A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu’s three-person incognito trip was not very smooth. They had only traveled a little over 50 kilometers when they encountered robbers.

On the Central Plains, robbery was relatively rare in big cities, mostly confined to remote areas. They were currently not far from Phnom Penh, so getting robbed there was really unexpected. If things were like this even under the King’s nose, one could only imagine how they would be elsewhere.

This showed just how different Poluo was from the Central Plains, so Qi Xuansu’s street knowledge from the Central Plains might not apply so well in this place.

They were in a densely wooded area with few passersby. The bandits probably noticed Qi Xuansu’s group because they were well dressed.

Rustling sounds came from the surrounding woods before a few furtive figures closed in on them.

The leader was a Bhikkhu dressed in commoners’ clothes. By Daoist standards, he seemed to be at the Yuxu stage, which would normally make him a force to be reckoned with. It was no wonder they dared to block the road without fully gauging the situation.

The Bhikkhu spoke in broken Central Plains tongue. “We want to borrow some Taiping coins from you. If you’re sensible, you’d better hand them over yourselves so we don’t have to use force and make things unpleasant for everyone.”

Two men stood at the Bhikkhu’s sides. One’s hands were empty, but he had two large handguns slung at his waist, seemingly an expert with firearms. The other was dressed as a Daoist, and by appearance, he seemed to be from the Central Plains.

Behind Qi Xuansu’s group were two more Bhikkhus at the Kunlun stage—one wielding a blade and the other carrying a shield. These were common weapons in Jianghu.

Together, these five could contend with an ordinary Guizhen-stage Xiantian Being.

Qi Xuansu did not need to personally handle something so trivial. Han Yongfeng spoke up. “You lot truly have the courage of a bear, daring to stir trouble in front of us!”

The leading Bhikkhu wasted no words. He sprang up and sent a fist cracking through the air.

The Bhikkhu intended to teach the impudent youth a lesson so the others would be frightened and easily controlled.

Seeing Han Yongfeng standing motionless, the Bhikkhu thought that his opponent was stunned. He could not help but feel a surge of joy as he was confident that his blow would leave his opponent badly injured.

But soon after, Han Yongfeng casually caught his punch.

The Bhikkhu’s heart jolted in utter terror. He instinctively tried to step back. But at that instant, he realized that his fist was locked in place, as if suctioned tight. He could not move a muscle, which was a clear indicator of his opponent’s mastery of force.

Before the Bhikkhu could react, Han Yongfeng lifted his hand, effortlessly flinging the 150-kilogram man into the air. He then caught the Bhikkhu’s ankle mid-air, and with a single motion, smashed him downward.

The man’s body crashed onto the ground, carving out a shallow pit about 10 centimeters deep.

Han Yongfeng’s movements had been so fast and so casual that the other four bandits did not have time to react. All they saw was their leader, who was most renowned among them for close combat, suddenly lying motionless on the ground.

The Daoist beside him was shaken to his core. He turned in panic toward his firearm-wielding companion and asked in a trembling voice, “What...what’s happening here?”

The gunman held the handles of his guns at his waist. His brows furrowed tightly as he muttered, “This is a tricky one. You’re on your own.”

“Huh?” Before the Daoist could even process it, his companion flung up both hands. Two bursts of fire erupted from the muzzles, and the man leaped backward, retreating rapidly.

Meanwhile, the two bandits blocking the rear path turned and fled.

Han Yongfeng easily sidestepped the two shots, emerging completely unscathed.

Only then did the Daoist realize what was happening and tried to retreat, but his three other companions had clearly planned to use him as bait. That was because if Han Yongfeng wanted to kill, he would have started with the one closest to him, which happened to be the Daoist.

However, these well-dressed people were clearly not ordinary.

A gust of wind swept past the Daoist’s ear. In the next second, the gunman who had just fired at Han Yongfeng took a direct punch to the forehead. The gunman’s skull shuddered violently, and then he collapsed backward, lifeless.

As Han Yongfeng strode past, the Daoist dared not even breathe too loudly. He trembled like a leaf when he saw the gunman fall dead with a single punch. His legs went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.

The other two might have fled earlier, but Han Yongfeng was faster than them. After killing the gunman, his figure blurred and vanished, reappearing instantly behind the fleeing pair.

The two were seasoned men of Jianghu. Seeing that escape was impossible, they stopped abruptly and turned to face their opponent. One raised his blade, while the other lifted his shield.

Han Yongfeng let the blade fall and simply blocked it with a sweep of his arm. What followed was a sharp clang of metal striking stone.

The man who wielded the knife was terrified to the core.

Such a tough physique meant that this opponent must be a Martial Arts Practitioner in the Guizhen stage.

Han Yongfeng had not yet reached the Heavenly-Being stage. He had merely begun consolidating his acupoints, but one of his arms already showed signs of that invincible body.

The other man’s shield was a decoy. It had a human face on it that suddenly opened its mouth, revealing a gun barrel. In an instant, a burst of fire emerged, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder.

Hidden behind the shield was a camouflaged long gun.

Caught off guard, Han Yongfeng was shot squarely in the chest. His clothes were torn, revealing the soft armor vest beneath.

Martial Arts Practitioners habitually wore armor before they became Heavenly Beings. Once they reached the Xiaoyao stage, they would upgrade to using a high-grade Armor Pellet instead.

The two exchanged a glance. Without hesitation, they split up and fled in different directions.

Han Yongfeng threw a punch. His fist intention struck and shattered the back of the bandit with the blade. Then he swung again, using his fist intention to strike the head of the bandit with the decoy shield.

In an instant, both men were dead, fallen where they stood.

Han Yongfeng finally approached the only remaining Daoist and asked, “You’re the clumsiest of them all. Is this your first time doing this kind of thing?”

The Daoist dared not look at Han Yongfeng. He trembled and stammered, “Y-Yes...it’s my first time. They roped me in...”

Han Yongfeng chuckled. “Aren’t you afraid that if things go well, they’ll get rid of you just to cover their tracks?”

The Daoist’s face turned as white as paper. But it was impossible to tell whether it was from remorse or sheer fear of Han Yongfeng.

Han Yongfeng turned to Qi Xuansu and softly asked, “Sec— Sir, how shall we deal with him?”

Since they were traveling incognito, it would not be appropriate to address Qi Xuansu as “Second Deputy” as he once had. So Qi Xuansu had Han Yongfeng and Ke Qingqing address him as “Sir.”

Qi Xuansu signaled that there was no rush to execute the Daoist. He had questions to ask first.

Han Yongfeng said, “Since you’re a first-time offender and an accomplice, we’ll let you go today. But you must answer our questions honestly. If you deceive us, you know the consequences.”

The Daoist was still dazed that he was the only one in his group left standing. Seeing that Han Yongfeng truly had no intention of striking him down, he cautiously climbed to his feet and bowed repeatedly in gratitude and relief.

Qi Xuansu began asking, “Are you from the Daoist order?”

The Daoist gave a sheepish smile. “If I were truly a Daoist, would I need to make a living like this? I just borrowed the robes. It helps to fool people a little.”

Qi Xuansu nodded slightly. “We’re not far from Phnom Penh. Why are you all so bold as to commit open robbery so close to the city?”

The Daoist answered honestly, “We chose this spot precisely because we’re near the city. That way, there are lots of travelers, which means good business for us. If we go too far out where no one passes by, we would only be waiting all day with no haul, and that won’t feed five mouths.”

Ke Qingqing could not help but ask, “Doesn’t the local magistrate care?”

The Daoist glanced at her, taking her for an inexperienced noble lady. “Ah, young miss, it’ll be a blessing if the officials can even keep order within the city. They can’t control anything outside the walls. The city isn’t that peaceful. Crime is just more hidden. Actually, Phnom Penh is considered one of the better cities. Other places are much worse.”

Ke Qingqing had long lived in the Imperial Capital, so she could understand hidden power struggles, like the Tianchen Division’s attempted assassination of Qi Xuansu.

But she could hardly imagine bandits robbing openly in broad daylight within a governed city, as that would be an insult to the Great Xuan Court that would surely incur the Emperor’s wrath.

Qi Xuansu’s thoughts ran deeper. He knew the Funan Kingdom could not compare to the unified Great Xuan Empire. It was nothing unusual if edicts did not leave the palace. What concerned him was something else entirely. “Did the Poluo Daoist Mansion turn a blind eye to this, too?”

The Daoist was about to laugh, but he stifled it at the last moment, leaving his expression oddly twisted.

He pointed to the dead Bhikkhu on the ground and said, “I only agreed to join them because he said he had a godfather who was an influential figure in the Daoist Mansion. Even if the Daoist Mansion caught us, he said we’d be released within two days. But we have to offer him a tribute every month.”

Ke Qingqing and Han Yongfeng instinctively looked toward Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu’s expression remained perfectly calm as he asked, “So just because you’ve got a Daoist godfather, you think you can do whatever you want? What is his rank?”

The Daoist was observing Qi Xuansu’s expression. When he caught the man’s gaze, he hurriedly looked down and replied honestly, “I think he’s a Mage. I’ve never seen him myself, only heard of him.”

Qi Xuansu said deliberately, “A fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist isn’t that big a figure. There are still more third-rank and second-rank Daoists above him.”

Aside from Qi Xuansu, both Han Yongfeng and Ke Qingqing were also fourth-rank Daoists.

Of course, Qi Xuansu knew how much power a fourth-rank Daoist truly wielded. As a superintendent in that rank, he could force Old Master Gao to pay 200,000 Taiping coins for his life. To ordinary folk, such a man was indeed a bigwig.

Back when Qi Xuansu was merely a seventh-rank Daoist, even someone like Sun Yongfeng had seemed like a towering figure to him.

The Daoist secretly thought that the young gentleman before him was arrogant. But he spoke politely, “This Mage has powerful backing. It’s said his backer is a Deputy Mansion Master whose influence reaches the heavens. Even the King must defer to them.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “From the way you say it, it sounds as though the Daoist Order no longer rules this land.”

The Daoist stole another glance at Qi Xuansu and said, “Young sir, this place is certainly the Daoist Order’s domain. That Mage is a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist. If the Daoist Order doesn’t rule this land, who else could?”