A Pawn's Passage

The following days were relatively calm. After delegating and arranging all necessary matters, Qi Xuansu finally found a few days of leisure to tend to his injuries. Sage Donghua had given him many medicines in advance, likely foreseeing he would end up in such a condition.

Before coming to Nanyang, he had been reassured countless times that Great Sage Lan would oversee Thanglong Prefecture and the Grand Protector would safeguard Lion City. But now, it was Qi Xuansu who was temporarily fulfilling part of Great Sage Lan’s and the Grand Protector’s duties. Neither of those two had been of actual use.

Although Qi Xuansu now held genuine authority, power and responsibility always came hand in hand. The fate of all Nanyang now rested solely on him.

Since the stakes were enormous, one misstep could lead to his utter ruin. Thus, he had to stay fully focused, leaving him with no mental capacity to dwell on his Xuan Jade.

Back then, the Xuan Jade had leaked out of the Daoist Order due to various accidents. To most people, it was useless. Only Ancient Immortals bothered collecting such “worthless items.” The Li family had many pieces of Xuan Jades. Li Changge had more than he could use. However, Qi Xuansu likely could not obtain a second piece from them. After all, his current rise as the youngest second-rank Taiyi Daoist already posed a real threat to Li Changge.

Madam Qi also had a few pieces, but she had already given them all to Qi Xuansu. Though she did so in a roundabout way, she had still given them to him nonetheless.

The Yao family might or might not have some. Even if they did, Qi Xuansu could not simply ask for them. The only way would be to trade for them. But aside from authority, Qi Xuansu currently had no concrete benefits to offer.

Should he trade political favors? Perhaps secure future prospects for some Yao family descendants in exchange for the Xuan Jade?

Qi Xuansu quickly dismissed the idea and shifted his thoughts in another direction—the Nanyang United Trading Company.

The reason Qi Xuansu was not intimidated by Marcheno’s threats was that he never intended to destroy the Nanyang United Trading Company. He only intended to change its owners, restructure the shareholders, and re-elect the board of directors.

To put it plainly, once the Wang family fell, Qi Xuansu would bring in new powers and rebuild the Company on behalf of the Daoist Mansion. The framework and trade routes would remain. Even after cutting out the illicit operations, the Nanyang United Trading Company remained a giant. It was like a centipede that would not die even when broken. With new capital, it could be revived immediately.

As for which powers to bring in and how to divide the pie, this would be decided by Qi Xuansu, the Chief Deputy.