A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu had once struggled with the concept of procedural justice versus justice in results. However, Yao Pei provided him with an entirely new perspective.

Was an unjust law no law at all, or was an unjust law still law? Who had the right to decide whether a law was unjust? Who had the authority to determine what was just?

True fairness would be an eye for an eye, a life for a life. Yet, due to practicing caution in executions, not every murderer was sentenced to death. Some were merely imprisoned for life—a punishment that did not match the crime committed. That was not fair.

Thus, the law did not represent justice or fairness. It represented order, and order was above all.

Yao Pei carried on with her monologue, “Laws are made by people, and enforced by people. Who can truly embody fairness and justice? That is why, throughout history, the common folk have always longed for heroes. They wished for wandering swordsmen who would bring justice where the law failed them. If I were an ordinary civilian, I would perhaps admire you.

“Unfortunately, I’m not. I hold an office, so I must do my duty. As a member of the Daoist Order, it is my duty to detain you and hand you over to the local Daoist authorities for judgment. Once convicted, you will be publicly executed to set an example and to reaffirm the authority of Daoist law.”

A sudden realization struck Qi Xuansu.

Yao Pei was not speaking about right or wrong, nor was she discussing justice. She was using this situation to teach him how to view the law from the perspective of a ruler. That way, he would understand that the law was merely a tool wielded by those in power. It served to uphold the rule of the Daoist hierarchy.

At the same time, in order to sustain this rule, the law must also account for the interests of those being governed, striking a balance between the two.

The key question was, who was the ruling class of the Daoist Order?

If all Daoists were considered the ruling class, then the law would exist to protect all Daoists. To those whose interests were upheld by the law, the law would appear just and fair.

But if only Sages and Great Sages constituted the ruling class, then the law would exist solely to protect them. For ordinary Daoists whose interests were not safeguarded, the law would seem neither fair nor just.

That was why the Holy Xuan established the foundation of the Daoist Order upon a single principle—equality.

Perhaps it was a moment of clarity, but Qi Xuansu suddenly understood why Zhang Yuelu had been obsessing over reforming the Daoist Order. On the surface, she wanted to redistribute power and rebalance interests. But on a deeper level, she sought to overhaul the entire governance structure of the Daoist Order, aiming to complete Holy Xuan’s unfinished mission.

The only true solution to correct human nature and eradicate corruption lay in fundamental institutional reform. Could one person alone educate and uplift all of humanity?

Of course, compared to the Holy Xuan’s ambition to restore order to the entire world, Zhang Yuelu’s scope was more limited—she focused solely on the Daoist Order. However, all journeys had to begin with a single step, and people could only eat one bite at a time. There was a Confucian saying that if one could not sweep their own house, how could one sweep the world?

If Zhang Yuelu could not exact change within the Daoist Order, how could she hope to change the world?

For a brief moment, Qi Xuansu stood frozen, his mind wandering beyond reality, oblivious to everything around him.

Meanwhile, the burly man was utterly confused. Order? Rules? What nonsense is this woman babbling about? Is she insane?

He took another closer look at Yao Pei. Her face was expressionless, her eyes dull and empty, devoid of spirit or emotion. She truly looked mentally unsound.

The man took another swig of wine. “Too bad—I, Long Leshan, have never hit a woman in my life. Consider yourself lucky.”

Yao Pei responded indifferently, “Oh? So you never hit women? That simply means you look down on them. You think women aren’t worthy of being your opponent, so you ‘graciously’ hold back.”

“And what if I do?” Long Leshan slammed his wine jar onto the table.

Yao Pei retorted, “If neither side possessed cultivation, then yes, women would indeed be physically weaker than men. But if both parties were cultivators, then such physical differences would become insignificant. What makes you so confident, then?”

“Say whatever you like,” Long Leshan replied impatiently. “If you want to capture me, quit the lip service. Let your friend make his move already. I’d like to see what skills a Daoist Mage really has.”

Yao Pei did not argue further. Instead, she tugged on Qi Xuansu’s sleeve and said, “You’re up.”

Qi Xuansu snapped out of his thoughts and responded affirmatively.

Long Leshan stood up. “No rush. Let me take care of these useless fools first. Then we can have our proper fight.”

Yao Pei asked, “Who are these people? Why are they after you?”

Long Leshan did not hide anything from them. He explained, “This lot is known as the Nanshan Ghosts in Jianghu. They roam the Qinzhou region and commit all manner of crimes. A local magistrate once vowed to take them down, but they retaliated by kidnapping his daughter. Now, the Qinzhou Provincial Surveillance Commission has placed a bounty of 1,000 Taiping coins on their heads—dead or alive.

“I had a friend who was tragically murdered, leaving behind a widow who had no one to rely on. These bastards took advantage of her situation and violated her until she died. I’ve been hunting them down ever since. That’s how I happened to stumble upon Wu Yonggui’s filthy acts.”

Yao Pei turned to the group. “Is this true?”

The leader of the group hesitated for a moment before speaking. “We are indeed the Nanshan Ghosts, but we have never dared to cross the Daoist Order. Mage, please be fair to us!”

Yao Pei nodded slightly and flicked her wrist.

A scattering of cold light flickered in the air.

Before the Nanshan Ghosts could react, they all collapsed to the ground, dead beyond a doubt.

Upon closer inspection, each corpse had a flying dagger embedded in its forehead. Each blade sank into the skull, stopping at the hilt.

Yao Pei spoke calmly. “The Imperial Court and the Daoist Order are different. Since the Imperial Court has placed a bounty on them, dead or alive, I see no issue in disposing of them myself. At this moment, I am not acting as a Mage, but as an ordinary vigilante.

“For an ordinary person, everything not explicitly forbidden by law should be permitted. For those in power, everything not explicitly permitted should be forbidden. The key lies in how one transitions between these roles freely. Wouldn’t you agree, Tian Yuan?”

Qi Xuansu remained silent.

Yao Pei was truly an enigma. At times, she called him Daoist Qi, and once as Uncle. Now, she was addressing him by his courtesy name. Her words seemed to provoke and pull him in at the same time, speaking as though they had a deep friendship, despite their relatively shallow acquaintanceship. What was she after?

Yet, Qi Xuansu had to admit one thing. Whether right or wrong, both Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei were two ambitious women who had a clear vision they pursued. Unlike them, his mind was empty. If he were somehow made the Grand Master tomorrow, he wouldn’t even know where to begin.

Long Leshan’s expression grew solemn, not because of Yao Pei’s words, but because of her flying daggers. He had never imagined that this woman’s technique would be so deadly precise.

With another flick of her fingers, the flying daggers effortlessly slid out of the corpses, their gleaming blades unstained by a single drop of blood. They returned to Yao Pei’s hands as smoothly as birds returning to their nest.

At that moment, the Green Phoenix Guard Major and the innkeeper peeked up from the staircase, only to witness the entire scene unfold.

They were stunned beyond words.

Without even turning her head, Yao Pei stated flatly, “Remember, your government owes me 1,000 Taiping coins.”

The Green Phoenix Guard Major froze for a moment, then quickly nodded in response.

Then, Yao Pei stepped back and made way for Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu stepped forward, facing Long Leshan. He said, “I do not condemn your actions. But in this world, we are all bound by circumstance. I, too, must follow my duty. I hope you understand.”

“Well said—bound by circumstance. That, at least, is something I can respect.” Long Leshan laughed heartily.

Before he finished speaking, Long Leshan suddenly leaped into the air, sweeping out a powerful kick. A strong wind surged, so much so that the curtains tore apart instantly.

However, Qi Xuansu did not dodge. Instead, he casually raised one hand and effortlessly caught the man’s ankle.

With a slight force, Qi Xuansu pushed Long Leshan back to his original position.

Long Leshan’s expression flickered between shock and doubt, but he pressed forward again, raising his leg high into the air and bringing it down like a massive battle axe.

Qi Xuansu once again caught the man’s ankle with a single hand. With another light push, he sent Long Leshan back to where he started.

This time, Long Leshan was truly shaken.

He had assumed that a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master would at most be in the Guizhen stage. Even if he could not win the duel, he had expected to escape. But he had never imagined that this man was actually a Heavenly Being.

Wasn’t a Heavenly Being supposed to be a third-rank Youyi Daoist master? In the Daoist Order, a third-rank Youyi Daoist master was considered a major figure.

Qi Xuansu said, “Now, it’s my turn.”

Before the words had fully left his lips, Qi Xuansu launched a punch using the Tantai Fist Intention.

By technique alone, this punch seemed unremarkable, without any excessive flair. However, Qi Xuansu’s recent advancement to the Xiaoyao stage greatly elevated his cultivation, making this punch a raw display of brute strength.

Long Leshan let out a roar and threw out a punch of his own.

As the two fists collided, Long Leshan’s entire body trembled, as if struck by lightning. It immediately became clear to him that he could not withstand Qi Xuansu’s sheer force.

Yet, in that instant, Qi Xuansu abruptly withdrew his fist, allowing Long Leshan’s force to strike his own body.

Long Leshan’s eyes widened in confusion. He had no idea what Qi Xuansu was trying to do.

Qi Xuansu ignored Long Leshan’s reaction. Relying on his superior physique, he absorbed the full impact of the punch, then redirected the force using the River Fist, hurling Long Leshan violently backward.

After being pushed back three times in a row, Long Leshan finally understood what Qi Xuansu was doing. He seized the momentum from Qi Xuansu’s push and used it to retreat at blinding speed.

Before the Green Phoenix Guards could even react, Long Leshan had leaped off the building, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Qi Xuansu made a token effort, rushing a few steps forward and resting his hands on the railing. “What a cunning rogue! He actually managed to use my force to escape.”

Yao Pei cast a sidelong glance at Qi Xuansu and shook her head. “I wasted my breath. A pawn will never amount to anything great.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Why didn’t you chase him?”

Yao Pei ignored Qi Xuansu and simply turned away.