A Pawn's Passage

Chen Jianchou had survived, but he had a grim realization that his cover was blown. Not being able to return to the Green Phoenix Guard was secondary. The real problem was that he had alarmed the enemy. Thus, he could no longer continue the investigation and had to close the net early before Sikong Guang destroyed all evidence.

It was too late to seek out Xu Jiaorong now, so Chen Jianchou could only place his trust in Chen Jianqiu and tell her everything.

Naturally, Chen Jianqiu would never let such a chance slip away. Although it was Qi Xuansu who had tasked Chen Jianchou with this investigation, he had only done so because Chen Jianqiu reached him through Qi Muyu.

After conferring briefly with the Black Robes General, Chen Jianchou decided to open the tomb immediately to investigate.

When the tomb opened, the scattered remains of the living corpses left everyone stunned because such abominations should not exist in Thanglong Prefecture, right under the Poluo Daoist Mansion’s nose.

Just as the Black Robes prepared to enter the underground tunnel, a tremor shook the ground below.

The commander instantly reacted. “They’ve collapsed the tunnel!”

Chen Jianchou said, “These living corpses are evidence enough. We must report this to the Daoist Mansion at once. Surely, they won’t stay silent now, especially when the tunnel has already been excavated.”

But Chen Jianqiu shook her head. “Second Deputy Qi isn’t in the Sheji Palace right now. It would seem disproportionate and suspicious if Great Sage Lan were to intervene merely because of a few living corpses.”

Chen Jianchou immediately understood her implication. “We’ve only startled Sikong Guang and his backers. But if Great Sage Lan himself intervenes, it’ll alarm certain people within the Daoist Mansion as well. That’s why the Great Sage won’t step in, and we can’t approach him either. Doing so would only ruin his and Second Deputy Qi’s strategy.”

Chen Jianqiu nodded. “Exactly. Even if we report now, it will fall into Chief Deputy Chen’s hands. In name, she’ll lead the investigation, but that gives her every excuse to exclude us or delay the inquiry indefinitely, trapping us in our own web. So, I think we shouldn’t report it yet and wait until Second Deputy Qi returns.”

Chen Jianchou pondered deeply. This was the best course of action. Having Great Sage Lan intervene would draw too much attention. But Qi Xuansu was different. Everyone already knew he had come to Poluo with a special mission, so it was expected that he would stir the waters. As such, his involvement in this matter would seem entirely reasonable.

“But Second Deputy Qi won’t be back for at least ten days. By then, I’m afraid there will be nothing left to find,” Chen Jianchou added.

Chen Jianqiu fell silent, lost in thought.

She could ask the Black Robes for short-term aid, but she could not command the Nanting Protectorate’s troops to dig up graves for her. Even if they agreed, such an act would draw too much attention and would violate serious taboos if word spread.

Chen Jianchou suddenly said, “There are still six other eunuchs’ tombs.”

Chen Jianqiu asked, “Which one is closest?”

Having memorized the Green Phoenix Guard’s files, Chen Jianchou answered at once, “The Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Stables.”

Chen Jianqiu nodded. “There’s no time to waste. Let’s go there now.”

The Black Robes General gestured for several soldiers to step forward. They then took out image-recording stones to record the scene, while others retrieved black containment boxes to seal away the scattered remains of the living corpses.

The rest mounted their steed and rushed toward the Imperial Stables Chief Eunuch’s tomb.

An hour later, they arrived, but it was too late. The entire graveyard was engulfed in flames. The loud explosions still echoed from beneath the earth. It was clear that Sikong Guang and his men had shown no hesitation at all to erase every trace of their wrongdoing upon retreating, even knowing that it would be conspicuous and draw suspicion.

Chen Jianchou asked, “Should we check the other tombs?”

“It’s too late.” Chen Jianqiu shook her head. “If they’ve already thought this far, they won’t leave such openings elsewhere.”

Chen Jianchou asked again, “Could we use the Earth Escape Method to go down?”

The princess explained, “If it’s a cult ritual site, there will be protective formations, so the Five Elements Escape Methods and Yin-Yang Gates won’t work. We can’t force our way through. The clues we found are gone, but at least we’ve exposed their trail. Once Second Deputy Qi returns, we can present these findings to him. With his authority, Sikong Guang won’t be hard to take down.”

Chen Jianchou said nothing. He did not share her optimism. Ten days were a long time. Too many things could change by then. By the time Qi Xuansu returned, the trail would already be cold.

At that moment, Chen Jianchou sensed that something was off. Chen Jianqiu’s reaction was a little too calm. It was a little strange, too. Given that this involved her father, the Yu King, the princess should have been the most anxious one among them. But she seemed far less concerned than expected.

Did she have unshakable composure in a crisis, or was she hiding something deeper?

Judging from the way she instantly killed two Green Phoenix Guards, she had to be at the ninth level of the Guizhen stage, just one step away from a Heavenly Being. Her concealed cultivation just adds to his suspicion. After all, though the royal family of the Yu Kingdom lacked no resources, the King himself was only at the Xiaoyao stage after a lifetime of cultivation. So clearly, this was not something that resources alone could explain

Aside from the King’s own mediocre talent, there was another reason. Neither the Daoist Order nor the Great Xuan Court wanted the kings of vassal states to reach high levels of cultivation. Thus, they imposed an invisible blockade, forbidding royal families from obtaining advanced cultivation methods or high-grade elixirs.

For instance, the Spirit Pill that Zhang Yuelu had taken to break through or the various pills used by Qi Xuansu now were beyond the reach of the Yu royal family.

To the upper echelons of the Daoist Order, these items were as common as air, a matter of a single decree. But to outsiders, they were priceless treasures, unobtainable even with money.

That was the benefit of standing under a great tree. When Qi Xuansu had once roamed Jianghu, he had risked his life to obtain a half-finished Blood Pill. Now, Sage Donghua could casually give him several pills, so such things were no longer rare to him.

Even divine power, in which the Ancient Immortals had to gather in secret with great effort, was abundant in the Daoist Order. They had inexhaustible amounts, enough to sustain their entire force of Spirit Guards.

Chen Shuhua had entered the Daoist Order only because of her estranged and borderline hostile ties with the royal family. That exception, combined with her own remarkable capability, had carried her to the post of Chief Deputy Mansion Master. But it was unlikely she would go any higher. At best, she could be granted the honorary title of a Great Sage when she retired, but she would never enter the core of the Golden Tower Council.

Given all this, Chen Jianqiu’s level of cultivation at such a young age was incredible. Even setting others aside, Chen Jianchou himself had enough resources and guidance from his godmother, yet he was still weaker than Chen Jianqiu despite being older than her. It made no sense.

This could only mean that Chen Jianqiu was either a rare prodigy on par with Zhang Yuelu or Yao Pei, or she had some hidden external aid.

“Brother Chou, what are you staring at?” Chen Jianqiu’s sweet voice suddenly broke his chain of thoughts.

Chen Jianchou returned to his senses and kept a neutral expression. “I was just thinking about what we should do next.”

“There’s no better way for now. We’ll just have to leave it at this.” Chen Jianqiu sighed softly.

On the other side, the Black Robes were already preparing to withdraw. After all, they were merely helping out the princess as a personal favor without an official order from above, so it would be improper to linger for too long.

After the guards had left, Chen Jianchou suddenly asked, “Qiu’er, you don’t seem the least bit anxious.”

Chen Jianqiu smiled faintly. “I know that being anxious won’t help. Before Second Deputy Qi came to Poluo, all I could do was watch from the sidelines. Since I’ve already waited this long, a few more days won’t make a difference.”

Chen Jianchou found her reasoning sound enough, so he said nothing more. After thanking Chen Jianqiu, the two parted ways. The princess returned to the palace while he set off to meet Xu Jiaorong.

Although Sikong Guang commanded the Green Phoenix Guard, he could not challenge the Sheji Palace, which was the core of the Poluo Daoist Mansion located within the city. Thus, Chen Jianchou could still safely return to the city.

Yet come to think of it, with so many disturbances happening right under the Poluo Daoist Mansion’s nose, it was impossible that there were no traitors within.

So Chen Jianchou was not foolish enough to head home directly. He changed clothes and took several detours. Only after confirming he was not being tailed did he go to his usual tavern and the same private room that only Xu Jiaorong had access to.

Just as Chen Jianchou was about to use the mother-child talisman to contact his godmother, a thought struck him. He had completely overlooked a crucial fact because he had been so focused on Chen Jianqiu’s cultivation.

During their brief clash at the tomb, Sikong Guang held the upper hand, forcing Chen Jianchou into retreat repeatedly. This meant that the eunuch was already a Heavenly Being.

More importantly, Sikong Guang was from the Yin-Yang lineage. It was a rare, ancient lineage passed down exclusively among eunuchs.

The Daoist Order and the Great Xuan Court had long restricted the royal family of the vassal states from attaining immortality. The war in Fenglin had justified this, as the Fenglin royal family had grown too powerful and openly rebelled.

But an overly weak monarchy was no good either. Thus, the Great Xuan Court passed the Yin-Yang lineage to the royal families of vassal states, allowing the eunuchs to act as bodyguards so that the kings could retain a measure of power. After all, no royal could ever become a eunuch.

In other words, the seven dead chief eunuchs were no ordinary men. Each had been a Heavenly Being.

Wu Fu must have been far stronger than Chen Jianchou in life, yet as a living corpse, he was noticeably weaker. That finding ruled out the Daoist corpse-refining methods, which meant the mastermind had personally sacrificed seven Heavenly Beings. What on earth were they trying to do?

The more pressing question was, why didn’t the Poluo Daoist Mansion intervene? Was it carelessness, deliberate inaction, or active complicity?