A Pawn’s Passage

In Fenglin, members of the Buddhist Sect were allowed to marry and have children.

As a result, the Fenglin Buddhist Sect inevitably became a hereditary system, with the position of sect leader shifting from a master-disciple succession to a father-son inheritance.

Hongan-ji was the head temple of the Hongan-ji branch of the Jodo Shinshu Sect, the True Pure Land Buddhism in Fenglin. The sect was founded by the Monk Shinran. The original Otani Hongan-ji was burned down by monks from Enryaku-ji due to Buddhist internal conflict. After enduring numerous wars and relocations, the eighth Monshu Rennyo rebuilt it in Yamashina of Heian Capital. But once again, due to sectarian conflict, the Tendai Sect allied with the Rokkaku clan's army to burn it to the ground.

It was not until the tenth Monshu Shonyo that the Ishiyama Hongan-ji was established in Settsu Province. Shonyo's son, Kennyo, became the 11th Monshu, inheriting the position at the age of eleven because his father passed away early. Soon after, he fulfilled the marriage arranged for him by his late father, marrying the daughter of the Sadaijin, the Minister of the Left. He actively aligned himself with the Fenglin Court and was granted the honorary title of Gon Sojo, or Acting High Monk, effectively becoming the titular leader of the Fenglin Buddhist Sect.

Kennyo ushered in Hongan-ji's golden age, leading numerous Ikko-Ikki uprisings organized by adherents of the Ikko Sect, which was another name for Jodo Shinshu Sect. Followers of the Ikko Sect were renowned for their loyalty and willingness to die in battle. At times, their strongholds functioned like independent states. Thus, though Kennyo was a monk, he was also regarded as a feudal lord.

The 13th generation Monshu was Kennyo's grandson, Hinnyo, who still held the title of Gon Sojo.

When the Daoist Order arrived in Xiujing and summoned all high-ranking officials, Hinnyo, as the Acting High Monk, declined the summons with various excuses and refused to appear before the Celestial Envoy. The Central Plains Empire was known as the Celestial Empire, and the Black Robes were also known as the Celestial Soldiers.

The hostility of the Fenglin Buddhist Sect was unmistakable.

The reason did not lie in the theological differences, such as those between the Central Plains Buddhist Sect and the Western Region Buddhist Sect. It simply stemmed from the fact that the Fenglin Buddhist Sect had chosen the opposing camp.

The political structure of the Fenglin could be divided into two parts: Chancellor Toyotomi's Office in Xiujing, which held real power, and the royal family in Heian Capital, which was a mere figurehead.

The Buddhist faction led by Monshu Hinnyo sided with the Sonno-joi faction in Heian Capital.

In truth, the recent rebellion of the local daimyos under the "Revere the Emperor" movement was essentially a call to purge the Fenglin Court of evil advisors. But Fenglin's situation differed vastly from that of the Central Plains.

In the Central Plains, the emperor held real authority, so purging the court meant confronting the emperor directly. But in Fenglin, the emperor had long been a figurehead, so the movement was never truly aimed at the royal family.

This renewed interest gave the royal family a glimmer of hope to reclaim power. As a result, they began making moves, like using the banquet to probe the Daoist Order's intentions. Many ambitious individuals looking to profit amid the chaos began backing the Sonno-joi faction. Monshu Hinnyo was just one among them.

In several pre-war councils, the Daoist Order focused heavily on one crucial question. Aside from the local daimyos who had openly rebelled, who were friends and who were enemies of the Daoist Order?

Now, the situation was becoming clearer. The Sonno-joi faction was an enemy. Beyond the royal family's ambition to reclaim power, the Daoist Order's intent to abolish the Fenglin emperor also forced the royals to oppose them. But the Daoist Order would not compromise. Those who admired the Celestial Empire were considered allies. They were loyal to Chancellor Toyotomi's Office and were hostile to both the imperial faction and the local daimyos.

Thus, Sage Qingwei issued a sweeping pardon for the demons and summoned the mountain gods.

This created an extraordinarily complex situation in Fenglin. There was no clear battlefront, not even a distinction between frontlines and rearguard. Within a single province, multiple districts had overlapping factions. Not to mention, there were 66 provinces.

This was not a chess game with only two opposing armies. It was a game of Go, where the enemy and ally were indistinguishable.

This complex situation made Qi Xuansu's return to the Daoist camp all the more grueling.

His group did not encounter other demons blocking their path through the Iishi District. But they did run into a large contingent of Sohei, who were Buddhist warrior monks.

Qi Xuansu was not a bloodthirsty man, but deep in enemy territory and surrounded on all sides, he had no room for restraint. With a single strike, he knocked the Sohei commander's weapon aside, then killed him with one bullet. After that, he drew his blade and plunged into the ranks of several hundred Sohei, slaughtering nearly 100 of them and sending the rest fleeing. But he was only one man. Burdened by wounded companions, Qi Xuansu could not wipe them all out and inevitably exposed their presence.

Under such circumstances, Qi Xuansu could only press forward with the injured group, pushing hard until they reached the border between Iishi District and Kusu District.

None among them was particularly alarmed. Though numerous, the Sohei were of low cultivation levels, nothing compared to the Black Robes. Most were ordinary Houtian Beings, with a few Xiantian Beings among them. That was why hundreds of them could not match Qi Xuansu alone.

Were it not for the wounded slowing him down, Qi Xuansu would not have hesitated to wipe out the entire force. It would not have been difficult for him.

Seeing that they were about to cross into Kusu District, the group slowed down slightly, finally able to catch their breath.

Lu Yuting spoke softly. "Among all the Buddhist Sects, only the Central Plains faction still upholds decency. The Western Region Buddhist Sect keeps slaves and crafts artifacts from human skin and bone. The Fenglin Buddhist Sect is equally depraved. Their monks are impure in every way, refusing to work or cultivate. They even raise monk militias, seize farmlands, impose extortionate taxes, and live in indulgence. They take wives and concubines, pass down leadership from father to son, and even keep catamites."

These problems also existed within the Daoist Order. However, such acts were strictly forbidden and had to be done discreetly. Once exposed to the public, the perpetrators would face ruin. At worst, they would face legal punishment; at best, permanent exile.

But the Fenglin Buddhist Sect flaunted these behaviors openly. They saw them not as shameful, but as badges of honor and symbols of lineage.

Even with the Daoist Order strictly forbidding such conduct, they still could not stamp it out completely. One could only imagine the extent of depravity in the Fenglin Buddhist Sect, where such behavior was flaunted as a source of pride.

Han Yongfeng concluded, "So, the Western Region Buddhist Sect and Fenglin Buddhist Sect are cut from the same rotten cloth. They're all enemies of the Daoist Order."

Tang Yongshui agreed. "That's right. We came to suppress the rebellion in Fenglin precisely to cleanse this filth and restore a bright and orderly world."

Good and bad were always measured in comparison.

When Lu Yuting said that the Central Plains Buddhist Sect was the best, she did not mean it was a true Buddhist utopia. If it were, the Daoist Order would not have defeated and dismantled it. She only meant that it was relatively better compared to the other Buddhist Sects.

Likewise, the Daoist Order's virtue was often highlighted by how corrupt their enemies were. The greater the contrast, the more Daoist integrity stood out.

To this day, no force has surpassed the Daoist Order. This gave their followers immense confidence. They were the beacon of destiny, the city perched on the mountaintop.

As they spoke, a small village gradually came into view up ahead.

"Deputy Hall Master, shall we go around the village?" Li Mingshan asked as he was leading the group.

Qi Xuansu replied, "No need. We'll try our luck."

Li Mingshan acknowledged with a nod.

By now, night had fallen. Qi Xuansu quickened his pace and walked with Li Mingshan to the largest house in the village. Li Mingshan raised his voice and called out, "Anyone home?"

A moment later, the door creaked open, and an elderly man with white hair and a deeply wrinkled face emerged. He squinted at the strangers and rasped, "Who are you people?"

Li Mingshan was about to fabricate a story, but Qi Xuansu raised his hand to stop him. "Just tell the truth. Daoists don't hide their identities. Moreover, look at us—who would we be fooling besides ourselves?"

Hearing this, Li Mingshan did not argue. He spoke honestly. "We are Daoist priests from the Celestial Empire."

Only then did the old man seem to notice their attire. His face turned pale with fear. "You...you're..."

He waved his hand with all his might. "Go! Leave now! Don't drag us into this!"

Li Mingshan glanced at Qi Xuansu, waiting for instructions.

Qi Xuansu studied the old man and said, "Daoists of the Celestial Empire do not kill the innocent."

Li Mingshan translated his words immediately.

The old man replied, "You may not kill us, but we will die because of you. The feudal lord has given the order. Anyone who secretly helps or shelters a Daoist priest is to be executed without mercy."

Qi Xuansu asked, "Are you the elder of this village?"

The old man nodded.

Qi Xuansu said, "I believe the Celestial Soldiers will soon arrive and crush the local lord's garrison."

The reputation of the Celestial Soldiers still carried weight among Fenglin's officials and commoners.

After all, the Daoist Order had ruled Fenglin through the Chancellor's Office for nearly a century. The idea that once the Celestial Empire's troops arrived, rebels would be reduced to ashes and traitors would face ruin had deeply rooted itself in people's minds. Thus, villages like this were often indecisive, swaying like reeds in the wind.

The village elder hesitated, then asked, "What do you want?"

Qi Xuansu replied, "I want to know about the local military headquarters."

The elder hesitated again, then said slowly, "This is not a good place to talk. If someone sees us, they might report it to the feudal lord. Please, come inside so we can speak."

Qi Xuansu took the lead, and the others followed behind him.

The interior was simple, typical of Fenglin architecture. There were no chairs, only kneeling cushions.

Han Yongfeng disliked kneeling. Just as he was about to sit cross-legged with ease, Tang Yongshui tugged at him.

When he glanced at Tang Yongshui, the latter gestured with a twitch of his lips.

Han Yongfeng followed Tang Yongshui's gaze and saw that Qi Xuansu had made no move to sit and remained standing.

He immediately understood what Tang Yongshui meant. How could they get comfortable before the Deputy Hall Master? Besides, the air in the room felt oddly tense.

Qi Xuansu looked at the elder. "You may speak now."

The old man asked in surprise, "Mage...why don't you take a seat?"

Qi Xuansu replied with a question of his own, "Is there a need?"