A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1385: Spoils of War

There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the proceedings of the meeting. They reviewed the past, summarized the present, and looked ahead to the future. Each participant spoke in turn, and in the end, the meeting concluded with a declaration of victory.

Qi Xuansu did not speak. He merely attended and listened throughout because of his sensitive status. He represented the Daoist Order, so any action of his could be interpreted in various ways.

After the meeting ended, Qi Xuansu met separately with Huangfu Zhao, Gong Fu, and Tantai Zhenxiao. They discussed many matters, mainly the relationship between the Daoist Order and the Western Daoist Order, the future development of the Western Daoist Order, and the current state of the Daoist Order.

They spoke candidly and engaged in in-depth exchanges.

Regarding matters of interest and benefits, Qi Xuansu made no promises nor gave firm answers. He merely stated that he would report everything upon his return.

This was not the duty of the Chief Deputy Beichen Hall Master but rather the task of an envoy.

Qi Xuansu had gone to the New Continent with two roles. What Gong Fu and Tantai Zhenxiao cared about was not his role in Beichen Hall, but his identity as an envoy of the Daoist Order.

At this point, they were merely a stage of testing the waters.

This was also why Qi Xuansu’s true body had come in person. After all, he was meeting the three bigwigs of the Western Daoist Order. Sending only his Liberation Incarnation to this meeting would have seemed arrogant and disrespectful.

By the time Qi Xuansu took his leave from Tantai Zhenxiao, the sky was already filled with stars, yet Huangfu Ji was still waiting for him.

Qi Xuansu joked, “Brother Huangfu, are you also planning a long talk with me?”

Huangfu Ji waved his hand. “Those matters are for the old men to worry about. There’s no need for me to get involved. I was busy during the day, so I couldn’t catch you earlier. I mainly want to discuss the spoils of war.”

Qi Xuansu smiled.

Huangfu Ji understood the Daoist Order well.

On the surface, members of the Daoist Order were not supposed to casually accept gifts in any form. However, the spoils of war were an exception.

Spoils of war were divided into two categories, depending on their value.

For example, Qi Xuansu’s gains from the Fenglin battlefield were considered valuable items. The ownership of such spoils was governed by Daoist regulations, similar to how gifts presented by foreign states to Daoist leaders were handled.

In the past, the Pope of the Holy Court once presented a crown inlaid with 72 flawless gemstones to the fifth-generation Grand Master. This gift did not belong to the Grand Master personally and theoretically belonged to the Daoist Order. But the Grand Master had priority of use. It was stored in the Zixiao Palace along with other such gifts.

Likewise, spoils seized on the battlefield belonged to the Daoist Order, but the person who captured them had priority in deciding their use. To put it plainly, they were essentially the property of the one who seized them. They could use them however they wished, but could not sell or pass them down as inheritance. Upon that person’s death, the items would revert to the Daoist Order for redistribution.

Another category was less valuable spoils. As long as the quantity was small, the Daoist Order allowed individuals to keep ordinary items as mementos. For instance, if one seized a standard musket on the battlefield, there was no need to hand it over. It could be kept or used freely.

Qi Xuansu had genuinely taken part in this campaign, so it was entirely reasonable for him to have spoils of his own.

Huangfu Ji bringing up the matter of spoils was, in truth, a gesture of goodwill toward Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu could either refuse or accept. After a brief consideration, he chose to accept.

While Qi Xuansu might not claim overwhelming merit, his contributions were certainly significant, so he deserved a reward.

More importantly, he did not want to reject the goodwill of the Western Daoist Order or cause its leadership to overthink his intentions.

Lastly, Qi Xuansu had his own selfish reason. He was troubled over what gift to prepare for Little Yin. He had spotted some interesting items in New Paititi, but unfortunately, he lacked the funds.

Qi Xuansu had money, but that was public funds. With his status, if he truly wanted something, he only needed to say the word, or even hint at it, and someone would eagerly present it to him. But he refused to do so because he did not want to leave himself open to accusations of soliciting bribes. Simply put, he valued his reputation and would not dirty his hands.

Spoils of war, on the other hand, were both justified and meaningful as keepsakes. They carried honor, something money could not buy.

Thus, their intrinsic value no longer mattered. A musket worth only a few dozen Taiping coins could become far more valuable once imbued with a tale of heroism and struggle.

After returning, Qi Xuansu could simply file a report with the main hall. If there were issues, they could be raised immediately. If approved, there would be no room for future complications.

Qi Xuansu said, “Anything too valuable won’t do...”

“I know.” Huangfu Ji nodded. “The Daoist Order has its rules, so I won’t put you in a difficult position. But rules are rules. It’s still quite rare to see someone as upright and self-disciplined as you, Brother Qi.”

Qi Xuansu found it hard to respond. He certainly could not agree outright, saying that most people were not so upright, as that would offend far too many people.

He could only say, “Most people are still good. There are just a few bad apples. I wouldn’t call myself particularly upright. I’m just cautious. Even when I’ve done nothing wrong, people still try to smear me, so I certainly can’t give them anything to use against me.”

Huangfu Ji laughed. He made no comment on the first half but responded to the second part. “Indeed, people can be treacherous. There’s no such thing as being too careful.”

Qi Xuansu changed the subject. “What kind of spoils are there? I’m actually struggling to find something to bring back for my little girl.”

Huangfu Ji said, “I’ve heard of your daughter. Her name is Qi Xiaoyin, right?”

Qi Xuansu froze for a while.

Whether it was Qi Xuansu, Zhang Yuelu, Lin Yuanmiao, or others, they were all used to calling her Little Yin rather than Yin Wanmiao. Those unaware would assume her name was Xiaoyin, and since she was Qi Xuansu’s adopted daughter, it was only natural for her to take his last name, and hence the name Qi Xiaoyin.

Huangfu Ji had done a bit of homework beforehand but clearly had not dug deep, which led to this small embarrassment.

Qi Xuansu gave a light cough. “Little Yin.”

What else could he say? He could not possibly tell him that Little Yin was actually from the Ghost Kingdom, as this would involve her identity as the Emperor Willow, which was a top secret of the Daoist Order and not meant for outsiders.

Huangfu Ji said, “We don’t have the usual cosmetics and powders that ordinary girls like. But as the daughter of a martial family, your girl probably isn’t interested in such delicate things. There might actually be something suitable for her.”

With that, Huangfu Ji handed Qi Xuansu a catalog.

Qi Xuansu took a look. There was indeed a dazzling variety.

The Western Daoist Order had clearly filtered the items beforehand, so the items here were not particularly valuable and met Daoist standards. But they were quite interesting.

Most of them were steam-based devices, like steam birds for reconnaissance, steam armor, and even steam greatswords.

For example, the steam armor, once embedded with a small steam core, could empower a frail person wearing it.

The steam greatsword required energy to operate, similar to a water blade or wind blade. Its edge was actually just a thin metallic filament.

However, all of these were made to adult specifications. Little Yin, with her short limbs, was not even as tall as the sword, so she simply could not use them.

“A box of winding soldier figurines?” Qi Xuansu suddenly spotted an item. “Why would the army have something like this?”

Huangfu Ji replied, “They’re small props used by the Holy Court for war-game simulations. Wind them up, and they can move on their own. They are split into two teams to fight each other.”

“This will do. I’ll take this,” Qi Xuansu said without hesitation.

He continued browsing. “Fine Western red wine? Aged for 50 years?”

“Apparently, it was carried by a general,” Huangfu Ji explained. “He planned to celebrate with it, saving it to open at the victory banquet after taking Monterrey. Unfortunately, he never got the chance.”

“Then I’ll gladly take advantage of that,” Qi Xuansu said.

Zhang Yuelu enjoyed drinking all types of liquor, so she would love this.

Qi Xuansu easily settled two gifts.

There was also Madam Qi, who liked tobacco.

Qi Xuansu kept scanning the list.

A pipe wouldn’t do because Madam Qi wouldn’t use secondhand items.

However, there were some unopened cigars, which were clearly brought by the generals. These generals certainly knew how to enjoy life. Besides red wine and cigars, there were also cigarettes, strong liquor, expensive lighters, playing cards, canned food, sweets, and more.

The Western Daoist Order had seized quite a lot this time. Most of the Western Daoist Order’s resources were devoted to developing the military industry, so in other aspects, they lagged far behind the northern Steam Evangelical Sect. The Daoist Order’s aid also focused on military support and paid little attention to such small items, making them rather scarce here.

Qi Xuansu selected two boxes of premium cigars. Though it was a small gift, he would have to carry them all the way across the vast ocean from the Southern Continent, which was a show of sincerity.

Next came his father-in-law and two mothers-in-law.

Getting his father-in-law a gift was easy, as men were simple to please. A mechanical puppet or a set of steam armor to tinker with would suffice as an exotic gift.

Women, on the other hand, were more troublesome, as they had high expectations. It was not just about quality but also about thoughtfulness.

Although Qi Xuansu was not afraid of them, he had no desire to provoke them unnecessarily and make life difficult for himself.

Qi Xuansu went over the catalog multiple times but found nothing suitable. In the end, he decided to let Chen Jianchou handle it. The money for these gifts would come from Madam Qi’s account, as a loan, of course. In any case, Qi Xuansu had no intention of ever paying it back in this lifetime. Since these gifts were for Zhang Yuelu’s mother and master, it wouldn’t be appropriate to charge them to Zhang Yuelu’s account.

In this regard, Qi Xuansu had completely given up amassing his own wealth. He would even consider using Little Yin’s account in the future.

Qi Xuansu returned the list to Huangfu Ji.

The final highlight was the promised reward for Qi Xuansu—the Three Sacred Fist.