A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1445: Between Dawn and Dusk

Qi Xuansu and Madam Qi went their separate ways. Madam Qi continued touring Jiangnan with Little Yin, while Qi Xuansu brought Liu Hu back to the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion.

With Qi Xuansu’s current cultivation, even if Liu Hu’s identity were exposed, he was confident he could keep her safe. His strength was approaching that of a Pseudo-Immortal.

The two walked along the road toward the Tianxin Daoist Palace. Just like back in the days when they traveled from Longmen Prefecture to Bohai Prefecture, Qi Xuansu walked in front, while Liu Hu followed behind.

Qi Xuansu said, “Being an orthodox Daoist may be just as risky as wandering Jianghu. Climbing Kunlun Mountain from the foot to the summit takes a very long time, but falling from the summit only takes an instant. I’ve experienced it before, falling off a flying ship. That is the life of a Daoist. Even the so-called Emperor of Nanyang, Wang Jiaohe, who had spent decades securing control over Poluo, ended in ruin. That can happen between dawn and dusk.

“Once everything collapses, you may not be able to hold on to what you have, and your life may slip beyond your control. If you wish to walk this road, I support it. But you must understand one thing clearly—we share glory and ruin. If one day, I fall from the summit of Kunlun Mountain, then you will most likely fall together with me.”

Liu Hu listened silently as she always had, without saying a word.

Qi Xuansu suddenly asked, “Why didn’t you ever use the mother-child talisman I gave you?”

Liu Hu softly replied, “I wanted to keep it as a memento.”

Qi Xuansu smiled. “You don’t need to be so frugal with it in the future.”

Liu Hu pressed her lips together and gave no reply.

Since they had never actually left Jinling Prefecture, they arrived at Tianxin Daoist Palace very quickly.

The Spirit Guards at the entrance recognized Qi Xuansu. Although he had brought along an unfamiliar face, no one dared ask questions and simply let them pass.

That very night, Qi Xuansu went to meet Zhang Jucheng.

At such a critical moment, Zhang Jucheng would not be sleeping or cultivating in seclusion. His office remained brightly lit. When Qi Xuansu entered, Zhang Jucheng was reviewing Lei Xiaohuan’s draft proposal regarding the Fenglin blockade.

Upon seeing Qi Xuansu, Zhang Jucheng put down the draft in his hands and shifted his gaze toward Liu Hu standing behind him.

Qi Xuansu did not bother with pleasantries and gave a general account of the matter, omitting the Qingping Society background and merely stating that this was an arrangement made by Sage Donghua.

Since there was a significant blank period between Qi Xuansu falling into the Starry Sea and later participating in the investigation of the second major Jiangnan case, Sage Donghua later helped fill in that gap. The official explanation was that Sage Donghua had dispatched Qi Xuansu on a special mission, which was why Qi Xuansu had transferred from the Zhengyi Sect and the Tiangang Hall to the Quanzhen Sect and the Ziwei Hall.

Almost nobody knew what exact mission Qi Xuansu had carried out. So now that Qi Xuansu said this was also Sage Donghua’s, the timeline matched up perfectly and sounded entirely reasonable.

This way, it became a perfectly coherent story. Qi Xuansu had been ordered by Sage Donghua to protect Liu Hu, an important witness in the first major Jiangnan case. It just so happened that Sage Donghua himself had been the driving force behind that case.

Zhang Jucheng did not dwell on it further. “As expected, Brother Pei planned far ahead. With the evidence in Daoist Liu’s possession, we can finally break the deadlock.”

He then instructed his secretary, “Have Manager Mu come here.”

Manager Mu was none other than Mu Jin, Zhang Yuelu’s former secretary and Qi Xuansu’s earliest rival.

Several years had passed since Zhang Yuelu transferred Mu Jin to the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion. She had already risen to become the Beichen Hall Branch Manager within the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion.

The Beichen Hall branch operated under dual leadership, vertically under the command of Beichen Hall headquarters, and horizontally under the authority of the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion. As long as there was no conflict, the Beichen Hall branch naturally obeyed both sides.

However, the matter involving Wu Burong also demonstrated that when life-and-death interests were truly at stake, branch managers might not necessarily obey the headquarters’ orders.

In theory, local branches were first and foremost part of the Daoist Mansion and hence prioritized the Daoist Mansion’s orders. Qi Xuansu’s criticism of Wu Burong was not that she disobeyed headquarters, but rather that she acted without reporting to or seeking approval from the Daoist Mansion, violating proper procedure.

If headquarters and the Daoist Mansion held differing opinions, the matter could be escalated. In that case, headquarters would personally take charge, and the branch would have no choice but to hand over the case. However, this would no longer be the branch handling the investigation under headquarters’ guidance. Instead, the headquarters would directly handle the case. The final judgment would then be made by headquarters as the law enforcement authority, with headquarters bearing all responsibility and accountability.

The reason was not complicated. Branch halls were funded by the local Daoist Mansions rather than headquarters, so naturally, they listened to the ones who paid their salaries. However, there were exceptions. Overseas branches and certain branches were funded directly by headquarters, so they obeyed headquarters instead.

Conveniently, Qi Xuansu represented Beichen Hall while Zhang Jucheng represented the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion. Both were Mu Jin’s superiors.

Furthermore, Mu Jin was Zhang Yuelu’s confidant. Zhang Yuelu was both Zhang Jucheng’s niece and Qi Xuansu’s future Daoist companion, making Mu Jin someone they could trust.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Jucheng were not merely waiting around either. Qi Xuansu gestured for Liu Hu to hand the account book over to Zhang Jucheng. After all, Zhang Jucheng was the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master and knew the relevant figures within Jiangnan far better. Zhang Jucheng quickly scanned through the ledger and, relying on his near-perfect memory, rapidly compiled a list of names.

Zhang Jucheng then personally drafted an official order in the capacity of the Mansion Master and stamped it with the official seal.

Soon, the secretary knocked on the office door before pushing it open. “Mansion Master, Manager Mu has arrived.”

After speaking, the secretary stepped aside from the doorway, and Mu Jin walked in.

Mu Jin had long known that Qi Xuansu had arrived at the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion, but this was still her first time seeing him in person.

Qi Xuansu took the initiative to speak first. “Manager Mu, it’s been quite some time since we last met.”

“Chief Deputy Qi.” Mu Jin spoke with great respect, no longer carrying the hostility she once had years ago.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Have you contacted Chief Deputy Zhang recently?”

Mu Jin replied, “Yes.”

Qi Xuansu nodded.

Since there was still important business to handle, Qi Xuansu did not continue reminiscing further.

Zhang Jucheng handed the official order and the list to Mu Jin. “Arrest the people according to this list. I will have Deputy Palace Master Qingyue assist you. Afterward, send all of them to Putuo Island.”

“Yes.” Mu Jin accepted the order solemnly.

Zhang Jucheng said, “Go on then.”

The storm jointly stirred up by Qi Xuansu and Zhang Jucheng finally began showing signs of expanding. As Zhang Jucheng issued yet another round of arrest orders, many would suspect that Gu Ying had finally broken under pressure.

Since the operation was carried out overnight, some people were arrested without the slightest warning beforehand. They had no time to react and could only claim innocence.

But crying innocence was useless. Faced with the Daoist Mansion’s power, these people had little right to resist. The Kunlun Daoist Mansion carried out massive construction projects every year. If one surrendered peacefully, they would most likely be exiled to build Daoist temples or sent to the mines. But if they resisted, they could simply be executed.

In a certain sense, resistance itself was a privilege reserved for top-tier Daoists. Figures like Wang Jiaohe, Sun Heyu, and Chen Shuhua could resist. Their resistance forced the Golden Tower Council to make meticulous plans and contingencies.

This once again demonstrated that one’s influence and cultivation level were extremely important.

Qi Xuansu did not remain idle either. He brought Liu Hu to Putuo Island.

Strictly speaking, Qi Xuansu was connected to the Cihang lineage. People often said that the Cihang lineage had no men, but that statement was inaccurate. The lineage had many sons-in-law, and none of them were ordinary figures. This list even included Emperor Gaozu and the only non-Zhang Heavenly Preceptor. Now, Qi Xuansu’s name was about to be added to that long list of sons-in-law as well.

Zhang Yuelu, as a disciple of the Cihang lineage, was an outlier. She had only visited Putuo Island a handful of times. Being a Zhang family member remained her strongest label, overshadowing her identity as a Cihang lineage disciple. Since even Zhang Yuelu rarely went there, Qi Xuansu certainly could not visit without her. Thus, this was also his first trip to Putuo Island.

The distance from Tianxin Daoist Palace to Putuo Island was not far. Qi Xuansu had originally intended to simply fly there himself, but Zhang Jucheng lent him the Mansion Master’s flying ship, saying that the dignity of a Chief Deputy should not be neglected, so one should not be too flippant.

As she boarded the Mansion Master’s flagship, Liu Hu felt the difference between Qi Xuansu and Wei Wugui.

Over the years, Liu Hu had been on flying ships a few times herself, but they were always cramped little compartments resembling a giant beehive. The fares were expensive too. Ordinary Daoists could hardly afford them.

But a Mansion Master’s flagship was different. It was practically a mobile aerial mansion. The interior was opened up into a spacious and brightly lit space. Ordinary flying ships only had tiny windows the size of a human face packed closely together, while this flagship’s viewing window was the size of an entire wall. It was simply exhilarating standing before the floor-to-ceiling glass and gazing down upon endless seas of clouds and vast lands below.

They literally had the mountains and rivers beneath their feet, signifying the overwhelming authority of a Mansion Master.

If one disliked the view, one could simply activate a formation to restore the floor-to-ceiling window back to an ordinary wall.

The key point was that Qi Xuansu had not requested such treatment. Zhang Jucheng had voluntarily lent his flagship to Qi Xuansu. Such initiative revealed exactly the sort of status and position Qi Xuansu now possessed.

Qi Xuansu was no longer that wandering swordsman who traveled with a skinny horse and two blades. He was now a second-rank Taiyi Daoist who held the power over people’s life and death. He might even ascend toward the highest authority of the Daoist Order.

Thinking of this, Liu Hu’s emotions became complicated.

Without question, Qi Xuansu had changed.

But it was difficult to say whether he was still the Qi Xuansu she remembered from their past travels.

Soon, the flying ship landed at the harbor of Putuo Island.

The Cihang lineage had already received notice from the Daoist Mansion and specially arranged for people to receive them. This honor was not directed at the Chief Deputy Beichen Hall Master, but rather at Sage Cihang’s future son-in-law.

This was the advantage of having two mothers-in-law. He would have two additional branches of in-laws supporting him. Other people would need to marry two wives to gain the support of two families, and they would still have to carefully maintain a balance between both households for fear of domestic conflict. Qi Xuansu, on the other hand, had it much simpler. All he needed was one wife, and he did not even need to work especially hard to maintain balance.

Leading the welcoming group was a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her forties, named Xiao Yuehua. She was Sage Cihang and Shi Bingyun’s junior sister. She had never married and had remained on Putuo Island all this time, overseeing daily affairs and training younger disciples.

Xiao Yueru, Sage Cihang’s favorite youngest disciple, happened to be Xiao Yuehua’s younger cousin.