A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu had the physique of a Heavenly-Being Martial Arts Practitioner, so he was not afraid of upsetting his stomach, just his taste buds. So, aside from the drunken shrimp, he forcibly finished the Blanched Plain Cabbage, Twenty-Four Moons, and the Pearl, Jade, and Emerald Soup. One was so bland it lacked even a pinch of salt, the others so salty they tasted like brine balls. With two extremes on the same table, the experience was indescribable.

Zhang Yuelu did not shy away either. After the Heavenly Preceptor left and Qi Xuansu neared the end of his suffering, she shared what remained of the lotus seed cake with him.

Qi Xuansu began to seriously consider the idea of fasting. If not for anything else, then at least to survive this type of “kindness” again.

Fortunately, Zhang Yuelu was usually busy and rarely had time to showcase her culinary “talents.” If they truly had to dine together again, Qi Xuansu would not mind cooking. While his food might not be restaurant-level, at the very least, it would not be unpalatable.

After the Heavenly Preceptor left the dining room, he walked to a terrace, gazing out over the vast lake.

He stood alone on the terrace with his hands clasped behind his back, seemingly deep in thought, with no attendants nearby.

Since the Heavenly Preceptor had not summoned them, Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu did not dare approach on their own. Instead, they left Biyou Palace together. Before departing Jade Capital, Zhang Yuelu led Qi Xuansu to visit Yao Pei.

After all, they had worked on the same mission, and Yao Pei held a special status. On paper, Qi Xuansu was Yao Pei’s uncle, so proper courtesy and sentiment could not be ignored.

Moreover, Yao Pei had been wounded trying to cover for them. So if they turned a blind eye now, they would be considered callous and ungrateful.

Due to the many restrictions within Zixiao Palace, the two could not cross the lake directly. Flying was prohibited. Even running was forbidden. They had no choice but to walk along the shores of the lake, heading toward Yuxu Palace, the Earthly Preceptor’s residence.

It was not a short journey, so along the way, they used the time to talk about the recent accusation against Qi Xuansu. Since Qi Xuansu had already come clean with Zhang Yuelu, there was no need to hide his intentions anymore. He candidly shared his plan of letting Madam Qi handle the matter.

Zhang Yuelu had originally intended to resolve it through the Ziguang Society, but since Qi Xuansu had his own plan, she refrained from interfering and simply returned his golden-purple fish talisman.

She had kept the fish talisman since that night. But Qi Xuansu did not know whether she had just forgotten or had planned to contact Madam Qi behind his back.

Even so, Qi Xuansu did not press the matter. He felt guilty for deceiving her in the first place.

Taking back the golden-purple fish talisman, Qi Xuansu planned to contact Madam Qi again once they had left Zixiao Palace.

Soon, the two arrived at Yuxu Palace. The Earthly Preceptor was not present, as he was stationed at the Golden Tower Council, overseeing all matters related to the Fenglin war. Anticipating this, he had brought along ten Deputy Palace Masters from the Chongyang Palace of Immortality and Wuxu Palace, which meant Qi Xuansu had no chance to meet him.

However, one of the Deputy Palace Masters told them that Yao Pei had just fallen asleep and would likely remain so for at least 20 hours, so it was inconvenient for her to receive visitors. She then assured them that she would relay their regards to Yao Pei.

After learning that Yao Pei was not seriously injured, Qi Xuansu did not insist on seeing her. He was to depart Jade Capital with the Heavenly Preceptor that evening, and waiting 20 hours simply was not feasible.

The two took their leave from Yuxu Palace and retraced their steps back to Biyou Palace.

On the way, Qi Xuansu could not help but sigh. “How did Su Yi end up so badly injured by Li Changge? Is there really that much of a gap between us and him?”

Zhang Yuelu, who had seen Yao Pei and knew more of the details, replied, “Li Changge did injure Su Yi, but not to that extent. You actually rescued her by intervening right when he was about to strike a fatal blow.”

Qi Xuansu quickly deflected the credit. “It wasn’t me. It was her.”

Being within Zixiao Palace, Qi Xuansu dared not speak the name of an Ancient Immortal. After all, True Lord Ziguang had once invaded Xuan City, so it was not advisable to mention her name here.

Zhang Yuelu said, “Whether it was you or her, the important thing is that Su Yi is safe now. After that, Madam Qi took over, handing Su Yi over to Spirit Guard Jia Chen. In the end, Great Sage Jiang personally stabilized Su Yi’s injuries and brought her back to Jade Capital. Most of her wounds were caused by the backlash. At her current level, she still can’t handle the power of her Great Witch bloodline. Overstimulating it causes depletion of her true essence. So while Li Changge didn’t directly cause the injuries, he forced them out of her. Li Changge left the fight unscathed. Honestly, most people at the Wuliang stage would not be a match for him either.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “You’re right. But honestly, we can’t compare to their backing and resources.”

Zhang Yuelu let out a soft “mm,” not denying it.

The Imperial Preceptor and Earthly Preceptor had given their descendants a semi-immortal object. But the Heavenly Preceptor had not given one to Zhang Yuelu.

No one knew whether Zhang Yuelu felt envious or resentful.

Although Zhang Yuelu was from a minor branch of the Zhang family and not the Heavenly Preceptor’s biological granddaughter, Yao Pei was not the Earthly Preceptor’s granddaughter. However, Yao Pei came from the main branch of the Zhang family, equivalent to Zhang Yuyue in the Zhang family. Li Changge was not even a descendant of the Imperial Preceptor. He was just a cousin. Though their age gap was quite large and they could not possibly be real siblings, the Li family had poured tremendous resources into him, perhaps more than any of the three Daoist sects had for anyone else.

While Zhang Yuelu was worlds apart from ordinary Daoist disciples, she still fell short compared to the other two prodigies, and the gap was significant.

If Qi Xuansu were in Zhang Yuelu’s shoes, he would have been extremely dissatisfied. How was he supposed to compete with the other two prodigies if the Zhengyi Sect pushed him into the limelight yet provided him no resources? Though he gained the most if he became Grand Master, wouldn’t all of the Zhengyi Sect rise with him? Since everyone benefited, why pretend it was all just a favor?

In this situation, Qi Xuansu could not help but grumble on Zhang Yuelu’s behalf. This was a sign of immaturity, but an understandable one.

Such was the nature within the Daoist Order. While it was constantly emphasized not to say or do things that harmed internal unity, there were, in fact, internal divisions within the Daoist Order. Seeds of discord had been sown since the Holy Xuan Era, and several generations later, those seeds had finally begun to sprout. That was why this immaturity was understandable.

Zhang Yuelu was very mindful of the bigger picture. Even if she harbored resentment, she never complained or said anything that might damage internal unity. She remained rather tolerant. She had only mentioned privately to Qi Xuansu her desire to join the Quanzhen Sect, but it was not a public announcement, so it caused no negative repercussions.

In this regard, Qi Xuansu truly admired Zhang Yuelu.

When the two returned to Biyou Palace, the Heavenly Preceptor was already preparing to depart, so they did not see him and only saw two Deputy Palace Masters of the Dazhen Mansion, who were essentially the Heavenly Preceptor’s secretaries.

However, the two Deputies held different ranks. One was a third-rank Youyi Daoist master, in charge of the Heavenly Preceptor’s daily needs. The other was a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master, responsible for assisting in administrative matters. In terms of official status, the second-rank Taiyi Daoist master ranked higher and was superior to the rest of the Deputy Palace Masters. But the third-rank Youyi Daoist master was closer to the Heavenly Preceptor.

The Heavenly Preceptor’s chief secretary was the Shangqing Palace Master and one of the 36 Omniscient Sages. Due to his elevated status, the chief secretary did not often accompany the Heavenly Preceptor. Instead, he stayed at Shangqing Palace to manage affairs.

Many Sages would go out of their way to curry favor with the third-rank Youyi Daoist master because anyone seeking an audience with the Heavenly Preceptor had to go through him. If they offended him, a mere gesture on his part could derail their request or make the process arduous.

But Zhang Yuelu was not among those who needed to curry favor. She was specially permitted by the Heavenly Preceptor and among the very few allowed direct access to him. With Zhang Yuelu’s boundless potential, both Deputy Palace Masters treated her with the utmost courtesy and dared not regard her as ordinary.

To put it bluntly, although they spent more time with the Heavenly Preceptor, they could not remain at his side forever. But Zhang Yuelu’s relationship with the Heavenly Preceptor was permanent. Especially now that she called him Grandpa so naturally, even a fool could see the Heavenly Preceptor’s intent, let alone these shrewd veterans adept at reading power dynamics.

Zhang Yuelu was not one to put on airs. Her supposed aloofness simply stemmed from her seriousness in handling matters. Since these two secretaries did not have many official dealings with her, their interactions remained harmonious.

Qi Xuansu, riding on Zhang Yuelu’s coattails, was also regarded with greater respect by the two aides.

The second-rank Deputy Palace Master Yan merely greeted the two before turning to leave.

The third-rank Deputy Palace Master Tang Jiaohua smiled and said, “Old Master has already boarded the ship, Young Lady and Deputy Hall Master Qi. He has instructed me to wait here for the two of you so we can go aboard together.”

Since he was in charge of the Heavenly Preceptor’s daily affairs, this secretary was considered part of the Zhang family, that was why his terms of address differed from others. He did not call the Heavenly Preceptor by official title, but simply “Old Master.” He also did not care what the main branch of the Zhang family thought of Zhang Yuelu. What mattered to him was the Heavenly Preceptor’s stance. In his eyes, Zhang Yuelu was the Young Lady, and everyone else could take a step back.

Zhang Yuelu gave a slight nod and said, “Thank you, Uncle Tang.”

Tang Jiaohua was very pleased with being called Uncle Tang. It meant that Zhang Yuelu regarded him as one of her own and was willing to show him respect. In return, he would reciprocate by stopping any unfavorable rumors about Zhang Yuelu before they could ever reach the Heavenly Preceptor’s ears.

With Tang Jiaohua leading the way, the two boarded the Heavenly Preceptor’s flying ship.