A Pawn's Passage

Kinship within the Daoist community was invisible and intangible. The truth was never that simple.

A thousand words from a minion were not comparable to one or two words from a big shot. The friendship of ordinary people was worthless, but the favor of a big shot was something that many people wished for.

There was a saying that one need not make great contributions to the country. Instead, one should offer small acts of kindness to the emperor to gain favor.

If Ai Li chose to help the Daoist Order, she would get many benefits. She could get the same treatment as a Daoist priest and enter Jade Capital using a flying ship. The Daoist Order would also give priority to her caravan in terms of trade. This was considered a basic treatment.

If she made great contributions to the Daoist Order, she could even become a guest of the Sages and be awarded a Sage Kindred title. This title was equivalent to that of an ordinary second-rank Taiyi Daoist master.

As a city lord, Ai Li naturally understood the truth behind this, so she clarified. “Is this true?”

“I can make the decision.” Zhang Yuelu took out a note from her magical receptacle and placed it on the table between the two of them.

Ai Li glanced at the paper filled with all the necessary stamps, but the space for her name was empty.

Zhang Yuelu said, “This is a certificate for a fifth-rank Daoist priest. It is the quota given to me by the Hall Master. As long as you fill in your name, you can enjoy the treatment of a fifth-rank Daoist priest. Since you are a Daoist Priest Kindred, you don’t have to follow the customs of the Daoist Order. You won’t be controlled by higher-ranking Daoist priests, either. This title only has advantages and no disadvantages.”

Ai Li was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled brightly. She ordered the maid, “Go and invite the rest of our Daoist guests inside.”

She then turned back to Zhang Yuelu. “I will do my best to fulfill your orders, Mage.”

Zhang Yuelu was direct. “Alright, then. I would like to ask you to order a search for any suspicious outsiders recently, especially people from the Western Continent.”

“No problem!” Ai Li happily agreed.

Zhang Yuelu looked at Qi Xuansu again and winked.

Qi Xuansu immediately understood that it was his cue to say something. “City Lord, I would like to remind you that having two feet on the same boat makes it stable. But one is bound to fall when stepping on two boats.”

Ai Li’s expression was unchanged. She maintained her smile. “Of course.”

Qi Xuansu stopped talking.

Ai Li stood up, saying, “Everyone must be tired from your travels, so please rest in my mansion for the night. I will issue the search order now, and we will discuss it tomorrow morning.”

“That’s fine.” Zhang Yuelu did not refuse.

Ai Li clapped her hands. Immediately, a maid walked into the living room and saluted Zhang Yuelu. “Mage, please follow me.”

At night, Ai Li hosted a banquet for Zhang Yuelu, Lingquanzi, and Zhou Bai. Qi Xuansu did not attend. He ate with the other Tiangang Hall Daoist priests because this was the rule. If something unexpected were to happen and Zhang Yuelu, Lingquanzi, and Zhou Bai were not around, Qi Xuansu would be the leader of the group. This showed how much Zhang Yuelu trusted Qi Xuansu.

Ordinary Daoist priests did not get to enjoy the city lord’s dinner reception, but they were treated well. The servants of the city lord’s mansion specially prepared meals common to the Central Plains for the group, with four side dishes of meat and vegetables for each person. Everyone also had a lamb leg and wine from the Western Region.

The Daoist Order had a special poison-testing instrument shaped like a thin needle that was about 15 centimeters long. It was installed under the barrel of their issued pistol and could be pulled out whenever necessary.

After testing that the food was non-toxic, everyone began to eat and drink with confidence. The taste was not as good as the restaurant dishes in Jade Capital, but everyone still enjoyed their meal. That was because they had only been eating dry rations or the awful-tasting Army Pills in the past two weeks. It had been a long time since they had a proper meal.

Qi Xuansu, Cao Liyou, and Shangguan Dun sat at the same table. Shangguan Dun took a sip of chicken soup and muttered, “I thought I could go out and brag about how good the food in the city lord’s mansion was, but I was wrong.”

“That’s true. There are some weird spices added to this dish. It’s not authentic.” Cao Liyou nodded in agreement.

Qi Xuansu heard their complaints and scolded them with a smile. “Some of them are nice. You’re just picky. Don’t complain so much.”

He then offered the best-tasting dish—the lamb leg—to the two of them.

Cao Liyou was a little embarrassed. “Deacon Qi, you should also eat some.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Don’t worry about me. I noticed that you haven’t eaten much solid food these days, so you might as well take this opportunity to eat more.”

“Deacon Qi, are you vegetarian?” Cao Liyou could not help but ask. In the Daoist Order, many priests were vegetarians and did not marry, such as Lingquanzi.

Qi Xuansu replied, “No.”

Cao Liyou smiled a little shyly, stopped talking, and concentrated on eating the lamb leg.

In the end, nothing went to waste. Shangguan Dun even gnawed all the tendons of the lamb leg.

After the meal, a servant came to clear away the empty dishes and brought over some hot tea.

Qi Xuansu took a sip of hot tea and asked, “Brother Shangguan, do you think this city lord is related to the foreign demon we are looking for?”

“It’s hard to say.” Shangguan Dun was picking his teeth as he spoke. “The Ai family is very powerful, and the real people in power are hidden behind the scenes. They pushed the young girl out to meet us. When the girl saw Mage Zhang, she pretended not to know what was going on. It’s like she’s trying to—”

“Hide something,” Cao Liyou interjected.

“Yes, it’s quite fishy.” Shangguan Dun finished picking his teeth, so his voice was clearer. “They must know of the existence of those demons. But I don’t know if they are from the same group. The Ai family has such roots. They just don’t dare to make an enemy of the Daoist Order.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Brother Shangguan is right.”

Shangguan Dun looked around and saw that no one else was paying attention to them, so he lowered his voice and said, “Deacon Qi, I see that you have a special relationship with Mage Zhang. Can you tell me exactly what your relationship is?”

Qi Xuansu asked back, ”Brother Shangguan, why are you asking about this?”

Shangguan Dun frowned. “I saw that Mage Zhang had a Daoist Priest Kindred certificate. I was thinking that since I led the way for you all, I have made some contributions, too, right? Can you get one of those certificates for me too? I don’t need such a high-ranking certificate. Just a ninth-rank Daoist priest will do.”

Qi Xuansu scoffed. “You didn’t dare to ask Mage Zhang, so you came to me, huh?”

Shangguan Dun coughed. “If not a priest, how about a Daoist attendant?”

“Why don’t you just be a Daoist believer?” Qi Xuansu asked. “In the Daoist Order, only minors are called Daoist attendants. If you become a Daoist attendant at your age, I’m afraid others will laugh at you.”

Shangguan Dun suddenly tugged on his white beard. “Daoist believer... Well, at least there’s a Daoist in there.”

Qi Xuansu couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry. “I have no say in this matter, but I’ve heard that there are fixed quotas for Daoist Priest Kindreds, which are determined by Ziwei Hall every year. The approval process is extremely strict. They would rather leave it vacant than grant it arbitrarily. Besides, Mage Zhang won’t agree unless you contribute to trapping and suppressing the foreign demons.”

Shangguan Dun sighed. “Fine... Forget it, then.”

As they conversed, Zhang Yuelu returned. Her face bore no expression, making it challenging to discern her mood.

Everyone rose to their feet in succession.

Zhang Yuelu waved her hand, signaling them not to be overly formal. She then made eye contact with Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu stood up and followed Zhang Yuelu out. Once the two had left, whispers filled the room, mostly speculating about their relationship.

Outside the building, the night was serene with a chilly breeze.

Qi Xuansu broke the silence. “Did you enjoy the wine at dinner?”

“I don’t know much about grape wine. It’s sweet, but also slightly bitter. It has a unique flavor.” Zhang Yuelu smiled. “I’m not used to this kind of dinner. I’m just there to socialize and ask for help.”

Qi Xuansu changed the topic. “Is the Ai family reliable?”

“They’re reliable for the time being.” Zhang Yuelu rubbed her temples, not knowing whether she felt dizzy from drinking too much. “After all, the Ai family won’t dare offend the Daoist Order openly.”

“That’s what Shangguan Dun said as well.” Qi Xuansu roughly recounted the conversation between himself and Shangguan Dun.

Zhang Yuelu chuckled. “He wants to be a ninth-rank Daoist priest? It’s not impossible, per se. As long as we can successfully exterminate this group of demons, I will grant him a ninth-rank title. But I won’t be giving him the subsequent 300 Taiping coins. If he asks again, just tell him this. It’s up to him to choose whether he wants money or status.”

“Alright.” Qi Xuansu nodded in agreement.

Then there was a moment of silence between the two. Finally, Zhang Yuelu asked, “Tian Yuan, you seem to have something on your mind?”

Qi Xuansu did not deny it. “I do.”

“Are you thinking about revenge?” Zhang Yuelu asked.

Qi Xuansu did not expect Zhang Yuelu to remember this. A lie often required more lies to cover up, so he had no choice but to say, “Yes.”

Zhang Yuelu looked at Qi Xuansu and offered. “If you need my help, just ask. Don’t be polite with me.”

The moonlight was dull as it shone on the woman’s body, making her silhouette feel ethereal and blurry. It seemed as if she would ride with the wind and fly away at any moment.

Qi Xuansu was lost in thought for a while. When he came back to his senses, he nodded and thanked her.

“No need for thanks. We’re friends,” Zhang Yuelu murmured.

Qi Xuansu was startled, but he smiled in response. “Alright, Miss Tantai.”