Chapter 1010: The Hardest Part Is the Beginning
Besides Han Yongfeng and Ke Qingqing, a contingent of 100 elite Spirit Guards led by a first-rank Spirit Guard was aboard Qi Xuansu’s flying ship.
Strictly speaking, the Spirit Guards of the Poluo Daoist Mansion were divided into two groups—one responsible for daily law and order, and the other for military campaigns. The latter fell under the command of Great Sage Lan, which formed the core of the Great Sage’s authority.
The First-Rank Spirit Guard accompanying them was Ding Chou, one of the Six Ding Spirit Guards, a veteran stationed in Poluo for many years who was well-acquainted with local affairs. Spirit Guard Ding Chou was equivalent to a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master, but her ranking in the Daoist Mansion was just below Qi Xuansu, the Second Deputy. So it was fitting for her to accompany him on this mission.
Beyond that, her presence also carried another purpose, which was to serve as Qi Xuansu’s personal guard.
When Sage Qingwei had first arrived in Fenglin, he had immediately suffered an assassination attempt. Though Poluo was far more stable and lacked any Sonno-joi faction, there could be no guarantee of absolute safety. The Daoist Order’s internal strife was notoriously brutal, and Poluo was teeming with secret societies. Should any “accident” occur, it would be all too easy to pin the blame on one of them.
Given Qi Xuansu’s current rank, he could not ride a Yinglong Warship. It was a privilege reserved for the three Deputy Grand Masters. Instead, he traveled aboard a White Carp flying ship, which had been extensively remodeled. The once-separated cabins were merged into open sections, forming a living hall, study, bedroom, dining room, meditation chamber, guest quarters, and storage rooms.
At that moment, Qi Xuansu and his entourage were gathered in the main hall. Qi Xuansu sat facing Spirit Guard Ding Chou, while the others sat scattered around the room.
Qi Xuansu remained silent. His eyes were closed while he quietly meditated.
The key to this mission’s success was balance.
The power structure within the Poluo Daoist Mansion was severely unbalanced, partly because the previous Second Deputy had left disastrously. It was also partly due to Great Sage Lan’s hands-off attitude for years. However, it was mostly because the Wang family had been entrenched in Poluo for generations. Countless other factors played their part, but in the end, the truth was that the Wang family reigned supreme in Poluo. Thus, the Daoist Mansion’s triad balance of power was broken.
Seeking accountability now was meaningless. After all, they could not find fault with Great Sage Lan, as that would only push him into Wang Jiaohe’s camp, so that was out of the question. Instead, all blame must be shifted onto Wang Jiaohe. He was too cunning, deceiving Great Sage Lan and misleading the Golden Tower Council.
To restore balance, Qi Xuansu’s task was not exactly easy. It was unrealistic to expect further aid from the Golden Tower Council since they had already given him all the support they would. Thus, from here on, he needed to gather every force available within Poluo and forge a coalition strong enough to counterbalance Wang Jiaohe’s dominance.