A Pawn's Passage

The entire council hall fell silent.

Everyone turned to look at Qi Xuansu.

His words were razor-sharp, bordering on harsh.

Everyone present was seasoned in navigating storms. They all understood that Qi Xuansu was just a vanguard. Today’s council was a true close-quarters confrontation between the factions.

Li Ruoshui did not rush to speak. Her expression remained unreadable.

Many thought the Mansion Master would erupt in anger and that Deputy Hall Master Zhang and Deputy Mansion Master Shi would follow with comments.

But against everyone’s expectations, Li Ruoshui did not speak harshly. Instead, she flashed a perfectly measured smile and said, “Superintendent Qi, you’ve raised a very sharp question that put me, the only Omniscient Sage here, on the spot. But I’m not humiliated by it. In fact, I think it’s an excellent point. Everyone here, including the Deputy Mansion Masters and Superintendents, must have the courage to confront such issues.

“As the Mansion Master and an Omniscient Sage, I’m not exempt from supervision. I need even stricter supervision. The view is better from higher up, but the burden is also heavier. Promotion in rank does not equate to moral or spiritual elevation. On the contrary, the higher one’s status, the greater the temptations and the more likely one is to make grave errors with greater consequences. My authority is granted by the Daoist Order, and every Daoist has the right and duty to supervise me. I accept all such oversight with openness.

“On this matter, our Daoist elders foresaw the need and thus created the positions of Chief and Second Deputy Mansion Masters. Though they are not of equal rank to the Mansion Master, they are tasked with counterbalancing and supervising me. Chief Deputy Zhou, Second Deputy Shi, I hope you two will uphold the power and responsibilities granted to you by the Daoist Order. Fulfill the expectations placed upon you by our predecessors. Even if you treat me as a rival and oppose me at every turn, that’s fine—because only then will I remain vigilant, as if treading on thin ice, always mindful of the sword hanging above my head.

“At the same time, I hope our Daoist Order will have more people like Superintendent Qi—those who dare to speak with substance and who do not blindly follow authority. Superiors should avoid monopolizing decisions. Peers should avoid forming cliques, infighting, or undermining each other. Let us advance and retreat together as one.”

When Li Ruoshui finished her monologue, she scanned the room.

All the Deputy Mansion Masters nodded in agreement.

Qi Xuansu was momentarily dazed, then slowly said, “Mansion Master, you have high standards in every sense. I have nothing further to say.”

He sat back down in his position.

Zhang Yuelu pressed her lips together and remained silent.

Anyone who had risen to the rank of Omniscient Sage was no easy character. Li Ruoshui’s level of cunning was far beyond that of an ordinary Deputy Mansion Master.

At that moment, Yao Pei spoke. “I am the Deputy Palace Master from the Chongyang Palace of Immortality. I came to the Imperial Capital for Superintendent Qi’s case and should not be commenting on unrelated matters. However, since Mansion Master Li has repeatedly emphasized our duty to help identify and correct problems in the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, I will briefly offer my view as a member of the five-person delegation.”

“Please speak, Deputy Palace Master Yao.” Li Ruoshui turned to give Yao Pei her full attention.

Yao Pei was fully alert now, a far cry from her usual dull demeanor. Her clear eyes carried a sharp glint as she said, “Qian Xiangyun’s escape proves one thing—there are internal factions infighting and sabotaging each other. Just as we were about to arrest her, she received word and fled. This is not something a few platitudes about oversight can gloss over. The impact has been severe, not only damaging the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion’s reputation but also providing others with ammunition to attack the Daoist Order. The Golden Tower Council has issued clear instructions for this case to be thoroughly investigated. If we’re just going to sit around and philosophize about morality, then there’s no point in holding this meeting, is there?”

The smile on Li Ruoshui’s face gradually faded.

Li Changge, who was seated beside Yao Pei, raised an eyebrow.

“Then what do you propose, Deputy Palace Master Yao?” Li Ruoshui asked.

Yao Pei replied, “The Golden Tower Council’s directive is my view. We should identify those directly responsible and punish them without leniency. Others implicated should also bear responsibility accordingly.”

Li Ruoshui’s expression finally changed slightly. She asked, “Is this your opinion, or that of your honored master, Sage Donghua?”

Yao Pei responded expressionlessly, “We are discussing official matters now, so there is no master and disciple here, only the Chief Omniscient Sage and the Ziwei Hall Master. This is not a personal opinion but a resolution of the Golden Tower Council. As an Omniscient Sage yourself, you should be fully aware of this, Mansion Master Li.”

Li Changge finally intervened. “A thorough investigation is not at odds with Mansion Master Li’s suggestion. It’s precisely because there is internal strife and sabotage that she advocates against it. Today’s council meeting should address the matter at hand. Investigating the truth behind Qian Xiangyun’s escape is one part of it. Using it as an opportunity to reform the entire Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion is another. The two are not contradictory, so why the conflict?”

Li Changge spoke with a calm tone—neither forceful nor faint—lacking even the slightest trace of the Li family’s usual sarcasm.

Yao Pei lowered her gaze. “Since we are addressing this matter directly, I wonder what insights you might have on investigating Qian Xiangyun’s escape, Daoist Li.”

“It’s hardly an insight, just a humble suggestion to invite better ideas,” Li Changge replied with a faint smile. “This case isn’t complex. Gao Mingyin was entangled in certain matters and was silenced. The one who stood to gain the most is likely behind Qian Xiangyun. So, who benefits most? According to my investigation, there’s a man named Wen Weng behind Gao Mingyin. He is the chief administrator of Prince Liao’s household.”

Zhang Yuelu looked surprised. “Daoist Li, are you suspecting Prince Liao to be the mastermind?”

She was not surprised by the deduction. Just as Li Changge had mentioned, it was not complicated. What surprised her was that Li Changge would directly implicate Prince Liao. Since the Li family and Prince Liao were allies, dragging him into this would seem like betrayal. No matter how one looked at it, Li Changge was not the type to act without thought. There had to be a deeper meaning behind it.

Sure enough, Li Changge continued, “I didn’t say that. Everything must be based on evidence. The chief administrator of Prince Liao’s household does not represent the Prince himself. Even if we do want to suspect Prince Liao, we will first need to apprehend Wen Weng.”

Shi Bingyun added, “From what I know, this chief administrator of Prince Liao’s household went missing three days ago. Rumor has it he returned to his hometown. Even if he didn’t, he is still a legitimate court official. We can’t just arrest and interrogate him at will. The Taiping Sect has always been close to the Imperial Court. Surely you know that, Junior Imperial Preceptor.”

Li Changge replied innocently, “He fled, too? That, I really didn’t know.”

Shi Bingyun sneered, “Whether you know or not, only the heavens know. But everyone here has their suspicions.”

Li Changge remained calm. “Now’s not the time for bickering. The priority is to find Wen Weng—alive or dead—then we can talk about everything else.”

“What if we can’t find him? Are we to search indefinitely?” Shi Bingyun pressed relentlessly.

Li Changge pondered briefly before suggesting, “Then let’s set a deadline. How about five days?”

Qi Xuansu suddenly looked toward Li Changge.

His first reaction was that Li Changge was stalling for the sake of what was going on at Wuxing Mountain.

If this guess was correct, then the Taiping Sect must have made significant progress with whatever was going on in Wuxing Mountain. Since Li Changge had only asked for five days, there was not much time left. Even considering follow-up tactics, they would not have more than a month at best.

Qi Xuansu reviewed Gao Mingyin’s case again in his mind.

It had all started by coincidence, with a brothel case that escalated. Both sides thought victory was within grasp, and neither would back down. It nearly became a matter of life and death. That was how Wen Weng and others were lured into the mess.

This case originally had nothing to do with Wuxing Mountain. So, when did the connection begin?

The only link between Gao Mingyin and Wuxing Mountain was Prince Liao.

From beginning to end, Prince Liao never appeared or made a statement. It was always the chief administrator, Wen Weng, who acted on his behalf.

Whether it was under Prince Liao’s orders or Wen Weng’s own initiative, the result was that two assassins from The Inn and seven Tianchen Division officials openly attacked Qi Xuansu.

If Qi Xuansu had died and could not testify, that would have been the end of it. But unfortunately for them, Qi Xuansu survived.

That was when the situation spiraled out of control, as the implications involved were simply too enormous.

At any other time, even if a Superintendent were killed, let alone just attacked, it might have been suppressed. But at this moment, the forces behind Qi Xuansu would surely fan the flames and make a big case out of it.

Once exposed, it would be a crime punishable by the extermination of a whole clan.

Gao Mingyin could not shoulder such a crime, so he could only implicate Wen Weng.

Wen Weng’s official status was only that of a fifth-rank chief administrator to Prince Liao’s household. He could not bear that blame either. Only Prince Liao held the necessary authority. If the investigation continued, it was only a matter of time before the Prince was dragged into the quagmire.

So, Gao Mingyin ended up dead. Qian Xiangyun took a massive risk to kill him, blatantly cutting off the trail despite the obvious suspicion it would draw.

Following this line of reasoning, did it mean Prince Liao could not afford to be implicated right now? Perhaps he was too preoccupied, or perhaps he was in a condition where he could not show himself.

There was further evidence. Though Prince Liao had an old grudge against Drenched Green Robes, he did not kill the latter personally. It was the people from The Inn who took action.

In other words, Prince Liao was very likely within Wuxing Mountain right now.

Li Changge did not want the case to implicate Prince Liao, because once he was involved, nothing could be hidden anymore. Prince Liao was a legitimate royal. If the Daoist Order could not even locate an Imperial Prince to question, it would give the Quanzhen Sect and the Zhengyi Sect the perfect excuse to demand entry to Wuxing Mountain by claiming Prince Liao was hiding there.

That was why Li Changge needed to stall and delay the progress of the investigation.

But all of this was just Qi Xuansu’s speculation. He had no solid evidence.