A Pawn's Passage

The Funan Kingdom lay by the sea, and across that same sea rested the Kingdom of Jawa. Like Fenglin, the Jawa Kingdom was an island nation, but it was far more fragmented. It was composed of nearly 20,000 islands and was home to a vast population.

Among these countless islands lay a strategic strait that became the vital link between Nanhai and the Western Ocean, known as the Silk Road of the seas. Countless merchant ships passed through it every year. Should anything go wrong, the losses would be incalculable.

Both the Daoist Order and the Great Xuan Court valued this region, so they established the Nanting Protectorate on both sides of the strait. The Nanhai Navy also patrolled its waters constantly, ensuring that the passage remained safe and unobstructed.

The Jawa Kingdom was also where the Heavenly Court set up its main altar. However, it was hidden somewhere within Jawa’s thousands of islands.

Moreover, this region served as a haven for countless pirates in Nanyang. Not all could match the Heavenly Court’s might, which dominated the seas. Many smaller pirate bands consisted of only a dozen men and a single ship. They lived as ordinary fishermen by day, which made them almost impossible to distinguish.

Though the Great Xuan Navy was unmatched in open battle, they could not win a game of hide-and-seek across 20,000 islands. To eliminate piracy entirely, the Great Xuan Court would need to extend its governance to every island county, which was an impossible feat. The Daoist Order and the Great Xuan Court could only secure the strait and coastal lands, leaving the pirates free to roam in other areas.

Given such unique circumstances, Qi Xuansu planned to visit the Jawa Kingdom, making it the second stop on his tour.

Curious about the pirates, Qi Xuansu ordered the flying ship to descend upon the sea and sail like a common ship. After all, a flying ship could double as a normal seafaring ship as well. It could even travel over land, though few ever tried this.

Beyond confronting the pirates, Qi Xuansu wished to witness the scenery at sea.

In the Central Plains, monsters had become a rarity. Under the Daoist Order’s relentless purges, such beings had either submitted, fled, or perished. Even the mighty flood dragons had been hunted nearly to extinction, let alone the weaker creatures. By contrast, there were still many demons and monsters in Fenglin.

It was much the same in Nanyang. However, most monsters in this region were sea-dwellers. They lived beneath the waves. Aside from occasionally harassing ships, they seldom troubled those on land.

But Godly Immortals and such creatures were always at odds. There was a native goddess of Nanyang who was said to have attained immortality during the early Jin Dynasty, even before the birth of the great Confucian Sages.

On the evening before her birth, villagers witnessed a meteor transforming into a streak of crimson light, shooting down from the northwestern heavens, illuminating the entire island in a radiant red glow. Many believed it was the descent of a Heavenly Immortal into the mortal world.

However, she never cried from the moment she was born until her full-moon celebration. Thus, her parents named her Moniang, which meant silent girl.

From an early age, Moniang devoted herself to charity and saving others, vowing never to marry in her lifetime. She studied medicine and healing with diligence. She treated the sick and taught people how to prevent plagues and misfortune, guiding them to avoid calamity and seek blessings. She often helped fishing or merchant boats in danger and could even predict changes in the weather, warning sailors when to stay ashore. Hence, the people revered her as a goddess or Dragon Girl.

At the age of 28, Moniang gathered enough incense power and ascended into immortality. That day, a colorful cloud rose slowly into the sky. Thereafter, sailors often claimed to see Moniang clad in red, soaring above the waves to rescue those in distress. Over time, ships began to worship her image on their decks, praying for safe voyages and calm seas. They honored her with the title of Heavenly Empress.

The Heavenly Empress was not the Heavenly Emperor’s consort. They were unrelated and were only given the title to signify the utmost divinity and sanctity.

The Confucian School and the Daoist Order also conferred titles on her.

During the Dark Ages of Daoism, when it merged with Buddhism, Daoists were influenced by Buddhists, boasting endlessly of divine powers and miracles and even fabricating countless false deities. Yet no matter how the Daoists exaggerated, they could never out-boast the Buddhists nor outshine the latter’s grandiose visions. In abandoning the cosmic philosophy of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, Daoist doctrine became confused, and its reasoning absurd.

In terms of governance and morality, the Daoists were utterly crushed by the Confucians. A far cry from the dignified age of Huang-Lao philosophy. They had truly fallen to the bottom among the Three Religions.

Thus, when Holy Xuan rebuilt the Daoist Order, he strictly forbade the fabrication of false deities and conducted a thorough purge and reorganization. Many deities were struck from the canon, yet Wu Yang and the Heavenly Empress were retained.

The worship of the Heavenly Empress spread far and wide, encompassing all of Nanyang as well as Qizhou, Jiangnan, Lingnan, and even Fenglin. She was the most venerated goddess in the Daoist Order.

However, this deity had long since ascended, and her departure gave rise to secret societies seizing influence across Nanyang. It was said that her Divine Kingdom still remained hidden somewhere in Nanyang, containing her legacy. For centuries, countless seekers had sailed the seas to find it, yet everyone had returned empty-handed.

Another legend claimed that Lin Lingsu, the Imperial Preceptor of the Jin Dynasty, had inherited the Heavenly Empress’s legacy by sheer chance, which allowed him to ascend as an Immortal. This rumor likely arose because he shared the same last name as Moniang, so people assumed they were of the same lineage.

Unfortunately, Lin Yuanmiao was not by Qi Xuansu’s side at the moment. Otherwise, Qi Xuansu would have asked him whether this rumor held any truth.

Speaking of Lin Yuanmiao, Qi Xuansu had not cared about him in a while. Though they had signed a spiritual contract, Qi Xuansu could no longer buy Lin Yuanmiao any Soul-Returning Incense because he was now completely broke after buying that residence in Taishang Place. He was even burdened with a century-long debt, so he had no funds to spare.

On the contrary, after Zhang Yuelu was appointed as the successor of the Zhang family by the Heavenly Preceptor, she was granted resources that Qi Xuansu sorely lacked. Thus, Qi Xuansu allowed Lin Yuanmiao to remain by Zhang Yuelu’s side since the Fenglin campaign. With Zhang Yuelu’s newfound wealth, Lin Yuanmiao could soon regain his former cultivation at the Zaohua stage. That way, he could serve as an assistant and bodyguard to Zhang Yuelu, who was far more physically fragile compared to Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu had considered training Little Yin more diligently, as she had great potential to become his assistant and bodyguard. However, her temperament gave him a headache.

At that moment, Qi Xuansu stood at the ship’s bow with Spirit Guard Ding Chou, gazing at the endless sea while discussing the pirate lords who ruled these waters.

The greatest pirate leader, also known as the overlord of the seas, was none other than the head of the Heavenly Court—the Golden Patriarch. In Jianghu, he was acknowledged as the foremost Pseudo-Immortal who could contend against even Great Sage Lan. Some rumors said that the Golden Patriarch had already attained immortality but chose to conceal his strength, showing himself to the world as only a Pseudo-Immortal.

No one knew whether these rumors were true because the Golden Patriarch had long ceased any public appearances. All affairs of the Heavenly Court were now handled by their Grand Leader Wu Guangbi.

However, in recent years, the Heavenly Court had shown signs of expanding inland toward the Central Plains. Thus, Wu Guangbi frequently appeared in the Central Plains, while in Nanyang, his role was filled by Liu Gui, the Heavenly Court’s third-in-command.

In the previous Wei Dynasty, Nanyang had been ruled by several great maritime clans—the Wangs, Zhengs, and Lius. Though they were known as sea merchants, they were in truth traders by day and pirates by night, each acting as a local overlord.

When the Daoist Order later extended its rule to Nanyang, the Wang family was quick to pledge allegiance. During the campaign on Shakya, they rendered great military service in aiding the fifth-generation Grand Master’s surprise amphibious assault. The West Shakya army was forced into total retreat from East Shakya. After the fifth-generation Grand Master rose to power, the Wang family’s status soared. Eventually, they held firm control over the Poluo Daoist Mansion, which then became their family’s private domain.

But there was a saying that the virtue of a noble family would fade after five generations. No matter how heroic the Wang ancestors had once been, their glory could not shield their descendants forever. Hence, Qi Xuansu’s presence in Poluo.

The other two families—the Zhengs and the Lius—had been a step too late in joining the Daoist Order. They were subordinate to the Wangs. The Zheng family eventually turned to the Great Xuan Court, and their descendants came to serve in the Lingnan Navy and the Nanhai Navy.

Unlike the other two families, the Liu family never sought to legitimize their power. Instead, they became the foundation of the Heavenly Court.

Just as the Zhangs and Lis had entered the Daoist Order with wealth and influence, the Lius did the same for the Heavenly Court. Hence, within that organization, the Liu family wielded considerable power, and Liu Gui served as the current head of the family.

Beyond the Heavenly Court, there were a few smaller pirate bands who were not yet true secret societies. These bands were backed by wealthy merchants or the local gentry. Their power and influence were far weaker, mere ripples compared to the massive wave that was the Heavenly Court.

The reason the Heavenly Court could rise and thrive was that it stood under the shadow of the great Li family of the Taiping Sect.

Thus, some joked that, thankfully, it was not the Junior Imperial Preceptor who was sent to Poluo. If he had come instead, things would not have been handled with such grace and restraint. The Heavenly Court would have been caught in a bloody storm.

Of course, it was precisely because of his political stance that the Junior Imperial Preceptor could not set foot in Poluo at all.

Qi Xuansu had intended to see what the pirates of Nanyang were like. But forget pirates, even ordinary merchant ships kept their distance. After all, the Daoist flying ships were too conspicuous. Upon sighting one, any sailor would hasten to steer clear because to collide with a Daoist dignitary’s ship, even by accident, was considered a grave offense.

None of the sea demons and monsters dared to show themselves either, let alone stir the waters. That was because the Daoist flying ships were crafted from the bones of flood dragons, so the lingering aura of the dragon’s spirit mingled with the resentment of its dying breath was enough to terrify all creatures. Except for a Great Yokai like the Yamata-no-Orochi, none would be foolish enough to tempt fate.

Yet just as Qi Xuansu thought this voyage would end in disappointment, a massive ship suddenly raced toward them across the waves.