A Pawn's Passage

When Qi Xuansu returned to the Yuhuang Palace, it just so happened that Zhang Yuelu had just emerged from seclusion.

Qi Xuansu told her everything that had happened over the past few days, including the developments in Fenglin, Shi Bingyun’s analysis, and his standing in the Holy Xuan Cards Championship.

After hearing it all, Zhang Yuelu was not surprised that Fenglin’s situation had deteriorated to this point. The rebellion of these regional lords was not a spur-of-the-moment impulse but the result of long-planned secret collusion. There had been signs earlier on. As the Junior Tiangang Hall Master, Zhang Yuelu had come into contact with some intelligence reports from the Fenglin Daoist Mansion, so she had already anticipated this outcome.

What truly puzzled Zhang Yuelu was why Yao Pei would be in the Imperial Capital.

“You’re saying that Su Yi isn’t even in the capital?!” Qi Xuansu asked in surprise.

Zhang Yuelu replied, “Su Yi ran into some issues with her Great Witch bloodline. So after the incident at Wuxing Mountain, Spirit Guard Jia Chen escorted her to the Yinglong Warship, and she left with Great Sage Jiang to return to Jade Capital. After all, both the Earthly Preceptor and Sage Donghua are currently in Jade Capital.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Why don’t I remember any of that?”

“You were still unconscious then,” Zhang Yuelu said.

Qi Xuansu thought back carefully. He vaguely remembered that a Yinglong Warship had indeed taken off while he and Zhang Yuelu were watching the fireworks.

If Yao Pei could not possibly be in the Imperial Capital, then who had he played against?

Ordinary people would not dare impersonate Yao Pei. This noble lady was extremely low-key, and very few had seen her in person, so it was unlikely to be some common charlatan. That left only one possibility—Madam Qi.

With her resources, Yao Pei certainly would not care about 10,000 Taiping coins. But the money-grubbing Madam Qi would, and only Madam Qi would have the guts to pull such a stunt.

Qi Xuansu felt a deep, inexplicable frustration. “Absolutely shameless...”

Zhang Yuelu observed the shift in Qi Xuansu’s expression and more or less guessed what had happened.

To her, the dynamic between Qi Xuansu and Madam Qi was entirely foreign. Neither her birth mother, Tantai Qiong, nor her master, Sage Cihang, had ever given her that kind of feeling.

Qi Xuansu no longer wanted to dwell on that matter. Instead, he turned and asked, “Qing Xiao, what’s your take on this Fenglin campaign?”

Zhang Yuelu did not answer directly. “Before coming to the Imperial Capital, I conducted an internal investigation. At the time, the matter was still classified, so the questions were posed hypothetically. The young progressives held an optimistic view, believing Fenglin could be pacified in three months. The old guard, however, took a more cautious stance. While they didn’t rule out a three-month conclusion, most believed it would take at least half a year, possibly up to three years, thinking it would likely be a prolonged war.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Which side do you lean toward?”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “I’ve always believed these young flowerbed Daoists aren’t yet capable of achieving anything meaningful. After all, people won’t know how hard it is until they’ve lived through it. These flowerbed Daoists have yet to secure their own place in the world, nor have they suffered enough setbacks. Many of them haven’t even earned their own living. That’s why they lack stable beliefs and tend to swing wildly between extremes. One passionate proclamation can make them want to shed blood for the Daoist Order. Likewise, a single injustice can make them wish for the fall of the Daoist Order. So I keep my distance from these young progressives, not because I look down on them, but because getting too close is dangerous. They’re like flames, burning bright, but full of false fire. Trying to ride that momentum for influence could easily backfire and get me burned.”

Qi Xuansu reflected for a moment. “So, in other words, you lean toward the older generation’s view.”

Zhang Yuelu explained, “The younger generation is always impatient. They want quick victories, but the world isn’t that simple. If you pander to them and claim Fenglin will be pacified in three months, it’ll be fine if you succeed. But if you fail, and the war goes badly, they’ll swing from ‘the Daoist Order is invincible’ to ‘the Daoist Order is doomed’ in an instant. That emotional whiplash can devastate morale. That’s the backlash I’m talking about.”

Qi Xuansu said, “But this kind of viewpoint shouldn’t be voiced publicly, not when the radicals are on the rise. If you speak against them, you’d immediately be branded a traitor. Even you wouldn’t be spared.”

Zhang Yuelu sighed helplessly. “That’s why I can only say this to you. Sage Ning once said that the Daoists raised in the flowerbed of Jade Capital can’t withstand any storms, but the gardeners who cultivated this flowerbed are so satisfied with the landscape that they won’t allow anyone to change a single leaf.”

Qi Xuansu mulled it over. “That cuts deep.”

Zhang Yuelu continued, “Since this won’t be a short campaign, the troops will likely be deployed in batches. I probably won’t be in the first batch, so there’s still some time.”

Qi Xuansu asked with some concern, “If Sage Qingwei really is appointed Sage Commander, could that lead to...?”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “There’s no need to worry. Sage Qingwei wants battle merit, which relates to the final race for the Grand Master’s seat. With foreign threats looming, internal unity is critical. He knows how to prioritize.”

Qi Xuansu reminded, “That may be true, but it’s still wise to be cautious.”

As they were speaking, Ke Qingqing came to report that Han Yongshuang had arrived.

Qi Xuansu instructed Ke Qingqing to invite Han Yongshuang in.

After greeting Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu, Han Yongshuang got straight to the point. “It’s perfect that you’re both here, so I don’t have to make two trips. A new order just came from the Golden Tower Council. The Imperial Preceptor’s flying ship will descend at Penglai Pool in two hours and will only stop briefly for an hour. The Golden Tower Council wants all of us to board the ship and return to Jade Capital together.”

Both Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were startled.

But upon closer reflection, it actually made sense.

Earlier, Zhang Yuelu had mentioned that due to the transition of the Great Sage Lunzhi, the Heavenly Preceptor and Earthly Preceptor were both present in Jade Capital, while only the Imperial Preceptor had remained on Penglai Island. Now that something as significant as the Fenglin campaign had arisen, the three Deputy Grand Masters needed to deliberate. For preliminary resolutions, remote participation via projection was sufficient. But when it came to the wide-ranging and detailed planning of a military campaign, face-to-face deliberation was essential. Hence, the Imperial Preceptor had to return to Jade Capital.

Normally, flying ships traveled on a bi-monthly schedule. In special circumstances, extra ships could be dispatched. But in this case, rather than sending a ship from Jade Capital, it was more efficient and logical to have them ride the Imperial Preceptor’s ship.

Even though the three Daoist sects were at odds, the Imperial Preceptor was the Great Sage of the Taiping Sect and a genuine heavyweight. He would not stoop to harming juniors. Even if he were shameless enough to try, doing so aboard his own ship, especially at such a moment, was unthinkable.

Aside from puppet emperors under the thumb of ministers, most emperors had countless ways to kill. Never had one personally killed in public, as they cared about their image.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Who exactly does ‘all of us’ include?”

Han Yongshuang replied, “The five-person delegation and all specially transferred personnel from the Jade Capital. Since you were seconded from Ziwei Hall, you’re included as well, Superintendent Qi.”

Qi Xuansu nodded in acknowledgment.

Han Yongshuang added, “I still need to inform the others. See you by Penglai Pool in two hours!”

With that, she did not linger and turned to leave immediately.

Zhang Yuelu said, “Well, I’m ready to leave anytime. But you’ve been stationed here for quite a while, so you’d better take the chance to say goodbye to your colleagues.”

Qi Xuansu sighed softly. “Yes, I should say my farewells.”

Zhang Yuelu walked toward the exit. “I’ll wait for you at Penglai Pool.”

Qi Xuansu had long been mentally prepared, so there was not much more to say. He summoned Ke Qingqing and instructed, “Deacon Ke, I just received an order from the Golden Tower Council to leave with the Jade Capital delegation in two hours. We will be boarding the Imperial Preceptor’s flying ship bound for Jade Capital. I’m not sure when I’ll return to the Imperial Capital, so gather everyone. I want to offer a brief farewell.”

Ke Qingqing was momentarily stunned, then she said, “Congratulations, Superintendent Qi. Once you go back, you’ll probably be promoted to Deputy Hall Master!”

Qi Xuansu waved his hand. “It’s far from certain, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Go on.”

Before long, Su Li and all of Qi Xuansu’s subordinates had gathered in his office.

Qi Xuansu gave a brief speech. He first reflected on the experiences of the past few months, then expressed appreciation for everyone’s cooperation. Finally, he offered his best wishes for their future journeys and hoped that fate would bring them together again.

Since Qi Xuansu had already withdrawn from the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion’s affairs ever since the launch of the Anchor the Monkey operation, there was little to hand over in terms of work.

After bidding farewell to his subordinates, Qi Xuansu went to visit his superior, Shi Bingyun.

As a member of the Daoist Order’s upper echelons, Shi Bingyun was well-informed of Qi Xuansu’s departure and simply told him to go with peace of mind.

Two hours later, Qi Xuansu met Zhang Yuelu at the Penglai Pool.

Li Changge was there as well. In a way, they were riding on Li Changge’s coattails, as the Imperial Preceptor probably only agreed to make a brief stopover because of the future heir of the Li family.

Soon, a colossal Yinglong Warship broke through the sea of clouds and slowly descended. A ramp was lowered.

Once everyone had boarded, an Assistant Palace Master of the Zhenjing Courtyard came to receive them. Though this Assistant Palace Master was a third-rank Youyi Daoist master, and Li Changge was only a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master, their roles seemed entirely reversed. The Assistant Palace Master showed undisguised deference, bowing deeply before Li Changge, who did not act arrogantly and merely accepted the greeting without protest.

This was Qi Xuansu’s first time aboard a Yinglong Warship. His immediate impression was its massive size. It was like an aerial fortress. Compared to ordinary passenger flying ships, the Yinglong Warship’s structure was far more complex. In addition to various formations that harnessed the forces of heaven and earth, the most striking feature was a terrifying cannon with a one-meter-wide bore and a barrel over 30 meters long.

This cannon was named Starcrusher, capable of firing Grade-A Series Two Dragon Eye Bombs weighing around 7 tonnes, and Grade-A Series Two Phoenix Eye Bombs weighing almost 5 tonnes, with a maximum range of 75 kilometers.

It was this very Starcrusher that the Daoist Order had used to blast the Tenshu Tower in Xiujing City, forcing the Regent to sign a surrender treaty.