A Pawn's Passage

Li Changge did not delay for long. Since the Golden Tower Council had yet to appoint a new Chief Deputy of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, he made a simple handover with Mansion Master Li Ruoshui before heading to Jade Capital to meet Sage Qingwei.

There was not much to hand over anyway. The Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion had no major affairs to deal with in the first place.

Li Changge’s meeting with Sage Qingwei was a routine procedure, with nothing in particular that needed to be explained. Just as Qi Xuansu had been deeply involved in Sage Donghua’s various affairs, Li Changge had done the same with Sage Qingwei. Everything that needed to be said had already been said, so this meeting was merely a formality.

Li Changge also stopped by his home in Taishang Place along the way. Not far away was Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu’s new home, which had just completed its renovations and now looked completely refreshed. Although some of the workers had already left, quite a few people remained to make preparations for the couple’s wedding.

Princess Chiying hurried over to Taishang Place after hearing the news. She did not normally live here, but over in Xuanyuan Place.

Li Changge and Princess Chiying had known each other since childhood and could be considered childhood sweethearts. Regardless of what Li Changge truly thought in his heart, at the very least, there was no open conflict between them, nor did either of them ever give the other the cold shoulder.

The Great Xuan royal family had long been frustrated by its inability to become deeply involved in the Daoist Order. But things were different now. Whether Sage Qingwei or Li Changge became Grand Master, a daughter of the Qin family would become the Grand Master Consort.

This was also the reason Qi Xuansu had insisted on strengthening their ties through marriage. Many Daoists disliked the Great Xuan Court interfering in the affairs of the Daoist Order. If Sage Donghua’s Daoist companion were Sage Cihang, that would only strengthen their win. After all, how could a princess of the Qin family possibly compete with Sage Cihang? By the same logic, Princess Chiying could not compete with Zhang Yuelu either. This was an enormous advantage for both Sage Donghua and Qi Xuansu.

Li Changge went to the study to retrieve a few things, chatting casually with Princess Chiying along the way.

“So it’s settled? You’re going to the Southern Continent?” Princess Chiying asked.

Li Changge nodded. “Tian Yuan is in quite a hurry to come back. It seems the situation in Nanyang has made it impossible for him to sit still.”

Princess Chiying joked, “Sage Qi knows how to cherish his Daoist companion.”

Li Changge did not respond to the statement. Instead, he muttered, “If Tian Yuan really were a hopeless romantic, that would actually make things easier for me.”

Princess Chiying hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you want me to go with you?”

Li Changge rejected the idea without even thinking. “There’s no need for that. It wouldn’t look proper either. Tian Yuan went there alone without even bringing his secretary. If I were to arrive with my whole family in tow, people would inevitably look down on me.”

He had originally wanted to add, “If you really want to go, I’ll bring you over after I settle down.”

But after giving it another thought, he decided against saying it.

Princess Chiying looked somewhat downcast before changing the subject. “Speaking of Nanyang, I heard that Sage Zhang has been under a great deal of pressure lately?”

Li Changge frowned slightly, seemingly somewhat displeased. But he still answered, “I wouldn’t go that far. The Zhang family has already stepped in, and more importantly, Qing Xiao hasn’t done anything seriously wrong. Why are you suddenly asking about this? I thought you weren’t interested in such matters.”

Princess Chiying said, “A few days ago, Sage Zhang had someone send a little girl to Taishang Place. I heard she’s the adopted daughter of Sage Zhang and Sage Qi. If I recall correctly, her name is Qi Xiaoyin. She doesn’t look very old, but she’s clever and mischievous, and quite the little troublemaker. You can often see a whole crowd of people chasing one little girl all over the place, only to have her run circles around them. The girl can’t sit still either. She likes wandering through the streets and alleys of Taishang Place, and she’s not shy around strangers. She’s quite lovable.”

Li Changge’s brow relaxed. “Oh, her. I know about her. Don’t let her young age fool you. She’s already accomplished quite a few meritorious deeds alongside Tian Yuan and Qing Xiao. She even saved Tian Yuan once. She should be a third-rank Youyi Daoist by now.”

Princess Chiying was somewhat surprised. “Wow...one really can’t judge a person by appearances.”

While the two were talking, Princess Chiying instructed the servants to help pack Li Changge’s daily necessities, behaving every bit like the mistress of the household.

Li Changge did not refuse either. Whether he liked it or not was no longer up to him. Since he had no control over the situation, rather than resist and make everyone upset, he might as well accept things as they were.

After storing all the necessary items in his magical receptacle, Li Changge boarded the flying ship bound for the Southern Continent.

Qi Xuansu had also received the news, so naturally, a welcome banquet had to be held. The attendees had already been decided. The Daoist Order’s representatives were Qi Xuansu, Lu Yujue, and Shen Yubing, while the Western Daoist Order’s were Huangfu Ji, Huangfu Xi, and Tantai Ying.

No matter how one looked at it, this was an exceptionally high-level reception.

The venue was set at the Taiping Inn in New Xijing, which was also the largest and most luxurious Taiping Inn in the entire Southern Continent.

Li Changge’s journey was not a short one. Counting the detours and stops along the way, traveling from Jade Capital to New Xijing took three days and two nights. During those three days, Qi Xuansu kept a close eye on the situation in Nanyang. However, Zhang Yuelu seemed to have stabilized the situation, and no problems arose. The celebrations on Madam Wu’s side had also concluded, and she was preparing to return to Jade Capital with Qi Xuansu.

The Golden Tower Council had no intention of keeping Madam Wu in the Southern Continent and had made other arrangements for her. Judging from what Great Sage Jiang had let slip, Madam Wu would most likely be appointed a Great Sage of a Daoist Mansion, taking command of her own region.

Though Madam Wu was not particularly interested in the position, she was not opposed to it.

At last, Li Changge arrived at New Xijing.

In fact, this was the normal procedure. Someone like Qi Xuansu, who had gone ahead to the Northern Continent all by himself, was actually the unusual one.

Tantai Ying was responsible for welcoming Li Changge at the port. Since both of them were Chief Deputy Hall Masters, they exchanged formal greetings before Tantai Ying said, “Sage Li, let’s head straight to the Taiping Inn. Sage Huangfu and Sage Qi are already there.”

Naturally, Li Changge had no objections.

For this welcome banquet, Qi Xuansu had the entire Taiping Inn reserved and selected its largest banquet hall, which could accommodate several hundred people. It was decorated with an enormous mural of a landscape painting done by a veteran of the Western Daoist Order.

When Tantai Ying led Li Changge to the entrance of the banquet hall, Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji were already waiting there, each accompanied by a group of people.

Seeing Li Changge arrive, Qi Xuansu took the initiative to step forward and greet him. “Brother Yong Yan, it’s been a long time. How have you been?”

Li Changge returned the greeting with a smile. “Brother Tian Yuan, it has indeed been some time since we last met. I’m doing well.”

Huangfu Ji then exchanged greetings with Li Changge. “Chief Deputy Li, welcome to New Xijing to assume your post as the Daoist Order’s envoy.”

Li Changge said, “I’ll be relying on you in the future, Sage Huangfu. We must work together through thick and thin.”

Following Li Changge’s lead, Huangfu Ji replied, “Naturally, we shall work together through thick and thin.”

This time, a Deputy Hall Master of Ziwei Hall had also accompanied Li Changge here, effectively seeing him off to his new post. The reason it was not the Chief Deputy or the Second Deputy accompanying him was that everyone in Ziwei Hall was simply too busy to get away due to the recent personnel changes.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the Deputy Ziwei Hall Master formally announced Li Changge’s appointment on behalf of the Golden Tower Council and Ziwei Hall.

According to convention, Li Changge had to give a speech to state his position. However, as a scion of one of the Daoist Order’s most prestigious families, Li Changge was familiar with such occasions. Unlike some people who simply read mechanically from prepared scripts, Li Changge spoke off-the-cuff and delivered his remarks with great eloquence.

This was also a matter of cultivating one’s public image, or perhaps simply a fundamental skill, one that could highlight the demeanor of a leader rather than that of a timid scholar trembling over his words.

A leader should not be talking about whether he could make it to the opposite shore while treading on thin ice. He should possess the kind of resolve that reassured the people that even if the ice broke while he was halfway across, he would still wade through the freezing water and make it to the other side.

Everyone then took their respective seats, and more formal pleasantries followed. Qi Xuansu did most of the talking, briefing Li Changge on the specific situation in the Southern Continent.

Li Changge also spoke, conveying Sage Qingwei’s and the Golden Tower Council’s assessment of Qi Xuansu’s work during this period. The main message was that Sage Qingwei and the Golden Tower Council were highly satisfied with Qi Xuansu’s accomplishments. Although there were a few minor shortcomings, such as his failure to rebuild the intelligence network in the Northern Continent, his overall achievements were nevertheless commendable and could not be overlooked.

No one knew whether Sage Qingwei was truly satisfied and what he actually thought deep down, nor would anyone bother delving too deeply into the question.

These were merely the usual formalities, meant to create a cordial atmosphere, smooth relations, and bring everyone closer together.

After nearly an hour of such formalities, the gathering appeared perfectly harmonious.

In truth, this welcome banquet also doubled as a farewell banquet for Qi Xuansu, combining the two occasions into one.

The meal was truly a fusion of East and West, with even a few Western dishes being served. It was clear that the Western Daoist Order was well versed in Western learning.

After the banquet, Qi Xuansu took out a brocade box he had prepared in advance for Li Changge.

“Brother Yong Yan, the war between the Northern and Southern Continents have already ended, and at long last, we can see the first glimmer of peace. However, peace on the whole does not mean that everything will be trouble-free from now on. The situation on our front remains far from optimistic. We have yet to rebuild our intelligence network in the Northern Continent, but the Evangelical Ministry has planted large numbers of spies and secret agents among us. They even managed to turn one of our Pseudo-Immortal advisors. That alone shows just how grave the situation is.”

Qi Xuansu continued unhurriedly, “During this period, we joined forces with the Juesheng Hall under Sage Huangfu’s leadership to carry out several large-scale screening and arrest operations. We apprehended a great many spies and secret agents and achieved gratifying results.

“I imagine you’ve heard that not long ago, Sage Huangfu sent people to seal off New Port to capture members of the Evangelical Ministry who had infiltrated the city. I participated in the operation as well. Although one of our Daoists was severely wounded and remains unconscious to this day, we ultimately succeeded in killing several high-ranking members of the Evangelical Ministry.

“This item is one of the mementos from that operation. Brother Yong Yan, I’m giving it to you in hopes that you will continue our efforts and achieve even greater success.”

Li Changge slowly opened the exquisite brocade box.

The inside of the box was lined with velvet, all for the sake of holding a single charred-black skull.

Li Changge stared at the skull silently, with not a trace of a smile on his face.

He had a faint idea whose skull this was. It belonged to a member of the Li family, someone who had not only died far from home but had also been branded as a member of the Evangelical Ministry.

Though he was infuriated, he knew that he could not show his anger. Thus, he could only remain calm, with not a trace of expression on his face.

After a long time, Li Changge finally flashed a bitter smile. He looked at the skull in the box and sighed softly. “This gift certainly carries great significance. I shall heed your words, Brother Tian Yuan.”