Chief Li's Compromise

Hearing this, Wuxian couldn't help but visibly frown. The entire time, chief Li had talked about the entire situation in a somewhat distanced manner, as if the well being of the city's denizens was of little concern to him as long as the Jade Garden's foundation wasn't significantly threatened. His usual warm smile was in contrast to the cold words he had uttered, placing finding the plague's culprit over protecting the people.

As a result, Wuxian couldn't help but speak up. 

"Chief, I understand that our only goal is to find out who's manipulating things in secret, but is that really at odds with helping those affected by the plague and the Yellow gang?" Under the gazes of the other three gold badge Nightwatchers, he continued. "While missing persons cases and murders are usually under the jurisdiction of the city guard, since they've passed the case up to us, shouldn't we assume some of their responsibilities too?"

Chief Li looked at Wuxian, nodding his head slowly. He walked over to his desk, sitting down and steepled his hands together.

"Your logic is sound, but your mission will remain the same." He raised a hand to stop Wuxian from speaking. "By investigating the Yellow gang's miracle cure and their connections at the same time, our risk of exposure becomes drastically higher. From what constable Tie has gathered, at the moment, the only sure-fire way to remedy the plague is that miracle cure, so the only way we can help the people in that regard would be to learn how to produce it. Discovering its existence is much easier as opposed to actually mastering its method of production, the latter of the two being much more prone to exposure."

At this moment, Shui Qianyue spoke up. "What the chief means is that while we could theoretically obtain the miracle cure, it would likely be at the cost of losing our cover. While we would be able to cure any infected person as a result, we would lose a hold of the puppeteer's trail and give them time to retreat and create a new means of attacking the city again. We'd also be handing the prerogative back over to them, allowing them to choose when to advance and when to withdraw, putting us on the back foot."

"That is correct. Instead of employing a stopgap measure to deal with the plague, the plan is to directly find and eliminate the root cause of this disease once and for all, eliminating the latent dangers." Chief Li surmised.

Jiang Manyou, who was often unserious and light-hearted, wore a serious expression. "If we continuously employ stopgap measures to thwart or ward off the puppeteer's attacks one after another, the number of civilian lives lost might very well end up exceeding those that are suffered right now if we take a more proactive approach."

"Make a small sacrifice now to ensure future stability." Wan Qiushou commented.

Wuxian understood their logic, but it still didn't entirely make sense. They were insisting on a very 'all-or-nothing' approach to things. If they failed to identify and terminate the puppeteer, wouldn't the extra sacrifice be in vain?

"The reason why the puppeteer has managed to get this far is because the sect's forces are currently engaged elsewhere in the war and so are unable to help police Cang'An city without exposing weaknesses in the sect, right?" Wuxian asked.

Chief Li nodded. "Correct. It's likely that the puppeteer's goal is to lure the Jade Garden into exposing themselves by holding Cang'An hostage. While the sect is willing to tolerate some damage to the city, it's best if we take action to take the puppeteer out of the equation as soon as possible."

"Why not simply wait for the sect's forces to return? Better yet, call them back preemptively. That way, we can leverage overwhelming power to directly capture the puppeteer." Wuxian said.

"It's not that simple," Chief Li said with a shake of his head, "with your… amnesia, it's natural that you aren't aware of the immortal politics in the region. To explain things very briefly and in a simplified manner; the puppeteer most likely has ties to one of, if not all of, the factions that we're currently warring against."

A glint of realisation was revealed from within Wuxian's black eyes, a dormant piece of a puzzle snapping into place.

"No wonder. It's a two-pronged attack where withdrawing on either side would result in a loss. A no-win situation." He muttered, expressing his understanding to the others.

"Yes. Withdrawing people from the front lines would harm the sect's future prospects, while risking the sect's current security any more than it already has would damage the sect's current accumulated foundations." Chief Li explained. "They have little choice now but to overextend and hope for the best."

Wuxian sighed. Animals live for food while men live for wealth. "Still, surely the best path forward isn't to follow in the sect's footsteps? Taking a big risk has already gotten them into this mess- committing further is only repeating the actions leading to one's inevitable downfall."

"No half-measures." Wan Qiushou interjected stoically.

Wuxian sent him a glance, but didn't respond.

"The truth is, it's not an easy decision for us to make either." Jiang Manyou admitted. "It's not like we're rejoicing that the people are suffering, but that from an objective standpoint, it is best if we make full use of the circumstances to our advantage. By treating the common folk as a weakness, we're tying our own hands behind our back. The puppeteer is expecting this, using them to force us into a weaker position. Only by circumventing expectations can we hope to prevail in the long-run."

Wuxian looked at Jiang Manyou in a new light. It seemed that under his joking uncle facade was a stone-cold pragmatist. But Wuxian quickly dismissed his unfair internal judgements. He was merely a bystander that was here for self-protection. To him, the safety of the city or the Jade Garden's ambitions were of no concern, but for the others gathered here, it was their own home that they were sacrificing and placing at risk.

For him to criticise them like this was hypocritical, but he couldn't help it. While it would objectively be best for him to be like Jiang Manyou, cold and calculating, the truth was that he was unable to abandon his humanity in such a way. To Wuxian, it was easy to pretend that the injustice and suffering of others wasn't his problem, but with it directly placed in front of him like this, with the power to actually do something and make a change, letting it continue was at odds with his personality.

Wuxian still remembered the three principles his master had imparted upon him as he had just started his cultivation journey. 

"Do not discriminate, for all are equal under the heavens. Have a heart of compassion, for there is no revenge sweeter than that which need not be taken. Tolerate not injustice, but do not sacrifice oneself in vain." He mumbled.

It was at this moment that he began to realise the weight that now lay on his shoulders. While there would be nothing wrong with going along with chief Li's plan, he couldn't help but feel that he was indirectly responsible for the deaths and the destruction of the livelihoods of many as a result- especially when he now had the ability to do something.

And according to Black Emperor Mountain Hermit's maxim, the only thing that should stop him from helping the people of Cang'An was whether or not he would be risking his own safety. It didn't take much for him to realise that the perpetrator behind the plague was likely the gu master, or someone related to the gu master's faction. That meant that stepping up to sabotage their plans would be placing himself in the spotlight once again, giving them another reason to wipe him off the face of the earth.

However, with everything leading up to this point taken into account, while there wasn't much about the gu master that Wuxian was fully certain of, he was almost doubtlessly sure that the thing the gu master was afraid of most was exposure. The gu master's greatest advantage was that he was an unknown entity to the Nightwatch and the Jade Court, giving him the initiative. To deal with Wuxian, the gu master, who was likely of the Golden Core stage, would have to do so manually, exposing himself in the process.

While they were likely Golden Core or above, while Wuxian was only a fledgling Qi Condenser, the gu master would still need to mobilise most of their strength to deal with him definitively. Gu masters specialised in using their gu to bully those weaker than them, but to realise their full power, the gu master themselves would have to make a move to control the gu and the various immortal arts associated with them. Without using their full power, it would be difficult to kill Wuxian without a full guarantee.

In that case, Wuxian could be relatively assured that the gu master would not come out and deal with him personally. As long as he exercised caution, he would be able to attempt to help those in need.

Seeing Wuxian's expression of doubt, Jiang Manyou spoke again. "Unfortunately, only cold-hearted and objective thinking can allow a sect or organisation to prosper."

Hearing this, Wuxian knew that he would not be able to convince them into any other course of action. Not only were they already dead-set on it, he was someone who they could not trust fully.

"Well, I have no say in how you run your city." He replied. "But do not expect me to risk my safety to do your bidding."

As he said that, he couldn't help but glance briefly in Shui Qianyue's direction. This caught chief Li's eye, but he ultimately didn't comment.

"That is fair." Jiang Manyou nodded.

"Also." Wuxian added. "There is legitimate evidence to be gained through an investigation of the other cases that have been unsolved by the city guard. Though they are individually of little consequence, together, they could form an overarching representation of the Yellow gang and by extension, the puppeteer's motives."

Seeing chief Li shake his head, Wuxian tried to reason with him. "While it would potentially alert the puppeteer and the gang if we were to start scrutinising them, it would be more alarming and uncharacteristic if we do not investigate at all. It makes sense not to have Nightwatchers be involved in the missing persons cases, but to prevent even the city guard from doing so would merely incur more suspicion."

"Wuxian makes a good point." Wan Qiushou agreed.

Chief Li looked at Wan Qiushou, only to be greeted with a deadpan stare in response. Unknown thoughts running through his mind, chief Li eventually nodded with a smile that was slightly wider than usual.

"Very good. It just so happens that I cannot yet fully entrust you with more sensitive matters. In that case, how would you feel about coordinating with the city guard?" He suggested.

Wuxian saluted with a genuine smile in return. "It would be my pleasure."

"But I will need you to submit weekly reports. Additionally, you will be monitored to ensure that you do not act upon any ulterior motives." Chief Li warned sternly, though he continued to smile. "You can gather information about the miracle cure, fine, but do not make that your main priority. Do not jeopardise the success of this mission by aiming for short-term goals like that. Only by eliminating the puppeteer can we solve the cause of suffering for Cang'An's people once and for all."

"That's fine by me." Wuxian replied, feeling a sense of determination bubbling up from within.

Chief Li then directed his gaze to the other three gold badge Nightwatchers. "That applies to you three as well."

"Aye." They responded, cupping their fists in unison.