A Pawn's Passage

When Qi Xuansu arrived in Jade Capital, he went through the formal procedures, which were talks and more talks.

As always, the matter had already been decided by the higher-ups, so the process was merely a formality.

After the talks, the Golden Tower Council issued its official resolution, appointing Qi Xuansu as Chief Deputy Beichen Hall Master.

Ever since Qi Xuansu became a Second Deputy, he had consistently stayed ahead of the Three Prodigies, and he still maintained that lead. He was the first among them to become a Chief Deputy Hall Master of the Three Great Halls.

Once the appointment was announced, Qi Xuansu immediately went to report for duty at Beichen Hall.

The main headquarters of Ziwei Hall was located in the Purple Mansion, while the headquarters of Beichen Hall was far away from it and rather isolated.

This was not Qi Xuansu’s first time here. He had come here twice before. But this time, his status was different. Before, he had come as an outsider. This time, he arrived as one of their own, as the second-in-command after the Hall Master.

Fortunately, Qi Xuansu’s personal network was absurdly simple. Otherwise, countless people would have come to offer congratulations.

Take Zhang Yuelu’s case, for example. Although she had not returned home, once news spread that she had become Chief Deputy Mansion Master, her parents’ home was filled with visitors. One advantage of great families was that everything followed established rules—how to receive guests, how to exchange gifts, and what limits to observe. These were all governed by family regulations, preventing parents from becoming carried away and recklessly accepting gifts that others could later use as leverage. Many people from humble backgrounds suffered losses in this regard.

As for Qi Xuansu, he did not even have a family home others could go to. His biological parents were nowhere to be found since birth; Madam Qi was as elusive as a dragon; and his supposedly dead master was not even in his grave. Qi Xuansu himself would like to know where his master actually was.

There was also Sage Donghua. But Sage Donghua had not yet accepted Qi Xuansu as his disciple, and he was not someone one could meet whenever they wished. Even Qi Xuansu had to make an appointment. Another option was to find Little Yin, but that girl would simply play dumb.

Upon arriving at Beichen Hall, the procedure was the same. Sage Qingwei, as the Hall Master, introduced Qi Xuansu to the other colleagues and then introduced those colleagues to Qi Xuansu in return.

In general, their last names were either Li, Lu, or Shen.

Qi Xuansu had no time to build closer relationships with his colleagues because he would not be staying in Jade Capital for long. The situation in the New Continent was rather urgent, so it was best for him to head there as soon as possible.

Qi Xuansu himself also preferred to depart earlier. There was no need to rush into dealing with the upper ranks of the Western Daoist Order or the Tawantin Empire. Instead, he intended to first familiarize himself with the local situation so that he would have a clear understanding of the politics.

Up to this point, the Heavenly Preceptor had still not taken back the Guizang Lantern, nor had he even concluded his inspection tour.

Qi Xuansu no longer pressed the matter. All issues had to be set aside for now. He would only deal with them once he returned from the New Continent to report on his duties.

Sage Qingwei held another in-depth discussion with Qi Xuansu, getting straight to the point. He asked what Qi Xuansu needed and told him to speak freely, promising to provide whatever he could.

This reminded Qi Xuansu of when he had gone to the Poluo Daoist Mansion. Sage Donghua had taken the same approach then and had indeed given him quite a few items that later proved extremely useful.

Thus, Qi Xuansu did not stand on ceremony. He explained that his cultivation level was not particularly high and that he hoped for something to protect himself in critical times.

As Zhang Yuelu had said, his survival was most important.

Sage Qingwei had anticipated this request and produced something entirely beyond Qi Xuansu’s expectations—the Seven Feather Five Fires Fan.

When Qi Xuansu saw this immortal object, he was truly shocked. He thought, Did I guess wrongly? Had the Grand Master lineage not placed its bet solely on Sage Donghua, but instead wagered on both sides?

However, Sage Qingwei quickly offered an explanation. “You are going to the New Continent not merely as a representative of Beichen Hall, but as an envoy of the Daoist Order. Since you represent the Daoist Order, the Zixiao Palace has agreed to lend this immortal object to you temporarily.”

Qi Xuansu finally understood. Sage Qingwei was, to some extent, presenting someone else’s gift in his own name.

Sage Qingwei continued, “I know you have not yet reached the Pseudo-Immortal stage, so the immortal objects you can wield are limited. Originally, the Three Treasures Scepter would have been the most suitable choice, since it’s the Grand Master’s token and fits your status as an envoy. However, considering that the Three Treasures Scepter is not particularly suited for self-defense, Great Sage Jiang believes the Seven Feather Five Fires Fan to be more appropriate. More importantly, this fan was once lent by the Daoist Order to the Western Daoist Order and later returned, so there is a certain historical connection involved.

“The Seven Feather Five Fires Fan has a higher threshold of use. However, this immortal object has given birth to a spirit. As long as you gain the spirit’s recognition, the threshold will be greatly reduced. It can even defend against enemies on its own, practically serving as a helper.”

At the mention of a spirit, Qi Xuansu immediately thought of Little Yin. He only hoped that this particular spirit would be more reliable than that little imp. Still, considering that this decision had been made by Great Sage Jiang, it probably would not be a major problem.

Since the previous Chief Deputy Hall Master had already departed to assume his new post, the handover was conducted by Sage Qingwei on his behalf.

Sage Qingwei pressed a hand to his forehead and drew out a spark of spiritual light from it, passing it to Qi Xuansu. “This concerns confidential matters, so there are no written files. I won’t explain everything one by one. Just see for yourself.”

Qi Xuansu carefully received the spiritual light and pressed it into his own forehead.

A flood of information poured into Qi Xuansu’s mind. The most important among them were the lists of Beichen Hall’s members in the New Continent, informants, and various channels of communication. These lists were constantly changing, and only two people could view the entire roster—the Hall Master and the Chief Deputy.

Beichen Hall not only established branches within each Daoist Mansion but had also set up branches in places where no Daoist Mansions existed, operating both internally and externally.

Its internal duties were auditing Daoist priests and Spirit Guards, handling the defense of Jade Capital, and purging spies and traitors.

Externally, it gathered intelligence, recruited defectors, and carried out operations to eliminate targets with force.

The Hall Master oversaw the overall strategy, the Chief Deputy handled external affairs, and the Second Deputy handled internal affairs.

Over the years, Beichen Hall’s power had continued to expand.

Regarding internal matters, Fengxian Hall had almost become a subordinate body. Aside from Jade Capital, Beichen Hall had even extended its reach into Xuan City.

Externally, this expansion was most evident in the New Continent.

Strictly speaking, Tiangang Hall’s mission was to handle the defense of the Daoist Order, the key word being “defense.” Since the Daoist Order had not deployed large military forces in the New Continent, the heavy responsibility naturally fell upon Beichen Hall.

Beichen Hall not only dispatched many Daoist priests to the New Continent but also recruited a large number of auxiliary members and even entire military formations. Many merchant guilds operated with Beichen Hall’s backing, and it maintained close ties with the Western Daoist Order, forming an immense network of influence overseas.

All Daoist priests were transferred from the Central Plains, while the numerous auxiliary members consisted mainly of locals and their descendants, allowing them to penetrate deeply into local communities to gather intelligence.

This also aligned with the philosophy of the Taiping Sect—to use the Daoist Order’s sword to secure greater gains for the Order. If Tiangang Hall was the shield of the Daoist Order, then Beichen Hall would be its sword.

In terms of external affairs alone, operations were mainly divided into four sections: administration, intelligence, operations, and creations.

These four sections were of very high rank, equivalent to a branch hall of a major Daoist Mansion led by a manager. In addition, there were six other branch halls not tied to any Daoist Mansions, which also had managers in charge.

From this, it was clear just how powerful the Chief Deputy Hall Master was. His direct subordinates were not mere superintendents but 10 branch managers. In terms of status, he was comparable to a Palace Master, while in terms of authority, he far exceeded an ordinary Palace Master, though he did not have the formal title of an Omniscient Sage. Of course, the Hall Master could still intervene in specific matters. Who actually held sway depended on the level of tacit understanding between the Hall Master and the Chief Deputy.

Administration and creations were mainly concentrated in Jade Capital and Qizhou, while intelligence and operations were quite widespread. Personnel working abroad all carried a special token shaped like a Taiji diagram. However, instead of the usual half-black and half-white symbol, it was predominantly black with only two white dots. This symbolized that Beichen Hall’s operations were not exactly bright, righteous, or morally lofty but were instead shady.

Qi Xuansu also had a corresponding token, though his was more ornate. Around the edge of the badge was an additional ring of lotus petals, resembling a lotus pedestal.

All of this structural information had been contained within that spark of spiritual light given by Sage Qingwei.

Sage Qingwei added, “The Chief Deputy Beichen Hall Master has 5 primary responsibilities. First, to collect and provide intelligence concerning the Daoist Order’s external security to the Golden Tower Council and the Grand Master. Second, to offer recommendations to the Golden Tower Council and the Grand Master regarding matters of external security. Third, to evaluate and consolidate all existing intelligence. Fourth, to carry out the decisions of the Golden Tower Council and the Grand Master concerning external security. Fifth, to fulfill other functions and obligations that affect the Daoist Order’s external security, enabling the Golden Tower Council and the Grand Master to direct and guide matters at any time.

“In addition, the fifth-generation Grand Master assigned three new missions to Beichen Hall. First, to strive to grasp the concrete situation of Western powers in certain regions, particularly West Shakya and the New Continent. Second, to closely monitor developments on the Western Continent, especially economic and political changes, with particular focus on the Lune Kingdom. Third, to make every effort to assist the Shibo Hall in its external operations and ensure the safe conduct of commercial activities.

“During the sixth-generation Grand Master’s era, he practiced caution and avoided the elimination of targets unless absolutely necessary. When we last met, we already discussed the significance of the New Continent, so I will not repeat it today. You don’t have much time. I hope you can quickly familiarize yourself with the situation and understand your responsibilities.”