A Pawn's Passage

After Qi Xuansu and his companions entered the city, they needed somewhere to settle. This was not the Central Plains, with Taiping Inns everywhere. There were plenty of Buddhist temples instead.

Qi Xuansu casually chose a local inn and rented an independent courtyard. Since this was a work trip, Ke Qingqing handled the bill and would later have Qi Xuansu sign off for reimbursement.

Zhang Quande, being a local, told Qi Xuansu about the situation in the city. Aside from the royal family, there were several great clans, each with its own private troops. However, the Poluo Daoist Mansion remained the most exalted authority.

Beyond the Daoist Order, the Buddhist Sect was not to be underestimated either. However, the latter had fallen into the same plight once suffered by the Daoists. They were fragmented and divided.

In ancient times, the Daoist order was split into five sects—Eastern, Southern, Western, Northern, and Central. Even now, they were not fully united. The Southern, Eastern, and Central Sects formed the current three major Daoist sects. The Northern Sect had become the imperial family and part of the Great Xuan Court, while the Western Sect had long left the Central Plains.

The Buddhist Sect was divided into a wider region: the Central Plains, the Western Region, Fenglin, Poluo, and Shakya. Its reach was broader, and hence, unity was much harder.

The Central Plains Buddhist Sect had effectively merged into the Daoist Order, completing the first phase of the Three Religions’ unification. Both the Fenglin and Poluo Buddhist Sects had submitted to the Daoist Order, leaving only the Western Region Buddhist Sect powerful enough to contend with the Daoists. Even so, the Western Region Buddhist Sect had been defeated time and again, forced repeatedly into submissive treaties.

Shakya was the original birthplace of Buddhism, but it had long since fallen into ruin. It was first defeated by native religions, then crushed by the Holy Court that conquered West Shakya. So the Shakya Buddhist Sect had lost all control of its ancestral land.

Among the two Buddhist branches under Daoist rule, the Fenglin Buddhist Sect shared the rebellious temperament of their homeland—obedient in appearance, defiant at heart. They constantly sought to break free of Daoist control and had even colluded with the Sonno-joi faction. By contrast, the Poluo Buddhist Sect was mild and cautious. Whatever small schemes they attempted remained hidden and inconsequential because they dared not publicly defy Daoist authority.

As Zhang Quande had said, the Daoist Order ruled the world. But it resembled the ancient imperial rule, where the emperor’s reach stopped at the county level. Outwardly, none dared to oppose Daoist rule, and all great matters were decided by the Daoist Order. In truth, Daoist control barely extended to the counties. It was far weaker than in the Central Plains. Thus, the core of the Daoist Order still lay in the Central Plains.

Wherever Daoist authority left a vacuum at the lower levels, other forces inevitably rushed in to fill it. This power gap had given rise to cults, gangs, secret societies, and underground sects across the land.

The Daoist Order was well aware of this problem and sought to correct it. To truly secure control over Poluo and East Shakya, they encouraged citizens to migrate overseas and even dispatched Great Sages to personally oversee governance. This was a form of territorial expansion. Thus, long before wanderers and displaced commoners could even think of rebelling due to unfavorable conditions in their homeland, they would find themselves ushered aboard Daoist ships bound for Nanyang.

As Qi Xuansu stepped through the inn’s front gate, he felt several gazes fall upon him. But almost at once, they shifted toward Ke Qingqing.

However, when they caught sight of Han Yongfeng, they quickly averted their eyes.

Han Yongfeng had already changed into a new set of clothes and purposely revealed the aura of someone at roughly the Yuxu stage. Within the upper echelons of the Daoist Mansion, that level of cultivation might not count for much. But in Jianghu, it made him a formidable figure whom few would dare provoke.

In truth, after the Fenglin War, Han Yongfeng had advanced his cultivation to the ninth level of the Guizhen stage, just one step away from a Heavenly Being. This was precisely why Qi Xuansu had chosen to bring him along to Poluo.

Still, for their present purposes, a Yuxu-stage aura was more than sufficient to scare off ordinary thugs.

On the other hand, Qi Xuansu did not let a hint of his power leak. He remained calm, contained, and inscrutable. No ordinary eye could fathom the depth of his cultivation.

The four of them looked less like investigators and more like a noble young master on an outing with his attendant Ke Qingqing, his bodyguard Han Yongfeng, and an obsequious follower Zhang Quande.

The only flaw was that Qi Xuansu lacked the natural disposition of a pampered aristocrat.

As it was still early, Qi Xuansu did not rush back to rest. Instead, he left the inn again to wander the city, taking in the local sights and customs.

To be fair, this was a royal capital, so it was indeed prosperous and bustling.

Qi Xuansu turned to Zhang Quande and asked, “Are you familiar with Phnom Penh?”

Zhang Quande nodded. “Somewhat. I’ve lived here for a few years.”

Qi Xuansu continued, “Then where would you say is worth visiting or at least worth seeing right now?”

Zhang Quande’s eyes darted about. He was no fool. The more he observed, the more he suspected Qi Xuansu’s true identity. To wander about in broad daylight, asking questions without deference even to a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist, this man must be a high Daoist dignitary in disguise who came down to inspect the people.

Catching Zhang Quande’s shifty look, Han Yongfeng barked, “Speak honestly! Stop those little tricks in your head.”

Zhang Quande quickly straightened up. “In terms of scenery, Chralong Lake offers the best views. It’s comparable to the beauty of West Lake in the Central Plains, so it’s truly not to be missed.”

This piqued Qi Xuansu’s curiosity. “Then let’s go have a look at Chralong Lake.”

Since Chralong Lake was some distance from the bustling city center, by the time the four arrived, the sun was setting. The crimson glow spilled across the rippling waters, shifting and shimmering in layered hues. At the core was a dusky gold, spreading outward to orange-red, then deepening into blood-red until it merged into flaming clouds that mirrored upon the lake’s surface. The sight was breathtakingly vivid, rich with color and depth.

Qi Xuansu felt that the trip was well worth it. Along the lakeshore were several small taverns, serving mostly rice wine and simple dishes, like shrimp and snails.

The four entered one such tavern, found a window-side table, and ordered a few local specialties.

Ke Qingqing took the initiative to rinse Qi Xuansu’s cup before pouring him a drink. Qi Xuansu almost told her it was not necessary. After all, during his years wandering Jianghu, he had frequented many humble inns. But he thought better of it and held his tongue.

Since the Daoist Order had abolished servant classes, secretaries were often expected to handle both clerical and personal duties, attending to all matters involving their superiors.

As Qi Xuansu sipped his wine, his gaze drifted toward the window. From this vantage point, the city’s silhouette was still faintly visible. A dark mass trimmed with red under the glow of the setting sun, far enough from the noise, yet not truly distant. The distance felt just right.

This sight stirred Qi Xuansu’s memories of standing beside Zhang Yuelu, gazing over Yishan City beneath a crimson sunset. It had been a rare moment of solitude between them. Though they had many ups and downs, it had deepened and added color to their bond.

Just then, a clamor shattered his reverie, abruptly pulling him back into the present.

Annoyance flickered in Qi Xuansu’s heart, though he showed nothing on his face. Following the sound, he saw it was a pimp swaggering between tables, asking if they wanted girls. He even boasted that each one was of “top quality.”

Qi Xuansu, still holding his wine cup, suddenly flung it. The cup seemed slow, yet moved with incredible speed, spinning before striking the pimp square on the head, sending him tumbling backward. Then the cup spun back to the table, its remaining wine unspilled.

Qi Xuansu had used only refined strength, not enough to cause inner injury. But the man was left reeling, unable to rise for a long moment.

Qi Xuansu had never truly been a good man. He merely worked hard to restrain and refine himself, which at times made him seem like one. Yet at his core, a fierce temper remained.

He had been lost in thoughts of Zhang Yuelu. So for someone to bother him at this moment and smear his memory, it was not just a disturbance. It was an insult and a desecration.

Han Yongfeng and Ke Qingqing both started in alarm. They knew that back in the Imperial Capital, Qi Xuansu had once led the purges and that he despised anything tied to human trafficking. They assumed it was that old fury now rising in him again.

Qi Xuansu said coldly, “Scram.”

Zhang Quande felt a chill run through his entire body. He had already suspected that this “young master” was no ordinary man. But witnessing Qi Xuansu’s strike confirmed it beyond doubt. That single word, “scram,” carried a wave of overwhelming blood qi that turned everything before him a blinding white. It took a long while before he could even breathe again.

Qi Xuansu had lost all mood to drink. He instructed Ke Qingqing to settle the bill and prepared to leave. But to the onlookers, it seemed he was trying to flee after stirring trouble. So, it was no surprise that as soon as he stepped outside, a gang surrounded him.

The pimp who had been struck now held one hand over his swollen forehead. With the other hand, he pointed furiously at Qi Xuansu. “Boss, it’s him!”

The “boss” he spoke of was a towering brute, a local thug with some reputation. He strode forward and grabbed Qi Xuansu by the collar, breathing foul wine fumes into his face. “Boy! Are you the one who threw that cup? Looking for trouble, huh? Do you even know whose turf you’re on?”

Qi Xuansu did not dodge the grab. Han Yongfeng, however, grew anxious. He had assumed Qi Xuansu would repel the man’s hand with his protective qi shield, which was why he had not intervened. But Qi Xuansu did nothing at all.

There was a saying that when the master was humiliated, the retainer would die. Even though the Daoists did not follow that creed, if his superior were manhandled by some ignorant brute while he stood idle, that would be a failing worthy of blame.

At that, Han Yongfeng seized the brute’s wrist using his full strength. A sharp crack sounded as the man’s bones snapped cleanly.

“Take your filthy hand off him!” Han Yongfeng barked.

The burly man staggered back in shock. He was a Guizhen-stage Martial Arts Practitioner. Otherwise, how else could he have monopolized business around Chralong Lake? Yet this man had just crushed his wrist effortlessly, proving that he, too, was at least of the same realm, a formidable adversary.

The brute yanked his hand back. His expression was grim as he locked his eyes warily on Han Yongfeng.

Han Yongfeng stepped in front of Qi Xuansu, shielding him.

Qi Xuansu, of course, needed no protection. But he allowed the display. After all, appearances were important.

By now, Qi Xuansu had regained his composure, suppressing the fierceness of his wandering days and the imperiousness of his rank. He straightened his robe and said calmly, “I was wrong to strike. Qingqing, give him 10 Taiping coins as compensation.”

Ke Qingqing immediately produced a small cash note.

But the burly man did not take it. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Qi Xuansu intently.

Qi Xuansu asked, “What? Do you expect an apology? Or perhaps you’d like to throw a cup back at me? Either is fine.”

The man’s suspicion deepened into unease.