A Pawn’s Passage

Sage Qingwei saw matters with perfect clarity. The Tenmon Sect had no true intention of peace. This so-called negotiation was nothing more than a delay tactic. They required time to fortify their defenses and expand their forces. If the Daoist Order were lulled by this talk of peace, pinning their hopes upon negotiations, then they might well hesitate in launching their next offensive, as they would seek victory without battle, thereby missing their best opportunity to strike.

Yet the Daoist Order's own intent was equally clear. They sought to claim the mantle of righteousness. The Tenmon Sect could play its own game, while the Daoist Order played its own. Each of them would take what they needed.

For the Daoist Order, quelling a rebellion was not difficult. The challenge lay in winning the people's hearts, in ensuring that all of Fenglin would turn their allegiance once the war was over. So it did not matter if their enemy built fortifications for another three more months.

Tsu Castle, being one of Ise Province's strongholds, was filled with shrines. But negotiations between the Daoist Order and the Tenmon Sect could not be held within a shrine. Fortunately, there were also many Buddhist temples.

In the end, the Daoist Order chose to hold the talks at Shitenno-ji, located outside the city walls.

Beyond its convenient location outside the city, Shitenno-ji was modeled after the monastery layouts of the Central Plains, aligned along a north-south axis: beginning with the Central Gate, followed by the Pagoda, the Golden Hall, Lecture Hall, Six-Times Hall, Prince's Hall, Five Wisdom Light Hall, the Great Master Gansan Hall, and the Abbot's Quarters.

Shitenno-ji, or the Temple of the Four Heavenly Kings, encompassed four institutions. Kyoden-in functioned as a monastic training hall; Shiyaku-in was a dispensary providing food and medicine to the needy; Ryobyo-in housed sick patients; and Hiden-in sheltered the elderly and poor.

This time, the negotiations were to be held in the Kyoden-in, which was located in the Golden Hall.

A gentle breeze swept the wheat fields, and a fine spring drizzle bathed the groves of plum trees.

"The nine so-called 'peace conditions' proposed by the Daoist Order might as well be renamed as a demand for surrender!" An elderly jokai-rank shinkan scoffed as he stood upon the steps before the Central Gate of the Shitenno-ji. He did not wear a headdress, and his long white brows quivered in the spring breeze. "Or, to borrow the words of the Westerners, this is nothing but an ultimatum!"

Another shinkan wearing a tall headdress added, "In warfare, only those who can defend are fit to attack. In governance, only those who can wage war are fit to negotiate peace. To attempt offense without defense is swift defeat; to make peace without the capability to fight is mere surrender. In simpler terms, as long as one can hold firm, there is always recourse. Yet, we failed to hold our ground.

"Maeda Masao proved inept. Nearly 100,000 troops were lost in a total rout. Sosen, Katsura Yoshiyuki, and Amemori Unko all fell in battle. Princess Tamako was captured. Only Sarutobi Shosai managed to escape. How can we gain what we couldn't win on the battlefield at the talks? That's why the Daoist Order's nine harsh conditions are neither unexpected nor unreasonable."

The jokai-rank shinkan could not help but sigh. "To put it plainly, the Daoist Order, with its army at its zenith, has no true wish for peace. Yet, for the sake of righteousness and winning hearts, they are compelled to sit at the table. Thus, they offered these nine harsh conditions, not so much to reach an agreement, but to shut our mouths and the mouths of everyone else. When all fails, everyone will then know that it was not them who refused peace but us."

Even so, the Tenmon Sect had no true grounds to reproach the Daoist Order. This was, at best, a measure to buy time. It was not that they wished to fight to the death, but the terms themselves were impossible to accept.

The first clause was, "punishing war criminals." Who was the criminal? Was it the Fenglin Emperor? Or the Saio?

The seventh clause was abolishing the emperor and demoting him to king. The eighth was that Fenglin's Ashihara no Nakatsukuni was to enter the tribute system, becoming a vassal to the Great Xuan court. The ninth was that the royal family only remained as a symbol and stripped of all real power. The Chancellor's Office would then assume every authority of the Heian Court and its subordinate offices.

The court would never consent to the emperor being reduced to a mere king. They also would never consent to bending the knee to the Great Xuan Empire, since the Sonno-joi faction would never yield.

Who could dare agree to these four demands at the table? Whoever did so would be reviled as a traitor to the nation by the next morning. Soon after, they would face heaven's punishment as a condemned criminal of the realm.

But what grounds did they have to reduce the Daoist Order's terms? How could they possibly bargain when their 100,000 troops had already been annihilated? Thus, it circled back to the point that they could not possibly negotiate for what they could not win on the battlefield.

Therefore, this negotiation could only serve as a stratagem to stall for time.

The shinkan in a headdress let out a long sigh. "The Westerners are the most pragmatic of all. They won't make a losing trade, so pinning our hopes on them is sheer folly."

At that moment, a young shinkan hurried in and bowed before the two elders, reporting, "The Daoist Order's flying ship has descended."

The two jokai-rank shinkans exchanged a long, silent glance.

The air grew heavy with gloom.

After a while, it was the white-browed shinkan who broke the silence. "Come. Let's go and greet the Daoist delegation."

The shinkan in a headdress reminded his peer, "Circumstance outweighs men. This Great Sage Zhang is one of the seven Virtuous Great Sages of the Daoist Order, nicknamed the Second Emperor of Fenglin. You and I must bow our heads before him."

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were both aboard the same flying ship as Zhang Qihan.

Neither of the two had ever taken part in peace talks. Their presence here was not only to accustom themselves to such affairs but also to serve as bodyguards. In this, they played much the same role as Li Tiangang.

Shitenno-ji lay beyond the city walls, with the Daoist army not far away. On the surface, there was little danger. Yet if the Tenmon Sect chose to ambush the Daoist delegation during the peace talks, the Daoist army would not storm the city. They would only deploy their elites.

Great Sage Zhang Qihan, a Virtuous Great Sage of the Daoist Order, feared little. However, the others could not claim the same, especially the Deputy Hall Masters of Ciji Hall, as they were specialists in rites, not combat. By Qi Xuansu's measure, they were mere flowerbed priests, ill-suited for battle.

But Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu were different. The unity of their twin swords had already proven its strength at the battle of Hisai Castle, where even a jokai-rank shinkan at the Zaohua stage had perished beneath their blades. When the couple was apart, they were no less formidable. Qi Xuansu killed Sosen and delayed the wounded Katsura Yoshiyuki, while Zhang Yuelu single-handedly captured Princess Tamako.

From this point of view, neither could be seen as youths in need of sheltering. They were a force to be reckoned with. Clearly, the Golden Tower Council had begun to think the same, as they were no longer assigned mere subordinate roles but were being trained for offices of true command.

Some might think that Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had risen too swiftly. But it was not so. Experience was forged only through trials. Without enduring trials, one could grow old yet stay naive. Likewise, even youth could mature in the furnace of hardship.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had not had a moment's rest, as they were constantly assigned to one mission after another, entangled in all kinds of matters.

Some other scions spent years feasting, playing games, and reading idly. That was why their position remained unchanged when they looked back. To them, three years passed as though it were a blink of an eye. But for Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu, those three years marked by upheavals and trials stretched long, feeling more like 13 years of an ordinary person's life.

Throughout the past dynasties, most founding emperors were often young. Many were in their forties, while some were in their thirties. The famed Emperor Taizong of the Li clan took the throne at 28 years old. If one were to strip away the eight years he spent in sibling rivalry, he had already made a name for himself by the age of 20.

The Holy Xuan was much the same, having already shaken the world and united the Daoist sects before he turned 30.

With such comparisons, Qi Xuansu's rise was not too fast. Instead, it was too slow. To ordinary eyes, a third-rank Youyi Daoist master was already considered a promising young talent. Yet compared to those prodigious forebears, his achievements were not worth mentioning.

At his age, the Holy Xuan was already the Daoist Order's fourth-in-command, and Donghuang single-handedly commanded the Donghai Navy.

Qi Xuansu still had far to go.

In truth, within this era of peace, all ascents had slowed. The upper tiers were ossified, and the ladder below was steadily drawn away, stagnating growth throughout the entire organization. Thus, when Qi Xuansu, blessed with Madam Qi's support, was progressing despite such challenges, he inevitably drew envious eyes.

Speed was relative. Against his forebears, Qi Xuansu's advancement was slow. Against his peers, his climb was indeed meteoric.

This time, Qi Xuansu came fully prepared, with 6,000 marks of divine power stored, enough to sustain his Spiritual Body throughout a drawn-out battle.

He also bore two semi-immortal objects—Green Cloud and Pure Bodhi. By sheer count, he now stood on equal footing with Zhang Yuelu, Yao Pei, and Li Changge, the three Daoist prodigies. This was proof that Qi Xuansu becoming the fourth prodigy was only a matter of time.

When paired with Zhang Yuelu, he would naturally wield Green Cloud, as their twin swords could unite into an unstoppable immortal object. But in solitary combat, he would choose Pure Bodhi, which was more fitting to his hand. Against a Zaohua-stage Heavenly Being without a semi-immortal object, which was the case for most Fenglin masters, Qi Xuansu held confidence that he could prevail in a fight.

Beyond this, once named to the peace delegation, Qi Xuansu visited the temporary branch of Tianji Hall and retrieved five rounds of Grade-A Series Seven Dragon Eye Bullets. With two remaining in his possession, he now had seven rounds of such ammunition. He then sold the remainder of his Grade-A Series Eight Dragon Eye Bullets back to the Tianji Hall, since they were not very effective against higher-caliber opponents.

The Grade-A Series Seven Dragon Eye Bullet was the upper limit of the Dragon Painting Pistol. It could kill a Xiaoyao-stage Heavenly Being and even pose a threat to a Wuliang-stage opponent. Thus, Qi Xuansu judged it wise to keep such rounds at hand, which would come in handy in an ambush or times of desperation.

As for Zhang Yuelu, her preparations differed. She stocked herself with all manner of restorative elixirs. That was because her physique was not as resilient or regenerative as Qi Xuansu's. Her perfected methods were all geared for offense. So if her Joyous Cloud Shield were breached and her Tribulation Substitutes exhausted, she would be left completely vulnerable. Thus, healing pills were her indispensable safeguard.