A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu scanned the room and said, “When I was working on the Gao Mingyin case, I more or less swept through the entire North City. The results were middling. Now, we still have the East, West, and South Cities left. Among them, South City is the wealthiest and most prosperous.”

Su Li asked, “Superintendent Qi, do you mean to say that we’ll begin with South City this time?”

“Exactly.” Qi Xuansu nodded. “I heard from the Mansion Master that a major event occurred in the South City last night. Two major secret societies had a violent clash with many casualties. It’s clear that South City is a hotbed of filth and corruption, or you could say it’s a place where dragons hide and tigers lie low.”

Qi Xuansu paused before continuing, “Also, Chief Deputy Mansion Master Zhou is currently handling the matter in South City. We can use that momentum to enter the area without attracting too much attention or hostility.”

No one voiced any objections.

Qi Xuansu clapped his hands. “Alright, then. Everyone, get ready. We move into the South City tomorrow.”

Although Qi Xuansu had little personal interest in continuing to reform the Imperial Capital’s public morality, he had to approach it earnestly since it was a task assigned from above.

The seven Spirit Guards and two Daoist priests left Qi Xuansu’s office.

A fourth-rank Spirit Guard had the combat power of a Guizhen-stage master. With proper coordination, the seven Spirit Guards could easily take down a regular Heavenly Being. Not to mention, they commanded 700 lower-ranked Spirit Guards.

Like Daoist priests, Spirit Guards above the fourth rank were considered high-ranking, while those below were low-ranking. The key distinction with Spirit Guards was that there was an upper limit—there had never been an Immortal-level Spirit Guard. However, their lower threshold was higher than that of Daoist priests. While there were Daoist priests at the Houtian-Being level, there were no Spirit Guards that weak. In essence, all Spirit Guards were Houtian Beings, but once they donned the specialized Spirit Guard armor, their combat ability would not be weaker than a Kunlun-stage Xiantian Being.

Thus, 700 Xiantian Beings were not the same as 700 ordinary civilians. Such numbers made up for any gap in cultivation.

This was a significant power. Even when Zhang Yuelu first became the Deputy Hall Master of Tiangang Hall, she did not command that many Spirit Guards. But now she likely commanded close to a thousand, especially after incorporating the remnants of the late Shangguan Jing’s forces. However, these Spirit Guards would not follow her all over the world. They were only mobilized during wartime. In simple terms, Zhang Yuelu had command authority during battles, while daily management of the Spirit Guard corps was handled by high-ranking Spirit Guards. The authority to mobilize troops rested with the Tiangang Hall Master.

How to fight was decided by the Deputy Hall Masters. But where to fight came from the Hall Master. The difference in status was immediately clear.

Qi Xuansu was now in the same situation. He had a certain degree of autonomy, as he could decide where to begin within the outer cities. But he could not take his Spirit Guards to Bohai Prefecture or Wuxing Mountain to conduct reforms.

He then visited the office of another Superintendent who was in charge of all documents and records. Naturally, they would hold archives on the various “weak points” within the Imperial Capital.

Qi Xuansu spent the entire day in Dongxuan Hall of the Yuhuang Palace, familiarizing himself with the situation in South City.

All the powerful and noble families lived in the inner city and the Imperial City. No one would place any kind of improper business right at their doorstep. As a result, many of these illicit businesses, especially those involving large groups or drawing attention, were instead situated in the outer city.

Brothels were the exception. Most of them operated within the legal bounds of the imperial laws.

In a casual conversation with Zhang Yuelu, Qi Xuansu had heard about her experiences eliminating secret societies. These secret societies still needed to earn a living, so they often ran morally dubious businesses. It now seemed that the Imperial Capital was no exception. The only difference was that the operators had shifted from secret societies to the elites of the Imperial Court.

Qi Xuansu’s role easily offended others, but he was relatively unconcerned since he was from the Quanzhen Sect. Maintaining relations with the Imperial Court was the responsibility of the Taiping Sect. Moreover, he had no intention of entrenching himself in the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion and was destined to return to Jade Capital, so he was not afraid of stepping on toes.

The next morning, Qi Xuansu assembled the 700 Spirit Guards at the main plaza in front of the Yuhuang Palace. After a brief address, they set out for South City.

There were several districts between the Xuanshang North District and South City, so they took a boat across Penglai Pool. Their massive warship stood out sharply amidst the many ornate boats on the pond, with rows of Spirit Guards in black armor lining the deck, presenting an imposing sight.

Qi Xuansu did not like to show off, so instead of standing at the bow, he remained inside the cabin. Today, he wore a simple, everyday robe instead of his formal attire.

Su Li was also aboard. Though her exact age was unknown, she looked quite young on the surface. Not fond of drawing attention, she wore a cloak with a hood pulled over her head, concealing her face in the shadows.

“Some men, especially powerful and influential ones, prefer a woman’s status over the woman herself. To put it simply, no matter how beautiful a common courtesan is, she won’t attract their interest. But a modestly attractive woman from a good family can haunt their thoughts. If her identity is even more unique, like a female court official or a Daoist, it only excites their innate desires more.”

Having come from the Qingqiu lineage, Su Li was quite open about matters between men and women.

Ke Qingqing blushed slightly and let out a couple of awkward coughs.

The Spirit Guards, their faces hidden behind iron helmets with only their eyes exposed, revealed nothing of what they thought.

Qi Xuansu’s expression remained largely unreadable.

Common women traditionally wore no formal headwear. Only Daoists did.

Su Li continued, “There are two types of female Daoist priests. One is the regular kind who can marry and bear children. Both Deacon Ke and I fall under this category. The other type is those who commit themselves fully to the Dao and pledge never to marry. These are mostly found within the Quanzhen Sect, known as nuns. Many of the capital’s nobles are especially interested in nuns. Generally, they make other women dress up as nuns, or they seek out real ones.”

Ke Qingqing could not help but mutter, “This is a desecration of the Daoist Order.”

Shi Bingyun and Qin Quanyi were different. Shi Bingyun was not a nun who had vowed never to marry, and the two had seriously considered marriage. But the resistance from all sides was too great, so they had to abandon the idea. In reality, their relationship was hardly distinguishable from that of a married couple, and it was tacitly accepted by everyone.

To toy with a nun was a completely different matter. Whether it was a nun who willingly fell into degradation or one who was coerced by power, both were intolerable to the Daoist Order. The Daoist Order would never force anyone to take a vow of celibacy, but once one chose this path, they had to follow its precepts. Breaking those vows would result in severe punishment.

Qi Xuansu was not surprised that Su Li knew about such matters. Being of a non-human origin, the Qingqiu lineage had an even deeper devotion to the Dao than most Daoist factions. They had always found such moral transgressions intolerable and were firm in distancing themselves from them.

He still remembered Su Ran’s final words before her death. “The Qingqiu lineage upholds the values of Daoism. We are the best among the Taiping Sect. I don’t fear death. I only hate that I failed to destroy Ecstasy Paradise...”

From this, it was clear that Su Li, being from Qingqiu Mountain, had long despised such desecration of Daoism. But lacking the power to change things, she had chosen not to be as radical or fanatical as Su Ran. Instead, she lay low and quietly gathered intelligence. The fact that Li Ruoshui had sent Su Li for this task only proved she knew how to pick the right people for the right job.

Su Li pointed to the South City map on the table. “This second-tier brothel is the largest in South City, called the Oriental Autumn Villa. It’s involved in such activities.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “How did you come to know this, Superintendent Su?”

“The Qingqiu lineage is skilled in transformation techniques. I once disguised myself as a client and infiltrated the place,” Su Li replied.

Qi Xuansu nodded, accepting her explanation. The White Fox Face Mask was the best proof.

“Then our target will be the Oriental Autumn Villa,” Qi Xuansu said, drawing a circle on the map with the second-tier brothel at its center. “Once we enter South City, Spirit Guard Zeng and Deacon Ke will remain in place, ready to provide support at any time. Spirit Guards Zhou, Gao, Qin, Zhao, and Sun will search these third- and fourth-tier brothels. Spirit Guard Hu and Deacon Wang will patrol nearby, keeping watch and adjusting as needed. We don’t want the Oriental Autumn Villa to get suspicious. Superintendent Su, you’re familiar with the place, so you’ll lead the way. We’ll enter Oriental Autumn Villa first to assess the situation. If the evidence is conclusive, I’ll issue the signal. Whoever receives it must arrive at Oriental Autumn Villa as quickly as possible because we’re not letting a single suspect escape.”

The placement of the five Spirit Guards on the map formed a perfect encirclement around Oriental Autumn Villa.

The seven Spirit Guards responded in their deep, muffled voices, “Understood.”

Qi Xuansu took out seven mother-child talismans and distributed them among the Spirit Guards.

These were first-generation mother-child talismans. They could not be used for conversation, but could function as a covert signal. Qi Xuansu kept the mother talisman, while the seven Spirit Guards held the child talismans. When Qi Xuansu ignited the mother talisman, the child talismans would also ignite, which would be their signal.

Qi Xuansu held the seven mother talismans, so whenever he wanted to notify someone, he would ignite the corresponding one.

An hour later, Qi Xuansu and Su Li arrived outside Oriental Autumn Villa.

From the outside, Oriental Autumn Villa was hardly inferior to Sycamore Villa, with comparable facilities. It was only categorized as a second-tier brothel because its location was less prime. If what Su Li said was true, then it made sense that it would not be located in the inner city, as it would be too sensitive. The quality inside still remained to be seen.

Only now did Su Li seem to suddenly remember something. “It’s said that the patron backing this brothel is a Commandery Prince.”

After spending so much time with Madam Qi, Qi Xuansu did not believe for a second that Su Li had just remembered this information. She had likely delayed it on purpose, afraid that telling him too early might make him hesitate. By waiting until they were already here, he would be too proud to back down even if he was alarmed.

Qi Xuansu said nonchalantly, “When you owe so many debts, what’s one more? I’ve already provoked Prince Liao, so what’s a mere Commandery Prince in comparison?”

Su Li, who had been keeping her head slightly lowered, now lifted it. Her appearance shifted from a charming young woman to a handsome, youthful man.

She took the lead, while Qi Xuansu followed behind. His plain everyday Daoist robe did not draw attention, but neither did it make him seem insignificant. Qi Xuansu had more or less violated all three of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor’s virtues. He was not exactly frugal, just not extravagant.