A Pawn's Passage

An impromptu meeting with all seven members of the investigation team was held, chaired by Lei Xiaohuan, who was representing Sage Donghua and Ziwei Hall.

This joint investigation was strongly advocated by Sage Donghua, so Lei Xiaohuan became the head of the investigation team and took the main seat.

Since the case involved the Heavenly Court, Tiangang Hall, specializing in suppressing and combating such secret societies, was ranked second only to Ziwei Hall in this investigation. As such, Zhang Yuelu, representing Tiangang Hall, sat to Lei Xiaohuan’s left.

Moreover, this case was a massive corruption scandal within the Daoist Order, making Beichen Hall an indispensable participant. As such, Li Mingcheng, representing Beichen Hall, sat to Lei Xiaohuan’s right.

This arrangement conveniently formed the structure of the Three Great Halls reigning supreme.

Fengxian Hall and Duzhi Hall were nominally assisting in the investigation, each with specific duties but lacking authority over the deployment of Spirit Guards. Thus, they ranked below the Three Great Halls. Lu Yushu, representing Fengxian Hall, sat beside Zhang Yuelu; while Li Mingzhi, representing Duzhi Hall, sat next to Li Mingcheng.

The case involved Jiangling Prefecture and Jinling Prefecture, which were governed by the Huzhou Daoist Mansion and the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion, respectively.

These two entities found themselves in an awkward position, as they were suspected of negligence even though they had the right to participate in the investigation.

The Huzhou Daoist Mansion was under the jurisdiction of the Quanzhen Sect’s Chongyang Palace of Immortality, while the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion was directly managed by Jade Capital.

As a result, the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion participated directly, represented by Bai Yingqiong, the Chief Deputy Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master. Meanwhile, the Huzhou Daoist Mansion remained detached, involving the Chongyang Palace of Immortality instead, which was represented by Pei Xiaolou, the Deputy Chongyang Palace Master.

These two Sages sat at the very end, with Bai Yingqiong beside Lu Yushu and Pei Xiaolou next to Li Mingzhi.

The seating arrangement alone illustrated a deeply interconnected network of allies and enemies.

Additionally, following the Golden Tower Council’s example, observer seats were set up. These were ostensibly for observation, but they served a practical purpose. If minor tasks arose, the seven Deputy Masters would not need to handle them personally, making the observers invaluable at such moments.

At the moment, many occupied the observer seats, but the most notable figure was the one responsible for recording the meeting. This individual was not from Tiangang Hall or Beichen Hall but from Ziwei Hall.

Li Mingcheng vaguely recognized him to be the fifth-rank priest directly under Lei Xiaohuan’s command but often seen beside Zhang Yuelu—Qi Xuansu.

This detail revealed that Ziwei Hall was leading the investigation. Ultimately, all findings would be reported to one person: Sage Donghua.

Naturally, the various methods employed were less about pressuring the Golden Tower Council and more about influencing Sage Donghua, who was the driving force behind this investigation.

“Let’s begin the meeting,” Lei Xiaohuan declared, her gaze sweeping over the attendees.

The other six Deputy Masters had no objections, so the meeting formally commenced.

Lei Xiaohuan took out a confession. “Some of you have already read this, while others haven’t. Regardless, everyone should go through it again. Pass it around.”

With that, Lei Xiaohuan handed the confession to Zhang Yuelu. Since Zhang Yuelu had obtained the confession herself, she skimmed through it briefly before passing it to Lu Yushu.

Lu Yushu, seeing the confession for the first time, read it carefully before passing it to Bai Yingqiong, Pei Xiaolou, Li Mingzhi, and then Li Mingcheng. The confession made a full round before Li Mingcheng handed it back to Lei Xiaohuan.

“Now that you’ve all seen it. What are your thoughts?” Lei Xiaohuan asked, glancing around after taking back the confession.

Though she addressed the group, Lei Xiaohuan’s gaze bypassed Zhang Yuelu and Pei Xiaolou, focusing instead on Bai Yingqiong, Lu Yushu, Li Mingzhi, and Li Mingcheng.

Among them, the latter three had predictable stances, so Lei Xiaohuan’s attention was primarily on Bai Yingqiong.

Bai Yingqiong, aware of the scrutiny and her involvement, was the first to speak. “My daughter has been missing for some time. I didn’t expect her to be abducted by the cult demons of the Heavenly Court. To be honest, I’ve been consumed with worry over her and neglected other matters. It’s a dereliction of duty on my part.”

Zhang Yuelu interjected. “That’s understandable. But why didn’t you share it with us when such a major incident occurred? You chose to search alone instead. You’re being too polite with us.”

Bai Yingqiong responded, “Investigating the case is the priority. I’ve already neglected my duties because I was distracted by my daughter’s situation, so how could I further trouble you all?”

“I beg to differ,” Zhang Yuelu said, looking at Bai Yingqiong. “It’s clear that the Heavenly Court abducted your daughter to pressure you and obstruct the investigation. So it’s no longer just your personal matter; it concerns all of us.”

Bai Yingqiong’s expression grew uneasy. Shortly after her daughter’s disappearance, Zhang Yuelu visited her. However, Bai Yingqiong did not mention it and even declined Zhang Yuelu’s request regarding Ye Xiu.

Now that Ye Xiu had been captured and his confession reviewed, it became clear that Bai Xiaojin was in Ye Xiu’s custody at the time Bai Yingqiong rejected Zhang Yuelu.

It was quite an ironic twist.

Everyone, including Lei Xiaohuan, simultaneously turned their attention to Bai Yingqiong.

Bai Yingqiong had no choice but to explain herself. “I acted irrationally out of concern and lost my composure.”

Zhang Yuelu did not look at Bai Yingqiong but habitually glanced sideways at Qi Xuansu, who was seated among the observers.

Qi Xuansu smiled at Zhang Yuelu and even winked.

In a public setting, Zhang Yuelu was mindful of her image. She did not respond to Qi Xuansu’s playful gesture, maintaining a calm expression as she shifted her gaze. She neither looked at him again nor at Bai Yingqiong, instead lowering her head to review a file she had brought.

However, as soon as Zhang Yuelu shifted her gaze, Lei Xiaohuan’s attention moved over. “Tian Yuan, you were the one who discovered Sage Bai’s daughter. Repeat what happened at the time.”

Qi Xuansu immediately stood up and repeated his earlier account of how he noticed something amiss, followed the carriage, killed the Ghost King, and encountered Feng Bo on the way back.

He omitted the part where he summoned Master Wan to kill Feng Bo, claiming instead that Feng Bo encountered an old enemy and fought with the latter, which was how he managed to escape by sheer luck. He was also unaware of the identity of Feng Bo’s opponent as it was too dark to make out anything, especially when the two Heavenly Beings were battling mid-air. At the time, his focus was on fleeing and not on identifying who confronted Feng Bo.

This indirectly explained why Ye Xiu was suddenly apprehended.

After hearing this, the way the attendees looked at Qi Xuansu subtly changed.

If what he said was true, then his accomplishments were significant. Whether it was killing the Ghost King or escaping from Feng Bo, it all indicated that Qi Xuansu was no ordinary person. He was young yet highly capable.

Lei Xiaohuan raised her hand, signaling Qi Xuansu to sit down.

At this moment, Zhang Yuelu added, “Based on Superintendent Qi’s account, I sent some people to the large tomb outside the city and did indeed find some traces.”

Pei Xiaolou asked, “What traces?”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “Some bloodstains, fragments of flesh and bone, remnants of clothing, and an eyeball.”

Although Qi Xuansu had taken some measures, Feng Bo had been blasted apart by Master Wan’s punch. Inevitably, some of his body parts had scattered and avoided corrosion by the corpse qi. Since Qi Xuansu’s attention had been focused on the magical receptacle he salvaged, he had overlooked some remnants.

Pei Xiaolou probed, “Can the identity be confirmed?”

Zhang Yuelu answered, “We can only confirm that this blood came from a Heavenly Being, possibly Feng Bo.”

The Daoist Order had four classifications of people unrelated to social status but based on cultivation levels. From highest to lowest, they were Immortals, Heavenly Beings, Xiantian Beings, and Houtian Beings.

This classification existed not to enforce hierarchy, but because the essence of their lives differed fundamentally.

For example, Immortals could achieve eternal life, fly in the sky, and summon wind and rain—abilities absolutely unattainable by ordinary people. Although Immortals still appeared human, their cores were entirely different. To put it bluntly, the difference between Immortals and ordinary people was greater than that between humans and mechanical creations.

The same logic applied to the other three classes.

Houtian Beings did not comprehend the Dao. As they aged, their vitality diminished, and their spirit waned, leaving them gaunt and ashen, ultimately unable to escape death.

Xiantian Beings might not understand the Dao, but they obtained various techniques and methods. With unwavering faith and diligence, their essence was purified, their form stabilized, and they remained untouched by worldly diseases.

Heavenly Beings were half-Immortal, half-human. They could fly or transform into beasts, traverse the mortal realm unnoticed, or hide themselves entirely. They were often marked by unusual facial features or bodily hair resembling that of mythical beasts. They generally preferred solitude, avoiding worldly entanglements.

Unusual facial features and bodily hair resembling that of mythical beasts often referred to Martial Arts Practitioners in the Heavenly-Being stage, as they could manifest a true form, which did not necessarily retain a basic human shape.

Similarly, Qi Refiners and Diviners would also go through transformations, though theirs were less outwardly visible.

There were legends of extending life by consuming the flesh and blood of great Buddhist figures. In reality, the blood and flesh of Heavenly Beings also possessed similar benefits, even enhancing cultivation. However, Heavenly Beings often held exalted positions during their lives. After death, their remains were managed by specialists from the Daoist Requiem Division, preventing desecration by lowly rogues.

For this reason, Tiangang Hall could easily identify the blood and flesh fragments as belonging to a Heavenly Being. However, the Daoist Order lacked a blood sample from Feng Bo, making it impossible to confirm whether this Heavenly Being was indeed him.

Zhang Yuelu continued, “Fortunately, we found an eyeball. Using tracing spells, we roughly reconstructed what it witnessed in its final moments.”

“What was it?” This time, Lei Xiaohuan asked the question herself.

Zhang Yuelu replied, “Since the eyeball wasn’t intact, the reconstructed image was very blurry, with distorted perspectives and multiple overlapping shadows. Upon examination, it appeared to be a fist.”

Qi Xuansu let out a sigh of relief.

A fist filled Feng Bo’s entire field of vision in his final moments. With the unclear image and no reference points, it was hard to tell whether the fist was extraordinarily large or simply very close.