A Pawn's Passage

Little Yin was a little scared.

Everyone knew that the Heavenly Preceptor was proficient in catching ghosts. At least, that was how it was always portrayed in operas.

Little Yin was just a little ghost, yet she had run straight into the Dazhen Mansion where the Heavenly Preceptor resided, like a mouse darting into a cat’s lair. The last Yin Being to enter the Dazhen Mansion had been the Sakka, and that was only because it was following the Holy Xuan to suppress the deposed Heavenly Preceptor.

The present-day Little Yin was naturally no match for the Sakka, so it was only natural for her to be frightened.

She shrank back timidly. Normally, she never listened to anyone, but once inside the Dazhen Mansion, she turned into a well-behaved child, no longer running around. Instead, she reached out and tugged at the corner of Zhang Yuelu’s robe. After all, when danger was near, Zhang Yuelu was the safest bet. But during normal times, Zhang Yuelu was the most dangerous.

Zhang Yuelu noticed Little Yin’s unease and took the initiative to hold her hand as the group headed toward the Weiyu Study, where the Heavenly Preceptor was staying.

Since the Heavenly Preceptor’s rotating term as a Great Sage would not start until next year, he had been staying in the Dazhen Mansion of late.

The last time Qi Xuansu had seen the Heavenly Preceptor, disregarding their distant communication in the Fenglin battlefield, was before Qi Xuansu departed for Fenglin. On that occasion, the Heavenly Preceptor had given the two of them his Twin Swords.

Qi Xuansu wondered whether it was time to return them. Fairly speaking, their great achievements in Fenglin and Poluo were thanks to this pair of swords. It was no less important than the seven pages of the Scripture of Zuriel given by the Earthly Preceptor. Thus, he was somewhat reluctant to hand them back just like that.

Yet Qi Xuansu also understood that as their respective statuses and positions continued to rise, it would no longer be possible for him and Zhang Yuelu to remain inseparable. Green Cloud would not mean very much on its own.

Moreover, Zhang Yuelu was the true heir of the Zhang family. If anyone were to wield the Twin Swords alone, it should be Zhang Yuelu, not Qi Xuansu.

At the end of the day, this immortal artifact had never belonged to Qi Xuansu. It had merely been lent to him temporarily.

Qi Xuansu was not particularly fond of dual swords. He found the Three Treasures Scepter quite handy. Moral Sovereign was also excellent.

Among the Three Great Immortal swords—Skycaller, the Heavenly Preceptor’s Twin Swords, and Moral Sovereign—the Zhang family and the Li family each possessed one. Outsiders could scarcely even dream of them.

That was because the Zhang and Li families were long-time stakeholders. Long before the Daoist Order was rebuilt, they had already been powerful regional overlords. They had taken part in the rebuilding of the Daoist Order, invested in it, and were an inseparable part of it.

If the Daoist Order were viewed as a company, then these two families would be part of the Board of Directors as the two largest shareholders. The Wang family, who were latecomers, were merely small shareholders and managers. Though they appeared to wield great authority, the moment they offended the shareholders, they could be replaced immediately. But shareholders like the Zhang and Li families could not be dealt with so easily unless the Daoist Order itself underwent another restructuring of its shareholders.

Upon arriving at the Weiyu Study, they found the Heavenly Preceptor standing on a movable ladder with four wheels at its base, taking down a book from the top of a bookshelf that was two stories high and reading it right there.

Many habits were formed in childhood. The Heavenly Preceptor could have effortlessly retrieved the book with a single thought, yet in his daily life, he still lived like an ordinary old man.

Tang Jiaohua came to the foot of the ladder, looked up, and said, “Heavenly Preceptor, the Young Lady and Sage Qi have arrived.”

The Heavenly Preceptor returned the book to its original place, walked down the ladder at an unhurried pace, and said casually, “No need to be strangers. Sit wherever you like.”

Qi Xuansu obliged and simply found a place to sit.

By now, Qi Xuansu had some understanding of the Heavenly Preceptor’s temperament. As long as one did not touch his bottom line, the Heavenly Preceptor was indeed a very approachable old man. Thus, there was no need to be overly cautious or excessively deferential. Even a slight offense would be met with a smile and brushed off. The Heavenly Preceptor was neither as unfathomable as the Earthly Preceptor nor as domineering and forceful as the Imperial Preceptor. Among the three Deputy Grand Masters, the Heavenly Preceptor was the easiest to get along with.

But if one crossed the Heavenly Preceptor’s bottom line, the consequences were extremely severe, more so than with the Imperial Preceptor or the Earthly Preceptor. The Heavenly Preceptor would instantly become a different person, showing no mercy whatsoever, even to the point of sacrificing kin for righteousness. If one doubted this, one need only look at Zhang Wuhen. She had been his twin sister, who grew up depending on him for survival, yet in the end, she was personally slain by his hand.

Under ordinary circumstances, the Heavenly Preceptor truly was a gentleman who could be taken advantage of, so the Zhang family could make as much noise as they wished, knowing he would not take it too seriously. The Li family was completely different. There had never been any precedent of anyone daring to be arrogant before the Imperial Preceptor.

But once the Heavenly Preceptor became serious and made up his mind, the Zhang family had no choice but to fear him. In an instant, all dissenting voices would vanish. For example, when the Heavenly Preceptor decided to make Zhang Yuelu the successor, the main branch of the Zhang family initially raised loud objections, appearing aggressive, as though about to force the issue. But once the Heavenly Preceptor made his final decision, the main branch immediately lowered its head and chose to compromise.

In this regard, the Li family was different. When it came to truly momentous decisions affecting the fate of the family, the Imperial Preceptor did not possess such overwhelming deterrent power. This was likely the difference between concealment and overt sharpness, much like how an ordinarily quiet person’s outburst could strike like a thunderclap from the blue, making it all the more terrifying.

As for the Earthly Preceptor, Qi Xuansu truly did not understand him. He always felt that the Earthly Preceptor was good at scheming and preferred to remain hidden behind the scenes.

After they were seated, the Heavenly Preceptor first affirmed Qi Xuansu’s achievements in Poluo, then turned the discussion to maritime trade.

In summary, it all came down to a single word: money. The Daoist Order’s finances looked very poor this year, and the entire Order was counting on Nanyang. At such a moment, stability had to be restored as quickly as possible. The burden was a heavy one.

The Heavenly Preceptor did not speak in riddles and leave Qi Xuansu to guess about his intentions. Instead, he spoke plainly. “You’ve already taken charge of Nanyang’s affairs, so in the short term, you won’t be transferred easily. Everything has two sides. Right now, Nanyang is a mess. If you mishandle it, it will be extremely detrimental to your future and may even drag you down. People will say that you only know how to deal with people, not money, and that you’re unfit to stand on your own, much less take charge of the bigger picture. But if you handle it well, this will be your springboard into the Golden Tower Council. So whether you can enter the Golden Tower Council depends not on old fellows like us, nor on the future Grand Master, but on you, young man.”

Qi Xuansu’s eyes lit up for a moment, then he immediately reined in his excitement. “Merit and fault always walk hand in hand. The Golden Tower Council entrusting me with such a responsibility is both a sign of trust and a test. Whether it is a blessing or a curse remains to be seen.”

The Heavenly Preceptor nodded. “Having no faults is merit in itself. The current environment is still favorable. As long as we keep our footing steady and don’t fall into the chaos, making money is not difficult. There’s no need to rack your brains to open new sources of revenue. Therefore, you must quickly complete the restructuring of the Nanyang United Trading Company, thoroughly investigate the Wang and Sun families’ assets, confiscate everything, and turn it over to the Golden Tower Council. That will be your merit.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “I’ve already arranged for people to handle the confiscation of assets. However, most of the Wang and Sun families’ holdings are fixed assets. There isn’t much actual liquid cash. As for the restructuring of the Nanyang United Trading Company, there are many deep-rooted problems, so I plan to seize this opportunity to carry out a comprehensive reform.”

The Heavenly Preceptor looked at Qi Xuansu with some surprise. “I must remind you of one thing. Given your seniority, it’s impossible for you to jump directly from a Chief Deputy Mansion Master to a Mansion Master or an Omniscient Sage. You will still have to return to Jade Capital. I believe Sage Donghua won’t allow you to remain in Nanyang for too long—three to five years at most. During this time, the deep-seated problems of the Nanyang United Trading Company won’t affect you. What matters will be your achievements. If you resolve to reform it and succeed, that will be icing on the cake. People may not even notice your contributions. After all, those skilled in warfare rarely have flamboyant achievements. But if something goes wrong during your term, causing the Nanyang United Trading Company to explode like a buried mine, the consequences would be enough to wipe out all your efforts in Poluo.”

Qi Xuansu’s expression turned solemn. “I’ve considered that as well. The danger does exist. But now is the best time for reform. If I were to drag this out for three to five years and leave the problem to my successor or the one after, I might avoid responsibility, but I’d also miss the best opportunity to solve the issue once and for all. Between personal interests and the Daoist Order’s benefit, the latter takes precedence.”

Zhang Yuelu, seated beside Qi Xuansu, could not help but turn her head to look at him. Her phoenix eyes gleamed with light. It was a look one would only give to a like-minded companion walking the same path.

This was precisely why Zhang Yuelu liked Qi Xuansu.

Responsibility was not some vague notion of establishing destiny for the people, but a series of concrete actions. Fearing harm to one’s future and not daring to shoulder responsibility or act in time seemed fine on the surface, but many entrenched problems accumulate this way.

If everyone only considered their own prospects and chased short-term gains without thinking from the Daoist Order’s long-term perspective, how could the Order ever improve?

Zhang Yuelu did not care for romantic gestures or heroic men, but she did admire this kind of man who took responsibility.

The Heavenly Preceptor’s gaze showed a flicker of appreciation. “It’s truly comforting that you can think this way. Over the years, I’ve seen many young people speak eloquently before me—talking about the trends of the world, the lessons of antiquity and modernity, following one’s heart, seeking freedom, discussing human nature and heavenly will, the vastness of the Dao and the obscurity of humans—yet most of it is empty talk. It’s truly rare to find someone grounded like you, who can truly get down and do solid, practical work. Well done.”

Qi Xuansu leaned forward slightly and said, “I dare not accept such praise.”

The Heavenly Preceptor waved his hand. “No need for false modesty. As the end of the era draws near, the world is becoming ever more real, and so, we must become ever more grounded. We must stand firmly on the earth, not drifting in the air. If one’s feet never touch the mud, yet one talks grandly of ruling the world, nothing good will come of it. I support your reform of the Nanyang United Trading Company, and the Lingnan Daoist Mansion will give you its full cooperation.”

Qi Xuansu’s eyes lit up once again.

They went on to discuss many details. In the end, the Heavenly Preceptor did not ask Qi Xuansu to return Green Cloud but instead sent him off to pay a visit to his future parents-in-law.