A Pawn's Passage

Zhang Yuelu stood up from the dressing table and went to the outer area of the study with the official note.

Mu Jin naturally followed Zhang Yuelu outside, leaving Qi Xuansu alone in the bedroom. By then, he no longer felt embarrassed. He sat down by the dressing table and saw his short sword, Qing Yuan, placed on it.

Before meeting Zhang Yuelu, he had gone to his own residence arranged for him by Lei Xiaohuan to put away his luggage and weapons. He only brought Qing Yuan with him.

It seemed that when Zhang Yuelu helped him remove his outer robe last night, she had discovered the short sword hanging on his waist. He could even imagine Zhang Yuelu sitting alone in front of the dressing table, gently stroking the sheathed blade.

After all, the name of this short sword had a special meaning, combining both their courtesy names.

Qi Xuansu put away Qing Yuan and carefully checked his appearance in the mirror before getting up and going to the outer area.

At this time, Zhang Yuelu was sitting behind the desk with the official note placed in front of her.

Qi Xuansu asked. “What did Sage Cihang say?”

“Not much. She just informed me about your transfer.” Zhang Yuelu said lightly, “From now on, you are no longer a disciple of the Zhengyi Sect but a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect.”

Qi Xuansu was not surprised because he was already aware of it.

Zhang Yuelu noticed his nonchalance. “It seems you’re already aware.”

“Are you upset?” Qi Xuansu probed.

Zhang Yuelu shook her head. “There’s nothing to be upset about. It’s just that my master obviously knew about this a long time ago but deliberately didn’t tell me. It turns out you’re not that much of a small fart after all!”

Qi Xuansu knew that Zhang Yuelu was intelligent, so it was not easy to fool her. “It sounds like you are upset. Sage Donghua must have communicated with Sage Cihang in advance. Also, I am just a small fart who hasn’t even met Sage Donghua yet. The Sages must have their own considerations. Why would they care about what I think?”

What Qi Xuansu said was reasonable, so much so that Zhang Yuelu could not find anything wrong with it.

Zhang Yuelu sighed. “Of course, I know it’s not your fault. I’m just concerned that Sage Donghua has a deeper motive for making you his pawn.”

Qi Xuansu was deeply touched by this. “Well, why would the mighty Sage Donghua scheme against a small pawn like me?”

Zhang Yuelu looked pensive, but the information she had was insufficient. She also did not want to accuse anyone without evidence. “I hope so. But you should still be cautious.”

Qi Xuansu nodded.

After a slight hesitation, Zhang Yuelu said, “There is one more thing. Once this is over, my master wants to meet you as soon as we return to Jade Capital.”

This was beyond Qi Xuansu’s expectations. He was startled for a second before guilt washed over him. It took him a while to ask, “Sage Cihang wants to see me? What for?”

Zhang Yuelu only smiled at Qi Xuansu. “What do you think?”

Although Qi Xuansu had met Sage Cihang once in Cuowenbu, he was unaware of her real identity at that time, and Sage Cihang did not know his identity either.

As they say, ignorance is bliss.

Now that they both knew their real identities, Qi Xuansu felt flustered.

“Am I allowed to refuse? Or...maybe I don’t have to go back to Jade Capital...” Qi Xuansu added.

Zhang Yuelu emphasized her tone. “What do you think?”

Qi Xuansu sighed helplessly. “You have so many relatives, friends, and elders with high status. Nine out of ten of them are dissatisfied with me, so it’s a real chore to have to meet them one by one.”

Logically speaking, it would be inappropriate for Qi Xuansu to be so blunt in front of Zhang Yuelu, but she did not take offense. On the contrary, she even agreed with what he said.

Her tone became gentler. “Well, I can’t help it either. You’ll just have to be more patient.”

After Qi Xuansu complained, he reflected on himself. “But then again, it’s still my fault for not being good enough. If I had enough power and wealth, they wouldn’t have treated me like that. At my age, the Holy Xuan had yet to integrate the Daoist Order, but he was still comparable to the Deputy Grand Master. If I had half his ability, I would never be treated like this.”

Zhang Yuelu joked, “When you become the Grand Master and go to Yunjin Mountain, my parents will definitely clear the Shangqing Palace and set up the most over-the-top welcome banquet for you. When the time comes, you can get Zhang Yuyue to prostrate herself and kowtow to you. I’ll just watch from the side in awe and listen to your command.”

Qi Xuansu beamed. “So, you agree?”

“Agree with what?” Zhang Yuelu asked.

Qi Xuansu only smiled without saying anything.

Zhang Yuelu realized that she had implied something and could not help but blush. She scoffed. “Don’t get ahead of yourself until you meet my master.”

Qi Xuansu muttered, “Speaking of which, Sage Cihang and I can be considered old acquaintances...”

Zhang Yuelu teased. “Great! Then you can talk about your friendship when you meet her. I have no objections.”

Qi Xuansu would never dare. He smiled sheepishly. “This is just between us. When I meet Sage Cihang, I can only listen to her instructions. At most, I can talk about the deep affection we have for each other.”

Zhang Yuelu rolled her eyes at him. “Who even has a deep affection for you?”

Seeing the girlish side of the usually serious Zhang Yuelu was strange even for Mu Jin. She had also noticed the building romantic tension in the room, so she could no longer ignore it. Thus, she coughed to remind them of her presence.

Zhang Yuelu finally remembered that Mu Jin was still around. She cleared her throat and resumed her normal work demeanor. “If there is nothing else...”

Qi Xuansu took the initiative to stand up. “I’ll take my leave then.”

The couple gazed at each other again, and Mu Jin could not help but roll her eyes.

Although Zhang Yuelu was usually calm and composed, she was still a novice when it came to relationships.

Coupled with the joy of their reunion, Zhang Yuelu seemed more like a young woman who was in love than the revered Deputy Hall Master of Tiangang Hall.

When Qi Xuansu left, Mu Jin could not help but speak out. “Qing Xiao, what do you even like about him?”

Zhang Yuelu glanced at her. “I don’t know either. I can’t explain it.”

Mu Jin could only sigh helplessly. In the end, she still lost to Qi Xuansu.

However, instead of harboring pure jealousy as she did before, this time she was somewhat convinced of her loss because Qi Xuansu dared to risk his life for Zhang Yuelu. This fact alone made him way better than countless others who wanted to pursue Zhang Yuelu.

On the other hand, Qi Xuansu felt like a thief when he left Zhang Yuelu’s residence. Fortunately, there was no one around, which made him feel a little more at ease.

When he left Zhang Yuelu’s courtyard, he calmed his nerves and remembered something—the death of Wan Xiuwu.

According to Pei Xiaolou, Yue Liuli’s first suspect was Qi Xuansu. It was only because Qi Xuansu was presumed to be “deceased” at the time that he was cleared of suspicion. However, with his reappearance, Yue Liuli would not be convinced that Qi Xuansu had nothing to do with Wan Xiuwu’s death, so she would probably bring this matter up again at the Wuxu Palace.

For Qi Xuansu, this meant trouble, so he needed to think of a countermeasure.

He did not discuss the matter with Zhang Yuelu because he did not want to put her in a difficult position. It was already against Zhang Yuelu’s principles to conceal the fact that he had killed Wan Xiuwu, so he could not bear to put Zhang Yuelu in a dilemma again.

However, since it involved Wuxu Palace, it was not something Qi Xuansu could handle alone. Thus, Qi Xuansu decided to go to Pei Xiaolou to discuss countermeasures. After all, this Sage knew everything about him, so they could discuss it openly. Moreover, Pei Xiaolou had the right to intervene in this matter because he was from the Chongyang Palace of Immortality.

Thinking of this, Qi Xuansu made a beeline to Pei Xiaolou’s courtyard.