Chapter 1004: Lan Hexu
When Qi Xuansu first went to the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, he was merely a superintendent. Even the lowest-ranking Deputy Mansion Master outranked him. Later, in the Ziwei Hall, he was the lowest-ranking Deputy Hall Master, hardly someone with a voice of authority.
But this time was different. Within the Poluo Daoist Mansion, Qi Xuansu now ranked fourth, a position comparable to Li Tiangang of the Fenglin Daoist Mansion. Only three figures were above him—Great Sage Lan Hexu, Sage Wang Jiaohe, and Chief Deputy Chen Shuhua. There was also a first-rank Spirit Guard, but he was placed beneath Qi Xuansu in the official order since Spirit Guards were not considered Daoist priests and had a ranking system of their own.
Upon arrival, the first task was to introduce Qi Xuansu to everyone, and the second was to introduce everyone to him. The welcoming ceremony’s real purpose was to break the ice between both sides. Of course, if a Zhang family scion were sent to Wuzhou Daoist Mansion or a Li family descendant were appointed to Qizhou Daoist Mansion, the reception would be entirely different.
Yao Shu, in his capacity as the Chief Deputy Ziwei Hall Master, formally represented the Golden Tower Council and announced Qi Xuansu’s appointment. “From this day forth, Qi Xuansu shall serve as the Acting Second Deputy Mansion Master of the Poluo Daoist Mansion.”
Then, Great Sage Lan Hexu personally introduced Qi Xuansu to the other Mansion Master and the other eight Deputies.
Among the seven Virtuous Great Sages, three belonged to each of the major sects, while the remaining four were neutral mediators. Of these, the Taiping Sect was represented by Zhang Qihan of the Fenglin Daoist Mansion, and Lan Hexu stood as the representative of the Quanzhen Sect.
From his name, Qi Xuansu knew that he was a sixth-generation disciple, the same generation as the three Deputy Grand Masters. To the eighth-generation disciples, he was like a grandfather, and to the ninth generation, he was nothing short of an ancestor.
His last name, Lan, was uncommon among Daoists, since it was not one of the noble families. However, its ancestry could be traced back to one of the original 36 Omniscient Sages, who was from the Ancient Gezao Sect.
Back when the Golden Horde conquered the Central Plains, chaos swept the land. Cities burned, fields withered, and the ghostly world thrived amid death and ruin. The Gezao Sect established a vast Ghost Kingdom within Beimang Mountain, seeking to unify all Daoist sects by force. This provoked an alliance of other Daoist factions who stormed Beimang Mountain.
At first, the Gezao Sect held its ground, but when the Golden Horde withdrew and order returned under the Wei Dynasty, the human world flourished again, while the ghostly world waned. The Gezao Sect was destroyed almost entirely, leaving only a few remnant branches scattered abroad.
One branch fled north to the Golden Horde, merging with the Shamanistic Sect. Another migrated east to Fenglin, blending into the Onmyodo. The other journeyed south to Shakya, where it merged partially with the local Buddhist Sect.
Elder Lan hailed from that southern branch, cultivating both Buddhism and Daoism. However, unlike the Cihang lineage, which sought a synthesis of the Three Religions, Elder Lan specialized in more macabre arts involving white bones; hence, he carried a grim aura.