A Pawn's Passage

After a few months, Qi Xuansu finally came to the Qingping Society’s dream meeting again on February 15th.

It was exactly the same as before. The magnificent hall was surrounded by fog. Everything was hazy and blurry, making it difficult to see clearly. There was also no roof overhead, but a vast starry sky.

The only difference was in the number of participants. This dream meeting seemed particularly lively compared to the previous few times. It was more like a bustling market at the moment. Qi Xuansu wondered if it was because of the festive season or because of the crackdown happening.

Qi Xuansu looked around for Madam Qi. He found her effortlessly because she was the center of attention, like a moon surrounded by countless stars.

Madam Qi was standing on a step with a crowd gathered below.

Of course, these people did not gather around her because they were attracted by her appearance, especially since everyone’s real appearance was shrouded by smoke. Even if they could see Madam Qi’s true appearance, she was an old lady who could not be compared to a young and beautiful girl.

However, what those young and beautiful girls lacked were Madam Qi’s skills, connections, and capabilities. That was why there was a crowd gathered around Madam Qi.

Qi Xuansu remembered Madam Qi once said that the fish talisman could be manifested in dreams because it was made of dream stone. The manifestation would be harder for a Martial Arts Practitioner and easier for a Diviner, but it could be done. As long as one visualized the fish talisman, it would appear in the dream meeting.

After manifesting the fish talisman, one could establish contact with other people through the fish talismans. That way, both parties would feel a tug through the fish talismans when they were present in the dream meeting. If the connection was no longer needed afterward, it could also be severed easily.

Judging from this scene, it seemed that Madam Qi’s fish talisman had established connections with countless people.

Under such circumstances, Qi Xuansu did not even know if there was a point in Madam Qi covering up her appearance.

Qi Xuansu did not step forward but just patiently watched from a distance. He only went to see her after she had finished handling all the matters at hand and the crowd around her gradually dispersed.

Since so many people were looking for Madam Qi for business, no one paid attention to Qi Xuansu’s identity.

“You’re here!” Madam Qi did not look up, as she was engrossed in her account book that she had manifested. This made Qi Xuansu wonder if this account book was also made of dream stones.

Qi Xuansu did not beat around the bush this time. “Madam Qi, I’m out of Taiping coins. Do you have any jobs I can do to make money?”

Madam Qi finally closed the account book, cleared the fog from her face, and asked, “What do you want the money for?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “I gained a Blood Pill, but I’m afraid it’ll be too potent to consume directly. So I’ll need to buy a Jade Liquor to neutralize it. I also don’t mind running an errand in exchange for a bottle of Jade Liquor.”

Madam Qi scoffed. “I have never heard of anyone using Jade Liquor as payment, but there are many people who will pay with Taiping coins.”

“Great!” Qi Xuansu waited excitedly.

Madam Qi did not rush to assign tasks to Qi Xuansu. She remarked, “You’ve slacked off recently. In the past, you wouldn’t wait until you had no money before coming to me.”

“Really?” Qi Xuansu was puzzled.

Madam Qi looked at him. “Do you know what a man’s greatest weakness is?”

Qi Xuansu shook his head.

Madam Qi laughed. “Most men’s weakness is not themselves but their family members. That’s why bold young men often become more timid when they start building a family. They will be more cautious, as they are always thinking about their responsibilities as a father and husband. In a way, they live for others.”

Qi Xuansu did not know what to say.

Madam Qi continued, “Did you see those people who were begging me for help? All of them have families to support, so it’s easy for me to manipulate them. They have no choice but to accept my terms, and they won’t dare to offend me. On the contrary, most bachelors like you who only worry about themselves are the real thorn in the side. They can do whatever they like without scruples. Apart from using force and threatening their lives, I don’t really have any other ideas to restrain them.”

Qi Xuansu touched his chin. “So, if there are too many bachelors, wouldn’t they become a source of chaos?”

Madam Qi chuckled. “That’s why I introduced you to Miss Zhang. Tell me honestly, you’ve thought of giving up on searching for White Jade Hall, right?”

Qi Xuansu was speechless.

Seeing this, Madam Qi returned to the topic. “Anyway, let’s get down to business. I have an escort job entrusted to me by an old friend.”

“Escort?” Qi Xuansu pondered for a while. “Like an escort guard accompanying a convoy of valuables? The kind that needs to know secret codes and bribe mountain bandits to get through their tolls?”

Madam Qi said, “This escort mission is a bit special. There is no convoy or cargo. You will be escorting another person.”

“Like a bodyguard?” Qi Xuansu was even more surprised.

Madam Qi explained, “To put it bluntly, I want you to escort someone from one location to another.”

Qi Xuansu had been running errands for Madam Qi for a long time. He immediately noticed something was wrong. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple, huh?”

“Indeed, it’s really not that simple. Do you know about the Daoist Order’s major Jiangnan case?” Madam Qi asked.

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Yes, Qing Xiao told me about it. She narrowly escaped death when she was responsible for handling this case. When Qing Xiao and I went to Yunjin Mountain, we also encountered a group of assassins seemingly related to this case.”

Madam Qi nodded. “This case involved many people and caused a big impact. In the end, a second-rank Taiyi Daoist priest was executed.”

Qi Xuansu added, “I’m aware of this. The original Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master was transferred away because of this.”

“Then do you know who the executed Sage was?” Madam Qi asked.

Qi Xuansu shook his head.

Madam Qi continued, “Well since you don’t know, I’ll tell you. This Sage was Fang Linhou, the former Deputy Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master. After the major Jiangnan case, Beichen Hall immediately dispatched two Deputy Hall Masters and a large number of Spirit Guards to arrest Fang Linhou and escort him back to Jade Capital. During the Golden Tower Council discussion, Sage Donghua proposed to use Fang Linhou as a wedge so as to force a gap between the wood to reveal the mastermind behind this. That way, they could completely solve the problem from the root.”

“But in the end, only Fang Linhou died, right?” Qi Xuansu chimed in.

Madam Qi nodded. “Because that was a metal block that wouldn’t budge. Better yet, if the wedge was broken, there would be no chance of seeing any cracks."

Qi Xuansu was no longer surprised by Madam Qi’s knowledge of these inside stories. The Qingping Society was known for being resourceful, and Madam Qi was undoubtedly a well-informed member. With her connections, it would not be difficult for her to get inside information.

Madam Qi continued, “At that time, Beichen Hall and Fengxian Hall jointly tried the case. Fang Linhou wanted to survive, so he asked his family to send cash notes worth 100,000 Taiping coins to the Deputy Beichen Hall Master who was responsible for the case.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “And then?”

Madam Qi sneered. “Fang Linhou didn’t expect to keep his position or even his rank as a Sage. He only wanted to live. But since he was named by Sage Donghua to be used as a wedge, his death was a done deal. No one could save him.

“Even so, the Deputy Beichen Hall Master accepted the money and agreed. During the court hearing, the Deputy Beichen Hall Master took out the cash notes worth 100,000 Taiping coins and handed them over to Fengxian Hall as evidence of bribery. This gave Fang Linhou the final blow, and he was executed immediately.”

Qi Xuansu felt a chill on his back. “Wow, that’s low.”

Madam Qi sneered. “That Deputy Hall Master only gave up 100,000 Taiping coins because they had millions of Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu was confused.

Madam Qi explained, “As Sage Donghua said, Fang Linhou was just an abandoned pawn. He was involved in the game, but he was not an important figure. No matter what, Fengxian Hall wouldn’t get anything useful from the investigation. Fang Linhou, like most men, had a family that he wanted to protect. So he dared not oust the mastermind because he did not want his wife and children to die with him.”

Qi Xuansu gasped.

Madam Qi asked, “Tian Yuan, if Fang Linhou died, who do you think will get his kickbacks?”

Qi Xuansu was silent for a while before he said, “In that case, Fang Linhou must die.”

Madam Qi sighed. “If you can return to the Daoist Order in the future, you will also encounter this kind of problem. Sometimes, you will have no choice but to follow orders, even when knowing that something is wrong, just because your superiors ordered you to do it. If you disobey, they will immediately replace you with someone obedient. But when the time comes to hold someone accountable, you will have to shoulder the responsibility.”

Madam Qi said with a faint smile, “That’s why it’s good to have a backer, like your Miss Zhang. No one can force her to do anything she doesn’t want to. But even with such strong backers, there are still people who want to kill her. You witnessed it yourself. Tian Yuan, don’t think that you’ve seen how the world works just because you’ve traveled around and met many people. The real world is like regular metal swords, while the Daoist Order is like a top-grade flying sword that can behead you from afar.”

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