A Pawn's Passage

Superintendent Cui rubbed his temples. “The main issue is how to get Mage Qi to quiet down. Using force is definitely out of the question.

“First, he’s been holed up in the Yuhuang Palace lately, so we can’t just barge in. Assassination is completely impossible since that kid is already a Heavenly Being. A Wuliang-stage Heavenly Being could kill him, but it would have to be a fair fight. If we tried anything within the heavily guarded palace, all he would have to do is stall for a moment, and more Heavenly Beings within the Daoist mansion would swarm in. Zaohua-stage Heavenly Beings could kill Mage Qi easily, but we don’t have the resources to mobilize one. They are the ones giving us orders, not the other way around.

“Second, the kid’s crafty. Last time, he left the Yuhuang Palace on purpose. It looked like an opening, but he was baiting us. The four Heavenly Beings we sent are still missing. No one knows if they were taken by the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion or if the Quanzhen Sect had something else planned. Either way, there’s very likely some hidden expert guarding him. Even Yao Pei doesn’t get this level of protection.”

Wen Weng did not refute Superintendent Cui’s concerns. “I’ve studied his case and found something quite interesting. Mage Qi is meticulous. He loves to leverage the law, even if he doesn’t truly believe in it. So why don’t we do the same?”

Superintendent Cui perked up. “I’m all ears.”

Wen Weng spoke at an even pace. “We should attack the enemy within an accepted set of rules, like a game of chess. We can certainly bend the rules, but we must be subtle and discreet about it. Once caught in the act, it’s considered a lost move. This is how the three Daoist sects are currently standing, hence the first and second major Jiangnan cases. But no matter how fierce the infighting is, the Daoist Order won’t become like the Buddhist Sect or the Confucian School.

“In this context, we can kill, but not openly. We just need a veil of legitimacy. That’s why last time, we brought in The Inn’s assassins as a cover and used the chaos as a pretext to interfere and muddy the waters. But their execution was too crude. Qi Xuansu saw through it at a glance and countered using the Great Xuan Penal Code. At that point, they should’ve pulled back and cut their losses. But then your people slipped again and got caught on an image recording stone, so they had no choice but to double down. That was exactly what Mage Qi wanted. One misstep led to another, and before we knew it, he was leading us by the nose. That’s why we suffered a defeat. It was like trying to steal a chess piece and getting caught red-handed. This time, we can’t pull the same trick. We must beat him at his own game and stay within the rules.”

Superintendent Cui was a man of action. As Wen Weng rambled on, Superintendent Cui felt like he had said a lot, yet somehow also nothing useful. At the mention of Du Yuyan, Superintendent Cui grew annoyed again. “I think the problem is that we offered too little. If 20,000 Wuyou coins didn’t work, then we can double that offer. I refuse to believe we can’t buy him off.”

“This is a discussion, so don’t get worked up over it,” Wen Weng advised calmly. “Let’s set aside whether Qi Xuansu is even worth that much money. Even if he is, and we could actually offer that many Taiping coins, he still wouldn’t take it. This isn’t about the amount anymore. It’s a choice between a bright future and a pile of coins. If people have options, they won’t choose to be a rich nobody. He has a promising future ahead of him. Once he reaches a high position in the Golden Tower Council, Taiping coins will just be numbers to him. He might be tempted, but he’d never risk it.”

Superintendent Cui stared at him. “Wen Weng, you’re speaking so eloquently. It sounds like you’ve already made your plan. Stop keeping us guessing.”

Wen Weng chuckled. “There’s no such thing as a flawless person. Everyone has a weak spot, including those Omniscient Sages; let alone a mere fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master.”

Superintendent Cui mused, “I’ve read through his file. There are definitely holes in it. For instance, he went missing for quite some time after that flying ship accident, his whereabouts unknown. Later, they claimed Sage Donghua rescued him and that he was acting under Ziwei Hall’s orders to fake his death and conduct covert investigations. I think there’s definitely something fishy about that, but all the crucial records are sealed by Sage Donghua himself. Even the Deputy Mansion Master can’t access them.

“Then there’s another case. Wan Xiuwu died, and Yue Liuli was imprisoned. What are the odds that both had run-ins with Qi Xuansu? If we dig into that, we might really find something. But that case was handled by the Chongyang Palace of Immortality. Zhang Yuelu from Tiangang Hall personally intervened and pulled some strings. Sage Donghua’s brother Pei Xiaolou was the lead investigator, and Xu Xiaoying assisted, so they locked that case down tight. Unless the Earthly Preceptor orders a reinvestigation, no one can touch it. But with Qi Xuansu being one of Sage Donghua’s people, why would the Earthly Preceptor dig up a case that would only backfire on the Quanzhen Sect?

“Earlier, I couldn’t figure it out. But now that you mention his ties to the Yao, Pei, and Zhang families, it all became clear. With backing like that, even serious mistakes get downplayed and brushed off, not to mention these circumstantial allegations. All it takes is one word from the top to make it all vanish. That’s why Qi Xuansu isn’t afraid of being investigated.”

Wen Weng took another sip of wine. “You’re absolutely right. I’ve already spoken to Beichen Hall. People from the Taiping Sect wanted to investigate him, so Beichen Hall collected some evidence. But the problem is, Qi Xuansu has dirt on them too. So everyone’s afraid to make the first move.”

“Then why are we even talking about this?” Superintendent Cui downed his drink in frustration.

Wen Weng replied, “The Taiping Sect may be hesitant, but we don’t have to be. We can take the evidence Beichen Hall collected and use it to ease our current predicament.”

Superintendent Cui paused briefly before catching on. “It might not kill him, but it’ll definitely make him lie low for a while. If we can’t get rid of him, this is the next best thing. The best-case scenario is to get him reassigned back to Jade Capital. That’d be easier than killing him.”

Wen Weng nodded. “Exactly, but I can’t be the one to push this. I’m just an administrator of a princely household on paper, so you’ll have to handle the rest.”

Superintendent Cui hesitated for a long while before agreeing. “You’re right. You can’t be the face of this. The Daoist Relations Department should step forward. Since we’ve already offended Mage Qi, we might as well finish the job.”

Wen Weng smiled faintly. This was the line he had been waiting for after all that setup. If he had not clearly laid out the difficulties, Superintendent Cui would not have agreed so easily.

Superintendent Cui asked, “So, have you already secured the evidence from Beichen Hall?”

Wen Weng stroked his beard and said, “I’ve indeed worked hard these past few days for this. As fate would have it, the key witness just happens to be in the Imperial Capital. Otherwise, this would have taken several more days.”

Just as he finished speaking, a Buddhist chant interrupted them. “Immeasurable Buddha.”

This private room was protected by a special formation to prevent spying. Ordinary people could not simply enter either. Clearly, this person had been hidden inside the room all along.

Superintendent Cui’s expression shifted slightly, but seeing that Wen Weng remained calm, he held back any reaction.

A young monk stepped out from behind the screen, looking a few years younger than Qi Xuansu. He looked barely 20, with youthful features and a bald head, wearing a plain monk’s robe without a kasaya. He pressed his palms together in greeting. “I am Monk Yan Xiu from the Jingchan Temple, currently fulfilling my master’s orders to descend the mountain and gain experience in the secular world.”

Like the Daoist Order, the Buddhists also had generational naming. While the Buddhist Sect mimicked Daoist traditions, their approach to generational cut-offs was less rigid. Old monks frequently accepted final disciples, or disciples took in students on behalf of their masters, resulting in rather messy generational ranks. Yan Xiu was from the Yan-generation, which was roughly equivalent to the seventh-generation Daoist disciples. Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu were both eighth-generation Daoist disciples.

Superintendent Cui understood this well. Hearing his generational name, he instantly knew this monk was not a nobody. He respectfully stood up and greeted him. “Zen Master Yan Xiu, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Under Daoist influence, the Buddhist Sect also adopted a system of nine ranks and twelve levels. A Zen Master was equivalent to a Mage. Given Yan Xiu’s age, it was unlikely he was a third-rank Pohuo monk and was more likely a fourth-rank Qishi monk, which was equivalent to a Jijiu Daoist master. Hence, Superintendent Cui referred to him as Zen Master.

Superintendent Cui now understood that the evidence Wen Weng mentioned likely came from this monk.

Yan Xiu bowed with his palms together. “I dare not accept such a greeting.”

Wen Weng gestured for them to sit and continued, “Zen Master Yan Xiu once had a brief encounter with Qi Xuansu at Yulan Temple in Yishan City.”

Yan Xiu smiled. “It wasn’t exactly a good encounter. It’s more like a karmic debt.”

Wen Weng laughed. “Qi Xuansu’s unpleasant run-in with you became the catalyst of our friendship. I’d say this is our destiny.”