For Qi Xuansu, becoming a disciple of Sage Donghua was a good thing because it meant Qi Xuansu could rise to another level with a true backer. After all, Madam Qi’s influence was limited because she was not part of the Daoist upper hierarchy. The Zhang family would only support Zhang Yuelu, not Qi Xuansu. Only a master could be considered his true paternal lineage.

But from a broader perspective, this might not necessarily be a good thing.

First, many conditions had to be met for this to happen. For example, his original master, Qi Haoran, had run into trouble. This was not good news for Qi Xuansu. Years of emotional attachment had suddenly been misplaced. Only he understood the bitterness of that, not to mention the chain of changes that would follow.

Every gain inevitably brought new problems. Qi Xuansu’s apprenticeship brought both benefits and risks. His conflict with Yao Pei and the Yao family would quickly intensify. This also meant that Sage Donghua was confronting the Earthly Preceptor.

That was why Qi Xuansu hesitated for so long and needed Madam Qi to push him into making the decision.

Meanwhile, the Green Phoenix Guard’s command office was thrown into turmoil after receiving an official note from Ziwei Hall in Jade Capital. Sage Donghua had personally inquired about the Green Phoenix Guard Commander’s well-being.

It was extremely simple and abrupt.

Since it involved Sage Donghua, no one dared handle it independently. It was immediately reported to the Green Phoenix Guard Commander.

When the Green Phoenix Guard Commander, Tian Bannong, received this letter, he was greatly shocked.

At Sage Donghua’s level, every action carried deep meaning. Others feared they might fail to fully grasp the intent behind it. Sending such a message for fun was something Little Yin could do, but not Sage Donghua.

From a factional standpoint, the Green Phoenix Guard and the Imperial Court stood with the Taiping Sect. Even if they followed the Daoist Order’s direction, they would take Sage Qingwei as their lead. Sage Donghua happened to be Sage Qingwei’s biggest rival, so it made no sense for him to message the Green Phoenix Guard.

If it was not related to the struggle among the three Daoist sects, could it be a personal grudge?

Tian Bannong was from the Confucian School.

Confucian scholars often prided themselves on disdaining fame and profit, frequently claiming they would retire to farm. Of course, their “farming” was nothing like that of real peasants. It was estate-style agriculture. For great scholars to personally tend a small vegetable patch was already exceptional. They would never truly labor in the fields.

Tian Bannong was a regular Confucian, not a Grand Libationer, so he had little interaction with the Daoist Order. He knew Sage Donghua’s name but had no real dealings with him.

So personal grievances seemed unlikely.

Had he unknowingly offended Sage Donghua at some point, prompting this letter as a warning? Or was it part of the factional struggle? Perhaps Sage Qingwei had moved against Sage Donghua’s people, and Sage Donghua intended to retaliate by targeting him?

That did not quite make sense either. If retaliation were the goal, the first targets should be the Taiping Sect members. There was no reason to bypass them and strike directly at the Imperial Court. That would only complicate matters, something Sage Donghua would not do.

It could not be a simple greeting, right?

What status did he have that warranted a personal greeting from Sage Donghua? Perhaps the emperor himself would be more fitting.

Tian Bannong would never have imagined that this was simply a long-overdue greeting from Fengtai County. But Tian Bannong also could not trace it back to that event.

That was because the Green Phoenix Guards involved in the Fengtai County incident were almost entirely wiped out. Madam Qi had also eliminated everyone at The Inn. The only survivors were Jiang Bieyun and Li Sanxin.

Jiang Bieyun was a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist of the Taiping Sect, tasked with collecting the Xuan Jade for the Li family. Li Sanxin was Jiang Bieyun’s junior, who was a Green Phoenix Guard major.

Of course, Jiang Bieyun was only one of many Daoists tasked with collecting the Xuan Jade. The Li family losing a single piece of Xuan Jade was no big deal because Li Changge had more than enough to spare. But for Qi Xuansu, the Xuan Jade was harder to come by. Yet it was precisely this piece of Xuan Jade in Fengtai County that set Qi Xuansu on his current path with the Daoist Order.

After the incident, the Green Phoenix Guard command office sent Zhao Guangji, the commanding officer of Luzhou, to investigate. It was Zhao Guangji and Jiang Bieyun who had jointly orchestrated the matter. However, the two old schemers stayed behind the scenes and never showed themselves, thus avoiding Madam Qi’s assassination.

Since all informed parties had been silenced and he had to report to his superior, Zhao Guangji had no choice but to fully adopt Jiang Bieyun’s account.

To deflect responsibility, Jiang Bieyun shifted the blame onto the Quanzhen Sect, making much of the message Qi Xuansu had left behind and attempting to implicate Sage Donghua. No one would dare verify the claim with Sage Donghua since it implied a conflict among higher powers, thus reducing Jiang Bieyun’s own liability.

At this point, under normal circumstances, Tian Bannong should have learned the full details of the case.

However, another complication arose. When the report reached Yun Luo, she suppressed the matter.

Yun Luo was the Deputy Commander of the Southern Chief Military Commission and the only woman among the three senior officials of the Green Phoenix Guard.

At the time, Sage Qingwei had just visited the Imperial Capital, so Yun Luo paid close attention to the matter. She knew such a minor issue could not possibly involve Sage Donghua. It would at most reach someone like Qi Jianyuan. It was most likely a minion trying to bluff and mislead them. However, she also understood that if the matter could be linked to Sage Donghua, it would provide a convenient explanation to the superiors. They could claim it was beyond their control and avoid blame.

In the end, Yun Luo decided to shift the blame onto Sage Donghua, assuming he would never find out. But such matters were best kept confidential. Moreover, Tian Bannong was not part of the Taiping Sect but a Confucian scholar, so Yun Luo did not inform him.

Someone like Sage Qingwei had no time for such trivial matters either. Instead, Li Zhuyu sent a Daoist priest to inquire about the matter. Yun Luo and Jiang Bieyun smoothed things over with money and passed the inspection without issue.

Once the matter was settled, Yun Luo issued strict orders forbidding any further discussion of it.

Jiang Bieyun certainly would not bring it up again. While Qi Xuansu, still a wandering Daoist at the time, did not fully understand who Sage Donghua really was, Jiang Bieyun, a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist, understood very well. Sage Donghua wielded enough power to destroy a small nation.

This left Tian Bannong in a difficult position. No matter how hard he thought, he could not figure out why Sage Donghua would suddenly inquire about him.

However, Tian Bannong was no ordinary man. Being the commander of the Green Phoenix Guard, he knew how to focus on the key issue.

After much thought, he arrived at one conclusion. A personal grudge was unlikely. This must be related to the internal struggle among the three Daoist sects. This meant it was linked to the Taiping Sect, which Yun Luo was affiliated with.

So Tian Bannong immediately summoned Yun Luo and handed her the official letter. “Help me analyze this. What exactly does this letter from Sage Donghua mean?”

Yun Luo glanced at the letter and instantly felt a chill down her spine, as if her soul were leaving her body.

Memories from the 41st year of the Jiushi Era suddenly surged back into her mind.

Sage Donghua had really sent a greeting? But what was the meaning of this delayed message? Why did it take 4 years? Was there some deeper implication?

The moment Tian Bannong saw her reaction, he knew something was wrong. He cursed inwardly, I knew it! These people from the Taiping Sect caused trouble, and now I have to take the blame! What’s worse, I only find out when disaster is about to strike!

“Deputy Yun, you seem like you know something,” Tian Bannong sneered. “Perfect. Since I don’t know how to reply to Sage Donghua, I’ll leave the response to you.”

Yun Luo forced a smile, her voice unsteady. “Uh... Isn’t it inappropriate?”

Tian Bannong’s smile vanished instantly as he barked, “You know exactly what you’ve done. Sage Donghua wouldn’t target me for no reason!”

This statement hit the mark by accident, making Yun Luo even more uneasy. She assumed that their attempt to shift the blame onto Sage Donghua had been exposed and that he was now issuing a warning.

Normally, great figures would not bother with such trivial matters. But if they did, the consequences would be disastrous.

Should she go to Sage Qingwei? Would he even bother with such a minor issue? Even if he did intervene, they would first have to make their lie consistent. How had they passed the investigation back then? By bribery?

They would end up offending Sage Qingwei as well. Provoking the top two Omniscient Sages would be as good as courting death.

What else could they do? They could only feign ignorance and reply that everything was fine. They could express deep gratitude for Sage Donghua’s concern and then look for other ways to remedy the situation. Perhaps they could try reaching out through Secretary Gong.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu no longer cared about the Green Phoenix Guard’s panic, nor about the affairs of the Golden Tower Council. He had already done everything he could. All that remained was to deliver his final report and attend as an observer without any opportunity to voice his opinions.