A Pawn's Passage

Meanwhile, the train was heading toward Harrisburg.

First-class compartments were essentially private cabins, complete with beds where one could even sleep.

Although Qi Xuansu and Audrey were posing as a married couple, he had no intention of turning the act into reality. He simply sat on the bed, idly flipping a special token between two fingers. It resembled a yin-yang symbol, but in this one, black dominated, with only two white dots. It symbolized how the Beichen Hall’s nature was far from bright, righteous, or morally upright. Perhaps it was even the opposite.

Qi Xuansu’s token differed from the others. It was more ornate, with a ring of lotus patterns decorated along its edge, resembling a lotus pedestal.

In a sense, the Chief Deputy Beichen Hall Master could be described as low in rank but high in power. This “low rank” was only relative to Omniscient Sages, as a Chief Deputy Hall Master could not take part in Golden Tower Council deliberations nor hold voting rights. Yet in terms of actual authority, commanding Beichen Hall’s vast overseas network gave him more power than many lower-ranked Omniscient Sages.

This situation was somewhat like that of a secretary. Past Chief Deputy Beichen Hall Masters who sought to go further had to learn to relinquish this power, stepping down to become ordinary Omniscient Sages without such authority in order to pursue greater power later. Just as a secretary must leave the center of power and be posted elsewhere to advance further.

Fortunately, Qi Xuansu did not yet need to worry about such trade-offs between future prospects and greater power.

Beyond identifying status, this token also served as a tool for communication. Since Qi Xuansu held the highest authority, he could initiate contact with other token holders, but unless granted special permission, no one could initiate contact with him.

Half an hour earlier, one of the operatives sent Qi Xuansu a message. “There is a traitor.”

This was one of the spies who had once helped Qi Xuansu forge new identities. Thus, Qi Xuansu had granted him direct access for communication.

The spy did not know Qi Xuansu was the Lotus Seat, which was the codename for the Chief Deputy Beichen Hall Master. He only knew that Mr. Li was a senior figure within Beichen Hall.

After that, the spy lost contact. Qi Xuansu’s initial judgment was that he was already dead.