A Pawn's Passage

The most obvious difference between Omniscient Sages and ordinary Sages was that the former possessed honorary titles, such as Donghua, Qingwei, Cihang, Wanmiao, Feiyuan, and so forth.

Some of these titles originated from the various collateral branches and schools of the Daoist Order that existed before the Holy Xuan unified the Daoist Order, such as the Donghua lineage, Qingwei lineage, and Cihang lineage. Others were Daoist titles of certain patriarchs that had been passed down through successive generations, such as Yuying, Wanshou, Sanxuan, and so on.

In theory, every Omniscient Sage had an honorary title. It was simply cumbersome to address them that way, so most people rarely used such titles and instead addressed them by their official positions. Only the few Daoist Heirs were notable exceptions.

Conversely, Virtuous Great Sages had no such honorary titles. This was because the 36 Omniscient Sages had been established during the early days of the Holy Xuan’s reforms, when neither the title nor the position of Great Sage had existed. The Daoist Order only established the position later.

After being promoted to Omniscient Sage, Qi Xuansu could also choose an honorary title. Over successive generations, the Daoist titles of past patriarchs had continued to accumulate, and there were now more than 36 to choose from.

However, priority was generally given to a predecessor’s descendants and disciples. They had the first right to inherit the title of their ancestor or patriarch, and outsiders could not claim it ahead of them. Someone like Zhang Yuelu was a perfect example. She could inherit either “Cihang” or “Feiyuan,” and only after she had made her choice could others choose from what remained.

Under normal circumstances, everyone also shared an unspoken understanding that if one did not belong to a particular lineage, one should not use that lineage’s title. For example, Li Changge could not snatch the title of Sage Feiyuan for himself.

Qi Xuansu rather liked the title of Sage Wanmiao. But unfortunately, it was already taken, and the person using it was also a Qi. So he had no choice but to pick another one.

After much consideration, Qi Xuansu ultimately chose the title of Sage Taiwei.

This had been the Daoist title of a patriarch of the Donghua lineage, who was also one of the founding 36 Sages of the Golden Tower Council after the Daoist Order was unified. Since Sage Donghua was already being used by his master, Pei Xuanzhi, it was perfectly reasonable for Qi Xuansu to settle for the next best choice and use “Taiwei,” a title second only to “Donghua” within the Donghua lineage.

For a matter like this, Qi Xuansu only needed to inform an assistant at the Golden Tower Council. The Daoist Order would later publish an official bulletin announcing it to the world. Once the title was settled and registered by the Golden Tower Council, the Daoist Order would simply identify him as Sage Taiwei Qi Xuansu. That way, everyone throughout the Daoist Order would know his new title, sparing Qi Xuansu the trouble of introducing himself every time he met someone.

The Great Sages were addressed by their last names.

If two Grand Real Persons shared the same last name and belonged to the same family, they could be distinguished by age, such as Elder Great Sage Li and Younger Great Sage Li. If they were not from the same family, they could be distinguished by their given names, courtesy names, or Daoist titles, or simply referred to by their official positions. Thus, there were names such as Lan of Poluo, Zhang of Fenglin, Shi of Wanxiang, and Yan of Shakya. There was no shortage of ways to tell them apart.

After Qi Xuansu and Madam Wu finished going through the formalities, they noticed that Little Yin was still holding that Red Fruit.

Qi Xuansu felt like teasing her. “Little Yin, if you only have one Red Fruit and I, Madam Wu, Qing Xiao, and Madam Qi all want to taste what it’s like, who are you going to give it to?”

Little Yin’s eyes darted about as she said, “Everyone is equally good to me, so it should be fair and square.”

Qi Xuansu nodded in satisfaction. “Well said.”

Then Little Yin abruptly changed her tune. “If I eat it myself, that’s fair to everyone.”

With that, Little Yin opened her mouth wide and swallowed the Red Fruit whole in a single gulp, without even tasting what it was like. From a third party point of view, it looked like she was afraid Qi Xuansu might snatch it from her.

Soon after, Little Yin’s face turned bright red.

Red Fruit contained an intense fiery essence and normally had to be refined into medicine before consumption. No one simply swallowed it whole.

Little Yin opened her mouth, stuck out her tongue, and panted heavily. To everyone’s surprise, she actually spat out a burst of flame, becoming a fire-breathing doll in the most literal sense.

That was why many of the Daoist Order’s methods were simply too much for ordinary people to endure. Little Yin could get away with it, but if an ordinary person swallowed a Red Fruit raw, their internal organs would simply be burned to ashes.

Qi Xuansu did not know whether to laugh or cry. “You little troublemaker. I wasn’t going to snatch it from you. Look at you now, suffering the consequences. Maybe this will teach you a lesson.”

Little Yin looked like a child who had secretly eaten a chili pepper, too overwhelmed by the burning sensation to speak as she stared tearfully at Qi Xuansu and Madam Wu.

In the end, Madam Wu stepped in. Since she was an Immortal and an expert in wielding fire, dealing with a little fiery essence was naturally no problem for her. She merely patted Little Yin on the back a few times, and Little Yin immediately returned to normal.

Little Yin threw herself into Madam Wu’s arms and buried her little head in Madam Wu’s body.

Just then, Sage Donghua arrived.

While Qi Xuansu had been speaking with the Heavenly Preceptor earlier, Madam Wu had already greeted the various Sages. Sage Donghua had come specifically to see Qi Xuansu, so Madam Wu simply picked up Little Yin and left.

Qi Xuansu went forward to meet Sage Donghua, and the master and disciple walked side by side.

Sage Donghua said, “I won’t waste time with words of congratulations. I only have one requirement for you—advance to the Pseudo-Immortal stage as soon as possible.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Of course.”

Sage Donghua continued, “For an ordinary person, the fastest way to gain power is to establish an organization. The next best thing is to join one. But organizations have barriers to entry, so you cannot simply join whenever you wish. In any well-established, mature organization, there are usually far more people than porridge to go around, so you have to put in the years and compete for positions. By comparison, founding an organization produces more immediate results. This is one reason secret societies persist despite repeated bans and one reason the Daoist Order keeps such strict control over the formation of associations. On the largest scale, the Daoist Order, Buddhist Sect, and the Holy Court all fall into this category. On the smallest scale, so do the various religious societies that preach in villages.

“Golden Patriarch, Zhou Mengyao, and others like them are the same. Due to various historical issues, they could not advance within the Daoist Order or gain power there, so their only option was to establish organizations outside the Daoist Order. The more people an organization can influence, the greater its power.

“An organization exists because of interests, while power exists because of the authority to distribute those interests. However, at the most fundamental level, everything rests upon establishing an organizational structure capable of generating benefits in the first place. That is why governing the realm comes down to two of the most basic questions. Where does the money come from? That is about generating benefits. Where does the money go? That is about distributing benefits. If you cannot solve these two problems, all the principles in the world are useless. People set up pots to cook rice, not to cook principles.

“But the most fundamental logic underlying any organization is neither power nor interests, but force. With force, you can acquire power, and you can also seize benefits. For those of us in the Daoist Order, our cultivation accounts for much of that force. That is why your cultivation level is of utmost importance.”

Qi Xuansu turned solemn and could not help but ask, “Master, has something changed? Is that why you are suddenly bringing it up?”

Sage Donghua did not answer directly. He merely said, “Back then, Emperor Jing was playing a game of Go with the Crown Prince of Wu. They quarreled over the game, and Emperor Jing, who was still the Imperial Crown Prince at the time, flew into a rage and beat the Crown Prince of Wu to death with the board. Place a stone on the central point of the board, and you are a hopeless Go player. Place it on someone’s crown, and suddenly you are a Go Sage.”

How could Qi Xuansu fail to understand the implication behind Sage Donghua’s words?

The Golden Tower Council’s rules carried enormous weight, and every Daoist had to abide by them. Yet what ultimately upheld those rules was still force.

Why did the Holy Court not obey the Daoist Order’s rules? It was because, when it came to force, the Holy Court did not fear the Daoist Order.

The same was true within the Daoist Order. If someone controlled half of the Daoist Order’s military might, then what would the rules mean to them? If matters were truly pushed to the breaking point, was it the person who violated the law or the law that violated the person? One could accuse another of rebellion, but the same could easily be said vice versa. In the end, they would settle the truth with their fists. The victor would be king while the loser would be branded a rebel.

At that point, it would be difficult to say who was truly in the right.

Qi Xuansu immediately said, “Once I return home, I’ll begin preparing to advance to the Pseudo-Immortal stage. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it should happen within the next few days.”

Sage Donghua was not surprised. “That would be best. Once you reach the Pseudo-Immortal stage, you will at least have the strength to protect yourself. Every day sooner that you become an Immortal gives you another measure of initiative. You will be able to advance and attack or retreat and defend as circumstances demand.”

Qi Xuansu knew that the current situation was already far from optimistic. The time for electing the seventh-generation Grand Master was drawing closer. Whether Sage Donghua or Sage Qingwei was ultimately elected, if tensions intensified, there was always the possibility that the opposing faction would refuse to recognize the result. No one could say for certain what would happen. Under such circumstances, Sage Donghua had no choice but to prepare in advance.

Sage Donghua finally sighed. “The Primordial Daoist Ancestor said that one should govern through non-action. But what if non-action means you can no longer govern? These conflicts must be resolved. The Daoist Order must be unified once again, and its divisions eliminated. Rather than leave these problems for future generations of disciples, it would be better for our generation to resolve them ourselves.”

Qi Xuansu left the Golden Tower and returned home. He sought out Madam Wu and asked her to stand guard over him during his breakthrough, lest someone interfere.

Outsiders were actually the lesser concern. The real danger was the traitor within his own household—the little imp.

Qi Xuansu certainly had not forgotten what happened last time.

Madam Wu gave him her word that there would be no problem, whether the trouble came from outside or from within the household.

Whatever else could be said about her, Madam Wu was still quite dependable. So Qi Xuansu entrusted Little Yin to Madam Wu and took out a piece of Xuan Jade.

This time, Qi Xuansu did not touch the two pieces of Xuan Jade that Yao Shu had given him. Instead, he used the second piece of Xuan Jade given to him by Sage Donghua.

Qi Xuansu’s new residence had a place specifically prepared for secluded cultivation, complete with formations.

However, Qi Xuansu first summoned Yan Yongzhen and informed him that he was going into seclusion. He also instructed Yan Yongzhen that if anything came up, he could handle ordinary matters at his own discretion. As for major matters, anything that was not urgent could wait until Qi Xuansu emerged from seclusion. If something urgent did arise, Yan Yongzhen was to seek out Great Sage Qi Wu for private matters and Sage Donghua for official matters.

Yan Yongzhen committed everything to memory, telling him to rest assured.

After making all the necessary arrangements, Qi Xuansu formally began his seclusion and entered a dream, once again seeing Lingshan Mountain.

There was the familiar message left by Madam Qi. Following the familiar route, Qi Xuansu arrived at the usual place and saw Shi Hengbo.

Behind her stood the eleven totems symbolizing the Eleven Great Witches.

At this point, Wu Fan’s totem had risen to the fifth level. The totems of Wu Di, Wu Zhen, Wu Lu, and Wu Xiang had risen to the sixth level. The totems of Wu Yang and Wu Xian had reached the seventh level, while the totems of Wu Luo, Wu Peng, and Wu Gu had reached the eighth level. Only Wu Ji’s totem remained unlit.

In summary, all six of Qi Xuansu’s lineages had advanced to the Wuliang stage, while his Rogue Cultivator, Martial Arts Practitioner, and Shaman lineages had already reached the Zaohua stage.