A Pawn's Passage

After Li Changge took over the Beichen Hall local branch, he released Chen Jianchou.

Beforehand, the Huasheng Hall local branch conducted a comprehensive examination of Chen Jianchou. That way, any methods of torture the Beichen Hall local branch had used on him would be added to the ledger when accounts were settled later.

Madam Qi had taught Qi Xuansu that one should remember the grievance when defeated and settle accounts when victorious.

It was also to ensure that no one had left any hidden bombs—whether a lingering Thought, a trace of aura, or the like—within Chen Jianchou. None of them were ordinary people, so there were corresponding means of prevention and detection.

After Chen Jianchou was released, Qi Xuansu was far too busy to spare the time, so he sent Ke Qingqing to receive Chen Jianchou and help calm his nerves.

Ke Qingqing arrived outside the gates of the Beichen Hall local branch. After a short while, Chen Jianchou walked out, accompanied by two Daoist priests.

Chen Jianchou looked somewhat pale, though there were no obvious injuries. Clearly, his stay was not particularly pleasant.

The two Beichen Hall Daoists wore ingratiating smiles and had exceedingly humble attitudes.

Anyone could tell that Secretary Chen had a bright future now that he was released and had even been promoted to a high-ranking Daoist. Even if Chief Deputy Qi did not pursue the matter, Secretary Chen could do so himself. Who would dare offend him? So it was better to make amends.

Chen Jianchou did not appear particularly gloomy, at least not on the surface. He was just exhausted. Upon seeing Ke Qingqing, his spirits lifted. “Senior Sister Ke.”

Though they did not share a master, Chen Jiaochou considered Ke Qingqing his senior sister because she used to be Qi Xuansu’s former secretary and had guided him for a period of time.

Ke Qingqing smiled. “The Chief Deputy is very busy, so he asked me to receive you on his behalf.”

Chen Jianchou nodded. “I apologize for causing trouble for the Chief Deputy and for you during the time I was away.”

Ke Qingqing waved her hand. “We’re family. There’s no need for such formalities. This time, they weren’t targeting only you or the Chief Deputy. You’ve suffered, so the Chief arranged for me to help calm you down. Let’s go.”

The two secretaries boarded a carriage and headed toward the Taiping Inn within the city.

As the Beichen Hall local branch was quite a distance from the Taiping Inn, the two talked in the carriage about the events of the past several days. Chen Jianchou had not expected such deep entanglements behind the scenes and was in awe of Chief Deputy Qi’s methods.

Chen Jianchou could not help but ask, “Did the Queen of the Yu Kingdom run into any trouble?”

Ke Qingqing chuckled. “With Chief Deputy Qi and Second Deputy Zhang protecting her, she’s completely safe.”

Only then did Chen Jianchou finally put his mind at ease.

Meanwhile, in the Tianfu Palace of Lion City, Little Yin stood obediently with her arms spread wide as Zhang Yuelu slipped a small garment onto her and fastened the buttons for her.

Little Yin spun around once while Zhang Yuelu tidied her hair.

To be fair, Zhang Yuelu was not a traditional virtuous mother. She had never gotten involved with household chores and was not at all skilled at such matters, except when it came to Little Yin.

Although she had not particularly liked Little Yin at first, her impression of the little imp changed over time. Moreover, Little Yin had rendered great service this time in Poluo. Without her, the outcome would have been far different.

Though Little Yin was normally unreliable, she proved to be unexpectedly dependable at critical moments.

After Little Yin recovered from her injuries, Zhang Yuelu decided to keep her promise, as breaking her word would mean losing the kid’s trust.

Once they were dressed, they were ready to begin their one-day tour of Lion City.

This was likely their final moment of leisure before Qi Xuansu launched his counterattack.

Zhang Yuelu led Little Yin out through the side gate of Tianfu Palace, where a carriage was waiting outside. Lin Yuanmiao, whose injuries had mostly healed, served as the driver.

If Qi Xuansu had been there, he would have found the black horse pulling the carriage quite familiar. It was none other than Bu Yue, the horse he had given to Little Yin back in the Ghost Kingdom. It had once been a low-grade horse that was weak and sickly, but with its new master, it had grown significantly. Its eyes glowed red, its coat was glossy black, and its body was strong and powerful, with a faint mist lingering around it.

Little Yin had suggested riding her big horse around Lion City, but Zhang Yuelu did not agree to it. But she feared Little Yin might cause trouble, so she came to a compromise, allowing Little Yin’s big horse to pull a carriage.

“Get on, great hero!” Zhang Yuelu said with a smile.

Little Yin let out a cheer and clambered up onto the carriage, with Zhang Yuelu following behind.

The carriage slowly began to move.

Little Yin lay against the carriage window, gazing at the streets outside.

Zhang Yuelu leaned against the inner wall of the carriage and conversed with Lin Yuanmiao through the curtain. “Old Lin, how is your recovery coming along?”

Lin Yuanmiao kept his eyes on the road ahead while guiding Bu Yue. “I’m now roughly at the Zaohua stage.”

Zhang Yuelu thought for a moment, then asked, “If I gave you a page of the Scripture of Zuriel, could you recover to a Pseudo-Immortal strength in a short time?”

Lin Yuanmiao pondered in silence before replying, “Yes, I can.”

Zhang Yuelu sighed. “Something like that would be far more effective in your hands than in ours.”

“But I would need an external object to stabilize my mind,” Lin Yuanmiao added. “I’m afraid that after using the Scripture of Zuriel, I won’t be able to tell whether I am Lin Yuanmiao or the Imperial Preceptor of the Jin Dynasty Lin Lingsu.”

Zhang Yuelu did not hesitate and agreed immediately. “No problem. I can lend you the Six Mantra Sword for the time being. Or I can have Tian Yuan lend you his Pure Bodhi.”

For Zhang Yuelu, wielding three semi-immortal objects at once without a Zaohua-stage cultivation was somewhat taxing, making it difficult to fully bring out their combined strengths.

Lin Yuanmiao asked, “Has the situation really reached this point?”

During his recovery, Lin Yuanmiao had familiarized himself with the current situation in Poluo, including the various struggles between Qi Xuansu and Wang Jiaohe. After all, he possessed fragments of Lin Lingsu’s memories as the Imperial Preceptor of the Jin Dynasty, which made him keenly sensitive to power struggles. Back then, Lin Lingsu’s suppression of the Buddhist Sect had also relied heavily on political maneuvering.

In Lin Lingsu’s view, matters had to be handled one step at a time. The immediate priority was to concentrate forces to eliminate Chen Shuhua then deal with Wang Jiaohe afterward.

Zhang Yuelu muttered, “We have to prepare for both possibilities. Solving things one by one would be ideal, but the other side may not act according to our expectations. If Great Sage Jiang mobilizes all his forces to deal with Chen Shuhua, do you think Wang Jiaohe will just sit by and watch? I don’t think so. With Great Sage Jiang no longer restraining him, this would be the best chance for his final gamble. If I were Wang Jiaohe, I would make a move while Great Sage Jiang is encircling Chen Shuhua. At that point, we can’t really count on Great Sage Jiang. After all, letting Wang Jiaohe slip away wouldn’t matter much to him, but letting Chen Shuhua escape would have unbearable consequences. The Great Sage would inevitably prioritize Chen Shuhua.”

Lin Yuanmiao nodded slightly, acknowledging Zhang Yuelu’s assessment.

Zhang Yuelu said apologetically, “Your injuries haven’t fully healed, so it really isn’t right to force you into action. It’s just that we’re truly stretched thin when it comes to manpower.”

Lin Yuanmiao replied softly, “It’s alright.”

Just then, Little Yin shouted, “Old Lin, stop the carriage! Quick!”

Lin Yuanmiao pulled on the reins, bringing the carriage to a halt.

......

For Qi Xuansu, good news had been arriving one after another over the past few days.

In addition to Wu Burong and several superintendents being arrested, news from East Shakya had arrived—Lin Tianhe had been captured.

This was only to be expected. The East Shakya Daoist Mansion had dispatched a Second Deputy, so had the Poluo Daoist Mansion. Jade Capital had also sent a Deputy Hall Master, so it would have been weird if they still could not capture Lin Tianhe.

Apparently, Lin Tianhe was recognized while attempting to slip across the East Shakya border into West Shakya. He tried to flee, but was later captured by a first-rank Spirit Guard who rushed to the scene after receiving the report.

Xu Jiaorong and Yao Pei had now completed the relevant handover procedures and were preparing to escort Lin Tianhe back from East Shakya to Poluo.

This was undoubtedly good news. Among the three key figures of the Nanyang United Trade Company, Sun Jiaofeng was dead and Wang Jiaoyan still refused to speak. That left Lin Tianhe as the greatest breakthrough point. Qi Xuansu also believed that Lin Tianhe would not hold out to the bitter end for the Wang family and would most likely sell them out to preserve his own life.

It was like a dam. Once a single breach was opened, it would only be a matter of time before the entire structure collapsed. In other words, once Lin Tianhe confessed, the superintendents, as well as Wang Jiaoyan, Lin Qingcheng, Wu Burong, and the others, would all fall one after another.

In Qi Xuansu’s view, after Wang Jiaohe failed in his attempt to make an issue out of the secret societies, he had already lost any chance of turning the tables.

What needed to be done now was not to press forward but to guard against Wang Jiaohe lashing out in desperation, whether by directly assassinating Qi Xuansu or fleeing to the Western seas.

In the blink of an eye, the Zhongyuan Festival celebration arrived.

Qi Xuansu had no choice but to devote part of his attention to it. The Heavenly Official bestowed blessings for the living, praying for those still alive. The Earthly Official granted absolution, offering deliverance to departed souls.

This celebration was coordinated by Qi Xuansu but personally presided over by Great Sage Jiang. On July 15th, no matter how fierce the undercurrents were, Great Sage Jiang, Wang Jiaohe, and Qi Xuansu still attended the ceremony together, maintaining surface-level harmony.

However, some people noticed that many familiar faces were missing. With the recent upheavals, anyone could sense the tension lurking beneath.

This celebration was like the final calm before a storm.

Using the celebration as an excuse, Zhang Yuelu also came to Thanglong Prefecture with Little Yin and Lin Yuanmiao.

Chen Jianqiu and Star Lord Yuheng remained in Lion City.

The Grand Protector, who had been absent for a long time, finally returned from the Imperial Capital to Lion City. With him personally presiding there, there was no longer any fear of unrest. Moreover, Li Zhuyu, Xie Jiaofeng, Shangguan Ya, and some others had remained in Lion City.

There were reports that as the war in Fenglin neared its end, the Great Xuan Emperor intended to reestablish the Four Protectorates and reshuffle the postings of the four Grand Protectors. This was also the reason the Nanting Grand Protector had remained in the Imperial Capital for such a long time.