A Pawn's Passage

The Fenglin campaign had entered its closing phase. However, Zhang Yuelu and the others had not returned, as they had to sort out loose ends, leaving no room for carelessness.

Qi Xuansu found himself idle in Jade Capital. While he was sorting through his spoils from Fenglin, he realized that he had mostly gained merits and not many tangible items.

The main item he gained was Pure Bodhi, in which he had used 2.5 semi-immortal objects to trade for. He had initially gained quite a sizable amount of divine power. However, the ordeal with the demonic fire consumed most of it, leaving him with only 2,000 marks. Fortunately, he had acquired a new mystical ability from the demonic fire, which he jokingly named Izanagi’s Left Arm.

As for Taiping coins, nothing more needed to be said. Though he was promoted and given higher stipends, Madam Qi had pulled some strings to siphon off his future salary using the excuse of purchasing this house for him, leaving him coinless. Thankfully, at his rank, he no longer had to worry about food, clothing, and shelter, so there was little real need to spend.

Besides this, Qi Xuansu had also gained Class-C access for the Jianxiu Mountain creation project, personally bestowed by the Earthly Preceptor. Though far less powerful than Class-A or Class-B, it was a long-term access that might prove useful in unexpected situations in the future.

Qi Xuansu had even asked Madam Qi why possessing the Longevity Stone Heart allowed him to wield this access directly without external items. To which Madam Qi explained, “The Longevity Stone Heart itself is an external object. Back when you strayed into the Ghost Kingdom, you gained the ability to open the portal and summon the Three Yin Beings, which is a kind of access. The Earthly Preceptor merely extended that access from that foundation. If it were someone else, they would never enjoy such convenience.”

Qi Xuansu felt she had only explained half of it, so he pressed further. “Last time, I only had access to the Ghost Kingdom because I absorbed divine power from the Pingtian Crown above the Emperor Willow. Summoning the Three Yin Beings was by pact, not compulsion. So how could the Earthly Preceptor transmit divine power across space to grant me such access?”

Madam Qi became evasive. “Then you should ask the Earthly Preceptor, not me! I’m not the Earthly Preceptor, nor can I grant anyone whatever-class access. How should I know?”

That ended the discussion. Naturally, Qi Xuansu could not ask the Earthly Preceptor about this, as it involved the Quanzhen Sect’s core secrets. Besides, he had no relationship or the clearance to meet the Earthly Preceptor.

Even if granted an audience with the Earthly Preceptor, Qi Xuansu would only be able to listen to instructions and not pose questions. In truth, aside from the Heavenly Preceptor, who seemed approachable, both the Earthly Preceptor and Imperial Preceptor were famously daunting figures and not easy to speak with.

Qi Xuansu could only bury this doubt deep within him for now.

After wrapping up these matters, Madam Qi prepared to leave Jade Capital. She would not linger a moment longer. In fact, she had already stayed far longer than usual for Qi Xuansu’s sake. By habit, she never stayed in one place for long.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu’s wedding would not happen this year, as it would take time to clean up the house and prepare betrothal gifts and dowries. It would be best to wait until they both finished their regional postings and returned to Jade Capital to hold the wedding. That way, they could avoid needless to-and-fro travels.

Naturally, Qi Xuansu tried to persuade Madam Qi to stay a while longer.

To ordinary folk, being 50 or 60 marked the threshold of old age, when frailty started to set in. But for a Pseudo-Immortal, this age was their prime, as their cultivation would be near perfection. They still had four more decades to make their mark, just like the three heirs of the Daoist Order.

Thus, Madam Qi held no concept of her own aging. To her, Qi Xuansu was just a “child” in the Wuliang stage, so it was still her duty to look after him.

Qi Xuansu only hoped to spend more time together, as they rarely met in person anymore.

However, Madam Qi flatly refused. She disliked the solemnity of Jade Capital and preferred the free, unrestrained life of the Jianghu.

Knowing he could not sway her, he had no choice but to see her off.

In a sense, both Zhang Yuelu and Madam Qi lived with unruffled grace, unmoved by honor or disgrace and unbound by conventions. The difference between them lay in Zhang Yuelu’s much heavier sense of duty and greater ambition.

Qi Xuansu was not truly carefree like Madam Qi. Instead, he was a compromise between the two, lacking Zhang Yuelu’s lofty vision and Madam Qi’s freedom.

On second thought, striking a balance was not so bad.

That was how Madam Qi departed, leaving behind a fortune of 1.45 million Taiping coins with a wave of her sleeve, yet taking not so much as a scrap of paper from Jade Capital.

Before she left, Qi Xuansu even mentioned Genki’s matter. Madam Qi agreed to handle it since business was her forte, so he need not worry about it. All he had to do was take care of himself.

Qi Xuansu had to remain in Jade Capital, awaiting the final word on the matter that Sage Donghua said was not yet settled.

Soon, April arrived. Though Qi Xuansu was not yet at the rank to sit in on the Golden Tower Council, he had attended a joint council between the Nine Halls. This meeting bore less symbolic weight but held much practical importance. Its purpose was to coordinate across the halls and departments, allowing them to discuss, reconcile views, and jointly push forward certain tasks or goals.

This was the highest tier of governance beneath the Golden Tower Council. Each session was hosted by one of the Nine Halls, chosen by the specific task at hand. Since this council had no official seal, all documentation was issued under the host’s seal and jointly signed by the others.

Generally speaking, the Ziwei Hall seldom took the lead, as it oversaw personnel matters. Minor appointments needed no such fuss, while major personnel changes inevitably required the Golden Tower Council’s approval.

The hall that most often took the lead in joint councils was Shibo Hall, as it was involved in all facets of trade. Diplomatic dealings fell to the Ciji Hall; external security to Tiangang Hall; internal rectification to Beichen Hall and Fengxian Hall; supply of resources to Huasheng Hall and Tianji Hall; and finances to Duzhi Hall. None of these Halls could function alone. Most often, they required coordination with the other eight Halls and the regional Daoist Mansions, especially the coastal ones such as Jiangnan, Lingnan, Liaodong, and Qizhou.

This time, it was the Tiangang Hall taking the lead, with Sage Cihang herself presiding over the council.

All the Hall Masters attended, except for Sage Donghua of Ziwei Hall and Sage Qingwei of Beichen Hall.

Every Deputy Hall Master in Jade Capital was also present, including Lei Xiaohuan, who had yet to depart for her new post. Those away from the Jade Capital were excused and would receive the resolutions later in writing.

The scale of attendance made clear that the matter at hand was important, but it bore no sign of war. The Fenglin campaign was still ongoing, so having two fronts would be folly. More than that, the Three Great Halls—Tiangang Hall, Ziwei Hall, and Beichen Hall—seldom convened such councils. Personnel shifts, wars, or major cases fell under the Golden Tower Council’s purview, not joint councils. So, this meeting, hosted by Tiangang Hall, was extraordinary.

Naturally, the meeting was held in Tiangang Hall. Qi Xuansu, once a member of this Hall, felt as though he was returning to a familiar place.

Prior to this session, all attendees were instructed not to bring any attendants or secretaries. So, Qi Xuansu came alone. When Qi Xuansu reached the assembly hall, Sage Cihang’s secretary was already waiting.

Qi Xuansu had met several such aides before, like Gong Jiaojun, Shen Yuqing, and Tang Jiaohua, who were all men. At higher levels, secretaries were typically male.

Thus, seeing a female secretary was unusual. Sage Cihang’s secretary was a woman named Qian Wan. Strictly speaking, she was Sage Cihang’s and Shi Bingyun’s junior sister. In truth, she was nearly 20 years younger than her senior sisters, only a few years older than Bai Yingqiong. Their age gap was like that between Bai Yingqiong and Xiao Yueru. On paper, they were peers, but in reality, they were separated by decades.

Since Qi Xuansu was both a veteran of the Tiangang Hall and betrothed to Sage Cihang’s disciple, Qian Wan greeted him warmly. From her, he learned that this session concerned the Westerners.

When he arrived, many faces he vaguely recognized from the welcome banquet greeted him by name. He could only respond politely, though he barely recalled their names.

Once seated, he was startled when Xiao Yueru poured him tea and playfully greeted him as “Brother-in-law.”

Qi Xuansu felt embarrassed and did not know what to say. Thankfully, this was a formal council, and Xiao Yueru soon withdrew from the hall.

Everyone arrived within 15 minutes. Sage Cihang entered with the other Hall Masters. After the elders took their seats, she called the meeting to order.

Her gaze swept across the hall. “This session is exceptional. Since this is urgent, I will get straight to the point. Before we begin, I must emphasize the three rules of today. First, no written record will be kept from this session, so please commit everything to memory. Second, the matters discussed here must not be divulged to outsiders. Should there be a leak, the loose-tongued shall bear full responsibility. Third, there must be no expansion beyond the plan upon execution. Everything must be carried out in secret. As with the second rule, violators will bear full responsibility.”