A Pawn's Passage

After the Ise battle ended, Suzuka Gozen returned to Mount Suzuka. Her circumstances were rather special. Without sufficient divine power, she could not freely leave the mountain.

On the other hand, Tamamo-no-Mae enjoyed far more freedom. Her range of activity spanned a radius of 500 kilometers from her true body. That was roughly equivalent to the size of Liangzhou, where Cuowenbu was located, which covered nearly all of Fenglin. Thus, Tamamo-no-Mae could move freely throughout Fenglin, though she could not leave it.

Legend says that Tamamo-no-Mae’s true body had turned into the Killing Stone upon her death. Her soul should have been extinguished, leaving only that dead object behind. However, due to the divine mysteries of Yomi-no-Kuni, her soul was revived and had merged with the Killing Stone. In essence, Tamamo-no-Mae could no longer be considered a fox demon but rather akin to a spirit born of an immortal object. Only, this spirit was unusually powerful, still retaining the rank of an Immortal.

Thus, the Killing Stone was Tamamo-no-Mae’s true body. Wherever the stone was, she would be able to roam a radius of 500 kilometers from it. Should the Daoist Order one day decide to move the Killing Stone to Jade Capital, then Tamamo-no-Mae would be able to roam to another land.

Today, Tamamo-no-Mae came to visit Mount Suzuka.

In truth, Tamamo-no-Mae and Suzuka Gozen had long known each other. Fenglin was only so large, and both had lived for so long without enmity between them. In the past, their ties had been ordinary, but now, they were somewhat like colleagues, so it was necessary to build a closer relationship. After all, Sage Qingwei and the Daoist army would not remain in Fenglin forever and would eventually return to Jade Capital. In the future, the Fenglin Daoist Mansion would be in charge, and these two women would most likely fall under its jurisdiction.

At this moment, Tamamo-no-Mae and Suzuka Gozen stood atop Mount Suzuka’s highest peak, gazing toward the direction of Iino District.

A strange phenomenon had appeared. Fiery clouds filled the sky, as though a rain of flames was about to descend.

Suzuka Gozen was shocked. “Has someone opened Izanagi’s seal? Was it the Daoist Order?”

Tamamo-no-Mae raised her folding fan to cover the lower half of her face. “Sage Qingwei had such an idea, but it’s not yet the time, not until the final negotiations are concluded.”

Sage Qingwei had no intention of exterminating the Fenglin royal family completely. He feared the Toyotomi clan would grow too dominant. So the art of imperial rule was to have a way to maintain balance by keeping two factions fighting, each needing the emperor. That way, the emperor could remain aloof and arbitrate right from wrong. If one faction grew too strong, or if the two joined forces, the emperor could easily be reduced to a powerless puppet. Some emperors of exceptional skill even went further, creating a tripartite balance instead of just two.

In short, it was the bare minimum to keep at least two factions in any nation.

If the Daoist Order wished to secure its exalted position in Fenglin, it also needed two levers of control.

Thus, Tamamo-no-Mae believed there would ultimately be another round of negotiations. On the foundation of the first negotiations, the Daoist Order would force the Fenglin royal family to accept certain conditions, but would still allow it to continue existing.

More critically, Tamamo-no-Mae served as Sage Qingwei’s strategist in handling the matter of Izanagi. If Sage Qingwei truly intended to make a move, she could not possibly be unaware.

This made it an unforeseen event.

Suzuka Gozen offered a conjecture. “Sage Qingwei cannot wholly represent the Daoist Order. We all know that there are three major Daoist sects. Sage Qingwei can only speak fully for the Taiping Sect. The Sonno-joi faction saw the chance of these three sects competing, so they chose to rebel.”

Tamamo-no-Mae did not deny this.

Just then, both women sensed something and looked over once more.

A bolt of heavenly thunder split the sky. Wherever it passed, the fiery clouds dispersed.

Soon, all the fire clouds were gone.

......

Far away in Xiujing, Sage Qingwei quickly learned of the anomaly in Iino District. After all, Qi Xuansu had already reported where they were going in advance. Moreover, with such a phenomenon visible even from Mount Suzuka, the Daoist army stationed in Ise Province could not possibly ignore it and reported it at once.

Sage Qingwei quickly pieced the puzzle and reached a conclusion, that Qi Xuansu and his companions had opened that seal.

He ordered the local garrison to relay the precise scene of the anomaly to him using the mother-child mirrors.

Soon, the mirrors were linked. On the other side, the garrison continually shifted the mirror’s angle, showing Sage Qingwei the fiery clouds in the sky.

When the heavenly thunder appeared, Sage Qingwei gestured for Shen Yuqing to shut off the mirror communication.

Shen Yuqing said softly, “Judging from this, the Heavenly Preceptor has intervened.”

Sage Qingwei remained silent.

As a secretary, the most important skill was reading the superior’s mood. So, Shen Yuqing said no more and waited silently.

After a moment, Sage Qingwei finally spoke. “Notify Deputy Mansion Master Li. Have him prepare the appropriate arrangements for the aftermath. Don’t make any mistakes.”

Shen Yuqing accepted the order and departed.

......

The Heavenly Preceptor withdrew his avatar, leaving behind his Twin Swords.

The troublemaking trio looked at one another, yet none spoke.

Qi Xuansu could not help but wonder, what had they come for exactly? It seemed they had gained nothing and had nearly lost their lives. Was the subtle influence of an ancient god truly so powerful?

But then again, even a Great Yokai like Tamamo-no-Mae had been subject to control. Clearly, the gods of Fenglin had their methods. Regardless, Izanagi had once contended against the Vairocana, an existence akin to the Great Witches Wu Yang or Wu Xian. He was not one to be underestimated.

Only now did Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu have the time and composure to reflect on this bewildering gamble. Qi Xuansu must have been swayed by the skull of Anchin, which led him to agree so readily. Zhang Yuelu had not been in favor of this idea at first, but Qi Xuansu’s insistence eventually shook her resolve. After all, she had always believed that Qi Xuansu was a cautious man, so her trust in him had led to her misjudgment.

Moreover, both had underestimated Izanagi’s left arm, thinking it was just one-sixteenth of his peak strength. Even if they could not defeat it, they could still escape without harm. However, they had not foreseen that Izanagi had been lying in wait with snares already in place. In just a single encounter, he subdued Qi Xuansu. Had it not been for Zhang Yuelu’s quick wit and the Heavenly Preceptor’s timely support, Izanagi would already have succeeded in his ploy.

Qi Xuansu began to reflect. If Little Yin had fallen because of greed and gluttony, then he himself had fallen to pride. He was overconfident in his Longevity Stone Heart. He thought his Heart had resolved the demonic fire from Kiyohime’s attack, and he believed he could control the situation. However, he lost control.

The Confucians believed in daily examination and reflection of one’s body. Had Qi Xuansu regularly examined himself, he might have noticed the subtle changes within himself. But he had not, and so he paid the price. This fiasco cost him 2,500 marks of divine power. He dared not even convert this amount to Taiping coins. Now, he was left with 2,000 marks of divine power.

Fortunately, this venture was not without gain. There was something that could compensate for his losses, which was Izanagi’s fire seed that the Heavenly Preceptor had mentioned.

In essence, this fire seed was a calamity. But with the Heavenly Preceptor’s seal upon it, like a leash upon a hound, it became a power that could be harnessed. Its nature was much like the inner demon of the Taiyin 13 Swords, a double-edged sword. Used well, it could wound the enemy; but used poorly, it would harm oneself.

Curious, Zhang Yuelu could not help but ask, “What exactly is the demonic fire like?”

Qi Xuansu thought for a moment and replied, “It feels like a kind of flame fused with yin energy, but it’s not the same as yin fire. The difference between demonic fire and yin fire is similar to the difference between True Solar Flames and True Samadhi Fire. True Solar Flames is more tangible, difficult to counter Green Cloud. True Samadhi Fire is more mind-dependent, useful against Green Cloud. Likewise, yin fire is mind-based, as it relates to the Five Aggregates, a somewhat abstract notion. Demonic fire, on the other hand, is more tangible like yin energy.”

Zhang Yuelu had a far more solid foundational theory than Qi Xuansu, so she immediately understood after his brief explanation. She added, “Yin fire is mind-based, corresponding to the Taiyin 13 Swords’ inner demon. Demonic fire is real, touching upon the realm of the netherworld and manifesting in the resurrection of the dead or the transformation of humans into ghosts. But this rule isn’t absolute. Yin fire can still burn a person to ash, while demonic fire can disturb the mind.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Exactly. I’ve encountered these four kinds of flames before. Whether Solar Flames, Samadhi Fire, Five Aggregates, or yin energy, they are all just additions to actual fire, so they share the same nature. Just like your thunder techniques, the essence of wind thunder or ice thunder is still thunder, not wind or ice.”

Zhang Yuelu fell into thoughtful silence.

Little Yin tugged at Qi Xuansu’s sleeve and asked, “Can you control the demonic fire now?”

“Yes.” Qi Xuansu nodded.

Little Yin pressed on. “So what does it look like?”

Qi Xuansu said nothing. Flames ignited once more within his eyes.

Without any visible movement, a beam of fire shot from his eyes like an arrow, flashing away in an instant. When the fiery beam struck the wall, it exploded like a projectile.

Zhang Yuelu assessed the shot. “Its power is roughly equal to a Grade-A Series Seven Dragon Eye Bullet. It’ll serve well in an ambush.”

Qi Xuansu said, “This is only a crude application. I’m merely unleashing the flame’s raw power. Once I grow familiar, it might go far beyond this. The demonic fire has many mystical uses like what I mentioned earlier—raising the dead or transforming the living into ghosts. Of course, it won’t be a true revival but rather like zombies. Demonic fire isn’t limited to this form too. It can also be infused into others through physical contact.”

Zhang Yuelu laughed. “That much I know. Just like when Izanagi’s severed arm grasped you.”

Qi Xuansu extended his right hand with his five fingers spread open. A faint flame rose in his palm. He teased, “Would you like to find out how hot this is?”

Not to be outdone, Zhang Yuelu extended her hand as well, with six-colored qi surging above. “Mine is every bit as hot as yours—maybe even hotter.”