A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu looked like he would be easy to talk to, but in fact, it was quite the opposite because he was fixed on his own ideas and principles. He would not compromise on what he thought was right, not even for Zhang Yuelu.

If Qi Xuansu were in Dong Baijing’s position, he would not have agreed to marry Zhang Yuyue. He would not want to marry a woman whose heart was broken and riddled with holes. It was not his fault to begin with, so why should he be the one to mend her heart and bear with it? Qi Xuansu knew that he was a cold-hearted person, so he did not want to spend the rest of his life trying to warm someone else’s heart.

If Zhang Yuelu were in Zhang Yuyue’s position, she would have killed Li Minghuang instead of running away.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were on the same page regarding this. They were alike in their thinking, which explained why they were friends.

The reason Dong Baijing and Zhang Yuyue were so different from Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu was that the former pair were both flowerbed Daoist priests. They had not experienced true hardships. Meanwhile, although Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were younger, they had both gone through so much that they knew what the real world was like. Thus, their mindsets were different.

After the death of his master, Qi Xuansu first followed Madam Qi before going off on his own to run errands and complete missions for the Qingping Society. He had fought his way through life and gone through multiple life-and-death situations.

On the other hand, Zhang Yuelu, even with so many important people supporting her, did not enjoy smooth sailing like her cousin did. Li Tianzhen pestering her was nothing compared to the major Jiangnan case, a corruption scandal that implicated hundreds of people.

So many innocent people died because of the Jiangnan case. Zhang Yuelu also had a close brush with death at that time, but she managed to escape with the help of her master, Sage Cihang. But even so, Zhang Yuelu still faced countless hardships.

Naturally, a pampered young lady like Zhang Yuyue would not be able to handle what Zhang Yuelu went through.

Zhang Yuyue had been married for three years, and Dong Baijing had undoubtedly been a good husband to her. He was neither boring nor suspicious. He was also attentive, taking such good care of her that her brother was satisfied with him, even her father had started accepting him.

Only Zhang Yuyue knew that she still could not forget the man who made her love passionately. Li Minghuang was like a thorn that had pierced her heart so deeply that she could not pull it out, leaving her in constant pain.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu could never understand this because, after experiencing life-and-death situations, they became numb and indifferent to such trivial emotions.

Of course, Qi Xuansu had feelings. He would be sentimental about the death of his master, but he would not lament his master’s death endlessly. He still had to move on and continue living. With so many things to do, he was constantly tired and drained of energy, so he would not have the time to drown in his sorrows.

Only a pampered young lady like Zhang Yuyue, who did not have to worry about making a living, would have time to lament the past.

It was like comparing the Black Robes to merchants. Most merchants were calculative and stingy, trying to gain the most benefits out of a deal, so they usually took time to consider their options. On the other hand, the Black Robes had to make split-second decisions, especially on the battlefield. When they saw their comrade dying in battle, they would never get emotional and avenge the fallen.

Instead, the Black Robes would continue in their duties, like moving weapons or digging trenches. Everyone had a specific role to play if there was any hope of winning the war, so there was no time for personal emotions.

Zhang Yuelu looked at her cousin. Although she understood that Zhang Yuyue was doing this for her own good, she still could not help but disagree with such methods.

Before she arrived, she actually hoped that her cousin would approve of Qi Xuansu. However, it turned out that her prediction was right. This visit was a rehearsal for a bigger showdown with her mother.

Zhang Yuyue advised. “Qing Xiao, you should learn from my mistakes. You’ve seen what happened to me, so why would you ignore the signs? This kind of man is unreliable. I was once like you, so please don’t follow in my footsteps.”

Zhang Yuelu suddenly asked, “Are women necessarily weaker than men?”

“What?” Zhang Yuyue was startled.

Zhang Yuelu answered her own question. “Women are not necessarily weaker than men. I have a better background and master than him, a higher position, rank, and cultivation level than he does, so why are you afraid that I will suffer a loss? Do you think that I’m so weak?”

When Zhang Yuyue left Jade Capital, Zhang Yuelu had not yet gone through the major Jiangnan case, so Zhang Yuyue’s impression of Zhang Yuelu was somewhat different from the current Zhang Yuelu. She did not expect Zhang Yuelu to say this.

Zhang Yuyue was silent for a moment before she sighed. “Love has always been a shackle for us women since ancient times.”

Zhang Yuelu snorted. “But love is between both parties. It shouldn’t come from only one person. Why is it that it’s a shackle for women but not for men?”

The reason Zhang Yuelu hated Li Tianzhen had nothing to do with his last name. She just hated the fact that he did not respect her as a human being. Although Li Tianzhen was as courteous as other scions, he was arrogant and looked down on Zhang Yuelu for being born into a small branch of the Zhang family.

Using a ship as an analogy, Li Tianzhen only viewed rich and noble men like himself as fellow passengers, while women like Zhang Yuelu and Zhang Yuyue were mere pets. Ordinary people like Qi Xuansu were the furniture or even the coal to move the ship forward.

That was why Zhang Yuelu questioned herself, How is Li Tianzhen better than me? Since he thinks he’s superior to me, let’s duel. The loser will get kicked out of Jade Capital.

In the end, Li Tianzhen lost the duel and had no choice but to leave the Jade Capital. To this day, he still has not returned to the Jade Capital.

Zhang Yuelu was not an arrogant person. She treated everyone equally, but she despised people who thought of themselves as naturally superior to others.

She felt that she would be able to do what others could if she worked hard enough. She also had the confidence to achieve what she wanted, so she did not like Zhang Yuyue’s rhetoric about women being shackled by love. To her, it was all nonsense.

Zhang Yuyue was stunned for a while. She was not a fool, so she understood what Zhang Yuelu meant.

Her cousin was not a little girl who only thought about love. Zhang Yuelu was not head-over-heels in love. She was just too confident.

Exasperated, Zhang Yuyue shook her head and said, “Qing Xiao, you’re still a girl and not yet a woman, so you don’t understand.”

“So what?” Zhang Yuelu did not think that it had anything to do with whether she was a girl or a woman. Could sexual intercourse make a woman more mature? There were so many old people in the Daoist community who were over a hundred years old but still virgins. Those people were wise, and most of them held great influence in the Daoist Order.

On the contrary, ordinary people usually got married and bore children. Not all of them were powerful.

Zhang Yuyue tried to change her approach. “Although I know what I’m about to say is tacky, I still feel the need to remind you that he’s still just a seventh-rank Daoist priest in his mid-twenties—”

Zhang Yuelu interrupted her. “When we return to Jade Capital, he will be a sixth-rank priest, but he will be enjoying the treatment of a fifth-rank Prospective Jijiu Daoist priest.”

“Fine. So what if he’s a sixth-rank priest enjoying the treatment of a fifth-rank Prospective Jijiu Daoist priest?” Zhang Yuyue rolled her eyes and continued, “Even a useless person like me is a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master.”

Zhang Yuelu stretched out four fingers. “Four months.”

“What do you mean by that?” Zhang Yuyue asked doubtfully.

Zhang Yuelu explained, “Tian Yuan’s starting point was very low. It took a lot of time for him to go from the eighth rank to the seventh rank. He also wasted a lot of time in the seventh rank. But since he joined Tiangang Hall as a seventh-rank Daoist priest, it only took one month for him to get promoted to the sixth rank and only four months for him to enjoy the benefits of a fifth-rank Daoist priest.

“If it were not for the tenure system, he would already be a fifth-rank Daoist priest. He still has hopes to be a fourth-rank Daoist master before he’s thirty.”

Zhang Yuyue retorted. “Even so, look at my husband. He’s also a fourth-rank Daoist master, but he doesn’t have a strong family background, so he will never be good enough for the Zhang family.”

Zhang Yuelu shook her head. “To be frank, your husband isn’t as good as Tian Yuan in this aspect. Cousin-in-law is a good man, but he’s a flowerbed priest. Perhaps he’ll get to enjoy the treatment of a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master before he retires, but whether he can actually get to the second rank is uncertain. Tian Yuan is different; he definitely has a bright future.”

“It only took him four months to go from the seventh rank to receiving the treatment of a fifth-rank priest. During this period, you must have contributed a lot, right?” Zhang Yuyue scrutinized Zhang Yuelu, trying to gather any clues from her expression.

Zhang Yuelu spoke frankly. “If reporting all his achievements truthfully can be considered as my contribution, then I have indeed contributed a lot. If that’s not what you mean by contribution, then his promotion is solely based on his own efforts. He deserves it.”

Zhang Yuyue murmured, “He’s just another Li Minghuang.”

“This brings us back to the previous topic: that you’re afraid I will become a stepping stone for others. In fact, it doesn’t matter. This depends on his ability. If Tian Yuan can really use me as a stepping stone and abandon me afterward, I’ll have no choice but to accept defeat. Even though I’ll hate him for it, I’ll also admire him for defeating me because he’s weaker than I am. In this world, victory and defeat are not set in stone. If I lose this round, I can win again next time.” Zhang Yuelu rebutted.

Bewildered by Zhang Yuelu’s thought process, Zhang Yuelu wondered, Why is she always different from ordinary people? How did she get so much courage?

Zhang Yuyue could not help but compare herself. She was lackluster compared with her father and brother. Among the entire Zhang family, she was considered the most useless one. However, she never had any big ambitions growing up. She was just average in everything. The only time she acted boldly, she returned covered in bruises.

However, her deviant cousin Zhang Yuelu had risen in the ranks rapidly.

Zhang Yuyue was like a flower grown in a greenhouse, not exposed to the wind and rain. That flower was regularly watered, fertilized, and weeded every day. But somehow, that flower was still wilting.

On the other hand, another flower was left to grow on its own. Sometimes, it would be watered, but most often, it was neglected. But that flower was blooming vibrantly.

If they exchanged identities, with Zhang Yuelu being born into the main branch of the Zhang family, she would certainly be the most dazzling gem of the entire clan and a future core leader of the Daoist Order. By then, Li Minghuang would mean nothing to her.

Zhang Yuelu noticed that her cousin was staring at her, so she changed the subject. “Speaking of Li Minghuang, I’ll meet him sooner or later since I’m in Tiangang Hall now. Do you have anything you want to say to him?”

“What else can I say?” Zhang Yuyue said bitterly, “I hope that he dies.”

“Seriously?” Zhang Yuelu whispered, “Although I always believe that everyone should clean up after themselves, I know that you won’t be able to do it. So I don’t mind doing it for you. I may not be as strong as Li Minghuang now, but in two years, I should become a Heavenly Being. By then, I can definitely fulfill your wish if that’s what you really want.”

Zhang Yuyue’s eyes flickered upon hearing this, and she did not speak for a long time.