A Pawn’s Passage

Over the long years, Suzuka Gozen had learned to speak the official language of the Central Plains fluently. "Are you honored guests from the Celestial Empire?"

Qi Xuansu replied, "Greetings, Suzuka Gozen. I am Qi Xuansu, a third-rank Youyi Daoist master of the Daoist Order. I have come in accordance with the directive of the Sage Commander to visit Mount Suzuka."

Suzuka Gozen looked at Qi Xuansu and asked, "May I know what the Sage Commander has to offer?"

"The Sage Commander would like to invite you to Xiujing to jointly discuss important matters and seek the path to peace," Qi Xuansu replied with neither arrogance nor deference.

Suzuka Gozen was a title of respect. Her real name was Soshi. Later, when she transformed from the infamous bandit, Tate Eboshi, into the wife of a general, she adopted "Suzuka" as her last name and "Gozen" as a respectful title.

Qi Xuansu had not known this before. He had assumed "Tamamo-no-Mae" and "Suzuka Gozen" were their real names. It was not until he was preparing for this mission that he learned both were honorific titles, comparable to Sage Donghua, Sage Qingwei, or Sage Cihang. The Daoist Order shared a similar tradition. With the exception of a few like Madam Qi, few dared address the three Deputy Grand Masters and their heirs by their given names. Over time, their real names became virtually unknown, especially to the masses.

For that reason, Qi Xuansu simply addressed her as "Suzuka Gozen," without adding another honorific.

Suzuka Gozen scrutinized Qi Xuansu, then suddenly asked, "Forgive my boldness, but may I ask what position you currently hold?"

Qi Xuansu replied, "I currently serve as the Deputy Hall Master of the Ziwei Hall, concurrently a strategist under the command of the Sage Commander at the Xiujing army camp."

His position as a strategist had no formal rank, and his actual authority was highly ambiguous. It depended entirely on the Sage Commander's trust. If favored, the strategist's words carried great weight, and the entire region treated them with reverence. If ignored, they were no different from a minor clerk.

At present, Qi Xuansu held no military command within the army camp but wielded a fair amount of real influence. After all, he frequently entered the central command tent. Thus, ordinary officials dared not treat him lightly.

Suzuka Gozen's expression turned a little more solemn. "I've long heard of the Daoist Order's Nine-Rank System. High Mage Qi, you've already held a third-rank Deputy Hall Master position at such a young age. Evidently, you have a boundless future, destined for great things."

"I dare not accept such praise," Qi Xuansu responded humbly. "My duty is to serve the nation with devotion and remain loyal to the Daoist Order."

Suzuka Gozen was fairly satisfied with the Daoist Order's display of sincerity. Though the last delegation from the Tsuchimikado School had bungled things terribly and infuriated her, this time, a Pseudo-Immortal and two talented young envoys had come in person.

These Daoist prodigies might not hold high ranks or impressive cultivation for now, but they were still young. Within a few decades, when the older generation either ascended or passed away, these prodigies would lead the Daoist Order. Their weight far surpassed that of an ordinary third-rank Deputy Hall Master.

Sending someone of sufficient stature was itself a show of sincerity.

Of course, the greatest show of sincerity would be if Sage Qingwei, the Sage Commander himself, personally came. But Suzuka Gozen dared not hope for such extravagance. After all, Ise Province had not yet fallen into the Daoist Order's hands.

Suzuka Gozen turned her gaze once more toward Master Yin. "May I ask who this Sage is?"

Master Yin smiled gently. "I dare not claim the title of Sage. I'm Yin Jiuyin, once a wandering ghost within the Daoist Order. I've retired long ago and have merely come to accompany Daoist Qi on his visit to Mount Suzuka."

Master Yin added, "This is my granddaughter. She has been raised in seclusion since birth and has never seen the outside world. I brought her out this time to broaden her horizons."

Suzuka Gozen was somewhat surprised.

She had originally assumed this Daoist Pseudo-Immortal was the main envoy. But judging by his words, he was merely serving a protective role. It was High Mage Qi who held true authority.

Thus, she had no choice but to reassess Qi Xuansu and reevaluate his significance.

Could this young man before her be a strong contender for the eighth-generation Grand Master of the Daoist Order? Otherwise, why would a Pseudo-Immortal accompany him?

In truth, Suzuka Gozen had slightly misunderstood who Master Yin was. That was because people often used "wandering ghost" as a self-deprecating metaphor. However, Master Yin really was a wandering ghost—an old millennial ghost, too. His words were to be taken literally. As for the claim of retirement, that was not a fabrication either. At least during the times of the Holy Xuan and the second- and third-generation Grand Masters, Master Yin frequently left the Ghost Kingdom to aid the Daoist Order in battles across the land. He was a meritorious elder of three dynasties. It was only in the last century that he had gradually faded into quietude, so calling it retirement was quite fitting.

Clearly, Suzuka Gozen had mistaken Master Yin for a retired Omniscient Sage or a Great Sage, someone who had failed to rise further and considered himself fallen from grace. Even so, he was not to be underestimated.

As for Little Yin, Suzuka Gozen was surprised to find that she could not see through the girl's nature. All she sensed was a dense aura of yin energy and a Heavenly-Being cultivation. Her true face, age, and lineage—whether human or demon—all remained obscured as if shrouded in mist.

The trio in front of her was undoubtedly peculiar. But from another angle, such eccentric and mysterious characters often signified exceptional ability and background. Had the Daoist Order only sent clearly ordinary Daoist priests, that would have been disappointing.

Suzuka Gozen was silent for a moment. When she spoke again, her tone had softened significantly. "I am grateful for the Sage Commander's kind intentions. However, I'm sure you all know that I am the Mountain God of Mount Suzuka and cannot leave this place. Moreover, I am currently severely injured. Though I am willing to help, I'm afraid my strength fails me."

Qi Xuansu took the opportunity to ask, "Suzuka Gozen, may I ask how you sustained your injuries? On my way here, I saw the towns below completely deserted and suffused with divine power. Is this related to Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto?"

Suzuka Gozen sighed. "Indeed. I don't mean to blame the Daoist Order or the Chancellor's Office. However, the previous Tsuchimikado Onmyoji were truly reckless. Not only did they expose their presence, but they also drew the shinkan of the Ise-jingu to Mount Suzuka. Caught off guard, my people suffered heavy casualties. I was forced to relocate the survivors elsewhere. It was then that Ise-jingu's shinkan jointly invoked a divine descent. One of the Three Great Kami, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, manifested in the mortal realm.

"I fought a fierce battle against Tsukuyomi's incarnation. Though I managed to drive him back to his divine kingdom using the Three Radiant Swords, I was severely wounded in return. Before he left, Tsukuyomi used divine power to seal off Mount Suzuka. I have not yet recovered enough to break the seal, so I've been effectively imprisoned here. I never expected the Daoist Order to anticipate this. With Sage Yin here, breaking the seal is surely no difficulty."

One had to admit, Suzuka Gozen truly carried the air of a general's wife. She did not forget to flatter the Daoist Order. In truth, Qi Xuansu had not anticipated anything and had nearly been trapped himself. It was only because he had so many contingencies that he managed to survive. Had it been someone else, they would likely still be caught in the temporal loop.

Still, from Suzuka Gozen's perspective, she could not have known about Qi Xuansu's numerous safeguards. She likely assumed the Daoist Order had learned of Mount Suzuka's anomaly through the Tsuchimikado Onmyoji and sent a Pseudo-Immortal in response.

Sure enough, Suzuka Gozen continued, "During my battle with Tsukuyomi's incarnation, I saw the Tsuchimikado Onmyoji fleeing and assumed they had fled in cowardice. So they were actually returning to the Daoist Order to seek reinforcements."

Despite her words, Suzuka Gozen could not hide the anger in her tone. After all, the people of Mount Suzuka had suffered greatly. There had to be an explanation.

Qi Xuansu spoke solemnly. "Actually, that's not true. After returning to camp, the Tsuchimikado Onmyoji reported back to the Sage Commander, claiming you've refused to receive them. They said nothing about drawing the Ise-jingu's shinkan here. Instead, they've fabricated a story that they were ambushed by the Ise-jingu en route, hence their losses."

Suzuka Gozen's expression changed drastically. "How dare they lie?!"

Qi Xuansu declared righteously, "The Sage Commander was unaware of the truth and only deemed the Tsuchimikado clan incompetent, unaware that they harbored treachery. He has since been deeply concerned. That's why he has sent me to persuade you, Suzuka Gozen. But upon meeting you today, I realize you already lean toward the Daoist Order, so my efforts were hardly needed. Please rest assured, I will report the truth to the Sage Commander, and the Tsuchimikado Onmyoji shall be punished accordingly. As for the casualties among your people and your own injuries, they ultimately stem from the Daoist Order's involvement, so we will not turn a blind eye or neglect your pain. We would like to make amends."