A Pawn’s Passage

Ise Province was the core region of Fenglin. But now, it bore the chaotic aftermath of a great war.

Before the Daoist Order personally intervened, the Chancellor's Office had already fought a fierce battle with the Sonno-joi faction. The former Kampaku, Toyotomi Hidesugu, died unexpectedly while personally leading a campaign against them. Otherwise, such a high-ranking regent would not have been so easily assassinated.

After Toyotomi Hidesugu's unexpected death, the Chancellor's Office was forced to retreat in haste. Internal strife soon erupted over succession, shifting their stance from offense to defense. Due to this internal turmoil, even their home base, Xiujing, was left riddled with holes and infiltrated heavily by the Sonno-joi faction.

The battlefield of Ise Province was now strewn with corpses.

With the collapse of order, bandits ran rampant.

Due to the unique nature of Fenglin, even the living could transform into ghosts and demons out of resentment, so what of the dead? As a result, Ise Province was now overrun with spirits, resembling a ghostly kingdom, terrifying in every way.

The ghosts and spirits affected the living, causing many humans to undergo strange changes. Though they might appear normal on the surface, dark thoughts were silently growing within them, waiting for the right moment to take root and flourish, eventually turning them into ghostly or monstrous beings.

Fortunately, the Cult of Fates had yet to extend its reach into Fenglin. If it had, the undead army would have swept across the entire land within just a few years.

On this front, there was an unspoken consensus between all parties. Whether it was the shinkan of the Tenmon Sect or the Onmyoji of Onmyodo, they all entered Ise Province to begin exorcising evil.

It was precisely for this reason that the Sage Qingwei sent the Onmyoji from the Tsuchimikado clan as emissaries, posing as exorcists. Even Ise-jingu did not suspect them at first. Unfortunately, the Tsuchimikado Onmyoji botched the mission due to their own faults, and on their way back, they were exposed, alerting the Ise-jingu and creating major complications for those who followed.

In the end, the Tsuchimikado clan got what they deserved, earning Sage Qingwei's criticism that they were unfit for important duties.

Within the Daoist hierarchy, this was a harsh condemnation. Once labeled as such, rising through the ranks again would be near impossible. After the rebellion was quelled, some would soar, and some would be purged. The Tsuchimikado clan, now deemed unfit for service, would not be purged but would certainly be sidelined.

Still, with spirits running rampant, the Ise-jingu could not afford to ban all Onmyoji from entering.

Qi Xuansu disguised himself as an independent Onmyoji and arrived in Ise Province's Watarai District under the pretense of exorcism.

Independent Onmyoji who were not affiliated with the Onmyodo were much like wandering Daoists, holding the title of Daoist but did not have an income, so they were forced to make a living on their own. They could roam the world, offer feng shui consultations, read fortunes, cast divinations, capture ghosts, or exorcise evil. In some sense, this was Qi Xuansu's old trade, something he was very familiar with.

Among the Onmyoji, the Tsuchimikado clan was the largest faction within the Onmyodo. Their ancestors did not originally bear the name Tsuchimikado, but Abe. Their forebear was the Great Onmyoji Seimei, a disciple of the Kamo clan. Another famed Great Onmyoji, Yasuchika, who once injured Tamamo-no-Mae with the Yata Mirror, also hailed from the Abe clan.

When Great Onmyoji Seimei rose to fame, he was considered the foremost figure in all of Fenglin. He had a longtime rival named Doman, who was neither from the Kamo nor Abe clans, but a wandering Harima Onmyoji. At that time, Great Onmyoji Seimei supported the Kampaku, while Doman sided against him. They clashed many times on behalf of their respective lords, but ultimately, Doman lost and was exiled to Harima Province. During his exile, Doman gathered many disciples and spread his teachings widely. Thus, the Harima School was born.

The Harima School was somewhat akin to the Maoshan lineage within the Zhengyi Sect. The Zhengyi Sect used to have three main lineages corresponding to the three peaks—Yunjin Mountain, Gezao Mountain, and Maoshan. However, the Gezao Sect later split and was nearly destroyed, ultimately absorbed into the Quanzhen Sect by the Holy Xuan. Maoshan declined, retreating to grassroots circles and virtually vanishing from the Daoist upper echelon. Today's Zhengyi Sect no longer spoke of the Three Peaks and only of the Number One Family of Xijiang, recognizing only one sacred mountain—Yunjin Mountain.

Many wandering Daoists and Onmyoji hailed from the Maoshan lineage, deeply rooted among the common folk and closely connected to grassroots society. Strictly speaking, after Qi Xuansu's master, Qi Haoran, joined the Zhengyi Sect, he likely was categorized as the Maoshan lineage since he was not a Zhang of the Yunjin Mountain lineage, nor was he female Daoist belonging to the Cihang lineage either.

Qi Xuansu could be considered half a Maoshan-lineage disciple, and with his background as a wandering Daoist, it was only natural for him to enter Ise-jingu under the identity of a Harima-School Onmyoji.

In truth, Qi Xuansu did not like Fenglin's clothing styles.

Fortunately, Fenglin had become heavily influenced after nearly a century of Daoist rule. Regardless of how loudly the Sonno-joi faction protested, admiring the Celestial Empire's culture was the prevailing trend. The desire to emulate the strong was etched into the bones of Fenglin's people. From nobles to commoners, food, clothing, and daily life were modeled after the Central Plains. The more it did, the more it signaled one's wealth. Even Toyotomi Hidemochi had abandoned the traditional chonmage hairstyle, and Toyotomi Chiyo dressed as a female Daoist.

Wooden clogs were originally invented by people of the Central Plains, but most had long since stopped wearing them. However, they continued to be widely worn in Fenglin. As new Central Plains fashions spread into the region, many in Fenglin discarded the old ways, switching to boots or covered shoes.

Now, the most popular attire in Fenglin was Daoist robes and thick-soled shoes. Nobles, lords, and court officials could not wear Daoist robes openly due to their status, and commoners could not afford them. So they were most suited for the middle tier—Onmyoji, samurai, wealthy merchants, and the like. This made it harder to distinguish between Central Plains natives and locals of Fenglin. When Katsura Yoshiyuki and his cohorts tried to assassinate Sage Qingwei, they were all dressed like men from the Central Plains.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu wore a Daoist robe faded from too many washes, curled-toe boots that were badly worn, and an odd-looking Onmyoji headdress. The only thing still in good condition was the folding fan in his hand.

This outfit screamed of a fallen noble—a family that once had wealth and status but was now in decline, yet stubbornly clinging to past glory. He tried to dress like a nobleman and carried himself with poise, but he could not quite mask the stench of poverty that had long permeated his very being. Paired with the identity of a Harima Onmyoji, he blended right into the chaos of Ise Province. Almost no one would spare him a second glance.

In contrast, the Onmyoji of the Tsuchimikado clan had lived in comfort for too long, so the aura of wealth and privilege around them was unmistakable. It was only natural that they were eventually discovered by the Tenmon Sect.

Qi Xuansu walked alone through the ruins of a battlefield. All around him were mangled corpses, broken banners, shattered weapons, and stray dogs scavenging for food.

This time, Qi Xuansu had not brought Lin Lingsu with him.

Although he had a quota of 1 million Taiping coins, he had not used any of it on Lin Lingsu.

First of all, this money belonged jointly to Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu. It was not half a million each but rather a shared pool that required mutual agreement. If Qi Xuansu wanted to misuse public funds for personal matters, Zhang Yuelu most likely would not agree to it. She was not the type to indulge his whims. Moreover, misappropriating public funds was not easy. A single misstep could lead to exposure, and that would be a catastrophic scandal that could ruin his future.

Secondly, if one wanted to obtain a large amount of Soul-Returning Incense in a short time, only the Daoist Order or the Seven Treasure Pavilion could provide it. But Qi Xuansu was far away in Fenglin and could not contact Madam Qi. Even if he had the money, there was nowhere to use it.

Lastly, Qi Xuansu could not keep stagnating. He was already a third-rank Youyi Daoist master, so he could not afford to keep being petty and short-sighted. It was time to broaden his perspective, especially in terms of spiritual awareness, where he had made considerable progress.

Just then, a sudden disturbance occurred. A bullet shot straight toward Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu could have dodged it easily, but he did not want to reveal his cultivation. Instead, he subtly tilted his head, letting the bullet graze past his cheek, as if the shooter had simply missed, rather than him having dodged.

He looked toward where the bullet had come from. A man dressed like an ashigaru stood up from his hiding place, aiming a gun directly at him.

Since the man's armor was badly damaged and the banner on his back was missing, Qi Xuansu could not tell which daimyo he belonged to.

Qi Xuansu raised his folding fan and pointed it at the man. Using his Telephathic Technique, he sternly asked, "Who are you?"

The ashigaru with the gun frowned and countered, "Who are you? Are you with the Chancellor's Office or the royal family?"

Qi Xuansu replied, "Neither. I'm just an Onmyoji."

The ashigaru let out a cold laugh. "The Jingu has already declared Onmyodo a heretical cult. If you're an Onmyoji, then you must be with the Chancellor's Office."

Before he even finished speaking, the ashigaru fired the gun without hesitation.

Qi Xuansu narrowly dodged again. Seeing that no one else was around, he did not want to waste more time with the ashigaru. With a flick of his folding fan, a bloody hole appeared in the man's forehead, and the man collapsed backward.

Just as Qi Xuansu was about to leave, something unexpected happened. Thick black smoke surged from the wound on the ashigaru's forehead, and the severed head flew off the body with its bloody mouth wide open, lunging at Qi Xuansu.

A putrid stench assaulted Qi Xuansu's nose as he struck out with a punch.

The force of his punch surged forth, smashing the ashigaru's severed head into a gory mess of flesh and blood that splattered in all directions.

Qi Xuansu approached the headless corpse and activated his Yin-Yang Eyes and Qi Observation Technique. Based on his recent cramming of Onmyoji knowledge, he concluded that the creature was likely a Flying Savage, a type of ghostly monster. Typically, it would possess a host and, while the host slept, detach the head from the body. After seven days of possession, the host would die and be reduced to bare bones.

The ashigaru had already been possessed by the Flying Savage without realizing it. Even if Qi Xuansu had not killed him, the ashigaru would not have lived much longer.

Qi Xuansu muttered to himself, "Fenglin really is cursed. Even their Great Yokai don't stay dead, and people turn into monsters. This is clearly a land of ill omen."

With that, Qi Xuansu drew a basic fire talisman and burned the corpse to ashes before moving on.