Chapter 2199 - Pawns Jump Off the Chessboard

Clear Sky Divine Palace.

Sect Leader Liang Lingxu and Third Elder Ku Zhen were the only people in the grand, ancient hall.

“Mo Yong’s not bad. We’ll have to treat him well going forward,” Liang Lingxu said softly.

Ku Zhen nodded.

Mo Yong had left for Spirit Bamboo Peak that morning. In doing so, he’d effectively expressed his willingness to be the sect leader’s pawn; he’d given Liang Lingxu an opportunity to find fault with the grand elder!

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Had Mo Yong done nothing at all and remained a bystander, it would have meant he was dead set on standing in the grand elder’s camp, and that he’d give the sect leader no chance to exploit.

“He’s the vice palace master the grand elder trained, yet he made this decision. That’s truly rare,” said Ku Zhen. “This will deal a heavy blow to the grand elder’s prestige. After all, not even Mo Yong is willing to take a stand for him. The sect’s old-timers aren’t blind; they’ll naturally know what to do next.”

Liang Lingxu smiled. “For now, this will serve as a show of strength. If the grand elder is willing to hold his nose and endure, I naturally won’t pursue this any further, but if he refuses to let up...”

Ku Zhen took it upon himself to finish the thought. “Then it won’t be a simple problem of Mo Yong changing sides.”

“Mm,” said Liang Lingxu. “Take a trip to Spirit Bamboo Mountain. Don’t let Mo Yong hurt Xiao Jian. We’re using Xiao Jian to our own ends. If we let him get hurt on top of that, he’s sure to be resentful.”

Ku Zhen snorted coldly. “Countless people long for an opportunity to serve you, sect leader, but not everyone is so lucky. If Xiao Jian is clever, he’ll understand how best to serve you going forward. How could he dare be resentful?”

Liang Lingxu chuckled. “Xiao Jian is new to the sect, and he has no network here. That’s what makes him the perfect tool for the occasion. Later, if he passes your tests, I wouldn’t mind training him up as a new confidant.”

Ku Zhen fell briefly silent, then said, “I advise against it, Sect Leader.”

“Why?” Liang Lingxu frowned slightly.

“I trust my experience and intuition. There’s something amiss about Xiao Jian!” Ku Zhen said coldly. “I suggested using him for this in part because I wanted to see how he’d react.”

After a moment’s silence, Liang Lingxu sighed. “He’s a wondrously talented descendant of the Torch Dragons. I truly hope you’re wrong about him.”

A fire lit in Ku Zhen’s deep, intense gaze, and he said slowly and clearly, “I feel differently, Sect Leader. I’m eager for the day Xiao Jian’s true nature comes to light!”

Suddenly, an elderly servant rushed over and requested an audience. “Sect leader, I’m here to deliver a message on Ninth Elder Tie Wenjing’s behalf.”

The ninth elder?

Liang Lingxu was stunned. “What did the ninth elder say?”

“The ninth elder said that he’s stepped in to help resolve the dispute between Deacon Xiao and Vice Palace Master Mo Yong,” the elderly servant said solemnly. “The two of them are currently sharing a drink with the ninth elder.”

Liang Lingxu and Ku Zhen were both stunned.

How could Tie Wenjing have been foolish enough to get mixed up in this?

“Leave us.” Ku Zhen waved the servant away, and the old man dashed off.

Whap!

Liang Lingxu could no longer hold back. He smacked the table, his gaze suddenly cold and terrifying. “How could Tie Wenjing have been so foolish? How dare he ruin my plans like this!?”

Ku Zhen had an unsightly look on his face too. On the surface, it seemed like Tie Wenjing was helpfully resolving a dispute, but in truth, he’d just ruined the third elder and the sect leader’s carefully planned scheme.

This left Ku Zhen gnashing his teeth in fury, too.

“Tie Wenjing is a spineless people-pleaser. He’s never dared to get mixed up in my conflict with the grand elder. Why take a stand this time?” Liang Lingxu frowned.

“Sect Leader, we can’t just let this go. Our plan’s gone awry, and Xiao Jian turned out to be no use at all,” Ku Zhen said darkly. “How could someone useless even as a weapon or a pawn be worthy of occupying Spirit Bamboo Peak?”

Liang Lingxu waved. “On paper, Xiao Jian is your subordinate. You handle it.”

“Got it!” Ku Zhen nodded.

......

Emerald Peak, Grand Elder Wei Zhong’s residence.

“Mo Yong went to Spirit Bamboo Peak?”

When he heard the news, the seemingly youthful Wei Zhong’s expression gradually darkened.

“Does he want to give the sect leader an excuse to take me down a peg?” Wei Zhong’s eyes glinted with cold, terrifying light. “To think I treated him as one of my own all those years. I would never have guessed I was training such an ingrate!”

But then, someone rushed in to deliver a message.

“What? Tie Wenjing took a stand and stopped Mo Yong’s conflict with Xiao Jian?”

This news left Wei Zhong unwittingly stunned. A moment later, his expression grew strange.

“Tie Wenjing is a people pleaser, and he’s never taken a stand on anything before, yet now, he’s suddenly stepped in to ruin the sect leader’s plans. Isn’t... he afraid the sect leader will nurse a grudge?” Tie Wenjing muttered to himself. “No matter what, he’s helped me solve a troublesome problem. The sect leader will have no excuse to find fault with me this time.

“But...” Wei Zhong’s gaze suddenly frosted over. “I can no longer rely on Mo Yong. I’ll have to teach him a lesson!”

He really was angry.

He presided over Wandering Sun Palace, and he’d personally appointed Mo Yong vice palace master because he trusted him.

Mo Yong’s performance today felt like a betrayal.

But then, yet another message arrived.

“Grand Elder, we just received word that Mo Yong announced, with Ninth Elder Tie Wenjing as his witness, that he was resigning from his position as vice palace master of Wandering Sun Palace!”

Wei Zhong was gobsmacked.

I didn’t even get the chance to settle things with Mo Yong. He’s already resigned of his own accord!?

How dare he? How could he willingly give up his post?

Wei Zhong was furious, and frustration built in his chest.

He suddenly realized that the situation was no longer under his control, and that without a sufficiently compelling justification, he could forget about getting even with Mo Yong.

Even if he wanted to use his authority to oppress him, the sect leader wouldn’t let him!

Moreover, Wei Zhong guessed that the sect leader would use this opening to let one of his confidants take over as vice palace master of Wandering Sun Palace!

When he realized this, Wei Zhong was overcome with bloodlust. “Mo Yong deserves to die for this!”

......

Spirit Bamboo Peak, in front of the bamboo tower.

Su Yi, Mo Yong, and the ninth elder were sharing a drink. The atmosphere was quite harmonious.

“Now that you’ve resigned as vice palace master, your position is sure to get drastically worse,” said Su Yi. “You really won’t regret it?”

He really hadn’t anticipated that Mo Yong would go to such lengths.

Earlier, all he said was that if Mo Yong didn’t like being manipulated like this, he could simply give up his position and be done with it all. It would be as if the higher-ups’ pawn had jumped out of the chessboard of its own volition.

But the consequences of that would be quite severe. He’d enrage and disappoint the grand elder, and his situation was sure to get worse.

He hadn’t expected Mo Yong to take the suggestion seriously. He’d actually agreed to resign!

He’d even announced his resignation with Tie Wenjing as his witness!

“Maybe I’ll regret it later, but this was quite satisfying,” said Mo Yong. He drained a cup of wine. “Furthermore, it’s just as you said. If the grand elder tries to get even with me, the sect leader is sure to get involved, and he’ll even help protect me from the grand elder’s attempts at revenge.”

Su Yi smiled and nodded.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

If you didn’t want to be manipulated, you had to learn to differentiate between friend and foe.

Mo Yong was so unwilling to be a pawn that he’d renounced his position. To Su Yi, that meant he was a friend.

Of course, they were only friends in that they were on the same side in all this.

“What about you, Xiao Jian? Aren’t you worried that the sect leader will try to get even with you?” asked Tie Wenjing with obvious concern.

“The sect leader tried to use me as a weapon without so much as saying ‘hi’ first. Worse, he tried to get me mixed up in his conflict with the grand elder. How could I possibly agree to that?” Su Yi said calmly. “I naturally know that if I refuse to be his pawn, he’ll discard me, but I can bear the consequences of that.”

He faced Tie Wenjing and clasped his fist. “Many thanks for your intervention, Elder Tie. I’m endlessly grateful, and I’ll be sure to repay you one day.”

That’s right. Tie Wenjing’s intervention was Su Yi’s idea! His goal was to completely overturn the sect leader’s plans.

Tie Wenjing naturally wasn’t capable of competing with the sect leader, but he didn’t need to. All he needed to do was ruin the man’s plans.

Tie Wenjing laughed bitterly. “What are you thanking me for? I brought you back to the sect, and we faced adversity side by side. I naturally had to lend a hand when I saw you get swept into this mess.”

He looked at Mo Yong and Su Yi, then said with an air of self-deprecation, “I’m the most overlooked elder in the sect, but I’m afraid that going forward, you’ll find yourselves in much the same predicament.”

Mo Yong fell silent.

Su Yi, however, laughed. “Escaping the power struggle naturally means distancing ourselves from power and authority, but we’ll get peace and quiet in exchange. It’s enough.”

“You’re quite relaxed about it all.” Tie Wenjing couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head.

Being given the cold shoulder didn’t just mean a decrease in status. It meant that others would reject you and make trouble for you, and that you’d receive no advantages whatsoever! It meant that both the sect leader and the grand elder would find you distasteful!

Other members of the sect wouldn’t dare to get close to someone like that either. They’d keep their distance and draw clear lines between the rejects and themselves! This was the fate of an abandoned pawn!

“It’s not that I’m relaxed, but that squabbles over power aren’t even worth mentioning compared to my pursuit of the Grand Dao,” Su Yi said leisurely.

“That’s easy for you to say now, but once you’ve experienced being ignored, excluded, and oppressed as others seize all the benefits for themselves, you’ll understand how unpleasant and troublesome it is,” sighed Tie Wenjing. “Only then will you understand that when cultivating in a sect, it’s those with authority who can advance the furthest!”

His tone was wistful and melancholy.

Su Yi could tell at a glance that Ninth Elder Tie Wenjing’s heart was full of long-accumulated bitterness and grievances, as well as unconcealed longing for power.

Mo Yong’s gaze was bleak. “He’s right. When cultivating in a sect, losing authority means losing all opportunities for further growth!”

He’d just lost his position as vice palace master of Wandering Sun Palace. That meant losing all of the special treatment and advantages that came with the position!

Su Yi recognized this, but that’s all it was: recognition.

Ultimately, he wasn’t really a member of Qingwu Divine Court, and he had no need to concern himself with such things.

It was different for Mo Yong and Tie Wenjing.

But then, a sudden, irrepressible impulse arose in Su Yi’s heart.

How about I use the identity ‘Xiao Jian’ to seize authority over Qingwu Divine Court and make it my own?

It could serve as a form of revenge. That might well be even crueler than killing Hua Hongzhen outright!