A Pawn's Passage

The Golden Tower Council clearly had no desire to disrupt Poluo’s existing balance of power, nor did it wish to play the dangerous game of luring the snake out of its hole. Hence, it sought to nip the problem in the bud by eliminating threats before they could take root. But that caution led to a severe lack of evidence, with too little actionable proof to justify an extermination.

Thus, Qi Xuansu’s primary mission was to uncover and secure this evidence piece by piece. To put it bluntly, he would have to confront the Wang family head-on.

Meanwhile, Great Sage Lan Hexu would serve as Qi Xuansu’s backing, shielding him from political storms, sharing his burdens, providing the necessary support, and restraining figures like Wang Jiaohe. When the time was right, Lan Hexu himself would step onto the stage on behalf of the Golden Tower Council to bring the Wang family down.

To put it bluntly, the Daoist Order had to stand firm on moral and legal grounds even if they wanted to make an example of someone. Only then would the other regional factions accept the outcome, understanding that as long as one stayed within bounds, one would remain unharmed. The Jade Capital authorities would not simply strike people down at will.

Of course, Qi Xuansu fully understood this. The key was speed and precision. If the Wang family realized too soon that they were cornered and chose to fight to the death,

Qi Xuansu would merely become the man who drove them to rebellion. At best, that would earn him no credit.

At the same time, he needed to monitor other regional powers in Poluo. Those colluding with the Wang family had to be dealt with, but the neutral factions must not be pushed toward the enemy’s camp. They also could not be made to feel that the Daoist Order meant to purge all local forces.

This would test Qi Xuansu’s finesse and strategy, since brute force alone would only backfire.

Qi Xuansu had thought it through before even arriving. He said, “The Wang family is a great tree with deep roots, so they won’t be easily shaken. To strike with an axe outright would be noisy, inefficient, and likely alert the snake, so that would be unwise. Instead, we should pick a single point and use a chisel or a drill to carve a hole, making that hole our breakthrough point so that the crack can spread through the trunk. Then only can we slowly deal with the roots.”

Lan Hexu’s eyes gleamed with interest. “The key to wielding fire without burning the fingers lies in speed. A sharp nail can pierce metal because it focuses force to a point. If you wish to carve a hole, you must choose a point. Who, then, is your target?”

Qi Xuansu answered softly, “Wang Danqing.”

Lan Hexu was not surprised. He merely said, “I’ve heard you had some history with him?”