A Pawn's Passage

It was not just Gao Mingyin who thought this way. Even within the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, Qi Xuansu was considered the foremost among the 60 superintendents. People even jokingly called him the “Tenth Deputy Mansion Master.”

Though the title was a joke, it still reflected Qi Xuansu’s rising influence. His background was not hard to trace. At his age, jumping three ranks in a year meant he had either great ability, powerful backing, or both. Either way, it clearly indicated that Superintendent Qi had a bright future ahead.

With such a context, few felt jealous. Many Deputy Mansion Masters were already past 40, so their peak would be reaching the rank of an ordinary Sage. However, a young talent like Qi Xuansu was clearly heading straight for the Omniscient Sage title, perhaps even with hopes of becoming a Great Sage. Since there was no direct competition, it was better to curry favor early or form good ties. Unlike Zhang Yuelu or Yao Pei, Qi Xuansu was not yet tied to the title of future Grand Master, so he remained in a middle ground, temporarily out of reach from political storms.

That was also why Qi Xuansu felt that the higher he rose in rank, the more “nice people” surrounded him. With everyone becoming more agreeable and eager to do him favors, Qi Xuansu’s influence grew quietly yet significantly. The unofficial title of the Tenth Deputy Mansion Master was becoming more and more fitting.

Qi Xuansu had someone deliver his name card and invited someone from the Office of Arrest.

The Office of Arrest was under the Ministry of Justice, with similar standing to the Daoist Relations Office under the Ministry of Rites, each department overseen by a Deputy Minister.

Based on the parallel structure between the Daoist Order and the Imperial Court, a Minister equated to a Hall Master, a Deputy Minister to a Deputy Mansion Master, and a division director corresponded to a Daoist superintendent.

Given Qi Xuansu’s status, it was perfectly proper for him to summon someone from the Office of Arrest.

Naturally, the division director would not come in person, so they sent a superintendent instead. Although both shared the title of superintendent, the one from the Arrest Office was a rank below Qi Xuansu’s Daoist position, much like how a Daoist deacon could not be compared with a Cardinal Deacon of the Holy Court. That was why internally, Daoists addressed each other by position, but outsiders referred to Daoists by their rank. For example, Daoists might address Zhang Yuelu as Deputy Hall Master Zhang, while outsiders addressed her as High Mage Zhang.

That said, the Office of Arrest held a special status. Its division directors were not to be underestimated. The top-ranked division director was famously known as the Number One Constable, which was a classic case of low official rank but high authority. He had even met with the emperor several times.

Perhaps because the department assumed women were more easygoing, the person they sent turned out to be a female superintendent.

Qi Xuansu’s flaw was that he never cared for the so-called gentlemanly manners that Westerners took pride in. His strength, however, was that he never underestimated women. In short, he treated everyone equally. Thus, he showed no condescension to the female superintendent and asked Ke Qingqing to serve tea.

When Qi Xuansu entered the reception hall, the female officer rose to greet him. “Greetings, Mage Qi, I am Xu Feiying.”

Qi Xuansu returned the gesture. “Thank you for making the trip, Superintendent Xu.”

Xu Feiying was somewhat caught off guard by the courtesy.

In fact, Qi Xuansu’s overwhelming presence had startled her the moment she laid eyes on him.

Xu Feiying was not some young girl in her early twenties like Zhang Yuelu or Yao Pei. She was in her thirties, much older than Qi Xuansu. Before coming over, she had not thought much of this Daoist superintendent, assuming he was just another pampered scion. But the moment she saw Qi Xuansu, she immediately felt an oppressive aura—brief yet unmistakable. As a Guizhen-stage Xiantian Being, Xu Feiying could clearly tell that this young Daoist was a Heavenly Being.

Understanding exactly what it meant to be a Heavenly Being under the age of thirty, Xu Feiying instantly cast aside all contempt she had previously. The only difference between a spoiled brat and a promising young man was ability, and in the Daoist Order, the clearest measure of ability was one’s cultivation level.

Having been in the officialdom for so long, Xu Feiying had even prepared herself to swallow her pride if needed. After all, such Daoist elites were often arrogant by nature. She still remembered dealing with a certain noble scion from the Li family some years back for official business. That man had treated her as if she were not human.

Moreover, the Imperial Court was not like the Daoist Order, which upheld gender equality as a moral standard. By contrast, the Imperial Court still carried a natural bias against women. Xu Feiying had suffered her share of such injustices over the years.

But once again, to her surprise, this Daoist prodigy had not shown any condescension because of her gender, nor had he displayed that lofty, false courtesy. This equal treatment was not an act, so the unexpected contrast made her feel a bit overwhelmed and left her with an excellent impression of Qi Xuansu.

In fact, this attitude was a product of his environment. If Qi Xuansu ended up becoming Zhang Yuelu’s Daoist companion, he would undoubtedly be the lowest-ranking member of the household. His mother-in-law and Zhang Yuelu herself were not weak women, so how could Qi Xuansu possibly look down on them? In that case, he would not bother with fake chivalry because he was already at the bottom of the food chain. It would have just been pathetic if he bothered giving way to women.

Qi Xuansu did not notice Xu Feiying’s impression of him. He simply found her easy to speak with. So after a few words of courtesy, he got straight to the point. “The reason I invited you over is that this concerns a case. As you may know, the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion is currently undergoing some restructuring, so we need assistance from the Ministry of Justice’s Arrest Office.”

Ke Qingqing had already placed a compiled case report in front of Xu Feiying, detailing how the Green Den had colluded with the Beggar Gang to traffic humans and force decent women into prostitution.

Xu Feiying picked up the document and skimmed through it, her expression subtly changing with every page.

If it were Yao Pei, she would likely be able to infer Xu Feiying’s thoughts from her subtle expressions and the contents of the case file. Unfortunately, Qi Xuansu did not have that ability, so all he could do was wait for her to finish reading.

“What would you like to know, Mage Qi?” Xu Feiying asked after setting down the document.

Qi Xuansu said bluntly, “The people from the Green Den mentioned that the Beggar Gang highly values Old Master Gao. I’d like to know, who exactly is this Old Master Gao?”

Xu Feiying hesitated for a moment before replying, “Old Master Gao Mingyin lives in the Wuliang Northwest District. On paper, he’s a wealthy merchant involved in maritime trade, but in reality, he spends most of the year in the Imperial Capital. He rarely even leaves the city, let alone goes out to sea. It’s said he has connections with many powerful figures and is very well-connected.”

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “That’s too vague. I need more detailed information.”

Xu Feiying hesitated again.

Qi Xuansu continued, “I have no intention of aiding the Imperial Court in investigating collusion between court officials and merchants. But if it involves secret societies, that falls under the Daoist Order’s domain. As a Daoist, I have a duty to fulfill.”

Xu Feiying replied, “I’m afraid I’ll need approval from the Deputy Minister and the Division Director. With their written orders—”

Qi Xuansu interrupted, “Sage Shi has spoken to them. The Deputy Minister already agreed. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be sent here.”

Xu Feiying fell silent for a moment, then said, “The Arrest Office does have a file on Old Master Gao, but there’s no conclusive evidence of his crimes. The records are complex and not something I can summarize in a few sentences. I’ll need to return to the Arrest Office, report it to the Deputy Minister and Division Director, and then deliver the relevant copies to you, Mage Qi.”

Qi Xuansu thought for a moment, then nodded. “Very well. I’ll have to trouble you to make another trip then. Also, this matter must be kept confidential.”

“I understand.” Xu Feiying nodded.

After Xu Feiying got up and left, Ke Qingqing warned, “Superintendent, since Old Master Gao is so well-connected, I fear he might soon learn that we’re requesting his file from the Arrest Office.”

Qi Xuansu smirked. “That’s exactly what I’m counting on—that he finds out. The Arrest Office hasn’t found any real evidence on him after all these years. Do you think I’ll find a flaw just by glancing at his file? It’s like finding a needle in a haystack. Frankly, I’m trying to startle him into motion. As long as he reacts, he’ll leave traces, and that’s when flaws appear.”

Ke Qingqing was still unconvinced. “But Old Master Gao’s background runs very deep.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Ke Qingqing realized she had misspoken. Granted, Old Master Gao had powerful backing, but so did her superior. Everyone in the Yuhuang Palace knew that Superintendent Qi was a close confidant of Sage Donghua.

Three Omniscient Sages were actively competing for the position of the seventh-generation Grand Master. While Sage Qingwei had the most influence, his close dealings with the Imperial Court had cost him much public support in the Daoist community. Thus, Sage Donghua had the strongest chance of winning. If Sage Donghua won this race, Qi Xuansu would no longer be just a Superintendent of Ziwei Hall but the Superintendent of Zixiao Palace. So Qi Xuansu truly had no reason to tread carefully.

“I don’t like being on the defensive. I arrested Gao Shide and told Old Master Gao to come collect his son in person. If he wanted to reconcile, he would have already shown up. But he hasn’t. That means he probably resents me and is plotting against me as we speak. If it weren’t for my identity as a Daoist superintendent, he’d likely already considered killing me. After all, it only takes about 10,000 Taiping coins to hire a Heavenly Being from The Inn. That Green Den alone is worth more than that, so he can surely afford it. That’s why I have to strike first.”

Qi Xuansu added, “As for his connections with important people, I’m not worried. Those bigshots aren’t his parents. When the time comes, they’ll sacrifice a pawn to protect the king. Old Master Gao and the Beggar Gang are involved in human trafficking. They are all sources of corruption and vice. We can’t rectify public morality by targeting bawds alone, and we must root out this tumor to truly treat the disease. There will be no mercy.”

“Yes, Superintendent,” Ke Qingqing said solemnly.