A Pawn's Passage

The disappearance of the Divine Eagle Guards dealt a considerable blow to Huangfu Zhu. Though his previous achievements were not completely erased, more than half of them had effectively been wiped away.

After all, these were 100 people with families and homes. Quite a few of these elite guards were the children of noble families. Now that they had vanished, it was only natural for their relatives to demand an explanation from Huangfu Zhu.

Although the Daoist Order advocated equality, everyone understood that a person’s value differed and could not simply be equated with that of another. The aftermath of a government official’s death was entirely different from that of an ordinary commoner. This was an objective reality.

These Divine Eagle Guards had been carefully selected and were by no means ordinary. Every one of them was a talented and promising young elite, so how could the sudden disappearance of such a group not cause a tremendous stir?

Not to mention, New Paititi was the capital of the Tawantin Empire, equivalent to the Imperial Capital in the Central Plains. If the people here caused trouble, they would be far more difficult to suppress than those in the rural regions.

Having no better option, Huangfu Zhu could only shift the blame onto the Steam Evangelical Sect, claiming that it had been a sabotage raid and that these Divine Eagle Guards had fallen into an ambush. In doing so, he transformed an internal conflict into an external one. However, this inevitably caused widespread anxiety, with the people wondering whether the Steam Evangelical Sect had already reached the outskirts of New Paititi and if the war would ever end.

Huangfu Zhu then had to explain that it was merely a small infiltrating force, not the main army of the Steam Evangelical Sect.

In Huangfu Zhu’s view, blaming the Steam Evangelical Sect was not entirely unreasonable. If the Western Daoist Order had not been locked in conflict with the Steam Evangelical Sect, they would not have been too occupied to attend to other matters, and none of this would have happened. In the final analysis, it was still the Steam Evangelical Sect’s fault.

When Huangfu Zhu received word that Juesheng Hall was coming once again to investigate the case, his mood naturally improved. “Let’s get this case settled quickly. Whether they’re alive or dead, we need an answer.”

Even if he had to make up a story, he needed a target to aim at. Otherwise, if he declared that the missing guards were dead and held solemn memorial services for them, only for them to return alive later, he would become a laughingstock.

When the flying ship landed, Huangfu Zhu personally came to receive them. He even dispatched several hundred elite soldiers to form two lines and welcome them along the path.

The natives of the Southern Continent also had black hair and black eyes, bearing some resemblance to Easterners. They were nothing like Westerners, who often had colored eyes. However, the customs, habits, and style of dress of the Southern Continent’s natives differed greatly from those of the Central Plains.

Huangfu Zhu had become completely Sinicized. Not only had his behavior and attire fully adopted the style of the Central Plains, but he also spoke authentic Central Plains official speech with impeccable refinement. If no one pointed it out, even Qi Xuansu would have taken him for a native of the Central Plains.

If Huangfu Zhu were sent to the Imperial Capital right now to serve as a military officer, no one would find a problem with it.

This was one of the achievements of the Western Daoist Order.

The vigorous promotion of sinicization was one of the reasons why the Western Daoist Order had been able to establish deep roots in the Southern Continent. On one side were blond-haired, blue-eyed Westerners who looked nothing like the natives and had carried out widespread slaughter. On the other side were black-haired, black-eyed Easterners who closely resembled them and helped them resist the Westerners. With such options, it was a no-brainer which one the Southern Continent natives leaned toward.

At its core, the Daoist Order remained exclusionary. Yet it was not especially hostile toward the natives of the Southern Continent. It had to be said that appearance played a major role. In the eyes of the Daoist Order and the people of the Central Plains, the natives of the Southern Continent were much like the people of Fenglin and Poluo, possessing at least some connection to the Central Plains. Westerners, on the other hand, clearly appeared to come from an entirely different ancestry at first glance.

People naturally admired strength. Many natives of the Southern Continent now regarded speaking the official language of the Central Plains as a mark of status and considered receiving a Central Plains name a great honor. If one could travel to the Central Plains or even settle there permanently, that person would be considered a cut above the rest.

Huangfu Zhu stared eagerly at the ramp of the flying ship, practically straining his eyes in anticipation, yet he still failed to see the person he was hoping to meet.

Having already disembarked, Tantai Ying noticed his behavior and teased him. “General Huangfu, who are you looking for? Are you looking for Sage Huangfu?”

Huangfu Zhu gave a sheepish smile. “Sage Tantai, why isn’t Sage Huangfu here?”

Tantai Ying replied, “That Sage of yours doesn’t concern himself with such trivial matters. He’s currently busy studying locations for a new Daoist Palace. Those who know him say he’s the Juesheng Hall Master, but those who don’t might think he’s actually the Tianji Hall Master.”

Clearly, Tantai Ying had inherited the Li family’s less admirable traits, including their talent for sarcastic barbs.

Huangfu Zhu was accustomed to the temperament of the eldest young lady of the Tantai family. He did not argue and merely responded with a placating smile.

Tantai Ying did not press the matter further and instead introduced Qi Xuansu. “Although Sage Huangfu didn’t come, Sage Qi personally did. You’ve surely heard of Sage Qi, haven’t you?”

Huangfu Zhu immediately adopted a respectful stance. “You mean Sage Qi, the Lotus Seat of Beichen Hall? With his great reputation, how could I not hear of him? It’s truly an honor to meet you, Sage Qi. I am Huangfu Zhu.”

Qi Xuansu courteously returned the greeting.

For a brief moment, Qi Xuansu saw a semblance of Xie Jiaofeng in Huangfu Zhu. It seemed that when serving as an official in the capital region, ability was only secondary. The truly important qualities were social finesse, diplomatic skill, and mastery of interpersonal relationships.

Tantai Ying briefly explained the situation, that Chief Deputy Qi had now taken full charge of the investigation. Both the Juesheng Hall and the Beichen Hall would follow Chief Deputy Qi’s orders. As such, the Southern Palace Guards were likewise required to fully cooperate with Chief Deputy Qi’s investigation.

As for Sage Huangfu, they could temporarily forget about him. For the foreseeable future, he would either be selecting locations for new Daoist temples or traveling to inspect such locations.

Finally, Tantai Ying emphasized the importance and urgency of the matter.

Huangfu Zhu naturally agreed and immediately declared that he would cooperate with the utmost dedication and would not show the slightest negligence.

The group then arrived at the ruins of the abandoned temple.

The abandoned temple had suddenly collapsed without warning. In order to rescue those trapped inside, the Southern Palace Guards had conducted extensive excavation operations. Combined with their final forced entry into the structure, the area had become a complete wreck.

The site was now under strict lockdown by the Southern Palace Guards, and no outsiders were permitted to set foot within it.

Huangfu Zhu personally led the Daoists of the Juesheng Hall into the ruins. The Southern Palace Guards responsible for security stepped aside and allowed them through.

As they did so, they looked up at these mysterious Daoists with faintly reverent gazes, as though they were figures standing above the clouds.

The rise of castrated men to positions of power was evident in the East and the West. This was true in the Roman Empire and the Misir Empire in the West, as well as the successive dynasties of the Central Plains. Whether a ruler maintained a vast harem or practiced monogamy, there was always a preference for castrated servants. Beyond the supposed need to preserve the purity of the royal household, monarchs favored eunuchs because they could rely only upon their master. Eunuchs were like byproducts and companions of imperial authority. Wherever imperial power extended, eunuchs inevitably flourished.

Tawantin was no exception. These eunuchs stayed close to the ruler and wielded immense power despite their low official status. Ordinary people dared not offend them.

Yet even eunuchs had people they feared: Daoists.

Daoists stood above imperial authority itself, so naturally they did not fear eunuchs.

These Southern Palace Guards had spent a long time in New Paititi and were accustomed to the arrogance and tyranny of the eunuchs. Thus, when they encountered the comparatively rare Daoists who stood above the eunuchs, they felt a special kind of reverence.

Upon arriving at the entrance to the underground section of the abandoned temple, Huangfu Zhu produced a specially shaped key and removed the temporary formation seal blocking the entrance. A doorway roughly 6 meters high and 3 meters wide appeared. The double stone doors bore signs of damage from the forced entry carried out earlier.

“This is the place,” Huangfu Zhu said.

Tantai Ying suggested, “Chief Deputy Qi, I’ve been inside once before. I was the one who discovered the blood message. I’m fairly familiar with the paths inside, so let me accompany you.”

After considering it for a moment, Qi Xuansu nodded. “Very well. General Huangfu, please remain outside to provide support.”

“Of course, Sage Qi. I will personally stand guard here,” Huangfu Zhu replied humbly.

Qi Xuansu and Tantai Ying entered together.

The shadows had already largely dissipated. The first thing before them was a long corridor, with elevated platforms on both sides that were large enough for people to stand upon. Had the temple still been in use, these platforms would have been filled with guards armed with bows. Any enemy entering through the entrance would have had nowhere to hide. Now, however, the platforms were completely empty.

Passing through the corridor, they arrived at yet another pair of double stone doors. These doors were identical in size to the outer ones. The two entrances were perfectly aligned on a straight axis, with the corridor connecting them.

These doors had also been damaged. However, Qi Xuansu paused before them for a moment and looked upward. He noticed a faint mark on the lintel above the doorway, obscured beneath a layer of dust.

Qi Xuansu said, “Don’t the native temples of the Southern Continent usually favor arched doors? So why are all the doors here rectangular? Even with the angular shapes typically seen in Southern Continent architecture, it doesn’t resemble the rectangular style like that of the Central Plains. Their typical design is a symmetrical trapezoid, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. Moreover, they don’t usually use double-opening stone doors like these, but rather sliding stone doors that move horizontally.”

Tantai Ying replied, “Because their pyramid temples are trapezoidal in shape, their doors are also trapezoidal so as to maintain a consistent design. The arched doors you mentioned are only permitted in the temples of the Sun God and the Moon God. Ordinary temples do not qualify for such an honor.”

Qi Xuansu said, “In that case, this abandoned temple, or at least its underground section, does not belong to the orthodox ancient gods. It most likely belongs to some other deity. The aboveground portion collapsed so thoroughly that it can no longer be identified.”

As he spoke, Qi Xuansu waved his hand. The stubborn layer of dust covering the lintel was forcibly swept away, revealing a strange symbol. It was a highly abstract design depicting a skull, a sickle, and some sort of bird that resembled a crow.

This symbol did not belong to any deity known to Qi Xuansu. It was neither Kukulkan, Itzamna, nor Zuriel.

The Apostles of the Holy Court uniformly used the Holy Court’s triangular emblem.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Do you know what symbol this is? Did you notice it the last time you came here?”

Tantai Ying coughed lightly. “When I came here last time, the power of the shadows was still quite strong, so I didn’t notice it.”

Qi Xuansu was somewhat dissatisfied by this answer. But since Tantai Ying was not one of his subordinates, it was inappropriate for him to reprimand her. Had she been under his command, even if it were Li Zhuyu, he would have pointed out the oversight. Unfortunately, she belonged to another chain of command, so he could only let the matter pass.

However, Tantai Ying made up for it. “But I do know who the owner of this symbol is. It belongs to Samuel, the Death Apostle among the Fallen Apostles, also known as the God of Death.”