A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu looked at the Ruyi Leaderboard for a while and found something interesting. Most of the Daoist disciples on this list had their ranks and positions disclosed, as did those from the Imperial Court.

Meanwhile, ordinary people used nicknames, such as the Flying Sword, the Great Palm of Mercy, the Thunder Sword, the Crouching Tiger, the Laughing King Kong, the Best in Three Counties, and so on. These nicknames were based on their weapons, skills, characters, or even their deeds.

Take Zhang Yuelu as an example. Most people called her Mage Zhang or Deputy Hall Master Zhang. It was not a cool name, but it showed her status without the need for embellishments. Comparing the two, these nicknames were tacky.

Therefore, most people from the Daoist Order used their ranks when introducing themselves. As for Qi Xuansu, he did not leave a name for himself while he was traveling the world. This was not surprising because even Madam Qi’s amazing reputation was only limited to the Qingping Society. Outsiders had no way of knowing about her.

After reading the list of names on the three leaderboards, Qi Xuansu planned to stay in the restaurant to find out more news about the Eagle and Dog Slaughtering Assembly.

Thanks to Zhang Yuelu’s influence, Qi Xuansu, who did not like drinking in the past, found himself drinking more often. After asking the waiter for a jug of wine, he sat in an inconspicuous corner of the lobby.

This restaurant was not a Daoist establishment like the Taiping Inn, so more people from all walks of life came in. After a while, the restaurant lobby was already full.

Qi Xuansu sat alone, opened his cloak, and took off his hood, revealing his expensive and fine Daoist robe as well as the weapons dangling at his waist. Moreover, due to his extraordinary temperament, people were intimidated by him and dared not provoke him rashly.

At this moment, three people came in. They looked around and saw that the other tables were full. Qi Xuansu was the only one occupying a table by himself, so they had no choice but to approach him. “Hi, can we share a table?”

Qi Xuansu raised his hand. “Help yourselves.”

“Thank you very much.” The three men thanked Qi Xuansu, sat in the empty seats, and ordered two jugs of wine. Seeing that Qi Xuansu was not that friendly, they did not try to make small talk with him and chatted among themselves.

A young man lowered his voice slightly and said, “This Eagle and Dog Slaughtering Assembly that’s happening tomorrow is a big event. Xiping Prefecture is already crowded with heroes from all walks of life.”

Another man with a scar on his face chimed in. “Of course. This time, the Heavenly Court is taking the lead. Several major gangs have joined forces too. Who wouldn’t want to expand their network?

“I heard that the representative of the Heavenly Court is Feng Bo, the God of Wind. He’s one of the ten elders of the Heavenly Court and a direct disciple of the Golden Patriarch. Ordinary people won’t get a chance to see him without such a grand event. That’s why this Eagle and Dog Slaughtering Assembly gained traction and attracted loads of people. It’ll be a lively event for sure!”

The other man with a gray beard sneered. “I’m afraid it won’t just attract heroes but also the Eagle Claws. This time, the Ziguang Society, the Cult of Fates, and the Lingshan Witch Cult weren’t invited, so the Daoist Order probably wouldn’t show up. But the Green Phoenix Guards might be there.”

The scar-faced man warned, “It’s better to be careful. The Heavenly Court won’t dare provoke the Daoist Order, unlike those three cults. No matter how powerful the Green Phoenix Guards are, they won’t be able to do much unless the Imperial Court deploys the Black Robes.”

“Right.” The other two nodded in agreement.

The people at the surrounding tables overheard their conversation and joined in. “The Green Phoenix Guard has indeed become very arrogant in recent years!”

“That’s because the current emperor values the Green Phoenix Guard.”

“In the past, salt, tea, and horse smuggling were tough, but there was still a way to go about it. In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult. If you get caught, it’s immediate death!”

“Digging ginseng in Liaodong is also not easy. The Green Phoenix Guard has added several offices in the area, with daily patrols on horseback and carrying long guns. My brothers had to lie in the snow for several hours before they could find opportunities to escape!”

“That’s better than going out to sea. I heard that the Daoist Order’s Shibo Hall is recruiting crew members. But that job is too tiresome. The problem is that once you get on the ship, you’ll be stuck there for several months. It’s basically prison.”

Someone said loudly, “The Green Phoenix Guards are the Eagle Claws of the Imperial Court who have killed countless of our comrades every year. Everyone has been unhappy with them, so naturally, people will respond to a call to slaughter them.”

For a moment, the restaurant lobby turned into an assembly hall of angry people dissing the Green Phoenix Guard. Someone mentioned that his friend died at the hands of the Green Phoenix Guard. Another person said that he had been shot by a Green Phoenix Guard a few years ago. The crowd was riled up.

The restaurant owner’s face turned pale as he quickly intervened. “Everyone! Everyone, please be careful about what you say. You shouldn’t cause unnecessary trouble for yourselves. We’re in a big city with a Lieutenant Colonel’s Office nearby. It’s best if we keep these opinions to ourselves and avoid complications.”

Although many people complained about the Green Phoenix Guard, they were also afraid of getting into trouble. So they kept silent.

After a while, the guests paid their bills one after another and left. The noisy restaurant was suddenly deserted.

Qi Xuansu asked the men in front of him. “Where is this Eagle and Dog Slaughtering Assembly held?”

The three men looked at each other and dared not speak rashly. They were obviously afraid that Qi Xuansu was from the Green Phoenix Guard.

Qi Xuansu read their expressions and said, “Would a Green Phoenix Guard need to inquire about this information from a restaurant? They surely have their own channels of information.”

“You’re right. Those Eagle Claws have their way of grabbing information. They’re probably on the way there as we speak.” One of the young men snorted.

The other two people thought that it made sense. Even they knew of this information, so the Green Phoenix Guard must have known as well. One of them replied, “Such a grand assembly can’t be held in the city. It’ll be held on a hilltop outside the city.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “What’s the name of that hill?”

The man replied, “Jiuwa Hill. After leaving the city, head west, where you’ll pass Wuliu Market, Nanni Town, and Tongming Market. From there, head north until you see Jiuwa Hill.”

“Thank you.” Qi Xuansu nodded. He dropped a handful of Ruyi coins on the table and left the restaurant.

However, Qi Xuansu did not rush to leave the city. He strolled around the prosperous city and finally found a clothing store, where he bought a pair of inconspicuous scholarly clothes. Then he found an inn and changed out of his cloak and Daoist robe, which were in the obvious Jade Capital fashion. He folded his clothes and put them back in his satchel.

He did this so that people would not think that he was a Daoist priest.

It was already dark by the time he got changed, so Qi Xuansu headed out of the city. Although it was Qi Xuansu’s first time at Xiping Prefecture, he could always inquire about the directions as long as he knew the name of a location.

After leaving the city, Qi Xuansu headed west along the official road. At this time, a lot of people were also rushing to Jiuwa Hill. Qi Xuansu randomly asked someone for the directions and names of a few places. After walking for more than 50 kilometers, he finally arrived at Jiuwa Hill.

From a distance, Jiuwa Hill was not very tall. It had a ridge and an open space on the top of the hill. Although the assembly was the next day, there were already many people sitting by the small clusters of fire in an attempt to warm themselves up.

Since Qi Xuansu had strong blood qi, this coldness was nothing to him. He jumped up to the top of a big tree and waited there patiently.

By the next morning, more and more people gathered until the area was completely filled around noon. The only open space was in the center, where a raised platform was installed. Qi Xuansu sat on the treetop and glanced around. There were at least a thousand people, but he did not know how many of them were Green Phoenix Guards or members of secret societies.

After two hours, thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd. Dozens of people surrounded an old man in green clothes as they walked into the open space in the middle.

This old man had a long white beard and an exceptional demeanor, not inferior to that of a third-rank Youyi Daoist master. He climbed onto the raised platform built from a pile of rocks, looked around, and clasped his fists. His voice boomed. “Greetings, comrades!”

Everyone suddenly stood up and returned the salute, saying in unison, “Greetings, Feng Bo.”

Only then did Qi Xuansu realize that the old man in front of him was Feng Bo, the “God of Wind” from the Heavenly Court. This man was also on the Silver Leaderboard, but Qi Xuansu could not remember his ranking.

Feng Bo continued, “Dear friends, we are gathered here today in this major event to help avenge our comrades who have been murdered over the years. The main culprit is the heinous—”

Everyone shouted in unison, “Green Phoenix Guard!”

Thousands of people shouting simultaneously created a thunderous vibration that could shake the mountains.

Then someone shouted, “Eagle Claw!”

The crowd cheered in response.

Qi Xuansu only felt the big tree beneath his feet shaking. The Heavenly Court wanted to recruit this crowd to deal with the Green Phoenix Guard. Although most of them were only Houtian Beings, their sheer numbers should not be underestimated. It was no wonder the Green Phoenix Guard had to mobilize three Lieutenant Colonel’s Offices to deal with this. But even so, Qi Xuansu had a feeling that it was not enough.

At this moment, Feng Bo raised his hands and lowered them gently. A mountain wind whistled by.

Everyone felt the breeze blowing on their faces and was forced to keep quiet.

In an instant, silence returned to the hilltop.

Qi Xuansu’s heart trembled. Is this the power of a Heavenly Being?