A Pawn's Passage

Great Sage Jiang placed the activated Xuan Jade into Qi Xuansu’s hand.

Qi Xuansu was about to speak, but before he could utter a word, Jiang Hedao raised a hand to stop him. “There is no need to say anything unnecessary to me. You may discuss whatever thoughts you have with the Earthly Preceptor directly. I am merely delivering this gift to you and won’t be involved in anything else.”

Qi Xuansu could only swallow the words that were already at his lips.

Great Sage Jiang continued, “My coming to Poluo this time is not only to pursue Chen Shuhua. I have another mission, which is to temporarily serve as the Acting Poluo Daoist Mansion Master, at least until Great Sage Lan recovers from his injuries.”

Qi Xuansu expected this. The Golden Tower Council would never allow an ordinary Sage like him to serve as an Acting Mansion Master for long. After all, this role exceeded his rank. Thus, Qi Xuansu had only been holding part of the duties. Only a Virtuous Great Sage can take over this position legitimately.

Great Sage Jiang shifted into the main topic. “Since I am to oversee the Poluo Daoist Mansion, I must first understand the situation. So please tell me in detail about all aspects of the Poluo Daoist Mansion.”

Qi Xuansu naturally held nothing back. He recounted everything he had seen, heard, and experienced in Poluo in great detail, then concluded, “Compared to the Central Plains, Poluo has many structural weaknesses that urgently need improving. The fundamental reasons are the lack of support from the Great Xuan Court and the vast, scattered territory. As a result, the Daoist presence here is shallow, creating disorder and allowing the Holy Court to infiltrate on a deeper level.”

Great Sage Jiang listened, pondered for a moment, then said, “Very well. Summon all the Deputy Mansion Masters, Deputy Palace Masters, and first-rank Spirit Guards in two hours for a council.”

Qi Xuansu rose and obliged. “Yes, Great Sage.”

There was no need for Qi Xuansu to notify people personally—a simple order would do. This also formally disseminated the news that Great Sage Jiang would be serving as Acting Mansion Master.

Soon, everyone gathered in the Earth Palace’s council hall. Great Sage Jiang occupied the central main seat, with Wang Jiaohe on his left and Qi Xuansu on his right.

Before Great Sage Jiang, everyone’s posture was extremely humble.

Back in the time of the fifth-generation Grandmaster, the Zixiao Palace Master was a figure not inferior to the three Deputy Grand Masters. Even if the prestige had waned today, he was still the foremost among the seven Virtuous Great Sages. Moreover, Jiang Hedao was now an envoy of the Golden Tower Council and the Acting Mansion Master. Even without his Immortal-level cultivation, these identities alone made everyone tread cautiously around him.

Great Sage Jiang swept his gaze across the room and spoke. “I am only temporarily serving as Acting Mansion Master in place of Great Sage Lan. My primary duty is to maintain stability in the Daoist Mansion. This impromptu meeting is to review what happened with Chen Shuhua’s defection.”

Qi Xuansu and Xu Jiaorong exchanged a glance. Neither spoke.

Wang Jiaohe remained unmoved, but some Deputy Mansion Masters, like Zheng Jiaohe, were already showing signs of unease.

Great Sage Jiang gave Wang Jiaohe a look. “Long-standing frustration turns to illness, and lingering illness becomes a chronic disease, which leads to disaster. Chen Shuhua’s schemes were not accomplished in a single day. It was precisely due to long-term indifference and dereliction of oversight that the situation escalated as it did. We must not conceal the illness or avoid treatment. We cannot stay in denial, as the illness will remain. If left unchecked, it will reach the core, and nothing can be done. Fortunately, it’s still not too late for us to mend the losses.”

Everyone remained silent.

Great Sage Jiang continued, “There will be no harmonious smiles today, nor will we indulge in the farce of self-punishment. A serious illness requires strong medicine. Today, I must point a finger at you, Mansion Master Wang. Your situation is dangerously precarious. How could you fail to notice Chen Shuhua’s abnormalities when you have worked side-by-side with her for so many years? The Golden Tower Council believes there are holes in your explanation. How could you not know about the leakage of dragon qi? When Chen Shuhua caused an uproar in Thanglong Prefecture, your response was inferior even to Chief Deputy Qi, who had only just arrived in Poluo. Do you really think that you can get away with simply saying that this was an oversight? Though the former Second Deputy has been punished, it does not mean that you, as the Mansion Master, bear no responsibility.”

The atmosphere turned tense.

No one had expected Great Sage Jiang to speak so bluntly. Given his status, this likely reflected the Golden Tower Council’s position as well.

Many silently broke into a cold sweat on Wang Jiaohe’s behalf.

Xu Jiaorong then spoke. “Mansion Master Wang, as the Second Deputy in charge of law and as Great Sage Lan’s former secretary, I am reasonably familiar with many matters in the Daoist Mansion. For years, you and Chen Shuhua interacted closely. We are willing to believe you failed to see through her disguise. But on the night of the incident, your reaction was astonishingly sluggish as the Mansion Master. That is difficult to comprehend. What exactly were you doing?”

Wang Jiaohe finally defended himself. “Second Deputy Xu, I can swear to the Primordial Daoist Ancestor that I had no personal exchange of interest with Chen Shuhua, even back when I served as Chief Deputy. We were merely colleagues. Of course, I must admit I failed to see through her disguise. I never imagined she’d harbor such ill intent. I even admired her at one point. That was indeed my dereliction of duty.”

Great Sage Jiang said, “No personal interests? I doubt it is that simple. Chen Shuhua excelled at deception and catered to you in everything. Even if something about her felt off, you would turn a blind eye. Perhaps no Taiping coins were exchanged, but isn’t catering to you a form of interest? Ultimately, you feared that if you removed her, the Golden Tower Council would send a stronger Chief Deputy to restrain you. That way, you could no longer monopolize authority.

“These words might be harsh, but I must say them. Before I came here, the Earthly Preceptor asked me to deliver a message to you. ‘Can Mansion Master Wang truly govern Poluo? As things stand, there are doubts. I hope he will not let Poluo become another Fenglin.’ These were the Earthly Preceptor’s exact words. If I didn’t regard you as a fellow Daoist, I wouldn’t have relayed such harsh words. The Golden Tower Council has discussed the situation in Poluo many times, seeking to preserve stability and to guide you back to the right path.

“At the end of the day, the Golden Tower Council hopes you will voluntarily clarify all issues within the Poluo Daoist Mansion. Lay everything bare and speak frankly. As long as you correct your mistakes, you will remain valued. Every Omniscient Sage is precious to the Daoist Order. But whether your heart still follows the Dao—and how much of it—that is something only you yourself know. I hope you understand that the Daoist Order’s interests must come first, outweighing any personal interest. I also hope you will offer a proper review and explanation to the Daoist Mansion and to the Golden Tower Council regarding this matter.”

Jiang Hedao was a Virtuous Great Sage, so he could speak without restraint, and no one dared to rebut him. People like Zheng Jiaohe were tense and fearful, terrified of being named next.

At this moment, the only one who could save Wang Jiaohe was himself.

Wang Jiaohe stayed silent for a long time before speaking, “The Poluo Daoist Mansion is a special place. Due to its strategic location and complex circumstances, it has two Mansion Masters, just like Fenglin. Strictly speaking, even I am subordinate to Great Sage Lan. Of course, Great Sage Lan deals mainly with military affairs and rarely interacts with the Chief Deputy, so most coordination falls to me. I acknowledge that I have failed in my duties to oversee things.”

He paused and swept his gaze across the room. “Why did neither Great Sage Lan nor I detect Chen Shuhua’s issues early? Was she truly so gifted at deception? I don’t think so, as Chief Deputy Qi discovered her flaws shortly after arriving in Poluo. I have been reflecting on why I failed to see through her disguise. While the root cause lies with me, I must also mention the negative influence Great Sage Lan exerted upon my judgment.

“This touches upon the matter of cultivation level. I am only a Pseudo-Immortal, whereas Great Sage Lan is a true Immortal. Refining Longevity Stones can only be done at the Immortal level. I truly sensed something amiss, but at the time, Chen Shuhua had not yet exposed herself and was still one of us. With Great Sage Lan’s silence on the matter, I couldn’t help but wonder whether I was overthinking. After all, we can’t casually suspect fellow Daoists, as that damages unity. I often thought that if there really were a problem, wouldn’t Great Sage Lan have noticed? I admit that many times, I relied too heavily on his judgment.

“Of course, I’m not shirking responsibility. I will shoulder some blame. After all, it’s still not too late to mend our losses, as you mentioned earlier, Great Sage Jiang. To prevent recurrence, we cannot merely pursue accountability. We must dig deeper and address the root causes.”

The council hall fell silent once more.

Qi Xuansu once again affirmed his earlier conclusion. Wang Jiaohe was indeed shrewd and experienced. Breaking through to him directly would be difficult. The best path was to work through the people around him.

Great Sage Jiang let out a short laugh. “I understand. You believe Great Sage Lan should also bear responsibility. You’re unwilling for two people’s faults to be laid entirely on you, is that it?”

Wang Jiaohe replied with calm dignity, “For the Daoist Order’s sake, there is no question of willing or unwilling. I think we must find and address the root cause. As you said, we must not avoid the illness or stay in denial. In Nanyang, many call Great Sage Lan the emperor of the region. We must be objective to acknowledge whether there is a problem. The key is not assigning blame but preventing recurrence.”

Great Sage Jiang stayed silent for a long time before he sighed. “It seems the waters of Poluo are much deeper than I imagined.”