A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu had always been cultivating his own trusted confidants. Wherever he went, he made a point of establishing his own network.

During his time in Fenglin, aside from handling official affairs, he recruited Genki. Later, Madam Qi, Genki, and Pei Xiaoyun jointly established the Fenglin Trading Company.

When Qi Xuansu was transferred to Poluo, he established himself there, making it his homeground. Between the people loyal to Sage Donghua, Qi Xuansu’s own faction, Zhang Yuelu’s people, and the favoritism shown by Great Sage Lan, they effectively controlled the Poluo Daoist Mansion. As a result, Yao Shu, the Mansion Master, often found himself unable to exercise his authority despite having it.

Qi Xuansu’s next step was to replace his secretary by promoting Chen Jianchou one rank and assigning him to an external post, specifically in Poluo, where he could establish deeper roots.

Chen Jianchou was currently a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist. One more promotion would make him a third-rank Youyi Daoist. Once transferred, he could serve either as one of the lower-ranked Deputy Mansion Masters or as a Hall Branch Manager. Qi Xuansu preferred making Chen Jianchou a Deputy Mansion Master because he would then belong directly to the Daoist Mansion administration, whereas a Branch Manager answered to two separate chains of command.

However, the exact arrangement would only be decided after consulting Xu Jiaorong and hearing Chen Jianchou’s own preferences.

Xu Jiaorong was now the Second Deputy of the Poluo Daoist Mansion. If Zhang Yuelu, the Chief Deputy, were to be transferred, the ideal successor would be Xu Jiaorong. Although that would not strictly follow protocol, stability was the highest priority for overseas Daoist Mansions, so it was still justifiable. After all, Wang Jiaohe had risen step by step through the ranks of the Poluo Daoist Mansion.

The reason personnel changes in the Fenglin Daoist Mansion were so frequent was that they wanted instability. If things became too stable, how could they launch the Fenglin Campaign? How could they use the heads of the Sonno-joi faction as stepping stones?

More importantly, Xu Jiaorong’s master was Great Sage Lan. Time was no longer on his side. While he was still alive and in office, his words still carried weight. Great Sage Lan intended to give his disciple one final push, so securing Xu Jiaorong’s appointment as Chief Deputy should not be difficult.

That way, the office of Chief Deputy would have been held consecutively by people aligned with Qi Xuansu. Although Qi Xuansu himself would most likely never become the Poluo Daoist Mansion, he would still effectively control it.

If Xu Jiaorong were successfully promoted, another vacancy would open up. Qi Xuansu and Sage Donghua had privately discussed the matter and agreed that Pei Xiaolou was the most suitable candidate. The poor fellow had drifted along for so many years before finally reaching the Wuliang stage. It had certainly not been easy for him.

It would almost be laughable to tell others his cultivation level because his elder brother had already become an Immortal while his wife had diligently cultivated over the years and advanced to the Zaohua stage. Becoming a Pseudo-Immortal was guaranteed for her, and she even had a chance of becoming a Manly Immortal. Meanwhile, Pei Xiaolou had lagged behind many of the younger generation, spending years idling around at the Xiaoyao stage. He was the very picture of someone lacking ambition. If only he had shown a bit more drive and reached the Zaohua stage earlier, Sage Donghua could easily have promoted him to an Omniscient Sage with his influence.

Even so, Pei Xiaolou had not entirely wasted his years alongside Lin Yuanmiao and Ji Jiaozhen. Among the Nanyang Trio, the eldest, Lin Yuanmiao, possessed the highest cultivation as a Pseudo-Immortal. The second eldest, Ji Jiaozhen, had already reached the Wuliang stage when he first met Qi Xuansu. Now, Ji Jiaozhen was on the verge of reaching the Zaohua stage as well. Having fallen so far behind the other two, Pei Xiaolou found himself struggling after whaling from dragging along the whale’s corpse. Hopefully, the comparison would finally spur him to feel some shame and strive to improve himself.

Fortunately, Little Yin had not been recruited into the group. If she had joined them, her cultivation would probably have surpassed Pei Xiaolou’s as well. He would still end up at the bottom of the rankings, which would have been even more embarrassing.

In truth, Qi Xuansu would have preferred Ji Jiaozhen for the position of Second Deputy. Unfortunately, Ji Jiaozhen disliked administrative affairs. He was already reluctant to serve as an ordinary Deputy Mansion Master. If promoted to Second Deputy, he would probably resign on the spot. It simply could not be forced.

That left only Pei Xiaolou. Although he was no more enthusiastic about becoming Second Deputy, Sage Donghua would keep him in line. When his elder brother gave the order, Pei Xiaolou had no choice but to obey.

Now that Qi Xuansu had arrived on the New Continent, he naturally intended to continue following the same strategy. First, he would cultivate his own network within the Western Daoist Order. Second, he would leave behind a few footprints of his own, starting by sending Zhang Wuyue over to test the waters. If the young man proved capable, Qi Xuansu would let him continue. If he turned out to be nothing more than a spoiled young master, then, just as Qi Xuansu had warned beforehand, he could go straight home and live off his family.

Lately, the more Qi Xuansu reflected on Great Sage Jiang’s remarks, the more profound it seemed. Legitimacy was bestowed from above, but power was granted from those below. Turning legitimacy into real authority was a delicate skill, and there was no shortage of superiors who had been reduced to mere figureheads.

It was like claiming to act on heaven’s behalf. Heaven could give one legitimacy, making one’s cause righteous and justifiable, but it could not grant one tangible power. That power was given by the comrades and subordinates who fought and bled at one’s command.

Viewed from that perspective, Great Sage Jiang’s words became easy to understand. His rank was indeed lofty, and his reputation immense, but those were all matters of legitimacy. Real power came from below, and that was precisely what Great Sage Jiang lacked. The so-called Grand Master lineage was highly decentralized without the Grand Master. It was not a true sect. As its nominal head, Great Sage Jiang was more like the chairman of an alliance than the true leader of an organized faction.

By contrast, the Three Deputy Grand Masters were genuine faction leaders and possessed genuine authority.

On a smaller scale, though Li Tianzhen did not hold any official post and was merely a wandering Daoist, he was perfectly capable of stirring up storms because he unquestionably possessed real power over his many subordinates.

On a much larger scale, the sixth-generation Grand Master had the highest office in the Daoist Order, yet despite that unparalleled status, he had been stripped of real authority, unable to wield power matching his position.

All of this demonstrated one fundamental truth—legitimacy bestowed from above could never replace power built from below.

Having realized this, Qi Xuansu understood that he could not simply continue climbing the hierarchy, becoming another Great Sage Jiang or another sixth-generation Grand Master. He had to build a power base of his own.

Qi Xuansu did not want his fate to be controlled by others. He wanted to be the one controlling his own destiny.

The only thing he lacked was time. If given another 20 years, once people like Chen Jianchou and Zhang Wuyue had fully matured, the situation would look entirely different.

At first, Zhang Wuyue did not fully understand this principle, because Qi Xuansu would never spell it out so explicitly. He was only Zhang Wuyue’s brother-in-law, not his father. It was not his place to have those heart-to-heart conversations. If anyone were to say such things, it should have been Zhang Yuelu. So Zhang Wuyue had to figure it out on his own. If he understood it, he would make use of it. If he did not, then so be it. In a way, it was a test.

Fortunately, Zhang Wuyue had some natural insight. Gradually, he came to understand what his primary mission really was. It was not simply about making money, nor was it to line his own pockets. It was about integration and development.

A storyteller who merely wrote novels without building any related businesses might have a million Taiping coins, but that was all it amounted to. No one would fear him, nor would anyone truly respect him.

A manufacturing plant owner with the same 1 million Taiping coin profit was a different matter altogether. Such a person already had the influence of a local magnate.

As Zhang Wuyue listened to the Kunqu opera drifting in from outside, he and Qian Xisheng reached a preliminary agreement on their cooperation. They arranged to meet again in a few days for formal negotiations. After that, Zhang Wuyue would report everything to Qi Xuansu before returning to the Central Plains and making his rounds through Nanyang, Lingnan, and Jiangnan.

Qi Xuansu would introduce Zhang Wuyue to people such as Pei Xiaoyun, Qi Muyu, Chen Jianqiu, Shangguan Ya, and others, allowing him to approach them under Qi Xuansu’s name. But how to build those relationships and negotiate business deals would be left entirely to Zhang Wuyue to figure out on his own. Qi Xuansu would not hold his hand every step of the way because he simply did not have the time. There was also no need to go that far. Providing the opportunity was already the greatest help he could offer. If Zhang Wuyue proved incapable, someone else would take his place. After all, there was no shortage of capable people.

The Kunqu opera outside continued without interruption. The performer had an exceptional voice and remarkable stamina, singing all the way until well past midnight.

Zhang Wuyue stood up to take his leave, but He Shaoyang urged him to stay the night. After all, the money had already been paid, and it would be a waste to leave two delicate beauties unattended.

Zhang Wuyue still declined, giving a perfectly respectable reason. “I’m not planning to sleep tonight. I’ll spend the night making preparations so we can negotiate properly in a few days, and then I’ll report everything to Sage Qi. This is a major undertaking.”

Qian Xisheng, who was equally excited, rubbed his hands together. “There’s no need to rush, Brother Zhang. This work can’t be finished in a single day.”

Zhang Wuyue smiled. “Every day we delay is another day of lost profits. Do you know how many Taiping coins that amounts to? Once this deal is done, there will be plenty of time to relax and enjoy ourselves.”

“You’re absolutely right, Brother Zhang. We’ll have all the time in the world later. There’s no need to hurry,” Qian Xisheng echoed, nodding repeatedly.

“I’ll have someone escort you,” He Shaoyang offered.

From He Shaoyang’s tone, it was obvious he intended to stay the night, not wanting to let the arrangements go to waste. Since Zhang Wuyue had declined, he and Qian Xisheng would simply have three companions each. Judging from Qian Xisheng’s enthusiasm, he probably would not have minded if all six came to him at once.

Zhang Wuyue waved him off. “There shouldn’t be any security problems in New Port, right? I’ve had quite a bit to drink tonight. I’d like to take a walk by myself and clear my head.”

He Shaoyang replied, “Of course it’s safe. To prevent the Evangelical Ministry from causing trouble, Sage Huangfu specifically deployed 2,000 Spirit Guards to patrol day and night. Just stick to the main roads, Brother Zhang. There are Spirit Guards on duty all along the route. Don’t take the alleys.”

Zhang Wuyue nodded and bade the two men farewell. Under the guidance of the matron earlier, he left the pleasure house and made his way back alone.

On the way back, Zhang Wuyue noticed a drunkard lying by the roadside. For some inexplicable reason, the man looked strangely familiar.

He walked over for a closer look and was startled. “What are you doing here?!”

The drunkard stretched lazily and woke with bleary eyes. He was just about to lose his temper and curse Zhang Wuyue for disturbing his sleep. But the moment he saw Zhang Wuyue’s face, he sobered instantly. He covered his face with one hand and exclaimed, “You’ve got the wrong person! Wrong person!”

Zhang Wuyue grabbed hold of his sleeve. “No, I haven’t. I’d recognize you even if you were reduced to ashes.”

“Wrong person!” The drunkard protested and tried to flee, but Zhang Wuyue held tightly onto his sleeve, making it impossible for him to break free.