A Pawn’s Passage

Qi Xuansu did not linger long in Yoshida Castle and continued on his journey.

It somewhat reminded him of his early years roaming Jianghu. Back then, his cultivation was weak, and he had not yet realized that Madam Qi was hiding her true strength. Every step had been a struggle, like crawling through a swamp. But now, Qi Xuansu was only one step away from becoming a Banished Immortal. With the cultivation of a Heavenly Being and a semi-immortal object in hand, he could even hold his own against a Wuliang-stage Heavenly Being. Naturally, he could now move with ease through this place infested with malevolent spirits as if he were taking a stroll through a serene garden.

Since Watarai District was under the control of the Chancellor's Office and Taki District belonged to the Jingu, these two regions had seen the fiercest battles. They were also the areas most saturated with resentment and yin energy. But once Qi Xuansu passed out of Taki District, the situation improved somewhat, and there were more traces of human life.

Along the way, Qi Xuansu casually rescued another samurai—a burly, broad-shouldered man.

Through conversation, he learned the man's name was Gosaku, who, like many, had no last name. He had once studied swordsmanship in the Shinkage-ryu School, but was not from the Yagyu clan.

More crucially, this man turned out to be a Sonno-joi patriot.

This caught Qi Xuansu by surprise. But instead of killing Gosaku, he decided to use the samurai as a cover. With a travel permit and a companion from the Sonno-joi faction, who would ever question his identity?

As for himself, Qi Xuansu continued to claim that he was a Harima Onmyoji named Docho.

Gosaku did not grow suspicious at all. As a samurai, he could not tell the difference between Daoist and Onmyodo spells. All he recognized was the Kuji-kiri. To him, anyone who could draw that symbol had to be a Harima Onmyoji.

The two traveled together and discussed the current war engulfing Fenglin.

Gosaku was filled with rage. However, to Qi Xuansu's surprise, Gosaku's hatred for the Chancellor's Office far exceeded his hatred for the Daoist Order. Toward the Daoists, he felt more fear than animosity.

After all, Daoist cavalry, flying ships, and firearms were unstoppable on the frontlines.

Sage Qingwei himself had gravely wounded Swordsmaster Katsura Yoshiyuki, slain over a dozen Heavenly Being assassins, and killed a Koga jonin. With these feats and the Daoist Order's war record, they now held awe-inspiring dominance over Fenglin.

If the battle had been evenly matched, it might have stirred the Fenglin locals' tenacity. But when it turned one-sided, it drove them toward submission.

There were certainly die-hard fanatics within the Sonno-joi faction, but even they could not stop the wavering of morale.

Confidence was the most precious asset. When the Daoist Order entered the war, the Toyotomi government quickly unified public sentiment. In contrast, the Sonno-joi faction suffered a severe blow to its morale, and waves of negativity began to spread.

Due to this, several Sonno-joi leaders grew deeply concerned and decided to hold a conference in Ichishi District to rally their spirits. The only way to boost morale was a resounding victory. But how could they secure such a victory against a formidable opponent?

The frontlines were out of the question. The only option was an unconventional strike—an assassination. In their words, it was heaven's punishment. As long as they succeeded in assassinating a leading figure in the Daoist Order, morale would surge.

Their previous failed attempt to assassinate Sage Qingwei made it clear that targeting him was unrealistic. So they had to lower their sights and target someone else. This conference was meant to decide who their target was and how they could execute the plan.

Gosaku had been on his way to attend this very conference, which was why he risked traveling alone across the demon-infested wilderness, where he ended up in danger and was ultimately saved by Qi Xuansu.

Since Qi Xuansu was his savior and had a travel permit issued by a jinja, Gosaku felt comfortable enough to speak frankly with him.

Not only that, Gosaku even invited Qi Xuansu to attend the conference with him, already treating him like a potential recruit to the Sonno-joi faction.

Qi Xuansu had not intended to get involved, but he could not refuse Gosaku's earnest invitation outright, as a firm rejection might arouse suspicion and complicate matters. On second thought, he figured it would not hurt to observe. It was a good opportunity to understand the Sonno-joi faction from the inside, since knowing the enemy would increase his chances of victory.

But before the main conference, there were smaller meetings. After all, the Sonno-joi faction, which shared control of Fenglin with the Chancellor's Office, was a vast organization with numerous factions. Naturally, these subgroups had to coordinate ahead of time to act in unison.

Under Gosaku's lead, the two arrived at an abandoned shrine. At first glance, it looked ordinary, but inside was heavily guarded. Entrances and meetings were arranged using secret codes. Even with Gosaku vouching for him, Qi Xuansu's handgun was still confiscated at the gate for temporary safekeeping.

Having been part of the Qingping Society, Qi Xuansu was long accustomed to this kind of setup. In fact, Qingping Society's protocols were even stricter.

Inside the shrine, quite a few people had already gathered. Gosaku and Qi Xuansu found a spot in a corner and sat down. Soon, dozens more arrived, mostly disgraced lower-rank samurai, but also monks, shinkan, ronin, and ninjas. Thus, among them, Qi Xuansu did not stand out at all in his Onmyoji disguise.

Once everyone had arrived, the shrine doors were shut tight, and someone was assigned to keep watch outside.

A young shinkan stood up, swept his gaze around the room, and bowed to the crowd. Then he declared, "You were summoned here for one reason only—the great cause of revering the emperor and expelling the Daoists. The land is in turmoil; the world is in darkness. The Chancellor has surrendered to the Daoist Order, but as long as our swords hang at our sides, we shall forge a new and righteous realm!"

Someone echoed loudly, "That's right! The Chancellor's Office is incompetent, and the Daoist Order is unjust. They seize our land, destroy our homes, and slaughter our kin. These blood debts must be repaid!"

The speaker was a fallen noble whose ancestors had been daimyos, making him a prime target of the Daoist Order's suppression.

In truth, the entire samurai class was being marginalized by the Daoist Order. With Daoist protection, Fenglin no longer needed so many warriors. The famed 80,000 mounted hatamoto were now an unsustainable burden. As a result, large numbers of samurai were out of work, turning into ronin and becoming a source of unrest.

To these down-and-out samurai, revering the emperor and expelling the Daoists were secondary concerns. What mattered most was not suffering hardship. Otherwise, they would rebel. After all, the swords at their waists were not for show.

The rest of the ruined samurai joined in with a clamor, emotions surging. It looked as though they might draw their swords at any moment to go hunt down Daoists.

The young shinkan pressed his palm downward, signaling for quiet. "All of you are united in hatred of our enemies. If His Majesty knew, he would be deeply gratified. But the Daoist army is powerful, too strong to confront directly. If we are to repel the Daoists, we must plan carefully and act with patience."

A one-armed samurai shouted, "Master Negi, what brilliant strategy do you propose?"

The young priest replied, "Back then, the Toyotomi army advanced fiercely. But once Toyotomi Hidesugu died, the army collapsed instantly and retreated. We must emulate that day and deliver another heaven's punishment to shake the Daoist Order."

Then a monk spoke, "Back then, Kengo Katsura Yoshiyuki and 17 warriors wanted to assassinate Li Qingwei of the Daoist Order. In the end, none but Kengo Yoshiyuki survived, and Li Qingwei was unscathed. Even Kengo Yoshiyuki himself was gravely wounded and is still being hunted by Daoist hounds. With just us, how can we possibly succeed in anything great?"

The shrine suddenly fell silent. To them, Katsura Yoshiyuki was almost a god. If even he had failed, what hope did the rest have?

The young shinkan raised his voice slightly. "What you do not know, gentlemen, is that Kengo Yoshiyuki has already escaped the Daoist hounds and is currently recovering from his wounds. It won't be long before he returns to full strength."

At these words, light returned to the eyes of the samurai. Murmurs filled the shrine again.

Qi Xuansu thought to himself,Katsura Yoshiyuki is a menace. His cultivation level is secondary. What matters is his influence and prestige, which far exceeds that of any Koga Jonin. If he could be killed, and his head hung atop a city gate, it would deal a crushing blow to the Sonno-joi faction.

Someone sighed, "Even if Kengo Yoshiyuki is safe, the imperial loyalists in Xiujing City have all been massacred by Li Qingwei. Our informants within the Chancellor's Office have been rooted out. Now Li Qingwei resides in a military encampment outside the city, surrounded by Daoist priests and Spirit Guards. We can't even track his whereabouts, so how could we talk of assassination?"

Another added, "Even if we knew, what use would it be? Just days ago, the Sarutobi clan in Koga District held a funeral for their lord, who was reportedly decapitated by Li Qingwei's blade. Even Princess Tamako from the Jingu nearly lost her life. Kengo Yoshiyuki's disciple, Shinmen Konosuke, was also slain by a Daoist. Rumor has it that Li Qingwei has already ascended to immortality. That's why Kengo Yoshiyuki and Lord Sarutobi failed. Even if we could break through the countless defenses and stand before Li Qingwei, how would we kill him? Who can fight an Immortal?"

As soon as those words were spoken, murmurs spread throughout the crowd. Everyone began whispering to one another, their faces clouded with pessimism.

Seeing this, the young shinkan had no choice but to raise his voice and say, "Gentlemen, please hear me out! Assassinating Li Qingwei is, of course, incredibly difficult. Since we can't kill him for now, why not take a step back and target his subordinates? Now that the Daoist Order is on the offensive and no longer hiding within their camps, their senior members are scattered across the land, each leading troops. This gives us the perfect opportunity to strike them down one by one."

These words had the desired effect, lifting the mood and dispelling the gloom in the shrine.

Seizing the momentum, the young shinkan pressed on. "Even if Li Qingwei possesses the might of an Immortal, he cannot personally handle everything. Think of the Daoist Order as a body. Li Qingwei is the head, and the others are the limbs. If we sever the limbs, then no matter how hard the skull is, what use is it?"

This speech rekindled the group's morale.

The samurai began to cheer and chant loudly, shouting, "Within our chests, an army of a million stirs; if we die, we scatter like ten thousand sakura blossoms!"

Qi Xuansu, however, felt a deep contempt in his heart.How dare they speak of assassinating Daoist leaders like it's easy? Do they think the rest of us are soft targets?

Setting aside Sage Qingwei, Fenglin Daoist Mansion has a stationed Great Sage as one of the two Mansion Masters. The Daoist Order was no punching bag. They would not just stand still for the enemy to bombard them. They would strike back.

Such words were nothing more than lies told to fool these simple-minded, lower-ranking samurai.