A Pawn's Passage

Tianfu Palace arranged a fairly large welcoming banquet. Although no wealthy merchants or other outsiders were invited, almost all the prominent figures of both the Daoist Order and the imperial administration in Lion City attended, except for the Grand Protector.

Before attending, Qi Xuansu washed up briefly. Since he had no suitable hechang to change into, he simply dressed in plain attire.

Due to the earlier assassination incident, the atmosphere of the banquet was far from cheerful. Even so, many took turns offering toasts to Qi Xuansu. He did not decline anyone.

......

At the same time, elsewhere in the city, another group of people was also drinking.

These people were not qualified to attend the banquet at Tianfu Palace. They were not members of the Daoist Order. But that did not mean they lacked influence, for Lion City was a city of merchants.

They were the prominent magnates of Lion City, merchants whose businesses had reached a scale where involvement in political affairs became inevitable. At their level, they had no choice but to monitor shifts in the political landscape, whether they wished it or not.

Some of them lived reclusively as true power brokers behind the scenes, while others stood in the spotlight as public celebrities.

Their gathering together was certainly not for drinking alone.

The merchants used an individual dining arrangement, an ancient ceremonial style of dining where each person had a table to themselves. They sat on the east and west sides, while the central main seat facing south remained empty, replaced by a shimmering water screen.

A younger merchant rose to his feet and pointed toward the water screen. The image on it shifted, revealing the side profile of a man—Qi Xuansu.

It was clearly an image recorded during Qi Xuansu’s previous visit to Lion City. No one dared stand directly before him to capture a portrait, so they only managed to get a side angle.

At that time, Qi Xuansu had still been wearing his Five Peaks Crown and did not have a Sword of Wisdom at his waist. He appeared to be listening to someone explain something, with a focused and stern expression. His lips were pressed together, making him seem cold and aloof.

The young merchant introduced the man on the screen. “Qi Xuansu, courtesy name—Tian Yuan. He is 27 years old and was recently promoted by the Golden Tower Council to a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master. That makes him the youngest among all living Sages of the Daoist Order. He now serves as Acting Chief Deputy of the Poluo Daoist Mansion, also the youngest in that position. He sits just below the Great Sage of the Poluo Daoist Mansion and the Mansion Master, nominally the third-in-command, but in practice, the second-in-command, standing toe-to-toe with Mansion Master Wang.”

A middle-aged merchant holding a thick cigar between two fingers exhaled a cloud of smoke. “So this is what they call a rising young talent. This man may well become a Hall Master in Jade Capital one day. Why is he coming to our little Lion City to stir up such a commotion? Is all this really necessary?”

The young merchant said, “Secret societies, Nanyang natives, Westerners—these are all reasons Sage Qi has come to Lion City.”

“These are all minor rashes, nothing serious. I think it’s really just an internal struggle within the Poluo Daoist Mansion.” Another merchant added. “Everyone knows Sage Chen defected. She was perfectly fine all these years, yet the moment Sage Qi appeared, Sage Chen fled. We can only guess what really happened there. Sage Qi must have forced her hand, which shows that he’s no easy character. He stirred up trouble in Thanglong Prefecture, and now he’s come to Lion City to stir the pot again.

I fear our good days may be coming to an end.”

An elderly man with snowy-white hair took a sip of wine and said, “I’ve heard that Sage Qi came to the Nanyang with a mission to straighten out the Poluo Daoist Mansion and topple Sage Wang and Sage Chen. Now that Sage Chen has already fallen in Thanglong Prefecture, Sage Qi’s arrival in Lion City is naturally aimed at Sage Wang. After all, the Nanyang United Trading Company is here in Lion City. That’s Sage Wang’s purse and weak spot.”

At those words, the room fell into silence.

......

At the welcome banquet, Qi Xuansu raised his cup and said, “Lion City is the most prosperous place in Nanyang, a brilliant pearl of our region. It isn’t too far behind Jinling Prefecture in the Central Plains.”

Xie Jiaofeng quickly replied, “This is all thanks to the leadership of the Golden Tower Council and the Imperial Court, as well as the joint efforts of the Daoist Mansion and the Nanting Protectorate.”

The superintendent of Tianfu Palace added flatteringly, “The Grand Protector, Deputy Mansion Master Xie, and Deputy Protector Qin have contributed greatly to Lion City’s development over the years. Commerce prospers, order is stable, and the people live in peace.”

Qi Xuansu said nothing. His expression showed neither agreement nor disagreement.

Chen Jianchou spoke on his behalf. “Indeed, commerce here is prosperous. But I’m not so sure about a stable order...”

In an instant, all smiles froze.

The superintendent replied, “Of course, there are still shortcomings.”

Qin Hengjun had no choice but to step in. “Daoist Chen is right. There are many areas we still need to strengthen and improve. Sage Qi’s visit to Lion City is a sign of care and concern for us.”

Xie Jiaofeng promptly voiced his stance as well. “Sage Qi, rest assured. Under your guidance, we will identify our shortcomings, make immediate corrections, and ensure that you, the Daoist Mansion, and the Golden Tower Council are satisfied.”

Qi Xuansu finally spoke. “It’s not enough to only satisfy the higher-ups. More importantly, we must satisfy the people. After all, the higher-ups could not be pleased if those below are dissatisfied. The people are the foundation. Without their support, any lofty tower will be flimsy.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

At this moment, none of Xie Jiaofeng’s roughness that was so common when dealing with subordinates could be seen. Only bureaucratic polish remained as he smoothly shifted the topic. “Sage Qi, many of us have been eagerly anticipating your arrival in Lion City. They can’t wait to meet the hero of the Fenglin battlefield.”

......

At the other banquet, the young merchant continued, “He takes no bribes and isn’t interested in women. His ambition clearly lies beyond small matters. Rumor has it that when Sage Qi was still a superintendent in the Imperial Capital, a wealthy merchant—Old Master Gao—offered him 200,000 Taiping coins, begging him to overlook a case. But Sage Qi refused. Old Master Gao ended up dying in the Daoist Mansion’s secret dungeon. Sage Qi is also conservative. Aside from the noble lady of the Zhang family, he has had no close dealings with any young women. He is practically untouched by beauty. The little trick we used last time was meaningless.”

The cigar-holding merchant no longer had the mood to puff smoke. “Not long ago, Sage Qi survived an assassination attempt. The assassin even used heavy firearms. But I presume that wasn’t the handiwork of anyone at this table, right?”

“Only a few dare to touch heavy firearms, since that’s the sort of thing that gets whole families executed. What benefit is there for people like us to assassinate a Sage that might become a Hall Master?”

Another merchant said, “If you ask me, this is an internal struggle of the Daoist Order. Qi Xuansu’s success and demise are most likely for the same reason—his boundless future in Jade Capital.”

The young merchant said, “The problem now is that Qi Xuansu will almost certainly make a grand issue out of this assassination. Originally, Tianfu Palace and the Nanting Protectorate would have restrained him, as they wouldn’t want him digging too deep. But now, after what happened, both sides are guilty. So to clear their names, they will have no choice but to help him investigate. They may even work harder than he does, becoming the knife in his hand. We all know that there are many things in Lion City that must never be investigated.”

Someone suggested, “Could this assassination attempt have been staged by Qi Xuansu himself just to seize leverage over Tianfu Palace and the Nanting Protectorate?”

The young merchant replied, “It’s possible. But the event has already happened. Tianfu Palace and the Nanting Protectorate have already been caught in his grip. Whether Qi Xuansu staged it or not no longer matters. What matters now is how we should respond.”

No one spoke.

This approaching tide was overwhelming and not easy to counter.

When Qi Xuansu last visited Lion City, they had already tried softer methods, but to no avail. Qi Xuansu had promptly donated those carefully crafted Holy Xuan Cards to the grand library of the Poluo Daoist Mansion.

The Holy Xuan Cards had been a probing gesture as a test of Qi Xuansu’s attitude, and his response had made his stance abundantly clear. After that incident, no one could deliver any gift, no matter how valuable.

If they wanted to take the hard route, assassination was a fitting choice. However, someone had beaten them to it and failed. Instead, it even backfired to become a weapon in Qi Xuansu’s hands.

The white-haired old man lifted his wine cup but did not bring it to his lips. He said, “Every household in Nanyang has business dealings with the Nanyang United Trading Company, and everyone knows at least some of its inside stories. Qi Xuansu will surely set his sights on us. He’s certainly not easy to deal with, but is Wang Jiaohe any better? As things stand now, offending either side won’t do us any good. This is indeed a dilemma.”

A dilemma could never satisfy both sides, so a choice must be made.

Should they believe that Sage Wang would remain unshakable in Nanyang? Or should they bet on Sage Qi rebuilding Nanyang?

If they sided with Sage Qi but Sage Wang did not fall, they would surely face retribution later. But if they sided with Sage Wang and he toppled, their massive share in the Nanyang United Trading Company would be seized, and they might even be implicated as accomplices.

Thus, choosing a side would test their judgment and courage. It required them to take a gamble on their luck.

After the welcome banquet ended, Qi Xuansu had Tianfu Palace assign two female Daoists to clean up Little Yin thoroughly.

He soon received a message from Zhang Yuelu through their linked Daoist licenses.

Zhang Yuelu was at the Ziguang Society headquarters. Given how well-informed they were, she naturally learned at the first moment of Qi Xuansu’s assassination attempt and his subsequent safety.

Thus, Zhang Yuelu intentionally waited for some time, roughly estimating when the banquet would end before contacting Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu assured Zhang Yuelu that he was unharmed. After that, they exchanged their respective intelligence.

The woman Zhang Yuelu had marked had already left the underground auction hall. As soon as she arrived at the Nanyang United Trading Company’s warehouse, Zhang Yuelu would immediately make her move.