A Pawn's Passage

The Daoist Order advocated equality. But that was just on paper. In reality, there was no such thing as absolute equality.

What the Daoist Order called equality was only relatively better compared to others. Forget the Nine Rank System; even the status between Daoist priests and Spirit Guards was far from equal.

If a third-rank Spirit Guard struck Qi Xuansu, who was a third-rank Deputy Hall Master, it was considered insubordination, and the Spirit Guard would surely be held accountable. That was why Qi Xuansu had no hesitation. He was in the right.

Just then, a sudden turn of events occurred.

Half of Qi Xuansu’s body was engulfed in flames.

The now barely recognizable Wang Danqing stood grasping a Dragon Painting Pistol with both hands, wisps of smoke still curling from its muzzle.

Everything fell deathly silent.

Everyone present was stunned speechless.

To be fair, Qi Xuansu had been ruthless in his attack, but he had held back. He had not actually twisted off Wang Danqing’s head. But Wang Danqing had struck to kill. Firearms were lifeless instruments; their damage was unforgiving, with no such thing as pulling punches.

When the flames finally died down, Qi Xuansu’s true form reappeared. He had activated his Golden Body, so he glowed brilliantly, with embers still gliding across its surface.

The key point was that his entire chest had been blasted apart.

Qi Xuansu had always been the one firing at others with pistols. This was his first time experiencing what it felt like. Based on his estimation, this shot had to be at least a Grade-A Series Eight or Series Seven Dragon Eye Bullet. Otherwise, it could not possibly have pierced his Martial Arts Practitioner’s body.

Qi Xuansu was understandably furious and was about to strike back with a lesson this man would remember for life. But he suddenly sensed something and changed his mind at once. He clutched his chest and slowly sank to the ground.

Moments later, several Sages returned with grave expressions.

Sage Donghua, who was leading the Sages, asked, “What happened here?”

The rest exchanged glances. Since this was the territory of Ziwei Hall, no one knew if any image recording formations were in place, so no one dared distort the facts. They gave a fairly honest account of what had happened.

After listening, Sage Donghua said expressionlessly, “I wasn’t aware that the Daoist Order’s Spirit Guard had become a private asset of a single household, reduced to a mere watchdog.”

One of the Sages turned livid with rage, glaring fiercely at Wang Danqing.

Qi Xuansu recalled that this was Sage Wang. He was likely a senior relative of Wang Danqing.

Ning Lingge’s expression was no better. After all, he had been the one to help bring Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu together. It was a much-praised union, but this love-struck fool had suddenly appeared and attempted to kill Qi Xuansu in a jealous rage.

There were originally stationed Spirit Guards from Ziwei Hall here, but since the Sages had headed to the next firing zone, the Spirit Guards had followed them. Only now did they return, one step behind the Sages.

Sage Donghua pointed at the Spirit Guard who had clashed with Qi Xuansu and ordered, “Detain him and hand him over to Deputy Hall Master Lei for interrogation.”

The Spirit Guards from Ziwei Hall immediately took the man away.

Sage Donghua glanced at Wang Danqing, who was still clutching the Dragon Painting Pistol and added, “Take him too. I’ll interrogate him myself later.”

He then turned to the Sage Wang and asked, “What do you think, Brother Wang?”

Sage Wang closed his eyes briefly and replied, “I’ll leave it to your discretion, Brother Pei. Let’s end things here for today and reconvene another time.”

Sage Donghua gave a slight nod and said, “Very well.”

Sage Wang left first, and the remaining Sages departed one by one.

Sage Donghua waved his hand, signaling the rest to either disperse or keep their distance, leaving only himself and Qi Xuansu behind.

Finally, Sage Donghua said to Qi Xuansu, “Get up.”

Qi Xuansu immediately rose to his feet. That shot was not fatal to him.

Sage Donghua glanced at Qi Xuansu’s chest, smiling faintly. “You’re quick-witted enough to know how to seize the moral high ground. If the Sages had arrived just in time to see you beating that punk, it’d be hard for me to speak in your favor.”

Qi Xuansu admitted frankly, “If not for my respect for the Sages, he would already be a dead man.”

Sage Donghua did not comment on the remark. “This time, that brat truly crossed the line. Don’t worry. I’ll handle it justly and see he gets the punishment he deserves.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Sage Donghua, what’s Wang Danqing’s background? Even Li Changge isn’t this arrogant. Yet here he is, daring to order a Spirit Guard to attack someone in Kunlun Paradise, with no regard for the rules.”

Sage Donghua explained, “In recent years, the biggest issue within the Daoist Order is the proliferation of noble families. These can be divided into old and new houses. The old ones are the Zhang and Li families, along with others like the Yao family, all of whom trace their lineage back to the Holy Xuan Era or before. They are descendants of those who contributed greatly to the revitalization of the Daoist Order.

“The new houses are the rising stars. Since the Daoist Order is vastly different from the one in the Holy Xuan’s time. As the Order grew, more land and positions became available. Since the Holy Xuan always advocated leaving room for upward mobility and avoiding rigidity, it was only natural that newcomers outside the old houses filled those positions. But once these newcomers rose to the top, the Order had already reached its limit, with no more room to expand. With limited positions available, they became no different from the old families, now only focused on closing the gates behind them.”

Qi Xuansu was slightly surprised at Sage Donghua’s candor, with no trace of concealment. His words were blunt and forthright. But Sage Donghua himself came from the old noble Pei family.

On second thought, Qi Xuansu realized this was probably the magnanimity a Grand Master ought to have. Zhang Yuelu, too, came from a noble family, but she never sided with the Zhang family. Her stance was aligned with the betterment of the Daoist Order as a whole.

Thinking this, Qi Xuansu could not help but feel ashamed.

What Sage Donghua said was indeed true. The three Daoist prodigies were all from noble families. The reason Qi Xuansu could rise so quickly was not because he was exceptional. It was because of Madam Qi. She, too, was from the noble Yao family.

If Qi Xuansu did not have Madam Qi’s backing, no amount of battle merits would have enabled him to rise this far in just two years, let alone be viewed as a trusted confidant by Sage Donghua. In other words, Qi Xuansu was “one of their own” by virtue of Madam Qi. This was also one reason why neither Li Changge nor Yao Pei looked down on or opposed him.

Qi Xuansu said, “So, the Wang family is one of the upstarts.”

Sage Donghua nodded. “There’s no real struggle between the new and old noble houses. Control still rests firmly with the old houses, but the influence of these upstarts grows by the day, and the old houses have no choice but to win them over.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Like Sage Wang? But how come I’ve never heard of the Wang family?”

Sage Donghua answered, “All of the 19 states on the Central Plains were carved up by the old families long ago. So, most of the upstarts have their power bases overseas. Most of the Wang family’s roots lie in Borneo and the surrounding regions. You wouldn’t know their name since you’ve never been there.”

“I see,” Qi Xuansu murmured in realization, then asked, “Will my conflict with Wang Danqing disrupt your strategy?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Sage Donghua said casually. “They were in the wrong first. The key is that you didn’t kill that brat, and you even appeared to be the one who suffered. That gives me room to maneuver. I’ll handle Sage Wang.”

Qi Xuansu nodded, accepting this point.

After all, he had twisted Wang Danqing’s neck. But the Sages did not witness that. Hearsay never carried the same weight. But the Sages had clearly seen Wang Danqing fire the pistol and injure Qi Xuansu. That was why Sage Wang could not say anything in front of everyone. He could not possibly bring himself to argue that his nephew had also suffered losses because that would be beneath him.

In this regard, Qi Xuansu did not suffer any losses. This was where his cunning showed.

Sage Donghua paused, then, unprecedentedly, made a joke. “If I had to choose between Sage Wang and Madam Qi, I’d rather appease Madam Qi. Compared to the Wang family, she’s trickier and gives people more headaches.”

It was a simple truth. Though Madam Qi was not an Omniscient Sage, she wielded significant influence in both the Seven Treasure Pavilion and the Qingping Society. Sage Donghua was the head of the Pei family and the second-in-command of the Quanzhen Sect, so he naturally feared no one. But he still had to manage things properly, resolve conflicts, and maintain internal unity.

Qi Xuansu felt an inexplicable sense of epicaricacy for not being the only one who had suffered at Madam Qi’s hands. Even Sage Donghua was not exempt.

This got him thinking, Sage Donghua and Madam Qi aren’t even the same kind of people, so how did they cross paths? Was there some untold past between them? The Yao and Pei families were indeed well-matched in status. If that were true, wouldn’t that make Sage Donghua my de facto adoptive father? That would explain why Sage Donghua treated me so favorably.

Qi Xuansu was not insisting on finding a man for Madam Qi. But she told him that she had a son. Under normal circumstances, a woman could not bear a son alone. There had to be a man involved. So it was hard for Qi Xuansu not to overthink it. He was curious who could possibly tame a devilish woman like Madam Qi. Sage Donghua now seemed a likely candidate. Of course, he could not rule out the possibility that Madam Qi had magically conceived a baby through communion with the spirits of heaven and earth.

Unaware of Qi Xuansu’s wild speculation, Sage Donghua called over a superintendent standing at a distance.

This was Sage Donghua’s secretary, Gong Jiaojun. Though technically only a superintendent, he carried more weight than an ordinary superintendent. He often acted as Sage Donghua’s proxy, and, at times, his words held more sway than many Deputy Hall Masters.

Gong Jiaojun was an efficient secretary who navigated all of Ziwei Hall’s affairs with remarkable precision.

But when it came to Qi Xuansu, Gong Jiaojun was not quite sure how to approach this matter. He had rarely seen Sage Donghua treat a junior so warmly, something even Qi Jianyuan had never experienced. Only Yao Pei received such treatment, but Yao Pei was Sage Donghua’s favorite disciple, the heiress of the Yao family, and the Earthly Preceptor’s grandniece.

In Gong Jiaojun’s eyes, Qi Xuansu’s sudden rise reeked of something unusual at every turn.

Sage Donghua ordered, “Take Deputy Hall Master Qi to my residence and get him a change of clothes.”

Gong Jiaojun acknowledged respectfully, then gestured to Qi Xuansu. “Deputy Hall Master Qi, this way please.”

“Thank you,” Qi Xuansu replied just as politely. He knew just how much standing secretaries had. After all, the Deputy Palace Masters who answered to the Grand Master and the three Deputy Grand Masters were also considered secretaries. He himself had once served as Zhang Yuelu’s secretary.