A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu had gotten things started for Chen Jianchou, but Chen Jianchou would have to handle the rest of the work. As they had previously agreed, they would win some of the old Daoists over while dividing the rest, following a three-step approach to resolve the issue with these old Daoists.

Qi Xuansu was not worried about the old Daoists. Although they wielded considerable influence, they were far from a united front, so there were always ways to deal with them. What was truly difficult to handle was this storm over personnel appointments.

Someone intended to use this storm over personnel matters to repudiate everything that had been done in Nanyang over the past three years.

Qi Xuansu also met with Star Lord Yuheng and Shangguan Ya.

The two represented the Ziguang Society and the Eight Tribes, respectively. Since someone else had resorted to underhanded tactics outside the rules, Qi Xuansu saw no reason to hold back.

At the same time, Qi Xuansu separately informed Pei Xiaolou, Ji Jiaozhen, and the others to conduct rigorous inspections of all businesses belonging to the Heavenly Court.

Of course, this was not a formal official order. There would be no official correspondence and no written record. It was merely a suggestion from Qi Xuansu.

It was up to them to take Qi Xuansu’s suggestion.

After all, the Heavenly Court wanted to play the righteous crusader and report Daoist officials for taking bribes, so he would oblige them.

This was especially true of their businesses in Lion City. Their various permits, procedures, and qualifications were to be thoroughly inspected. If even a single violation was found, the business would immediately be suspended for rectification, and they would receive the maximum possible fine. It would all be reasonable, justified, and perfectly legal.

The main target would be the businesses associated with Wu Guangbi, with the aim of further driving a wedge between Liu Gui and Wu Guangbi.

So what if he had the Golden Patriarch behind him?

If the Golden Patriarch dared to intervene, Great Sage Lan would naturally intervene as well.

In Nanyang, there was only one person who could summon the wind and rain—Great Sage Lan. There was also one person who could shelter others from the wind and rain—Yao Shu.

Now that Mansion Master Yao had chosen to consider the greater good, matters became much simpler.

Great Sage Lan was an Immortal who had two first-rank Spirit Guards under his command, as well as the support of the Golden Tower Council.

There was no way the Imperial Preceptor would personally step into the fray.

Now they would see who could stir up the greater storm.

Although those people from Beichen Hall and Fengxian Hall had come to investigate the case, they were hardly invulnerable. As long as Qi Xuansu learned of any violations on their part, he would naturally make sure that they also became mired in trouble.

Zhang Yuelu was in seclusion at the Sheji Palace, where Great Sage Lan was personally overseeing matters, so there was nothing to worry about. Thus, Zhang Yuelu sent Lin Yuanmiao to Qi Xuansu’s side and lent him Purple Afterglow.

In any case, she had no use for it while in seclusion. Qi Xuansu’s Corpse Liberation Incarnation now possessed the cultivation of a Pseudo-Immortal, so he could just barely wield the Heavenly Preceptor’s Twin Swords.

Zhang Yuelu was not worrying unnecessarily. Every Sage in the Daoist Order possessed considerable cultivation, and if pushed too far, they really would resort to violence.

Though Qi Xuansu had a special status, that did not mean others would not dare to attack him. Qi Xuansu also valued his safety. While he was in the Southern Continent, he had Madam Wu protecting him, with Hun Ahau and Utu accompanying him as well, so others could do nothing to him.

If he ever let down his guard, then no matter how severe the consequences might be, there were people who would dare to make him perish. Hun Ahau feared something happening to Qi Xuansu because he was afraid of being blamed and having his future affected, but would the bold Taiping Sect fear such consequences? They would probably be delighted to see it happen.

In any case, Nanyang was a complicated place where all factions mingled. At worst, they could simply frame the Buddhist Sect, the Ancient Immortals, or even the Westerners. Any of them would make the perfect scapegoat.

Qi Xuansu gave Lin Yuanmiao a task—find Li Tianzhen. He had a feeling that the arrogant scion had definitely come to Nanyang again and was hiding somewhere, directing everything from behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, Little Yin was not around. Otherwise, after capturing Li Tianzhen, he could have Little Yin humiliate him by binding him with iron chains again.

However, Qi Xuansu had no intention of killing Li Tianzhen, because he realized that if he made proper use of Li Tianzhen, he might be able to cause trouble for Li Changge. If he eliminated Li Minghuang, Li Tianzhen, and the others altogether, he would instead be indirectly helping Li Changge unite the Li family.

It was just like how the Taiping Sect killing Yao Pei would only unite the Quanzhen Sect. If the Yao family was left with no way out, they could only support Qi Xuansu. Their desire for revenge and their common enemy would instead force them to unite against the outside threat.

If Qi Xuansu killed Yao Pei, it would comprehensively intensify the Quanzhen Sect’s internal conflicts and might even lead to an internal war. But if the Taiping Sect killed Yao Pei, it would unite the Quanzhen Sect instead.

By the same logic, no matter how powerful Li Changge became, as long as external rivals existed, he could not personally move against Li Minghuang, Li Tianzhen, and the others, as doing so would undermine internal unity. But if Qi Xuansu were the one to act against them, it would greatly strengthen that unity instead.

Of course, if the two of them were willing to resort to any means necessary, they could help each other out in this regard. But for now, neither Qi Xuansu nor Li Changge was so unscrupulous as to cross that line, nor was there any foundation of mutual trust between them.

If the Taiping Sect killed Qi Xuansu, that would naturally unite the Quanzhen Sect as well. After all, with only Yao Pei remaining, Sage Donghua would have no other choice.

However, the benefits would outweigh the drawbacks, because as long as Qi Xuansu died, everything would return to the course that the Taiping Sect had laid out before Qi Xuansu existed. Just as the Taiping Sect had hoped, Li Changge would pull far ahead of everyone else and dominate the Daoist Order’s eighth-generation disciples for the next 30 years. By then, whether the Quanzhen Sect was united or not would no longer matter, unless the Quanzhen Sect intended to overturn the table entirely.

As for Zhou Mengyao, there was no need to worry about her interfering. Though decapitation was merely a flesh wound for an Immortal, being decapitated by an immortal sword was another matter entirely.

In the Southern Continent, Great Sage Jiang had used Heaven’s Will to cut off Zhou Mengyao’s head. This meant that Zhou Mengyao would not be able to fully recover for some time. Even if she wanted to interfere, she was in no condition to do so.

As the leader of the Nanyang Trio, Lin Yuanmiao was highly capable of getting things done. In less than two days, he had news that Li Tianzhen had indeed come to Nanyang and was staying at the Li family’s tropical getaway.

Whenever spring arrived and the flowers bloomed, the Li family would return to their ancestral home in Qizhou and pay respects to their ancestors while they were there. During the scorching summer, they would stay on the Three Immortal Islands in Donghai. In the crisp autumn weather, they would travel with the Great Xuan royal family to Liaodong and the region around the Beiting Protectorate for hunting. When the bitter cold of winter arrived, they would head to Nanyang to escape the cold.

The last time Li Tianzhen came to Nanyang, he had stayed on Dragon Scale Island. Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu launched a surprise attack on the island, and Li Tianzhen ultimately fell into Little Yin’s hands. After the ensuing battle, Dragon Scale Island was abandoned.

This was another estate that was likewise situated on an independent island. It was called Qingshui Island, close to the Funan Kingdom.

Wu Guangbi should also be with Li Tianzhen. The matter involving the Heavenly Court was undoubtedly his doing.

Qi Xuansu planned to launch another surprise attack. Quality mattered more than quantity when it came to manpower, so Qi Xuansu enlisted Lin Yuanmiao and Star Lord Yuheng in this mission. Shangguan Ya was not skilled in direct combat, so she would not be included.

With the resources currently at his disposal, dealing with an Immortal might still be somewhat difficult and require the assistance of other Immortals. But dealing with a Pseudo-Immortal was truly not that difficult for him.

Even if he had no intention of killing Li Tianzhen, finding an opportunity to kill Wu Guangbi would still be quite appropriate.

This Grand Leader had already gotten his money’s worth out of life. Qi Xuansu only hoped that Shi Bingyun would not blame him for killing her ex.

As for Pei Shenfu’s threat, Qi Xuansu had considered that as well. However, he still did not believe that Pei Shenfu could pose any substantial threat to him.

After all, this was Nanyang, Qi Xuansu’s territory and the foundation of his future. If upheaval struck the Daoist Order and the realm was divided into three, this was where he intended to return. In that sense, he was currently fighting on his home ground.

In Nanyang, aside from Yao Shu, who was a thorn that the Earthly Preceptor deliberately planted, everyone else was either Qi Xuansu’s, Sage Donghua’s, or Great Sage Lan’s people. Thus, the manpower Pei Shenfu could mobilize was quite limited.

Based on Qi Xuansu’s assessment of Pei Shenfu’s strength, she was probably at the Zaohua stage, which was still not enough to threaten him. Even if Pei Shenfu had concealed her true strength and possessed Pseudo-Immortal strength, she could not compare to Zhou Mengyao. The uncertainty posed by a single Pseudo-Immortal was still within his control.

With the plan settled, there was no reason to delay. Qi Xuansu and Lin Yuanmiao immediately set out, while Star Lord Yuheng was responsible for providing backup.

The Daoist Order still placed great importance on military achievements. The Holy Xuan had personally led a campaign against the Buddhist Sect despite being injured. The second-generation Grand Master completely suppressed the Confucian rebellion. The third-generation Grand Master led an expedition to Fenglin. The fourth-generation Grand Master expanded into Nanyang. The fifth-generation Grand Master rose to power on the strength of his military achievements in Shakya. During his tenure, the Daoist Order’s territory reached its greatest extent in history.

Later, Sage Donghua and Sage Qingwei each personally commanded armies. Qi Xuansu had also participated in the war in Fenglin and the war between the Northern and Southern Continents. Leading from the front was an essential quality expected of a leader. This was also one of the reasons why the position of Grand Master had requirements regarding cultivation level. The only exception was the sixth-generation Grand Master.

When Qi Xuansu and Lin Yuanmiao arrived in the skies above Qingshui Island, the entire island was utterly silent.

Lin Yuanmiao said gravely, “Something isn’t right.”

Qi Xuansu said, “A hundred warnings from others are no match for a single lesson learned the hard way. It seems Li Tianzhen did learn from what happened last time.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a long howl resounded, followed by Wu Guangbi’s dramatic entrance.

The Grand Leader of the Heavenly Court looked the same as ever, with his conspicuous bald head and his incongruous attire.

“Sage Qi, what brings you here so late at night?” Wu Guangbi faced Qi Xuansu and Lin Yuanmiao alone without the slightest hint of fear.

Qi Xuansu said, “Someone has been disrupting order in Nanyang and plotting illicit schemes. I am here to investigate the matter.”

Wu Guangbi said, “This is a private residence. Please present your search warrant, Sage Qi.”

Qi Xuansu was not surprised. He made a gesture and said, “Give it to him.”

Lin Yuanmiao actually took out a search warrant bearing the official seal of the Daoist Mansion. “Here’s your search warrant. We have whatever warrant you want.”

After all, Xu Jiaorong was the Second Deputy Mansion Master in charge of legal affairs. Both the local branches of Fengxian Hall and Beichen Hall were under Xu Jiaorong’s authority. In essence, they operated under dual leadership, with the local Daoist Mansion taking precedence.

Naturally, Xu Jiaorong followed Qi Xuansu’s lead and would not obstruct him over something like this.

Someone as meticulous as Qi Xuansu certainly would not overlook such a detail.

“If you want to talk about the law, then we’ll follow the law. Now, step aside. I’m going to conduct a search in accordance with the law,” Qi Xuansu said. “Otherwise, I’ll deal with you in accordance with the law as well.”

Wu Guangbi frowned, showing no intention of backing down.

Then an elderly voice sounded from the residence below. “I’ve long heard of your great reputation, Sage Qi. Now that I’ve met you today, I see that your reputation is well deserved. You truly are overbearing. You even dare to search the Li family’s residence.”