A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1372: The Northern and Southern War (IV)

Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji ultimately decided to lure Du Juanzhi by summoning her to a meeting.

At first, Du Juanzhi was not at all suspicious. When she arrived at the meeting venue and saw Huangfu Ji present, she felt something was off but did not think much of it.

When several elite members of Juesheng Hall entered, Du Juanzhi finally realized something was wrong. She turned to leave, but her escape route was already blocked.

These elites were all Heavenly Beings, and with their numerical advantage, they surrounded her completely.

Panicked, Du Juanzhi shouted, “I’m here for the meeting. What are you doing?”

A Deputy Juesheng Hall Master stepped forward and began reading the arrest and investigation order to her.

Before he could finish, Du Juanzhi suddenly roared, broke through the encirclement, and lunged straight at Huangfu Ji.

Huangfu Ji was still injured. If Du Juanzhi struck him, the consequences could be severe. Yet he showed no concern, merely watching her frenzied actions coldly.

At the critical moment, Qi Xuansu appeared from nowhere and subdued Du Juanzhi with a single move.

What followed was the search and interrogation. Juesheng Hall searched her residence and personal magical receptacle, uncovering evidence of collusion. There were coded manuals, large sums of unexplained Gold Pounds, and special tokens used to contact the Holy Court.

This fully confirmed Du Juanzhi’s identity as a spy. There was no possibility of wrongful accusation.

Huangfu Ji personally interrogated her, and Du Juanzhi confessed without denial.

She admitted to defecting to the Holy Court. Unlike Hun Chowen, her motive had initially been money. As a third-rank Daoist, she was not exactly poor, but she had to be restrained due to her status as a Daoist. Bound by discipline, she lived frugally, which bred deep resentment because she saw women of lower status spending lavishly. She then began obsessing over how to make money and achieve financial freedom.

Thus, she began exploiting her position for illicit gains, spending extravagantly to satisfy her vanity.

Due to inexperience, her actions were quickly exposed. Her illegal gains were confiscated, and she lost her chance at promotion to a second-rank Taiyi Daoist. This deepened her resentment toward the Western Daoist Order, making her increasingly bitter and sarcastic.

Her complaints did not earn her a promotion, but they attracted the attention of the Evangelical Ministry.

After repeated probing and contact, Du Juanzhi eventually met secretly with members of the Holy Court’s Evangelical Ministry in Brownsville, along the border.

The Evangelical Ministry was extremely generous. At their first meeting, they gave Du Juanzhi 20,000 Gold Pounds as a gift. Despite her status, she had never possessed such wealth.

They even promised additional rewards for every piece of intelligence she provided. This greatly tempted her, and she ultimately agreed to cooperate, becoming a planted spy within the Western Daoist Order codenamed “Cuckoo.”

Hearing this, Qi Xuansu almost laughed out loud. He realized the Evangelical Ministry’s codenames were absurdly simple, barely different from real names.

Du Juanzhi continued her confession. While providing intelligence, she was also tasked with recruiting other defectors. By chance, she met Hun Chowen, who harbored dissatisfaction toward his superiors, so they quickly became kindred spirits. After several tests, she confirmed his stance and introduced him to Milton of the Evangelical Ministry.

In the end, Hun Chowen was drawn in as well and given the codename “Ape God.” Delighted by this breakthrough, Milton established a special task force, naming it “Miss Monroe.” It was dedicated to handling Du Juanzhi and Hun Chowen.

With Ape God in place, holding a higher position and attending high-level meetings, he could access more valuable intelligence. As a result, Cuckoo went dormant, leaving most intelligence work to him. Only after Ape God was captured did Cuckoo resume activity. But she was immediately caught by Huangfu Ji’s trap after her first leak.

Du Juanzhi claimed that she had regretted it at times and considered quitting. But once aboard the pirate’s ship, it became hard to disembark. The Evangelical Ministry held leverage over her, leaving her no way out. Though they promised to help her leave the Southern Continent if she recruited higher-level agents, they never honored that promise.

In short, Du Juanzhi lacked a proper value system and lost her faith, so one wrong step led to another. Her vanity ultimately destroyed her.

Du Juanzhi also confessed her assigned missions. Beyond supplying military intelligence, she was to identify the main forces of the Western Daoist Order and the Tawantin Empire and uncover their true strategic intentions.

Finally, she broke down in tears, expressing deep regret for her actions.

Huangfu Ji delivered a cutting remark. “Do you regret that one wrong step back then, or do you just regret being caught?”

Without waiting for her answer, he continued, “Your crimes warrant death. But if you sincerely repent and cooperate with Juesheng Hall, you may atone and keep your life.”

Du Juanzhi agreed without hesitation. “I will fully cooperate with the Daoist authorities.”

Huangfu Ji said coldly, “Remember—if you try any tricks, I will make you wish you were dead. I always keep my word.”

The Western Daoist Order, having long been in a war-torn environment, was comparatively crude, unlike the more meticulous Daoist Order. The Daoist Order might do the same but would never say it so bluntly.

As a member of the Western Daoist Order, Du Juanzhi knew Huangfu Ji well. Though he spoke amicably with Qi Xuansu, calling him Brother Qi, that was only because Qi Xuansu matched him in status, power, and ability. There was mutual respect and no direct conflict of interest. Thus, their relationship remained cordial.

But everyone within the Western Daoist Order, especially his subordinates, knew Huangfu Ji’s ruthlessness and feared him deeply.

Huangfu Ji gave her the first task. “The Evangelical Ministry wanted to know our strategy, right? Contact them now. Tell them that one of Great Sage Gong’s aides is wavering and has been successfully recruited, then ask them for funding.”

At the same time, Qi Xuansu placed the special communication token before her.

At that moment, only the three of them—Qi Xuansu, Huangfu Ji, and Du Juanzhi—remained in the room. Aside from the interrogation table and chairs, a large map hung on the wall behind Huangfu Ji.

Du Juanzhi glanced cautiously at the two men, then picked up the token and began to operate it.

At San Antonio in the Evangelical Ministry’s temporary headquarters, the archbishop responsible for communicating with Cuckoo excitedly reported to Milton. “Cuckoo has sent word. She’s recruited an aide directly under Gong Fu. But the price is steep—10,000 Gold Pounds.”

Milton smiled. “Cuckoo truly is our ace. She just delivered intelligence on the Tawantin armory and now this. It’s certainly enough to make up for Ape God’s loss. Reply to her immediately and agree to the terms. 10,000 Gold Pounds is nothing if it saves us hundreds of thousands on the battlefield. Use the North-South Trade Association to transfer the funds. Add another 3,000 Gold Pounds as a personal reward and push her to act quickly. We need the Western Daoist Order’s real strategic intentions.”

The archbishop left to carry out the order.

Soon, Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji received the reply.

Du Juanzhi looked toward them.

Qi Xuansu said, “From now on, you are that defector aide. Sage Huangfu and I will play Great Sage Gong. Think carefully about how to pass the information convincingly without raising suspicion. Remember, you’re just an aide, not Great Sage Gong. You don’t know everything, only fragments. Add your own interpretations, and don’t reveal everything.”

The reason both of them played Great Sage Gong was simple. Even false intelligence must feel real. Poorly crafted lies would arouse suspicion. Two minds were better than one, and Huangfu Ji’s style was too distinctive, so Qi Xuansu helped balance it.

Both Huangfu Ji and Qi Xuansu turned to the large map, marked with two colors representing the opposing forces.

Huangfu Ji said, “To perform well, we must become the role. From now on, we are Great Sage Gong, commanders of vast armies.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Acting isn’t enough. We need physical proof. Just drawing on maps won’t convince them. The Evangelical Ministry isn’t foolish. They’ll verify with reconnaissance.”

Huangfu Ji nodded. “You’re right. We can’t act alone. We need real troops. The elite forces can’t be moved, but the second-line reserves can. They may not fight well, but they can put on a show. Let them act according to our plan, turning it into reality. That will make our act convincing.”

Qi Xuansu pointed at the map. “Let’s deploy 30,000 troops. Move them from Monterrey, cross the Rio Grande tributary, and advance toward Del Rio. Make it look like we’re cutting off the Holy Court’s retreat.”