Chapter 1018: Second Floor

Chapter 1018: Second Floor

Qi Xuansu’s act of forcing Zheng Jiaohe to drink could be seen as a big deal or could also be downplayed.

It could be viewed as a clash between the Second Deputy and the Deputy Mansion Master. It could also be proof that Qi Xuansu was too wild, steeped in the ways of the jianghu. It could also be seen as a rowdy drinking-table prank, hardly worth turning into a matter of principle.

After all, this had taken place on Zheng Jiaohe’s own turf. He was the one who proposed the banquet and initiated the toasts. In the end, he was the one who got drunk.

Whichever way one looked at it, Qi Xuansu had not been the aggressor.

Qi Xuansu acted this way because he was establishing his authority. As a new official taking office in a new region, he had to burn a few fools who did not know their place to serve as a warning to the others. That was the only way they would listen to him.

Zheng Jiaohe, like Tian Yongfen, was one of those fools.

Moreover, Qi Xuansu was not there to act as the Mansion Master but as the Second Deputy in charge of enforcing discipline. His job did not require lofty preaching or managing every matter in the region. His position was meant to offend people, and this show of dominance was just right.

In plain terms, the real drama between the two had only just begun. This was merely round one.

When Zheng Jiaohe finally sobered up, the two would still have to face each other in the Daoist Mansion.

The reason Dreaming Death was said to be the Sage’s wine was that even Heavenly Beings could get drunk from it. Zheng Jiaohe had already been drunk before Qi Xuansu poured a full jar down his throat. Now, he was thoroughly inebriated and would not wake up in three to four days, perhaps not even in a week. Even if he did wake, he would not regain full clarity immediately. His mind might be muddled, forgetting half of what happened. By the time he completely recovered, Qi Xuansu’s half-month tour of the prefectures would be nearly done, just in time for him to return to the Sheji Palace for their second round of battle.

Of course, though Zheng Jiaohe lay drunk, his subordinates remained sober. They would certainly report this incident to the Mansion Master Wang Jiaohe.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

This would be where the other Mansion Master, Great Sage Lan Hexu, would come into play. The two Mansion Masters could quarrel among themselves on how to settle this matter while Qi Xuansu continued his tour.

In truth, Qi Xuansu’s real counterpart was not Wang Jiaohe, but Chen Shuhua, the Chief Deputy Mansion Master.

Thus, Qi Xuansu was determined to investigate the Yu King’s illness thoroughly, as it was connected to Chen Shuhua.

Qi Xuansu’s purpose in coming to the prefectural temple had not been to cause trouble. He had intended to use the chaos within and outside the city as a warning, a way to spur local reform. But who could have guessed that before he even began, a Deputy Mansion Master and a superintendent had already exposed their corruption.

Thus, there was no need for lectures. Qi Xuansu would simply bring it up during the council back at the Sheji Palace.

Qi Xuansu no longer wished to linger in Funan Kingdom and decided to move on to his next destination—crossing the sea to the Jawa Kingdom.

Now, with the Funan Daoist Palace leaderless and in disarray, no one dared to stop Qi Xuansu. They could only watch helplessly as he strode away with Tian Yongfen in tow.

......

After realizing the strange root cause of the King’s illness, Chen Jianchou began consulting many texts that the average person could never access.

After the Daoist Order established the Poluo Daoist Mansion, they built a massive library in Thanglong Prefecture that was open to the public.

Thanks to advances in printing, the Daoists could mass-produce books at low cost. Thus, the collection grew vast, claiming to hold a million texts. Of course, there were no unique or precious manuscripts among them. Many volumes were abridged or censored.

However, for the sake of Daoist scholars, the library housed a mysterious second floor, a restricted section where forbidden or uncensored books were kept.

Ordinary people had no access to that second floor.

When Chen Jianchou had once sought to join the Daoist Order, Xu Jiaorong had opened a back door for him, granting him permission to browse those restricted texts. But that access became his undoing.

After reading too many forbidden texts, his thinking turned unconventional. The Daoists, tolerant of dissent only among their elites, were harsh toward anyone without status. Thus, they did not like that Chen Jianchou was questioning the decrees of the Daoist Order. That was why Chen Jianchou failed the selection.

In other words, words that Qi Xuansu, Zhang Yuelu, or Li Changge might say were taken as innocent truths or honest criticism. But if Chen Jianchou said them, they became malicious and treasonous blasphemy. When Zhang Yuelu sought to reform the Daoist Order, it was called a noble ambition. But when Chen Jianchou sought the same, it became a rebellion.

For this reason, Madam Qi had insisted that Qi Xuansu return to the Daoist Order. She knew that wandering in Jianghu would lead nowhere. That age when Jianghu heroes were revered was long gone. It could perhaps return in the future, but definitely not now.

Even after Chen Jianchou failed the exam, Xu Jiaorong did not revoke his access and

still allowed him free entry to the second floor. This privilege now greatly aided his investigation.

Though labeled forbidden or uncensored, such books were not necessarily anti-Daoist. Many simply contained material deemed unsuitable for common eyes.

For instance,

The Rise and Fall of the Eleven Witches

not only chronicled the history of Ancient Wuism, but it also described their organizational structure, rituals, spells, and divine arts in detail. Most of them were barbaric and cruel, often involving live sacrifices.

Hence, the need for censorship.

It was in the uncut version of

The Rise and Fall of the Eleven Witches

that Chen Jianchou found a story.

Long ago, Wu Luo had once created a divine kingdom upon earth. Those who worshipped her could build a bridge in their dreams to enter her divine kingdom through a spell. Anyone who passed the trials Wu Luo set would obtain the Zhuyou Spell, also known as the Bewitching Technique. It allowed one to command others in a state of trance and confusion. In turn, the believer’s soul became enslaved by Wu Luo through that same magic. Though their memories and emotions appeared unchanged, the moment Wu Luo willed it, they would become her puppets.

Many who gained this spell could not contend with true cultivators. But against ordinary folk, it was more than enough. Driven by insatiable greed and lust, these believers used it for murder, theft, and debauchery to seize wealth or to violate the wives and daughters of others.

As a result, these people became increasingly devoted to Wu Luo, and the number of her followers grew ever larger.

At her peak, Wu Luo commanded millions of believers and dominated entire regions. She was the most powerful among all the Great Witches. Unfortunately, she encountered the Ancestral Heavenly Preceptor, who was the disciple of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor. He shattered Wu Luo’s golden body with the Heavenly Preceptor’s Twin Swords. The Heavenly Sect of the time then swiftly purged the remaining cultists,

casting Wu Luo into the first death of a Godly Immortal and teetering on the edge of the second death.

However, Wu Luo never truly perished. Over the centuries, there were always those who suddenly acquired the Zhuyou Spell, stirring up chaos wherever they went. In recent times, Wu Luo had even risen anew and founded the Lingshan Witch Cult,

now ranked among the three biggest secret societies.

The story’s mention of entering the divine kingdom through dreams reminded Chen Jianchou of the King’s strange nightmares. Perhaps what the King saw in those dreams was not a bloody bodhisattva, but the Ancient Immortal Wu Luo.

Chen Jianchou thought to reread

The Rise and Fall of the Eleven Witches

because he had once studied it while preparing for his Daoist examinations.

After seeing the King’s medical records, the connection came to mind. However, time had blurred the details of the story, prompting him to return and read it again.

Still, Chen Jianchou felt something was missing. There were still a few key points that he could not connect.

The most crucial of all was that it was highly unlikely for Chen Shuhua, the Chief Deputy Mansion Master, to collude with any secret society.

The Daoist Order had a peculiar structure. Those at the bottom might indeed turn to secret societies if they were in despair when they no longer had hopes of advancement. Those at the very top, the three Deputy Grand Masters, were bound so deeply to the Daoist Order that betrayal was impossible. As the decision-makers, they could interact with the secret societies on broad strategic levels. It was the middle-ranking Daoists—neither low nor too high—who could not afford such contact, unless they sought defection. Those without powerful backing would not dare touch it at all.

Some might cite that Zhang Yuelu, Qi Xuansu, or Li Tianzhen had dealt with secret societies, and yet nothing happened. But that was only because they had powerful backers, which became their protection.

Zhang Yuelu and Li Tianzhen each represented one of the two prestigious families, acting under sanction from the Heavenly Preceptor and the Imperial Preceptor. Their dealings were on behalf of their elders, not their own whim.

As for Qi Xuansu, he had Madam Qi as a backer, and she had the Earthly Preceptor as hers, so the same principle held.

That was why Sage Cihang ultimately chose to compromise regarding Qi Xuansu’s involvement in the Qingping Society.

With the Earthly Preceptor’s support, Qi Xuansu’s affairs could be magnified or diminished at will.

More crucially, there were distinctions even among the three secret societies. The Ziguang Society committed a few evils, and thanks to its ties with the Zhang family, it could even be won over, much like the Qingping Society. In the past, there had been four big secret societies, including the Xuanyin Sect. However, it had since been absorbed by the Daoist Order.

However, the Lingshan Witch Cult and the Cult of Fates were unforgivably wicked.

Though Chen Shuhua held great power, she lacked a formidable backer. If she were ever tied to the Lingshan Witch Cult, it would not only end her career, but it could also cost her life.

For one to rise to a Chief Deputy Mansion Master, Chen Shuhua was no fool. Naturally, she understood this perfectly well.

From this perspective, Chen Jianchou’s suspicion did not make sense.

Despite this, Chen Jianchou could not help but wonder,

What if it really were true?

If so, that would mean he had been drawn into a vast and deadly whirlpool. It was no wonder Xu Jiaorong had warned him that all it took was one misstep for him to be doomed forever.

It would be a lie to say he was not afraid. After all, when immortals clashed, it was often the mortals who suffered.

Clearly, Xu Jiaorong had known about this long before but had chosen not to interfere. The only reason she was stepping in now was due to Second Deputy Qi.

Second Deputy Qi was only interested in this, not because he cared about the Yu King’s safety or that the princess had pleaded with him, but because this case involved Chief Deputy Chen Shuhua.

It all became clear now. Qi Xuansu had come to Poluo bearing the special mandate of the Golden Tower Council, and investigating Chief Deputy Chen fell squarely within that mission.

Sooner or later, the two sides were destined to collide, and that would be a clash between immortals.

If he got caught between them, Chen Jianchou would be reduced to nothing more than cannon fodder.