A Pawn's Passage

The flying ship landed in the lake outside Jade Capital, stirring up a mist that looked like snow.

It was late autumn when the group left Jade Capital, and it was early winter when they returned. Most of their time was spent on the road. Except for Zhang Yuelu, no one else was injured. They only suffered some hardships along the way.

At the lakeside, Tiangang Hall had already arranged for deer carts to bring the group back to Jade Capital. This kind of deer cart had four wheels, and the deer pulling the cart were stronger than ordinary horses. The carriage was wide and comfortable, enough to accommodate four people.

This time, Tiangang Hall arranged for twenty deer carts lined up in a grand procession to receive Zhang Yuelu’s team, with Superintendent Sun Yongfeng and Deacon Tian Baobao taking the lead.

When Sun Yongfeng saw Zhang Yuelu as the first person to step off the flying ship, he immediately plastered on an ingratiating smile and came forward to greet her. “Deputy Hall Master, you’ve worked hard this time, traveling thousands of kilometers to exterminate the demons. You truly are a hero to the Daoist community!”

“There’s no need to flatter me.” Zhang Yuelu was still as cold as ever.

Sun Yongfeng did not mind her indifference. He merely smiled and said, “The Hall Master has asked for you several times. The entire Tiangang Hall is proud of you for slaying the demons.”

Zhang Yuelu did not take it to heart. “The way you put it makes it seem like I killed an Ancient Immortal.”

Sun Yongfeng led Zhang Yuelu to the deer cart at the front. Zhang Yuelu signaled for Lingquanzi and Qi Xuansu to join her and Sun Yongfeng in the same carriage.

The other four deacons—Mu Jin, Zhou Bai, Xu Zhen, and Tian Baobao—took the second deer cart.

Mu Jin looked at Qi Xuansu with resentful eyes. In her opinion, she was supposed to sit with Zhang Yuelu because she was a fifth-rank Daoist priest. But a seventh-rank priest stole her position. How dare he?!

However, in the eyes of Lingquanzi and others, Qi Xuansu was well-deserving of the spot next to Zhang Yuelu because he was the hero who slayed Desmond, the demon leader. As for Mu Jin, she did not even participate in the siege of Fort Cimut, so she should not be looking down on Qi Xuansu.

This was human nature—always looking at problems from one’s own standpoint. That was why conflicts arose, as people only rationalized truths that were in their own interests.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu sat on one side of the carriage, while Lingquanzi and Sun Yongfeng sat across from them.

Taking advantage of this time, Zhang Yuelu explained how to wrap up this demon-slaying operation. She was to submit a report to the Hall Master for approval. All those who participated in the operation were entitled to a two-month vacation. During this time, they did not need to be on duty at Tiangang Hall and could do whatever they pleased. Only the internal affairs staff had to remain at the Yaoguang Pavilion.

As for the report, it would be divided into three parts.

The first part was a detailed explanation of the process of exterminating this group of demons. Zhang Yuelu tasked this to Qi Xuansu because he was the only person besides herself and Lingquanzi who participated in the whole process. After she fainted, it was Qi Xuansu who struck the final killing blow.

The second part was about the Ancient Immortals. This part was assigned to Lingquanzi because he had personally copied the inscriptions and murals of the Ancient Immortals in Fort Cimut. To avoid unnecessary trouble, the fewer people involved in this matter, the better.

The third part was to ask for credit, and Zhang Yuelu, as the Deputy Hall Master, was responsible for this. Whether she would take all the credit or reward her staff was at her discretion. However, Qi Xuansu had faith in Zhang Yuelu because she was undoubtedly a good and competent boss.

Zhang Yuelu turned to Qi Xuansu and Lingquanzi and suggested, “You two don’t have to be too stressed out. If you really can’t write the report, just do a rough outline and ask Superintendent Sun to polish it up a bit before handing it over to me.”

Lingquanzi and Qi Xuansu both breathed a sigh of relief.

Sun Yongfeng did not mind this because it was a piece of cake for him as a well-known penman in Tiangang Hall.

Zhang Yuelu added, “But please be careful with the part about the Ancient Immortals.”

Sun Yongfeng’s face stiffened, and he nodded solemnly.

Zhang Yuelu lifted the curtains and enjoyed the scenery through the glass windows.

At this time, the deer cart arrived at the Taixu Bridge, which was large enough for eight horses to walk in parallel. Not far away were the gates to Jade Capital, where armored Spirit Guards were stationed to verify everyone’s credentials.

Zhang Yuelu lowered the curtain and closed her eyes to rest.

These deer carts had the Tiangang Hall logo, so the gatekeepers let them in without checking. The convoy passed through the gates and headed toward Xuan City along Shangqing Street.

When they arrived at the gates of Xuan City, the people in the carriage did not get out. They just opened the door and handed over their insignias.

The Spirit Guards’ attitude was much nicer than usual. He simply checked the insignias and let them in.

Finally, the deer cart arrived at the gates of Tiangang Hall, which were guarded by more Spirit Guards.

Spirit Guards were considered to be a spiritual path, but they were not considered Daoist priests because Spirit Guards did not have their own cultivation. A Spirit Guard’s cultivation level was closely related to their office.

The fundamental contradiction between Ancient Immortals and Daoists was in the way they used the power of incense. There were plenty of Daoist temples all over the world, gathering massive incense power. However, this incense power was not for the gods and was instead used to enhance Spirit Guards.

A Spirit Guard did not need to enhance their cultivation because they would get the corresponding amount of incense power according to their rank. This incense power would be turned into divine power through their special armor. As long as they wore the armor, they would have the power equivalent of a Daoist priest with a realm of cultivation from decades of hard training.

This was why all the Spirit Guards wore full body armor. However, there were high requirements for one’s mental strength and character to be a Spirit Guard.

Before the power of incense transformed into divine power, it was impure, mixed with countless human desires asking for titles, wealth, and blessings from the Primordial Daoist Ancestor. Thus, it became a noise that disturbed the mind after entering the body. It would be a failure if one could not resist this noise and, in turn, got lost in it.

The Daoist Order had various means to strengthen the body, but it was difficult to strengthen a person’s character. That was dependent on nature. A Spirit Guard often had a strong character and average aptitude. That was because those with high aptitude and strong character would most likely choose to become a Daoist priest instead of a Spirit Guard, who was considered inferior to the former.

Furthermore, the armor of a high-ranking Spirit Guard was difficult and costly to make. Even though it was not as costly as forcibly creating a Banished Immortal, it was much more expensive than training an ordinary Daoist priest. Due to this, there were not many high-ranking Spirit Guards in the Daoist Order.

The disadvantage of being a Spirit Guard was that the cultivation did not belong to themself. If a Spirit Guard was stripped of their office, they would no longer have any divine power. If they were demoted, their level of cultivation would also decrease accordingly. Thus, Spirit Guards obeyed the Daoist Order completely.

That was also why the status of Spirit Guards was naturally lower than that of Daoist priests. After all, Daoist priests obtained their cultivation through their own efforts. Even if they left the Daoist Order one day, they would still get to keep their own cultivation.

Therefore, at the same rank, Daoist priests were higher in status than Spirit Guards. Even first-rank Spirit Guards were only equivalent to ordinary second-rank Taiyi Daoist priests and lower in status than the Omniscient Sages.

The Daoist Order’s purpose in cultivating Spirit Guards was to do tasks that high-ranking Daoist priests were unwilling or had no time to do, such as guarding gates or cities. Low-ranking Daoist priests were also not capable enough to do such tasks and were prone to mistakes. Thus, the Spirit Guards were the most suitable candidates for such roles, as they did not have to spend time enhancing their cultivation level and were given power through their armor. They also could not disobey the Daoist Order.

Half of the Spirit Guards in the Daoist Order were under the command of Tiangang Hall. In the Western Region war against the Shamanistic Sect, Tiangang Hall’s reinforcements were mainly composed of Spirit Guards.

Qi Xuansu was the first to get off the carriage. He held the door open and waited for Zhang Yuelu to get down. After Zhang Yuelu got out of the carriage, she thanked him and said, “You all should head back to Yaoguang Pavilion while I visit the Hall Master.”

Hearing this, Qi Xuansu closed the carriage door and nodded in agreement. The group entered the heavily guarded Tiangang Hall, but Zhang Yuelu went straight to the main hall while the rest of her entourage went to Yaoguang Pavilion.

All this time, Qi Xuansu walked shoulder to shoulder with the two superintendents.

Sun Yongfeng praised, “Brother Qi, you’ve made great achievements this time, so you’ll probably be promoted to the sixth rank.”

“Thank you for your kind words, Superintendent Sun.” Qi Xuansu remained humble.

Lingquanzi smiled and said, “Tian Yuan, you don’t have to be too modest. It’s an inevitable fact. Besides, the salary of a sixth-rank priest is much higher than that of a seventh-rank priest. Brother Sun, you’re in charge of this area. How much does a sixth rank get?”

Sun Yongfeng took over the conversation. “The basic salary for a sixth-rank Daoist priest is 30 Taiping coins per month. Tiangang Hall has a special subsidy of about 20 Taiping coins per month. Brother Qi, you’re not yet 30 years old and have been promoted to the sixth rank, so you’ll be considered an apprentice mage. This means you’ll be entitled to another monthly subsidy of 10 Taiping coins per month.

“If you go out for expeditions, like this trip, an additional subsidy will be given depending on the task. On average, you’ll get around 800 Taiping coins a year.”

Qi Xuansu was shocked by the amount. “That’s definitely not a small amount. It’s enough for me to buy a house and land. I will be considered a rich man in some smaller cities!”

“You don’t need to buy a house and land elsewhere.” Sun Yongfeng chuckled. “Duzhi Hall will provide a relocation allowance for you to settle down in Jade Capital. The actual amount is based on your rank and position. Brother Qi, based on your rank, you will probably get around 1,000 Taiping coins. If you already have a place to live, then this relocation allowance is your extra cash!”

Lingquanzi added, “This is the privilege of working in Tiangang Hall. The local Daoist mansions and some lesser halls don’t get this treatment. They probably get less than 500 Taiping coins per year, which isn’t enough, to be honest.”

Sun Yongfeng agreed. “Although cultivation is dependent on one’s efforts, the consumption of elixirs and pills can quickly enhance one’s level of cultivation. That’s why our money flows out like water, and our paycheck is stretched thin. If you lose some talismans or damage your flying sword or magic weapons in a fight, all of those cost money to fix too.”

“Can’t we reimburse the cost of repairs or replacement of talismans and magical weapons?” Qi Xuansu asked in surprise.

Lingquanzi laughed. “If you want to get those reimbursed, you must provide a sufficient and legitimate reason. For example, our demon-slaying operation this time is a legitimate reason. But everyone has a few enemies and other emergencies. Resources used for personal fights can’t be reimbursed.”

Sun Yongfeng said, “There are also expenses for food, clothing, hiring servants, and socializing. You must always maintain an appearance so that your peers won’t make fun of you. There are so many ways this money will be spent.”

Lingquanzi smiled smugly. “Well, the money is enough for a celibate monk like me. But I’m not sure if it’ll be enough if you want to get married or start a family...”