off the room from all external contact. No one could eavesdrop or spy on them, and the upcoming conversation would remain entirely confidential.

Gao Mingyin raised two fingers. “This is everything I own. I can guarantee that I do not have any voice retention talismans or image recording artifacts on me. If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to search me.”

In truth, Qi Xuansu held fast to one principle—a man who stood tall without desire was truly unshakable. As long as he revealed no weakness, Gao Mingyin would have no chance of turning the tables.

Leaving aside the lofty talk of justice and righteousness, Qi Xuansu had to tread carefully even from a purely self-preserving perspective. As the saying went, a tree that stood out in the forest was the first to be felled. Many eyes were already on him due to Wan Xiuwu’s murder. He had paid a steep price to get the matter buried for good. Zhang Yuelu had to personally intervene and even owe favors to Xu Xiaoying. Pei Xiaolou also lent a hand.

As for the Jinling case, Sage Donghua’s protection was only part of the equation. The key was that the Li family was not clean either. To put it bluntly, they were all knee-deep in filth. Things had escalated to the point where Zhenwu Temple was set aflame. If the Cult of Fates had not intervened and muddied the waters, allowing all blame to be shifted onto them, the Taiping Sect might have had to offer up the head of a second-rank Taiyi Daoist just to settle the matter. In the end, they were too busy covering their own mess to pursue anything further.

But if Qi Xuansu took these 20,000 Wuyou coins, it would be akin to handing over a blade to someone else. All it would take was a little push, and he would fall into ruin. If the truth ever surfaced, the consequences would be devastating. Not even Sage Donghua or Sage Cihang could save him. Even if Madam Qi intervened to keep him alive, his career would be in ruins, and Zhang Yuelu would be bitterly disappointed. Everything he had built in the past year would be reduced to nothing.

From Zhang Yuelu’s perspective, Qi Xuansu’s vendetta may have been unorthodox, but it made sense emotionally and morally. After all, the Wanxiang Daoist Palace and the Daoist Order had shirked responsibility first. She was not a saint, so naturally, she sided with him. But taking bribes and perverting the course of justice was a different matter altogether. In that case, neither sentiment nor law would stand in his favor.

Besides, even if Gao Mingyin was willing to pay and Qi Xuansu was crazy enough to take it, that money would not stay in his pocket for long. Before the gold coins even warmed in his hands, Madam Qi would appear out of nowhere and confiscate every last one of them “for his own good.” Qi Xuansu could not even fight back because she was at least three cultivation levels above him. All she had to do was pin him down with her pinky.

It was thanks to Madam Qi’s presence that Qi Xuansu found bribes less attractive the larger the sum. That was because he would not even get to see it. He was better off with a few hundred Taiping coins. At least then, he would still have a chance of escaping her clutches. Ideally, it should be under 1,000 Taiping coins or around 700 to 800 Taiping coins to be exact, because that was the limit of Madam Qi’s allowance for him. Due to this, Qi Xuansu truly believed that it was better to have a rabbit in hand than to see a thousand sheep in the distance.

Qi Xuansu could not help but feel a little sorry for himself. On the surface, he was a mighty, respected superintendent commanding 400 Spirit Guards. His future Daoist companion was considerate and principled, only caring about shared ideals and not material wealth. Yet, here he was, financially strangled by his own motherly figure. That old miser hoarded money like a Pixiu[1] and would not even let him spend a coin. He finally understood why no one wanted to marry her.

Thinking of this, Qi Xuansu shook his head. “As I said, I appreciate the gesture, but no thanks.”

Gao Mingyin’s face twisted with menace. “If you’re not even moved by 20,000 Wuyou coins, then this isn’t about money anymore. I came to negotiate, but you want to talk about life and death, huh? There’s no money that can’t be spent, and no one who can’t be killed.”

Qi Xuansu responded calmly, “Am I to understand that you are threatening a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master and a superintendent of the Daoist Order? I know that 200,000 Taiping coins could buy my life, but do you really understand what life and death mean? The only reason you’re sitting here today, speaking with me, is because I allowed it. Yet now, you want to threaten me with death? If I hadn’t given you this chance, who would you even be saying those words to?”

With that, Qi Xuansu rose to his feet. “The reason I agreed to meet you was in the hope that you’d realize your mistakes and rein them in before it’s too late. At the very least, you can end this with some dignity and ensure your family lives out the rest of their days in comfort. But since you refuse to have any self-respect, I’ll have no choice but to force it on you, though the final outcome may be anything but dignified.”

1. Chinese mythical creature resembling a winged lion that has a voracious appetite for gold and gems. ☜