A Pawn's Passage

Gao Mingyin had long run rampant in the North City of the Imperial Capital. With countless businesses and a powerful, mysterious backer, he had an influence reaching all corners of the capital. Thus, it was only natural that he had personal guards.

However, most of them were stationed outside the building, and by now, they had already been subdued by the Spirit Guards of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion. Even if one or two were highly skilled, they were no match for Qi Xuansu.

At this point, Gao Mingyin was all alone. Though the hall was filled with guests, they were all opportunists who flocked to power.

If Gao Mingyin remained seated on his pedestal, they would flatter him endlessly; but if he lost his footing, the best he could hope for was that they did not step on him further while he was down. The moment Mage Qi declared his arrest, everyone would rush to cut ties with him.

Gao Mingyin said nothing, not because he did not know how to defend himself but because the situation was already beyond salvaging. Saying more would be pointless, so it was better to preserve a shred of dignity.

His powerful backer was likely panicking as well because there were only two possible explanations for Qi Xuansu appearing here like this.

One was that Qi Xuansu had escaped the pursuit of seven Heavenly Beings, which meant their scheme had already been exposed. If so, the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion would surely pursue the matter relentlessly. In that case, the Tianchen Division would immediately cut ties with him to avoid backlash. They would not come to defend him, as doing so would only confirm their involvement.

The other possibility was that Qi Xuansu had planned everything in advance and had actually killed all seven Heavenly Beings. Such a loss would shake the Tianchen Division to its core and likely catch the attention of the Emperor himself. If the Emperor chose to investigate, everything would come to light, including their abuse of public resources for personal grudges to target the Daoist Order. A storm would erupt, and his backer would be too busy saving themself to even think about rescuing him. Such power was far beyond anything he could resist.

If it were the second possibility, how had Qi Xuansu managed to kill seven Heavenly Beings? Gao Mingyin reasoned it must have been with the help of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion’s resources.

Normally, a superintendent should not have such authority. But the problem lay in Deputy Mansion Master Shi’s complete trust in Qi Xuansu. Thus, she approved everything he asked for without hesitation. She behaved like one of those puppet emperors of the past, lounging around in leisure while her authority was quietly seized. Though she had not officially handed full power to Qi Xuansu, he had managed to usurp most of it, like a conniving minister wielding power under borrowed prestige, commanding the empire without challenge.

With the authority of a Deputy Mansion Master, setting an ambush to kill seven Heavenly Beings became entirely feasible. After all, the Daoist Order did not only have Daoist priests. It also had Spirit Guards, mystical creations, and various powerful weapons. With proper preparation, even Heavenly Beings could be slain.

The key point was that the Tianchen Division was not part of the Daoist Order. If this had been an internal conflict, neither the Second Deputy, Chief Deputy, nor the Mansion Master would dare casually deploy the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion’s forces. That was because Daoist priests and Spirit Guards from the Daoist mansion were not personal troops, so using them would allow others to hold leverage over them. That was why internal disputes were either handled by oneself or through trusted aides.

The burning of Zhenwu Temple was carried out by the Heavenly Court, not by some Deputy Mansion Master deploying the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion’s personnel. It was not because the Heavenly Court was more powerful than the Daoist mansion, but because the influential figures within the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion simply feared giving others the ammunition to use against them.

However, when it came to dealing with outsiders, especially the Tianchen Division, which had a long-standing grudge against the Daoist Order, there was no need for restraint or secrecy. They could use resources from the Daoist mansion openly. It was precisely in times like this that the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion revealed its full might.

So in truth, Gao Mingyin had not been contending with a mere superintendent, but with the proxy of the Second Deputy Mansion Master. It was no wonder Qi Xuansu’s unofficial title was the Tenth Deputy Mansion Master.

Ke Qingqing simply waved her hand and ordered, “Take him away.”

Two Spirit Guards stepped forward at once and approached Gao Mingyin.

Gao Mingyin did not struggle or try to flee. He stood motionless, not even sparing the Spirit Guards a glance. Instead, his eyes were locked onto Qi Xuansu.

Although Qi Xuansu had remained silent ever since handing the file to Ke Qingqing, everyone knew he was the true decision-maker here. Ke Qingqing was merely his mouthpiece.

Qi Xuansu met Old Master Gao’s gaze with calm, unreadable eyes. There was no telling what he was thinking.

Gao Mingyin closed his eyes. He was just a merchant, not one of those bloodthirsty thugs from Jianghu. He would not snarl at Qi Xuansu or fight back like a cornered beast. Instead, he accepted his loss graciously, willing to pay for his mistakes.

The crowd parted in silence. The two Spirit Guards reached Gao Mingyin without obstruction, lifted him by either side, and began to escort him out.

That was when Gao Shide snapped back to reality. He cried out, “Father!”

Then, he reached out to grab his father’s sleeve. But the moment he saw the Spirit Guards’ pitch-black armor, his hand froze mid-air, not daring to move a muscle.

Gao Mingyin let the Spirit Guards carry him without resistance. He did not look at his son but spoke calmly. “Go home and tell your mother to stay put. Don’t stir up any trouble.”

With that, he was carried away by the Spirit Guards and escorted downstairs.

Qi Xuansu remained where he stood. He looked around once more and clasped his hands in a respectful gesture. “Please forgive me for disturbing your party.”

The guests returned the gesture, bowing in unison. A chorus of humble murmurs echoed throughout the hall.

Qi Xuansu turned and walked away without looking back.

Ke Qingqing followed closely behind, with the Spirit Guards fanning out in a straight line behind her.

The second-floor banquet hall was awkwardly silent. Only after a long pause did someone whisper, “He has such an overwhelming presence.”

As Qi Xuansu descended the stairs, he spotted the innkeeper.

Since the Taiping Inn was a Daoist establishment, many of its innkeepers held respectable Daoist ranks. Thus, the innkeeper did not fear or resent Qi Xuansu. On the contrary, he approached with a friendly smile of camaraderie. “Superintendent Qi.”

Qi Xuansu returned the smile. “Thank you for your cooperation this time, Daoist Brother Xie.”

“Oh, don’t mention it. We’re all part of the same family,” the innkeeper replied with a chuckle. “Old Master Gao was intending to show off by hosting a banquet here. Since he wanted to pay us handsomely, we had no reason to refuse.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Well, it certainly made it easier for us to apprehend him.”

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before Qi Xuansu bid farewell. “Now that we’ve taken Gao Mingyin in, there will be a thousand more loose ends to sort out. I’m afraid today will be yet another sleepless night. I’ll come visit you next time.”

The innkeeper personally escorted him to the door. “Take care, Superintendent Qi.”

This operation was not limited to arresting Gao Mingyin. They also apprehended his strategist, Jiang Zhupo, along with several others involved in the case, including the Beggar King of the North City.

Gao Shide was not arrested because Gao Mingyin had been very careful to keep his son uninvolved in these matters. Most of Gao Shide’s offenses were about physically abusing others. While vile, these fell under the jurisdiction of Shuntian Prefecture, not the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion.

The bawd of the Green Den did mention that the Beggar Gang showed deference to Gao Shide, but there was no actual evidence. Gao Shide was just a spoiled scion with no understanding of the inner workings. Ironically, his incompetence helped him avoid a disaster.

The first time Qi Xuansu arrested Gao Shide, the charges were for the possession of the Five Minerals Powder and obstruction of official duties, not anything related to the Green Den.

For this reason, Qi Xuansu eventually released Gao Shide.

The more powerful the opponent, the less one could afford to leave any obvious weaknesses.

Qi Xuansu was not about to give anyone the leverage to use against him. If accused of overstepping his authority, what was once a clear-cut situation would become muddy again.

All these minor matters seemed trivial in the grand scheme of things, but if scrutinized, they would be blown out of proportion. Qi Xuansu was not the only one who knew how to use this move, so did others. That was why he had to guard against it at all costs, leaving no opening for anyone to strike back.

With these thoughts in mind, Qi Xuansu stepped into the carriage.

Inside, aside from Ke Qingqing, there was one more person—the main suspect in this operation, Gao Mingyin.

The carriage’s interior followed a traditional Eastern Continent design, which featured a three-seat layout on one side, with an opening opposite the seats, just behind the driver.

In the Western Continent, the door was on the side of the carriage, with four seats inside, arranged in pairs facing each other.

Qi Xuansu sat in the central seat, while Gao Mingyin and Ke Qingqing sat on his left and right, respectively. The carriage was driven by a Spirit Guard.

He had no interest in speaking with Gao Mingyin at the moment, so he intended to close his eyes and rest. Just then, the Novice License at his waist lit up.

Without avoiding the two beside him, Qi Xuansu opened the license.

Zhang Yuelu’s voice came through. “All done?”

“It’s under control for now,” Qi Xuansu replied. “Everything’s fine.”

Zhang Yuelu hummed in response. She did not dwell on the matter, nor did she bring up any classified topics. Instead, she chatted casually about everyday things. With her cautious nature, she would never say anything too romantic or embarrassing in front of others.

Ke Qingqing sat upright, her gaze lowered in the proper meditative posture, yet from the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the revered woman. Her eyes were instantly filled with admiration.

From the Holy Xuan to the sixth-generation Grand Master, none had ever been a woman. There had only been four Grand Master Consorts. As such, many Daoist women hoped that one day, a female Grand Master might rise to power, balancing out the scales. But for now, it seemed unlikely. Sage Cihang did not bear the Zhang last name and could not unify the Zhengyi Sect. The likeliest outcome was that either Sage Donghua or Sage Qingwei would be chosen as the seventh-generation Grand Master.

This left many Daoist women disappointed, forcing them to place their hopes in the next generation—the eighth-generation disciples.

Among the outstanding disciples of this generation, the balance had tipped heavily toward women. Li Changge was the only male, while Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei were both females. Zhang Yuelu’s reputation stood out the most in the Daoist Order. Moreover, she bore the Zhang last name, shedding the disadvantage of her master, Sage Cihang, who did not. As Sage Cihang’s disciple, Zhang Yuelu could unite the forces of both the Zhang family and the Cihang lineage, making her a true contender to unify the Zhengyi Sect and compete for the position of the eighth-generation Grand Master.

So over the years, whether Zhang Yuelu and her master meant it or not, the two had come to be seen as leaders among Daoist women—an influence that extended even beyond the boundaries of the three sects. The Quanzhen Sect’s recent promotion of Yao Pei was likely an attempt to divide that influence.

The Taiping Sect had never believed in such things. In their view, fairness was not something to be begged for. It was something earned through blood and fire. If equality came merely through shouting slogans of moral righteousness and relying on others to step back and make room, then it was fragile at best. Others might yield because times were peaceful, and it cost little to appear gracious. But if tomorrow brought hardship and strife, and the veil of sentimentality was torn away, no one would want to yield. What would happen then?

In truth, Zhang Yuelu was much like the Taiping Sect in that regard. She did not believe in sentimentality either. She only believed that merit should hold supreme. Those with ability should rise, and the mediocre should fall. She never wished to become an icon for people’s grand expectations. But public sentiment was a burden that often felt like needles pricking her back.

At times, she even had a troubling thought—if she failed to become Grand Master and ended up merely as the Grand Master’s consort instead, what sort of uproar might that cause? Would some fanatics go so far as to brand her a traitor?