A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu’s visit to Phnom Penh Prefecture was a discreet inspection, while his arrival in Lion City was entirely aboveboard. He formally met Protector Lin and Spirit Guard Jia Yin. Then, he toured the entire port city while accompanied by a Deputy Protector from the Nanting Protectorate.

This was the most prosperous port in all of Nanyang, a place where no detail could be taken lightly.

The local powers all showed him great respect, putting on grand receptions to welcome the visiting Second Deputy Qi as a gesture of goodwill.

Long before Qi Xuansu’s appointment to the Poluo Daoist Mansion was officially announced, these people had already done their homework. They knew he was engaged to the noble daughter of the Zhang family and that he was known for his integrity, restraint, and wealth. After all, purchasing a residence in Taishang Place for his betrothed was something only the most privileged could afford. In other words, bribery through wealth or beauty was pointless. Second Deputy Qi simply would not accept it.

The Daoist Order had no shortage of those driven by greed or lust. But such people rarely rose far, and hardly any made it to the rank of Sage. It was not because all Sages were pure and ascetic, but because they understood the importance of keeping appearances clean, never letting their corruption show in plain sight.

Sage Wanmiao, Qi Jiaozheng, only had a stipend from his office and had never taken bribes. Even if someone tried to hand him money outright, he would refuse it. But how did the Qi family maintain the grandeur of a great clan? That role was given to Qi Muyu.

Qi Muyu was certainly not a business genius who could uphold the Qi family’s immense expenses. She only did well because of Sage Wanmiao and the Qi family’s backing. The two sustained each other, each indispensable to the other’s strength.

Simply put, the face must stay spotless and even shiny. This face then became a shield that protected the underbelly.

This structure was not unique to the Qi family. The other great clans followed much the same model, with each member assigned to a specific role. Li Tianlan served as the Second Deputy of the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion, while Li Tianyue ran the family trade along the Grand Canal. Li Changge climbed the Daoist hierarchy step by step, while Li Tianzhen oversaw the internal family affairs.

The young scions of these noble families never had to trouble themselves with such petty matters. Their clans stood firmly behind them, and temptation simply never reached that deep. But the ordinary Daoist priests were not so fortunate. They often wavered between temptation and principle, struggling through austerity. After all, who among them did not dream of a little comfort?

Back then, when Old Master Gao attempted to bribe Qi Xuansu, the broke boy still had to battle his conscience before refusing. But for someone like Li Changge, the heir to a great clan and a strong candidate for the eighth-generation Grand Master, he would not have even spared the silver a glance.

Of course, someone like Wang Danqing, a noble scion whose ambitions lay outside the Daoist path, was an entirely different case.

But these foreigners of Nanyang had no idea that Qi Xuansu came from humble roots. To them, Qi Xuansu was the young prodigy favored by powerful patrons who never lacked money. His residence in Taishang Place was proof of that.

They believed Second Deputy Qi must be of noble birth since they could not trace his origins. This only confirmed that his family’s power was beyond their reach.

A man like that was clearly bound for the rank of Omniscient Sage or Great Sage, so he would never accept gifts openly.

Thus, they racked their brains to prepare a grand gift for Second Deputy Qi. Besides the lavish public reception meant to give him sufficient honor, someone had learned that Qi Xuansu had enjoyed playing the Holy Xuan Cards during his time at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. As such, they invited the most renowned card masters of Nanyang and secretly instructed them beforehand that they must entertain Second Deputy Qi well. They could not win, but they should also never let Second Deputy Qi notice that they were losing on purpose. It was like playing for a draw, which required the finest subtlety.

The merchants even prepared special sets of Holy Xuan Cards, made from ivy paper. Normally, imperial decrees were written on white rattan paper, while the Daoist official letters used ivy paper. Since Second Deputy Qi was a Daoist, these cards were crafted from the finest ivy paper and decorated with patterns and scripts written in Imitation Qiongqi Blood, making each card a Daoist talisman.

Had they used jade, emerald, or crystal, the gift would have seemed too ostentatious, easily rejected as bribery. But ivy paper was delicate and refined, considered an elegant gift for scholars. Thus, such a gesture could never be faulted.

When the card game ended, the plan was simple. They would naturally present the cards as a souvenir, a mere memento of a pleasant evening.

Of course, they could not make it seem like an official tournament. It was just a casual interlude, a light entertainment lasting no more than an hour. A few card masters would perform an exhibition match, then invite Second Deputy Qi to join for a few rounds himself, ensuring that he played just long enough to enjoy it thoroughly.

To this end, they even remodeled an entire shop that sold the Holy Xuan Cards and hosted players, a place modeled after the old chess parlors, proudly claiming to be the first card house in all of Nanyang.

They knew that Qi Xuansu would certainly be intrigued upon hearing this. When they invited him to visit the new establishment, they would smoothly suggest a few rounds of cards. The prearranged masters would already be there, and their presence in a card shop would seem perfectly natural. It would not seem like scheming.

After all, the most cunning hunter always looked like prey. But who was truly the hunter and who was the prey was too soon to tell.

In truth, Qi Xuansu never saw it coming. It was only when the so-called “souvenir” was brought before him that he realized the depth of their planning. He could not help but sigh inwardly, It’s truly impossible to guard against! They spared no effort in scheming...

Qi Xuansu picked up the deck of Holy Xuan Cards and smiled faintly. “This is the local specialty? A souvenir?”

One of the wealthy merchants quickly replied, “This is all customary, sir.”

Qi Xuansu said coolly, “Customary, huh? Then I think it’s best if this custom is practiced less often.”

Yet Qi Xuansu did not refuse the “souvenir.” He simply handed it to Ke Qingqing, instructing her to keep it and submit it to the Daoist Mansion.

In the Poluo Daoist Mansion, it was common for the Nanyang rich and noble to offer gifts—rare treasures, intricate works of art, and things too precious to decline. Thus, a special exhibition hall had been established at the library in Thanglong Prefecture to display these offerings, with a tag naming the giver and the receiver.

By doing so, Qi Xuansu deftly turned what could have been a personal liability

into an official offering to the Daoist Mansion.

Then, Qi Xuansu reminded Ke Qingqing, “Keep an eye on gift giving. There’s been an unpleasant trend in the Daoist Order lately. Even some secretaries are getting a share of the spoils. I don’t want you taking advantage of such things. If anyone tries to send gifts to me through you, refuse them all. If you truly can’t turn them away, tell them to come speak to me directly.”

“Yes, sir,” Ke Qingqing replied quickly, noting it down at once.

Qi Xuansu planned to stay in Lion City for two days. On the second afternoon, he made a special visit to the Nanyang Branch Headquarters of the Taiping Bank, where he was received by Manager Hu and accompanied by his deputy, the Assistant Manager Zhou Yonghe.

This time, Qi Xuansu did not wear his formal Daoist hechang. Instead, he was dressed in simple, everyday robes. By coincidence, Manager Hu was similarly dressed. The message was clear: this was not an official meeting, but a private conversation.

Clearly, although Manager Hu had once made things difficult for Qi Xuansu, he did not want to make an enemy of the Daoist rising star. This meeting was a step toward reconciliation.

Qi Xuansu had also come bearing a gift, proof that his time in Jade Capital had been far from idle.

He motioned for Ke Qingqing to bring it forward. “This is a small token of appreciation. I hope you will like it, Manager Hu.”

Manager Hu immediately rose, his expression grave. “I’m sorry, Second Deputy Qi. I dare not accept gifts from anyone.”

Qi Xuansu maintained his smile. “I understand completely. Your reputation for integrity precedes you. But this gift is not merely from me alone. Please, take a look first. If you still wish to refuse after seeing it, I will simply return it to its original owner.”

Ke Qingqing placed a small gift box on the table and stepped back respectfully.

After a brief hesitation, Manager Hu reached out and opened it. Inside was a scroll painting.

He carefully unfurled the scroll and gasped. Being a connoisseur himself, he recognized it instantly. “This is ‘The Red-Robed Arhat’ by Master Shuijing of the Jin Dynasty!”

Qi Xuansu smiled admiringly. “Manager Hu, you truly have a discerning eye. Please take a closer look and appraise it for yourself.”

Manager Hu examined the painting carefully and murmured, “It’s authentic. If sold on the market, it would fetch no less than 100,000 Taiping coins. This is far too precious a gift. I absolutely cannot accept it.”

“Manager Hu, please look at the end of the painting,” Qi Xuansu added.

Hearing this, Manager Hu continued to unroll the scroll.

Soon, his eyes reached the bottom corner where a seal was stamped, and his heart jolted again.

The inscription and the artist’s signature were of secondary concern. What truly mattered were the collector seals stamped below, marks from connoisseurs across dynasties, each an echo of history and power.

What caught his eye and sent a jolt through his heart was the seal and thin script that read, “Appraised by the Master of Jianxin Studio.”

The master of Jianxin Studio was none other than Sage Cihang, Su Yuanyi.

As Qi Xuansu’s future mother-in-law, Sage Cihang had likewise prepared something for his journey to Nanyang, though her approach differed entirely from that of Sage Donghua.

This was no longer a matter of Qi Xuansu’s personal discretion. He could not decline a gift from an elder.

Though Confucian dominance had long since faded, its principles remained deeply ingrained in the people. They still had to revere and respect their elders. Even as the Daoist Order proclaimed equality among all, such deep-seated notions could never truly be erased.

Between Manager Hu and Qi Xuansu, their ranks were roughly equivalent. But before Sage Cihang, Manager Hu was indisputably the junior. Such distinctions had nothing to do with their generation. It was about their authority and status.

Qi Xuansu smiled gently and said, “Manager Hu, you’re from Luzhou, descended from ministers who once fought bravely against the Wokou. Sage Cihang hails from Jiangzhou, just across the river from Luzhou. In both the previous Wei dynasty and the present one, Luzhou, Jiangzhou, and Wuzhou all fell under the territory of Jiangnan. So in essence, you and Sage Cihang share the same hometown. Such hometown kinship is always precious, especially for someone like you who has lived abroad for so many years.”