A Pawn's Passage

Little Yin asked, “Who’s Miaobai? You mean me?”

Qi Xuansu immediately came to his senses and corrected himself. “Little Yin, why are you here?”

As soon as he said it, Qi Xuansu realized that if Little Yin was here, then Zhang Yuelu must have arrived as well.

Sure enough, Little Yin spoke matter-of-factly. “I came from Dongdu Prefecture with Second Deputy Zhang on the flying ship.”

Dongdu Prefecture was not far from Poluo at all. If one traveled by sea, it was actually the closest prefecture.

With Little Yin interrupting his thoughts, Qi Xuansu stopped dwelling on the dream. He simply sat up and asked, “Where’s Second Deputy Zhang?”

Little Yin replied, “She’s very busy.”

Qi Xuansu suddenly realized something. While he was unconscious, who had been handling the situation in Poluo? Was it Madam Qi? Could it have been Zhang Yuelu?

However, both of them, no matter how capable, lacked official standing.

Madam Qi was only a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master on paper. No matter how much hidden influence she wielded, she could not publicly preside over the Daoist Mansion.

Zhang Yuelu’s rank was high enough, but she was not from the Poluo Daoist Mansion. She could not openly cross jurisdiction and take charge.

It could not possibly be Wang Jiaohe, could it?

Of course, the ideal scenario would be Great Sage Lan emerging from seclusion and taking control of the situation again.

If so, Qi Xuansu could rest assured and recuperate in peace. After all, he was well aware of his own condition. Using two pages of the Scripture of Zuriel in such a short time had placed tremendous strain on him.

His physical condition would remain weak for quite a long time. Though not quite a cripple, he did not fare much better.

Both Sage Donghua and the Earthly Preceptor had stated it clearly. The essence of the Scripture of Zuriel was falsity, so all the cultivation gained from it, albeit temporary, was essentially borrowed power—an overdraft of sorts.

It was like a dynasty spending tomorrow’s taxes today, issuing debts and raising levies, which were forms of overdraft. The borrowed wealth could achieve many things, like strengthening armies and building impressive projects. But regardless of whether such actions were good or bad, the deficit remained. If allowed to grow unchecked, the entire dynasty could collapse.

Qi Xuansu’s situation was no different.

Now was the time to replenish the deficit by increasing resources, reducing expenditure, and avoiding any large exertions. To put it bluntly, he needed to play it safe.

So in his current fragile state, Qi Xuansu absolutely should not fight because he needed proper rest.

If he were to use another page from the Scripture of Zuriel during this time, he would be courting death.

This made Qi Xuansu uneasy. Once a man grew used to having power, losing it all at once was even more painful than losing authority.

But thankfully, Qi Xuansu still possessed authority, which was only going to grow from here.

Since Chen Shuhua had defected, it left the position of Chief Deputy Mansion Master vacant. Thus, the Golden Tower Council likely had three options.

They could appoint a new Chief Deputy from Jade Capital.

They could appoint Qi Xuansu as the Acting Chief Deputy.

They could allow Wang Jiaohe to temporarily take over the duties.

The last possibility could be dismissed outright, since the Golden Tower Council’s target was Wang Jiaohe in the first place. Thus, only the first two options remained.

For a new official, Zhang Yuelu, Li Changge, and Yao Pei were unlikely due to insufficient seniority.

If the Golden Tower Council truly wanted to assign someone directly, the likeliest candidate would be a calm, seasoned seventh-generation disciple.

Setting cultivation aside, the most suitable person would actually be Pei Xiaolou, Sage Donghua’s younger brother, who was reliable, senior enough, and well-qualified. Unfortunately, his cultivation lagged behind.

If Qi Xuansu were appointed the Acting Chief Deputy, he would have overwhelming power. With Great Sage Lan still in seclusion, Qi Xuansu already held command of the Spirit Guards, which was tantamount to performing part of the Mansion Master’s duties. So if he also assumed the Chief Deputy position, he alone would control two of the three pillars of the entire Poluo Daoist Mansion. That was real, consolidated power, which was almost equivalent to half a Sage Commander.

If the Golden Tower Council did not wish to send someone unfamiliar with local affairs and intended for Qi Xuansu to carry the burden and title of Chief Deputy, they would need to promote a local Deputy Mansion Master to the position of Second Deputy.

Qi Xuansu pondered all this and asked, “How long was I asleep?”

Little Yin answered uncertainly, “About three days? Maybe four? You were already sleeping when I arrived. Counting from then, you’ve slept for two full days.”

Qi Xuansu let out a breath of relief. It was not too long, so the situation likely had not changed drastically yet.

But three or four days were more than enough for the Golden Tower Council to respond.

Just then, Zhang Yuelu entered. “Tian Yuan, you’re finally awake.”

“What are you doing here?” Qi Xuansu asked. “Did the Golden Tower Council assign you to be the Chief Deputy Mansion Master?”

Zhang Yuelu shook her head. “I’m not qualified. I’m here under the pretext of an investigation, so I won’t be staying long.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Then who’s holding the reins right now?”

Zhang Yuelu said, “Deputy Palace Master Xu.”

Qi Xuansu nodded.

That made sense. Deputy Palace Master Xu had been rooted in the Poluo Daoist Mansion for many years and was well-versed in local affairs. Backed by two Spirit Guards, stabilizing the situation for the time being would not be difficult for her.

Qi Xuansu asked again, “How are things outside?”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “All sides are quiet. Wang Jiaohe hasn’t made any unusual moves. He still shows up as the Mansion Master to appease the officials and local powers, convening councils to discuss the aftermath. As for Chen Shuhua, the Golden Tower Council has decided that she plotted rebellion.”

Plotting a rebellion was akin to treason, which was a capital crime enough to wipe out one’s entire clan if this were the Great Xuan Court.

Of course, the Daoist Order would not go that far as to wipe out the entire Chen clan. However, the consequences were no less severe. Chen Shuhua must die, with no room for leniency.

In nature, her crime was graver than that of the Ancient Immortals because she was a traitor who bit the hand that fed her. Meanwhile, the Ancient Immortals had never been fed by the Daoist Order.

But hunting down Chen Shuhua would not be easy. Whether Great Sage Lan recovered or not, the Daoist Order would almost certainly dispatch a Virtuous Great Sage with an immortal object and a full team specifically for this mission, perhaps even a Yinglong Warship. Such numerical superiority would ensure absolute certainty.

If necessary, the Three Deputy Grand Masters might even intervene personally.

In any case, none of this required Qi Xuansu’s concern anymore.

Qi Xuansu finally asked, “Then what about the vacant Chief Deputy Mansion Master position?”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “The Golden Tower Council’s envoy has arrived, so you can ask her yourself.”

During the time Qi Xuansu was unconscious, the Golden Tower Council had more than enough time to send someone to Poluo.

Qi Xuansu suddenly remembered something. “Where’s Madam Qi?”

Zhang Yuelu’s expression did not change. Her voice was flat as she said, “She left.”

Qi Xuansu felt a little disappointed.

Madam Qi seemed to dislike farewells. She always left quietly, just as she came without announcing her arrival.

However, Qi Xuansu noticed Zhang Yuelu’s unusual reaction. He hesitated for a moment before asking tentatively, “Have you met Madam Qi already?”

Zhang Yuelu countered, “What do you think?”

Qi Xuansu sighed. “So that means you’ve met her.”

Zhang Yuelu said nothing, which was as good as admitting it.

Qi Xuansu asked again, “How do you feel now?”

“Nothing in particular.” Zhang Yuelu shrugged. “I have imagined countless scenarios of us meeting. But to be honest, this one still took me by surprise.”

Qi Xuansu was curious. “How so?”

This time, it was Zhang Yuelu’s turn to sigh. “I originally thought that Madam Qi was very stubborn, somewhat vulgar, and even greedy from your description of her...”

Qi Xuansu hurriedly interrupted her. “I never said that! I never even hinted at that. Don’t you dare put words in my mouth!”

Zhang Yuelu cast a sidelong glance at him and continued, “But after meeting her in person, I found that Madam Qi wasn’t nearly as bad as you made her sound.”

Qi Xuansu said sternly, “Qing Xiao, I’m warning you—don’t accuse me of saying these things!”

Zhang Yuelu ignored him and continued, “To me, Madam Qi is quite cynical and irreverent, exactly the type that the fifth-generation Grand Master despised most. So the Daoist Order could never have accommodated her. She also disliked the Daoist Order’s rules, so leaving was inevitable. But the fact that she managed to reach her current standing after leaving the Daoist Order speaks volumes of her ability. Given time, she’ll surely become another Golden Patriarch.”

Qi Xuansu said, “I think so too. You just misunderstood what I meant.”

Zhang Yuelu said, “I discussed your situation with Madam Qi. What I don’t understand is why she insisted on keeping you in—”

She suddenly paused mid-sentence and glanced at Little Yin, whose ears were obviously perked up eavesdropping. She ordered, “Little Yin, go stand guard outside. Don’t let anyone in.”

Little Yin responded reluctantly and obediently walked out.

Seeing this, Qi Xuansu could not help sighing inwardly, thinking, So this is the authority of a ‘mother.’

After Little Yin left, Zhang Yuelu finally continued, “Keeping you in the Qingping Society would only harm your future. It brings no benefit whatsoever. Clearly, Madam Qi understands this as well since she insisted that you return to the Daoist Order by joining Tiangang Hall. So I don’t understand why she insists on keeping you.”

Qi Xuansu’s expression slowly turned solemn.

This was something he himself had never figured out.

Madam Qi would never make such a low-level mistake. Her claims that Sage Cihang and Zhang Yuelu wanted to snatch him away from her were more like excuses.

Qi Xuansu did not belong to anyone. Even if he married Zhang Yuelu, he would never disown Madam Qi, and Madam Qi understood this better than anyone.

Her constant accusation of him forgetting her after getting to know Zhang Yuelu was mostly jest. She never meant it.

Qi Xuansu asked, “What did Madam Qi say?”

Zhang Yuelu looked at Qi Xuansu. “She didn’t answer me directly and only said it had to do with the Head of the Qingping Society.”