Chapter 630: Official Business

Du Yuyan’s plan was sound. She left three subordinates behind to cover all three directions of the inner city except the route to the Imperial City. In the meantime, she led the remaining three subordinates in relentless pursuit. Even if they could not catch Qi Xuansu, there was no way they would lose him.

From her point of view, Qi Xuansu would ultimately have to return to the Xuanshang North District no matter how many detours he took. Regardless of which direction he chose, one of her people would be there to intercept him. Even if that person could not take Qi Xuansu on directly, they would be able to hold him off for a moment, and the rest of them would catch up and surround their target.

However, Du Yuyan never imagined that all four of them would fall into Qi Xuansu’s hands.

With the four pursuers gone, it became much easier for Qi Xuansu to return to the Xuanshang North District. While being chased, he had not had the time to change his disguise, so he would have been recognized instantly by anyone on lookout. But now, he could calmly alter his appearance and stride right back under the watchful eyes of the guards without being noticed.

Since the life lamps of Du Yuyan and her six companions had not gone out, and only a day had passed, the Tianchen Division assumed the group was still playing cat and mouse with Qi Xuansu. Even dragging it out for three to five more days would not seem out of the ordinary.

Once back in Yuhuang Palace, Qi Xuansu calmly made some arrangements and had a long, private discussion with his superior, Shi Bingyun. He mainly asked her to help clean up the aftermath and confided in her fully. After all, he had already explained his relationship with the Three Yin Beings to Zhang Yuelu, and Yao Pei was in the know as well, so adding one more person made no difference.

Shi Bingyun did not mind at all. She had long been displeased with the Tianchen Division, and this was a perfect opportunity to knock them down a peg. Besides, Shi Bingyun was the fearless type. Though merely an ordinary Sage, everyone—from the three Deputy Grand Masters down to the juniors like Zhang Yuelu—knew who she was.

Not to mention her senior sister, Sage Cihang; even Sage Donghua, who was known for his stern demeanor and resemblance to the fifth-generation Grand Master, always felt a headache when dealing with Shi Bingyun. They were peers from the same generation and of similar age. They were practically childhood friends with a longstanding friendship, having studied and worked together. Moreover, Shi Bingyun did not even care about the prestigious title of Sage Cihang, so no other title, position, or career path could intimidate her.

Shi Bingyun was even more of a wild card than the regular bachelor that Madam Qi spoke of. No one would dare cross swords with this fiery, bold, and borderline psychotic Sage.

This was precisely why the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion had unanimously decided to send Shi Bingyun as their representative to negotiate with Ziwei Hall. Of course, if she pulled this off, her voice within the Daoist Mansion would carry even more weight.

When it came to dealing with the Tianchen Division or demanding manpower from Ziwei Hall, having Shi Bingyun take the lead was even more effective than having the Mansion Master Li Ruoshui step forward.

With all preparations complete, Qi Xuansu decided it was time to close the net.

He ordered someone to bring Gao Shide to him, as he was going to personally escort the scion back to his father.

These past few days, Gao Shide had been completely cut off from the outside world, so he had no idea what had transpired. Seeing himself humiliated in various ways, he assumed that even his father was no match for this Mage Qi and had fallen into utter despair. When he suddenly heard that Mage Qi would personally escort him back, he thought his father must have finally pulled some strings and subdued the man. That long-suppressed arrogance surged up within him again, and he felt ready to lash out.

But when he saw Qi Xuansu and noticed that the Mage showed no signs of fear, looking completely at ease, Gao Shide more or less understood that his father had failed to overpower this man. Most likely, they had come to some sort of agreement, and his father had paid a hefty sum to settle things.

In that case, this Mage Qi clearly had powerful backing and was not to be underestimated. Still, after all that had happened, this might just be the moment when enmity turned to alliance. He might have to start calling this man “Uncle Qi” in the future, even though they were roughly the same age. As such, Young Master Gao swallowed his pride and behaved himself.

Qi Xuansu had Gao Shide placed in a carriage and dispatched 200 Spirit Guards to escort them in a grand procession straight to the Xuanzhen South District.

When the Tianchen Division saw the extravagant entourage, they assumed it was a Deputy Mansion Master making an outing. Aside from muttering a few curses at the over-the-top display, they paid no special attention. Unbeknownst to them, the very man they had been desperately searching for was right there inside the carriage, surrounded by these Spirit Guards.

Since Gao Mingyin had not received word from the Tianchen Division, he was caught off guard and completely flustered to see Qi Xuansu standing here.

Still, Gao Mingyin was a man seasoned by many storms. He quickly composed himself and forced a smile. “What an unexpected honor to have you visit in person, Mage Qi. I am flattered. Please, take a seat.”

“I’m on official duty today, so I won’t be taking a seat,” Qi Xuansu replied without a hint of anger. One would not be able to tell that he had recently been hunted down by seven Heavenly Beings. While Gao Mingyin might not have been the mastermind, he was certainly the top suspect.

Qi Xuansu then instructed, “Bring Young Master Gao upstairs.”

Soon, two Spirit Guards escorted Gao Shide up to the second-floor banquet hall.

To be fair, aside from one slap from Qi Xuansu, no one had laid a hand on the scion during this time. Over the past three days, Gao Shide mostly suffered from the cold. But since he had some cultivation and had long been taking the Five Minerals Powder, he was not sensitive to temperature. This experience in prison was more humiliating than torturous.

So at a glance, Young Master Gao looked fine aside from some mental fatigue.

Qi Xuansu gave a nod, signaling that Gao Shide was free to go.

Gao Shide had already assumed that the two parties had reached a settlement. He had not witnessed his father’s earlier panic, and by the time he came up, Gao Mingyin had regained composure. So he did not think much of it and walked straight over to his father.

Qi Xuansu looked around the room, but no one dared to meet his gaze.

In terms of status, a Daoist superintendent should not have commanded such authority, but his reputation was far-reaching. Though most had never crossed paths with Mage Qi themselves, they had seen enough. Even the Deputy Mansion Masters were not as domineering as he was. He simply was not someone they could afford to provoke.

Qi Xuansu stood at the stairwell, neither taking a seat nor showing any intention of leaving. Normally, it should have been he who felt awkward in such a situation. But since he did not seem the least bit uncomfortable, that awkwardness shifted to everyone else. With him just standing there, no one else dared to sit down either.

Thus, everyone in the banquet hall remained standing, creating a rather strange and tense atmosphere.

After a while, Qi Xuansu finally spoke. “As I said earlier, I’m here on official business. Besides returning Young Master Gao, I’ve also come to...”

Qi Xuansu deliberately paused, adding to the suspense.

Everyone instinctively held their breath. All eyes were fixed on Qi Xuansu as they waited for his next words.

Only then did Qi Xuansu continue, “I’ve come to invite Old Master Gao to the Yuhuang Palace in the Xuanshang North District.”

The moment he said this, the hall erupted into chaos.

Mage Qi is here to arrest Old Master Gao!

The room instantly descended into disorder. The normally composed nobles and elites of the Imperial Capital now showed the full range of human emotion—some fuming with rage, some mourning in sympathy, some gloating, some visibly anxious, some grim-faced, some wide-eyed with fear, and others clearly enjoying the drama unfolding.

Ironically, the only one who was not surprised by this was Gao Mingyin because he had anticipated this outcome.

After all, Gao Mingyin had already gone as far as to try to kill Qi Xuansu. There was no way the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion would let him off the hook—morally or legally.

Just then, the Deputy Magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture spoke in a deep voice. “The Daoists do not govern civil affairs. Old Master Gao is neither a cultist nor is he a registered member of the Three Religions. Even if there’s a legal case, it should be handled by the Shuntian Prefecture. You have no right to bring him anywhere, Mage Qi.”

The Deputy Magistrate was the second-highest official in a prefectural office. This particular Deputy Magistrate had graying hair at the temples, thick eyebrows, a dignified face, and a neatly groomed beard. He looked to be in his fifties. His speech and demeanor were calm and measured, like a typical government official.

Qi Xuansu knew how to cite the Great Xuan Legal Code in public, but these seasoned bureaucrats were even more adept at it than he was.

But Qi Xuansu had come prepared. He took out a freshly compiled document and said, “If this were an ordinary civil dispute, the Daoist Order would never interfere. However, since this involves Daoists and secret societies, it falls squarely under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion. In this case, Shuntian Prefecture has no authority to intervene.”

Upon hearing this, the Deputy Magistrate’s heart sank immediately.

Qi Xuansu handed the file in his hand to Ke Qingqing beside him.

Ke Qingqing understood immediately. She opened the file and declared, “Gao Mingyin is suspected of hiring an assassin named Zhang Fakui from The Inn to murder a Green Phoenix Guard assistant major named Wu Si as well as the attempted murder of another assistant major named Song San. Though both men held official positions in the Green Phoenix Guards, they were also recognized for their contributions to the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion and were granted the honorary title of a ninth-rank Daoist Kindred with the approval of Deputy Mansion Master Shi Bingyun. Now that Wu Si has been killed and Song San narrowly escaped death, and given the involvement of the secret society, this matter falls within the jurisdiction of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion. Any unrelated parties must not interfere, and those who obstruct the investigation will be treated as accomplices.”

Ke Qingqing then took out an arrest warrant and looked straight at Gao Mingyin. “This warrant was personally signed by the Second Deputy Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion Master. Please come with us to cooperate with the investigation. If you have any objections or concerns, you may file a formal appeal with the Daoist Mansion within three days.”

With that, she glanced at the Deputy Magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture. “If any other authority believes the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion has overstepped its bounds, they may report to the Daoist Relations Department under the Ministry of Rites. This formal complaint will be passed on to the Ciji Hall, which will then be sent to the Golden Tower Council for review.”

The Golden Tower Council was the highest authority within the Daoist Order. It was not composed solely of the 36 Omniscient Sages. Since each Omniscient Sage held important duties and could not sit around debating all day, there were many ordinary Sages and subordinates, the lowest being fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist masters, responsible for handling routine matters.

Only in major cases, like the infamous incidents in Jiangnan, would the Golden Tower Council convene meetings for the Omniscient Sages to attend, depending on the case’s gravity.

The Deputy Magistrate fell silent for a moment before muttering, “If that’s the case, then I have nothing more to say.”

Ke Qingqing once again turned her gaze to the silent Gao Mingyin. “The assassin Zhang Fakui has already been captured. He has confessed to his crimes and signed the statement under oath. A contract from The Inn was also recovered, showing that your butler was the one who hired the assassin. With both witness and physical evidence against you, what do you have to say for yourself?”