A Pawn's Passage

“No time to lose. Let’s set out now!” Madam Qi said as she folded the map with decisive energy.

Qi Xuansu finally understood why Madam Qi was so invested in this “revenge” operation, even going so far as to personally come to the Imperial Capital. In the end, it was still wealth that moved her.

He also thought to himself that his name was truly fitting. Xuan meant black, and su meant white. At the highest level, it symbolized the Daoist yin-yang symbol. On a more personal level, it mirrored his own circumstances. Half of him was bathed in light, discussing Daoist ethics by day, while the other half was hidden in the shadow, embroiled in the power struggles of secret societies by night.

He also came to understand why Madam Qi had never developed her career within the Daoist Order. Setting aside her greed and stinginess, which could easily earn her accusations of moral corruption, her very nature made her the kind of person the fifth-generation Grand Master despised most. Back when Madam Qi was still a young girl, the fifth-generation Grand Master was in power and systematically rooted out all non-conformists. Since then, Madam Qi was fated to be estranged from the Daoist path.

As the two of them exited the tavern, Madam Qi grabbed Qi Xuansu’s wrist.

In an instant, Qi Xuansu felt everything around him blur and streak past like fleeting light and shadows. He could not see anything clearly and only knew that he was moving rapidly.

When the two of them finally came to a halt, Qi Xuansu staggered forward, nearly falling face-first from the strong momentum.

Meanwhile, Madam Qi stood firm and steady. She took off her sunglasses and put on the A-rank member mask of the Qingping Society.

Qi Xuansu also put on his B-rank member mask, thinking that being among three A-rank members, he seemed the most unique, almost like he was the leader instead.

Then he looked around. Somehow, the two of them had already left the South City and arrived outside the city walls.

But he had no idea where exactly they were.

Soon after, two others arrived—Dreaming Cloud and Ceremony Prelude. They had long known that Gold-Plated Knife was Madam Qi’s son, so they were not surprised. They simply nodded slightly to Qi Xuansu in greeting.

Qi Xuansu was just about to respond when Madam Qi interrupted, “Enough with the pleasantries. Let’s get down to business. In an hour, The Inn’s silver shipment will arrive. Normally, the ship will be escorted by a Heaven-rank member. But these are special times, so The Inn may dispatch additional personnel, though it’s no big deal because we’ll deal with them swiftly.”

Madam Qi had every reason to be confident. Even if it were the Cook himself bringing along three Heaven-rank members, they likely would not dare challenge Madam Qi.

Dreaming Cloud gave a light cough and reminded them. “We can’t just deal with them casually. We might as well kill them all to comfort the soul of Drenched Green Robes in the afterlife. After all, we’re mainly here for revenge. Everything else is just incidental.”

It seemed that this member of the Privy Council still cared about appearances.

Ceremony Prelude remained silent.

Madam Qi grunted in vague acknowledgment and continued, “Speaking of which, it was pure luck that I managed to track down this silver shipment. The Inn has always been secretive, full of false trails and blended truths. With so many ships coming and going on the Grand Canal, there’s no way I could keep watch day and night. So, I spent quite a lot of Taiping coins to bribe one of The Inn’s Heaven-rank attendants. Turns out, he holds a grudge against the one in charge of escorting this ship and wants to use me to eliminate his enemy.”

Qi Xuansu thought to himself, It seems like internal strife exists everywhere. The Inn is no exception. This also explains why Madam Qi is taking 40% of the loot.

Neither Dreaming Cloud nor Ceremony Prelude said anything. In fact, the two of them were getting the same amount. The extra 10% that Dreaming Cloud appeared to take was actually spent on his subordinates. After all, a general could not starve his soldiers. Spending money would ensure his subordinates worked earnestly without making mistakes.

Madam Qi waved her hand and said, “Let’s go.”

......

The road outside the Imperial Capital led directly to the dock on the Grand Canal. Each year, more than 30,000 grain ships docked and set sail here. As the year-end approached, the piers bustled even more with carts and people coming to receive goods. Even though it was already night, lanterns were still hung high, and the activity showed no sign of slowing down.

Technically, this was the end of the Grand Canal. However, there was still a segment that connected to the Imperial Capital’s moat. After passing through the water gate, the river led directly to the Penglai Pool within the city. But that privilege was reserved exclusively for royal tributes.

The so-called Grand Canal was originally dug near Jinling Prefecture during the Warring States period, before the First Emperor unified the realm. This waterway, known in history as the Han Canal, drew water from the Yangtze River. Later dynasties extended it north and south. The Jin Dynasty did two massive expansions and restorations, and it was finally in the Wei Dynasty that the canal fully linked Jiangnan and the Imperial Capital and was later renamed the Grand Canal.

The Grand Canal crossed 4 states, 11 prefectures, and 23 counties, stretching about 1,800 kilometers. Jiangnan, which produced two-thirds of the nation’s grain, relied entirely on this river to transport food to the Imperial Capital. Therefore, this river could be considered the lifeline of the entire dynasty.

With a population of one million, the Imperial Capital depended wholly on the Grand Canal for supplies. The last batches of tribute grain, silver, and various palace provisions all had to be rushed in before the winter solstice. Otherwise, snowfall and ice would block the waterways, causing a massive disruption.

As a result, the waterways within Zhili were currently packed with ships, leading to congestion that practically covered the entire canal. With a layer of mist rising in the deep night, collisions were inevitable. Most of the boats still sailing at this hour were official vessels serving government offices. They were used to bullying the common folk, so they would never back down easily from a scrape.

Most officials flaunted their authority. Prestige existed to be displayed. Otherwise, it would be as meaningless as wearing fine clothes in the dark. Some minor clerks were pompous, looking down on everyone and thinking they were above all. Thus, they would not tolerate the slightest offense, frequently unleashing their thunderous wrath.

At that moment, two boats collided as their crews fought for the right of way. The two leaders now stood on their respective decks, shouting insults at each other.

“Are you fucking blind?! We’re a grain ship from Taicang! If this delivery is delayed, causing a food shortage in the Imperial Capital, will you be able to bear the consequences?”

“You’re the blind bastard! Don’t try to scare me with that nonsense. This is a ship from the Ministry of Revenue’s Jiangzhou Office, carrying tribute silver for the ministry’s vaults. That silver pays the stipends for the officials in the Imperial Capital. How dare a menial Transport Office challenge the Ministry of Revenue?!”

The argument quickly escalated into a brawl. Both sides jabbed and flailed at each other with their punting poles while continuing to curse loudly.

Shadows flickered in the night as more of such fights broke out among nearby and distant boats.

As the two boats remained locked in a stalemate, a large ship approached from behind. To clear a path, gunshots rang out from the vessel. A burst of fire lit up the night sky over the river.

The official boats halted their fighting and turned toward the source of the gunshot.

Despite the night and mist, a massive dark silhouette of a three-story ship was faintly visible.

As it drew closer, one could see large lanterns hanging from the ship, clearly bearing the words “Green Phoenix Guard.”

Closer still, black Green Phoenix Guard banners could be seen fluttering in the wind, flapping loudly.

Regardless of which office they belonged to, all the boats stopped cursing and hurriedly ordered their crews to steer aside toward the riverbanks.

The Green Phoenix Guard’s large ship advanced down the center of the canal, unimpeded and commanding.

Many veteran boatmen vaguely noticed that the draft of this ship seemed unusually deep. But with the night so dark, no one could see clearly, and few gave it much thought.

A tall figure stepped out from the first-floor cabin and stood on the deck.

He was a Green Phoenix Guard Lieutenant Colonel. Gazing toward the distant lights of the dock, the Lieutenant Colonel exhaled in relief, thinking this assignment was finally over.

The Lieutenant Colonel turned back and returned to the cabin. On the first floor, aside from a few chairs, there were stacks of large cargo boxes neatly arranged. Curtains were tightly drawn around them, ensuring that no one could peek inside.

Inside the cabin sat another man, reclining against the cargo boxes with his eyes closed and legs spread out. Several empty wine jars lay scattered beside him, including one labeled “Dreaming Death.”

After entering, the Lieutenant Colonel glanced at the man and said, “We’re almost there. It’s a pity we can’t sail directly into the Penglai Pool.”

The man opened his bleary, drunken eyes and let out a grunt. Whether he heard the Lieutenant Colonel or not was unclear.

At that moment, high above the night sky, four Heavenly Beings were overlooking the Grand Canal and the docks. Madam Qi, Qi Xuansu, Dreaming Cloud, and Ceremony Prelude were surrounded by a puff of smoke from the Face Wrecker, which completely concealed their figures. Even Heavenly Beings would have trouble detecting them.

Looking at the jam-packed canal below, Qi Xuansu could not help but ask, “Can they even turn the ship around?”

”No need to worry. We have a clever plan,” Madam Qi replied with calm confidence.

Since Madam Qi said so, Qi Xuansu asked no further questions. He simply waited for her command. After all, he was the youngest with the lowest rank among them. As the only Martial Arts Practitioner, he was also made the front-liner.

Madam Qi turned to Dreaming Cloud and asked, “Are your people ready?”

“Rest assured, Madam Qi,” Dreaming Cloud replied. “They’re all capable hands. I specifically brought in two gang leaders. I also have people inside the Canal Transport Office.”

A gang leader was akin to a Beggar King. From the looks of it, Dreaming Cloud controlled more than one faction of the Canal Gangs. They also had Ceremony Prelude’s connections, which was the benefit of the Qingping Society members’ dual identities.

Madam Qi said, “Very well. Once we succeed, send out the signal immediately.”

She then turned to Ceremony Prelude and instructed, “Prepare the Grand Illusion Realm, and make it as wide as possible. Don’t let anyone see a thing.”

Ceremony Prelude nodded, sat cross-legged in mid-air, and entered a meditative state. Madam Qi’s smoke rose to support the Diviner and shield the surroundings. Then, Ceremony Prelude’s yin spirit left her body.

With the cover of night, an invisible ripple spread outward. The Grand Illusion Realm silently enveloped over 5 kilometers in every direction, yet those within remained completely unaware.

Such powers varied by practitioner. In the past, the Grand Illusion Realm of Daoist Master Nanhua could conceal even the entirety of Jade Capital.

In truth, Madam Qi also knew such techniques, but she always preferred not to act personally. She would much rather order others to do it.

Without needing Madam Qi’s instructions, Qi Xuansu had already descended, his figure shooting downward like a meteor toward their target.