A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu and Madam Wu temporarily left the Lower District, but Qi Xuansu’s true body remained in the Richmond District.

Not only had he avoided exposing his identity, but he even had an alibi. While the four senior councilmen were fleeing the Lower District with Strauni, Qi Xuansu had been in the Upper District, drinking the finest red wine and chatting with Archbishop Swanson about various anecdotes and curiosities.

By the time Strauni returned, the banquet had reached its end. Ironically, although the senior councilmen had dragged their feet for four hours before taking action, they wasted no time when retreating. They only took less than half an hour to return to the Upper District.

The four senior councilmen did not show themselves. When Strauni returned, a noticeable portion of his hair had been singed. Archbishop Swanson even teased him, asking if he had accidentally burned his hair on a candle during some special game.

Strauni could only respond with a bitter smile. Somehow, he had been dragged into the affairs of the four senior councilors and had nearly died in a massive explosion. He had a vague premonition that the incident might be related to Dutch. Perhaps Dutch was not the only one who had come to St. York. Other high-ranking figures from the Beichen Hall might also be present.

Although the other senior councilmen believed the mysterious enemy to be from the Western Daoist Order, Strauni believed that Beichen Hall might be behind it. After all, he himself was an external member of Beichen Hall.

Strauni then took a seat across from Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu said nothing and merely pointed at Strauni’s collar.

Strauni froze for a moment. He reached up to touch it and brought it up to his eyes to examine it closely. It was a metal beetle that was the size of an ant, making it extremely difficult to notice.

Qi Xuansu took the metal beetle and casually tossed it out the window. It landed perfectly on a passing carriage driver. Only after the carriage had rolled far away did he speak. “Alright.”

“What was that?” Strauni asked.

“A small device made from arcane alchemy. I’m not very familiar with the principles behind it, but I’d guess it’s used for eavesdropping or surveillance. It doesn’t matter now. It can listen to that carriage driver instead. It might be good for whoever is listening to learn about the daily life of ordinary people so that they can stay grounded,” Qi Xuansu said calmly.

Strauni was momentarily stunned. He clenched his fist and said through gritted teeth, “It must have been Sean. He specializes in arcane alchemy.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Some things are best left to rot in your heart. I hope you don’t have the habit of talking in your sleep.”

Strauni’s expression turned serious, and he nodded.

Qi Xuansu changed the subject. “I noticed you’ve been getting a little too close to Caitlin.”

“What do you mean?” Strauni asked, somewhat displeased.

Qi Xuansu raised a hand, signaling him not to get worked up. “I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m simply offering advice as a friend. There’s an old saying that a broken mirror can never truly be made whole again. When a mirror shatters into pieces, the cracks remain even if you glue it back together. I can understand your desire to make up for the regrets of your youth. But you should also be aware that the love from those younger days—if we can even call it love—can never truly return. If you still hold on to that mindset, you’ll only end up being toyed with by that woman.”

Qi Xuansu paused slightly. “If you were merely a noble young gentleman, it wouldn’t matter much. At worst, you’d lose some money, and perhaps the heartbreak would inspire you to write a few melodramatic poems. But don’t forget your identity. If that woman ever discovers your secret, there are only two possible outcomes for you. She’ll either blackmail you and turn you into a slave she can control at will or expose your identity. If so, you’ll be doomed.

“Don’t rush to say that Caitlin isn’t that kind of person. Do you think a married woman who spends her days moving among different men and relying on her looks to curry favor will care about moral integrity?”

Strauni’s face turned slightly pale.

Qi Xuansu said with a sigh, “In love, it doesn’t matter where it begins or where it ends. The important thing is the journey itself. Your journey already ended when she left you and married another man. What you’re reliving now is merely a memory you refuse to let go of.”

Strauni remained silent for a long time before finally saying, “I understand.”

Qi Xuansu did not continue the topic and instead asked, “My dear Josiah, how do you view that Daoist Order from the standpoint of a City Council member? Don’t bring up that ‘Eastern Queen’ nonsense. You should know that the Daoist Order represents a distinctly Eastern male way of thinking. Even when a woman rises to the pinnacle of power, she inevitably adopts a masculine mode of thinking.”

Strauni carefully chose his words. “You’re right, Dutch. The true masters of the East have never been queens. In my view, Easterners excel at internal struggle but not external conflict. By ‘internal’ and ‘external,’ I don’t mean geography. I mean familiarity with the rules. When Easterners encounter a system of rules they don’t understand, they appear clumsy and confused, making one blunder after another and often suffering heavy defeats. But once they become familiar with the rules of the game, they turn into the most seasoned players at the table.

“As for why the Daoist Order refuses to take off the gloves, it has nothing to do with any queen. It’s also not because they’re ashamed to show themselves. In my opinion, there are two reasons. First, they aren’t ready yet, mainly due to their internal issues. Second, they aren’t certain they can destroy their opponent completely.

“Easterners are extremely decisive, especially in matters of life and death. Their principle is simple: either don’t act at all, or act in a way that leaves absolutely no future trouble. So, they would either avoid war with the Holy Court entirely or, if they did go to war, they would defeat the Holy Court and deny it any chance of resurgence. Looking at the various foreign peoples in Eastern history, none of them have ever risen to prominence again.”

Holding his cup of black tea, Qi Xuansu pondered for a moment. “Interesting. You mentioned internal problems within the Daoist Order just now.”

Strauni nodded. “Ever since the Eastern Pope was deposed...”

Qi Xuansu interrupted him. “By Eastern Pope, do you mean the Grand Master? But he wasn’t deposed.”

“In fact, this is a common view among many high-ranking members of the Holy Court,” Strauni replied. “They believed that the three Eastern Patriarchs united to sideline the weak Eastern Pope and effectively deposed him. They then formed a small council of three, ruling jointly and sharing the highest authority. Though their power was not quite equal to the Grand Master, they were above ordinary Patriarchs.

“This incident also indirectly increased the tension between the Pope and the Patriarchs in the West. The Pope feared the Patriarchs might imitate the East, while the Patriarchs might have seen the Eastern example as a new possibility.”

Within the Holy Court’s system, the highest authority of each major diocese was a Patriarch. The Patriarch of the central diocese became the Pope because it was the Holy Seat, personally ordained by the Goddess. Every Pope must control it to claim legitimate authority and succession to the Goddess’s mantle.

Qi Xuansu coughed lightly, unsure what to say for a moment. It was often said that a nation could not remain without a ruler even for a single day. The Grand Master’s seat had remained vacant for so long. So, it was reasonable for Westerners to think that the Three Deputy Grand Masters had effectively deposed the Grand Master.

Qi Xuansu asked, “What if the Daoist Order were to elect a new Grand Master?”

“That would mean the Eastern Pope successfully restored his rule, overthrowing the Council of Three and reestablishing authority,” Strauni replied matter-of-factly.

Qi Xuansu changed the subject. “What’s on our schedule today?”

Strauni produced two theater tickets. “There’s a performance at the Magellan Theater on White Avenue in the Central District. The famous Audrey Ale will be performing in person.”

“Banquets and performances—this is high society,” Qi Xuansu remarked.

“The lower classes nurture tremendous power,” Strauni said. “But before that power erupts, it is usually high society that sets the direction. So, Dutch, you need to understand St. York’s upper society more deeply. You ought to know what they are thinking and how they see the world.”

Qi Xuansu accepted the tickets. “The last time I attended a show was several years ago. I hope this one won’t disappoint.”

Strauni joked, “I’m guessing that the last time you went to the theater, your companion was a lady. But this time, you have to go with me. In that sense, you’re already bound to be disappointed.”

Qi Xuansu could not help but laugh. “Your guess is right on point.”

Speaking of theater, the first person Qi Xuansu thought of was Zhang Yuelu, and the second was Little Yin.

The little imp was something of an opera enthusiast and had even come up with the idea of turning stone into gold to tip the performers.

He wondered what Little Yin was up to now.

Little did he know that the troublemaker he was thinking of was roaming Jianghu at the moment.

Qi Xuansu was also unaware that he was not the only one who had odd dreams. Little Yin had started dreaming as well. In Qi Xuansu’s dreams, he often went to Lingshan, but Little Yin repeatedly saw two women in hers.

This had never happened before. It all began after she secretly touched the Guizang Lantern and fell asleep while holding it. After that, the dreams started coming again and again.

She had actually mentioned it to Qi Xuansu once. But at the time, he was annoyed that she had been tampering with the Guizang Lantern and immediately assumed she was simply making excuses to change the subject. So he did not take it seriously.

After that, Little Yin never brought it up again.

This journey through the Jianghu was partly because of Little Yin’s playful, restless nature. But partly, it was because of her recurring dreams. Some unseen force was guiding her.