A Pawn's Passage

After Qi Xuansu learned the whole story, he could not help but sneer. “I haven’t even gone looking for them yet, and they’ve come knocking on my door instead.”

Huangfu Ji said, “But you can’t return to Jade Capital yet, much less go to Nanyang. Qing Xiao will have to weather this on her own for now. She needs to hold out until you return to Jade Capital. Only then can you lend her support from the side.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “I have faith in Qing Xiao.”

Huangfu Ji sighed. “Honestly, I envy the two of you. You have each other to rely on for support.”

Qi Xuansu merely smiled and said nothing more.

Huangfu Ji said, “I was going to invite you for drinks, but with something like this happening, I doubt you’re in the mood. I won’t insist. Let’s call it a day. Oh, and don’t forget the gifts I prepared for your mother.”

Qi Xuansu agreed.

Ever since Great Sage Jiang had given Qi Xuansu a new magical receptacle, Qi Xuansu had used it to store important belongings. His old magical receptacle was then used for storing these gifts.

Madam Qi would certainly be delighted to receive her gift. Cigars originated among the indigenous empires of the Southern Continent and were initially used to drive away mosquitoes and flies. Huangfu Ji had prepared a large quantity of tobacco for her, including both finished products and raw materials, all of the finest quality. It should be enough to satisfy any preference Madam Qi might have.

Little Yin would be very happy as well. Her favorite things in life were eating, drinking, and having fun. When it came to food, as the saying went, nothing surpassed dragon meat. It was among the finest delicacies in the world. Moreover, Little Yin had only advanced to the Wuliang stage because she had once eaten dragon meat in Fenglin.

Huangfu Ji had clearly put some thought into the gift for Zhang Yuelu—it was wine. Although the production process for Dreaming Death was relatively complicated and reputed to be the most advanced in the world, it was not impossible to replicate. The Western Daoist Order had its own imitation. The taste was somewhat inferior, mainly because it lacked sufficient aging, but the price was also much lower, only about one-tenth that of the Daoist Order’s authentic Dreaming Death.

After leaving, Qi Xuansu was in no hurry to meet Lu Yujue. Everything that needed to be said had already been said, and there was little point in saying more.

Instead, he intended to visit the Paititi pocket realm to see how Madam Wu was doing.

......

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuelu entered the Daoist Mansion’s council hall alone, carrying the damp chill of the rain with her. Neither Sun Yongfeng nor Ke Qingqing could accompany her inside.

Nearly everyone was present this time, except Xie Jiaofeng.

Great Sage Lan occupied the central seat because he held the utmost authority within the Daoist Mansion.

As the left side was considered the place of honor, Yao Shu sat in the first seat to Great Sage Lan’s left, while Zhang Yuelu’s seat was the first to Great Sage Lan’s right, directly opposite Yao Shu.

Xu Jiaorong, as the Second Deputy Mansion Master, sat beside Yao Shu.

Zhang Yuelu exchanged a glance with Xu Jiaorong before taking her seat.

“Alright, everyone is here,” Great Sage Lan said. “Let’s begin the meeting.”

This council was presided over by the Mansion Master. The division of responsibilities was somewhat similar to that between the Chief and Second Deputies of the Golden Tower Council. The Mansion Master played a role akin to the Second Deputy, while the Great Sage corresponded to the Chief Deputy.

Yao Shu rose to his feet and first briefed everyone present on the case involving Xie Jiaofeng. The evidence could be described as conclusive. Xie Jiaofeng had already been taken into custody by the Daoists from Beichen Hall and Fengxian Hall and was undergoing further interrogation.

The entire hall fell silent.

Yao Shu then changed his tune. “The Daoist Order is not like the Imperial Court. We value equality, which I’m sure all of you understand. The question is, how well are Daoist priests at every level actually living up to it? The results are still less than satisfactory, aren’t they? In some places, the situation remains quite serious. Recently, I have often heard terms such as ‘parental official’ and ‘lord’ resurfacing. These are Confucian terms, extensions of the notion that the sovereign is the father and his subjects are his children. This is completely contrary to the Daoist Order’s principle of equality.

“I may not be able to control what happens elsewhere, but here in Poluo, Daoist priests will absolutely not be permitted to adopt Confucian practices. Every Grand Master throughout history has called himself the First Daoist Priest, not the father of thousands upon thousands of Daoist priests. If even the Grand Master conducts himself this way, how dare a mere Deputy Mansion Master or Deputy Palace Master presume to call himself anyone’s parent? That is putting the cart before the horse!

“If you cannot properly understand your own position, then mistakes are inevitable. You cannot help but go astray. Our fellow Daoists are abusing authority, taking bribes and perverting the law, keeping multiple wives and concubines, and using public resources for private gains. We must learn from these failures.”

By the end, Yao Shu’s tone had become exceedingly stern, and no one dared speak up rashly.

Zhang Yuelu understood perfectly well that although this harsh criticism was phrased in general terms, it was primarily directed at Xie Jiaofeng’s affairs, and she was the main target of the warning.

After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Yuelu spoke. Rather than responding directly to Yao Shu’s remarks, she went straight to the heart of the matter. “Xie Jiaofeng has committed serious wrongdoing. As his direct superior and the person who had the most dealings with him, I bear responsibility for this and must also make a thorough self-criticism before the Daoist Mansion...”

At that moment, Great Sage Lan interrupted Zhang Yuelu. “Qing Xiao, there’s no need to rush into making a self-criticism. This happened very suddenly, and the case has not yet been fully investigated.”

Great Sage Lan’s tone was not stern at all. It was remarkably gentle, conveying a measure of understanding and reassurance.

Yao Shu’s momentum was also disrupted. After all, Great Sage Lan held the highest authority here. It was one thing if Great Sage Lan chose not to intervene, but once he did, it became an entirely different matter.

Great Sage Lan swept his gaze around the room and said, “Everyone is well aware of what has happened. Fengxian Hall takes this matter very seriously and has instructed us to conduct a thorough investigation. You all know that I have never liked attending these council meetings. If I can attend fewer, I do; if I can avoid them altogether, I will. So I’ll keep this brief today. I have only two points.

“First, Xie Jiaofeng’s case must be thoroughly investigated. We owe an explanation to those above us and those below us. No matter who the investigation leads to, and no matter how much pressure we face, we must see it through to the end.

“Second, this must not interfere with the Daoist Mansion’s normal operations, especially the economy. Everyone knows that Nanyang is one of the Daoist Order’s major sources of revenue. If Nanyang’s economy is affected, the Daoist Order’s economy will inevitably be affected as well. That is something we absolutely cannot allow.

“Let me make this clear in advance. A comprehensive personnel reshuffling is ongoing, and quite a few people are already getting restless, hoping to climb another rung. I won’t stand in the way of anyone seeking advancement. But if anyone tries to use this opportunity to play petty tricks and undermine the broader interests of unity and stability, the Daoist Mansion will show no leniency. Whoever we find doing so will be dealt with.”

By this point, the smile had completely vanished from Great Sage Lan’s face, and his tone had turned solemn. The imposing authority of a Virtuous Great Sage was on full display, filling the hall with tension.

Zhang Yuelu glanced at Yao Shu. Naturally, the Mansion Master was equally adept at keeping his emotions from showing. He was not quite as expressionless as a corpse, but there was certainly no clue to be seen from his face.

As soon as Great Sage Lan finished speaking, Yao Shu was the first to voice his agreement, without showing the slightest trace of displeasure.

The meeting then proceeded as usual, with the discussion primarily revolving around the case. After all, it involved a Deputy Mansion Master, so the Daoist Mansion had to take it seriously. If it directly implicated a Mansion Master or Chief Deputy Mansion Master as with the previous incident, then it would no longer be something for the Daoist Mansion itself to deliberate on. It would have to be brought before the Golden Tower Council for serious discussion. Each level of authority was responsible for the level directly beneath it.

Zhang Yuelu had an excellent memory. If asked to repeat everything everyone had said, she could have done so. Even so, she still jotted down a few notes on paper to demonstrate her conscientious attitude. At least, she was not as outrageous as Little Yin and Qi Xuansu, who would simply draw turtles or practice their signatures in their notebooks.

Great Sage Lan only spoke a handful of times, delivering the opening address, interrupting Zhang Yuelu, and issuing a warning. After that, he said nothing more, leaving Yao Shu to continue presiding over the council.

However, with his momentum disrupted by Great Sage Lan, Yao Shu could hardly continue pressing his advantage. As a result, the rest of the council meeting became rather subdued.

This was precisely what frustrated Yao Shu the most. His authority had been divided, and Great Sage Lan loomed over him, suppressing him at every turn. That was because Great Sage Lan had learned his lesson from giving Wang Jiaohe too much leeway, nearly allowing a catastrophe to unfold. Thus, he was using his newfound vigilance on Yao Shu.

It was too bad Yao Shu had to suffer the consequences of Wang Jiaohe’s mess.

Zhang Yuelu nevertheless breathed a small sigh of relief. At the very least, Great Sage Lan had shielded her from the first wave of the storm.

However, Great Sage Lan could only shield her from the storm at the Daoist Mansion level. She would still have to deal with Fengxian Hall and Beichen Hall herself.

Besides this opponent in the open, there was also an opponent lurking in the shadows—the Heavenly Court. Rumor had it that the Golden Patriarch and the Imperial Preceptor were sworn brothers, though no one knew whether that was true. But in this matter, the Golden Patriarch would certainly cooperate with the Imperial Preceptor.

This time, the Taiping Sect was attacking on two fronts.

Moreover, there was someone who, despite not being an ally of the Taiping Sect, had also recognized the opportunity and was going along with the current, adding fuel to the fire. Setting aside the bigger picture and considering only their own interests, they wanted to seize this opportunity to reclaim power rather than end up like the sixth-generation Grand Master. That was precisely where things had gone wrong.

If Zhang Yuelu mishandled this, jeopardizing her own future would be the lesser concern. What she truly feared was that Qi Xuansu might also be affected. If that happened, all the painstaking effort Qi Xuansu had put into having her succeed him would have gone to waste.

The council meeting that was fraught with hidden agenda finally came to an end. But this was only the beginning.

Zhang Yuelu walked out of the council hall and stood beneath the eaves, gazing out at the pouring rain.

The double eave hip roof was traditionally reserved exclusively for the imperial family, but the Daoist Order had never cared much about such conventions. Thus, the Daoist Mansion’s council hall looked much like an imperial palace.

Zhang Yuelu suddenly thought of Zhang Wuyue. There had been implications behind Yao Shu’s words. Could he also have been alluding to Zhang Wuyue’s actions? Had Zhang Wuyue not gone to the Southern Continent, would they have arrested him as well this time?

Outside the hall, the sound of rain engulfed the entire Nanyang.

Ke Qingqing waited nearby with an umbrella ready in her hand.

Zhang Yuelu glanced at the umbrella and could not help but wonder. Over the Daoist Order’s more than two hundred years of history, countless storms had come and gone. This downpour was naturally nothing in the grand sweep of the Daoist Order’s history. But for her, would that single umbrella truly be enough to shelter her from the storm?

With so much weighing on her mind, Zhang Yuelu’s mood was as dark and gloomy as the weather.