A Pawn’s Passage

Sage Qingwei opened a voice transmission talisman resembling a music box and listened to the faint static-like noise within, momentarily lost in thought.

At this moment, he was aboard a Purple Flood Dragon flying ship, on his way back to the Xiujing field camp.

As the Sage Commander, he could have taken a Yinglong Warship, but he chose not to. Instead, he traveled discreetly on a Purple Flood Dragon. With the Daoist Order's current technology, a full-body projection could allow one to converse with another as if they were face-to-face, yet Sage Qingwei still opted for this somewhat more distant and old-fashioned voice transmission talisman, just as he had declined to ride a Yinglong Warship.

Nowadays, few people still use such relics. However, old technology still had its merits. At the very least, they left a bit of space for pause and reflection.

Sage Qingwei had been in Fenglin for a month as the Sage Commander, and his achievements were evident to all. He first stabilized the situation with thunderous measures, then shifted from strategic defense to offense, opening the route from Musashi Province to Ise Province and imposing a blockade on the latter. No one—from the northernmost Emishi Province to the southernmost Satsuma Province—was unaware of Sage Qingwei's name. For a time, Sage Qingwei's prestige was unmatched. In Fenglin, he was the undisputed king without a crown, holding supreme power.

However, within the Daoist Order itself, Sage Qingwei was far from wielding the highest authority. Even within the Taiping Sect, he was only the second in command. Above him was Li Changgeng, the Great Sage of the Taiping Sect, stationed at the main base in Qizhou.

Soon, the voice transmission talisman connected.

A stern elderly voice came from the device. "Wugou."

Sage Qingwei's tone softened in reply, "Greetings, Imperial Preceptor."

On the other end was none other than Li Changgeng, the Imperial Preceptor, one of the Daoist Order's Three Deputy Grand Masters.

The fifth-generation Grand Master of the Daoist Order had set many rules, including standardizing attire and even the appearance of Daoists according to age. One such rule was that official business must be conducted using formal titles.

Thus, no matter how close Zhang Yuelu and Mu Jin were, they still had to use their official titles in official settings. Likewise, Sage Qingwei addressed Li Changgeng as "Imperial Preceptor" and not "Uncle."

As someone who had once worked alongside the fifth-generation Grand Master and was one of the three Deputy Grand Masters, the Imperial Preceptor paid little heed to such formalities and did not strictly follow them, and no one dared to reproach him. This was perhaps the true meaning of doing as one pleases. Once one reached a certain position, they held the authority to define, amend, and interpret the rules. The rules ceased to be rigid and instead became fluid, adapting to their will without being broken.

The Imperial Preceptor asked, "What is it?"

Sage Qingwei's tone grew heavier. "There's been a development here in Fenglin."

The Imperial Preceptor's voice remained steady, without the slightest fluctuation. "What development?"

Sage Qingwei hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's about Mount Fuyo."

The Imperial Preceptor fell silent.

Sage Qingwei simply waited, his gaze resting on the open file on the table.

This was the advantage of the voice transmission talisman. It spared one from much of the usual formalities, like schooling one's expression.

After a pause, the Imperial Preceptor's voice sounded again. "Anything else?"

Sage Qingwei replied, "Nothing for the time being."

The Imperial Preceptor fell silent once more, seemingly sinking into deep thought.

Sage Qingwei continued to wait in calm silence.

After a long time, the Imperial Preceptor finally spoke. "I know a little about this matter. I had thought it to be a vague and fanciful legend, but I did not expect it to be real. From this, it seems that with the end of the era approaching, many people and events are beginning to undergo unpredictable changes. This is indeed beyond our expectations."

Sage Qingwei asked, "Then...how should I proceed?"

The Imperial Preceptor said, "The older and greater a thing is, the slower its changes will be, so slow that people mistake them for being constant. Only by stretching our perspective to a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand years, looking over all of history, can we perceive that such changes exist. It is like how our world changes from the Taiyi Era to the Taiji Era, from chaos to reality, much like a child growing into an adult. For us humans, growing up takes only a little over 20 years, but for the cosmos, it takes tens of thousands. So even if Mount Fuyo is indeed undergoing change, the timescale is measured in decades. In the short term, there won't be any major shift."

Sage Qingwei said, "Imperial Preceptor, does it mean that we stick to the original plan?"

The Imperial Preceptor replied, "Even if we were to abandon Fenglin, that would be a matter for the future. The most important task right now is to quell the rebellion in Fenglin, as it concerns the greater situation in Jade Capital. The decision to conquer all of Fenglin will not change for any reason."

"Yes, sir," Sage Qingwei replied softly.

The Imperial Preceptor ended the communication.

......

Qi Xuansu once again returned to Yoshida Castle.

The last time he came here, he was disguised as an Onmyoji from the Harima School. This time, he returned as a third-rank Youyi Daoist master of the Daoist Order.

Along the way, Daoist priests and Spirit Guards saluted him in greeting.

Many members of the Chancellor's Office, upon seeing him, were also filled with respectful awe, addressing him as High Mage.

Over the past century, although the Daoist Sect had not directly ruled Fenglin, its influence here had been all-encompassing. During the Qi Dynasty, when the Central Plains flourished at its peak, Fenglin had sent envoys to learn and emulate it fully. Later, when the Central Plains suffered a decline in the Jin and Wei Dynasties, Fenglin turned in retaliation. Now, with the Great Xuan Dynasty powerful once more and Fenglin greatly weakened after a long period of isolation, a new wave of emulation toward the Great Xuan Dynasty had arisen.

Looking around, many Wa people were dressed in Central Plains attire and spoke the official language of the Central Plains. Given that both groups of people had similar features, it was hard to tell them apart except by the subtle, almost intangible air about them.

In the upper ranks of the Chancellor's Office, traditional attire was still worn for the sake of perceived legitimacy. The middle ranks, however, were almost entirely influenced by the Central Plains culture, taking pride in speaking not just Central Plains speech, but also with an accent as close to that of the Imperial Capital. Everything was measured against the standards of the Imperial Capital or Jade Capital. They spoke endlessly of how wonderful and marvelous the Central Plains were while contrasting it with the supposed ignorance and backwardness of Fenglin, urging its people to reflect upon themselves. If even the Imperial Capital was held in such esteem, then Jade Capital was considered a utopia, the benchmark of civilization. After all, it was home to the Golden Tower Council of 36 Omniscient Sages and was seen as just, fair, enlightened, advanced, and grand. Their stories of Jade Capital made it seem as if Daoist priests could do no wrong.

When Qi Xuansu first encountered such people, he was quite taken aback. As someone who had settled in Jade Capital, he had not realized it was supposedly so wonderful. He even began to doubt himself if the place they spoke of was truly Jade Capital and not something they had imagined.

In such an environment, anyone who was a Daoist, even a young Daoist attendant, stood a head above others, let alone a third-rank Youyi Daoist master.

Thus, Qi Xuansu was seen as a figure of great importance.

When the people of Fenglin looked at him, there was a genuine, heartfelt reverence in their gaze, quite unlike the perfunctory respect given to ordinary Daoist priests.

Just then, a voice suddenly called out, "Deputy Hall Master Tian Yuan!"

Generally speaking, only those who knew Qi Xuansu personally would address him by his courtesy name and his title.

Qi Xuansu turned toward the voice. Sure enough, he saw a familiar face. "Brother Xu?"

"I dare not respond to this friendly title. After all, it's wartime now. It's best to address each other by our official title, Deputy Hall Master Tian Yuan," Xu Kou replied.

Qi Xuansu followed along amiably. "Superintendent Xu, what brings you here?"

Xu Kou smiled. "Of course, I didn't come here on my own. I'm stationed here under orders to strike at the Sonno-joi ronin."

Qi Xuansu was not surprised by this answer and simply asked, "Then have you seen a miko named Asai To?"

"Don't tell me she's your secret lover," Xu Kou joked. "Careful now, or I'll report you to Deputy Hall Master Qing Xiao."

"You think I'm Li Tianzhen?" Qi Xuansu snorted. "This young girl once helped me. If you see her, perhaps you could show her some leniency, as long as it doesn't break any rules."

Xu Kou said, "I have indeed met this girl, but you're a bit too late."

Qi Xuansu's expression didn't change. He merely raised an eyebrow. "Did you kill her? Or cripple her?"

Xu Kou replied, "Someone got to her before you did and made sure she's safe. She's already a free woman, so it's not up to me to show her leniency."

Qi Xuansu asked, "Who?"

"Toyotomi Chiyo," Xu Kou answered with equal brevity.

Qi Xuansu knew who Toyotomi Chiyo was. He merely nodded. "Ah, Toyotomi Hidesugu's younger sister. If she's the one stepping in, then that saves me the trouble. At least I won't have to owe you a favor."

Xu Kou feigned sadness. "Damn! I feel like I just missed out on 10,000 Wuyou coins."

"Sarcasm suits you; you've truly inherited the Li family's style," Qi Xuansu said, pointing at him. "No wonder you're favored by the Sage Commander."

Xu Kou noticed someone tagging along behind Qi Xuansu and joked, "And who's this? Don't tell me she's your daughter? It hasn't even been that long since we last met, and your girl's already this grown?!"

Already in a foul mood, Little Yin gave Xu Kou a less-than-kind look.

Qi Xuansu said, "Don't talk nonsense. She's the granddaughter of Elder Yin, a remarkable figure. I, for one, wouldn't dare cross him."

Xu Kou felt a chill under Little Yin's gaze. "I can tell this Little Miss Yin is no ordinary person."

Little Yin gave a light snort and looked away.

In truth, she could not do anything to Xu Kou. After all, they were both from the Daoist Order, on the same side of this war.

Qi Xuansu said, "I can't keep chatting with you. I need to hurry back to camp. Is there a flying ship leaving soon? Let me hitch a ride."

Xu Kou thought for a moment. "At this hour, only the Yellow Hornless Dragon carrying grain and supplies is heading back. It's just about to return."

"That'll do." Qi Xuansu wasn't picky.

Xu Kou said, "I'll go with you. By the way, did you just come from Ichishi District? What were you doing there? If it's classified, forget I asked."

Qi Xuansu answered, "It's nothing to hide since the Ise-jingu already knows. I went to Mount Suzuka to meet Suzuka Gozen."

"Well, well...you're heading back to camp to claim credit, then." Xu Kou grinned.

Qi Xuansu was not so happy. "Suzuka Gozen has already defected to us. So we will be moving to the next phase soon. This is just the calm before the storm. Take care of yourself."

"Don't worry, I will."

"Let's go."