A Pawn's Passage

More often than not, all things in the world rely on balance. Once that balance was broken, it would very likely trigger a chain of unforeseen changes.

Without a doubt, Qi Xuansu’s series of actions had disrupted certain balances within the Tawantin Court. Some people sensed a threat and began to make their moves.

This was also one way of startling the enemy. If they did not know who the enemy was, then they would force the enemy to reveal themself.

Soon, Tantai Ying contacted Qi Xuansu with some news. During the time when Qi Xuansu investigated the Hun Manor and traveled to New Xijing, there had been a series of killings. The victims included personnel from the temples, officials of the Tawantin Court, and even Daoists from Juesheng Hall.

According to Juesheng Hall’s assessment, this assassin was no weakling. At the very least, they possessed cultivation at the Zaohua stage and were quite possibly the chosen servant of an ancient god.

The Juesheng Hall had already strengthened the protective measures surrounding Tantai Ying and the others. After all, she was the eldest granddaughter of Great Sage Tantai. They could not afford the consequences of anything happening to her.

Huangfu Ji was already aware of the matter, but he truly could not spare the time. Recently, he had been meeting fellow Daoists from the Tianji Hall and the Shibo Hall who had arrived from Jade Capital. The groundwork had already been laid, and the projects were underway. The projects could not simply be abandoned halfway through, and a mere assassin should not be allowed to throw everything into turmoil. Everyone had only recently come off the battlefield, so they were accustomed to the smell of gunpowder and dead bodies. Such a minor disturbance was hardly noteworthy.

Thus, Huangfu Ji’s exact words were, “You all handle these matters yourselves. I have too much on my plate. My energy needs to be focused on development and construction.”

Qi Xuansu likewise did not pay excessive attention to the matter and had Hun Ahau transfer a regular military battalion from Cusco.

Although Hun Ahau had already been reassigned out of Cusco, he had spent many years building his influence there and still had numerous former subordinates. Moreover, with Qi Xuansu’s backing and the authority of the Daoist Order behind him, mobilizing a regular battalion was hardly difficult.

Qi Xuansu ordered his men to dig up all the people buried beneath the human-faced fruit tree. Since they could not be saved, it was better to grant them a swift end rather than leave them to suffer further torment. No matter what, allowing their souls to return to heaven and earth was preferable to becoming nourishment for something else.

The human-faced fruit tree itself had to be preserved as evidence. Once the case was concluded, it would be reduced to ashes.

From that point onward, the battalion’s primary task was to guard the forest.

After making these arrangements, Qi Xuansu prepared to depart for New Paititi. He needed to make the trip because of the Heron Society and Unulatu.

Officially, Qi Xuansu was traveling to meet the Tawantin Emperor, Manu Tancha. Qi Xuansu had already been in the region for quite some time, so as the special envoy of the Daoist Order, it would have been unreasonable not to pay a visit to the ruler of the Tawantin Empire.

This was also a reflection of how accustomed Daoist officials had become to standing above worldly rulers. When Sage Qingwei was in Fenglin, he personally appointed Toyotomi Hidemochi to succeed the deceased Toyotomi Hidesugu as the Regent and govern the Chancellor’s Office. Likewise, when Qi Xuansu was in Poluo, he deposed Chen Shuzhen, the ruler of the Yu Kingdom, and elevated Chen Jianqiu to the throne. In the eyes of the Daoist Order, so-called imperial and royal families were hardly worth mentioning.

The only exception was the imperial family of the Great Xuan Court. They could not be treated as an ordinary royal house because the Great Xuan Emperor was also a Daoist, equal in rank to the Grand Master. Moreover, not every emperor possessed this superior Daoist status. Just as the election of a Grand Master required formal approval from the Daoist Order’s Golden Tower Council, child emperors naturally could not attain such an exalted status. Daoists could therefore disregard those young emperors who lacked such a status.

Qi Xuansu assigned tasks to Hun Ahau, Tantai Ying, and Lin Bufan. Hun Ahau needed to settle matters in Cusco and reconnect with his former subordinates in order to carry out the secret investigation entrusted to him by Qi Xuansu. Tantai Ying was tasked with investigating the assassin, while Lin Bufan would continue looking into matters related to the Shadow Tide and the humanoid insects. As such, the three of them would not accompany Qi Xuansu to New Paititi for the time being.

This time, Qi Xuansu would travel alone, which was no big deal.

Qi Xuansu had even gone to St. York by himself, so surely, New Paititi could not be more dangerous than the headquarters of the Steam Evangelical Sect.

When Qi Xuansu departed from Cusco, Hun Ahau personally came to see him off and said sincerely, “Sage Qi, had you not chosen me, I would still be in New Xijing reflecting on life. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with self-reflection. It gives one time to reflect upon past mistakes. But being able to come out and accomplish real things is more meaningful. It allows me to better serve the Western Daoist Order and the Tawantin Court.”

This was undoubtedly a gesture of loyalty. If Qi Xuansu were merely a special envoy, a dignified Pseudo-Immortal like Hun Ahau would not have lowered himself to such an extent. It was only because Qi Xuansu would eventually return to Jade Capital and become one of the strongest contenders for the position of future Grand Master that changed Hun Ahau’s attitude.

Even if the election for the eighth-generation Grand Master was far in the future, the seventh-generation Grand Master selection was already close at hand. If Sage Donghua successfully became Grand Master, then Qi Xuansu would effectively become the “Crown Prince.” Within the Daoist Order, there was even an unwritten title for such a figure, called the Junior Grand Master. This title stood far above the Junior Imperial Preceptor in status.

No matter how one looked at it, Qi Xuansu was worth betting on.

Moreover, there were two opportunities to place that bet. First, by backing Sage Donghua in the contest for the seventh-generation Grand Master. Second, by directly backing Qi Xuansu in the competition for the eighth-generation Grand Master.

If either bet succeeded, one would gain an unshakable patron. If both succeeded, the rewards would be beyond imagination.

Why had the Western Daoist Order repeatedly elevated its treatment of Qi Xuansu? Why had Great Sage Gong invited him time and again? It certainly was not just because of his status as special envoy. It was because Qi Xuansu had a powerful faction behind him and wielded tremendous influence within the Golden Tower Council, which could shape the policies of the Daoist Order. Even after Qi Xuansu ceased to serve as special envoy, the Western Daoist Order would still need to rely on his faction for support and for policies concerning the Southern Continent.

By the same logic, even if Li Changge succeeded Qi Xuansu in this position, despite his extraordinary status, he would not receive treatment equal to Qi Xuansu’s. This was because Li Changge’s faction had, to some extent, offended the Western Daoist Order and encroached upon its interests. The Western Daoist Order was a powerful regional authority, so it also needed to make its position clear. If it wished to curry favor with Sage Donghua, then it must necessarily distance itself from Sage Qingwei. If it wished to befriend Qi Xuansu, then it would inevitably offend Li Changge.

Qi Xuansu merely smiled and let the matter pass without expressing any clear stance. Now that others were eager to curry favor with him, it was only natural for him to maintain a measure of reserve.

Then Qi Xuansu set out on his journey. He did not take a flying ship, nor did he bring any attendants. He simply flew there by himself.

It was early morning when Qi Xuansu passed over a stretch of rainforest midway through his journey. Mist rose from the jungle, and under the light of the rising sun, the landscape shimmered with dreamlike colors.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot out from the rainforest below, targeting Qi Xuansu, who was mid-air.

In truth, Qi Xuansu’s route was not difficult to predict. Since he was flying, he would certainly not detour around mountains and rivers. The shortest distance between two points was a straight line, so the aerial route from Cusco to New Paititi was virtually fixed.

Qi Xuansu also sensed the ambush. Looking with the Martial Arts Practitioner’s True Eyes, he saw that the so-called lightning was actually a throwing spear. Its power was comparable to the Daoist Order’s Grade-A Series Three Dragon-Eye Bullet and could not be underestimated. Not only was the thrower’s cultivation exceptionally high, but the spear itself, which clearly bore the style of the Southern Continent, was also extraordinary. By the Daoist Order’s standards, it would likely be classified as a semi-immortal object.

Seeing this, Qi Xuansu unfurled his Manly Immortal Phoenix Wings. At the critical moment, he caught the spearhead with both hands. The spear spun at tremendous speed, shredding the flesh of his palms into a bloody mess. However, his body spirits remained unharmed, and new flesh continuously regenerated, restoring his hands again.

This was an assassination attempt.

After repeating this process several times, the spear’s rotation gradually slowed until it finally came to a stop. It then transformed into a streak of golden light and slipped through the gaps between Qi Xuansu’s fingers.

Qi Xuansu had no intention of letting the assassin escape so easily. With a backhand motion, he struck downward with his palm.

This palm strike contained not only the Martial Arts Practitioner’s fist intention, but also the innate qi of a Qi Refiner. It fused the strengths of Qi Xuansu’s various lineages—this was the Present Saha from the Three Sacred Fist.

The entire stretch of rainforest was instantly reduced to ashes. The earth sank, leaving behind a gigantic palm print. A person standing within that palm print would appear no larger than an ant.

Although the assassin had intended to flee immediately if the strike failed, he was unable to evade Qi Xuansu’s palm strike and was forced to reveal himself.

It was a young man who appeared to be about the same age as Qi Xuansu. He was dressed in the style of the Central Plains and wore a bamboo hat, a classic Jianghu swordsman’s attire.

It seemed to be a common stereotype of Jianghu wanderers that men had to wear bamboo hats, while women had to wear veils that were made of semi-transparent gauze that concealed practically nothing. Rather than hiding the face, they seemed more intended to attract men.

Of course, Qi Xuansu himself had worn a bamboo hat before. But on that day in Fengtai County, it had genuinely been raining, and the hat had simply served its original purpose of keeping the rain off.

The young man in the bamboo hat was forced into the open by Qi Xuansu’s palm strike, though he had not suffered serious injuries. The streak of golden light that had slipped through Qi Xuansu’s fingers returned to his hand and once more transformed into a spear.

Looking down from above, Qi Xuansu asked, “Are you the assassin who’s been causing trouble lately? What’s your name?”

The young man did not answer. He simply turned and left.

Qi Xuansu hesitated briefly before deciding to capture him.

In an instant, Qi Xuansu vanished from sight. His body plunged downward like a falling meteor as he threw a punch toward the assassin’s back.

The assassin dared not receive the blow head-on. Twisting his body around, he thrust his spear at Qi Xuansu. Though the move appeared simple, it was incomparably swift.

Anyone else would have found it nearly impossible to defend against. Yet Qi Xuansu seemed to have anticipated it. He was already wielding Pure Bodhi, and he intercepted the spear at the last possible moment.

The assassin’s spear shot forward once more through the center line. The spearhead trembled continuously, and midway through the thrust, it suddenly shifted upward, then downward, then left and right. It appeared and disappeared unpredictably and transformed endlessly. Countless spear afterimages blossomed like pear flowers blooming across a thousand trees.

Qi Xuansu was not particularly skilled with the saber. However, the second transformation of Pure Bodhi allowed its wielder to enter a state of enlightenment. So long as he held Pure Bodhi, he could achieve sudden comprehension of all saber techniques and gain mastery. It was similar to the Taiyin 13 Sword’s Taixuan Sword Heart Series, except that the latter used sword intention, while the former applied to saber techniques.

In the blink of an eye, the two had already exchanged more than a hundred moves. Suddenly, the assassin thrust his spear. The attack appeared plain and unremarkable, yet its precision was flawless. Its adaptability was as swift as a shooting star. What the assassin did not expect was that Qi Xuansu made no attempt to defend himself. Instead, he brought Pure Bodhi straight down toward the assassin’s face in a direct slash.