A Pawn's Passage

After Zhang Yuelu reported the case to the Tiangang Hall Master, the Kunlun Daoist Mansion responded quickly.

In a sense, Kunlun Daoist Mansion was directly subordinate to the Jade Capital. It did not have to be as pioneering and enterprising as other Daoist mansions because its priority was to maintain stability within the Kunlun region.

However, the Lingshan Witch Cult had infiltrated the leadership of Yishan City, which was under the jurisdiction of the Kunlun Daoist Mansion. This was humiliating to the Daoist Order, and it caused a severe impact. Thus, they had to settle the situation in the shortest time possible to minimize the consequences.

This case made Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu famous. Zhang Yuelu already had a great reputation before this, not only for her status as a Banished Immortal but also for her achievements like the major Jiangnan case. She was destined to rise to great heights in the future.

On the contrary, this case affected Qi Xuansu more. Before this, Qi Xuansu was only famous in the Tiangang Hall for killing Desmond. At most, people heard of his name from the stories. This time, Qi Xuansu was involved in stopping the Lingshan Witch Cult’s divine descent. So he was once again the talk of the Nine Halls. Just like Xu Kou, Qi Xuansu left an impression on the Daoist community.

If Qi Xuansu continued making such achievements in the future, he would definitely become a valuable member of Tiangang Hall. While Qi Xuansu had gotten the attention of the Daoist Order, he was also listed as a target by the major secret societies.

After the incident, Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu wanted to continue their journey to Zhang Yuelu’s hometown. However, since they were the key people in the case and had been involved since the beginning, they stayed in Yishan City for another day to assist and hand over the case to the Kunlun Daoist Mansion.

The person who was dispatched from the Kunlun Daoist Mansion was a Deputy Mansion Master, who held the same status as Zhang Yuelu. However, he was much older than Zhang Yuelu. Even so, the Deputy Mansion Master was polite to Zhang Yuelu and did not make any excessive demands. Thus, the handover was smooth and completed in only half a day.

The subsequent arrests of the remaining cultists and how to deal with Qingbai Temple were taken over by the Kunlun Daoist Mansion.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu wanted to continue on their journey. Thus, Wang Zicheng, Luo Xiao, Company Commander Zhao, and the local county magistrate walked them about five kilometers out of the city. They shared a meal together and exchanged pleasantries.

Everyone else but Wang Zicheng returned to the city, while he walked another five kilometers with Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu to the jetty at Tongtian River.

Qi Xuansu stopped when they arrived at the jetty. He clasped his fists to salute Wang Zicheng and said, “Pacification Commander Wang, thank you for sending us off today. We shall meet again someday in the Imperial Capital.”

“Alright. I’ll stop here. Deacon Qi and Mage Zhang, I wish you a smooth journey.” Wang Zicheng returned the salute. “Let’s have a drink when we meet again.”

Although both Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had a bad impression of the Green Phoenix Guards, Wang Zicheng was obviously an exception. Zhang Yuelu also saluted him and said, “We will meet again one day, and we’ll reminisce over some drinks next time. Until then, Pacification Commander.”

After saying goodbye, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu boarded the ferry and went down the river.

Wang Zicheng stood on the shore and watched the ferry depart before turning back to Yishan City.

Qi Xuansu smiled and teased, “Until then? Where did you learn to say this from?”

Zhang Yuelu said expressionlessly, “I learned it from some books.”

“The novels from the Qingping Bookstore?” Qi Xuansu asked. “I also read a few books when I was bored, like The Legend of Taiping Inn and The Female Sword Immortal. They’re both pretty good.”

Zhang Yuelu twitched the corner of her lips. “Those books written two hundred years ago are indeed very interesting.”

Qi Xuansu coughed lightly and felt a little embarrassed. “I can’t help it. There are rumors that the former was written by the young Holy Xuan and the latter was written by his wife. Naturally, I have to read them.”

Zhang Yuelu remarked, “It’s true that The Female Sword Immortal was written by the Holy Xuan’s wife. But The Legend of Taiping Inn was not written by the Holy Xuan. Instead, he hired a ghostwriter, who was none other than the first manager of the Qingping Bookstore.

“In fact, the Holy Xuan established the Qingping Bookstore just to please his wife. The Legend of Taiping Inn was written according to his wife’s preferences. He probably didn’t expect it to be passed down to future generations.”

This was the first time Qi Xuansu heard this rumor, so he was startled. “Wow, I didn’t know that was the origin of the book.”

“Actually, it’s not a secret. The Holy Xuan didn’t hide it when he was alive. All the Sages and Great Sages know of it. That’s how I overheard it,” Zhang Yuelu said.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Then what do you usually read?”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “There is a monthly series Mu Jin introduced to me called The Legend of the Kunlun Swordsman.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “I’ll read it when I have time.”

Zhang Yuelu said, “Only those who have never traveled alone will dream of going on an adventure. Why would you want to go on a fictitious adventure when you’re already an experienced traveler? Shouldn’t you be more interested in stories about the imperial life, like The Great Qi Dynasty and The Empress?”

Qi Xuansu did not comment. Instead, he changed the topic. “By the way, I have never asked about your family. I only heard that the Zhang family is one of the three famous families, alongside the royal family and the Holy Xuan’s family. I heard it’s a big family, so will you tell me a bit about your family dynamics?”

Zhang Yuelu frowned slightly, but she did not refuse. “First of all, I’d like to make it clear that the Zhang family is indeed a big family that has nothing to do with me. We just share the same last name, but there are so many branches in the family.

“The famous Zhang family that everyone refers to is the main branch, just as the royal family mainly refers to the emperor’s direct descendants. I’m from a side branch of the Zhang family.

“But when people see me rising through the ranks and see that I’m a Zhang, they assume that I’m a Young Lady from the main branch of the Zhang family. They also assume that I got to where I am today because of my family’s help.

“That’s actually far from the truth. Apart from my master, the Earthly Preceptor from the Quanzhen Sect has contributed the most to my success, not the Zhang family’s Heavenly Preceptor.

“To put it bluntly, the people from the main branch of the Zhang family aren’t happy to see my achievements because they are afraid a side branch like my family will take over their main branch. That’s why I was just joking that I would compete for the position of Heavenly Preceptor. The main branch will want to marry me off to get rid of a thorn in their side.”

Qi Xuansu gradually understood the situation. The reason Zhang Yuelu had a special status in the Daoist Order was not due to her age, cultivation level, or family background. The main reason was her experience. She solved a major case in Jiangnan and gained the recognition of the Earthly Preceptor. This made her stand out among the Banished Immortals and the younger generation.

After all, the Daoist Order was not controlled by one family. For example, Li Tianzhen, the young master of the Li family, had a high starting position. However, he could not climb higher without achieving any merits because that would not convince anyone. Thus, the Li family did not dominate the Ancestral Court. That was why many children of noble families wanted their path to be paved.

Zhang Yuelu was different. She narrowly escaped death and solved the Jiangnan case, which was a big achievement. Even if others were jealous, they had no reason to object to her promotion. She did not need anyone to pave the road for her and was promoted within reason due to her accomplishments.

In addition, Zhang Yuelu was diligent in improving her level of cultivation. Therefore, as long as she did not make any big mistakes, she would no doubt be a Sage sooner or later.

There were different parties in the Daoist Order. Whoever promoted or trained a junior would be connected to that person. A rising star like Zhang Yuelu was not influential at this moment, but her future prospects were great. Thus, a Sage would not intervene. The only way was for a Great Sage to come forward in person.

The strange thing was that Zhang Yuelu was supposed to be promoted by the Heavenly Preceptor. But in the end, the Earthly Preceptor promoted her. This made Zhang Yuelu’s position even more complicated. This was also the reason some Zhang family members outcasted her.

In fact, Zhang Yuelu was also confused about the arrangements. Only the Heavenly Preceptor and the Earthly Preceptor would know the real reason for it.

She paused for a moment and continued, “The Zhang and Li families have been at odds with each other for many years, but their seniority is roughly the same.”

Qi Xuansu said, “I know this. The Great Heavenly Preceptor, Zhang Luanshan, who is an Earth card in the Holy Xuan card game, is from the same generation as the Holy Xuan. The old Heavenly Preceptor, Zhang Jingxiu, is from the same generation as the Great Sword Immortal Li Daoxu.

“The Li family emphasized that the first character of their descendant’s name must follow the generational name. However, the Zhang family followed a different convention.

“The Zhang family’s generational name is the middle character for the first two generations and the last character for the next two generations, repeating the same pattern for generations to come.”

Zhang Yuelu nodded. “The Great Sage of the Taiping Sect is from the same generation as the ancestors of the Zhang family. In terms of family ties, the two Deputy Grand Masters are only two generations below the Holy Xuan. But from the Daoist Order’s lineage, they were five generations below the Holy Xuan.

“My father is from the Ju generation. I’m from the Yue generation, which consists of about a hundred of us. I can’t remember clearly, but I think I’m ranked over 70 among over a hundred of my distant cousins. In my immediate family, I’m the only child.”

Qi Xuansu breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

“What’s good?” Zhang Yuelu couldn’t help but ask.

Qi Xuansu answered, “I was initially afraid that I’d have to deal with an older brother or something besides your parents. If you had an elder brother, he’d probably threaten me by saying that he’d kill me if I ever hurt you.”

“What?!” Zhang Yuelu spat. “I don’t have any brothers. But even if I do, they will never do this.”

Qi Xuansu smiled wryly. “How can you be sure? Those novels always depict the elder brother as his younger sister’s protector.”