A Pawn's Passage

Despite this, neither Qi Xuansu nor Zhang Yuelu let down their guard.

Qi Xuansu looked at the alchemy furnace and said warily, “Qing Xiao, according to novels, there should be a refined pill left inside the furnace. If we take it, that Daoist will suddenly awaken and turn into a zombie to fight us.”

Zhang Yuelu did not respond. She leapt directly above the furnace and opened its lid.

The lid was quite heavy, but Zhang Yuelu, as a Heavenly Being, was far from a frail woman. She lifted it with ease.

“It’s empty,” Zhang Yuelu said after inspecting each compartment of the furnace. She then placed the lid back.

Just then, a voice rang out, “The pill was taken 400 years ago.”

In that instant, both Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu felt a chill run down their spines.

They turned at the same time to look at the Daoist seated before the furnace.

He remained utterly motionless. But neither of them believed this was a mere inert mortal shell anymore, even if he emitted no trace of vitality.

The two looked as if they were facing a deadly foe.

Moments later, the Daoist slowly opened his eyes. His pupils were a cloudy gray, as if covered by a film. “You’re from the Daoist Order as well? So young, yet already in possession of a semi-immortal object. It seems your background must be unusual. Are you from the Zhang clan of the Zhengyi Sect?”

The Three Great Families recognized across the world included the ever-changing royal bloodline, the Daoist Zhang family, and the Confucian Sage’s descendants. Each one of them was a lineage that spanned a thousand years. Even during the Jin Dynasty and the Golden Horde period, the Zhang family was a strong pillar of power. The Li family, who had now surpassed the Zhangs, had not yet risen back then. Only after the decline of the Quanzhen Sect did the Taiping Sect, led by the Lis, begin to emerge.

So even if this eerie shell of a man from over five centuries ago was unfamiliar with the modern Daoist world, it would still recognize the Zhang family.

Qi Xuansu subtly signaled Zhang Yuelu not to reveal their origins. Who knew whether this being was a man or a ghost? If it bore a grudge against the Zhang family, they might be walking straight into danger.

“Senior, may I ask who you are?” Qi Xuansu asked.

The mortal shell sighed. “Don’t be nervous. I bear no hostility. As you can see, I am but a pitiful soul, trapped here for 500 years in the shell of my corpse. There used to be a young girl who would visit me often. We had a deal that she would help me escape, while I offered her assistance or gifts in return. But for some reason, she hasn’t come back for some time.”

Qi Xuansu asked again, “Senior, is the young girl you mentioned named Qian Xiangyun?”

“Yes, that’s her name. Do you know her?” The mortal shell responded calmly, with not a hint of hostility.

Qi Xuansu hesitated for a moment before saying, “She betrayed the Daoist Order and fled overseas.”

“Betrayed the Daoist order?” The mortal shell seemed puzzled by this phrasing. “Betraying one’s sect isn’t unusual. But what could she have done that was so heinous for her to be labeled as a traitor to the entire Daoist Order?”

Qi Xuansu asked in surprise, “Didn’t she tell you about the current state of the Daoist world?”

The mortal shell was silent for a moment, then replied, “I didn’t ask, and she didn’t say.”

Qi Xuansu carefully chose his words and explained, “About 500 years ago, the Daoist sects were fragmented. Each lineage minded its own affairs, and conflicts were frequent. Back then, one could only be accused of betraying one’s sect, not the entire Daoist Order as a whole. Only the most vile villains or those who converted to Buddhism were considered to have abandoned the Dao. But now, the Daoist Order is unified. There is only one Daoist Order, and it has a single leader. The Confucian School is its vassal. Even the Buddhist Sect bows to the Daoist Order.”

The mortal shell was silent for a long time before remarking, “The Daoist Order has become another Imperial Court?”

Qi Xuansu was not quite sure how to respond.

Zhang Yuelu stepped in. “You could put it that way.”

The mortal shell said nothing for a long time. He seemed to be imagining what a unified Daoist Order—one that stood independent of the Imperial Court and suppressed the Confucian School and the Buddhist Sect—might look like.

He could not quite picture it.

After a long pause, the mortal shell asked, “Who is the current leader of the Daoist Order?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “The sixth-generation Grand Master has already ascended to the heavens. Currently, three Deputy Grand Masters jointly lead the Daoist Order. They are the Great Heavenly Preceptor, the Great Earthly Master, and the Great Teacher.”

These were the predecessors of the Heavenly, Earthly, and Imperial Preceptors—longstanding titles that any old relic would recognize immediately.

The mortal shell murmured, “The battle between the Heavenly and Earthly Preceptor lasted centuries, yet now they serve the same cause? What about the Yuxu Sword Duel?”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “The last Yuxu Sword Duel happened 200 years ago. Nowadays, Yuxu Peak is where the Jade Capital stands. No duels allowed.”

“Wasn’t the Jade Capital sealed by Daoist Master Nanhua?” The mortal shell asked, clearly still in possession of long-obsolete secrets.

Zhang Yuelu continued explaining, “After the final Yuxu Sword Duel, the Primordial Daoist Ancestor manifested, and the Kunlun Paradise descended. Jade Capital was revealed atop Yuxu Peak, becoming the capital of the Daoist Order. That’s where the Grand Master resides. Over 100,000 Daoist priests, Spirit Guards, and Daoist believers live there. Flying ships connect it to all parts of the world. The Daoist Order has also established Daoist mansions and Daoist palaces across the 19 states. Temples are set in every county and prefecture, overseen by Daoist priests. The total population of Daoists, including Spirit Guards, priests, and believers, reaches into the millions.”

The mortal shell once again fell into a long silence.

After all, he was from the Dark Era, where one had to grovel at the feet of emperors and nobles. It was now the Civilized Era, where most Daoists looked down on the Imperial Court as barbaric, priding themselves on refinement. This was too big a contrast.

Zhang Yuelu had built up to this moment for a reason. She took out her Daoist license and declared, “I am a third-rank Youyi Daoist master of the Daoist Order, tasked with investigating Qian Xiangyun’s act of treason. I hope you will cooperate. If not, retribution will come with thunder, and punishment will be exacted.”

This was how assertive modern Daoist disciples had become.

“The nine-rank evaluation system?” The mortal shell looked at the license in Zhang Yuelu’s hand and sensed that it was a treasure. Using such an object for identification spoke volumes about the Daoist Order’s current might. To him, it was as if a fallen house had suddenly transformed into an aristocratic lineage.

Qi Xuansu also took out his own license. “I am a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master of the Daoist Order. I ask for your cooperation, Senior.”

The two licenses were roughly similar in design, differing only in the details, making their credentials even more convincing.

The mortal shell had no choice but to believe them. He asked, “The Great Heavenly Preceptor, Great Earthly Master, and Great Teacher—what ranks are they?”

Zhang Yuelu answered, “They are first-rank Tianzhen Daoist masters, higher even than the ordinary first-rank masters. They are a special class of their own.”

The mortal shell understood and summarized, “First rank, akin to the Three Dukes.”

After a short pause, he added, “Then the Grand Master is essentially the emperor.”

Zhang Yuelu corrected him. “There is no emperor in the Daoist Order, as this seat does not belong to a single family. The Grand Master is elected by the Golden Tower Council, a collective of Daoist Sages.”

The mortal shell summarized what Zhang Yuelu said in his terms. “So it’s a blend of the ancient abdication system, the nine-rank evaluation system, and Western aristocratic republic—forming a strange hybrid system. The lower-ranking Daoists seem to have a vote, but in truth, it’s just picking the best among three bad eggs. How is this so-called Golden Tower Council different from a Western Senate?”

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu exchanged a glance.

This mortal shell was clearly a major figure in his lifetime, as his insights into the current Daoist system hit the nail on its head.

Of course, one could simply call it bold. If the Three Deputy Grand Masters were here, just saying such a thing would have earned him a death sentence.

Luckily, the mortal shell had encountered Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu, members of the Daoist younger generation. They did not find the words harsh. In fact, they resonated with parts of what he said.

Qi Xuansu had long said that the position of Grand Master was always contested by scions of noble families. How could those of ordinary birth like him ever hope to rise?

Of course, whenever he thought this, Qi Xuansu would also reflect on his own background. With Madam Qi as his adoptive mother, could he really call himself ordinary? There was room for doubt. From one perspective, he and Zhang Yuelu were quite evenly matched. Both of them were seen by outsiders as people of status and background. But in the eyes of the true elite, they were just side branches of minor houses. While Madam Qi was indeed from the Yao family, she was only an adopted daughter and held no position within the Daoist hierarchy. She could not help Qi Xuansu much in terms of advancement.

Zhang Yuelu cleared her throat lightly. “Senior.”

The mortal shell ceased pondering these institutional matters and said, “You represent the Daoist Order of today and ask me to cooperate. One must bow under the host’s roof, so I will cooperate. I will extend the same deal I made with Qian Xiangyun. If you help me escape, I’ll agree to anything. Once I’m free, I swear to abide by the rules of the Daoist Order. From what you’ve described, even if I were in my prime, I couldn’t match the strength of the modern Daoist Order.”

Qi Xuansu pursued, “Senior, you’ve mentioned your lifetime several times. May I ask what your name was?”

The mortal shell was silent for a moment before replying, “My name is Lin Lingsu.”

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were both stunned.

It really was Master Tongzhen Daling himself, the Jin Dynasty’s Imperial Preceptor who once forced monks to rename themselves as Virtuous Ones.

But this raised a new question—if Lin Lingsu passed away here, then who was it that later established the Shenxiao lineage’s foundation in Huzhou?

The Shenxiao lineage rose to prominence from the end of the Jin Dynasty to the start of the Wei Dynasty. In between was the century-long Golden Horde rule. During the reign of the Wei Dynasty’s founding emperor, the Shenxiao lineage’s patriarch was honored as True Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao, and the sect leader of the time was named Master Tongwei Xianhua. Today, the Shenxiao lineage’s representative was among the Daoist Order’s 36 Omniscient Sages and belonged to the Quanzhen Sect.

There was no doubt that True Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao and Master Tongzhen Daling were both patriarchs of the Shenxiao lineage and were deeply connected.

Over 100 years had passed from Lin Lingsu’s last known appearance to True Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao’s investiture—far longer than most Immortals could remain in the world. But according to Daoist records, True Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao had survived a heavenly tribulation, allowing him to remain in the mortal realm for two centuries. Lin Lingsu had returned to his homeland and resigned from his post after losing the second Buddhist-Daoist duel at only 40 years old.

If Master Tongzhen Daling was indeed Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao, the timeline would match perfectly.