A Pawn's Passage

Xu Jiaorong asked, “Do you know where Chen Shuhua is hiding?”

Zheng Jiaohe replied, “I only know she has a hideout somewhere in Nanyang. It used to be an Ancient Immortal’s cave dwelling, but I don’t know the exact location.”

Xu Jiaorong nodded. “Very well. From this moment on, you will submit to our investigation.”

“I will cooperate fully, rest assured.” Zheng Jiaohe had clearly expected this and remained calm. “Please wait a moment in the reception hall. I’ll change out of this hechang and speak with you immediately.”

The Spirit Guards had already surrounded the place, so they were not afraid that Zheng Jiaohe would attempt an escape.

Xu Jiaorong looked at him and sighed. “Be quick.”

Zheng Jiaohe nodded. “Alright.”

Xu Jiaorong turned and walked out. A few Daoist priests hesitated to leave, but seeing as their boss left, they followed suit.

Now, only Zheng Jiaohe remained inside the office.

Zheng Jiaohe activated the voice transmission talisman on his desk and said casually, “It’s me. There’s a last-minute council today, so I won’t be going back home tonight. Alright, see you.”

After speaking, Zheng Jiaohe picked up his brush and wrote a few lines on a blank sheet. He set it on the desk, rose to his feet, and looked around the room one last time. He removed his hechang and placed his Five Peaks Crown atop the paper, then changed into plain clothes.

He then drew a brand-new Dragon Painting Pistol from his magical receptacle. Its lines were elegant, and its details were exquisite. It looked less like a weapon and more like fine craftsmanship. Only its color was different from ordinary pistols. Its entire surface was glossy and pitch-black, like polished obsidian. Its firepower was tremendous. Yao Pei had once given Qi Xuansu one.

Zheng Jiaohe expertly loaded a Grade-A Series Seven Dragon Eye Bullet, which was the maximum grade the pistol could withstand.

He gently caressed the dark barrel, then lifted the pistol and slowly pushed the muzzle into his mouth.

If fired at someone head-on, the shot might not kill a Heavenly Being. But the physical body was weakest from within. If the bullet bypassed one’s qi shield and detonated inside, one would be completely vulnerable.

Xu Jiaorong waited in the reception hall outside, expressionless.

A subordinate could not help but ask her, “Second Deputy Xu...do you think Zheng Jiaohe would be thinking of suicide?”

Xu Jiaorong merely closed her eyes and said nothing.

The subordinate shrank his neck back, not daring to speak further.

Only when a deafening gunshot erupted from inside the office did Xu Jiaorong slowly open her eyes and quietly instruct, “Alright. Go in.”

The Daoist priests and Spirit Guards entered the office and found Zheng Jiaohe had already shot himself, his head nearly blown to smithereens. Before dying, he left a final letter admitting all crimes and implicating no one else.

Xu Jiaorong remained seated in the reception hall, her expression calm.

Great Sage Jiang had allowed Zheng Jiaohe’s suicide, which was why Xu Jiaorong had waited outside.

Zheng Jiaohe’s suicide would protect many people. If the investigation continued to its end, countless individuals would be implicated, and half the Poluo Daoist Mansion would collapse, shattering balance and stability.

Qi Xuansu had long understood that justice was secondary when dealing with such matters. Stability and balance were paramount. All acts of upholding justice were on the premise that stability was maintained. That was the rule of the game. Unless one has the power to break the rules, one must abide by them.

Having served in the Daoist Mansion for many years, Xu Jiaorong naturally understood this. She was not an idealist, but a realist. Thus, she agreed with Great Sage Jiang’s decision.

Soon, news of Zheng Jiaohe’s death spread throughout all of Poluo.

Many rushed to the Wang family estate. Some were seeking reassurance from Wang Jiaohe, while others were there to gauge the shifting winds.

Even more people distanced themselves from the Wang family, choosing to cut ties.

Wang Jiaohe understood perfectly. Great Sage Jiang was still protecting the greater structure. He allowed Zheng Jiaohe an easy death, ending the trail instead of digging deeper.

If Great Sage Jiang had wanted Zheng Jiaohe to live, the Deputy Mansion Master would not have gotten a chance to commit suicide.

By preserving the Poluo Daoist Mansion, Great Sage Jiang was maintaining the Daoist Order’s dominance in Nanyang. If that foundation were shaken, everything would collapse.

All struggles must serve the ultimate goal, which was to preserve Daoist rule in the region.

Therefore, most of the time, even amid fierce political struggles, extreme measures were avoided. But if push comes to shove, the Daoist Order would fight to the end. Victory belonged to whichever side had more courage, so who lived and who died was never certain in a life-and-death fight.

The people rushing to Wang Jiaohe’s residence wanted to fight to the end. If they did not act now, their entire faction would be wiped out. Zheng Jiaohe’s fate today would be their fate tomorrow.

......

Wu’an Prefecture was the largest port in the Yu Kingdom, located roughly 100 kilometers northeast of its capital, Thanglong Prefecture. It was the third-largest prefecture after Thanglong and Annam, with seven counties under its administration.

Being close to the Lingnan Daoist Mansion, trade here was flourishing.

In addition, this place housed the second-largest shipyard in Nanyang. Though the Yu Kingdom could not manufacture many components itself, parts could be shipped here for assembly. Numerous large docks operated in the area. If the Shibo Hall had damaged vessels, the repairs or replacements could be done here.

At this moment, the Wu’an Prefecture’s shipyard bustled with activity. Countless workers labored as cranes hoisted steel plates onto the ships under construction.

Some ships already had form, while others were nothing more than skeletal frameworks.

A squad of Spirit Guards entered the yard, sealing all entrances and exits, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving freely.

Terror flickered in the workers’ eyes, yet none dared to stop working.

Moments later, Li Changge entered, surrounded by a group of Daoist priests and Spirit Guards.

Li Changge swept his gaze across the yard and ordered, “Don’t disrupt their work.”

“Yes, sir.” The Spirit Guards responded immediately in unison.

Li Changge led his entourage toward the deeper section of the shipyard.

According to Beichen Hall’s intelligence, Sun Jiaofeng had not returned home for days and had been hiding somewhere within this shipyard. Thus, Li Changge traveled from Thanglong to Wu’an Prefecture.

There was a two-story building within the shipyard, which functioned as Sun Jiaofeng’s office and residence.

Li Changge entered the first-floor reception hall. The managers of the shipyard, already alerted, stood waiting inside with their heads bowed and hands drooped to the side, looking like prisoners awaiting judgment. Upon seeing Li Changge, they all bowed.

Some addressed him as Junior Imperial Preceptor, while others called him High Mage Li.

Li Changge asked, “Where is Sun Jiaofeng?”

The managers exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, an elderly steward with graying hair stepped forward and said, “Sun Jiaofeng is not here. He is aboard the King’s Vessel.”

“The King’s Vessel?” Li Changge asked.

The steward hurriedly explained, “It’s an old-style warship from the Western devils, with many sails. It’s very beautiful. But ever since ironclad warships were invented, these sail ships have fallen out of favor and were removed from the Western navy fleets. Sun Jiaofeng was fond of this type of ship, so he bought it and had it renovated. Now, it’s used to host guests and hold banquets, much like the ornate boats of Jiangnan but far larger. It’s usually docked at the port.”

Li Changge said, “Take me there.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” The steward responded quickly and led the way.

Soon, Li Changge and his group reached the docks and saw the Western warship known as the King’s Vessel.

As the steward had said, the ship was indeed magnificent. Its snow-white sails billowed like layered clouds, its hull was scrubbed spotless, and the ornate figurehead resembled a Western king.

But the King’s Vessel was eerily quiet, utterly still. Not a single figure stood upon the deck.

Li Changge frowned slightly and gestured for the Spirit Guards to board the ship.

Just then, music from a zither drifted from the ship.

The melody carried grief and urgency, like the furious crashing of waves at sea. Each wave rose higher than the last, as if intent on hurling the ship atop the crest into the heavens.

Li Changge’s expression shifted slightly.

At that moment, the entire vessel suddenly burst into flames. The pristine sails and spotless decks were instantly engulfed by the fire.

These were no ordinary flames. They were fueled by the Dragon Eye and Phoenix Eye Series Ammunition. Such fires could hardly be extinguished, and ordinary Spirit Guards could not approach at all.

Soon, the towering blaze severed the masts. Some collapsed into the water with a thunderous crash, while others remained upright as fire climbed their lengths, as though attempting to set the heavens alight.

The flames even spread across the sea’s surface, burning fiercely atop the waves and turning the entire sea a fiery red.

Li Changge stood on the shore, his silhouette dyed crimson by the inferno ahead.

Amid the roaring blaze, the zither’s melody grew fainter until it vanished altogether.

A Spirit Guard stepped forward and asked, “Deputy Hall Master, what should we do now?”

Li Changge spoke calmly. “Find the body, whether alive or dead. We must confirm its identity.”

The Spirit Guards acknowledged in unison.

The flames grew fiercer. One mast after another collapsed, crashing onto the deck.

Already weakened from the extreme heat, the deck caved in under the impact.

The elegant upper structures of the ship also collapsed in the raging fire.

Before long, the entire vessel began to sink, and the flames gradually died down.

The Spirit Guards leaped into the water and began their search.

Some Diviners soul-traveled to ensure no one had slipped away underwater or under the cover of the flames.

In the end, a charred corpse was recovered from the water. After multiple layers of verification, it was confirmed to be Sun Jiaofeng.

Sun Jiaofeng was the boss behind the Nanyang United Trading Company. After his son and daughter were both arrested, he knew he had nowhere left to run. So he chose to die by self-immolation, and with him, all the incriminating ledgers were also reduced to ashes.