A Pawn's Passage

Although Zhang Yuyue was the one who called the shots at home, Dong Baijing was still the nominal head of the family. In the end, Dong Baijing managed to convince his wife to keep Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu for dinner.

Zhang Yuyue glared at Qi Xuansu with disgust.

At this time, Qi Xuansu had taken off his cloak. He was wearing a Daoist robe with a row of throwing knives neatly inserted into his outer belt. Behind him was a leather bag that contained various projectiles, including the Grade B Series Two and Three Dragon Eye Bullets. To his left was a gun holster containing the Divine Dragon Pistol, and to his right was a sheathed short sword.

He slung a large leather satchel that was bulging with items across his body. His sleeves also seemed bloated, as if he had packed something in his sleeve pocket for easy throwing. Qi Xuansu looked like a typical Tiangang Hall priest, but he was missing two swords on his back.

Ordinary people walked with a gentle jingle of their jade pendants, but Qi Xuansu walked with his sword and gun clanging against each other.

Fenning County had been at peace for a long time, so Qi Xuansu’s dressing style was really out of place. Even if Qi Xuansu looked harmless, the weapons he brandished on his waist felt threatening. Moreover, Qi Xuansu was not exactly harmless. At least, Zhang Yuelu could tell at a glance that he had an intense killing aura.

Qi Xuansu seemed to have forgotten the unpleasant conversation earlier and took the initiative to salute Dong Baijing and Zhang Yuyue.

Dong Baijing returned the salute, but Zhang Yuyue still had a cold attitude. She said sarcastically, “I’m flattered.”

Zhang Yuelu raised her voice slightly. “Cousin.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yuyue knew that Zhang Yuelu was mad at her, as the latter would usually address her as “sister.” Zhang Yuyue knew that she had to watch her tone and be nicer to that punk. So she returned the salute and softened her tone slightly. “Fellow Daoist Qi, there’s no need to be formal.”

Qi Xuansu did not take it to heart because he would probably die of exasperation if he took everything so seriously.

When Dong Baijing saw his wife’s reaction, he looked at Zhang Yuelu in surprise and awe. He thought to himself, Wow, this cousin is not so simple. My willful wife is actually kind of afraid of this cousin!

Dong Baijing then turned his attention to Qi Xuansu and thought that the young man who could gain Zhang Yuelu’s recognition would surely not be ordinary either.

However, what he admired the most was Qi Xuansu’s temperament. Qi Xuansu remained composed in the face of a direct insult. The Zhang family had a high threshold. They would not accept those unwilling to bow or those who did not meet their strict requirements.

Some people from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace were talented and ruthless. But usually, those orphans were resentful and felt as if everyone owed them. The Zhang family could not tolerate such people, not to mention that the case with Li Minghuang only happened a few years ago, so the lessons were still fresh in their minds.

On the contrary, someone like Qi Xuansu, who was neither humble nor arrogant, might stand a chance to marry Zhang Yuelu.

The meal was uneventful. Zhang Yuyue did not want to talk, and Dong Baijing was not familiar with the two guests. Qi Xuansu did not dare speak casually for fear of stirring up more disgust from Zhang Yuyue. Thus, Zhang Yuelu took the initiative to start a conversation and talked about their recent trip to the Western Region.

Zhang Yuyue had lived in the Jade Capital for a long time. Jade Capital was on the Kunlun Mountain, which could be considered part of the Western Region. However, the Western Region felt foreign and distant to her since she rarely left Jade Capital.

Even if she left Jade Capital, she would only travel between Jade Capital and Wuzhou by flying ship. She had never been to the Western Region Daoist Mansion or Loulan City, so the Western Region was completely foreign to her.

Zhang Yuyue and Dong Baijing listened to Zhang Yuelu’s adventures as if they were listening to stories from a novel. When they learned that Qi Xuansu had killed a Heavenly Being with his own hands, they were shocked.

After regaining her senses, Zhang Yuyue no longer doubted Qi Xuansu’s ability and became more convinced that Qi Xuansu was the next Li Minghuang. On the other hand, Dong Baijing admired Qi Xuansu more. His first impression of Qi Xuansu was mediocre, but he was reminded of himself in the past.

That was because Dong Baijing, a fourth-rank Daoist master, had also caught Zhang Yuyue’s attention. To the Zhang family, being in the fourth rank was not a big deal, but it was considered remarkable in the Daoist community. However, after Dong Baijing heard that Qi Xuansu killed the sinner, Desmond, without batting an eyelid, he knew that he was far inferior to this young man.

Qi Xuansu was a keen observer. He could roughly guess what Zhang Yuyue was thinking based on her expression and felt wrongly accused of being the next Li Minghuang. Was it just because he was also an orphan from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace?

However, Qi Xuansu suddenly thought of his other identity. He was indeed deceiving Zhang Yuelu. Although it was different from Li Minghuang’s deception, it was equally bad. Qi Xuansu felt uncomfortable again and thought that he had to leave the Qingping Society as soon as possible.

Zhang Yuelu’s visit to her cousin was not an impromptu decision. She had purchased gifts in Jade Capital before she left. That was because the majority of high-quality items in the world were concentrated in Jade Capital and Imperial Capital, which were unmatched elsewhere.

Zhang Yuelu’s gift was the Qianqiu Light Ink, made by a master Confucian inkmaker. Although it was not as good as the Purple Jade Light Ink that was used in the Imperial Palace, it was still valuable. The words “Qianqiu Light” were carved into the back, while a signature was embossed on the front. A piece of ink like this costs at least 500 Taiping coins.

For Zhang Yuyue, who could give away a Taishang Place residence without batting an eyelid, this ink was not a valuable gift. However, taking Zhang Yuelu’s savings into consideration, it could be seen that it was a gift that showed her sincerity.

This gift was mainly for Dong Baijing. After all, he was a studious man and preferred stationery. If it were a gift for Qi Xuansu, firearms, swords, and weapons would be better.

Zhang Yuelu bought two pieces of this ink, spending a total of 1000 Taiping coins. The other piece was for her father. Besides that, Zhang Yuelu also bought gifts on Qi Xuansu’s behalf. Since Zhang Yuelu asked Qi Xuansu for help, she could not expect Qi Xuansu to prepare gifts for her parents, so she took care of that as well.

That was why Zhang Yuelu, who was not considered wealthy, decided to withdraw the Wuyou coins that she had saved for a long time from the Taiping Bank. She exchanged it for Taiping coins and bought two more gifts.

One of the gifts was a glass mirror from the Western Continent. Glass was not rare, but clear, uncolored glass was still uncommon. This mirror was inlaid with silver and then plated with a layer of gold for the flower vines lining the rim. It also had an ivory handle, making it very expensive.

The Daoist Order also produced glass, but it was relatively rough and was mostly used for windows or greenhouses. These greenhouses were used for growing vegetables because they could retain heat and transmit light. This created the opportunity for planting other seasonal vegetables during the winter instead of being limited to only Chinese cabbage. The cost of building greenhouses was lower than that of a heated room. In terms of luxury goods, the Western Continent still fared better.

This glass mirror was a gift for Zhang Yuelu’s mother.

The other gift was a fine pocket watch with Chinese Zodiac timing. The cover and chain were made of pure gold, but the rest of the watch was only gilded in gold. This was a gift for Zhang Yuelu’s father.

Zhang Yuelu spent a lot of time and money choosing these two gifts. This was one of the reasons why she did not like interpersonal relationships.

Of course, Zhang Yuelu had the gifts wrapped and placed in her magical receptacle. She decided to hand them over to Qi Xuansu when they arrived in Shangqing County. Before that, she would also brief Qi Xuansu so that he was aware of the gifts that he had supposedly prepared for her parents.

Zhang Yuyue had wanted to keep Zhang Yuelu for the night so that they could talk more, but Zhang Yuelu declined politely. Considering Qi Xuansu’s unwanted presence, Zhang Yuyue did not insist either.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had no intention of staying in Fenning County, so they left the county and continued on their way.

Dong Baijing sent them to the city gates and waved goodbye to the young pair.

When they were finally outside of the city, Zhang Yuelu asked, “What do you think of this visit?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “It’s not as bad as I imagined.”

Zhang Yuelu breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good. The next one is my mother. Please don’t take it personally if she says anything mean, and please be patient with her.”