A Pawn's Passage

Secret societies differed greatly in nature. For instance, the Lingshan Witch Cult and the Cult of Fates operated like religious cults. The Heavenly Court was somewhere between an independent kingdom and a massive guild. Seven Treasures Pavilion resembled a merchant’s association. Qingping Society was closer to a secret alliance, The Inn was an assassin organization, and the Eight Tribes still preserved the Daoist organizational structure.

The Ziguang Society was more akin to an intelligence agency, with fewer members compared to the rest, yet omnipresent. Each member typically had dual identities, similar to the Qingping Society. From this, one could see the shared style of the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect in the sense that both pursued quality in their secret networks.

The Taiping Sect, on the other hand, pursued quantity. The Heavenly Court had the most members, but its overall quality was questionable.

As the economic and commercial heart of Nanyang, Lion City was a melting pot of cultures. Besides being a place where the wealthy congregated, it was also a hub of information. Many well-informed individuals resided long-term in both Thanglong Prefecture and Lion City. Those in Thanglong gathered intelligence on the Daoist Mansion’s movements, while those in Lion City exchanged trade information.

Naturally, the Ziguang Society also maintained a branch in Lion City. Though this was Zhang Yuelu’s first time here, she had done her homework, so she navigated the streets and alleys so deftly that Ke Qingqing nearly thought her boss had lived here for years.

Star Lord Xuanji was the superior of the seven Star Lords and deputy to True Lord Ziguang. Xuanji had once made a wager with Zhang Yuelu. Had Zhang Yuelu lost, she would have become one of the Star Lords. Since she won, someone else took that vacancy.

The other seven Star Lords bore the names of stars—Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Yuheng, Yaoguang, Tianquan, and Kaiyang.

According to Star Lord Xuanji, the Lion City branch was under the authority of Star Lord Yuheng. Meeting Yuheng was no simple task. Members of the Ziguang Society were extremely well hidden. Without knowing the proper channels, one could not hope to find them.

But this posed no difficulty for Zhang Yuelu. Star Lord Xuanji had already given her the contact method and rendezvous procedure. All she had to do was follow the instructions.

After circling the outer city thoroughly and confirming that no one was tailing them, Zhang Yuelu finally slipped into a deserted alley.

Night had fallen, and the alley was pitch-dark. She walked swiftly to a small door at the end, lightly knocked four times, paused for half a minute, then knocked heavily three more times.

Moments later, the door opened from within. There was no lamp lit inside. Only faint moonlight from above illuminated the space. Zhang Yuelu and Ke Qingqing stepped through.

The doorkeeper closed the door and led them inside.

They walked through a long corridor, crossed a small courtyard, and entered a side hall.

A woman dressed as a maid awaited them. She was slender, graceful, and strikingly beautiful. Despite her maid’s attire, she did not behave like one, neither offering tea nor standing respectfully to the side. Instead, she openly scrutinized Zhang Yuelu and Ke Qingqing.

Zhang Yuelu said nothing. She simply presented a bracelet that had nine purple jade beads strung together. The biggest bead symbolized True Lord Ziguang. The second largest bead symbolized Star Lord Xuanji, and the remaining seven beads each represented one of the Seven Star Lords.

Upon seeing the bracelet, the maid’s demeanor immediately turned respectful, and she invited the two to follow her.

It was clear that this side hall was only a waiting area, far from a proper reception room. The real meeting place was elsewhere.

They left through the side door of the hall and entered another long corridor lined with large red lanterns on both sides. The lanterns swayed gently in the night breeze, making their shadows flicker.

The maid walked ahead to lead the way. Her skirt was long, trailing to the floor, hiding her shoes. As she moved, one could not even see her lift her feet, as if she were gliding.

After the corridor, a doorway appeared. Beyond it was a dazzling light that stretched the maid’s shadow across the floor.

This was the true reception hall.

“Star Lord, our honored guests have arrived.” The maid stepped aside after entering, moving to stand on Zhang Yuelu’s right, while Ke Qingqing stood to Zhang Yuelu’s left.

The room was furnished in a distinctly Western style, with a large coffee table and matching sofas. Traditional Chinese chairs and small tables were too hierarchical and not always convenient. Though Western furnishings also had distinctions of status, they were far less rigid.

A stunning woman sat on the single sofa facing the entrance. Like Chen Jianqiu, she bore Western blood. Her black curls spilled loosely in waves, and her purple eyes contrasted sharply with her crimson lips. She wore a white shirt with its collar casually open, a black vest patterned with dark gold, black velvet trousers, and sleek black heeled leather boots. A faint scent of cloves clung to her.

The ruby ring on her right hand glimmered while she swirled the glass filled with dark red wine.

This was Star Lord Yuheng.

Only the Daoist Order forbade excessive rejuvenation. Outside the Order, elder beauties did not need to restrict themselves to the appearance of a 40-year-old. Star Lord Yuheng looked about 30.

“Sage Qing Xiao, welcome.” The beautiful woman did not rise. She merely pointed to the single sofa opposite her, gesturing for Zhang Yuelu to sit.

After sitting, Zhang Yuelu leaned forward slightly in courtesy. “It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Zhang Yuelu.”

Then, the two fell into silence.

Star Lord Yuheng’s cultivation far surpassed Zhang Yuelu’s, but in terms of presence and bearing, Zhang Yuelu was not far off.

The fewer selfish desires one held, the closer one came to a fearless state.

Zhang Yuelu certainly had personal desires, but she harbored far fewer than most people. Thus, when facing nearly anyone, she could remain unafraid.

Otherwise, why would Madam Qi dislike Zhang Yuelu?

To put it bluntly, not just anyone was worthy of earning Madam Qi’s “dislike.” Ordinary people were simply ignored. But Zhang Yuelu posed a threat to her.

In truth, all mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts stemmed from the struggle for influence and authority. In the small household of Qi Xuansu and Madam Qi, Madam Qi had always been the head. But with Zhang Yuelu entering the family, she became the natural successor to that role, a direct rival to Madam Qi. Thus, the question was—who would get the final say?

Would Madam Qi relinquish her seat and enjoy her retirement? Or would Zhang Yuelu bow low and play meek?

Madam Qi found she could not quite suppress Zhang Yuelu because of the latter’s inherent righteousness.

Madam Qi was far from benevolent. Had Qi Xuansu married a delicate, pretty, yet shallow and vain woman who liked to throw tantrums, Qi Xuansu might have held back for appearance’s sake. But Madam Qi would never be soft. She would show such a woman exactly what a fearsome mother-in-law looked like. If necessary, she would not mind doing some dirty work. Only the wicked could deal with the wicked.

But none of these methods worked on Zhang Yuelu because she was self-reliant and ambitious. She knew what was right, and she walked that path with unwavering discipline.

Star Lord Yuheng felt something similar to Madam Qi’s reaction. She had intended to display some authority and exert pressure on this junior to seize the initiative, but she found herself somewhat suppressed instead. So she subtly shifted her posture into a more relaxed pose, crossing her long legs and tilting her upper body slightly with one elbow resting on the arm of the sofa.

She sipped her red wine gently, her lips alluringly sensual.

Unfortunately, Zhang Yuelu was her only audience.

Zhang Yuelu remained upright, composed, and impeccably formal—exactly the type of Daoist that the fifth-generation Grand Master favored the most. Meanwhile, Madam Qi was the kind of person the fifth-generation Grand Master disliked the most. The two of them resembled the yin-yang symbol, each pulling at Qi Xuansu, who was himself half light and half shadow. However, neither was able to draw him wholly to their side. Instead, a balance naturally formed. Thus, Qi Xuansu was influenced by Zhang Yuelu’s principles and Madam Qi’s methods. But Qi Xuansu was not just a follower of these two women. He had his own mind.

The two women held each other’s gaze for a moment. At last, Star Lord Yuheng set down her wine glass and took the initiative to speak. “Sage Qing Xiao, what brings you here so suddenly?”

Zhang Yuelu got straight to the point. “I’d like to ask for your help investigating all warehouses owned by the Nanyang United Trading Company in Lion City, including those registered under other people’s names.”

Star Lord Yuheng showed a troubled expression. “Ziguang Society isn’t like the other groups. We have a few members and don’t keep idle hands. Each person already has their duties. We simply lack the extra manpower and the budget for this.”

For a brief second, Zhang Yuelu felt as if she were speaking to Madam Qi.

Why were all these older women from secret societies cut from the same cloth, with the same tone and mannerisms?

Star Lord Yuheng continued, “I’m not trying to evade responsibilities. This truly is the situation. If you could speak to the True Lord and have a few more people assigned to us, I would be immensely grateful.”

Zhang Yuelu sighed. “I can’t help with manpower, but I do have funds. Name your price.”

She knew that Ziguang Society was not The Inn. They did not open their doors to outsiders nor sell intelligence or services. It was her Zhang-family identity that allowed her access to this secret society, but it did not come for free. Zhang Yuelu could have used Star Lord Xuanji’s name to pressure Star Lord Yuheng, but that might not guarantee results and might sabotage the mission.

Star Lord Yuheng chuckled. “Even though our sisters all have tasks and can’t be in two places at once, they still have rest hours. If they suffer a bit and lose some sleep, I suppose they can earn a little extra money for cosmetics. What about this? On account of the long-standing ties between our two sides, I’ll charge you 20,000 Taiping coins.”

Zhang Yuelu immediately took out a freshly printed stack of official notes from her magical receptacle and placed it on the table. “I have one more condition. Besides locating the warehouses, your branch must follow my direction for the duration of my stay in Lion City.”

Star Lord Yuheng agreed without hesitation. “No problem.”