A Pawn's Passage

Although the Daoist Order had intentionally designed a tripartite power structure within the local Daoist mansions to serve as a check on the Mansion Master, in situations where the justification was sufficient, the Mansion Master still held the highest authority in the local Daoist Mansion and retained final decision-making power.

Li Ruoshui summoned Shi Bingyun and Qi Xuansu to discuss three main matters.

First, she congratulated Qi Xuansu on clearing his name and offered a few words of encouragement. Second, she brought up the incident that occurred in South City the previous night, which was to be handled by the Chief Deputy Mansion Master Zhou Jiaoxian. Third, she emphasized that they must not abandon the effort to reform the Imperial Capital’s public morality, intending for Qi Xuansu to continue overseeing it, for which she sought Shi Bingyun’s opinion.

The reform initiative was originally proposed by Shi Bingyun, and it was also with her strong backing that Qi Xuansu was placed in charge. Her initial intent was to let Qi Xuansu become familiar with the situation in the Imperial Capital. Once he was sufficiently acclimated, someone else would take over so that he could move on to more important tasks.

But now, Li Ruoshui was going with the flow and suggested that Qi Xuansu continue the reform, arguing that he was more familiar with the circumstances and had already shown results. For a moment, Shi Bingyun found it hard to object, feeling somewhat like she had shot herself in the foot.

Seeing Shi Bingyun remain silent, Li Ruoshui took the opportunity to finalize the matter. “Since Deputy Mansion Master Shi has no objections, then it’s settled. To prevent another situation like Gao Mingyin, I’ve also assigned a deputy to assist Superintendent Qi, one of my own superintendents.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Shi Bingyun declined politely.

Li Ruoshui smiled. “The Imperial Capital is unlike any other place. It’s full of a mixed crowd and extremely complex dynamics. It’s inevitable that some bold and reckless individuals will emerge. For Superintendent Qi to handle it alone would be too strenuous, so I believe more support is necessary. In addition to the deputy, I’ll assign another 300 Spirit Guards to Superintendent Qi, bringing the total to 700, all equipped with firearms. They will be enough to suppress even Heavenly Beings.”

If it had only been the addition of a Superintendent, Shi Bingyun would have had much to say. But with the extra 300 Spirit Guards, the addition of a deputy now seemed reasonable.

In a sense, this indirectly increased Qi Xuansu’s power to a level nearly comparable to that of a less influential Deputy Mansion Master. It was a calculated mix of reward and authority.

Shi Bingyun no longer objected but emphasized that Qi Xuansu must remain the primary lead.

Li Ruoshui assured her that the newly assigned Superintendent would only assist Qi Xuansu as a deputy.

Qi Xuansu’s rank left him with no room to object. He could only comply with the Mansion Master’s orders. If he disobeyed, Li Ruoshui had the authority to suspend him again pending further review.

After all, he had no desire to be suspended again right after reinstatement, as this would be quite detrimental to his future promotion to a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master. His path to advancement would not be completely blocked, but this position followed a nomination-based selection system with limited slots. Even if he met all the requirements, he could still be squeezed out due to a damaged reputation.

If that were to happen, Sage Donghua would speak with Qi Xuansu to let him down gently, saying that the latter would surely be chosen to be promoted to the second rank the next time around. He would probably try to counsel Qi Xuansu, saying that a young man like him still had plenty of time ahead to prioritize the greater good by letting his senior peers be promoted first, as they had waited many years and had little time left. If they missed this opportunity, it might never come again. More importantly, no matter one’s position, one could still make a humble contribution to the Daoist Order.

But falling one step behind led to falling behind at every step. Becoming a Sage at 30 and becoming one at 60 were worlds apart. At the very least, the latter was fated to have no chance at contending for the position of Grand Master.

As for the third rank, Qi Xuansu already considered it something in the bag. It’s just a matter of time.

After leaving Li Ruoshui’s office, Qi Xuansu returned to his own. It had been several days since he was last there, so he needed to reacquaint himself with it.

Speaking of reforming the Imperial Capital’s public morality, Qi Xuansu still had a mid-level case on hold. Wang Chongnian had found it tricky and left it untouched for the time being, and Ke Qingqing had already placed the file on Qi Xuansu’s desk.

Qi Xuansu picked up the file and skimmed it briefly. The case was not complicated, involving a fight between two Daoists. More precisely, one had initiated a private duel without the other’s consent, and the pair happened to be a man and a woman.

Since the male Daoist had struck first, the female Daoist had already been released from detention, while the male Daoist remained in prison.

Qi Xuansu ordered the male Daoist to be brought in, intending to question him personally.

The interrogation was brief, skipping even name and title, since the file had already provided all the relevant details.

“Why did you strike her?” Qi Xuansu asked.

“I was walking normally when a woman suddenly turned a corner and slammed into me. I hadn’t even scolded her for being blind, but she immediately started accusing me of molesting her. Did she even look at herself in the mirror? She gave me this look of utter disgust, like I got some huge advantage just by bumping into her as if she were some miraculous elixir, and sniffing her would grant me 360 more years of life. Bah!”

“Stick to the point.” QI Xuansu reminded him.

“She shouted that I molested her. Since ancient times, such accusations from a woman have been taken at face value, assumed to be true without evidence. If that charge stuck, my life would be ruined. So I made a snap decision. Better to be charged with mutual assault and spend a few days in prison than be saddled with a crime like that. That’s what I call choosing the lesser evil.”

“So you struck first,” Qi Xuansu pressed on.

“I was furious, and in a fit of rage, I slapped her twice, so fast she was stunned and didn’t react. I didn’t feel satisfied, so I gave her two more slaps. That finally snapped her out of it. I’m a flowerbed Daoist. Had it been some cult demon instead of me, she’d be dead eight times over by now...”

“Get to the point.” Qi Xuansu reminded him again.

“After she came to her senses, she started clawing at me. I thought, well, since I already slapped her, there’s no point backing down now, right? So, of course, I kept going. Who would’ve thought that little fox actually had some skills? She surely wouldn’t be able to fight any cult demons, but it was more than enough to beat me up. Her claws were like a zombie’s. Look at these scratches, Superintendent. She nearly ruined my face!”

Qi Xuansu was getting impatient. “So, did you molest her or not?”

“Superintendent, I swear to the Primordial Daoist Ancestor that she was the one who ran into me first! If you don’t believe me, we can use the Earth Qi Recall Technique, Dream-Entering, or the Bewitching Technique—whatever means you have, just bring it on! I’m absolutely innocent. That woman falsely accused me, so shouldn’t she be punished for slander? Superintendent, please uphold justice and restore fairness to the Imperial Capital. We mustn’t let such corrupt tendencies taint the Daoist Order!”

“Take him away,” Qi Xuansu ordered.

After the male Daoist was taken away, Qi Xuansu asked Ke Qingqing, “What did the female Daoist say?”

Ke Qingqing replied, “She did not mention anything about being molested and only complained about being hit. She clung to Deacon Wang’s sleeve and would not let go, sobbing for ages. She went on a rant, saying she had never seen a man like that before. She also claimed that she was so furious her whole body trembled and her hands and feet went cold. She insisted we punish him severely, preferably cripple his cultivation altogether. In the end, Deacon Wang gave her 20 Taiping coins out of his own pocket so she could go to the Huasheng Hall and get checked for internal injuries.”

Qi Xuansu thought for a moment and instructed, “The physical assault is factual, but the molestation accusation is unfounded. As for slander, it’s only the man’s word, and the woman didn’t formally press charges. Since the evidence is lacking, we won’t pursue that. Handle it as a physical assault case. Get compensation where needed and confine them where necessary. There’s no need to be lenient or harsh. Judge the case on its facts, follow the law and precedents, and close it. Oh, and make sure to reimburse Deacon Wang’s money.”

“Yes, Superintendent,” Ke Qingqing answered and turned to leave.

Soon after, the Superintendent that Li Ruoshui had assigned to assist Qi Xuansu came to visit.

Qi Xuansu met her in the reception room.

The person Li Ruoshui sent was from the Taiping Sect. Though that sect had many internal factions. This Superintendent was from the Su family of Qingqiu Mountain.

Sage Cihang, Su Yuanyi, had no actual ties to Qingqiu Mountain. Instead, she came from the prestigious Su family of Jinling Prefecture—a true Jiangnan beauty.

At the mention of the Su family, Qi Xuansu only thought of two things—the White Fox Mask and the Mystery Jar.

This Superintendent’s name was Su Li.

In other words, Superintendent Su was not human. She was a fox demon in disguise.

Purely in terms of appearance, the women from the Qingqiu lineage—if they could be called women at all—were, without exception, strikingly beautiful. They were often regarded as fairy-like figures in the eyes of many. Superintendent Su Li was no exception. She looked sweet and pure, exuding the charm of an innocent young maiden. Her every smile and expression easily evoked goodwill. Unfortunately, Qi Xuansu had a cold heart—one made of stone. Thus, he was unaffected by a woman’s beauty.

Qi Xuansu got straight to the point. “Superintendent Su, I assume you’re already informed regarding the reform efforts for the Imperial Capital’s public morality.”

Su Li replied softly, “The Mansion Master has made it clear. You are the lead, while I am merely a deputy. Please rest assured that I will stay in my lane.”

Qi Xuansu chuckled. “You flatter me, Superintendent Su. Let’s work together in earnest cooperation.”

“Sure,” Su Li answered gently.

As the two were speaking, four Spirit Guards, led by Wang Chongnian, arrived at Qi Xuansu’s office and saluted him.

Qi Xuansu exchanged brief pleasantries with them, then announced the decision from Mansion Master Li Ruoshui and introduced Superintendent Su Li’s identity.

Su Li also summoned three Spirit Guards to come in and greet Qi Xuansu and their future colleagues.

Qi Xuansu understood that although the 300 Spirit Guards had been officially reassigned to be under his command and would follow his orders most of the time, when it came down to it, they would ultimately heed Su Li’s instructions. This was Li Ruoshui’s way of maintaining balance. If he were in Li Ruoshui’s position, he would likely do the same.

As of now, there was 1 fourth-rank Superintendent, 1 fifth-rank deacon, 1 sixth-ranked deacon, 7 fourth-rank Spirit Guards, 36 lower-ranked Daoist priests of seventh rank or below, and 700 lower-ranked Spirit Guards of fifth rank or below.

As a Superintendent, Qi Xuansu now held considerable power. Though he did not carry the title of Deputy Mansion Master, he effectively wielded more than half the authority of one.

Only Qi Xuansu and Su Li were seated, while the rest stood, making the reception room feel somewhat crowded.

A year ago, Qi Xuansu could never have imagined such a scene. Back then, all he could see was a pitch-black mountain and the shadow of what seemed to be a Grand Shaman.