A Pawn's Passage

Utu said, “Earlier, through those two humanoid insects in New Paititi, we roughly determined the direction of the Blue Cloud Island. I believe that once we reach the designated waters, we simply wait for the dark moon to rise, then sail toward it. In the end, we should arrive at Blue Cloud Island, where the Blue Cloud Sect is located.”

Utu had dealt with the humanoid insects for many years and understood them extremely well, so his deduction was credible.

Qi Xuansu nodded. “That should be the case.”

Utu said, “Although all of us can fly, it would still be best to have a large ship as a base if we’re going out to sea. That way, we can discuss matters or simply take a short rest. We can’t exactly hover over the ocean the whole time. Of course, it would be ideal if we had a Yinglong Warship.”

Qi Xuansu replied half-jokingly, “Wouldn’t the Grand Master’s White Dragon Flying Ship be even better?”

Utu looked surprised. “Sage Qi, you can even requisition the White Dragon Flying Ship?”

Qi Xuansu laughed. “Of course not. I was just joking. I can’t even requisition a Yinglong Warship. There are fewer than 10 people in the entire Daoist Order with the authority to deploy a Yinglong Warship. I’m not even an Omniscient Sage yet. At most, I could call in a Purple Flood Dragon.”

Utu looked a little disappointed before saying, “Then what about borrowing one from the Western Daoist Order? We still have Solar Arks.”

Qi Xuansu laughed. “You haven’t renamed them Lunar Arks?”

Ignoring the joke, Utu continued, “Sage Qi, you’ve just given Sage Huangfu so many Taiping coins, Wuyou coins, Gold Crowns, Eagle Silver, as well as so many estates and properties. That’s an exceptionally generous gift. Sage Huangfu ought to return the favor in some way. Why don’t we ask him to think of a solution and arrange for a ship to be sent over? It would make our work much more convenient. After all, Sage Huangfu has considerable influence as the future leader of the Western Daoist Order.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “You’re right. A gift shouldn’t go unanswered. Brother Huangfu certainly does have considerable influence. If one day I were to lose to Yong Yan, I probably wouldn’t even become a Deputy Grand Master. I might end up as a Virtuous Great Sage. But once Brother Huangfu takes charge of the Western Daoist Order, no one will be able to take that position away from him.”

Utu faithfully echoed Ixchel’s stance. “Sage Qi, what are you saying? It’s just the two of us here, so let me speak candidly. We all hope to see you take the seat in the Zixiao Palace. Though I’m from the Southern Continent, I have some understanding of the Daoist Order’s political landscape. The Zhengyi Sect, the Quanzhen Sect, and the Grand Master lineage all hold Sage Qi in high regard. They believe that only you can lead the Daoist Order toward a brighter future. When it is time to choose the next Grand Master, I am certain all will come together to make it happen.”

Qi Xuansu smiled. “Then I’ll gladly accept your good wishes.”

There was no need to avoid such a topic. This was not a public setting, and the matter had long since become an open secret. Among the eighth-generation disciples, was there anyone left who could truly compete with Qi Xuansu or Li Changge? Even Zhang Yuelu had given up hope, while Yao Pei had quietly faded from the competition.

That was simply how the Daoist Order operated. The candidates for the next-but-one generation of leadership were already largely determined. While the Holy Xuan was still in office, the pool of candidates for the third-generation Grand Master had essentially already been decided. What followed was merely competition among those chosen few. This was hardly unique to the Daoist Order, as it had often occurred throughout the dynasties as well.

Sage Donghua and the others had likewise begun to distinguish themselves while the fifth-generation Grand Master was still in office, already displaying what people called the bearing of a future Grand Master.

The only exception was the sixth-generation Grand Master. No one had foreseen that outcome. His succession was the only one that had gone awry.

Thus, when people within the Daoist Order said that Qi Xuansu possessed the bearing of a future Grand Master, they were not being deliberately mysterious, nor had they arrived at that conclusion by reading the stars. It was simply a judgment based on the political landscape at the highest levels, one that ordinary people were never in a position to see.

Utu was not merely flattering Qi Xuansu. The various factions in the Southern Continent were inclined to support Qi Xuansu because he was moderate in temperament and willing to govern cooperatively. On the other hand, Li Changge’s faction sought exclusive dominance. From the standpoint of their own interests, it was only natural that they would support Qi Xuansu.

Members of the ruling elite might not believe in one political system or another, nor in one ideology or another, but they all believed in protecting their own interests.

What people called unity was, in truth, the willingness to make concessions.

Qi Xuansu did not entirely agree with that philosophy, but it was the best option available under the circumstances. He also had to admit that unity was undeniably effective.

“What about this? You can deliver the money to Sage Huangfu, and while you’re at it, make the necessary preparations for our voyage,” Qi Xuansu instructed.

Utu hesitated. “But what about your safety, Sage?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Hun Ahau is still here, and Tantai Ying’s people should be arriving soon as well. It won’t be a problem.”

Utu remained cautious. “I’d rather wait until the people from the Western Tiangang Hall arrive before I leave.”

Qi Xuansu had no objection. “Very well.”

......

Xu Jiaorong came to Jade Capital under the pretext of attending the council meeting.

A comprehensive personnel reshuffle was about to begin. Those due for promotion would be promoted, those due for demotion would step aside, and the new generation would replace the old. Only after all the appointments had been finalized would preparations for the Grand Master election officially begin.

In other words, this would be the final large-scale personnel reshuffle before the Grand Master election. Any changes thereafter would be no more than minor adjustments.

When formulating the personnel adjustment plan, discussions proceeded from the top down. Only after positions at the highest levels had been settled could those below be adjusted. However, in actual implementation, the process worked in reverse, from the bottom up, to ensure stability.

The rank of Virtuous Great Sage was adjusted last since there was no fixed number for this title. As such, these positions were effectively held for life.

The current Deputy Grand Masters would remain in place long enough to help their successors settle into their roles. The new Deputy Grand Masters would then be formally appointed by the seventh-generation Grand Master.

Therefore, this was the busiest season within the Daoist Order. People were everywhere, calling in favors and leveraging connections, all striving to climb higher. Some hastened to cash in on their authority while they still could. The Ziwei Hall was busier than all the rest, which was the privilege of being the foremost of the Nine Halls.

Working in the Ziwei Hall did not offer much advantage at the level of superintendent or deacon. Due to public scrutiny and the need to avoid accusations of abusing one’s office for personal gain, promotions were sometimes even slower. The benefit lay mainly in having more options later in one’s career.

Once one reached the rank of Deputy Hall Master or Deputy Palace Master, the advantages became substantial. Yao Shu was the former Chief Deputy Ziwei Hall Master and leaped to become the Poluo Daoist Mansion Master. Even with a Great Sage above him, it was still a far more prestigious appointment than serving in one of the smaller Daoist Mansions.

By comparison, Qi Xuansu, the Chief Deputy Beichen Hall Master, had once been expected to skip the rank of Hall Master and advance directly to Mansion Master. Yet when everything was finally settled, he was appointed as a Palace Master. While Yao Shu’s greater seniority certainly played a part, the difference in status between the two halls was equally evident.

Recently, rumors had begun circulating that Yao Shu would remain exactly where he was, continuing as the Poluo Daoist Mansion Master. After all, as a member of an influential aristocratic family with a spotless record, someone like him could only move upward, never downward. The Poluo Daoist Mansion was already among the most prestigious Daoist Mansions, so there was nowhere objectively better for him to transfer. Above that was the Nine Halls, but promoting him that quickly would be excessive. As such, leaving Yao Shu where he was made perfect sense.

However, Qi Xuansu and the others would all be reassigned, including Zhang Yuelu.

The old Daoists in Poluo had finally accepted one fact. So long as the Heavenly Preceptor and Sage Cihang remained, and so long as Zhang Yuelu continued to occupy the moral high ground, they had virtually no chance of bringing her down. Since they could not topple Zhang Yuelu, there was only one solution left—send her away with full honors. They wanted Zhang Yuelu to go away and trouble someone else instead of them. Zhang Yuelu could implement her beloved policies elsewhere.

As matters stood, Li Minghuang had two likely destinations—to compete against Zhang Yuelu for the position of Chief Deputy Tiangang Hall Master or to become the Chief Deputy of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion.

Although Li Minghuang’s character was not great, his abilities were beyond question. Back when Zhang Yuelu was still the lowest-ranked Deputy Hall Master of the Tiangang Hall, Li Minghuang had already been the Third Deputy Tiangang Hall Master. For various reasons, he had remained in the Tiangang Hall all these years. By any measure, he held considerable advantages like his Zaohua-stage cultivation and the backing of the Li family.

However, Zhang Yuelu was no less competitive. Sage Cihang was the Tiangang Hall Master, and Sage Donghua was the Ziwei Hall Master personally overseeing this round of personnel appointments. She also had the full support of the Zhang family. On top of that, the Poluo Daoist Mansion was wholeheartedly backing Zhang Yuelu’s promotion.

Qi Xuansu had also obtained damaging information on Li Minghuang and was preparing to deliver a devastating blow at the decisive moment.

This was the decisive moment he was waiting for.

Qi Xuansu’s appointment had been settled almost from the very beginning. He would become the first among the Four Prodigies of the Daoist Order to be promoted to Omniscient Sage, taking up the position of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace Master.

After Qi Xuansu left, Li Changge would succeed him in that position as Chief Deputy Beichen Hall Master.

If Zhang Yuelu’s promotion went through, Xu Jiaorong would likely take her place. Although nothing had been officially finalized yet, Xu Jiaorong was the overwhelming favorite.

Qi Xuansu had played a small part in this arrangement, though his influence was limited.

The decisive factor was that Great Sage Lan had personally spoken on the matter. As the Great Sage of the Poluo Daoist Mansion, his opinion carried tremendous weight. While such intervention was somewhat irregular, the Golden Tower Council could not simply ignore it. This was a case of making use of one’s authority before it expired. Once Great Sage Lan ascended, his influence would inevitably fade with his departure. Therefore, while he was still alive, he intended to pave the way for Xu Jiaorong, giving her one final helping hand.

The position of Second Deputy that Xu Jiaorong would vacate would, just as Qi Xuansu and Sage Donghua had discussed, be filled by Pei Xiaolou.

Looking across this round of personnel appointments, nearly everyone came from an influential family or had powerful patrons behind them. Their connections intertwined like tangled roots and vines. Everywhere one looked, there was a new member of the political elite.

Even Qi Xuansu no longer dared to claim to be of humble origins. In a certain sense, he had risen through family and personal connections. He certainly had accomplishments to his name, but without those connections, it was difficult to say whether those accomplishments would have been credited to him. Most likely, he would never have climbed this high.

However, Xu Jiaorong had not come to Jade Capital for her own affairs this time. Her future had already been more or less settled. Each generation looked after the next. Since Great Sage Lan had stepped forward on her behalf, now it was her turn to do the same for her godson, Chen Jianchou.