A Pawn's Passage

When Qi Xuansu left The Inn, he had two brand new cash notes in hand. Each of these cash notes issued by the Taiping Bank was worth 1,000 Taiping coins and still smelled of fresh ink.

In addition, Qin Wubing also asked his confidants to give Qi Xuansu a Black Robes badge as proof of identity so that he would not be regarded as a secret society member. That way, he could freely enter and leave the West Gobi, which was on lockdown.

Qi Xuansu felt that his trip to the West Gobi this time was worthwhile, as he had gained a rare Blood Pill of unknown value and 2,000 Taiping coins. He would even go as far as to consider himself a rich man.

Qi Xuansu finally understood the concept of how one’s cultivation level could boost one’s income. In the past, he was only in the Kunlun stage, so he could only complete small missions and earn a meager commission. But after he reached the Yuxu stage, he found that it was easier to make money.

If he had been stuck at the Kunlun stage, the Innkeeper would not have selected him for the “weeding” operation. Even if he were chosen for the job, he would not have been able to defeat the giant living corpse or the Diviner from White Jade Hall. That way, he would not have been able to obtain the Blood Pill. Even if he were somehow lucky enough to get the Blood Pill, he would have been shot to death by those Black Robes who ambushed him.

Everything was different once he was in the Yuxu stage. Ultimately, improving one’s cultivation was most important.

Qi Xuansu decided to consume the Blood Pill after escaping from the West Gobi. That way, he could reach the Guizhen stage as soon as possible.

As for the manufacturing plant by the Cuowenbu Lake and White Jade Hall, Qi Xuansu did not think he could still intervene, especially since the Daoist Order and the Imperial Court had already been involved. Naturally, he would just have to forgo Madam Qi’s mission for him. There would be no consequences anyway.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu met The Innkeeper.

The Innkeeper looked at Qi Xuansu with a complicated expression. “Brother, you sure are lucky.”

“You know what happened at the manufacturing plant?” Qi Xuansu asked.

The Innkeeper nodded.

Qi Xuansu sighed and recounted his experience. “A giant devil appeared out of nowhere. I suspect it’s the legendary Great Asura. Everyone from The Inn was eaten by that monster one by one. Fortunately, I was far away from the epicenter and managed to escape.”

The Innkeeper’s lips twitched slightly, and he finally sighed in regret.

The Inn had mobilized their elites, but in the end, they suffered a huge loss. They not only lost the people they dispatched but also the reclaimed land and a branch of The Inn. The Innkeeper knew that his days as the leader of this branch were numbered. However, he was glad that he did not lose his life as well.

After they bid each other goodbye, Qi Xuansu began to wander around the city. Since he had the Black Robes badge hanging on his waist, the soldiers dared not harass him.

The Regional General subordinate to Qin Wubing specifically explained that this badge was not just a simple entry and exit pass. It also allowed Qi Xuansu to enjoy some of the Black Robes’ privileges. This was Qin Wubing’s show of gratitude toward Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu accepted the gift and was surprised by the unity between the imperial clan and the noble families. The Deputy Protector Qin Wubing expressed his gratitude just because Qi Xuansu had saved Qin Xiang. Yet, according to Qin Xiang, she had never met Qin Wubing before. However, their fathers, who were both Commandery Princes, had some friendship. It was evident that the imperial clan and the noble families presented a united front in front of outsiders.

On the other hand, if Qi Xuansu killed a member of the imperial clan or the noble families, he would face their united hostility.

The royal and noble families were like one big clan. Although many distant relatives were not familiar with each other, they were still willing to help each other when one of them was in trouble.

Qi Xuansu did not intend to waste this opportunity. He recalled that the Divine Dragon Pistol was a product of the Black Robes’ Divine Armory, and Tianji Hall had the license to manufacture them. That was how Qi Xuansu managed to get his pistol using Zhang Yuelu’s status. The quality and price fared much better in Tianji Hall than in the black market.

With the sudden cash windfall, Qi Xuansu was elated and restless, itching to spend his fortune. Perhaps he had been so restricted by the stingy Madam Qi that he was on the other extreme, only feeling satisfied once he spent some money.

After walking around and asking for directions, Qi Xuansu finally found the Armaments Officer in a large courtyard. The Armaments Officer was the accompanying chief officer of the Divine Armory in the army in charge of providing weapons to the Xizhou Frontier Army. The nature of his job was similar to a local government official’s responsibility to supply grain and sustenance to the army.

The Divine Armory belonged to the Capital Training Division, which was in charge of the Imperial Capital’s defenses. It was equivalent to the Kheshig of the Golden Horde.

During the previous Wei Dynasty, the Capital Training Division was divided into three major battalions, including the Five Armies Camp, the Three Thousand Battalion, and the Divine Army, with a total number of approximately 170,000 soldiers.

The Five Armies Camp was divided into the Central Army, Left and Right Flanks, and Left and Right Outposts. In addition to the Imperial Guards in the Imperial Capital, there were also Rotational Troops from the Qizhou, Zhongzhou, and Jinzhou Divisions.

The Three Thousand Battalion had 3000 cavalry as its core, hence its name. However, the actual number exceeded 3000 cavalry. They were divided into five divisions, which were responsible for the emperor’s banners, carriages, attire, military instruments and drums, and the royal treasures.

The Divine Armory was named for its proficiency in firearms. It was established for the training and mastery of these weapons. It was also divided into a Central Army, Left and Right Flanks, and Left and Right Outposts. The Central Army was further divided into four divisions, while the Left and Right Flanks and Outposts were further divided into three divisions. All of which were responsible for managing firearms such as guns and cannons. A separate division handled firearms drills and provided escort cavalry for the emperor.

Each division within the Capital Training Division was led by a Chief Admiral, a Military Officer, and a Lead Official. Every battalion had respective Camp Officers, Commanders, Division Officers, Weaponry Supervisors, Patrol Officers and so on.

After the Great Xuan Dynasty replaced the Wei Dynasty, the military household system was abolished. The Capital Training Division was restructured. The Five Armies Camp and the Three Thousand Battalion were merged to become the Divine Custodian Army.

New titles were given, such as Director of the Capital Training Division, Deputy Director of the Capital Training Division, Deputy Chief Military Officer, Regional General, Mobile Corps General, and Camp Commandant.

The Divine Armory remained separated, with a Chief Admiral and two Chief Military Officers in charge. Although these were military positions, they were separated from the Black Robes’ combat ranking. They were similar to the Daoist Order’s Tianji Hall, specializing in the research and manufacture of various kinds of weapons, focusing on firearms.

When it came to the standard of firearms, the Divine Armory was not inferior to Tianji Hall. These two bodies often cooperated with each other as well.

After Qi Xuansu showed his badge, he asked, “I heard that the Divine Armory also sells various weapons like Tianji Hall.”

The Armaments Officer was a middle-aged man who seemed more like a businessman. He smiled and said, “Generally speaking, we don’t do small transactions, only bulk sales. However, since you have this badge, I can make an exception.”

Qi Xuansu was curious. “Who do you sell to in bulk?”

The Armaments Officer replied, “The kingdoms in the Western Region, Samudra Kingdom, and Fenglin State. However, we won’t sell to the Golden Horde. They will buy firearms from the Rus Kingdom and the Western Continent.”

Qi Xuansu asked again, “Aren’t the Black Robes afraid that they will defeat us using our own weapons?”

The Armaments Officer laughed condescendingly. “They’re all small nations that can’t even make projectiles up to par. Even if they buy our firearms, they’re as good as useless if we cut off their supply of projectiles. What are they going to use to hit us with? Also, we will only sell some outdated firearms to them. We keep the latest firearms for our kind.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “I see.”

This was the reason the Great Xuan Dynasty remained superior to the surrounding small countries and could even sell firearms to outsiders to gain some profit.

The Armaments Officer said, “But you’re considered one of our own, so I’ll make an exception for you.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Do you have any good recommendations?”

The Armaments Officer pondered for a moment, took out a wooden box, and placed it in front of Qi Xuansu. “The Divine Dragon Pistol—ivory handle, brass body, breech-loading, firing pin structure, rifled, with an effective range of 100 steps. It’ll only cost you 700 Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu took out his Divine Dragon Pistol from the holster. “Tianji Hall sells it for 600.”

The Armaments Officer looked a little embarrassed. He coughed lightly, put away the Divine Dragon Pistol, and muttered, “Well, that discount is for high-ranking Daoist priests.”

However, he did not think much about it. Qi Xuansu had a high cultivation level, and he had a badge issued by the Deputy Protector himself. Thus, the Armaments Officer thought it made sense for Qi Xuansu to have some connections in the Daoist Order.

The Armaments Officer pondered for a while and asked, “Brother, do you need any traditional weapons?”

Qi Xuansu looked interested. “A flying sword?”

“No, it’s a pair of cutlasses.” The Armaments Officer continued, “They were seized during a cult extermination. Since they were considered spoils of war, they were given to the Divine Armory for safekeeping. I examined them and found that they were spiritual objects. As long as you inject some qi into them, the blades will ignite, so I named them the Flaming Blades.”

Qi Xuansu disapproved of the name, but he was interested in the cutlasses. “Let me have a look.”

The Armaments Officer led Qi Xuansu to a warehouse that was temporarily set up and asked his subordinates to take out a box containing the cutlasses. When he opened the box, Qi Xuansu saw two red cutlasses about 70 centimeters long.

Qi Xuansu fell in love with the Dual Cutlass at first sight. He had just learned the Dayan Spirit Blade Technique from Zhang Yuelu. He had been using his short sword, Qing Yuan, to practice so far, but he could not reach his fullest potential because the Dayan Spirit Blade Technique was made for knives and sabers. A cutlass was essentially a short saber.

He reached out and took out the Dual Cutlass, waving them around and trying to inject some qi into them. Sure enough, flames ignited on the blades. He asked, “How much are they?”

The Armaments Officer replied, “3,000 Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu tried to bargain. “That’s too expensive.”

“They’re both spiritual objects, and they come in a pair.” The Armaments Officer explained, “If we sold them separately, it would be 1500 Taiping coins each. That’s a fair price for a spiritual object.”

Qi Xuansu stared at the Dual Cutlass. Although he liked them, he had to find fault with them for the sake of saving some money. “In today’s world, swords are the most valuable, as most people believed they could become a Great Sword Immortal. But there isn’t such a thing as a Great Cutlass Immortal. If these are a pair of flying swords, then 3,000 Taiping coins will be a fair price. Unfortunately, they’re just a pair of cutlasses. I reckon they’re only worth 2,000 Taiping coins.”

“That’s too little. Let’s meet in the middle and agree on 2500 Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu agreed. “Alright, deal.”