A Pawn's Passage

The matter of Blue Cloud Island had come to a temporary conclusion. Although Qi Xuansu had sacrificed some of his morals along the way, his gains had been considerable.

There was a reason why people were often forced to choose between personal interests and moral principles. When faced with a dilemma, one simply could not have it both ways.

Next, Qi Xuansu had to consider how to wrap things up in the Southern Continent.

The rebuilding of the Northern Continent’s intelligence network would be left to Li Changge.

There had to be a proper resolution regarding Lu Yujue’s matter as well. Qi Xuansu had already discussed it with Sage Donghua. Since Li Changge was to take over Qi Xuansu’s position, Li Changge could not move until Qi Xuansu did. Li Minghuang would most likely lose out to Zhang Yuelu and would still have to go to the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, so it was not convenient to make a move against him yet. There was no need to rush.

When the time came to discuss Li Minghuang’s appointment, Qi Xuansu would toss out this bomb he had been holding in his palm and watch the chaos unfold.

When Qi Xuansu first arrived in Jade Capital and went to the Tiangang Hall for his interview and assessment, Sun Yongfeng had given him a piece of advice that remained deeply etched in his memory. “One needed the right person to say the right thing at the right moment.”

For this reason, Qi Xuansu had another in-depth discussion with Lu Yujue, who remained resolute in getting vengeance, even at the cost of being suppressed by the Taiping Sect.

Qi Xuansu assured the man, saying that he would help resolve the problem if the Taiping Sect tried to suppress Lu Yujue.

These words were not merely meant to comfort Lu Yujue. Qi Xuansu truly had the ability to back them up.

Strictly speaking, it was not Qi Xuansu who possessed this ability, but Sage Donghua. Sage Donghua was in charge of the Ziwei Hall, which was responsible for personnel matters.

Thus, arranging a position for Lu Yujue would not be difficult. Since Qi Xuansu was going to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, Lu Yujue could follow him there and first serve as a Deputy Palace Master. Once Qi Xuansu was posted elsewhere as Mansion Master, Lu Yujue could advance another step and become the Third Deputy Mansion Master. If fortune favored him, becoming the Second Chief Deputy Mansion Master was not out of the question. After all, Lu Yujue had served as the Beichen Hall Branch Manager for many years and had sufficient experience.

If Li Minghuang of the Zhengyi Sect could go over to the Taiping Sect, why couldn’t Lu Yujue of the Taiping Sect go over to the Quanzhen Sect?

The Li and Lu families could not afford to push matters too far in this affair. First, Lu Yujue was one of their own. Second, they were the ones in the wrong. Asking a man to endure being cuckolded for the sake of the greater good would inevitably undermine internal unity to some extent. He was not just a humble disciple without a powerful background, but a scion of an aristocratic family who cared greatly about his dignity.

Lu Yujue was no fool either. Without a powerful outside ally like Qi Xuansu, he might not have dared to stake everything on this one move. There would have been no reason to gamble the rest of his life over a woman. But with Qi Xuansu backing him, things were entirely different. Although it was a risky move, Lu Yujue had only made it after carefully judging his chances.

That was why so many people eagerly tried to curry favor with Qi Xuansu. It was simply because he truly had the power to influence personnel appointments. Quite a few female Daoist priests were practically eager to offer themselves to him, not because they were particularly fond of Qi Xuansu, but because the potential benefits were simply too tempting.

What bargain could be better than exchanging a single night of pleasure for a promising future? More importantly, he was Zhang Yuelu’s man. To share a man with the legendary Zhang Yuelu would not feel like a loss at all. If anything, they would consider themselves to have gotten the better end of the deal.

There were plenty of people who harbored such thoughts, which was why Qi Xuansu had always been extremely wary of romantic opportunities that came knocking on his door. Those outside the Daoist Order were less of a concern, but within the Daoist Order, he mainly employed men precisely to avoid suspicion. There were occasional exceptions, such as Liu Hu, but those involved special circumstances.

At present, Qi Xuansu was still merely Sage Donghua’s disciple. If Sage Donghua emerged victorious, then Qi Xuansu would become the Junior Grand Master, and one could easily imagine how much power he would wield. Choosing not to abuse power and having no power at all were two entirely different things.

Besides Lu Yujue’s matter, there was also Zhang Wuyue.

Zhang Wuyue now had two helpers. One was Zhong Boyu, while the other was Huo Ling, whom Qi Xuansu had sent over. Zhang Wuyue had also established connections with people in the Western Daoist Order and had grown particularly close to He Shaoyang and Qian Xisheng, both of whom served under Huangfu Ji.

Qi Xuansu summoned his future brother-in-law again and instructed him to find an opportunity to visit Hun Ahau and establish a good relationship with him.

Although Hun Ahau treated Qi Xuansu with the utmost respect, that did not mean Zhang Wuyue could put on airs in front of Hun Ahau. Zhang Wuyue would have to learn how to navigate these social intricacies himself.

As for the major undertaking of developing Blue Cloud Island, Qi Xuansu had no intention of handling it personally, nor did he intend to entrust it to an inexperienced youngster like Zhang Wuyue. He planned to leave it to Hun Ahau, who was a general of the Tawantin military and an affiliate to the Western Daoist Order. Moreover, he was also a second-rank Daoist Priest Kindred. He was experienced, well-connected, and capable of getting things done much more conveniently. He was also steady and dependable, making him unlikely to make any major blunders.

However, Qi Xuansu did not mind letting Zhang Wuyue have a share of the spoils. After all, developing Blue Cloud Island was a massive undertaking no less significant than constructing the new port, with limitless business opportunities. Many different factions would inevitably become involved, and there was enough money for everyone to make. It was just that Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji would take the lead.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wuyue’s eyes lit up. He wanted to imitate the Westerners and give Qi Xuansu a hug and say, “You’re the best brother ever!”

Qi Xuansu gave him further instructions. “Besides Hun Ahau, you should also visit Sage Tantai, the new monarch Huangfu Xi, and Utu of the Moon Goddess Temple more often. Build good relationships with them and establish your network of connections. You have a very important role in this game being played across the Southern Continent.”

Zhang Wuyue thumped his chest. “Don’t worry, Brother-in-law. I understand. Our family can’t lose to the Li family.”

Qi Xuansu glanced at him. “When I’m not around, don’t go head-to-head with Yong Yan. You’re no match for him.”

“Brother-in-law, I know my own limitations.” Zhang Wuyue also understood that Qi Xuansu had already begun making arrangements for the future. In other words, the countdown had begun on Qi Xuansu’s remaining time in the Southern Continent.

For Qi Xuansu, the main person to see was still Huangfu Ji, so they arranged a time to meet in New Xijing.

Both of them had been occupied with a multitude of affairs and had not seen each other for quite some time.

Naturally, this meeting was not merely about catching up. It would also determine how many matters would develop for many people.

Huangfu Ji specially reserved a private courtyard at the largest Taiping Inn in New Xijing as their meeting place. He did not arrive with a great fanfare, bringing only a few attendants and keeping a very low profile.

Qi Xuansu simply came alone.

They could see pleasant scenery from where they were sitting. The pond’s waters were a clear blue-green and rippled gently under the sun.

After the attendant served the tea, Huangfu Ji gestured for everyone to leave. Once only the two of them remained, he took the initiative to speak. “I should congratulate you in advance, Tian Yuan. You’ll be the youngest Omniscient Sage in the Daoist Order. Your future is limitless.”

Qi Xuansu said, “I’ll be sidelined for a while. Although they say education is the foundation of any century-long endeavor, there’s no denying that this position lacks real authority.”

Huangfu Ji chuckled. “I beg to differ. Why do you think I’ve been so determined to establish a new Daoist Palace? I think the Palace Master’s authority depends on the person holding the position. If you spend your entire life as nothing more than a teacher, then there really isn’t much to it. But if you can rise further, then your former students will naturally become your trusted confidants and followers. Your disciples will be widespread all over the world!”

Qi Xuansu said, “I understand the reasoning, but how many years can I possibly stay in the position? One term at most. If I want disciples throughout the world, I’ll need to cultivate those connections over many years.”

Huangfu Ji said, “You can hold the position concurrently. That’s exactly what I intend to do. Surely you don’t think I plan to spend every day personally overseeing the Daoist Palace?”

Qi Xuansu was taken aback.

Huangfu Ji continued, “The position of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace Master is not a permanent post anyway. When there is a Great Sage at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, there is generally no Palace Master. Now that they’ve reinstated the position, surely they wouldn’t do so for just a few years. I believe that for a long time to come, you, Tian Yuan, will continue serving concurrently as the Wanxiang Daoist Palace Master. In any case, you won’t actually be managing its day-to-day affairs. You’ll merely hold the title, while the affairs of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace will still be handled by the Great Sage. But that title is very important. Strictly speaking, during the years you serve as Palace Master, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for every Daoist priest who graduates from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace to call you ‘Teacher,’ would it? Hold the position concurrently for ten or twenty years, and won’t you have disciples throughout the world?”

Qi Xuansu considered this carefully. Huangfu Ji’s suggestion was indeed quite feasible.

Could this be what Sage Donghua had planned all along?

After all, it had originally been said that if Qi Xuansu handled the affairs of the Southern Continent well, he might be promoted directly to Mansion Master. Later, however, the plan changed to having him serve a term as Palace Master to build his foundations.

If this was what they meant by building his foundations, then it was indeed far better than going straight into a position as Mansion Master.

This would give Qi Xuansu an opportunity to cultivate his own trusted confidants and followers. With so many students naturally inclined toward Qi Xuansu, they would become the backbone of his faction.

Time and again, reality proved that organizations would always prevail over individuals. If someone fought alone without a faction, then even if they became the Grand Master, others could still reduce them to a figurehead, with their decrees never making it beyond Zixiao Palace. A core group of trusted confidants and followers was absolutely indispensable.

Huangfu Ji changed the subject again. “Tian Yuan, you’ve effectively given me another generous gift with Blue Cloud Island. Since courtesy demands reciprocity, I’ve prepared some gifts for you too. I know that the Daoist Order has regulations prohibiting the acceptance of expensive gifts, so they’re modest ones.”

The Daoist Order really did have such regulations. Daoist priests of different ranks had different limits for gifts exchanged through ordinary social courtesies. For example, 1,000 Taiping coins would be enough when given to a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist Priest, but offering the same amount to an Omniscient Sage would be rather laughable. Thus, the higher the rank, the higher the permitted limit. Qi Xuansu’s limit was 20,000 Taiping coins per year.

If one insisted on regarding this as a tacitly permitted form of special income, that would not exactly be wrong either.

Huangfu Ji said, “The main gift is tobacco for Madam Qi. I heard that she enjoys it, so I had my people carefully select the finest tobacco and prepare 20 crates for her. There is also dragon meat for Little Miss Yin, as well as a few gifts for Sage Zhang. These aren’t for you, so they don’t count toward your allowance. It’s not your place to refuse them on their behalf. As for your gift...”

Qi Xuansu interrupted him. “I won’t refuse the gifts for them. But as for a gift for me, there’s no need for such things between us. Just develop the new port and Blue Cloud Island properly. That would be the best gift you could give me.”