A Pawn's Passage

After class, Qi Xuansu brought Little Yin back to the office. As punishment, he ordered her to copy the Five Thousand Word Classic twice and hand it over to Yan Yongzhen the next day.

Little Yin tried to bargain with him, but when Qi Xuansu made it as though he was going to increase the punishment to three copies, she immediately gave in and said that two copies would be just fine.

Qi Xuansu sent Little Yin away and asked Yan Yongzhen to bring him the roster of Upper Palace students. Only then did he learn the backgrounds of the two young Daoists from earlier.

The female Daoist priest’s name was Yan Yongyi. She was an eighth-generation disciple, though considerably younger than Qi Xuansu and the others. Like Xiao Yueru, she belonged to the tail end of the eighth generation. Those who came after them were already part of the ninth generation.

No wonder Yan Yongyi had so vehemently objected to Qi Xuansu’s criticism of Sage Yan. It turned out that she was a member of the Yan family.

If the aristocratic families within the Daoist Order were divided into tiers, then the Li, Zhang, and Yao families were unquestionably the top-tier clans and the principal contenders who took turns holding power. Below them were first-rate aristocratic families such as the Pei, Su, Lu, Shen, Qi, and Xu families.

In fact, certain families with an Immortal presiding over them could also be regarded as first-rate families. For example, the Yan family still had strong influence in certain areas. However, once that Immortal passed away, if the family lacked sufficient foundations and its other members were unable to hold it up, it would immediately fall in status. As such, these families were difficult to classify. The same was true of families like the Zhou family, which had historical issues of its own.

Some might say that the Pei family relied entirely on Sage Donghua alone, but that was not actually the case. No matter how one looked at it, Pei Shenfu and Lei Xiaohuan were part of the Pei family. Sage Donghua determined the upper limit of the Pei family’s standing, while these two women determined its lower limit.

Without Great Sage Yan, the Yan family would be considered a third-rate aristocratic family. Although it had once produced an Omniscient Sage, its younger generations had failed to live up to expectations, so the family had begun to decline. While it still retained certain connections within the Daoist Order’s upper circles, it would eventually fall out of these circles if it could not reverse this downward trend.

The descendants of such families generally went in one of two directions. Some simply gave up on themselves and indulged in pleasure while their family was still in a position of power. They did not care about what the future might hold. Others fought with everything they had, hoping to reverse their family’s decline and bring back its glory days.

From the looks of things, Yan Yongyi belonged to the second kind.

Qi Xuansu’s impression of her was fairly positive. At the very least, he did not dislike her.

The other young male Daoist was named Xu Xinghuan. He was none other than Xu Dacheng’s son.

Qi Xuansu was on fairly good terms with Xu Dacheng, while Zhang Yuelu had a good relationship with Xu Xiaoying. If they disregarded seniority within the Daoist Order and went purely by personal relationships, Xu Xinghuan ought to address Qi Xuansu as “Uncle Qi.” Of course, now Xu Xinghuan should simply call him “Teacher.”

If Yan Yongyi could become Daoist companions with Xu Xinghuan, that would be quite a good match for her. It would be considered marrying into a family of higher standing. At the very least, the Xu family would be able to give the Yan family a helping hand. After all, Xu Dacheng was the Huasheng Hall Master. However, judging by Xu Xinghuan’s demeanor, Qi Xuansu felt that he was perhaps a little too mild and gentle. He did not seem like the sort who could handle Yan Yongyi.

Yan Yongyi had very strong opinions of her own. If the two of them shared the same ideals and aspirations, everything would be fine. But if their views ever diverged, it would be quite a spectacle. Either Xu Xinghuan would have to go along with her, or the two of them would eventually go their separate ways.

Qi Xuansu made a note of these two and decided to place them on his list of individuals to observe closely.

The teacher-student relationship was a powerful means of bringing people closer together.

He could have heart-to-heart talks with them when there was time and help them resolve some of their problems. However, there was no need to rush any of this.

Qi Xuansu could not be too deliberate about it either. No one was a fool, and if his intention to win them over became too obvious, it might instead have the opposite effect. It would be better to let things develop naturally.

Since Qi Xuansu’s next lesson was seven days away, he planned to make a trip to Yunmeng Marsh first and explore Long Xiaobai’s old home. After all, he had nothing better to do.

There was nothing to fear, since Qi Xuansu and Long Xiaobai were already capable of exchanging blows with an Immortal. If they were not afraid of living Immortals, why would they fear a dead one? In this vast world, there was nowhere they could not go.

Thus, after summoning Yan Yongzhen, Lu Yujue, Cheng Lixue, and the others and giving them some general instructions, Qi Xuansu left the Wanxiang Daoist Palace with Long Xiaobai.

There was no need for Qi Xuansu to request a leave of absence from Great Sage Shi. Though Great Sage Shi’s rank was higher, Qi Xuansu did not have to obey Great Sage Shi in everything, as he had some freedom as a Palace Master. Strictly speaking, Qi Xuansu did not have an immediate superior, so he was entirely free to act as he saw fit.

Yunmeng Marsh lay between Huzhou and Xiangzhou, not very far from Zhongzhou, where the Wanxiang Daoist Palace was situated. It was no wonder Long Xiaobai had made her way to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace back then.

Upon hearing that they were going back to her old home, Long Xiaobai was filled with mixed emotions. Although she knew that Qi Xuansu was more interested in exploring that Immortal’s cave dwelling, her impression of him nevertheless improved somewhat.

At this moment, Shi Bingyun happened to be back in her hometown in Xiangzhou. This was one of the advantages of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion. There was basically nothing much to do, so one could take leave whenever one wished, and no one would interfere.

When Li Changge served as Chief Deputy of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, he spent most of his time at Qingqiu Mountain. As such, the personnel at the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion barely saw their Chief Deputy. Now that it was Shi Bingyun’s turn to serve as Chief Deputy, she simply followed in her predecessor’s footsteps.

Other Daoist Mansions had to worry about issues of power, fearing that a prolonged absence might cause authority to slip from their grasp.

For example, Zhang Jucheng had given explicit instructions to his confidants before leaving the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion for Jade Capital. All matters involving personnel appointments and removals or major policy decisions were suspended during his stay in Jade Capital, while any emergencies and matters of principle that his subordinates were uncertain about had to be reported to him through secure channels. As a result, reports from the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion were transmitted to Jade Capital every day. Even while Zhang Jucheng was thousands of kilometers away presiding over Qi Xuansu’s wedding, every development within the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion remained firmly within his grasp.

The Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion did not have this problem, because one could hardly fight over something that did not exist in the first place. The Daoist Mansion had little real authority to begin with, since all the power had already been divided between the Imperial Court and the Qizhou Daoist Mansion. What was there for them to fight over? The last time they had slammed the table at each other was over Qi Xuansu’s matter.

A similar situation existed with the Sahul Daoist Mansion. There was little there besides mines and exiled convicts. Although its territory was vast, few Omniscient Sages were willing to go there.

These were essentially places for retirement or temporary postings. Those who came to such Daoist Mansions were either disillusioned people with no prospects for advancement or people who were transferred there briefly before moving on elsewhere.

Shi Bingyun undoubtedly belonged to the former category.

Since she was effectively there to retire, Shi Bingyun simply applied for an entire month of leave. Her vacation had begun when she went to Jade Capital to attend Zhang Yuelu’s and Qi Xuansu’s wedding. By the time Zhang Yuelu’s marriage leave had ended and Qi Xuansu had already taken office as Palace Master, Shi Bingyun was still on vacation.

Knowing that Shi Bingyun was close by, Qi Xuansu decided to visit her along the way, partly to inquire about the current situation in Yunmeng Marsh.

Shi Bingyun’s hometown was in Taoyuan County of Hengyang Prefecture in Xiangzhou. It was very close to Yunu Mountain, where the Xiangzhou Daoist Mansion was located, and a little over 150 kilometers from Yunmeng Marsh.

Within Yunmeng Marsh was Xuannu Mountain, upon which there was a Daoist palace. Although it could not compare to a first-tier institution like the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, it was still quite substantial in scale.

Qi Xuansu did not take a flying ship. He simply flew normally, quietly making his way to Taoyuan County with Long Xiaobai, who had assumed human form.

When Qi Xuansu arrived, Shi Bingyun was not at home. He was told that she had gone out, but even her family did not know exactly where she had gone. This was very much like Shi Bingyun’s style. Back then, even Sage Cihang had been unable to keep her in line, let alone anyone else.

Qi Xuansu was in no hurry and decided to wait. Once the people at the residence learned of his identity, they did not dare show the slightest negligence. They personally kept Qi Xuansu company while hurriedly sending people out to find Shi Bingyun and bring her back.

Around dusk, Shi Bingyun finally returned. Her voice arrived before she did. “Tian Yuan, how does a busy man like you have time to come all the way out here? If you were coming, you could’ve at least told me beforehand!”

Soon after, a woman dressed in men’s clothing walked in from outside. It was none other than Shi Bingyun.

Qi Xuansu still held considerable respect for his former superior and did not put on airs simply because he had been promoted to Omniscient Sage. He rose and exchanged the customary pleasantries before introducing Long Xiaobai as a friend of his.

Shi Bingyun could naturally tell that there was something extraordinary about Long Xiaobai, but she did not ask too many questions. The Daoist Order was filled with all types of extraordinary and unusual individuals. If one insisted on investigating every single one of them, there would be no time left for anything else. It would be impossible to get to the bottom of them all anyway, and doing so would only annoy people. So it was better not to pry too deeply.

Qi Xuansu then explained the purpose of his visit. He had inadvertently learned of a fallen Immortal’s cave dwelling whose entrance was located in Yunmeng Marsh. His main purpose on this trip was to search for treasures. Along the way, he decided to visit his former superior as well.

Upon hearing this, Shi Bingyun said, “A fallen Immortal connected to Yunmeng Marsh? Could it have something to do with that Daoist uprising during the former Wei Dynasty?”

Qi Xuansu was also aware of this. Before the Holy Xuan unified the Daoist Order, during the reign of the Wei Dynasty’s Emperor Wuzong, the Daoist Order had once staged an uprising. However, at the time, the Confucian School’s Sage of Mind was still in the mortal world. He single-handedly suppressed the Daoist Order, which then suffered devastating casualties.

So it made sense if a Daoist Immortal had been gravely wounded at the hands of the Sage of Mind.

Qi Xuansu said, “That is indeed a possibility.”

Shi Bingyun changed her tune. “But we can’t draw any firm conclusions from that alone. The Yunmeng Marsh was originally a collective name for a whole network of lakes and waterways. It encompassed not only lakes but also mountains, forests, plains, rivers, and marshlands. Later, climate changes and the subsidence of the terrain caused the numerous smaller lakes here to gradually merge into one, while the marshlands were completely submerged. In the end, it became a vast, mist-shrouded lake resembling an inland sea, comparable to Cuowenbu Lake. They say that flood dragons once roamed its waters, though none can be seen nowadays.

“The divine pantheons of the Central Plains are even more complicated than that of the New Continent. The orthodox pantheon is the one headed by the Heavenly Emperor. But there is another pantheon as well—the pantheon of the Jing, Xiang, and Chu regions. Its chief deity is not the Heavenly Emperor but the Eastern Sovereign. Some believed that the Eastern Sovereign once contended with the Heavenly Emperor and was ultimately defeated, which was why the Heavenly Emperor’s pantheon became the orthodox pantheon.

“According to the many legends, there is also a connection between these two pantheons, which is the Ancient Wuist Sect. The Great Witches were subordinates of the Heavenly Emperor, yet they were also active throughout the Chu region. Some believe that the Eastern Sovereign was actually the previous Heavenly Emperor and that the Great Witches had once served under him. Later, the second Heavenly Emperor rose to prominence after receiving enlightenment from the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, defeated the Eastern Sovereign, and became the new Heavenly Emperor. The Great Witches then pledged allegiance to the second Heavenly Emperor, but in the end, they still could not escape destruction. They were eradicated and replaced by the Daoist Order.

“We need not discuss the exact truth of those events for now. Within the Eastern Sovereign’s pantheon, there was a deity known as the Cloud Lord, who was regarded as the God of Yunmeng Marsh.”