A Pawn's Passage

Now fully dressed, Qin Hengde asked in surprise, “Superintendent Qi, what do you mean by that?”

Qi Xuansu said, “Let me rephrase. Do you mean to say that the Commandery Prince of Langya is involved with the affairs of Oriental Autumn Villa?”

Qin Hengde fell silent at once.

Qi Xuansu pressed further, “So you’re acquiescing to it?”

“I never said that,” Qin Hengde denied immediately.

Qi Xuansu continued, “Then what about you, Young Commandery Prince? Do you have any connection with Oriental Autumn Villa?”

Qin Hengde still denied it. “No connection. I’m just an ordinary customer.”

Qin Hengde understood well that once the matter of the Daoist nuns came to light, no one could suppress it. Reading between the lines, he figured that Qi Xuansu had no intention to compromise. So what Qin Hengde needed to do now was distance himself and not get dragged in.

“If you’re just an ordinary guest, then you need only explain the situation clearly. Why announce your identity? Did you think it would bring glory to your family?” Qi Xuansu continued pressing.

Qin Hengde grew cautious. “It’s only because I don’t trust you, Superintendent Qi. After all, Gao Mingyin died under unclear circumstances after being taken by you. Revealing my identity early on will at least make you hesitate a little. It might just save my life.”

These words were blunt and piercing, even carrying a hint of provocation, as if deliberately trying to anger Qi Xuansu.

But Qi Xuansu remained unfazed. He merely turned his gaze to the two Daoist nuns. “If you were coerced, then I’m giving you a chance to prove your innocence. If you willingly fell for temptation, then I’m offering you a chance to redeem yourselves.”

There was no need to spell everything out for the clever. With just the beginning of his words, the two Daoist nuns already understood Qi Xuansu’s intent, and so did Qin Hengde.

The two nuns instinctively looked toward Qin Hengde.

Qin Hengde nearly exploded in rage, but he managed to suppress it. “Why are you two looking at me?”

Qi Xuansu remained calm. “Young Commandery Prince, if this has nothing to do with you, why are you so agitated? Let them speak.”

Qin Hengde kept quiet but glared viciously at the two Daoist nuns.

One of the Daoist nuns, intimidated by Qin Hengde’s long-standing authority, stammered, “I-I don’t—”

Qi Xuansu interrupted her before she finished. “Deliberately concealing the truth and shielding criminals are crimes that are heavily punishable.”

The nun immediately fell silent.

Qi Xuansu gave the two women another glance. “You need to understand who you are and where you stand. Don’t act against your own standing.”

His words carried a double meaning. The first referred to their Daoist identity. The Daoist Order operated independently of the Imperial Court, so they need not fear Qin Hengde’s power. The second hinted at their current predicament. They should act in their own best interest, which was to distance themselves from this mess and not to be someone else’s scapegoat.

Qin Hengde understood and could not help but ask bluntly, “Superintendent Qi, what exactly are you trying to do with all this?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Young Commandery Prince, if you are asking this in an official capacity, then I will answer in kind. I’m acting under the orders of two Sages of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion to rectify the city’s public morality. So I’m here to purge corruption and stop moral decay.”

Qin Hengde was cornered by this barrage of formalities and raised his voice. “Superintendent Qi, you’re not even 30, but you’re already a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master. It means you have a bright future. Since the capital is just a stop on your journey, there’s no need to make such a fuss. Surely you understand that whether in the Daoist Order or the Imperial Court, it’s best not to make enemies unless you’re certain you can utterly destroy them. If you have more friends, more paths will open for you. But if you have more enemies, more obstacles will get in your way.”

Qi Xuansu did not respond immediately. He was not ignorant of this principle, but more importantly, he knew Su Li was watching his reaction closely.

Su Li’s intentions were not wrong, but Li Ruoshui had cleverly exploited this fox demon’s rigid morality. If Qi Xuansu tried to smooth things over, Su Li would immediately accuse him of lacking sincerity in the Daoist virtues, giving Li Ruoshui a perfect excuse to deal with him.

That was the brilliance of Li Ruoshui. She did not need to risk exposing herself by sending a close confidante to Qi Xuansu, nor did she need to give Su Li any explicit instructions. She merely had to go with the flow and position Su Li strategically, using someone seemingly unrelated to keep Qi Xuansu in check.

Even if anything went wrong, nothing could be traced back to Li Ruoshui, whether by interrogation or even soul-searching Su Li. Li Ruoshui had indeed given Su Li no harmful instructions against Qi Xuansu. Their relationship was merely that of an ordinary superior and subordinate. No one could accuse her of anything because assigning a highly principled fox demon from the Qingqiu lineage to assist Qi Xuansu in cleansing the city’s public morality was perfectly logical.

Li Ruoshui was truly a master of placing the right people in the right roles.

After a pause, Qi Xuansu finally said, “You say that I’m making enemies, but I’m curious—who exactly am I making enemies with?”

That sentence pinned Qin Hengde in place again, rendering the young commandery prince speechless.

He could not very well claim that Qi Xuansu was making an enemy of Commandery Prince Langya. It might sound imposing, but that was essentially admitting guilt.

Qi Xuansu continued, “Just now, you mentioned I have a bright future. That might be true, but just a year ago, I was still a wandering Daoist. As such, I still have yet to kick off some of my old Jianghu habits. When faced with matters like this, I too hesitate, fearing I’ll ruin my future or even lose my life. But that made me think—if acting justly will cost me my future, then hasn’t the Daoist Order quietly decayed like these Daoist nuns?”

Qin Hengde did not dare respond, nor could he. So he changed the subject. “Then what is it that you truly seek, Superintendent Qi?”

“What do I seek?” Qi Xuansu glanced at Su Li. “Deputy Hall Master Zhang often says that to reform the Daoist Order, we must begin with ourselves. Empty talk is meaningless without action. What I’m doing now is putting those words into practice. After all, true skill lies in both talk and action.”

Deep down, Qin Hengde felt some disdain. It was not that he did not believe them. He just thought that reformers like Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu had no chance of success. The word “reform” was far easier said than done.

But Su Li’s eyes lit up as she listened.

She had long been trapped in the shackles of moral dogma, but today, she felt a sudden clarity. If the Daoist Order were seen as a person, would it still be morally upright today? The answer was clearly no. Preserving personal virtue was a small thing, while upholding Daoist virtues was a big thing.

Since the Qingqiu lineage cherished the Dao so sincerely and pursued it so steadfastly, they ought to safeguard the Daoist Order’s moral integrity and purge its corrupt tendencies.

Qi Xuansu withdrew his gaze from Su Li and turned to Qin Hengde once again. “If one cannot attain immortality, then a hundred years of life will end in death. One can choose to live insignificantly or leave a name in history.”

“Well said!” Qin Hengde began to understand what Qi Xuansu was after. The superintendent did not seek profit, but rather fame. However, fame was not that easy to obtain.

Qin Hengde sneered. “Superintendent Qi, do you know that throughout the capital, people already see you as a ruthless official who will stop at nothing?”

“Does it matter?” Qi Xuansu said nonchalantly. “What matters is who gets the last laugh. The winner takes all.”

“Even if you win, even if you become the Grand Master, can you really silence gossip from the masses?” Qin Hengde asked.

Qi Xuansu replied, “As long as one’s merit is great enough, then yes, one will be able to silence them. Besides, why silence them at all? What we’re doing now brings no shame to the heavens above nor to our own hearts. The future generations will judge us fairly.”

After a short pause, he continued, “Young Commandery Prince, whether a Daoist priest or a court official, one will have to start cleaning one’s house of filth before one can hope to bring peace to the realm.”

Qin Hengde no longer argued with Qi Xuansu, nor did he pay attention to the two Daoist nuns. He simply turned and walked straight out.

No matter what, the priority was to leave this troublesome place and plan the next move later.

As for the Daoist nuns, they could always deny everything and drag things out in court later. Qi Xuansu would not try to stop them.

The awkward guards immediately trailed behind Qin Hengde as they headed out.

At that moment, the sound of steady, heavy marching footsteps echoed faintly from above.

When Qin Hengde and the others returned to the surface, they were met with chaos and a large influx of black-armored Spirit Guard troops.

Spirit Guards were essentially the Black Robes of the Daoist Order. The Daoist Order had always prized elite troops over large numbers. Besides their armor, the Spirit Guards carried long rifles and ceremonial swords. In truth, they rarely used swords and were more accustomed to sabers. Thus, the ceremonial sword, as the name suggests, was mainly just for show. However, in a special place like the capital, ceremonial swords had real utility. The long rifles were meant for combating Heavenly Beings.

Aside from armor, a fully armed Spirit Guard would carry a long rifle, pistol, saber, short sword, spear, shield, talisman case, bullet pouch, medicine pouch, food pouch, miniature crossbow, quiver, grappling hooks, and throwing knives. Even though their gear was somewhat simplified now, it was still an intimidating sight.

Qi Xuansu had mobilized 500 Spirit Guards. The remaining 200 were for reinforcement. This was more than enough to completely seal off Oriental Autumn Villa. Due to the earlier plume of black smoke, the vanguard troops had rushed straight here.

Facing the brothel’s guards, the Spirit Guards slowly drew their ceremonial swords. Though ceremonial, the blades were very much sharpened.

The brothel’s guards were not weak in cultivation, but they were outnumbered. More importantly, the Spirit Guards were well-trained and expert in coordination. Thus, the brothel’s guards dared not make any rash moves.

Only then did Qi Xuansu and Su Li emerge from the tunnel. Qi Xuansu ordered, “Secure those inside. Don’t let them escape or die.”

“Understood!” Spirit Guard Zhou replied, leading his men into the passage.

Qi Xuansu then turned to Qin Hengde and said, “Young Commandery Prince, after such a disruption, Oriental Autumn Villa will certainly notify its backers. If I detain you, those backers will have no choice but to show themselves. That will make everything much simpler. I suspect the Black Robes of the Divine Central Guards are already on their way here. I wonder what kind of spectacle it will be when the Spirit Guards clash with the Black Robes.”

Qi Xuansu did not wait for a reply and shouted, “Long rifles, ready!”

All the Spirit Guard sheathed their ceremonial swords, switched to long rifles, and began loading their Grade-B Series Four Dragon Eye Bullets.

The mechanical clatter of firearms being loaded rang out in unison.