A Pawn's Passage

The black-robed clerics quickly finished their inspection and found nothing. With the sound of a whistle, the steam train slowly began moving again.

Audrey asked in a whisper, “Are we safe now?”

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “It’s too early to say that. Sophia alone has limited influence, mostly confined to St. York. But once the Evangelical Ministry is involved, it’s a different story. Their reach extends across the entire Northern Continent and even the Southern Continent. Didn’t you already know of a high-ranking traitor within the Tawantin Empire?”

Audrey fell silent.

Qi Xuansu understood why Audrey kept asking the same question. More than anything, she wanted reassurance from him so that she could calm herself. However, whether they were truly safe was something Qi Xuansu had to consider. To some extent, it was self-deception, a way of seeking security from others.

Audrey was like a fragile flower that needed something to lean on. Zhang Yuelu, by contrast, never behaved this way. Zhang Yuelu’s strong temperament and unyielding nature made her come across as somewhat unapproachable.

This led to a peculiar phenomenon. Despite being a renowned prodigy within the Daoist Order, with excellent family background, appearance, and prospects, Zhang Yuelu had very few suitors. The occasional reckless ones only needed to look at the fates of Li Tianzhen and Wang Danqing to be scared off.

In a sense, Zhang Yuelu was not particularly likable. But that was why Qi Xuansu liked her.

At this moment, he could not help but think of his beloved partner. If Zhang Yuelu were beside him instead of Audrey, there would be no need for such caution. They could simply fight their way out. As long as no Immortal intervened, there would be nothing to fear. Why bother wasting effort on a few minor clerics?

Qi Xuansu sighed. For now, they could only take things one step at a time.

The train continued forward.

Qi Xuansu split his attention across multiple fronts. While his Liberation Incarnation was here, his true body remained in St. York, gathering more information through Strauni. At the same time, he maintained contact with Madam Wu, Li Mingzhen, and others.

A bit later, Qi Xuansu also contacted Lu Yujue, the Branch Manager of the Southern Continent.

“Chief Deputy, I’ve already reported the situation to the Western Daoist Order as instructed,” Lu Yujue reported. He was Lu Yushu and Lu Yuting’s cousin. The upper circles of the Daoist Order might seem large, but in truth, they were quite small. Everyone was related in some way. For ordinary people of humble origins, it was nearly impossible to break into this circle.

Qi Xuansu asked, “What did the Western Daoist Order say?”

Lu Yujue gave a bitter smile. “The Western Daoist Order was already restless. Now that Sun Zhongnu has defected, it gives them the perfect excuse. The three Great Sages of the Western Daoist Order have decided to take action.”

Although the Western Daoist Order was not formally part of the regular Daoist system, it was not entirely independent either. It still relied on Daoist support. Since returning the Seven Feather Five Fires Fan and the relics of Tantai Yun and nominally rejoining the Daoist Order, the Western Daoist Order had also undergone reforms. They modeled their structure after the Daoist Nine-Rank System, though they still lacked a Grand Master.

However, the reforms were incomplete. The lower-ranked Daoist system remained chaotic. As such, the Daoist Order refused to recognize certain ranks within the Western Daoist Order.

In truth, only 9 high-ranking Daoists of the Western Daoist Order were officially recognized by the Daoist Order—three Great Sages and six Sages.

None of them were part of the Golden Tower Council. As such, the Western Daoist Order could not influence major decisions within the Daoist Order, including the selection of the Grand Master.

The fifth-generation Grand Master had a clear rule. The Western Daoist Order’s leaders were welcome to participate in the Golden Tower Council deliberations only if they fully accepted restructuring, abandoning its current semi-independent status. Until it fully reintegrated, it would not be granted permission to enter the Golden Tower Council.

Thus, these nine recognized figures only held ranks without actual official positions in the Daoist Order.

Of course, their treatment was not equal to those of Great Sages or Sages, but rather equivalent to Virtuous Great Sages and Omniscient Sages.

The three Great Sages were Huangfu Zhao, Gong Fu, and Tantai Zhenxiao.

In any case, these three families firmly insisted they were the legitimate lineage, just like the Li family insisted they were descendants of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor. That was why it was best not to ask questions. Whoever asked would regret it.

These three families had many differences but also many shared interests. There was no contradiction in this, because their differences stemmed from interests, and so did consensus. Their shared goal was to create a fait accompli, forcing the Daoist Order to invest more attention and support.

Thus, Qi Xuansu’s task was not only to mediate internal conflicts but also to stabilize the Western Daoist Order. He could respond in kind, but under no circumstances could he escalate into large-scale war because the Daoist Order currently lacked both financial support and internal stability.

Qi Xuansu had already anticipated that the Western Daoist Order would certainly make a big issue out of it. But this matter could not be hidden from them. Even if it were concealed, the Western Daoist Order surely had its own intelligence network on the Northern Continent and would learn of it anyway, taking action regardless. Rather than creating distrust through concealment, it was better to be open and honest from the start.

Qi Xuansu asked, “What exactly do you mean by this ‘further action’?”

Lu Yujue replied, “The three Great Sages have already dispatched personnel to the Northern Continent. Officially, it’s to assist with the evacuation and eliminate traitors. But who knows what their true intentions are?”

Qi Xuansu fell into deep thought.

Lu Yujue continued, “As far as I know, although there hasn’t been any large-scale troop movement, quite a number of high-level experts above the Heavenly Being stage have been sent. Their ambitions are not small.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Who is leading them?”

Lu Yujue answered, “The youngest of the 9 recognized Sages of the Western Daoist Order, Huangfu Ji, also known as the Tiger of the Western Daoist Order.”

The Western Daoist Order was unique. Their Sages who were recognized by the Daoist Order were at the level of Omniscient Sages, but they could not participate in the Golden Tower Council.

Though Huangfu Ji was the youngest among them, he was already over 40.

Within the Western Daoist Order, Huangfu Ji belonged to the hardline, aggressive faction. Sending him out made their intentions quite clear.

Qi Xuansu naturally understood this and said, “We cannot escalate the situation at this time. Being firm is fine, but this is not the moment for a decisive war. The Daoist Order’s current condition does not support war on any front. If these people insist on acting unilaterally and attempt to drag the Daoist Order into it, that is absolutely unacceptable.”

Lu Yujue said, “Understood. According to protocol, I’ve already reported this to the headquarters through formal correspondence.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Let the Hall Master handle discussions with Great Sage Tantai Zhenxiao. You can continue to monitor the Western Daoist Order’s movements and report them back to me.”

“Yes, sir,” Lu Yujue responded.

After ending the conversation, Qi Xuansu fell into deep contemplation.

The Western Daoist Order had two Immortals—Tantai Zhenxiao and Gong Fu. Unlike the Daoist Order, its external environment was harsh, leaving no room for a large class of sheltered flowerbed Daoists. Thus, under such brutal selection and elimination, it was inevitable that many strong individuals would emerge. Many might not have been top-tier geniuses, but after surviving countless life-and-death trials, they achieved greatness later in life.

Additionally, the Western Daoist Order emphasized bloodline inheritance. Unlike the Daoist Order, which promoted younger talent to prevent generational gaps, the Western Daoist Order did not impose age-based advancement barriers. As a result, its talent development followed an entirely different path.

Although the Huangfu family did not have an Immortal, it could still stand alongside the other two families. Both father and son, Huangfu Zhao and Huangfu Ji, were Pseudo-Immortals. While Huangfu Zhao was somewhat inferior to his peers, he had an exceptional son. Huangfu Ji far surpassed those of the same generation in the other two families. Together, the father-and-son pair upheld the Huangfu family, making it no less formidable than the Gong and Tantai families.

Upon closer thought, this was only natural. The higher one’s cultivation, the harder it was to have descendants. Both Immortals had no children, leaving their family lines to nephews and distant kin. Huangfu Zhao, being slightly weaker in cultivation, instead managed to have a remarkable son.

Although the three families stood in balance, each with their own agendas and many disagreements, there still had to be a leading figure to represent the Western Daoist Order at times. Much like the three Deputy Grand Masters of the Daoist Order, no matter their differences, one would serve as the Great Sage Lunzhi to represent the Grand Master.

In this generation, the representative of the Western Daoist Order was Tantai Zhenxiao. However, Huangfu Ji was widely expected to become the next leader of the Western Daoist Order.

Although Huangfu Ji came from a prominent background, in some ways he was quite similar to Qi Xuansu. Both men rose through tangible achievements, with nearly flawless records that left little room for criticism. However, his temperament was far from agreeable. Shaped by his environment, he was proud, unruly, and aggressive. After all, the Western Daoist Order was constantly embroiled in conflict, leaving no room for sheltered flowerbed Daoists.