Chapter 1069: Aftermath
This time, the Queen Dowager’s case involved the Green Phoenix Guards, so Qi Xuansu immediately ordered the Spirit Guards to occupy the Green Phoenix Guard Office and apprehend its senior ranks.
The Green Phoenix Guards were always the ones arresting others and were never on the receiving end. However, before the fierce and merciless Daoist Spirit Guards, their usual arrogance vanished. No one dared to resist, especially with the Yinglong Warship still looming above Thanglong Prefecture. The entire office was quickly subdued.
In the courtyard, the Green Phoenix Guards crouched on the ground with their hands over their heads, while the Spirit Guards stood with rifles aimed at them. One false move would mean instant death.
This scene revealed an undeniable truth: the supreme dominance of the Daoist Order was no rumor. The question was never whether the Daoists were capable, only whether they wanted to dominate.
Normally, the Daoist Order restrained itself for the sake of appearances, rarely acting so forcefully. But this time, their cause was justified. Qi Xuansu had been ambushed in an assassination plot involving the Green Phoenix Guards, giving the Daoists the moral high ground.
Even figures like Wang Jiaohe and Chen Shuhua could not publicly criticize Qi Xuansu’s retaliation. Instead, they had to offer verbal and symbolic support because they must distinguish between internal and external matters. Privately, they might be at each other’s throats, nearly tearing off all pretenses. But publicly, Qi Xuansu was still one of their own.
Under the personal protection of Spirit Guard Jia Yin, Qi Xuansu strode into the Green Phoenix Guard Office in a fresh new hechang. The detained Green Phoenix Guards in the courtyard only saw the hem of his robe and his boots, not daring to lift their heads.
Qi Xuansu walked straight into the main hall and asked, “Where is the Commander?”
A middle-aged man, guarded by two third-rank Spirit Guards, answered, “At your service, sir.”
As a senior officer of the Green Phoenix Guards, the Commander was afforded slight leniency. He was allowed to stand in the hall rather than kneel prostrate in the courtyard.
Qi Xuansu turned to face him. “What is your name?”
Though he was the Green Phoenix Guard Commander and a Heavenly Being, the man still answered with utmost deference, “Chen Shuhong.”