A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu examined the corpse and concluded that Wang Baoyue most likely died from the Phoenix Eye Series ammunition. The damage was much more intense than an ordinary Phoenix Eye Bullet, so it was likely to be a Grade-A Phoenix Eye Bomb.

The Daoist Order had extremely strict control over the Grade-A series of both the Dragon Eye and Phoenix Eye Series ammunition. Those who could use these to kill people undoubtedly had a deep connection with the Daoist Order.

There was nothing Qi Xuansu and Xu Kou could do with such a development.

What piqued Qi Xuansu’s interest was Wang Baoyue’s arm cannon.

Since Wang Baoyue’s clothes and body were burned, Qi Xuansu discovered that the arm cannon was not as simple as merely attaching a cannon as a prosthetic limb.

One end of the prosthetic arm was the muzzle, which was covered by a prosthetic hand. The other end of the prosthetic arm had many thin metal tubes resembling the meridians of the human body, extending into Wang Baoyue’s body through the shoulder joint.

Qi Xuansu deduced that these thin metal tubes extending from the end of the prosthetic arm were most likely connected to Wang Baoyue’s internal organs. However, since Wang Baoyue’s body was completely incinerated, only these thin metal tubes were left. So it was impossible to determine how each metal tube was connected to each organ.

This meant that the arm cannon could not be reused by others without further customization. Qi Xuansu figured that it was similar to his Auxiliary Heart. Even if someone killed him and dug out the valuable heart, they would not dare to use it rashly. That was because such big procedures were risky and could cost one’s life.

Even if it could not be used easily, Huasheng Hall should be willing to acquire such things to study the mysteries of the West’s Arcane Alchemy. Moreover, this arm cannon was still intact after such a violent blast, proving the material’s excellent quality and resilience. Such high-grade material should be researched and reused.

Another item that was not damaged in this explosion was Wang Baoyue’s Western gun, which left a deep impression on Qi Xuansu because it could be fired continuously. Though not as potent, it could still suppress enemies.

Everything else was burned to ashes. Perhaps Wang Baoyue had also hid most of his wealth somewhere else.

Sadly, not everyone could have magical receptacles because they could not be bought with money. They were more of a symbol of status.

During the charity auction at the Shangqing Palace, the penultimate bidding item was a red fruit donated by the Dazhen Mansion. The red fruit had been processed beforehand, so it could be consumed safely to enhance one’s cultivation. The base price for that was 5,000 Taiping coins, and it was finally sold for a high price of 8,000 Taiping coins to a Sage from the Quanzhen Sect.

The final bidding item was a magical receptacle of high quality, with a base price of 10,000 Taiping coins. In the end, it was sold to Zhang Jushu for 15,000 Taiping coins.

That was not an amount that most people could afford. Even if they had so much money, they would still need to be able to enter the Shangqing Palace to attend the auction. Those who participated in the bidding at that time were all core disciples of the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect. Qi Xuansu was only able to attend because of his connection to Zhang Yuelu and Pei Xiaolou’s invitation.

From this point of view, Zhang Yuelu was indeed cash-poor for someone of her status. Since Zhang Yuelu was not greedy, she only lived on her regular salary and subsidies. She also had some dividends from the various Zhang family’s business ventures, but it was not much. Moreover, expenses were high in Jade Capital, so her income was stretched thin.

However, Zhang Yuelu could also be considered rich due to the assets she owned. She had a residence in Taishang Place, which was the best neighborhood in Jade Capital. She also had a magical receptacle and a semi-immortal object. If she could sell those, she would earn at least hundreds of thousands of Taiping coins. However, these things actually belonged to the Daoist Order, so they could not be sold at will. If Zhang Yuelu ever made a mistake, the Daoist Order had the right to confiscate these items as well.

The reason why Zhang Yuelu was able to be indifferent toward money was mainly due to her righteous attitude and partially due to these material guarantees. Since Qi Xuansu did not have such fancy things, he always wanted to earn and save up to buy these items.

Qi Xuansu turned to look at Xu Kou. “These two items should be worth a lot of money. Brother Xu, please choose one.”

“I want the gun.” Xu Kou helped himself to the Western gun and weighed it in his hand. The Martial Arts Practitioner’s fists and blood qi roars were excellent weapons, but they had a limited range. Xu Kou knew that he was lacking in long-range attacks, so a gun would be ideal.

In fact, Tiangang Hall also issued guns, but Xu Kou did not care for the weak Green Bird Pistol. Only fourth-rank Daoist priests were given a Divine Dragon Pistol, and Xu Kou was only in the fifth-rank, so he never carried a gun.

This Western pistol met his requirements.

Although Qi Xuansu also liked the Western gun, he already had many long-range weapons like the Divine Dragon Pistol, Seven Phoenix Feathers, and Bliss Needles, so he did not need this gun.

Since Xu Kou chose the gun, Qi Xuansu was left with the arm cannon. He tore the prosthetic limb from Wang Baoyue’s charred corpse and examined it.

Apart from those thin metal tubes, this prosthetic limb had an uncanny resemblance to a real arm. Qi Xuansu only thought of heading to Huasheng Hall to exchange it for Taiping coins or items only available to Daoist priests.

However, the Huasheng Hall branches were generally only located in Prefectural Capitals or certain important cities. In the entire Luzhou, only the Huainan Prefectural Capital had a branch of Huasheng Hall. Huainan Prefecture was where Qi Xuansu first took a flying ship to Jade Capital after leaving Fengtai County. That was the beginning of his journey in the Daoist Order, leading to all these subsequent experiences.

Huainan Prefecture was not on the way to Bohai Prefecture, so on second thought, Qi Xuansu decided to escort Liu Hu safely first. Bohai Prefecture was also a major city, so it should have a Huasheng Hall branch.

At this time, Major Zhang finally led his people over. He was speechless for a while when he saw the burnt forest.

Qi Xuansu carried the prosthetic arm and stated the obvious. “He was silenced.”

It took Major Zhang a while before he smiled wryly and responded. “Dead or alive, at least we have a body. In any case, there is still an explanation.”

After that, Major Zhang ordered his subordinates to carefully collect the remnants of the charred body and try their best to deliver it to their boss.

Qi Xuansu and Xu Kou no longer cared about the follow-up.

Xu Kou had a sensitive position in this situation, and Qi Xuansu was reluctant to get involved in the Daoist Order’s infighting. After all, not everyone was as persistent as Zhang Yuelu. One could only live longer if one knew not to push boundaries.

Major Zhang also knew that he could not pursue the case further because Wang Baoyue’s murder served as a warning to others.

……

In the study of the Shen Residence in Wannian County.

Shen Mingshu sat on a Taishi armchair[1] behind the desk, sipping tea leisurely.

There were two other people in the study. One of them was wearing a Daoist robe with wide sleeves. He had tied up his black hair with a jade hairpin and had a beard that reached his chest. He was Jiang Bieyun, the fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master of the Taiping Sect.

There were differences between fourth-rank priests in terms of the power they held and their future prospects, much like the difference between Zhang Yuelu and Sun Yongfeng. Jiang Bieyun belonged to the top rung of fourth-rank priests who would soon be promoted to a third-rank Youyi Daoist master.

The other person looked to be in his fifties, with gray hair and a weather-worn face. He had a strong military aura, indicating that he was once one of the Black Robes. At this time, he was wearing a special green uniform with a bear emblem. He was none other than Zhao Guangji, the Green Phoenix Guard Lieutenant Colonel of Luzhou.

Zhao Guangji had a burly figure and the posture of a military general, but he was not at all a brute. Instead, he looked calm and cold, without a hint of violence. After all, someone who could climb to the position of Lieutenant Colonel in the Green Phoenix Guard was not a brute who only enjoyed killing.

Shen Mingshu put down the gaiwan in his hand and sighed. “The average lifespan is 70 years old. The first 10 years are wasted on being childish, and the last 10 years are wasted on being weak. That leaves us with 50 years. If we spend half the time asleep, that leaves us with only 25 years of active time. All of us here are in our fifties, so we only have a handful of good days left.”

There was a double meaning that Jiang Bieyun and Zhao Guangji understood.

Yuan Chongzong, Yuan Shangdao, and Wang Baoyue died one after another, so they did not know whether it would be their turn next.

After all, there was a fine line between life and death.

Jiang Bieyun said, “Master Shen, you’re overly worried. With the Imperial Preceptor and the Imperial Court as our backers, we will all live a long life.”

Shen Mingshu laughed. “Let’s hope you’re right. By then, I wish that we could still enjoy tea like this.”

Zhao Guangji suddenly recalled something. “By the way, I met Xu Kou the last time I was in Qizhou. I didn’t expect him to be a superintendent in Jade Capital in the blink of an eye. What does this mean?”

“Everyone has their own ambitions and cannot be forced,” Jiang Bieyun said calmly. “One day, it’s either him or us who will have to take the fall.”

All three were silent.

They were confident in the Taiping Sect, but they were insecure about themselves.

As the Purple Immortal Mountain case intensified, they were unsure whether they would be able to wait until the day when the Taiping Sect gained victory.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door outside the study.

Shen Mingshu responded, “Come in.”

The old servant, who was a close confidant of Shen Mingshu, came in and reported, “Master, those people have left with Wang Baoyue’s body.”

Shen Mingshu asked, “What about Master Wei and Master Xu?”

“They also left together,” The old servant replied.

Shen Mingshu pondered for a while before saying, “Withdraw our men.”

The old servant responded and left.

Zhao Guangji sighed. “It’s a pity that we don’t know which deserted island Wang Baoyue hid his belongings on.”

1. A symbol of power and status for government officials. ☜