A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu left the Shangqing Palace alone after bidding goodbye to Pei Xiaolou. From a distance, he saw Zhang Yuelu standing by a railing, looking demure and frail in her ladylike outfit. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if she were worried about something.

He suddenly felt his heart thumping loudly. In his entire life, there were only a few people who treated him with sincerity and had high hopes for him—his master, Madam Qi, and Zhang Yuelu. For an orphan like Qi Xuansu, his master and Madam Qi filled the vacancy left by his parents to some extent. Zhang Yuelu was the only one he considered a close friend.

Qi Xuansu walked toward Zhang Yuelu, who was so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not notice his arrival. He patted her on the shoulder and joked, “What are you thinking about? Are you already strategizing how to reform the Daoist Order once you become the Grand Master?”

Zhang Yuelu returned to her senses and rolled her eyes at Qi Xuansu. “Stop making fun of me. I was just wondering where that premonition from the past few days came from.”

The Rogue Cultivator’s Divine Calculation Technique only involved some basic fortune-telling and divination skills. It later developed on a completely different path compared to Purple Star Astrology. If these two techniques were regarded as two people with the same basic foundation, the Divine Calculation Technique was the more down-to-earth counterpart, making up for his shortcomings with hard work. Meanwhile, the Purple Star Astrology was a naturally talented individual, in which a flash of inspiration was worth more than countless hours of hard work.

That was the reason why Qi Xuansu could not fully understand Zhang Yuelu’s whims; hence, he could not provide much advice.

Zhang Yuelu tried to shake off the irksome foreboding sensation.

“What did Sage Pei talk to you about?” She was not one who would interfere in other people’s private affairs, but she felt that it would be weird not to ask about it as a friend. After all, it was unlikely that Qi Xuansu would conspire with Sage Pei.

“I didn’t expect that Sage Pei and my master were old friends. We mostly reminisced about old times, talking about my master.” Qi Xuansu cleverly replaced Madam Qi with his late master. That would make more sense, and no one else was around to verify the truth of the matter anyway.

However, Zhang Yuelu remembered something else and asked with concern, “Did Sage Pei find out who killed your master?”

Qi Xuansu did not expect Zhang Yuelu to remember the lie he made up to cover up his past experiences. He was touched by it, but also guilty.

He was touched that she still remembered a minor detail of his life. He was used to being independent and lonely, with no real friends. He had some acquaintances, but they only talked about shallow topics. No one truly cared about his life or his past.

That was why he felt ashamed that he could only make up for the old lies with more falsehoods. There was no way he could treat Zhang Yuelu with sincerity if he did not want to expose his identity.

Zhang Yuelu did not think too much about it. When she saw Qi Xuansu falling silent, she thought that he was feeling sad and nostalgic about the death of his master. Since she was not good at comforting people, she kept quiet as well.

After a while, Qi Xuansu gathered his thoughts and said, “Sage Pei has found some clues. The killer seems to be related to the Taiping Sect.”

“Is it the Li family again?” Zhang Yuelu asked. The Li family was powerful and domineering, so most people would think of the Li family whenever something like this happened.

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “No, it seems to be related to the Shen family, but Sage Pei is not sure either.”

“The Shen family.” Zhang Yuelu said thoughtfully, “Although the Li, Lu, and Shen families are known as the three great families of the Taiping Sect, the Lu and Shen families are actually regarded as vassals of the Li family.

“But the Lu and Shen families have different styles. The Lu family is a typical follower of the Li family. Besides having arranged marriages with the royal family, the Li family has the most marriages with the Lu family.

“On the other hand, the Shen family is much more low-key. They respect the Li family as their leader, but they do not blindly follow the Li family. They have a much better reputation than that of the Lu family.”

Qi Xuansu mixed some truth into the lies he fabricated. “I heard from Sage Pei that it wasn’t related to the political strife between Daoist sects. It may be due to a personal grudge with a member of the Shen family, but further verification is needed.”

Zhang Yuelu looked at him solemnly. “Anyway, if you need my help, just ask. There’s no need to be polite with me.”

“Thanks.” Qi Xuansu smiled gratefully.

As they slowly walked toward Shangqing Town, Qi Xuansu hummed a tune.

In the melody of life,

Find grace in living contentedly.

Contemplate the ebb and flow of creation.

Fortune conceals misfortune; misfortune harbors fortune.

Can wealth and status ever be boundless?

The sun rises and sets, while the moon waxes and wanes;

In the earth’s southeast, in the heavens’ northwest,

Yet cohesion eludes heaven and earth.

Worry not over trifles,

Cease striving for leisure.

Today’s visage ages compared with yesterday’s,

From past to present.

Such is the way it must be,

Whether wise or foolish, rich or poor.

In the end, this mortal frame cannot escape the inevitable.

Enjoyment fleeting with the dawn,

A day’s delight fades swiftly.

A hundred years pass with seventy being rare.

The years rush by like torrential waters.

Qi Xuansu heard this tune from Madam Qi. The lyrics were a philosophical reflection on life, indicating that the composer was likely an old man who had experienced many hardships and saw the ways of the world.

Although Qi Xuansu was only in his twenties, he had gone through ups and downs over the years and witnessed the harshness of the world. He had gone through many critical moments of life and death and felt these lyrics deeply.

Zhang Yuelu listened carefully and murmured, “Fortune conceals misfortune; misfortune harbors fortune.”

“You’re still thinking about that premonition?” Qi Xuansu tried to distract her from it. “It’s pointless dwelling on it. We can’t possibly figure out the workings of fate. But I find this phrase interesting. ‘The sun rises and sets, while the moon waxes and wanes; in the earth’s southeast, in the heavens’ northwest, yet cohesion eludes heaven and earth.’

“The Li family has prospered for two dynasties. When the moon is full, it will wax. They are bound to decline after reaching their peak. The Holy Xuan suppressed the Li family with this consideration in mind. But how long can the Holy Xuan’s grace last?”

Hearing this, Zhang Yuelu was distracted by Qi Xuansu’s question. “You’re right. The Li family has indeed reached their peak and started their decline, but this decline won’t happen overnight. It may last for decades. I wonder if we will ever get to see that day.”

The two walked for a while. Suddenly, the clouds gathered, and the wind started howling. The sky was dark, and snowflakes fluttered everywhere, growing heavier by the second with no signs of stopping anytime soon.

The distance from Shangqing Palace to Shangqing Town was not that short. At this time, they had no choice but to brave the wind and snow and walk toward Shangqing Town, which was visible in the distance.

No one else was on that mountain road. They did not have an umbrella, nor did they want one, because they liked the feeling of walking under the snow in their cloaks.

Zhang Yuelu opened her arms slightly, her sleeves billowing in the wind. She suggested, “Tian Yuan, let’s go back to Jade Capital after the New Year.”

“Sure.” Qi Xuansu naturally had no objection.

For him, the trip to Yunjin Mountain was indeed not very pleasant. Besides being insulted by the Zhang family, he also had to stay cautious. It was truly uncomfortable. If he had not previously promised Zhang Yuelu, he would have left without a second thought. Although there were more big shots in the Jade Capital, no one would deliberately make life difficult for him, so he felt more at ease there.

At this moment, a tall man dressed in a hechang was walking toward them, holding an umbrella. Zhang Yuelu suddenly stopped and frowned slightly. Qi Xuansu followed suit, wary of the man.

From Qi Xuansu’s point of view, the man’s face was covered by an umbrella, only revealing his chin. But Qi Xuansu could clearly feel the man’s scrutinizing gaze.

After a while, the man put away the paper umbrella, revealing his true face, which was handsome and chiseled even without a trace of makeup. He was the kind of hero that some women would fall in love with at first sight.

However, Zhang Yuelu was clearly not one of those women. When she saw the man, she asked in a cold voice, “Why are you here?”

The man looked away from Qi Xuansu and replied, “Aunt Tantai invited me here.”

Hearing this, Qi Xuansu could roughly guess the man’s identity.

This man was most likely the marriage partner that Tantai Qiong chose for her daughter, who rejected the arrangement.

He was Yan Mingchen, a thirty-year-old fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master who was a Guizhen-stage Qi refiner. He was the Chief Superintendent of the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion, only one step away from being the Deputy Mansion Master. He was considered a young and promising talent.

When Zhang Yuelu was promoted to the fourth rank, she went to study at the Upper Palace of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, where she met Yan Mingchen.