A Pawn's Passage-Chapter 1134: Chen Jianzi
Qi Xuansu had someone take Little Yin to Chen Jianzi’s residence. Since Chen Jianzi had fled in a rush, she left behind almost all her belongings, so there was plenty for Little Yin to “sample.”
Once Little Yin fixed the scent, she circled the entire Lion City so her search area would essentially cover the whole city. As long as Chen Jianzi remained hidden somewhere within, she would eventually be found, unless Chen Jianzi possessed some kind of omniscient vantage point that allowed her to avoid Little Yin’s sweep every single time. If Chen Jianzi truly had that ability, she would have escaped Lion City long ago instead of lingering here.
Little Yin was highly motivated, probably because Zhang Yuelu had promised 1,000 Taiping coins and three days of freedom. She wished she could scour every corner of Lion City in a single day.
Chen Jianzi was indeed still inside Lion City at this time.
Beichen Hall’s efficiency was astonishing. In a very short time, they uncovered Chen Jianzi’s background thoroughly. However, Li Zhuyu and the Beichen Hall personnel had all come from Jade Capital and were not locals, so there were inevitably gaps in their coverage.
Chen Jianzi was unquestionably a bad person. She was utterly self-serving, with little true loyalty to the Goddess Society. She served them only because they supported her and elevated her status. But she would not die for them.
Thus, the moment Chen Jianzi sensed that the Goddess Society intended to silence her, she fled without hesitation.
For someone extremely self-serving, nothing in the world mattered more than her own life.
Having operated in Lion City for many years, Chen Jianzi had long prepared several hideouts known only to herself. She did consider escaping the city but quickly abandoned the idea for a simple reason. Both the Black Robes and the Goddess Society were watching every exit. Leaving Lion City now would be no different from walking into a trap.
Moreover, Lion City was surrounded by the sea. She could not use a normal mode of transportation, and she could not possibly cling to a wooden plank and drift away in the boundless sea. Any passing ship could easily spot her.
In contrast, Lion City’s dense population, constant movement, and chaotic mix of people, as well as the lack of formal household registration or administrative controls, made it far easier to hide.
At this moment, Chen Jianzi was hiding in the Northwestern District, which was the most chaotic part of the city, crowded with all types of people.
If only the Daoist Mansion or the Nanting Protectorate were after her, she could still rely on the Heavenly Court for protection and continue living in luxury at one of their provided residences.
However, with the Goddess Society intending to kill her, the Heavenly Court was no longer a safe haven. She could only disguise herself as a lone sailor. She could not even pretend to be a courtesan because such professions had their own local bosses, and outsiders who did not pay respect or join a faction would never survive there.
Sailors were different. They were unfamiliar faces by default, like Jianghu swordsmen. They could die anywhere without anyone noticing, and no one cared where they came from or where they went.
With this identity, Chen Jianzi could move in and out of taverns and similar places to gather information. Once the situation settled and the search effort waned, she planned to slip out of Lion City. To put it simply, once Sage Qi and Sage Wang determined a victor between them, few would care about the fate of a minor character like her. She would no longer be of use.
By coincidence, Little Yin’s very first stop was the Northwestern District.
Little Yin had not instantly deduced where Chen Jianzi would hide. She had simply longed to visit the Northwestern District. The military camps offered no entertainment, and the civilian districts were dull. Aside from the elegant Central District, the most interesting place was the filthy, chaotic Northwestern District. The Central District was too refined and bland for her liking, as it lacked excitement. After all, Little Yin was not human. One should not view her as an ordinary young girl.
Alas, she had no money, so she had no choice but to give up.
Though Little Yin’s cultivation level was very high, she still had to spend money when it was needed. She merely sought to have fun. Normally, Little Yin only acted voluntarily for one reason—food. But ever since eating dragon meat, she rarely felt hungry. Her desire to eat faded, and the desire to play took over. Beyond that, with Zhang Yuelu’s claws constantly hovering above her head, she dared not act recklessly.
Thus, Little Yin could not possibly miss this heaven-sent opportunity. She openly strutted into the Northwestern District, scouting out the area to see where the fun was. Once she received her 1,000 Taiping coins, she would head straight to her chosen destinations.
In Little Yin’s view, finding someone was trivial. If she could not find the target, she would simply insist that the target was no longer in Lion City.
Little Yin arrived in the Northwestern District alone, but no one dared to bother her.
In Jianghu, there were four taboos: monks/Daoists, the elderly, women, and children. Although the Daoist Order forbade its disciples from excessively reverting to a childlike form, outsiders had no such restrictions. Thus, a little girl wandering alone through such a chaotic district and glancing around boldly without the slightest fear was practically a walking caution sign. Who would dare provoke her?
Little Yin had originally wanted to stroll around, but she had not walked for long before she caught the scent.
This was truly an unexpected delight.
Following the scent, Little Yin arrived at a tavern and pushed the door open. She pulled out a few copper coins, rubbed them between her hands, and turned them into gold coins.
She was not even tall enough to reach the counter, so she had to stand on tiptoe to pass the gold coin to the shopkeeper. “I want your finest wine!”
The shopkeeper immediately noticed that the characters on the gold coin were wrong. Why would a Wuyou coin bear the inscription of a Ruyi coin? Was this a counterfeit? However, counterfeiters only faked the material, not the engraved text. Unless...this was an illusion.
The shopkeeper was a clever man. If this was an illusion, then it meant that the little girl was no ordinary person. She was most likely a master who had rejuvenated her appearance, unfathomable in strength. For a mere bowl of wine, it was not worth offending such a figure.
The shopkeeper fetched a large drinking bowl and filled it to the brim.
Holding the large bowl with both hands, Little Yin slowly made her way to a table. She set the bowl down first, then climbed onto the stool. Her feet could not even touch the ground, and her mouth was just level with the bowl on the table as she slurped the wine.
Chen Jianzi was in this very tavern. When she saw Little Yin enter, a faint unease rose within her. She quickly stood and slipped out through the tavern’s back door.
Little Yin remained seated, unmoving.
Seeing that the strange little girl did not follow her, Chen Jianzi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Outside the back door was a narrow alley. Just as Chen Jianzi was about to leave, a figure stepped out, blocking the alley’s entrance and cutting off her escape.
Chen Jianzi froze entirely, a chill running down her back.
The figure wore a hood, standing against the light so his face remained completely hidden within the shadow. However, Chen Jianzi still noticed a pure gold ring on his right middle finger, without any gemstone.
As a member of the Goddess Society, Chen Jianzi was very familiar with many customs of the Holy Court.
Rings held great significance in the Holy Court. The most famous was the Pope’s ring, whose clear gemstone was engraved with the Goddess shepherding her flock, and used as a seal on major documents. The Holy Court had strict rules regarding rings. The cardinals wore sapphire rings engraved with saints casting nets to fish. Those below wore amethyst, ruby, emerald, topaz, and the like. Ordinary clerics and certain special monks wore gold rings with no gemstone. Even the finger in which the ring was worn held meaning. Since the index finger symbolized the Goddess, most clerics wore their rings on the index finger. Cardinals wore theirs on the right ring finger, and members of subordinate orders wore theirs on the right middle finger.
This man’s ring was worn on the right middle finger, which meant he was a special cleric, belonging either to the Tribunal or one of the Holy Court’s subordinate orders. The absence of a gemstone confirmed he was a member of such an order. Clearly, he was a member of the Goddess Society, who vowed to uphold the three abstinences of no wealth, no lust, and no personal will.
Realizing this, Chen Jianzi nearly fell into despair. However, she refused to sit and wait for death. She quietly drew a short sword into her hand.
The man pushed back his hood, revealing a Westerner’s face with blue eyes and a high nose bridge. However, he spoke fluent Mandarin. “You have betrayed the Goddess Society.”
“I did not! You all abandoned me first!” Chen Jianzi shot back, her eyes cold and sharp.
The member of the Goddess Society seemed not to hear her reply. Switching to Latin, he said, “Now, I pass judgment upon you on behalf of the Goddess Society. May your soul find redemption.”
Before the words faded, the man had already moved. Being on Daoist territory, he dared not use any spells, as they would alert the Black Robes and the Spirit Guards. So, he chose close combat.
In a flash, he appeared before Chen Jianzi. A Western rapier appeared in his hand, its narrow blade like a metal awl, built not for slashing but for devastating thrusts.
Chen Jianzi had escaped the earlier chaos, not because she was ordinary, but because she had a Guizhen stage cultivation. Her short sword swept upward, deflecting the thrust. At the same time, a delicate handgun appeared in her other hand. With a muffled bang, she shot the Goddess Society member squarely in the abdomen.
Yet the man seemed completely unfazed. Beneath his robe, the metal tubes, gears, and pistons were exposed. No blood flowed, and only steam hissed out.
Though the Holy Court and the Arcane Council publicly opposed each other, that never stopped the Holy Court from employing Arcanum. It was just as Daoists sometimes used Buddhist powers. The Holy Court itself avoided openly acknowledging this, but its subordinate orders had no such scruples. They claimed that as long as one’s faith remained pure, the methods used were irrelevant, blending Arcane Alchemy with divine markings into what they called the Gospel of Steam.
