A Pawn's Passage

As the eight serpent heads crashed to the ground, the Yamata no Orochi’s body rapidly turned to stone. In the blink of an eye, the beast had turned into a grotesque stone mountain. The wound upon its belly had transformed into a deep, cavernous hole. Above the stone peak, clouds and mist ceaselessly billowed forth.

The Daoist Order had managed to slay the Yamata-no-Orochi mainly by catching it unprepared. They had made meticulous preparations and careful plans in advance. dispatching two Yinglong Warships, four Pseudo-Immortals, two Zaohua-stage, four Wuliang-stage, and numerous other Heavenly Beings. Formations had been laid ahead of time. One immortal object and seven semi-immortal objects were used, along with the priceless Shebishi Venom. Most crucial of all, the Yamata-no-Orochi, like Tamamo-no-Mae before, was vastly weakened after its death and resurrection.

If even this could not kill it, then heaven itself would be unjust.

Spirit Guard Jia Chen looked up at the stone mountain that had once been the Yamata-no-Orochi and scowled in disappointment. “That’s it? When the Imperial Preceptor slew a flood dragon, there were so many treasures, like the Dragon Pearl, horns, whiskers, scales, tendons, and meat. But this monstrosity left nothing but rock behind?”

Yao Pei replied, “Well, it died and resurrected again. Just as a corpse leaves only rotting flesh, so too does the Yamata-no-Orochi. It once held one of the Three Divine Artifacts, the Ame-no-Murakumo, which is no less valuable than a flood dragon’s hide, but that was taken by Susanoo long ago.”

Spirit Guard Jia Chen sighed, full of regret.

After slaying the Yamata-no-Orochi, the Daoist Order would have to publicize their great deed of helping the people remove a great scourge, showcasing their mighty martial prowess and striking fear into the remnants of the Sonno-joi faction. But Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu would not be part of this. They still needed rest. All they had to do was wait for the credit to be tallied. With his niece Yao Pei present, Qi Xuansu was not particularly worried that his merits would be unaccounted for.

......

News of the event swiftly spread within the Daoist Order. For most Daoists, the Imperial Preceptor slaying a flood dragon was hardly surprising. That was simply expected. But for four young Wuliang-stage cultivators to join in the slaying of a Longevity-stage Great Yokai was truly remarkable.

No one cared whether this Great Yokai was at its peak state. The only thing that mattered was that the Yamata-no-Orochi was at the Longevity stage.

The four youths were celebrated as heroes braving endless perils to jointly slay the evil serpent god. Such a tale was fit to become an epic, sung for generations.

Sage Cihang stepped into the gates of Tiangang Hall. Along the way, it was plain to see how few people remained. Most had already gone to the Fenglin battlefield.

Sage Cihang served as the Tiangang Hall Master, so she was not in charge of directing the battles.

The distinction between the Tiangang Hall Master and the Sage Commander lay in internal versus external affairs.

In times of peace without warfare, the Tiangang Hall Master was responsible for the daily management, development, and training of the Spirit Guard Office. They held authority over personnel matters and could decide promotions for the Spirit Guards.

This was the foundation of the Three Great Halls. Ziwei Hall held authority over the appointments of Daoist priests, while Tiangang Hall controlled the Spirit Guards’ appointments. Thus, Ziwei Hall was foremost among the Nine Halls and Tiangang Hall was the second. Beichen Hall was a special supervisory body, like a sword hanging over everyone’s head. Internally, it oversaw Daoist priests and Spirit Guards, purging traitors. Externally, it gathered intelligence, provided reports and counsel to the Golden Tower Council, and, during special circumstances, carried out targeted assassinations. At the same time, Beichen Hall also maintained law and order in Jade Capital, which distinguished it from Fengxian Hall.

In short, during peaceful times, the Tiangang Hall Master had a greater influence over the Spirit Guard Office.

But in wartime, the Sage Commander, under the authority of the Golden Tower Council, assumed full command. All matters were unified under their control.

In theory, any Omniscient Sage could be appointed to the temporary role of Sage Commander, including the Tiangang Hall Master. However, typically, they would not allow the Tiangang Hall Master to assume this position so as to avoid upsetting the balance of power.

The Daoist hierarchy was deliberately designed with mutual checks and balances. The Tiangang Hall Master had administrative authority but no commanding power, while the Sage Commander had command authority but no administrative power.

Of course, this system carried its flaws in the sense that both soldiers and generals were not familiar with each other. But in this world, no system was flawless. There must always be trade-offs.

For this reason, once the war began, Sage Cihang did not interfere in the Fenglin campaign and had only followed the front-line situation through the various reports.

As a senior figure of the Daoist Order, Sage Cihang had long since grasped the outcome of the war. Especially once the Imperial Preceptor personally entered the fray, there was no longer any suspense. The result was assured. Following the daily situation at the front was little more than routine.

Last night, Sage Cihang met with two people in succession.

The first was Zhang Jucheng, who replaced Xu Chou as the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master. Xu Chou had only assumed the post after the first major Jiangnan case, serving more as a transitional figure. The one who truly influenced the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion was still Sage Cihang, the ex-Mansion Master. Zhang Yuelu’s success in cracking the major Jiangnan case had been possible only through Sage Cihang’s support. This was a clear sign of her sway over the affairs in the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion. So one could not dismiss her as lacking real power merely because she was weaker than Sage Donghua or Sage Qingwei. No matter what, she was the third-ranking Omniscient Sage in the Golden Tower Council.

Before taking office, Zhang Jucheng naturally sought an audience with Sage Cihang. Both belonged to the Zhengyi Sect and were longtime acquaintances, so it was not about pledging allegiance. Sage Cihang would certainly support him fully, but the proper courtesies had to be observed, and many things were best spoken openly and frankly.

Moreover, as the future head of the Zhang family, Zhang Jucheng also discussed Zhang Yuelu’s marriage with Sage Cihang. After all, Zhang Yuelu was still her disciple. In the Daoist Order, master and disciple were akin to parent and child. Especially since Zhang Yuelu had been designated as Sage Cihang’s successor, their relationship was no different from that of mother and daughter. In both sentiment and principle, the Zhang family could not bypass Sage Cihang and were bound to seek her counsel. It was only natural that Sage Cihang should involve herself in Zhang Yuelu’s marriage, because why else would Madam Qi have approached her specifically and no one else?

After Zhang Jucheng left, the second person Sage Cihang met was Madam Qi.

As prospective in-laws, the two continued to discuss their children’s marriage. After all, their last meeting had ended in disagreement and discontent, so the conversation had to be resumed.

Given Sage Cihang’s position and stature, she would hardly quibble over the monetary gifts involved. Even if Madam Qi did not offer a single coin, Sage Cihang would not argue. The real issue was still Qi Xuansu’s identity.

Sage Cihang and the Heavenly Preceptor had staked their hopes on Zhang Yuelu, planning to support her fully in contending for the seat of the eighth-generation Grand Master. So there could be no room for error.

To Sage Cihang, Madam Qi was still considered part of the Quanzhen Sect due to her relationship with the Yao family. Although the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect were allies, this alliance was fragile. Once they successfully defeated the Taiping Sect, the two allies would eventually contend with each other.

After all, allies must not intend harm on each other but must always guard against it. As for Qi Xuansu’s identity with the Qingping Society, the concern was the Quanzhen Sect’s Yao family. After all, Qi Xuansu was not a true descendant of the Yao family. So if, at a critical moment, the Quanzhen Sect discarded him as a used pawn, it would drag Zhang Yuelu down with him, leaving Yao Pei to rise in her stead.

The two talked through the night, bargaining like village women haggling over vegetables at the market. Finally, they reached a preliminary agreement. Qi Xuansu could temporarily retain his Qingping Society identity, but at an appropriate time, he would have to leave. As for when that would be, it would have to be discussed later.

Beyond that were only minor details. Madam Qi promised that once Qi Xuansu returned from Fenglin, she would begin seeking a residence in Taishang Place, with a lease of 100 years at the minimum.

Madam Qi had also assured Sage Cihang that she had already dealt with the case of Qi Xuansu’s defamation and that now was the time for retribution. However, she did not tell Sage Cihang how it had been resolved, nor did the Omniscient Sage care to ask.

Due to this, Sage Cihang arrived at her office somewhat later that day. When she entered her office, she found that her secretary had already placed a bulletin on her desk.

Sage Cihang picked up the bulletin casually and glanced over it.

Her gaze suddenly froze, and her expression changed subtly.

Just then, Sage Cihang’s youngest disciple—her final disciple—walked in.

Her name was Xiao Yueru, and she was among the youngest of the eighth-generation disciples. If she had been born a few months later, she would have been counted among the ninth generation.

Sage Cihang valued Zhang Yuelu the most, followed by Bai Yingqiong, but her favorite was her youngest disciple. Thus, the way she treated them were two different attitudes. Zhang Yuelu was to bear the burden of the Zhengyi Sect and wield great authority, while Xiao Yueru was to bask in parental love and live a life of carefree prosperity.

Thus, Xiao Yueru was completely at ease in front of Sage Cihang. Seeing her master staring at the bulletin, she could not help her curiosity. “Master, what’s the situation in Fenglin now?”

Sage Cihang withdrew her gaze. “Your senior sister has earned merits once again.”

Xiao Yueru then asked, “What about my brother-in-law?”

Sage Cihang laughed out loud. “Where did you get a brother-in-law from?”

Xiao Yueru replied, “I’ve already heard that Senior Sister Zhang has settled her engagement and even brought Deputy Hall Master Qi home to meet the Heavenly Preceptor. Doesn’t that make him my brother-in-law?”

Sage Cihang chuckled. “Very well. Aside from those two, Yao Pei from the Quanzhen Sect and Li Changge from the Taiping Sect also took part in slaying a Longevity-stage Great Yokai.”

Xiao Yueru’s mouth hung wide open, unable to hide her astonishment. “Longevity-stage Great Yokai?”

Though she had never seen a Longevity-stage Great Yokai, she had read about them in books. Even if Sage Cihang were to fight against a beast of that level, it was hard to guarantee complete success.

Xiao Yueru was shocked that disciples of her generation could accomplish such a feat. She was also from their generation, but she was not even a Heavenly Being yet. The gulf between them seemed far too great.

Sage Cihang said, “Of course, it wasn’t accomplished by just the four of them. There were also four Pseudo-immortals and two Zaohua-stage Heavenly Beings.”

Xiao Yueru still had not fully recovered from the shock. “Even so, that’s still incredible! My brother-in-law especially has risen up and surpassed expectations. If you ask me, there aren’t just three prodigies anymore. They ought to be called the Four Prodigies!”