A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu pondered. Seven chief eunuchs slain was equivalent to nearly wiping out the upper echelon of eunuchs in the Yu Kingdom. That meant the amount of dragon qi involved must have been immense.

In the Central Plains, the eunuchs of the Great Xuan Empire could unleash power comparable to that of Immortals with the dragon qi’s blessing. This alone proved how mysterious dragon qi was. While the Yu Kingdom was weaker than the Great Xuan Empire, sacrificing all its top eunuchs to create two temporary divine vessels was still reasonably plausible.

Qi Xuansu asked, “What evidence links this to Chief Deputy Chen?”

Chen Jianchou replied, “There are many who could kill seven chief eunuchs, but very few could kill them all without leaving a trace. Perhaps only Chief Deputy Chen is capable of this.”

Qi Xuansu looked at him with intrigue. “Please explain in detail.”

Chen Jianchou spoke slowly. “First, within the Daoist Mansion, Chief Deputy Chen oversees the royal palace’s affairs. Moreover, with her status as a princess, she can freely enter and exit the royal palace. Both Mansion Masters had never intervened in matters involving the royal family. Back then, you had yet to arrive in Poluo as well, so others had no way to interfere.

“Secondly, since the King fell ill, power shifted away from him, and Chief Deputy Chen took control of the palace as the princess and the Deputy Mansion Master. She had both the authority and opportunity to kill the eunuchs, not to mention the motive...”

Qi Xuansu fell silent in thought. He countered, “Even if Chief Deputy Chen held power, those eunuchs are no fools. One death is an accident. Two deaths, perhaps a coincidence. But anything above three will surely alert them. They would have sensed danger. They would’ve reported her to the Daoist Mansion to save their own lives. Even if someone tried to suppress everything, do you think the chief eunuchs would accept death quietly? If they were captured alive as you suggest, that’s even harder. After all, they were Heavenly Beings, not weaklings.”

Chen Jianchou was stunned.

He had thought Second Deputy Qi was gathering evidence to frame Chief Deputy Chen and bring her down. But now, it seemed he had misunderstood Second Deputy Qi’s intent.

Qi Xuansu did not press further. He simply instructed, “When you return, think carefully during your study breaks about what details you might have overlooked.”

Chen Jianchou could only oblige before following Ke Qingqing out.

Once outside the office, Chen Jianchou quietly said, “Superintendent Ke...”

Ke Qingqing did not put on airs since Chen Jianchou was related to Xu Jiaorong. She simply said, “I’m not much older than you, so you can call me Daoist Ke or Senior Sister if you wish.”

Chen Jianchou asked, “Senior Sister Ke, did I misunderstand Second Deputy Qi’s meaning just now?”

Since they were on the same boat, there was no need to beat around the bush. Ke Qingqing said bluntly, “You didn’t misunderstand. It’s just that in matters like this, there must be no flaws. Otherwise, we may be counterattacked.”

Chen Jianchou began to understand. If they struck a snake without killing it, it would bite back. Second Deputy Qi would either remain motionless or strike to kill.

What Chen Jianchou presented was mostly speculation, lacking solid proof and littered with logical gaps, which was far from convincing. It was no wonder Second Deputy Qi told him to think carefully.

After Chen Jianchou left, Lu Yuting arrived at Qi Xuansu’s office.

Qi Xuansu was reviewing a file, so he asked without lifting his head. “Is the Yu King’s illness improving?”

“It’s supposedly better,” Lu Yuting replied vaguely.

Qi Xuansu pressed on. “What do you mean by supposedly?”

Lu Yuting sighed helplessly. “Chief Deputy Chen has people guarding the King’s chambers, so we can’t see him.”

Qi Xuansu finally raised his head. “It’s fine. Try again in a few days.”

Lu Yuting’s eyes lit up. “Second Deputy, do you have a plan?”

Qi Xuansu closed the file in his hands. “A full investigation is inevitable for such a major event. The question is, where did the dragon qi for the divine vessels come from? The Yu royal family and the Yu King must be involved. Unless they allow the King to conveniently die in the next few days, you will get to see him.”

Lu Yuting relaxed. “Second Deputy, you truly have the best insights.”

“No need to flatter me just yet.” Qi Xuansu waved. “You can praise me after we succeed.”

While they were speaking, Ke Qingqing returned and reported, “Second Deputy, Spirit Guard Ding Chou and the others have arrived.”

Qi Xuansu stood and said, “Let’s go.”

Several Spirit Guards sat in the hall of the Water Palace. Besides Spirit Guard Ding Chou, the others were second- and third-rank guards. When Qi Xuansu entered with Ke Qingqing, everyone stood to greet him.

Qi Xuansu pressed his hand downward. “No need for formalities. Please, sit.”

Spirit Guard Ding Chou did not sit immediately. She first introduced each officer she brought. Only after the introductions did Qi Xuansu take the central seat, and the others followed suit.

Ke Qingqing personally served tea to everyone.

Qi Xuansu said, “There is one main purpose for summoning everyone over. The matter is of great importance, so I ask that everyone keep it strictly confidential. Before we officially begin, I would like to remind you all that not a single word from this discussion should spread outside.”

Everyone stayed silent, waiting for what followed.

Qi Xuansu continued, “I once served in Tiangang Hall, which commands the Spirit Guards, so I understand your duties. You all fight on the front lines, making major contributions to the peace and stability of Poluo, so you understand the real situation better than anyone. Today, I want to discuss an old issue—secret societies.

“I have a few questions I’d like to clarify today. First, do secret societies exist in the Nanyang region, including Poluo, on a large scale?

“Second, what is the distribution of these groups? Which secret societies dominate which parts of Nanyang, and which are especially active?

“Third, what allows these secret societies to survive? Why do they persist despite suppression? Are there collusions with the Daoist Mansion?”

“Fourth, what strategies should we take against these secret societies?”

Qi Xuansu looked around the room again. “Please speak freely. There’s no need for restraint.”

The entire hall remained silent.

Clearly, they already understood what Qi Xuansu was aiming toward.

Great Sage Lan was injured due to these secret societies within the territory of the Poluo Daoist Mansion, so there should be an explanation. The third point Qi Xuansu mentioned targeted the link between secret societies and the Daoist Mansion.

Ke Qingqing knew more than the others that this involved Qi Xuansu’s ordeal at Phnom Penh Prefecture as well, which he would hold over Zheng Jiaohe.

In short, this was not merely the suppression of secret societies. It was tied to the internal strife within the Daoist Order.

For the Spirit Guards present, this carried a different meaning. They instinctively looked to Spirit Guard Ding Chou, needing their leader to set the tone before declaring positions.

Spirit Guard Ding Chou pondered briefly before saying. “Regarding your first question, I can confirm that there are large-scale secret societies in Nanyang. For example, the Heavenly Court has long been a hegemon of Nanyang, and its presence is anything but secret.

“Second, regarding the distribution of these forces, the Heavenly Court is mainly active in the islands and at sea near the Jawa Kingdom. The Lingshan Witch Cult and the Cult of Fates are mainly based on land. These three are the dominating ones. The other bigger ones are the Eight Tribes, which sells elixirs among nobles; Seven Treasure Pavilion, which focuses on business and stays neutral; and Ziguang Society, which occasionally appears but is hard to identify. Others, like The Inn and the Qingping Society, rarely show up in Nanyang.

“Third, Nanyang’s fragmented kingdoms lack a unified and effective central government. Policies cannot be enforced, and grassroots power is hollow. Governance is much looser than in the Central Plains, creating conditions where secret societies thrive. As for why they persist despite prohibition, there is likely internal collusion, though we can’t prove it yet.

“As for your fourth question on how we should respond, that’s the focus of today’s council.”

Spirit Guard Ding Chou answered Qi Xuansu’s four questions. However, she kept the fourth and most crucial answer the briefest.

A second-rank Spirit Guard added, “Compared to the Central Plains, Nanyang is like a broken house leaking from all sides. In the Central Plains, we can fix leaks wherever they appear. But here, we can only fix the leaks we happen to notice. We simply can’t cover everything.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Do you mean to say that we only crack down on whoever makes the biggest commotion in Nanyang?”

The second-rank Spirit Guard answered, “That’s right.”

Spirit Guard Ding Chou added, “Eliminating all secret societies in Nanyang is an enormous mission, not something a handful of us can solve behind closed doors. It requires unified direction from the Daoist Mansion and even the Golden Tower Council. Since we lack such resources, we can only handle matters case-by-case. Right now, the greatest crisis is that two Ancient Immortals have descended in Thanglong Prefecture, absorbing the Southern Dragon’s qi. This points directly at the royal family of the Yu Kingdom and certain people inside our own Daoist Mansion.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Do what we have the strength to do and handle what is within our power.”

Next, more Spirit Guards spoke. One proposed a full investigation of the royal palace to trace the source of the dragon qi leak.

Qi Xuansu said, “That’s a good suggestion. Spirit Guard Ding Chou, please draft a concrete execution plan as soon as possible. I will bring it to the internal council. Once approved, we’ll deploy Spirit Guards to the royal palace and identify the leak of dragon qi. That way, we can give Great Sage Lan and the Daoist Mansion an explanation.”