A Pawn’s Passage

In the end, Maeda Masao allowed Qi Xuansu to leave.

Gosaku had wanted to accompany Qi Xuansu, but the latter politely declined. After all, the assembly had only just begun, and more business was sure to follow. Thus, it would be inappropriate for Gosaku to leave.

The two had simply crossed paths by chance. If fate allowed, they would meet again.

Metropolitan White watched Qi Xuansu's departing figure in silence.

Maeda Masao opened a chest of silver Eagle coins and instructed his men to distribute them among the attending ronin. He then walked to Metropolitan White's side and asked, "Metropolitan White, what do you think?"

Metropolitan White paused in thought and said, "I sensed a fluctuation of divine power on him."

The Holy Court was founded on divine power. Its believers were all experts in its use, making them highly sensitive to the presence of divine power.

"Divine power?" Maeda Masao narrowed his eyes. "Why would an Onmyoji possess divine power? That's suspicious."

Metropolitan White replied calmly, "Whoever he is, he won't stir any big waves. It doesn't matter even if he reports this to the Chancellor's Office or the Daoist Order. Frankly, the Daoist higher-ups can likely guess most of the truth already. As long as we aren't caught red-handed, there's always room to maneuver."

Maeda Masao pondered for a moment and said, "I don't share your view. I believe we should act with greater caution. There are too many uncertainties if we let him go like this. We can't leave such a risk."

Metropolitan White replied indifferently, "These days, Ise Province is overrun with demons. No one would find it unreasonable if a lone Onmyoji dies at their hands..."

A trace of ruthlessness flashed across Maeda Masao's face. "Exactly. He must not leave Ise Province, not even Ichishi District."

Metropolitan White casually stroked the Holy Emblem on his chest with slender fingers. "I can't be seen doing this, so I'll leave you to handle it."

Maeda Masao said nothing more and simply gestured with his hand.

A masked ninja emerged silently from the shadows and came to stand behind Maeda Masao, silently awaiting orders.

Maeda Masao instructed coldly, "Bring me that Onmyoji's head."

The ninja simply gave a slight bow and then vanished once more into the darkness.

Metropolitan White asked, "Was that one of the famed Iga Ninja, or one of the equally renowned Koga Ninja?"

Maeda Masao did not answer directly. "The Hattori clan of Iga works for the Chancellor's Office. Most other Iga Ninja serve the Buddhist Sect or Tenmon Sect, while the Koga Ninja are loyal to the Fenglin Court. Few truly respect our Sonno-joi faction. Ninjas are like cats, feeding in one place yet sleeping in another. The samurai, though, are like dogs. They stay loyal even when their master is poor. Between the two, I still place more trust in the samurai."

Metropolitan White did not press further. His interest in the mysterious ninja world was more of a childhood fascination.

He lowered the Holy Emblem in his hand and suddenly asked, "Will Yoshida Yoshiaki become an obstacle to our cooperation?"

Maeda Masao's expression shifted slightly. "Surely it won't come to that?"

With a classic Western arrogance, Metropolitan White scoffed. "The Holy Court is providing you aid, not so you can challenge or second-guess us. What if, when the time comes to fulfill your part of the agreement, you back out? Are we to walk away with nothing but loss?"

Maeda Masao paused, then reassured him. "That will never happen. I give you my word."

Metropolitan White chuckled. "Your people didn't trust me. They thought words were empty and demanded real gold and silver before believing me. Well, that same logic applies to you. Your verbal promise means nothing to me. I need to see real action."

Maeda Masao asked hesitantly, "What kind of action do you want?"

Metropolitan White placed a hand on Maeda Masao's shoulder, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "You know what I want. Kill him."

Maeda Masao fell silent.

Metropolitan White continued, "Show me that sincerity, and I'll immediately approve an additional 600,000 coins in aid."

Maeda Masao still looked troubled. "Master Yoshida is highly respected, and he has a close relationship with Kengo Yoshiyuki. If he were to find out, I fear—"

Metropolitan White cut him off mid-sentence. "One million."

Emissaries like Qi Xuansu and Metropolitan White were always entrusted with negotiation budgets, meant to adapt to the situation as they saw fit.

This time, Maeda Masao kept quiet.

Metropolitan White patted him on the shoulder. "My dear friend, I've lived in the East for many years, so I greatly admire Eastern philosophy. The people of the Central Plains have a saying that one sky cannot have two suns. Don't you think that 13 leaders is too many in a faction? In my humble opinion, the Sonno-joi faction should have only one sun."

Maeda Masao's eyes suddenly widened. Gold and silver had barely moved him. But in this moment, his breathing subtly turned heavier.

Metropolitan White continued, "Maeda-kun, Katsura Yoshiyuki is hunted by the Daoists like a stray dog, so he can't help you. Neither can the Tenmon Sect nor the royal family. We're the only ones who can support you. Don't you want to become the Kampaku or even the Shogun of Fenglin?"

Maeda Masao stared at Metropolitan White, his veins bulging faintly on his forehead and his eyes blazing with intensity, taking on a faintly demonic air.

Elsewhere, Qi Xuansu was already waiting for his pursuers to arrive.

As a seasoned wanderer, he could easily guess Maeda Masao's intentions. Maeda Masao would not dare to kill someone in public, as it would fracture group unity. But Maeda Masao would not allow him to live either. So the best option was to let him leave, then send assassins to chase him down in secret, letting him die without a trace. In a place like Ise Province, a dead body was the most common thing of all.

In truth, the moment Maeda Masao decided to let him walk, the Sonno-joi leader had already made up his mind to kill him.

If Qi Xuansu really had been a Harima Onmyoji, then his only chance of survival would have been to declare his loyalty on the spot, by any means necessary. He could either stay with the group or even voluntarily submit to imprisonment or investigation just to buy himself a sliver of hope for survival.

But Qi Xuansu was not an Onmyoji. He was from the Daoist Order. That man named Heijiro guessed correctly by pure accident.

If Maeda Masao wanted to use Ise Province's nightmarish conditions as cover for a silent murder, then Qi Xuansu could just as well turn the tables. He would let the demons kill his pursuers.

While he waited, Qi Xuansu drew a common formation on the ground using Diviner techniques that did not have an entry barrier. It was primarily meant to block arrows and hidden weapons.

Soon, the two fastest ninjas appeared in Qi Xuansu's field of vision. One fired a musket directly at him, while the other unleashed a volley of senbon like a deadly drizzle in the night.

But Qi Xuansu's formation blocked the bullet and the senbon.

"It's an Onmyoji barrier!"

The two ninjas knew ranged attacks were useless, so one drew his blade, while the other pulled out a chain spear, flanking Qi Xuansu from both sides.

Behind them, seven or eight more ninjas were closing in, their movements slicing through the air with an endless rush of sound.

Qi Xuansu did not want to reveal his true identity, so he did not retaliate with force. Instead, he activated a Yin-Yang Gate that led to the Ghost Kingdom.

The Onmyoji had a combat method known as Shikigami, where they enslaved ghosts or spirits to fight on their behalf. The number and power of the spirits they could command depended entirely on their own cultivation and strength.

This technique was created by the ancestors of the Tsuchimikado clan, so it became the signature method of the Tsuchimikado Onmyoji, though many other schools had also adopted it.

Of course, Qi Xuansu could not actually summon a Shikigami, but he could pretend to.

But to deal with these small fry, there was no need for the Three Yin Beings to personally intervene. After three previous incidents, Qi Xuansu had discovered that the trio could assess an enemy's strength through the Yin-Yang Gate. For example, Master Wan had seen that his opponent was merely an ordinary Heavenly Being, so he responded with a single punch.

Sure enough, the one who stepped out of the Yin-Yang Gate this time was neither Master Wan, Madam Bai, nor Master Yin, but rather an extremely adorable, doll-like young girl who looked to be around 11 or 12 years old.

She was none other than Master Yin's granddaughter, Miss Yin.

In truth, Miss Yin only looked young. She was actually far older than Qi Xuansu. Besides, Master Yin was a Yin Being, so how could he have children and grandchildren? She was most likely adopted or picked up somewhere.

On closer inspection, although Miss Yin was indeed cute, her skin was snow-white and nearly translucent, and her dark eyes lacked any whites, giving her a distinctly eerie look.

When the girl saw the two ninjas attacking, she opened her mouth wide, and her head expanded tenfold. Her petite frame now bore an enormous head, with a gaping, bloody maw with razor-sharp teeth, stretching all the way to her ears. With a single bite, she tore one ninja in half. His legs dropped to the ground, while his upper body remained clenched between her jaws.

The little girl spat out the half-eaten body, gagging and muttering "bleh bleh." Apparently, she found it disgusting.

In just those few seconds, the discarded body had melted beyond recognition from the corpse qi.

The second ninja was so terrified he nearly lost control of his bladder. He turned to flee, but the girl opened her mouth and inhaled, creating a massive suction like a bottomless black hole. No matter how the ninja struggled, he was pulled in. His legs went in first, then his waist, then his arms, and lastly his head. He was swallowed whole. How her tiny body managed to contain him was a mystery, but perhaps he had already started disintegrating in her mouth before being swallowed.

The girl leaped into the air, her speed so fast she left afterimages, clearly inheriting Madam Bai's skills. The other ninjas had no chance to escape. She bit every one of them to death.

This way, no matter who came to examine the corpses, they would never think these ninjas were killed by a person. Even the best Onmyoji would conclude that they were slain by supernatural monsters.

The little girl returned to Qi Xuansu's side, about to speak, when she suddenly bent over and vomited uncontrollably.

Qi Xuansu wore an odd expression as he gently patted her back, murmuring, "You have a tummy ache? It's okay, just let it all out."