A Pawn's Passage

The Green Phoenix Guard Major’s Office in Yishan City spanned an area of ??more than 7,000 square meters. It was equipped with a main hall, a side hall, a residential area, a detention room, and a prison in the back.

The upper-sixth-rank major, Luo Xiao, was sitting behind an office desk.

Luo Xiao was about 30 years old. He was a Martial Arts Practitioner in the Yuxu stage, so he emitted a scorching aura just sitting there.

Next to him was an old man who looked distressed. His name was He Nian, the local assistant major. He was an experienced senior familiar with all work matters in this office, so he was an indispensable assistant to the major.

After listening to He Nian’s report, Luo Xiao remarked, “This looks somewhat similar to the tragedy in February this year.”

He Nian nodded. “That’s right. I think they are the same group of people.”

Luo Xiao asked, “Where do you think these perpetrators come from?”

He Nian muttered, “It’s hard to say. I have personally examined the corpse. I think the victim was decapitated after his death. There were no scars on the headless corpse, and the victim was not poisoned. As a last resort, I cut the corpse open. That was when I found the cause of death. It turned out that he was killed by a palm strike, which shattered his heart without leaving any external scars. This method is popular among martial artists and traveling swordsmen, so it’s difficult to trace the origins of the perpetrator.”

Luo Xiao snorted. “Swordsmen and martial artists? I don’t think it’s so simple.”

“What do you mean, sir?”

Luo Xiao whispered, “Could it be a powerful dragon crossing the river?”

He Nian pondered. “If it was done by foreign gangsters, it would be for either money or revenge. This victim didn’t lose any money. As for revenge, it’s hard to investigate now that the victim is dead. Moreover, some vengeance stays silent without surfacing until decades later, making it more difficult to detect. Sometimes even the deceased might not be aware of it.”

“Then there is only one possibility. This case involves secret societies.” Luo Xiao’s tone was a little grim. “I don’t know what the Daoist Order does. They suppress the secret societies year upon year, but these secret societies still run rampant.”

He Nian whispered, “Sir, please choose your words wisely.”

“When will the Lieutenant Colonel arrive? According to the schedule, he should be here soon, right?” Luo Xiao changed the subject.

He Nian responded in a solemn tone. “According to my sources, the imperial envoy sent by the Southern Military Commission has arrived in our region. I’m afraid that the Lieutenant Colonel will be busy dealing with the imperial envoy and won’t have time to care about this case for the time being.”

Luo Xiao’s expression changed slightly.

He Nian added, “I heard from an old contact in the Lieutenant Colonel’s Office that the imperial envoy disappeared just after leaving Xizhou. The people who were supposed to receive the envoy waited in vain for several days. I wonder if the envoy is planning to travel in disguise.”

After a moment of silence, Luo Xiao spoke. “If the imperial envoy is coming from Xizhou, he will probably go down the Tongtian River.”

“Exactly.” He Nian concurred.

Luo Xiao ordered, “Let’s dispatch some people to squat around the city in casual clothes. Get them to pay special attention to any unfamiliar faces inquiring about information in the city, and report back to me.”

He Nian smiled bitterly. “Even if we find traces of the imperial envoy, we can’t do anything about them.”

Luo Xiao sighed. “It’s better than doing nothing. At least we know what’s going on so we won’t be caught off guard by the imperial envoy.”

He Nian obliged and went to make the arrangements.

Luo Xiao got up and came to the door of his office. He watched the old man’s departing figure and looked up at the sky. The dark clouds overhead were a sign of an impending snowstorm.

Like the weather, his already bad mood suddenly became even gloomier.

......

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu went to a restaurant and asked for a window seat on the second floor.

Zhang Yuelu asked for a pot of wine and poured it herself. She maintained her composure even when Qi Xuansu casually put aside the bundle containing the victim’s head.

Although drinking alcohol was harmful to the body, it was not a big deal at Zhang Yuelu’s level of cultivation. Zhang Yuelu was not an alcoholic. At least, in normal times, Qi Xuansu had never seen her drinking. She would only have a few drinks in private or when necessary.

Qi Xuansu did not drink with her, nor was he eager to inquire about the victim. He just scanned the room discreetly.

Zhang Yuelu put down her wine glass and asked in a low voice, “Why don’t you ask the owner or the waiter of the restaurant?”

Qi Xuansu shook his head and said, “There’s something wrong with this place.”

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Yuelu asked. She knew that she did not have as much experience in the real world as Qi Xuansu did, so she was willing to listen to him regarding this matter.

Qi Xuansu said softly, “Have you noticed the few people sitting near the door in the lobby on the first floor? Although those people were wearing casual clothes, they had broad shoulders, long legs, and cold expressions. It’s easy to tell at first glance that they are the Green Phoenix Guards.”

Although Zhang Yuelu had a high level of cultivation, she would not pay attention to a few guests for no apparent reason. Hearing this, she recalled seeing those people. “Right, I recall now. How do you know they are the Green Phoenix Guards?”

Qi Xuansu chuckled. “When I was traveling alone in the past, I was not representing any authority. To me, the Green Phoenix Guard was the authority, so I needed a way to distinguish them to avoid offending them. The Green Phoenix Guard has a standard rule when picking personnel. For ease of remembering, I look out for tiger arms, a wasp waist, and mantis legs. As long as these conditions are met, it’s almost certain that they are from the Green Phoenix Guard.”

Zhang Yuelu was puzzled. “What do you mean by tiger arms, a wasp waist, and mantis legs?”

Qi Xuansu explained, “Tiger arms mean that they have large arms and wide shoulders, almost double that of ordinary people. The width tapers from the shoulders to their lean waist, resembling a wasp because of the inverted triangle shape it creates. They also have long legs, like a mantis. These guards are also lean and strong without a trace of fat.”

“No wonder you mentioned those people have broad shoulders, long legs, and cold expressions. So that’s how you determine their identities as Green Phoenix Guards.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “That’s right. With their presence, even if they don’t say or do anything, the restaurant owner won’t reveal any information to us.”

“Wow, I’ve learned a lot.” Zhang Yuelu said with admiration, “You really are experienced!”

Qi Xuansu waved his hand. “It’s nothing. I don’t know anything about the Ancient Immortals either, so we can learn something from each other.”

Zhang Yuelu said, “In that case, how should we inquire about the information? Judging from the results of the divination, there is probably something fishy about this Yishan City.”

Qi Xuansu thought of the Ancient Immortal believers he had seen through the Purple Star Astrology and said with a heavy heart, “There are a total of seven people in front of the six-armed statue, and the Shaman who escaped from your grasp is just one of the seven. This time, we’re alone. We don’t have Arthur, Superintendent Lingquan, or the 40 Tiangang Hall disciples to help us. Can we really stop them?”

“I shot that Shaman with the Amorphous Paper arrow. Since it’s a semi-immortal object, she will need at least a few months to recuperate. So we don’t have to worry about her. The remaining six people should be at the same cultivation level as her, so I can deal with two of them with my semi-immortal object. Moreover, the Green Phoenix Guard Major’s Office is in Yishan City, and there is a Daoist temple right outside the city. We won’t be fighting alone.”

Qi Xuansu pondered for a moment. “Can’t we inform the Ancestral Court or the Kunlun Daoist Mansion?”

“We can.” Zhang Yuelu said, “But there are some considerations.”

“What’s the problem?” Qi Xuansu asked.

Zhang Yuelu sighed. “There are three main things to consider. First, it will take a while for us to report this to the Ancestral Court, wait for them to come to a decision, and dispatch personnel.

“Secondly, these Ancient Immortal believers are very cunning. Once there is any sign of trouble, they will scatter and flee immediately. If the Daoist Order sends people to investigate, those cult demons may even halt their plans. Suppose we notify the Ancestral Court, and they send people over, but everything turns out to be normal. We don’t even have evidence to prove our findings.

“If that happens, we will be charged with making false reports, and I will be blamed for speculating. It’ll be a big misstep on my part if that happens. Just because everything goes smoothly for me in the Ancestral Court doesn’t mean that I don’t have any enemies. Someone will use this against me, and I may even get a demerit.

“Based on these considerations, we can report it to the Ancestral Court, but we must have tangible evidence before doing so.”

Qi Xuansu heard this and suggested. “There’s a Daoist temple here. Why don’t we go to the local Daoist temple and ask them for help? They can act as a witness. If the Daoist temple doesn’t dare to take responsibility, we can go to the government office.

“After all, the government office is in charge of the city’s safety. We can leave this city, and the Daoist temple can shirk responsibility, but the local government can’t. They will have to take this case seriously. Even if our guess is wrong, the local government and the Daoist temple can’t cause trouble for us.”

Zhang Yuelu agreed. “It’s good to have a witness, but we should also have physical evidence. That’s why this victim’s head is key. His body is in the Major’s Office, so it looks like we will have to deal with the Green Phoenix Guard no matter what.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Should you step forward as the Deputy Hall Master? Or will I—the Deputy Hall Master’s trusted lackey—have to step forward on your behalf?”

Zhang Yuelu rolled her eyes at him. “We’ll split up. You can go to the Daoist temple, and I’ll deal with the Green Phoenix Guard. In any case, the Daoist temple is our kin, so it’ll be easier to talk to them.”

“Sure.” Qi Xuansu answered.

Zhang Yuelu suddenly thought of something. She took out her badge from her magical receptacle, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Qi Xuansu. “This is my badge from Tiangang Hall.”

There were two types of identification for Daoist priests. One was a certificate, which indicated the rank of a Daoist priest, and the other was a badge, which indicated one’s official position. Zhang Yuelu’s badge was golden and purple, inferior to the white jade badges of the Hall Masters and Daoist Mansion Masters.

This reminded Qi Xuansu of the Qingping Society’s four grades of fish talismans. They were similar in color to the Daoist Order’s badges.

Qi Xuansu took the badge, stood up, and said, “I’ll head to the Daoist temple outside the city, then.”

“Wait a minute.” Zhang Yuelu took out three more talisman bullets. “These are the last three Dragon Eye Bullets that I have. Use them sparingly.”