A Pawn's Passage

In the 41st year of the Taiping Era, the Holy Xuan issued a decree during a meeting with the Golden Tower Council to ban all unauthorized associations. The incumbent Great Sage of the Taiping Sect, Li Donghuang, was then tasked with its implementation.

The Confucian and Buddhist sects also responded accordingly.

Thereafter, under the leadership of the Daoist Order, the three religions began the crackdown. They dissolved, suppressed, and eradicated various unauthorized associations. Thus, many such associations went underground, becoming clandestine while engaging in illegal activities.

The Qingping Society was a behemoth among these secret associations. The Inn was also one of them.

The reasons for their survival and growth under the Daoist crackdown were not the same. The Qingping Society had close ties to the Daoist Order, as proven by its ability to manipulate Qi Xuansu’s Daoist rank. The Inn, on the other hand, had deeper connections to the Imperial Court.

This was the fundamental reason why The Inn was unwilling to engage in dealings involving the Imperial Court. Hence, while The Inn dared to ambush a fourth-rank Daoist master, it refused to rescue a seventh-rank county magistrate from the Green Phoenix Guard.

Therefore, it was insufficient to send a fourth-rank Daoist master to get The Inn to talk. Instead, a Green Phoenix Guard Lieutenant Colonel would be more effective. This had nothing to do with the ranks of the individuals involved, but rather the relationship between the organizations.

As the sky brightened, a small group of people sped toward Fengtai County on horseback.

The leader of the group was a man dressed in distinctive green official attire with an embroidered bear emblem.

Civil officials had birds embroidered on their court robes, symbolizing progress. Cranes for first-rank officials; golden pheasants for second-rank officials; peacocks for third-rank officials; wild geese for fourth-rank officials; silver pheasants for fifth-rank officials; egrets for sixth-rank officials; mandarin ducks for seventh-rank officials; orioles for eighth-rank officials; and quails for ninth-rank officials.

Military officials had beasts embroidered on their court robes, signifying ferocity. Qilin[1] for first-rank officials; Suanni[2] for second-rank officials; leopard for third-rank officials; tiger for fourth-rank officials; bear for fifth-rank officials; panther for sixth-rank officials; rhinoceros for seventh-rank and eighth-rank officials; and seahorse for ninth-rank officials.

Besides that, there were other patterns, such as pythons and fighting bulls, which were another category of bestowed attire.

That was the origin of the phrase “beasts in human attire.” It was used to describe a morally corrupt individual who looked educated.

The Great Xuan Dynasty originated in the north and revered the virtue of water. The official court attire was primarily black for military officials of all ranks, even ordinary soldiers. Hence, the term “Black Robes.” However, there was one exception among the military officials, and that was the Green Phoenix Guard.

As close attendants responsible for guarding the emperor, the Green Phoenix Guard was originally known as the Green Robes Division in the former Wei Dynasty. They later merged with the Ceremonial Guards Division, which was in charge of the emperor’s ceremonial activities. They were later renamed the Green Phoenix Guard, hence the green attire.

In the early years of the Great Xuan Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu abolished the Five Armies Commander Office and various local garrisons, as well as the system of military households. However, he retained the Green Phoenix Guard.

Thus, it was easy to recognize this group of riders. They were none other than the notorious Green Phoenix Guard, led by a fifth-rank Lieutenant Colonel. The fifth rank was not the highest, but it carried significant authority.

In the existing hierarchy of the Green Phoenix Guard, there was one Lord Commander at the upper-third rank, two Deputy Commanders at the lower-third rank, two Commander Adjutants at the upper-fourth rank, two Pacification Commanders at the lower-fourth rank, and twenty Lieutenant Colonels at the upper-fifth rank. These 27 individuals were influential figures in the Green Phoenix Guard and should not be underestimated.

This leading Lieutenant Colonel was in charge of a thousand soldiers and stationed in a provincial capital. He must have important matters at hand since he came to Fengtai County in person.

When the group arrived at a fork in the road, the Lieutenant Colonel halted his horse. The Green Phoenix Guards behind him also came to a stop. Li Sanxin lagged in the back and said in a soft voice, “Sir, the path to the right leads to the county, while the road to the left leads to The Inn.”

The Lieutenant Colonel appeared to be in his fifties, with graying hair at his temples and a weathered face. He bore heavy traces of military life, indicating that he was once one of the Black Robes.

This was not surprising, as the Green Phoenix Guard had always had close ties to the Black Robes, just as the Imperial Court had close ties to the Daoist Order.

The Lieutenant Colonel remained silent for a moment before guiding his horse to the left.

The deaths of a county magistrate and an assistant major were nothing significant in his and Jiang Bieyun’s plan. What was important were the subsequent developments, which had changed unexpectedly, forcing him to come to Fengtai County in person.

As a seasoned member of the Green Phoenix Guard, the Lieutenant Colonel had the first instinct to tie this case to The Inn. If this person had appeared at The Inn before heading to Fengtai County, there would be some traces left behind.

Soon, the Green Phoenix Guard arrived at the gate of the funeral home. It was eerily silent.

The Lieutenant Colonel dismounted and walked toward the funeral home.

Li Sanxin and some of the subordinates followed closely behind the Lieutenant Colonel, while the others spread out to surround the place.

Passing through the long corridor, they arrived at the underground lobby of The Inn. However, even before entering, they could smell a strong stench of blood.

As members of the Green Phoenix Guard, they were no strangers to this scent. The expressions on everyone’s faces turned grim.

The Lieutenant Colonel remained expressionless, showing neither joy nor anger, as he silently entered the lobby of The Inn.

The Inn had turned into a scene of carnage. Everyone sat in their seats, frozen in their final moments, with no signs of struggle or resistance. It was as if they were unaware of their impending death.

The Innkeeper was still standing behind the counter. His upper body leaned forward, and his head was slightly bowed.

A Taiping coin was embedded between his eyebrows, with only half of it visible and revealing the word Taiping, which meant peace.

The Lieutenant Colonel approached the Innkeeper’s body and stared at the Taiping coin lodged in the victim’s forehead. He murmured, “Such skills.”

Li Sanxin, who was beside the Lieutenant Colonel, felt a slight tremor in his heart.

The Lieutenant Colonel was a Xiantian Being at the pinnacle of his cultivation. Even compared to his senior, Jiang Bieyun, he was considered exceptional. If the Lieutenant Colonel praised the murderer for being skilled, then what level of cultivation did the killer possess?

Was the murderer a Xiantian Being at the Guizhen stage? Or perhaps it was an elusive Heavenly Being?

The Lieutenant Colonel’s gaze moved away from the Innkeeper’s body and landed on the ground in front of the counter.

Li Sanxin followed his gaze.

There were two visible footprints on the ground, with the patterns of the shoe soles clearly discernible. Most notably, there was a pattern resembling a square-holed copper coin in the center of the sole.

Judging by its size, it seemed to be a woman’s footprint.

The Green Phoenix Guard in charge of examining the bodies reported, “Sir, these people died from some kind of sharp, thin thread.”

Even without using the Earth Qi Recalling Technique to trace back the scene, they could imagine what it was like when the murderer executed everyone there.

The Inn was operating as usual. A silver Taiping coin spun on the black lacquered counter.

The Innkeeper stood behind the counter with his right hand propped against his chin, staring blankly at the spinning Taiping coin.

At that moment, a woman came to the counter, leaving behind two footprints.

Just as the Innkeeper was about to reach out and stop the spinning Taiping coin with his palm, the woman tapped the counter lightly with a finger. The spinning coin bounced up from the force and pierced the Innkeeper’s forehead.

Almost simultaneously, the numerous guests in The Inn, who were assassins and bandits, had their throats slit by a thin thread that appeared out of nowhere.

These thin threads spread across the entire lobby like spider webs, leaving these seasoned killers with no ability to fight back, to the point where they were clueless as to how they died.

This was a massacre.

The Lieutenant Colonel was not at all sympathetic about the deaths of these people because those who came to The Inn were not good people. They were hitmen and assassins who deserved to die. Thus, their deaths did not matter. A killer being killed was nothing to be alarmed about.

However, considering the clandestine relationship between The Inn and the Green Phoenix Guard, the Green Phoenix Guard could not tolerate the death of the Innkeeper. The murderer had crossed a line there.

The Lieutenant Colonel asked, “How many relevant documents are left in The Inn?”

A Green Phoenix Guard replied, “Sir, all documents have been destroyed, and all cash notes have been taken away.”

The Lieutenant Colonel murmured, “One person kills while the other cleans up the aftermath. This isn’t something a gang is capable of, but rather a secret society. Or perhaps it’s someone from the Daoist Order.”

"Is it Sage Donghua?” Li Sanxin wiped the sweat from his forehead.

There was no clear distinction in status among the 36 Sages, but their levels of cultivation varied. Sage Donghua was one of the strongest among the sages.

The Lieutenant Colonel’s tone was solemn as he said, “Mage Jiang has already communicated with me using the mother-child talisman. If this is Sage Donghua’s doing, then it has something to do with the Quanzhen Sect’s infighting.”

Li Sanxin was a disciple of the Taiping Sect, so he was very knowledgeable about the politics of the Daoist Order. He explained, “Back then, the Holy Xuan ordered the Quanzhen Sect to develop more mechanical devices, which led to the emergence of two major factions within the sect. They had been in a continuous struggle over the use of machinery and talismans. To this day, the problem remains unresolved.”

The Lieutenant Colonel also knew about this case and muttered to himself, “The Holy Xuan assigned the Taiping Sect to govern matters relating to humans, the Zhengyi Sect to govern spiritual matters, and the Quanzhen Sect to create devices.

"Since the Taiping Sect was closest to the secular world, the Great Sage of the Taiping Sect was known as the Imperial Preceptor. The Zhengyi Sect was closest to the spirit realm, so the Great Sage of the Zhengyi Sect was known as the Heavenly Preceptor. The Quanzhen Sect was closest to the netherworld, so the Great Sage of the Quanzhen Sect was known as the Earthly Preceptor.

"The Three Preceptors were much more powerful than any official of the Imperial Court. If this was Sage Donghua’s doing, then it must be related to the Earthly Preceptor. I wonder how the Imperial Preceptor would view this.”

Li Sanxin did not dare to comment rashly.

He was a disciple of the Taiping Sect, where the Holy Xuan himself was from. The Holy Xuan’s wife was the eldest daughter of Emperor Gaozu and the elder sister of Emperor Taizong. The Great Sage of the Quanzhen Sect, Li Donghuang, who implemented the Holy Xuan’s decree to ban all unauthorized associations within the Daoist Order, was the Holy Xuan’s junior and one of the founders of the Li Clan of the Taiping Sect.

Therefore, the Taiping Sect was closely related to worldly matters and had countless ties to the court, serving as a link between the Daoist Order and the Imperial Court. The Great Sage of the Taiping Sect being called the Imperial Preceptor was not an exaggeration.

The Lieutenant Colonel walked outside and ordered, “Prepare some oil and burn this place thoroughly. Don’t leave any traces.”

Li Sanxin followed closely behind.

Another assistant major respectfully obeyed the order.

1. Chinese mythical creature resembling a hooved animal with a single horn on its head. ☜

2. Chinese mythical creature resembling a lion with a single horn on its head. ☜