A Pawn's Passage
Chapter 805: Izumo Province

Chapter 805: Izumo Province

Before leaving, Qi Xuansu specifically searched for the flying ship’s Dragon Pearl. As long as the pearl remained, Tianji Hall could easily reconstruct the ship later. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be found, likely swallowed by Yamata-no-Orochi.

While searching for survivors, Qi Xuansu could occasionally feel massive tremors, as if a primordial beast were moving across the land. There were also sounds made by Yamata-no-Orochi.

Thus, Qi Xuansu remained on high alert, but thankfully, the monster did not head their way. Once the search was over, he swiftly led the others in the opposite direction of the tremors. The group traveled over 100 kilometers before the vibrations faded.

Qi Xuansu felt something was off. This was a relatively stable flight route. Flying ships had traveled it multiple times before. How could they suddenly encounter the Yamata-no-Orochi? After all, the Daoist Order deliberately avoided such danger zones when plotting routes. Either someone had lured the monster to their path, or the person piloting the flying ship deviated from the path.

But now was not the time to investigate. The priority was to locate the Daoist military camp.

Qi Xuansu had rescued five people in total. Aside from Han Yongfeng, the others were Li Mingshan from Ciji Hall, Lu Yuting from Huasheng Hall, Tang Yongshui from Tianji Hall, and Qian Daren from Tiangang Hall.

All of them were superintendents. After all, surviving such a fall required a high level of cultivation. Anyone below the Guizhen stage would have died instantly. Moreover, with high cultivation came respectable positions.

Having been infused with divine power by Qi Xuansu, they could now move around. Unfortunately, there was no proper Shaman among them. Qi Xuansu, being a self-taught Shaman, could only rely on the brute-force of divine power infusions. A formally trained Shaman would have been educated in many more advanced healing methods.

Luckily, Lu Yuting from Huasheng Hall was well-versed in medicine. She also salvaged numerous medicinal pills from the wreckage. Since this was wartime, the flying ship had been stocked accordingly. After sorting them by type, she distributed the medicines to everyone.

Li Mingshan from Ciji Hall was fluent in the Wa language, which would be very helpful to the group in this unfamiliar land. During his training at the Wanxiang Daoist Upper Palace, Qi Xuansu had also been required to learn a foreign language. He had chosen to learn Western Lune, partly because he had studied a little with Arthur before and partly because he recognized that the true rival to the Daoist Order was the West. That language would prove far more useful in the future.

Tang Yongshui and Qian Daren did not serve much purpose at the moment. However, they came from the Quanzhen Sect and Zhengyi Sect, respectively. Thus, both felt a kinship toward Qi Xuansu. Qian Daren, in particular, had closer ties to Qi Xuansu, as he was from Tiangang Hall.

Once they were clear of immediate danger, Qi Xuansu gathered the group for a temporary meeting to discuss how they would return to camp.

The group was deeply concerned about their current situation and expressed willingness to follow Qi Xuansu’s lead.

Thankfully, Qi Xuansu carried a detailed map of Fenglin. However, the thick fog earlier had left him completely disoriented, so he had no idea where they currently were. The top priority now was to determine their location. Only then could a return route be planned.

Fortunately, finding their coordinates was simple enough. They just had to locate a populated area and ask.

This raised another issue. Although the physical appearance of people from the Central Plains and Fenglin was not dramatically different, unlike Westerners, who could be identified at a glance, there were still subtle distinctions. It was obvious these people were not common folk. Their long-standing Daoist bearing could not be disguised, and their formal hechangs clearly marked them as members of the Daoist Order.

Even if they were willing to change clothes, adult men in Fenglin typically shaved their heads into a sakayaki—a half-bald style where the front part of the head was shaved. There was no way these proud Daoists would cut off their topknots, as it was seen as an undeniable disgrace. Thus, distinguishing the group from locals would not be difficult.

The current situation in Fenglin was also highly complex. Those who supported the Chancellor's Office tended to be friendly toward the Daoist Order. However, those aligned with local warlords were deeply hostile and unlikely to cooperate.

Before the war began, the Daoist Order had repeatedly emphasized its code of being a civilized army. On the battlefield, it was fair game, but off the battlefield, looting, violating women, wanton killing, and arson were strictly forbidden. Violators, once caught, would be punished under military law.

All they could do now was hope they had landed in a territory controlled by the Chancellor's Office.

After traveling another 150 kilometers, they exited the mountains and reached open plains. However, there were still no signs of human settlement.

Instead, they encountered a group of ronin.

Upon seeing their Daoist garb, the ronin drew their blades without a word.

The blades used by the ronin were longer than Qi Xuansu’s horizontal blade.

The situation immediately became clear. This area was likely under the control of a local warlord.

With several subordinates still injured and barely surviving, Qi Xuansu had no choice but to take the field.

To be fair, these ronin had some skill. According to Daoist classification of cultivation levels, their leader was likely at the Kunlun stage. A few of them even wielded firearms. But they had the misfortune of facing Qi Xuansu, a Heavenly Being.

Before they could react, Qi Xuansu had crushed their skulls one by one and grabbed the leader by the throat.

The leader’s long nodachi had fallen to the ground, and he could no longer move.

Qi Xuansu had considered using the Bewitching Technique, but anyone affected by it would be dazed and could only follow basic commands. It would not yield useful answers. So instead, he waved Lu Yuting over.

Lu Yuting was a Diviner. She had only survived thanks to a protective treasure. Physical injuries also did not hinder Diviners as much.

Qi Xuansu instructed, “He’s a dead man anyway, so there’s no need to hold back. Use the Soul-Searching Technique on him.”

In the Central Plains, Soul-Searching was a forbidden technique, never to be used lightly. But in Fenglin, such taboos did not apply. More importantly, these ronin were not even considered citizens. They had drawn blades against Daoist disciples without provocation, so there was no need for fairness.

Lu Yuting did not hesitate to place her hand firmly on the ronin leader’s crown. She then began channeling her magical power.

A moment later, Lu Yuting withdrew her hand and reported to Qi Xuansu. “Deputy Hall Master, we are currently in Izumo District in Izumo Province.”

“I suppose it’s no surprise that the lair of Yamata-no-Orochi would be in Izumo.” Qi Xuansu pulled out a map and spread it open. The map clearly marked each feudal domain’s castles and military outposts, as well as the areas under the Chancellor's Office—all color-coded.

The others gathered around the map. Li Mingshan looked grim. “All ten districts of Izumo Province have no presence of the Chancellor's Office. Worse still, we’re very close to Matsue Castle in Shimane District. It’s just across the waters.”

Qi Xuansu had always excelled at doing his homework. After all, knowing the enemy and knowing oneself would make one invincible in battles. Ever since stepping into the Cicada Shedding Realm and undergoing a Minor Rebirth, his memory had surpassed that of ordinary people. He could skim ten lines in one glance and remember everything he read. Before coming here, he had used just a few days to grasp the essentials of Fenglin’s history.

He said slowly, “The lords of Matsue Domain were the Horio, Kyogoku, and Echizen Matsudaira clans. The domain seat was the Matsue Castle. In the 8th year of Taiping Era, after the Battle of Sekigahara in Fenglin, Horio Yoshiharu, a daimyo of 120,000 koku from Hamamatsu in Totomi Province, was reassigned to govern Izumo and Oki, for a total of 240,000 koku. It was first called Izumo-Tomita Domain. In the 15th year of the Taiping Era, Matsue Castle and its surrounding castle town were constructed. In the 19th year, the castle was completed. As Horio Tadaharu had no son, control passed to the Kyogoku clan. Twenty-two years later, Kyogoku Tadataka from Obama Domain was transferred to Matsue and granted 240,000 koku. Although some in the Daoist Order boast about subduing all of Fenglin in three months, with just a few of us here, we wouldn’t even make a dent in the Matsue Domain, so it’s best to avoid it.”

Qian Daren pointed at the map. “The nearest territory under the Chancellor's Officee is in the Hita District of Bungo Province, which is Hita Castle.”

Han Yongfeng let out a dry chuckle. “The entire Fenglin isn’t even as big as our Xizhou, yet they divide it into so many provinces that are barely the size of a state in the Central Plains. Small land, big titles, even bigger egos. No wonder even such a tiny place would dare crown an emperor.”

Qi Xuansu stared at the map. “We’ll depart from Izumo District, pass through Kando and Iishi Districts, then cross Kusu District and finally reach Hita District. Our destination is Hita Castle. Take note that in Kusu, there’s a place called Mori-no-Jinya.”

A jin’ya was not a castle It was more like a military camp, stronghold, or checkpoint.

Lu Yuting suggested, “Let’s avoid cities and villages as much as possible. We’ll take mountain trails and rugged paths. That should spare us a lot of trouble.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Alright. If we encounter small groups of enemies, eliminate them completely and erase all traces. If it’s civilians, we’ll use spells to wipe their memories and spare their lives as long as they don’t attack us. We’re not the Wokou, so we won’t behave like beasts.”

Qi Xuansu was something of an expert in concealment. Now that he held a higher status, his perspective had changed. He had to think about the repercussions. The Daoist Order’s repeated emphasis on being “civilized” was proof that they were not like the Golden Horde army, which would just pillage and leave. They intended to govern Fenglin long-term and did not want to intensify hostilities.

Killing warlords and warriors was one thing; slaughtering civilians was another entirely. Of course, if civilians sided with the enemy, they, too, had to be eliminated since evil must be rooted out completely.

If the two sides were evenly matched, the war could not be fought this way. But given the overwhelming disparity, the Daoist Order could afford to talk about being civilized.

Without needing Qi Xuansu’s instruction, Lu Yuting walked over to the ronin corpses, took out a porcelain vial, uncorked it, and sprinkled an unknown liquid over the bodies.

A sizzling sound came from the corpses as a faint mist rose into the air. Soon, yellowish liquid began seeping out nonstop. The smoke thickened, and the fluid flowed more abundantly, emitting a foul stench that smelled sour and burnt. Even their clothes were not spared. In the end, nothing but a puddle of yellow sludge remained.

Not all Daoist methods were noble or aboveboard. After all, the Daoist Order had created the Three Yin Beings. Just looking at Master Wan’s appearance, it was clear that the Huasheng Hall had done considerable research into corpse cultivation and the like. Thus, it was hardly surprising that Lu Yuting, a member of the Huasheng Hall, possessed such an item.

Han Yongfeng and the others covered the yellow liquid with soil and buried the remaining weapons. These inanimate objects did not emit any noticeable odor and were unlikely to be discovered.

Bungo Province was located south of Izumo, so the group turned and began heading south.