A Pawn’s Passage

On the rear hill outside the village stood a shrine. When a hatamoto had once stationed his troops nearby, he took over the shrine as his residence, driving away all the miko and shinkan staying there. Since then, the shrine has been abandoned.

But now, there was firelight flickering within the shrine. A group of men had torn up parts of the wooden floor, split them into firewood, and lit a bonfire. They sat around it, roasting meat and laughing loudly.

Judging from their attire—crude, battered armor—it was clear these were not ordinary bandits. They were more likely deserters who had turned to banditry.

People feared vicious men, and so did ghosts. When bloodlust was strong enough, even ordinary spirits dared not approach.

These bandits did not fear zombies either. After all, the blades and spears in their hands were not just for show.

In the corner of the shrine was a young girl with a delicate face. Her clothing was disheveled, exposing patches of pale skin. Her hands and feet were tied with rope, and her mouth was stuffed with a dirty rag, leaving her completely immobile.

As they ate, the deserters occasionally cast sidelong glances at the girl, who resembled a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

At that moment, a figure appeared at the entrance.

The deserters immediately became alert, reaching for their weapons as they all turned to face the doorway.

The figure strolled in unhurriedly, the firelight gradually illuminating his face and revealing his identity as an Onmyoji.

The Onmyoji looked around and smiled. "I'm just a traveler passing by. Mind if I warm myself by your fire?"

The deserters' expressions darkened slightly. In the dead of night and in a place crawling with spirits, the sudden appearance of an Onmyoji seemed even more eerie.

The leader of the deserters stood up, lifted a nodachi onto his shoulder, and shouted, "Go somewhere else. You're not welcome here."

The Onmyoji was none other than Qi Xuansu. Ignoring the group leader, Qi Xuansu turned to call behind him, "Come take a look. Is that your friend?"

The young miko holding the kagura suzu peeked out from behind Qi Xuansu. She looked at the bound girl and nodded repeatedly. "That's her!"

In an instant, all the deserters' eyes locked on the miko. Their already ferocious faces twisted further, bloodshot eyes bulging, and drool dripped from their mouths. Their demeanor had surpassed what could be called human. If nothing unexpected happened, they would soon become monsters themselves.

"Good." Qi Xuansu nodded and raised his hand, firing a precise shot.

The leader's eyes widened in shock as a deep, bloody hole appeared on his forehead. Then he collapsed with a thud.

When it came to firearms expertise, even Zhang Yuelu could not compare to Qi Xuansu. Among the Daoist prodigies, no one could surpass Qi Xuansu's in firearm ambush tactics.

Qi Xuansu did not give the others a chance to react and fired repeatedly.

One by one, the deserters dropped like flies, each shot hitting them squarely between the brows without the slightest error.

The Divine Dragon Pistol and the Dragon Painting Pistol were not capable of continuous firing because they were made to launch the powerful Dragon Eye Series ammunition. Since Qi Xuansu used standard bullets with lower power, he used a repeating firearm that could fire continuously, producing a barrage of bullets with a single weapon.

But there was a major flaw in this weapon. Continuous fire weakened the bullets' power. It could not penetrate the Black Robes Cavalry armor, making it as ineffective as a tickle. Once the cavalrymen closed in, it turned into a one-sided massacre. That was why this firearm, the successor to the Thunderbolt Gun, was not widely favored.

Only now did the young miko begin to understand what Qi Xuansu meant by "times have changed." Things were indeed different. Using a tachi to kill could put her in danger herself; archery and spellcasting also drained stamina. But with firearms, all it took was a twitch of the finger.

Had it not been for the kind Onmyoji helping her, she might have ended up in the hands of those bandits, recklessly charging in alone.

She thought,This Onmyoji is truly a good man.Oh, right! I forgot to ask for his name...

Qi Xuansu put away his firearm and offered an explanation. "I only dare to travel alone because of two things—firearms, to eliminate vermin like this, and Onmyodo, which drives away spirits."

The young miko murmured, "I should save up to buy a firearm too. This thing is way more practical than a bow. No wonder the samurai say the Black Robes from the Central Plains are unstoppable. It's truly terrifying."

Qi Xuansu reminded her. "Your friend's still tied up, you know."

Only then did the miko snap out of her daze and hurry over to untie her friend.

Before long, she returned with her friend, and together, they bowed in gratitude.

Qi Xuansu grew a bit impatient with the customs of Fenglin, where half of every sentence was thanks or apologies. He waved his hand. "Alright. We should head to the shrine."

Qi Xuansu could certainly try to force his way through the many layers of security in Taki District and likely succeed, but the consequences would be troublesome. He would have to live like a rat, constantly hiding, unable to enter cities or show himself in public. In that case, his disguise as a Harima Onmyoji would lose all meaning.

The key issue was that after the Tsuchimikado Onmyoji raised suspicions, Ise-jingu was already on high alert. Any disturbance would trigger a response. As the foremost of the Three Grand Shrines and guarded personally by the Saio, Qi Xuansu dared not confront Ise-jingu alone with his current abilities. Rather than breaking through, it was better to blend in and slip past.

Behind the village was a suspension bridge that led to Taki District. Beyond that, heading north for another 50 kilometers was Yoshida Castle, where the young miko's shrine was located.

Since the merchant's daughter was just an ordinary person and had been bound for a long time, she could barely move. The miko had to support her, and Qi Xuansu could not reveal his cultivation by carrying them at speed. As a result, the three moved slowly. By the time they crossed the bridge and descended the mountain, it was way past dawn.

Just then, a massive shadow swept across the sky above them.

The young miko's expression changed drastically. "It's a Crane Craft! Hide, quickly!"

With that, she dove into a nearby bush. Qi Xuansu and the merchant's daughter had no choice but to follow.

Qi Xuansu was fairly familiar with the Crane Craft, as it was a creation of the Daoist Order. It was a small flying ship shaped like a crane mid-flight. Since Daoists favored cranes as symbols, the name stuck.

A Crane Craft typically carried two or three people. Aside from reconnaissance, its main purpose was to drop Phoenix Eye Bombs, attacking targets from above. Due to its small size and a flawed Imitation Dragon Pearl as its power core, it could not fly long distances. Usually, it was carried aboard a Yinglong Warship and launched from its deck to complete missions before returning to the mothership.

The Central Plains had long been at peace, so Crane Crafts were rarely seen by the public. Many had only heard of them. But things were different in Fenglin. The Crane Crafts were deployed en masse, and against ground forces, they were akin to heavy cavalry crashing into light infantry—an utterly one-sided massacre. The Sonno-joi faction of Fenglin had come to fear even the mention of these crafts.

This was why the Chancellor's Office had never betrayed the Daoist Order, as they feared the latter's power. The Toyotomi government firmly believed that as long as the Daoists joined the fight, everything would turn around.

In truth, that belief was justified. Sage Qingwei swiftly purged the areas in and around Xiujing. With the combination of the Black Robes Cavalry and Crane Crafts, they were unstoppable—like a blade through bamboo. The Toyotomi government's morale rapidly lifted almost overnight.

Confidence was the most precious commodity.

To put it plainly, the reason why no one objected when Sage Qingwei directly appointed the Kampaku was that the Daoist Order had achieved an unbroken streak of victories in recent battles, granting him immense prestige and confidence.

From another perspective, the Sonno-joi faction resorted to assassinations because they simply could not win on the battlefield and had no choice but to take a more unconventional route.

Now, the Daoists had begun to control the skies over Fenglin, striking at will and with overwhelming power. But their ground forces were severely lacking, so they could not effectively occupy the land. Thus, they needed to recruit various local powers.

It now seemed that the Daoists' vanguard had already entered the Ise Province, though they had not yet launched a full-scale assault, only conducting raids for the time being.

Qi Xuansu asked, "Where are these Crane Crafts headed?"

The young miko, still shaken, replied, "Probably to Hisai Castle. There are many samurai there. These Crane Crafts never target civilians. They only strike at daimyo castles or shrines under the Jingu's control. Thankfully, we were in the forest. If they saw me in miko robes, they definitely wouldn't have spared me."

Qi Xuansu silently thought while resisting the urge to scoff.Do you have any idea how expensive the Phoenix Eye Bombs are? Or how much energy is needed to produce Xuanhuang? No one's going to waste that kind of firepower on a clueless little miko like you. That'd be like firing a cannon at a mosquito!

As the two spoke, several more Crane Crafts flew overhead.

Since the Crane Crafts were already here, that meant there had to be a fully decked mothership nearby—not one with just the bare minimum crew of 400 Spirit Guards, but a fully equipped one, complete with all formations. If the Jingu deployed Heavenly Beings to intercept the Crane Crafts, they would become live targets for the Yinglong Warship.

Qi Xuansu felt somewhat relieved that he had not been flying. Otherwise, he might have been blown to bits by his own army, and that would have been a cruel irony. After all, he lacked the Banished Immortal's Joyous Cloud Shield. If he took a direct hit, even with his Martial Arts Practitioner's indestructible body and Shaman's Golden Body, he would likely be blown into pieces. The only thing left intact might be his Longevity Stone Heart.

The trio waited a while longer. When no more Crane Crafts appeared, they finally emerged from hiding and resumed their journey toward Yoshida Castle.

The rest of the journey went smoothly. They did not run into any more Crane Crafts, only a patrol of Jingu-affiliated samurai. With the miko stepping forward, they did not trouble Qi Xuansu.

As Yoshida Castle came into distant view, the miko suddenly remembered something. "Master Onmyoji, my name is Asai To, or A To for short. May I ask for your esteemed name?"

"So you're of noble birth," Qi Xuansu remarked. "I'm a commoner with no family name. The Harima School's founder was named Doman. You can call me Docho."

Qi Xuansu was playing a little trick, as Docho translated to Central Plains dialect meant Daoist priest.