A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu traveled hundreds of kilometers to Fengtai County. It was not for the deal worth 1,000 Taiping coins, nor did he want to get involved in the complex politics of the Imperial Court. He was actually acting on orders to retrieve something from Li Hongwen.

Using The Inn as a cover to hide his true motives and gather more intel, Qi Xuansu stayed at The Inn until he discovered Li Hongwen’s whereabouts from his contract with the limping man. Through the limping man, Qi Xuansu learned that the Green Phoenix Guard ambushed Li Hongwen in the Fengtai County government office. They arrested Li Hongwen and detained his family on the spot without transferring them to the county jail.

Although Qi Xuansu figured that the Green Phoenix Guard had deliberately let the limping man slip through the cracks as bait to catch other accomplices, he was still determined to take the deal. That was because Qi Xuansu was a member of the Qingping Society.

In the existing political climate, the Imperial Court and the Daoist Order were highly interconnected. Like the yin-yang circle, the Imperial Court was the white swirl, while the Daoist Order was the black swirl, each containing a spot of the other.

The Qingping Society was not a part of the Imperial Court or the Daoist Order. Rather, it was a secret society that hovered between the two regimes.

The members of the Qingping Society were from all walks of life, often holding separate identities. On the surface, they were members of the Imperial Court or the Daoist sects, but in secret, they were members of the Qingping Society. Therefore, Qingping Society members would never reveal their real names, using code names instead.

Qi Xuansu had been a member of the Qingping Society for two years and went by the alias Gold-Plated Knife.

Some people mistakenly thought that the alias connoted a kind of precious weapon. In fact, it was a type of knife-shaped commodity money in ancient times, also known as knife money. The gold engravings on the coinage represented riches.

Though this alias was unsuitable for Qi Xuansu since he was not a rich man, Qi Xuansu had chosen this alias because it served as a reminder of his debt and money owed.

Aside from being a member of the Qingping Society, Qi Xuansu had another identity as a seventh-rank Daoist priest. As a point of reference, Sage Donghua was a second-rank Daoist priest of high standing. The difference in status between Qi Xuansu and Sage Donghua was equivalent to that between a county magistrate and a high-ranking government minister. It was rare for individuals with such social disparity to interact with each other.

In actuality, Qi Xuansu was lying to the waiter at The Inn when he told the waiter to relay a message that Sage Donghua had sent his regards to the Lord Commander of the Green Phoenix Guard. Qi Xuansu merely said this to muddle the investigation.

......

On the other hand, the limping man had passed out drunk in the lobby of The Inn. Little did he know, that was the final nightcap of his life. He would never wake again.

The Innkeeper walked to the limping man’s table and glanced at the half-empty pot of wine. He sighed and muttered, “The Inn has credibility, but we also have an unspoken rule. All branches of The Inn are not allowed to get involved in matters of the Imperial Court. To interfere in politics, you should have gone to the headquarters. You broke the rules today, so that was the reason for your demise.”

He flipped over the limping man’s corpse and laid it on its back. Then he groped the corpse’s chest to retrieve the agreement. After scanning the contents to confirm that it was the agreement he was looking for, the Innkeeper stacked it with the other agreement letters and burned the stack with a snap of his finger. The papers instantly turned to ashes, dispersing with the wind.

Two burly servants walked out of a secret door right after the Innkeeper clapped three times.

The Innkeeper tore the cash note worth 1,000 Taiping coins into pieces and scattered them on the lifeless body. He ordered, “You know the drill. Stay vigilant.”

The two servants lifted the body and disappeared through the secret door once again without making a sound.

Throughout the whole process, the lobby of The Inn was silent. Some people were unfazed and turned a blind eye to the commotion, while others were frightened and avoided eye contact.

The Innkeeper returned to his place behind the counter and plastered on his signature friendly smile, looking like an honest businessman. No one would have guessed that he was actually a racketeer.

Only the regulars of The Inn knew that the Innkeeper was no ordinary man. The Innkeeper had done his fair share of killings in the past. Otherwise, he would not have secured his position as an Innkeeper.

As he grew older and held a higher status, he stopped killing and focused more on building his network and accumulating wealth. He changed his lifestyle and gave others the impression that he was a kind person.

However, this kindness was superficial. Anyone involved in the gray areas of society could never be considered an angel.

The Innkeeper did all this openly in the lobby to set an example for the others present, in hopes of scaring off anyone who intended to follow in the limping man’s footsteps.

The limping man had broken the rules and ended up dead. The greedy young man who accepted the deal would have had a similar ending since he did not heed the Innkeeper’s advice. That stubborn young man set his own fate, so the Innkeeper could not be blamed for his untimely death.

......

A tall man in a green brocade robe paced back and forth in the main hall of the Fengtai County government office. Compared to the Green Phoenix Guard captain, whom Qi Xuansu had killed at the funeral home, this man wore a more ornate uniform, evident with the jade belt and the ferocious-looking tiger-head belt buckle.

Within the hierarchy of the Green Phoenix Guard, a captain was of the lower-seventh rank, and a senior captain was of the upper-seventh rank. This man with the jade belt was a lower-sixth-rank assistant major and was considered an influential figure in this small county.

Above his position were the upper-sixth-rank major and the lower-fifth-rank senior major. An upper-fifth-rank lieutenant colonel was considered a high-ranking officer within the Green Phoenix Guard because there were only twenty such positions.

Zhou Feilong habitually clasped his bronze tiger-head belt buckle and rhythmically tapped on the hilt of the Slim Tiger Saber at his waist while he paced the glossy floor in his uniform boots.

His fellow colleague, Li Sanxin, who was also an assistant major of the Green Phoenix Guard, sat not far away at the head of the table.

Zhou Feilong stopped pacing and glanced at Li Sanxin discreetly.

Although Li Sanxin was newly promoted to an assistant major just last year, there were recent rumors saying that he would be promoted to an upper-sixth-rank major soon. The reason being that he was a trusted confidant of the Lieutenant Colonel.

Li Sanxin was not aware of Zhou Feilong’s gaze. The former held the gaiwan[1] in his left palm and slowly skimmed off the foam with the lid using his right hand. Then he gently blew on the tea to cool it down before taking a sip.

Zhou Feilong looked away, feeling a little dismal.

Only one of them was needed to deal with Li Hongwen’s case, but the Lieutenant Colonel sent two assistant majors to Fengtai County for this case. There could only be two reasons for this arrangement: the Lieutenant Colonel did not trust Zhou Feilong to do the job, or Li Sanxin had a secret task.

Zhou Feilong had been in the Green Phoenix Guard for decades and had arrested a prefecture magistrate before, never mind a county magistrate like Li Hongwen. Thus, Zhou Feilong was more than capable of getting the job done. That only meant that Li Sanxin was sent here for that secret task.

However, Zhou Feilong had no clue what that secret task could possibly be.

At this moment, Li Sanxin put down the gaiwan on the table and glanced at Zhou Feilong’s untouched tea. He remarked, “This tea is great, brewed with boiling spring water. The tea buds float vertically, which means they are most likely fresh buds from the first harvest of the year. This type of tea is usually picked at night, when the buds are showing. We won’t be able to afford a few grams a year with our meager salary, so it would be a waste not to try it, Brother Zhou.”

A small smile appeared on Zhou Feilong’s face as he sat back in his chair. Then he picked up the gaiwan and took a sip of the tea.

"Yes, this is top-quality tea.” Zhou Feilong put down the gaiwan and chimed in agreement.

Li Sanxin smiled and asked, “Brother Zhou, you seem a little absent-minded.”

Zhou Feilong adjusted his expression and said in a deep voice, “Brother Li, since you’ve noticed, I’ll just speak openly. Although Li Hongwen has been arrested, many of his accomplices remain at large. We have let his confidant escape to use him as bait to lure out Li Hongwen’s cronies. That way, we can catch them all in one fell swoop. Logically speaking, there is nothing wrong with this plan since we have been doing it for so many years. But I don’t know why I feel so uneasy this time.”

Li Sanxin’s eyes suddenly turned dark. He picked up the gaiwan again, the rising steam shrouding his face. “Brother Zhou, you worry too much.”

Zhou Feilong also picked up the gaiwan in front of him. His face was masked by the steam from the hot tea as he gulped it. His gaze was dreary as he mumbled, “I hope so.”

Li Sanxin looked at the sky, which had darkened considerably, as if someone had splashed ink all over it.

Zhou Feilong stood up and went to the door, standing with his hands behind his back. “The weather in the south sure is temperamental.”

Hailing from the north, Zhou Feilong was not used to the weather down south in Fengtai County.

"Rainy days are always the best time to kill.”

The room darkened as the rain clouds grew heavier. Li Sanxin was sitting in the shadows, so it was hard to make out his expression when he said that. Zhou Feilong only felt a chill up his spine upon hearing Li Sanxin’s deep and cryptic voice coming from behind.

Zhou Feilong turned around and looked at his colleague.

At this moment, a bolt of lightning flashed through the sky, illuminating the dim main hall and their surroundings.

Under the blue-white light, Zhou Feilong could see Li Sanxin’s face, clear as day.

Li Sanxin smiled slightly at Zhou Feilong, the former’s white teeth gleaming creepily in the dim environment.

Wind and thunder always go concurrently with lightning.

Strong winds followed the crash of thunder, disrupting the usual peace in the city. Housewives were busy collecting the laundry that was hung out to dry, while children were shouting. Street vendors rushed to close their stalls, and pedestrians hurried home. Everyone wanted to take shelter from the rain and ran as fast as they could. Their footsteps were frantic, and the streets were chaotic.

The noise and voices from the streets made it seem like the city was whispering.

Suddenly, a heavy downpour fell upon the city.

Raindrops the size of soybeans pitter-pattered against the roof. In an instant, the raindrops gathered on the roof tiles to form small streams that flowed from the eaves and onto the ground.

The two people in the main hall of the county government office were unperturbed by the rainstorm, which had been brewing for a long time.

Several Green Phoenix Guard troopers, who were standing guard outside the hall, were fully equipped with weapons and protective gear. They remained unmoved even as the raindrops hit their armor.

A young man in a bamboo hat and cloak walked on the street at an unhurried pace, heading toward the county government office. He looked out of place in the hustle and bustle of this small town.

The young man’s cloak—soaked by the rain—stuck to him, revealing the silhouette of the short sword and the saber at his waist.

Rainy days were indeed the best time to kill, especially during such a heavy downpour. That was because the rainwater would wash away the bloodshed, leaving no trace after the rain passed and the sky cleared.

The raindrops fell on the young man’s bamboo hat, gathering on the slope of the hat and forming small streams of water that dripped down from the brim. The water curtain made it seem like he was wearing a veiled hat.

1. Chinese lidded bowl without a handle, used for infusing tea leaves. ☜