A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu finally took out the Three Treasures Scepter, feeling a trace of reluctance.

After all, this was the first true immortal object he had wielded. Green Cloud did not count, as it was a semi-immortal object on its own and one half of an immortal object. The Scripture of Zuriel did not count either, as the original was ripped apart by the Sakka.

Moreover, its significance was extraordinary. As the token of the Grand Master, even if it possessed no mystical powers and was merely an ordinary scepter, it would still be shrouded in a sacred aura.

Great Sage Jiang accepted the Three Treasures Scepter, gave a meaningful smile, and turned to leave.

Soon, Qi Xuansu’s flying ship descended from the sky.

Qi Xuansu and Little Yin boarded the flying ship and departed from the area.

Meanwhile, Great Sage Lan captured Sun Heyu, who had already been gravely wounded by Lin Yuanmiao. Considering Sun Heyu’s advanced age and the potential repercussions, he might not be sentenced to death but instead spend his remaining years in the Demon Suppression Tower.

Besides that, there was an unexpected gain.

The defectors, Qian Xiangyun and Wen Weng, were both in the Tongzhen Palace.

After the two Great Sages left, the three first-rank Spirit Guards and several Daoist priests carried out a thorough search of Tongzhen Palace inside and out and discovered the two of them.

According to their testimony, after fleeing the Imperial Capital, they had searched Nanyang for traces of Tongzhen Palace, intending only to seek a fortuitous encounter with an Immortal, but they never expected that this legendary palace had already been taken by someone else—Chen Shuhua. At that point, they had only two choices. They could either become materials for the Longevity Stone and the blood formation or they could submit to Chen Shuhua.

With no alternative, the two chose the latter and remained in Tongzhen Palace.

The vast Tongzhen Palace required people to manage it. For the sake of secrecy, Chen Shuhua had always been alone in the past, so the arrival of two helpers who came to her of their own accord was something she naturally welcomed.

During this time, the two were effectively under house arrest in Tongzhen Palace, unable to take a single step outside. Their duties were similar to those of stewards, maintaining the palace’s operations and carrying out Chen Shuhua’s various orders.

Of course, this was only their side of the story. Chen Shuhua was already dead, leaving no one to confirm or refute it.

However, the interior of Tongzhen Palace had already been stripped clean by Chen Shuhua. Aside from the palace itself, there was essentially nothing of value left. Any hope of gaining an Immortal’s legacy was out of the question. This made it clear just how resource-intensive becoming an Immortal was. Chen Shuhua had drained half of the Yu royal family dry. Moreover, she had the additional resources from Tongzhen Palace and the Poluo Daoist Mansion, as its former Chief Deputy. She even had the secret support of Ancient Immortals. Only then was she able to achieve immortality.

No matter what, Qian Xiangyun’s fate boiled down to two possibilities. She could keep Sun Heyu company or be sent to the Kunlun Daoist Mansion to build Daoist temples, making full use of what she was worth.

Wen Weng’s situation was more complicated, as it involved Prince Liao and the Wuxing Mountain incident. Behind Prince Liao was the Great Xuan Emperor, whose cultivation and political power were no less than those of the three Deputy Grand Masters, perhaps even greater. That made the matter difficult to handle.

If the Quanzhen Sect wished to pursue the matter to the end, they would make a big issue out of Wen Weng. If they chose to stop while they were ahead, then they would hand Wen Weng over to the Great Xuan Court or to the Taiping Sect.

The Quanzhen Sect would most likely choose the latter. The Daoist Order was ill-suited to directly interfere in court affairs. Even if something were uncovered, the court would still have to handle it, so there was little point.

Qi Xuansu no longer cared much about the fates of the two.

Looking back now, the two of them were more like catalysts that led to the subsequent events at Tongzhen Palace. Beyond that, there was little real importance.

Qi Xuansu was now the Chief Deputy Mansion Master. He had dealt with a Mansion Master, a former Mansion Master, a Chief Deputy Mansion Master, and two Deputy Mansion Masters, so why would he care about a traitorous lowest-ranking Deputy Mansion Master?

Both the Poluo Daoist Mansion and the Lingnan Daoist Mansion wanted to claim ownership of Tongzhen Palace. In the end, Great Sage Lan made the final call and awarded it to the Lingnan Daoist Mansion. After all, the Lingnan Daoist Mansion had rendered great assistance this time, and the Poluo Daoist Mansion had to show some appreciation.

Next came a grand, high-profile trial.

All those at the rank of Deputy Palace Master and Deputy Mansion Master and above were handed over to Jade Capital for judgment.

The remaining individuals were dealt with by the Poluo Daoist Mansion itself, mainly under the supervision of the Second Deputy Mansion Master.

Qi Xuansu was no longer the Second Deputy Mansion Master of Poluo, so it was not his responsibility. His focus had to remain on trade, which was something Great Sage Jiang had repeatedly emphasized.

With that, many matters came to a pause.

The once bustling Poluo was finally going to quiet down.

Zhang Yuelu was returning to the Lingnan Daoist Mansion, and those who had assisted with the case would leave with her. However, Little Yin stayed behind, as she still intended to roam Nanyang.

Lin Yuanmiao also left with Zhang Yuelu. Although both he and Little Yin were Daoists, Little Yin was a wandering Daoist with no post, no stipend, no authority, and no duties, so she was free to go wherever she pleased. Lin Yuanmiao, on the other hand, held the position of Deputy Palace Master. He had a stipend, authority, and responsibilities, so he could not travel at will.

Yao Pei, Li Changge, Li Zhuyu, and the others would leave with Great Sage Jiang, taking charge of all the subsequent matters, including the sentencing of Lin Tianhe, Sun Heyu, Wang Jiaoying, and others. The procedures had to be conducted in full accordance with the rules.

In this regard, Beichen Hall usually only played a supporting role, while Fengxian Hall took the lead. More precisely, it was mainly a matter of drafting the case files.

Wang Jiaoyan, Sun Yaozhen, Sun Yaoping, Wang Danqing, Lin Qingcheng, Wu Burong, Guo Yongyan, and the rest were left behind for the Poluo Daoist Mansion to deal with, so Xu Jiaorong was going to be very busy.

At the same time, a batch of Spirit Guards was also dealt with personally by Great Sage Lan, though the details were unknown to outsiders.

Now, Qi Xuansu only needed to focus on one thing—restructuring the Nanyang United Trading Company.

When Qi Xuansu’s flying ship landed outside Lion City, the entire dock was packed with people.

All the prominent merchants of Lion City had gathered there to welcome the Chief Deputy Mansion Master.

The news of Mansion Master Wang Jiaohe’s downfall spread throughout Nanyang almost overnight. The Wang and Sun families had been uprooted completely, and everything, from start to finish, had been orchestrated by this Chief Deputy Mansion Master.

What an impressive maneuver!

Many people could already see the rise of a Great Sage.

At the very least, he would become a Virtuous Great Sage, perhaps even a Deputy Grand Master, or even the Grand Master himself.

From a practical standpoint, Wang Jiaohe’s fall created a massive power vacuum. The Golden Tower Council had yet to send a new Mansion Master. Nominally, the Great Sage was acting in that role, but everyone knew what kind of temperament Great Sage Lan had, so most of the Mansion Master’s authority would in fact fall into the hands of Chief Deputy Qi.

To be more specific, the Nanyang United Trading Company was a huge pie, and the knife to cut it was in Chief Deputy Qi’s hands. Who got a bigger slice and who got a smaller one was entirely up to him.

Given the sheer scale of the Nanyang United Trading Company, a single cut could mean the start of a flourishing family that would last for a hundred years.

Qi Xuansu was now, quite literally, a living and breathing God of Wealth, so who wouldn’t be tempted to curry favor with him?

This time was unlike before, when there had been a hint of perfunctory politeness. Now, everyone was sincere, because everyone wanted a piece of that pie.

Qi Xuansu led Little Yin and Chen Jianchou down the ramp and discovered that a carpet had been laid out on the ground. A crowd of wealthy merchants in fine robes stood on either side of it, bowing in unison.

Qi Xuansu raised a hand, signaling that there was no need for such formalities.

Not just anyone was qualified to step onto the carpet to welcome Qi Xuansu.

Qin Hengjun, Xie Jiaofeng, Du Yuhua, Qi Muyu, Manager Hu, and the others came forward one after another to greet Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu chided, “Deputy Mansion Master Xie, this is far too grand. It’s not appropriate.”

Xie Jiaofeng chuckled. “Chief Deputy Qi, it wasn’t me! I didn’t arrange this. It was everyone’s own initiative, wasn’t it?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd around them answered in a resounding chorus of agreement.

Qi Xuansu had nothing more to say. Surrounded by the crowd, he boarded the carriage that had long been prepared and headed toward the city.

At the front, the Black Robes cleared the way. Behind them, the affluent merchants each had their own carriage, forming a long convoy, so much so that while some carriages had already entered the city gate, those at the back were still stuck at the docks.

Seen from high above, one would see a clear black line.

The scene was truly magnificent.

Sitting inside the carriage, Qi Xuansu once again felt the intoxicating sweetness of power.

This was something money could never buy. Power itself was a form of strength.

The coronation of a weak and impoverished small nation, no matter how grand or solemn, only gave the impression of a monkey wearing a crown. But the coronation of a mighty empire, no matter how simple, would make people feel an invisible pressure, because such a great power truly held the fates of many in their grasp, with life and death, honor and disgrace hinging on a single thought.

Was this not a kind of power?

Qi Xuansu believed that Xie Jiaofeng had not arranged all this. At most, he would have laid out a carpet. Such a massive convoy was merely a coincidence, yet it was precisely this coincidence that demonstrated the power Qi Xuansu now held. He was no monkey in a crown.

Little Yin leaned against the carriage window, watching the scenery.

On both sides of the convoy were Black Robes, their metal armor grim and imposing. Beyond the Black Robes were onlookers lining both sides of the street.

There were countless people who wanted to curry favor with Qi Xuansu, but those who could actually get close to him all had formidable backing. Xie Jiaofeng was backed by Sage Donghua, Du Yuhua by the former Great Sage, and Qi Muyu by Sage Wanmiao, Qi Jiaozheng.

Everyone else had to rack their brains and look for breakthroughs from other angles.

They had long since studied Qi Xuansu inside and out, only to discover that his personal relationships were so simple that there was almost nowhere to start.

It was said that Chief Deputy Qi had an adoptive mother, but she was extremely mysterious, so much so that they were unable to find anything about her. This signified tremendous power in itself.

Setting aside this adoptive mother, even Sage Donghua, who had personally promoted Qi Xuansu, was far harder to get close to than Chief Deputy Qi himself. After all, Qi Xuansu’s power was limited to Nanyang, whereas the Sage Donghua’s reach extended across the vast Quanzhen Sect, and perhaps even the entire Daoist Order.

There was also Chief Deputy Qi’s prospective Daoist companion, Second Deputy Zhang. Though she was a noble lady of the Zhang family, she was hardly cloistered. Instead, she was well known throughout the Daoist Order for being extremely difficult to deal with. Who would dare invite trouble by approaching her?

That was all the leads anyone could dig up regarding Qi Xuansu’s personal relationships.

Chief Deputy Qi’s relationship with his future mother-in-law was not particularly good, while his other mother-in-law was Sage Cihang. Anyone who could get close to Sage Cihang had no need to bother with such roundabout efforts.

In the end, everyone’s attention turned to Chen Jianchou and Little Yin, who were always seen with Chief Deputy Qi.

Since Chen Jianchou was not yet married and was a young man full of youthful vigor, they decided to use the honey trap. They could try every kind of woman under the sun until they found one that suited him.

As for Miss Yin, who loved listening to opera, they would just hire every opera troupe in Lion City to perform for her alone. They would sing whatever song she wanted and even compose new plays on the spot if necessary.

How much could that possibly cost?

As long as they could get a slice of the Nanyang United Trading Company, they would earn back all these expenditures ten times over.