A Pawn's Passage

Besides Han Yongfeng and Ke Qingqing, a contingent of 100 elite Spirit Guards led by a first-rank Spirit Guard was aboard Qi Xuansu’s flying ship.

Strictly speaking, the Spirit Guards of the Poluo Daoist Mansion were divided into two groups—one responsible for daily law and order, and the other for military campaigns. The latter fell under the command of Great Sage Lan, which formed the core of the Great Sage’s authority.

The First-Rank Spirit Guard accompanying them was Ding Chou, one of the Six Ding Spirit Guards, a veteran stationed in Poluo for many years who was well-acquainted with local affairs. Spirit Guard Ding Chou was equivalent to a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master, but her ranking in the Daoist Mansion was just below Qi Xuansu, the Second Deputy. So it was fitting for her to accompany him on this mission.

Beyond that, her presence also carried another purpose, which was to serve as Qi Xuansu’s personal guard.

When Sage Qingwei had first arrived in Fenglin, he had immediately suffered an assassination attempt. Though Poluo was far more stable and lacked any Sonno-joi faction, there could be no guarantee of absolute safety. The Daoist Order’s internal strife was notoriously brutal, and Poluo was teeming with secret societies. Should any “accident” occur, it would be all too easy to pin the blame on one of them.

Given Qi Xuansu’s current rank, he could not ride a Yinglong Warship. It was a privilege reserved for the three Deputy Grand Masters. Instead, he traveled aboard a White Carp flying ship, which had been extensively remodeled. The once-separated cabins were merged into open sections, forming a living hall, study, bedroom, dining room, meditation chamber, guest quarters, and storage rooms.

At that moment, Qi Xuansu and his entourage were gathered in the main hall. Qi Xuansu sat facing Spirit Guard Ding Chou, while the others sat scattered around the room.

Qi Xuansu remained silent. His eyes were closed while he quietly meditated.

The key to this mission’s success was balance.

The power structure within the Poluo Daoist Mansion was severely unbalanced, partly because the previous Second Deputy had left disastrously. It was also partly due to Great Sage Lan’s hands-off attitude for years. However, it was mostly because the Wang family had been entrenched in Poluo for generations. Countless other factors played their part, but in the end, the truth was that the Wang family reigned supreme in Poluo. Thus, the Daoist Mansion’s triad balance of power was broken.

Seeking accountability now was meaningless. After all, they could not find fault with Great Sage Lan, as that would only push him into Wang Jiaohe’s camp, so that was out of the question. Instead, all blame must be shifted onto Wang Jiaohe. He was too cunning, deceiving Great Sage Lan and misleading the Golden Tower Council.

To restore balance, Qi Xuansu’s task was not exactly easy. It was unrealistic to expect further aid from the Golden Tower Council since they had already given him all the support they would. Thus, from here on, he needed to gather every force available within Poluo and forge a coalition strong enough to counterbalance Wang Jiaohe’s dominance.

From a certain point of view, there were only two ways to deal with such overgrown local powers. One was to strike like thunder, using force to uproot them completely. The other was to move gradually, leveraging promotion, reassignment, or demotion within the existing hierarchy to reshape the balance of power. Only once the Wang family no longer held unchecked dominance could the Daoist Order make its moves openly.

The second method was subtler and better for maintaining stability. However, this demanded far greater strategy and skill from the executor. While the first method was swift, it left behind endless hidden dangers that could even split the Daoist Order and tarnish the Order’s reputation.

For Qi Xuansu, pursuing the second approach was possible because he had the backing of the Golden Tower Council and Great Sage Lan. Thus, he did not need to openly challenge Wang Jiaohe. However, it would not be an easy task, since he was almost alone, while his opponent had a solid team, leaving him without a clear point of leverage.

Qi Xuansu did not place all his hopes on Chen Jianchou and continued to follow his own plan. He also hoped that he might discover another point of breakthrough during this tour of the prefectures.

His first destination was Phnom Penh Prefecture, where Buddhism thrived. Thus, the city had numerous temples. The Poluo Buddhist Sect was moderate and had never openly opposed the Daoist Order. The Daoist Order also did not insist on its own exclusivity in the region; instead, they upheld the idea of the Three Religions existing in harmony, but of course, with Daoism as the core principle.

By distance, his first stop should have been Yongtian Prefecture in the Lanxang Kingdom, where officials had surely made preparations. But as many had suspected, Qi Xuansu staged a surprise maneuver, bypassing Yongtian altogether.

Instead, Qi Xuansu flew south along the border between the Yu and Lanxang Kingdoms and crossed into the Funan Kingdom, arriving directly at its capital, Phnom Penh Prefecture.

Since the visit was unannounced, no one in Phnom Penh Prefecture had prior notice of his arrival.

Qi Xuansu did not immediately reveal himself. Instead, he ordered the flying ship to descend and anchor quietly upon Phnom Penh Lake. Then, he disembarked with a small group.

The first-rank Spirit Guard was too conspicuous in her armor. However, she would be too vulnerable if she removed her armor, so she remained aboard the ship for now. But she was close enough that if danger arose, she could arrive in an instant.

Qi Xuansu only took Han Yongfeng and Ke Qingqing with him. They then set off on foot toward Phnom Penh Prefecture.

By now, Qi Xuansu’s cultivation had reached the Wuliang stage. With his semi-immortal object and gifts from both the Earthly Preceptor and Sage Donghua, he could contend even with most Zaohua-stage Heavenly Beings. If a Pseudo-Immortal attacked him, the first-rank Spirit Guard would ensure his safety.

......

Meanwhile, Chen Jianchou, having deduced that the King had first summoned a Huasheng Hall Daoist for treatment on the eve of the Shangyuan Festival, took no further action. His inquiry into the palace’s entry records seemed like a routine inspection.

Over three months had passed since the Shangyuan Festival, and the King’s condition had remained erratic, oscillating between recovery and relapse. If poisoning was indeed the cause, it had to be from a slow-acting toxin. Such poisons never took effect immediately after being administered.

This meant that the King must have been targeted even before the Shangyuan Festival, sometime around the New Year celebrations.

That was the busiest and most chaotic time of year, when people came and went in endless streams. It was the perfect opportunity to slip into the palace.

As a member of the Green Phoenix Guard responsible for protecting the royal palace,

Chen Jianchou remembered that day vividly.

On New Year’s Eve, the royal family and all ministers gathered at the palace. Among them was Chen Shuhua, the Chief Deputy Mansion Master of Poluo.

Chen Shuhua and the King were half-siblings. Their mothers had a strained relationship that had long cast a shadow between them.

Since assuming her post as the Chief Deputy, Chen Shuhua had rarely visited the palace. However, this year, she had come in person. It was highly unusual for her, which aligned with Xu Jiaorong’s suspicions.

But at this point, Chen Jianchou could not dig any deeper. He knew nothing of Huasheng Hall’s internal dealings with Chen Shuhua, nor what had transpired between the King and his sister.

Chen Jianchou was alone, and he did not want to risk alarming anyone, so he could not possibly reach the core of the matter.

Left with no alternative, Chen Jianchou contacted his godmother, Xu Jiaorong, once more.

Normally, Xu Jiaorong could not leave Great Sage Lan’s side easily. However, she had her own trusted confidants. Though she did not meet Chen Jianchou in person, she introduced him to two people who could help him overcome the obstacles before him.

The first person was Lu Yuting, a superintendent of Huasheng Hall from Jade Capital. Since she was from the headquarters of Huasheng Hall, the superintendents in local branches often deferred to her. Most importantly, the Huasheng Hall branches were directly subordinate to their headquarters and not under the control of the local Daoist Mansion. Thus, they maintained a high degree of independence, unlike Shibo Hall, which relied on the cooperation of the local Daoist Mansions.

When Sage Donghua had sensed irregularities within the Poluo Daoist Mansion, he had already laid his groundwork.

The superintendents of Huasheng Hall were rotated frequently, making it pointless for local factions to try and corrupt them. They might compromise one, only for them to be reassigned days later and replaced by another fresh and untainted personnel.

Over time, Poluo’s local powers gave up such futile efforts and settled on infiltrating the lower ranks instead. After all, the Daoist Order could not possibly replace every deacon stationed at the Poluo Huasheng Hall so frequently since there were so many of them.

The second person was the mixed-heritage Chen Jianqiu, formally titled Commandery Princess Furui.

She was the King’s most beloved daughter and often attended to him personally. She had also sought Qi Xuansu’s aid in this matter. Thus, she knew of the King’s true condition and was considered trustworthy.

Thanks to the Daoist Order’s doctrine of equality, the Yu Kingdom, being under the Poluo Daoist Mansion, had long embraced the same principle. Thus, the old principle that women must remain in their quarters no longer applied. The Princess could come and go from the palace freely, without restriction.

As Lu Yuting had only just arrived and still needed several days to familiarize herself with the local Huasheng Hall branch, she could not yet offer assistance. Therefore, Chen Jianchou first met with the princess.

Through a trusted servant, the two arranged to meet at the western shore of Guijian Lake.

Although they shared the same last name and belonged to the same generation, this was actually the first time the two had ever met.

Chen Jianchou went alone. To his surprise, the princess had also come by herself.

Chen Jianqiu’s mother was a naturalist from the West, and under her influence, the princess was neither as reserved nor as demure as women of the Central Plains nor as uninhibited and bold as Western women. Instead, she carried herself with a calm grace, exuding a natural warmth that made her approachable.

At the very first sight of her, Chen Jianchou’s heart suddenly lurched, beating with an unfamiliar force.

After all these years, he had never concerned himself with romantic relationships. He believed that his heart for the Dao was firm and unmoved. But only now did he realize that this was merely self-deception.

When the young woman turned her gaze toward him, he felt dizzy, as though the world itself had tilted for an instant.

However, Chen Jianchou quickly gathered himself. Leaving aside their vast difference in status, they were from the same clan, so there could never be the slightest possibility between them.