A Pawn's Passage

Just as Qi Xuansu was about to arrive at Lion City, Zhang Yuelu had just concluded her conversation with Sage Donghua in Jade Capital.

Qi Xuansu had the most battle merit among the eighth-generation disciples in this Fenglin Campaign, while Zhang Yuelu firmly ranked as second.

Her promotion had long been anticipated.

It had been mentioned before that Zhang Yuelu’s greatest advantage over Qi Xuansu was not in her family background but in her steady ascent with solid experience to back her up.

When Zhang Yuelu was a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist, Qi Xuansu was merely at the seventh rank. But now, they both held the same third-rank Youyi Daoist title. Clearly, Zhang Yuelu’s path had been slowly built through time with an accumulation of experience. By contrast, Qi Xuansu’s rise felt meteoric and too abrupt.

For this reason, Qi Xuansu still required a three-step transitional process. First, he would serve as the Second Deputy Mansion Master before he would be formally confirmed. Then, he could be considered for a promotion to the second rank. However, Zhang Yuelu could be appointed in one step.

After a small meeting within the Golden Tower Council, it was decided that Zhang Yuelu would be granted a positional rank of a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master, which meant that her rank would be tied only to her position.

There were two reasons for this arrangement. First, it would be improper to have two Acting Second Deputies simultaneously. Second, Qi Xuansu had already held a regional post for some time and had just recently been formally confirmed as a third-rank Youyi Daoist. So to immediately promote him to the second rank would seem hasty. Thus, it was better for the young man to wait a little and advance when the time was right.

On the other hand, Zhang Yuelu had never held any regional posts. To promote her straight to a Sage would be hard to justify, especially since Qi Xuansu, who had the most battle merit, had not reached that rank. Moreover, Zhang Yuelu was still very young, so such a rapid rise would invite criticism.

Thus, the compromise was to grant her a positional rank of Sage, which was reasonable.

Since it was a positional rank, it had to be bound to an office. She would only be considered a Sage while serving in that post. If she relinquished the position, she would revert to her original third-rank Youyi Daoist status.

There was no doubt about the nature of her appointment. Zhang Yuelu would be dispatched from the Tiangang Hall to serve as the Second Deputy Mansion Master. This was the most orthodox route toward competing for the future Grand Master seat. The key question now was, which Daoist Mansion?

The first choice was the Wuzhou Daoist Mansion, as it was the Zhang family’s territory. Serving as Second Deputy there would be like returning home. Even if trouble arose, the Chief Deputy and the Mansion Master would take care of it. Moreover, the Dazhen Mansion and Shangqing Palace were located within Wuzhou, under the direct watch of the Heavenly Preceptor. Thus, it was a safe and prestigious posting, perfect for gilding a résumé.

Originally, the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion had also been under consideration because it was the territory of the Cihang lineage. But since Zhang Jucheng had just been appointed as the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master, that option was temporarily ruled out.

Even so, everyone knew full well that Zhang Yuelu would one day have a chance to take over that role. After all, she had risen to fame through the two major Jiangnan cases. If she were to enter the Nine Halls after serving as the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master, Jiangnan would certainly be her auspicious place.

There were also several Daoist Mansions under the Quanzhen Sect—such as Huzhou, Zhongzhou, and Shuzhou—that were often involved in exchange appointments. This meant that Zhang Yuelu would temporarily serve in the Quanzhen Sect’s Daoist Mansions, and when Yao Pei rose in rank, she would be transferred to the Zhengyi Sect’s territories in turn. It was a routine arrangement, part of the long-standing cooperation between the two sects.

Yet, unexpectedly, Zhang Yuelu was assigned neither to Wuzhou nor to any of the Quanzhen Sect’s Daoist Mansions. Instead, she was dispatched to the Lingnan Daoist Mansion.

In other words, Zhang Yuelu was appointed as a second-rank Second Deputy of the Lingnan Daoist Mansion. From this moment onward, she could rightfully be addressed as Sage Zhang, or Second Deputy Zhang.

This made Zhang Yuelu the youngest Sage in the entire Daoist Order. She was also the youngest Second Deputy because Qi Xuansu was older and was only an Acting Second Deputy.

The arrangement stirred much speculation. After all, Lingnan lay close to Poluo, and the two regions frequently had trade exchanges. To place Qi Xuansu in the Poluo Daoist Mansion and Zhang Yuelu in the Lingnan Daoist Mansion seemed like a deliberate collaboration between the two sects. From the beginning in Tiangang Hall to their joint deployment on the second major Jiangnan Case, the Wuxing Mountain battle, and the Fenglin Campaign, the couple had been long-time partners. Who would believe that their assignments were just a coincidence?

Qi Xuansu would work from within the Poluo Daoist Mansion, while Zhang Yuelu would move from the Lingnan trade front. It was a classic two-pronged assault, exerting pressure from both sides.

Moreover, like Qi Xuansu, Zhang Yuelu was one of the Deputy Mansion Masters tasked with eliminating the Holy Court’s infiltration, as mentioned by Sage Cihang during the Joint Council. This mission gave both Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu a legitimate pretext to cooperate in a joint crusade against the Holy Court’s presence in Nanyang.

Furthermore, Lei Xiaohuan was acting as the Deputy of the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion, in charge of combating the Holy Court’s influence in that region. Given Jiangnan’s frequent trade with Nanyang and her prior connection to Qi Xuansu as his former superior and Zhang Yuelu as her co-investigator during the second major Jiangnan case, these three now formed an unspoken alliance, joining the three Daoist Mansions along one invisible thread.

A giant net around Poluo was being quietly woven.

Clearly, the Heavenly Preceptor and the Earthly Preceptor had orchestrated this reshuffle from a grand strategic perspective, not merely to plan the career paths for their juniors.

While the Taiping Sect focused its attention on the Fenglin Campaign, the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect had already turned their gaze toward Poluo, preparing to shake its foundations and overturn its internal power hierarchy.

Yet just as the Heavenly Preceptor and Earthly Preceptor once united to foil Sage Qingwei and the Imperial Preceptor’s plans, this new balance was fragile. The Imperial Preceptor had not openly opposed the personnel changes within the Poluo Daoist Mansion, but he was by no means idle. He would not hesitate to throw obstacles in the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect’s paths when the moment came.

Therefore, it was no coincidence that Li Tianzhen had headed to Nanyang at this time, as he was very likely acting under the Imperial Preceptor’s directive.

Thus, everything came down to human will. Whatever the final fate of Poluo Daoist Mansion, its outcome would hinge upon Qi Xuansu himself.

The fact that the Earthly Preceptor had chosen to place him at such a crucial position spoke volumes of the trust and expectation they had in him.

After Zhang Yuelu left Ziwei Hall, she received her new insignia, hechang, and crown through her license. The hechang of a third-rank Youyi Daoist differed little from that of a second-rank Taiyi Daoist. Both were primarily black. The only distinction lay in the extra accessory in the second-rank robe’s front buttons—the Sword of Wisdom that Qi Xuansu had long yearned to have. This sword pendant symbolized the severance of troubles, desire, and greed.

The most visible change to her uniform was from the Five Peaks Crown to the new Lotus Crown. There were three types of Lotus Crowns. Virtuous Great Sages wore a golden-purple lotus crown, Omniscient Sages a white jade one, and ordinary Sages a golden one. Zhang Yuelu’s crown was the lowest tier, like a half-bloomed golden lotus resting above her head.

As soon as Zhang Yuelu returned to her office, she changed into her full formal attire and stood before the mirror, examining herself.

It fit her perfectly.

At this moment, she felt somewhat dazed as she recalled her journey.

In the blink of an eye, she had become a Sage, no longer a mere superintendent of Beichen Hall. She felt as though the first major Jiangnan case had happened only yesterday. Back then, she was a young girl stumbling through the obstacles without clarity. Soon, she would become a married woman.

Everything felt like a dream.