A Pawn's Passage

After finishing their tour of the garden, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu decided it was not appropriate to stay in their new residence since the renovations were not yet complete.

Instead, they would stay at Zhang Yuelu’s residence in Taishang Place.

Little Yin was reluctant to leave. Spotting a blank wall, she left behind one of her own ink works—a vivid painting of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor riding an ox. Her painting skills were exceptionally refined—nothing like what she claimed about being unable to draw at all. Usually, she simply wanted to slack off with calligraphy or painting, deliberately sketching simple drawings to save effort and to fool Qi Xuansu.

Many people mistakenly believe that Central Plains painting favored freehand expression and was entirely non-realist. Rather, freehand painting, also called literati painting, did not require much technical foundation, making it easy to pick up.

Literati painting was much like doggerel poetry. At its core, it reflected Confucian authority rather than professional skill. Those in high positions would tout themselves by splashing a few strokes of ink-washed landscapes or some sort of murky flowers, birds, and fish. There were no clear standards of quality, so as long as it was vaguely passable, someone would flatter the painter. This made it convenient for turning power into prestige.

However, realism required solid fundamentals, like structure, perspective, lighting, chiaroscuro, and distance. How could those in high office have the time to study such things? Even with mastery, such paintings were time-consuming and could not be done with a stroke of a brush like literati paintings.

In truth, this was not unique to the Confucians. Daoist priests loved to write poetry and could not stop once they started, yet their level was far below that of true poets. But due to their titles, no one dared to call it out. It was like the Western tale of the Emperor’s New Clothes.

When Little Yin claimed she could not paint landscapes, she was actually mocking literati painting.

Zhang Yuelu’s residence was much smaller than the Princess Xuanzhen Mansion, but it was well kept and furnished to the standards of the Dazhen Mansion. Since Zhang Yuelu usually lived in her home in Xuan City and rarely came to Taishang Place, the residence was quiet and lacking in human warmth.

Little Yin quickly grew fond of the place and did not want to leave at all.

Early the next morning, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu went out separately to visit some elders and colleagues.

Zhang Yuelu went to see Sage Cihang, while Qi Xuansu went to see Sage Donghua.

Besides that, Qi Xuansu also visited some elders who were not his direct superior because he still needed to maintain some social ties. So that warranted a courtesy visit to Qi Jiaozheng, Xu Dacheng, and Yao Shu.

After all, this world was all about human connection and social propriety.

Naturally, Qi Xuansu would not bring up the Nanyang United Trading Company, nor was there any need to. Everything was already understood without words.

There were rumors that Yao Shu, the Chief Deputy Ziwei Hall Master, might replace Wang Jiaohe as the Poluo Daoist Mansion Master. This was entirely reasonable. The Yao family was due to have a Mansion Master. As the Chief Deputy of the foremost hall in Jade Capital, Yao Shu could be considered the foremost among all Chief Deputies, even the foremost below the rank of an Omniscient Sage. Thus, having him fill the vacancy of an Omniscient Sage was perfectly logical.

Others said this was simply the Quanzhen Sect executing a smooth succession plan. Yao Shu would go to Poluo as the Mansion Master, while Qi Xuansu would take over as the Chief Deputy Ziwei Hall Master. A few years later, once the Earthly Preceptor ascended and Sage Donghua took his place, Qi Xuansu would be posted outward as the Poluo Daoist Mansion Master, while Yao Shu would return to Jade Capital to succeed Sage Donghua as the Ziwei Hall Master.

It was a simple exchange from the left hand to the right hand, and vice versa.

However, Qi Xuansu did not think things would be that simple. His biggest weakness was his lack of seniority. How could he possibly leap straight to becoming the Chief Deputy of the Ziwei Hall? Moreover, according to the Heavenly Preceptor, he would have to remain in Poluo for at least three to five years. It made no sense for Ziwei Hall’s Chief Deputy position to be left vacant for so many years just waiting for him.

In truth, Qi Xuansu was rather pleased at the prospect of Yao Shu becoming the Poluo Daoist Mansion Master because he had a good impression of the man. What Qi Xuansu feared most was the appointment of a new Mansion Master whose political views clashed with his own. Although he had the support of Great Sage Lan and an alliance with Xu Jiaorong, giving him de facto control of the Daoist Mansion and enough confidence to contend even with a Mansion Master, doing so would look bad and give others leverage to criticize him in the future. Harmonious coexistence was best.

Thus, Qi Xuansu placed special emphasis on Yao Shu in this round of visits.

Yao Shu understood this as well. Although he was about to be promoted to an Omniscient Sage, neither truly outranked the other, and they interacted as equals.

Even if Yao Shu did become Poluo Daoist Mansion Master, making him Qi Xuansu’s superior in name, their relationship would still be that of partners. If disagreements arose and matters turned ugly, the Mansion Master would not get the final say. It would inevitably be a contest of power.

When the Daoist Order arranged appointments, it did not ignore harmony between colleagues. If things turned south, one of them would have to be transferred away.

However, it was also inappropriate for colleagues to have too close a relationship. For example, Wang Jiaohe and Chen Shuhua were excessively close. They covered for each other, colluded shamelessly, and formed an alliance of interests. In the end, it led to a catastrophe. Thus, this also had to be taken into account.

In a single day, Qi Xuansu visited many places—Ziwei Hall, Huasheng Hall, and Tianji Hall. These were the three major halls under the Quanzhen Sect’s sphere of influence, so he could not afford to miss any of them.

Of the remaining six halls, Tiangang Hall, Duzhi Hall, and Ciji Hall belonged to the Zhengyi Sect. The other three—Beichen Hall, Shibo Hall, and Fengxian Hall—were under the influence of the Taiping Sect. Aside from Beichen Hall, Qi Xuansu only needed to make a visit to Tiangang Hall to pay his respects to his future mother-in-law, Sage Cihang.

Sage Qingwei was currently at Beichen Hall because he had already returned from Fenglin. Since Qi Xuansu had once served under Sage Qingwei and his distinction as the top contributor among the eighth-generation disciples had been earned under Sage Qingwei’s command, there was some lingering bond of association between the two. Although the two later confronted each other over Izanagi and the situation had turned rather ugly, Sage Qingwei had ultimately relented in Li Tianzhen’s matters and even allied himself with Qi Xuansu once. Thus, Qi Xuansu could not ignore him and had to pay him a visit as well.

By common standards, the Three Daoist Heirs were not people one could meet at will. Appointments were required. However, Qi Xuansu’s status was special, and so were his connections. He could meet them whenever he wished. Even though he was distant from Sage Qingwei, he could still convey his request through Li Zhuyu.

Facing the top three Omniscient Sages, Qi Xuansu could not afford to utter a single wrong word and had to handle every interaction with extreme caution.

This left Qi Xuansu thoroughly exhausted.

On the third day, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu left Jade Capital and set off for the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Little Yin would be going home as well.

The Wanxiang Daoist Palace covered an immense area, encompassing the entirety of Ziwei City. Longmen Prefecture had once been the Qi Dynasty’s Eastern Capital, standing alongside the Western Capital. Ziwei City was the palace city of the Eastern Capital. Within it was the Hall of Enlightenment, also known as the Ming Hall, which was the Upper Palace that countless fourth-rank Jijiu Daoists had once attended.

Beyond the Upper Palace, more than half of Ziwei City constituted the Lower Palace, housing no fewer than tens of thousands of people, including instructors and Daoist nuns. Yet each year, only a little over a thousand truly managed to pass both major examinations and graduate successfully. The rest became ordinary Daoist believers. Although Daoist believers could later convert into Daoist priests, their upper limit was the seventh rank and could rise no higher. Among those thousand-plus graduates, fewer than a hundred might advance from the ninth rank to the fourth rank. Those who could truly reach the second rank were fewer than a handful.

Qi Xuansu was among that handful, and the youngest of them, making it a matter of great significance and pride for the entire Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Strictly speaking, the Wanxiang Daoist Palace was Qi Xuansu’s true home. Thus, this return was met with preferential treatment. The Wanxiang Daoist Palace had already begun publicizing Qi Xuansu’s accomplishments, using them to inspire the orphans of the Lower Palace.

Qi Xuansu was the pride of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, and the long-gone star students—Yue Liuli and Wan Xiuwu—were all but forgotten.

The last time Qi Xuansu came to the Upper Palace, he had also come together with Zhang Yuelu. That time, however, she was merely dropping him off. This time, the two were classmates for their advanced studies.

The flying ship landed on Xingye Lake, where people were already waiting. Among them were Zhang Juxian and several other Special-Rank Golden-Purple Instructors.

In the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, instructors were divided into five ranks: Special-Rank Golden-Purple Instructor, Golden-Purple Instructor, Silver-Green Instructor, Regular Instructor, and Assistant Instructor. Generally speaking, Special-Rank Golden-Purple Instructors were all third-rank Youyi Daoists, while Golden-Purple Instructors were fourth-rank Jijiu Daoists; Silver-Greens were fifth-rank Daoists, Regulars were sixth-rank Daoists, and Assistants were at the seventh rank.

When Qi Xuansu was still in the Lower Palace, those responsible for their daily living arrangements and various chores were the Assistant Instructors. Teaching duties were handled by the Regular Instructors, while the Silver-Green Instructors generally did not teach at all, focusing instead on managing the many administrative affairs of the Lower Palace.

After entering the Upper Palace, the responsibility for miscellaneous affairs fell to the Golden-Purple Instructors. However, unlike the Assistant Instructors, they did not personally handle everything. Instead, they had a group of lower-rank instructors working under them.

The Special-Rank Golden-Purple Instructors were mainly responsible for teaching, while the Assistants only taught on occasion and were more often occupied with handling administrative affairs.

Zhang Juxian was Zhang Yuelu’s uncle and a senior figure within the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, so he was considered Qi Xuansu’s elder. As such, the couple took the initiative to offer their greetings.

After all, this was not their turf. If this were in Poluo, even a third-rank Youyi Daoist would have to stand while reporting to Qi Xuansu. After the thorough purge, everyone feared Chief Deputy Qi. Moreover, with him controlling the purse strings of Nanyang, everyone wanted to curry favor with him.

Now, they were under someone else’s roof, so they had to bow their heads.

No matter what position or rank one held, upon arriving at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, one had to follow the rules there. One would become a student again, and students were required to salute instructors upon meeting them. They were also forbidden from bringing secretaries, so they would not be waited on and had to handle everything personally. They had to attend classes on time and even had to take turns serving as the duty monitor to manage internal affairs.

Truth be told, it was difficult to go from luxury to frugality, so Qi Xuansu was somewhat unaccustomed to it. At moments like this, he really missed Chen Jianchou, someone to whom he could simply give an order and have things done. But the silver lining was that he no longer had endless paperwork to sort through during this time, which actually made him considerably relaxed.

After exchanging greetings, Zhang Juxian led Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu to meet the Great Sage of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Looking toward the distant Upper Palace, Qi Xuansu could not help but lament inwardly. I see the Upper Palace as full of charm; I suppose the Upper Palace must feel the same seeing me.