Chapter 868: Credibility
Thanks to Master Yin backing Qi Xuansu and Sage Qingwei granting him immense autonomy, as long as Qi Xuansu did not violate core principles, he could make any decision or promise. Suzuka Gozen gravely misunderstood Qi Xuansu’s standing within the Daoist Order. One could even say she had nearly mistaken him for Li Changge, assuming he was Sage Qingwei’s most trusted confidant.
In truth, Qi Xuansu was still far behind Zhang Yuelu, Li Changge, and Yao Pei, both in terms of cultivation and real influence. No matter how dearly Madam Qi cherished and protected him, she was not a Deputy Grand Master, and that made a world of difference.
Qi Xuansu was happy to let the misunderstanding persist and did not bother to clarify. Instead, he began directly discussing the terms of cooperation with Suzuka Gozen.
Suzuka Gozen was a thoroughly pragmatic woman. She did not care about right or wrong. Just as she had once used Ootakemaru’s head to cleanse her past and turn a new page, she could now stand with the Daoist Order to exchange that alliance for a higher status.
Currently, Suzuka Gozen was called a Mountain God, yet she had never received formal investiture, with no official title or recognition. If this were in the Central Plains, she would be classified among illicit cults. Addressing this precisely, Qi Xuansu’s first promise was to officially recognize Suzuka Gozen under the joint authority of the Daoist Order, the Great Xuan Court, and the Fenglin Court. She would receive a grant of 200,000 Taiping coins for the construction of a new shrine, and the entirety of Mount Suzuka and the surrounding 400 kilometers would be placed under her domain.
Qi Xuansu dared to make such a promise mainly because they were in Fenglin.
Had he made a promise of 400 kilometers in the Central Plains, he would be condemned mercilessly. Accusations like “transgression,” “treason,” “reckless conduct,” or “subversive action” would rain down upon him. After all, the Holy Xuan and Emperor Gaozu had worked painstakingly to survey the realm’s lands and break the Confucian monopoly on land ownership. So what were Qi Xuansu’s intentions now?
But Fenglin still followed a feudal allotment system. What Qi Xuansu was really doing was carving out a piece of the Ise-jingu’s territory and gifting it to Suzuka Gozen. It was not his own property, so he did not care. All the Daoist Order would lose was a nominal title and 200,000 Taiping coins, a sum well within the 1-million-Taiping-coin budget granted by Sage Qingwei, which Qi Xuansu could freely draw from.
In addition, Qi Xuansu promised another 150,000 Taiping coins as compensation for the casualties among Mount Suzuka’s people.
Of course, these material incentives were not enough to truly win over Suzuka Gozen. At most, she would pledge superficial allegiance to the Daoist Order and would not go all-out to fight on its behalf.
Thus, Qi Xuansu made a second promise.
Qi Xuansu asked Suzuka Gozen a single question, “Do you not wish to leave Mount Suzuka and ascend to the heavens?”