A Pawn's Passage

The main street in front of the Taiping Inn had already been placed under tight security by the Black Robes of the Nanting Protectorate.

On both sides of the street stood rows of fully armed Black Robes. Clad in black armor and black visors, they formed two long black walls of muscle.

The entire Lion City was on edge, wondering who they were planning to arrest.

Neither Chief Deputy Qi nor Chief Deputy Zhang was in Lion City. Could they be here to arrest the old Daoists?

Qi Xuansu’s convoy slowly entered the main street in front of the Taiping Inn.

The Black Robes lining both sides of the street saluted in perfect unison, the clatter of their armor ringing as one.

The great affairs of a state lay in sacrifice and war.

For people to unite as one, external threats alone were not enough. They also needed certain intangible concepts. Thus, meaning had to be attached to certain things, along with a sense of ritual, so that these abstract concepts could take tangible form and people could feel their solemnity.

Some people were cynical and treated rites, laws, and rules with contempt. Perhaps in their eyes, rituals and laws existed merely to deceive ignorant men and women. They believed that because they had seen through them and understood the concepts behind them, they no longer needed to obey the rules.

This was actually a form of arrogance. Just because they had seen through these things did not mean that most people had. Speaking only of abstract concepts was too intangible and would merely leave people confused. Concrete rituals were still necessary to give those concepts tangible form.

That was why the fifth-generation Grand Master had strictly prohibited the deconstruction of such concepts, sweeping away the cynical attitude that had become prevalent among the Daoists. Anyone who wished to remain cynical could simply surrender their authority and retire from public office.

This established a fundamental principle—the Daoist Order would respect rules and conduct itself with seriousness and discipline.

Yet such rituals inevitably became distorted over time, turning into pompous displays of grandeur.

Before long, Qi Xuansu’s convoy stopped at the entrance of the Taiping Inn, disembarking one after another.

Qi Xuansu walked in the center, with Lin Yuanmiao to his left and Spirit Guard Jia Yin to his right.

Anyone who witnessed the scene would have marveled at the sheer grandeur of his entourage. Even a Mansion Master might not command such an impressive procession when traveling.

At this moment, a contingent of Black Robes stood in the courtyard of the Taiping Inn. Upon witnessing this scene, every one of them grew solemn.

The leader of the Black Robes contingent shouted, “Salute!”

All the Black Robes raised the long spears in their hands in perfect unison.

Qi Xuansu remained calm as he strode into the main hall of the Taiping Inn, where the Grand Protector was already waiting for him.

After the two exchanged greetings, the Grand Protector wasted no time and came straight to the point. “Old Master Jin has already arrived.”

Although the Golden Patriarch’s actual last name was Lu, people addressed him as Old Master Jin, which meant gold. Perhaps only his peers, such as Great Sage Lan, still remembered that the Golden Patriarch’s last name was actually Lu.

Qi Xuansu thanked the Grand Protector before walking inside.

The Grand Protector, Lin Yuanmiao, and Spirit Guard Jia Yin remained outside.

This was Qi Xuansu’s first time meeting the Golden Patriarch face-to-face. In the past, he had only seen the Golden Patriarch’s divine palms without ever glimpsing his true appearance.

There was only a tea table in the room, with two chairs placed opposite each other across it.

An old man was already seated in one of the chairs. He wore an Eastern hechang, with a jade pendant hanging on his waist. Meanwhile, he smoked from a Western pipe and wore a Western gentleman’s pocket watch and a pair of dark glasses made from fine black crystal.

Qi Xuansu finally understood whom Wu Guangbi had copied his dressing style from, though Wu Guangbi had taken it even further.

The old man was puffing away at his pipe. When he saw Qi Xuansu, he rose to his feet, transferred the pipe to his left hand, and extended his right hand toward Qi Xuansu. “Sage Qi, I have long heard of your great reputation.”

“Elder Lu, I should be the one saying that.” Qi Xuansu shook hands with the Golden Patriarch in a Western manner before the two took their respective seats.

After sitting down, the Golden Patriarch raised the pipe in his hand slightly. “Do you mind?”

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “Madam Qi enjoys smoking as well. I’ve long since grown accustomed to it, so I don’t mind.”

The Golden Patriarch nodded and resumed puffing on his pipe. “All these years, everyone has called me Old Master Jin. So I’m surprised that you actually know my real last name.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Elder Lu, were you once a member of the Daoist Order as well?”

The Golden Patriarch replied, “I once was.”

Qi Xuansu probed, “Why did you leave?”

The Golden Patriarch gave an answer entirely unrelated to the question. “Sage Qi, you have certainly put on quite a display. Nearly half of Lion City has been placed under tight security.”

Qi Xuansu smiled. “Your formidable reputation precedes you, Golden Patriarch. My subordinates were afraid of being held responsible if something were to happen to me, so they took it upon themselves to make these arrangements.”

“You flatter me, Sage Qi.” The Golden Patriarch grinned with the pipe between his teeth, his voice slightly muffled. “When I was young, I once encountered an Omniscient Sage who traveled with an equally grand entourage. At the time, I resolved that a true man ought to live like that.”

Qi Xuansu was in no hurry to get to the main subject and continued, “If that was the case, then you had even more reason to remain in the Daoist Order. With your abilities, you could’ve become a Virtuous Great Sage.”

The Golden Patriarch removed the pipe from his mouth and exhaled a cloud of white smoke. “You think too highly of me, Sage Qi. If it were truly that easy, why isn’t Master Zhou a Virtuous Great Sage? I’m afraid the Daoist Order’s registers have listed Elder Lu among the dead for a very long time.”

Qi Xuansu’s heart stirred. “Was it historical baggage? May I ask who your master was?”

The old man did not answer directly. “Someone who was unlucky enough to choose the wrong side. Otherwise, I would never have left Jade Capital and gone far away from home.”

Qi Xuansu adjusted his sitting posture slightly. “I would like to hear the details, Elder.”

The Golden Patriarch lowered his eyelids slightly. “You should know that the fifth-generation Grand Master once deposed three Deputy Grand Masters and then elevated three new Deputy Grand Masters in their place. The latter are our current three Deputy Grand Masters who now wield tremendous power. Whenever new people rise to power, they inevitably appoint their own people and suppress remnants of their predecessors. Even if the newly appointed Deputy Grand Masters had been unwilling to do so, the fifth-generation Grand Master would have forced them to. Otherwise, there would have been no point in replacing the old leadership in the first place. My master was a trusted confidant of the previous Imperial Preceptor, so naturally, he was implicated. After all, one prospers and suffers with their superior. How could I possibly have escaped?”

Qi Xuansu said, “As far as I know, you seem to have a very good relationship with the Imperial Preceptor.”

“That all came later. More precisely, it happened after I had made something of myself.” The Golden Patriarch spoke calmly. “Being on good terms now doesn’t mean we were on good terms in the past, much less that we will remain on good terms in the future. Moreover, my master was personally singled out by the fifth-generation Grand Master. The newly appointed Imperial Preceptor would never have dared oppose the Grand Master’s wishes. In fact, right up until the fifth-generation Grand Master ascended, the Three Deputy Grand Masters who now wielded such tremendous power were all thoroughly obedient to him.”

Qi Xuansu said, “But you were only a young man at the time. Surely there was no need to implicate you to such an extent.”

The Golden Patriarch laughed. “Sage Qi, you’re also a young man. If Sage Donghua were to fall from power, would there still be any place for you within the Daoist Order?”

At this point, the Golden Patriarch gave a self-deprecating smile. “You’re probably tired of hearing such ancient grievances and stale old stories. There really isn’t much worth talking about. After all, I am a relic of an earlier age. I can hardly compare with outstanding young talents like you.”

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “Not at all.”

The Golden Patriarch smiled faintly. “Since you don’t mind, then I’ll tell you a little more. A person’s outlook is largely formed by the time he reaches adulthood. Unless he experiences some tremendous upheaval, it is very difficult for that worldview to change. When I was young, I saw many great figures in Jade Capital. I even met the fifth-generation Grand Master. Coupled with my distinguished background and illustrious master, I developed an intense conviction of reaching the pinnacle of society. Since I could no longer realize that ambition within the Daoist Order, I had no choice but to seek it outside the Daoist Order.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “What did you do after coming to Nanyang?”

The old man replied casually, “Nothing more than struggling my way through and narrowly escaping death time and again. I couldn’t compare with an upright man like you, Sage Qi.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Though you’ve brushed off your experiences, they must have been difficult to live through.”

The old man gently rubbed his pipe. “It was not particularly difficult nor particularly easy. It was a matter of timing and fate. At the time, Nanyang Federation of Mutual Aid had already been reorganized into the Nanyang United Trading Company. The Wang family, as former subordinates of the fifth-generation Grand Master and newly risen elites of the Daoist Order, was still in the process of rising to prominence. They had yet to fully establish themselves, much less control Nanyang. The Daoist Mansion also had many problems and was nowhere near as mature and stable as it is today. The entire Nanyang was chaotic back then, with pirates running rampant. Many people wanted an orderly market, but aside from me, no one had the ability to create one.”

Qi Xuansu said, “In that case, we of the younger generation have benefited from your efforts in bringing order to the market, Elder.”

“I wouldn’t dare claim such credit.” The Golden Patriarch was very modest. “Every generation has its own responsibilities. In the end, the new must always replace the old.”

Qi Xuansu straightened his back. “Elder, let’s discuss the matter at hand.”

The Golden Patriarch nodded slightly. “Very well. Let us talk about this troublesome matter.”

Qi Xuansu said, “The nature of this incident is extremely serious...”

The Golden Patriarch interrupted him. “Sage Qi, we are willing to compensate you for all your losses, including emotional distress from the fright you suffered at the time and the lingering fear afterward.”

Qi Xuansu said, “That’s rather blunt.”

The Golden Patriarch exhaled a puff of smoke, which somehow formed the word “two.”

“How about it?” The Golden Patriarch put the pipe back into his mouth.

He was offering 2 million Taiping coins. In all fairness, this was no small sum.

Back then, Old Master Gao had offered Qi Xuansu 200,000 Taiping coins. Now, the Golden Patriarch was offering him 2 million Taiping coins, a tenfold increase. This meant that Qi Xuansu’s status had risen by at least tenfold as well.

Yet Qi Xuansu was completely unmoved. “I’m afraid this isn’t a matter of money.”

The Golden Patriarch said nothing. The smoke simply shifted once again, transforming into the word “three.”

Qi Xuansu’s tone grew slightly heavier. “As I said, this isn’t a matter of money.”

The Golden Patriarch said, “When the White Emperor dwelled in Qizhou, he was greedy for wealth and fond of beautiful women. Yet after entering the Pass, he took no riches for himself and favored no women. This showed that his ambitions were no longer small. Sage Qi, you now harbor great ambitions of your own, so naturally, you have no desire to take wealth for yourself either. That is why what I am offering is not for you personally, but for Nanyang United Trading Company. The Heavenly Court will also fully cooperate with Nanyang United Trading Company in carrying out its various business operations.”

Qi Xuansu still said nothing.

The Golden Patriarch took a deep breath. “Considering that Wu Guangbi was also involved in this matter, I will have him step aside for a period of time for self-reflection. Liu Gui will take over responsibility for the affairs of the Heavenly Court in his place, and we will formally notify all the relevant factions of this change.”