A Pawn's Passage

Zhang Wuyue had never imagined that he would end up in such a predicament.

After leaving the pleasure house, he walked back alone as usual. He enjoyed the feeling of the night breeze brushing against him while he was pleasantly tipsy. It was a rare moment of leisure after a busy day.

But tonight was different. On the way home, several people dressed as Daoist priests suddenly approached him from the opposite direction.

At first, Zhang Wuyue thought nothing of it. New Port was still under construction, and people from all branches of the Western Daoist Order were everywhere, so there was nothing unusual about seeing Daoists.

But as the distance between them closed, those Western Daoist priests suddenly moved in and surrounded Zhang Wuyue.

Only then did Zhang Wuyue realize that something was wrong, but it was already too late.

“What are you trying to do?” Zhang Wuyue asked warily.

The leader had the features of someone from the Central Plains. He said, “You’re Zhang Wuyue, right? Our boss would like to see you.”

“Who’s your boss?” Zhang Wuyue asked.

The Daoist priest from the Central Plains replied, “You’ll know when you get there.”

Zhang Wuyue said, “Fine. Let me inform my people first.”

At that moment, the Daoist priest from the Central Plains struck with lightning speed and seized Zhang Wuyue by the wrist.

Zhang Wuyue tried to break free, but the man’s grip did not budge in the slightest. This man was at least a Heavenly Being, and Zhang Wuyue was completely outmatched.

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” the Daoist priest from the Central Plains said coldly.

By now, Zhang Wuyue knew full well that these people meant him harm. He said, “Who exactly are you? You’re not Daoist priests from the Western Daoist Order.”

“You don’t need to know.” The Daoist priest from the Central Plains gave the others a look.

Several men restrained Zhang Wuyue and stuffed him directly into a large chest that had clearly been prepared beforehand. They then taped a talisman to the chest, making it impossible for him to escape. A carriage arrived shortly afterward, and the men loaded the chest onto it before heading straight for the harbor.

The chest completely isolated Zhang Wuyue from the outside world, so he had no idea where he was being taken. By the time he was finally taken out of the chest, he found himself in a pitch-black room.

Standing around him were the same Central Plains Daoist priests who had kidnapped him.

Zhang Wuyue still managed to retain some composure. Though alarmed, he had not lost his reason. Forcing himself to remain calm, he said, “Are you gentlemen after money? If it’s money you want, then everything is negotiable. Money is merely a worldly possession, after all. As long as you can guarantee my safety, I’ll meet your demands.”

The face of the leading Daoist priest was like that of a corpse, utterly devoid of expression. Only the occasional movement of his eyes proved that he was still alive.

The man slowly said, “Young Master Zhang must be joking. Isn’t Sage Zhang your Big Sister, and Sage Qi your brother-in-law? If we let you go, how could those two Sages possibly let the matter rest? I’m afraid we might live long enough to take the money, but not long enough to spend it.”

Zhang Wuyue’s expression changed. “Then what do you want?”

The man replied, “I already told you. Our boss wants to meet you.”

Zhang Wuyue grew even more suspicious. “Who exactly is your boss? Where is he?”

The Daoist priest from the Central Plains said, “We can’t tell you who our boss is just yet. Naturally, he’s in the Central Plains. After all, the Southern Continent is the Western Daoist Order’s territory, so it would be inconvenient for him to come here personally.”

Zhang Wuyue was startled upon hearing this.

He was no fool and had already discerned several clues from what had been said. These people knew perfectly well that Zhang Yuelu was his cousin, and Qi Xuansu was his brother-in-law, yet they still dared to abduct him right under Huangfu Ji’s nose. They had slapped all three Sages and the Zhang family in the face, so this could not be explained simply by recklessness or desperation.

The more likely explanation was that these people had powerful backing and thus had nothing to fear. Who possessed such confidence, and who had the means to pull this off?

The answer was obvious—the Taiping Sect.

Only the Taiping Sect would be unconcerned about Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu, and only the Taiping Sect possessed enough influence to send people directly to the Southern Continent to abduct Zhang Wuyue.

Having figured this out, Zhang Wuyue immediately said, “You’re breaking the rules. I’m a member of the Zhang family. If you’re willing to go this far, don’t blame my family for retaliating in kind.”

The leading Daoist priest twitched the corner of his mouth into a sneer. “It seems you have already made a few guesses, Young Master Zhang. Still, I should explain why we’re here. We have no intention of hurting you. We merely intend to take you back to the Central Plains. Once we arrive there, we’ll certainly set you free, unharmed. How can that be considered breaking the rules?”

Zhang Wuyue gritted his teeth. “Fine. Are you from the Fengxian Hall? Or the Beichen Hall? Set me free? You’re planning to use what I’ve done against Sage Zhang, aren’t you?”

The Daoist priest from the Central Plains said, “Young Master Zhang, you are indeed a clever man with a good deal of self-awareness. You know what you’ve done, so you know that we’re not falsely accusing you. At most, you could say our methods were a little aggressive. Afterward, we will conduct a serious self-criticism and even host a banquet to apologize to you personally. That is, if you manage to make it out of the Nether Prison.”

Zhang Wuyue could no longer hold back and cursed, “Bullshit! What the hell did I do? The company has already been shut down, and all the money I made was confiscated. What you people do is a hundred times dirtier than anything I’ve ever done. Yet you have the nerve to investigate me? You think you’re worthy of putting on this act of being some impartial dispenser of justice in front of me? Go to hell!

The Daoist priest from the Central Plains remained unmoved. “Should we just believe you when you say the company was shut down and the money was confiscated? I’m afraid things aren’t that simple, are they? I’ve seen plenty of people like you. There must be more than what was uncovered, and other dealings on the side. When you were running that kind of business, didn’t you have to pay tribute to those above you? Those payments wouldn’t have been a small sum either.”

Zhang Wuyue finally understood. These people really were targeting Zhang Yuelu. He was shocked and furious, but also filled with regret. He regretted not listening to Zhang Yuelu and running off to involve himself in business.

“That’s right, I paid tribute. Do you know who I paid it to?” Zhang Wuyue was infuriated, so he lost all his composure. “You want to know? I can tell you right now.”

A faint smile finally appeared on the Daoist priest’s face. “Oh? Young Master Zhang, are you willing to cooperate? That couldn’t be better. As long as you cooperate with us, I guarantee that not a hair on your head will be harmed. Even if you have to go to the Nether Prison, it’ll merely be a formality. You can have whatever you want inside—food, clothing, daily necessities, women, men, anything can be arranged.”

Zhang Wuyue let out a laugh. “I gave all my money to Li Changge, as well as Li Tianzhen and Li Minghuang. Those three are all my dear elder brothers. Only a blind fool like you would dare kidnap me. When my brothers find out, they’ll kill you.”

The faint trace of a smile on the Daoist priest’s face immediately vanished, leaving his expression lifeless once more. “You have quite the sharp tongue, Young Master Zhang. You’re still in the mood to joke around, huh? But there’s no hurry. Once we return to the Central Plains, we’ll have plenty of time to settle matters. I have more than enough ways to make you cooperate obediently.”

These men had originally planned to take Zhang Wuyue away that very night, and they had nearly succeeded. Since a flying ship would attract too much attention, they did not use one. Instead, they took a small boat to catch up with a cargo ship that had departed earlier, intending to use the cargo ship as cover to quietly leave the Southern Continent.

But they had underestimated Huangfu Ji’s decisiveness and resolve.

At Huangfu Ji’s command, the Western Tiangang Hall dispatched warships and forcibly recalled every vessel, large or small, that had departed that day. Anyone who dared defy the order and refuse to return would be charged with colluding with the enemy.

It was an extraordinarily harsh measure.

Moreover, the Western Daoist Order was still largely governed by the authority of individuals rather than rigid procedures. No one would think Huangfu Ji was merely bluffing.

In the end, every vessel returned to port and was temporarily confined there, with no one permitted to come ashore. The Juesheng Hall then dispatched personnel to search the vessels one by one. Since there were fewer flying ships, those were searched first.

Thus, these men and Zhang Wuyue found themselves back at New Port. The Daoist priests wore gloomy expressions, clearly never having expected matters to turn out this way. Zhang Wuyue, on the other hand, was openly gloating, looking very much as though he were waiting to enjoy the show.

Did they really think Sage Huangfu was easy to provoke? They had abducted Qi Xuansu’s brother-in-law right under his nose and slapped him in the face. Once they fell into his hands, they would not meet a good end, no matter whose people they were.

Zhang Wuyue even had the leisure to think that the Li family was only intensifying the conflict. He had originally been worried that Li Changge would actively try to win over Sage Huangfu after arriving, but now it seemed that was probably not going to happen.

However, these people were quite capable themselves. After all, they had a Heavenly Being among them. Seizing an opportunity, they still managed to sneak ashore and transfer Zhang Wuyue from the cargo ship to another hidden safehouse.

They divided up their tasks. One person stayed behind to guard Zhang Wuyue, while the others went out to gather information.

After making some inquiries, they discovered that the situation was far from optimistic. Huangfu Ji had gone all out, practically sealing New Port up like an iron barrel. Spies were being hunted everywhere, and they had even caught several people from the Evangelical Ministry. As unfamiliar faces, there was simply no way for these men to escape.

Under these circumstances, taking Zhang Wuyue away was no longer realistic. So they came up with another plan. They would make Zhang Wuyue write a confession while recording him, then take the evidence away with them. At worst, they could later claim that Zhang Wuyue had escaped while in custody and fled to the Southern Continent. One way or another, they could make the story hold together.

However, this operation team was primarily tasked with capturing people and had no Diviners or Shamans among them. If they wanted Zhang Wuyue to obediently admit his mistakes and confess his wrongdoing, they would have to resort to some violence.

But before that, the Daoist priest from the Central Plains still tried to reason with Zhang Wuyue, promising that as long as Zhang Wuyue earnestly confessed his wrongdoings, he could be spared physical suffering.

Naturally, Zhang Wuyue flatly refused.

The Daoist priest from the Central Plains said expressionlessly, “Then we’ll have no choice but to follow procedure.”

One of the Daoist priests took out a whip. Its length was wrapped with strange talismans and copper coins. Compared to ordinary talismans, the inscriptions on these were blood-red, their strokes wild and menacing, exuding a vicious and sinister aura. These copper coins were from the previous dynasty, dating back more than 300 years.

The Daoist priest gave the whip a flick and said, “Young Master Zhang, you should know what this is, right? This is the Soul-Hooking Whip. The name may be rather crude, but when it strikes the body, it leaves no wound whatsoever and causes no physical pain. But the agony it inflicts upon the soul is another matter entirely. It is far harder to endure than any pain of the flesh.”

The Daoist priest spoke in a gentle tone, almost as though he were patiently coaxing Zhang Wuyue.

Zhang Wuyue was not surprised. The Beichen Hall and Tiangang Hall were known as the Daoist Order’s two fists, one dealing with internal affairs and the other with external threats. They were indisputably violent. How could people from the Beichen Hall possibly be merciful?

But today, Zhang Wuyue was determined to remain defiant to the bitter end. “Bring it on! If I show even the slightest fear, then I’m not worthy of being Zhang Yuelu’s cousin, and I have no right to bear the Zhang name!

The Daoist priest said nothing more and lashed Zhang Wuyue with the whip.

Just as the Daoist priest had said, the whip itself struck with very little force, not even leaving a mark on Zhang Wuyue’s body.

Yet at that very instant, Zhang Wuyue’s pupils suddenly contracted, and for a brief moment, his eyes went blank.