A Pawn's Passage

Once the trio got back to the Yaoguang Pavilion, Lingquanzi and Sun Yongfeng went to their separate rooms. Qi Xuansu proceeded to the main hall and returned to his desk. He spread out a piece of paper with the seal of the Daoist Order used for official documents and took out his inkstone. While grinding the ink, he thought about how he should start writing the report.

Not long after, Mu Jin came in, sat down, and glared at Qi Xuansu. She could not hold back her anger when she saw the official document that Qi Xuansu spread out on the table.

In the past, atBeichen Hall, Zhang Yuelu had left all her paperwork to Mu Jin. But Qi Xuansu had stolen her job. How could she not hate Qi Xuansu when he had stolen Zhang Yuelu from her?

The ink stick gradually melted. Qi Xuansu dabbed his brush on the inkstone and began by writing about the time they arrived at Bishan Temple.

After a while, Mu Jin finally spoke. “Deacon Qi.”

“What’s the matter?” Qi Xuansu responded without raising his head.

Mu Jin asked, “When did you and the Deputy Hall Master meet?”

Qi Xuansu still did not look up. “You should ask the Deputy Hall Master.”

Seeing this, Mu Jin was infuriated. She raised her voice. “Do you not want to tell me? Or is it something that can’t be shared?”

Qi Xuansu put down his brush and finally looked up at Mu Jin. “I can share it, but I’m curious as to why you are asking me this, Deacon Mu.”

Mu Jin sneered, “I’m doing this for the Deputy Hall Master’s benefit since she is still young and can be easily deceived.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple, right?” Qi Xuansu chuckled. “The Deputy Hall Master is a strong-willed person. This has nothing to do with age. Deacon Mu, I’d like to remind you that the Deputy Hall Master doesn’t like trouble, so she’s not calculative. But regardless of your relationship with her in the past, there will be a day when that bond is exhausted.”

Mu Jin’s expression changed dramatically. “What do you mean by this? You might as well get to the point!”

Qi Xuansu did not answer but took out his pocket watch and glanced at it. “What do you want from me?”

In fact, Qi Xuansu had understood one thing a long time ago. His relationship with Zhang Yuelu was actually a double-edged sword. The advantage was that he had a backer, but the disadvantage was that it would cause him unnecessary trouble. However, Qi Xuansu did not expect a woman to confront him just because she was jealous of his relationship with Zhang Yuelu.

Mu Jin approached Qi Xuansu and lowered her voice. “You can stop pretending. I know who you are.”

“That’s strange. I don’t even know what kind of person I am, but you do, huh? Pray tell.” Qi Xuansu sniggered.

Mu Jin continued, “You’re ambitious and capable, just like Xu Kou. But unlike that brute, you’re soft. Xu Kou provoked the Deputy Hall Master because he wanted to use her as a stepping stone, while you cozied up to the Deputy Hall Master with the same motive of climbing the ladder. You’re simply using a different approach.”

Qi Xuansu scoffed. “Deacon Mu, you think too highly of me, and you underestimate Deputy Hall Master Zhang. You make it sound like the Deputy Hall Master is an ignorant young lady who doesn’t know how sinister humans are.”

Mu Jin said, “Of course, she’s not ignorant, but a woman of her age will inevitably misjudge someone and be deceived by scoundrels.”

Qi Xuansu understood the meaning behind Mu Jin’s words. She was implying that he was a pretty boy who was good at scheming women into getting what he wanted. He felt wronged, because the only woman he had interacted with after leaving the Wanxiang Daoist Palace was Madam Qi. So how could he be good at dealing with women? In this regard, he was a real novice.

However, Qi Xuansu did not defend himself. He urged, “Then you should persuade the Deputy Hall Master to stay away from scoundrels instead of throwing a tantrum in front of me.”

“You!” Mu Jin trembled in anger and pointed at Qi Xuansu.

In terms of cultivation, Mu Jin was a Qi Refiner at the Yuxu stage, so she was naturally at a higher level than Qi Xuansu. If she wanted to fight Qi Xuansu, he would have suffered a loss. However, they were in Tiangang Hall, and Sun Yongfeng was right next door. Thus, Mu Jin did not have the courage to fight him here.

“Deacon Mu, please don’t disturb me if you don’t have anything else to say.” Qi Xuansu picked up his brush again and continued writing on the official document.

Vexed, Mu Jin slammed the door on the way out.

Although Qi Xuansu was not good at writing, he had already thought of a draft on the journey back. So the words came flowing out of his brush.

Zhang Yuelu came back about an hour later to find Qi Xuansu alone. She asked, “Where’s Mu Jin?”

Qi Xuansu raised his head and answered, “She went out.”

Zhang Yuelu came to Qi Xuansu’s desk, took a page of his report, and skimmed it. “Don’t you think it’s too many words?”

“Is it?” Qi Xuansu stopped writing and looked up at Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu put down the paper and commented, “I’d prefer it to be more concise. It’s not like we’re getting paid by the word count.”

Qi Xuansu reluctantly obliged. “Fine, I’ll rewrite it.”

Zhang Yuelu changed the topic. “I have good news for you. Your promotion to the sixth rank is pretty much guaranteed!”

“Really?” Although Qi Xuansu had already expected it, it felt surreal coming from Zhang Yuelu.

“Of course!” Zhang Yuelu casually pulled up a chair and sat across from Qi Xuansu. “The Hall Master asked me about the demon-slaying operation, and after listening to my account of the story, he praised you for your courage and resourcefulness. He even suggested that we focus on training you into a valuable talent.”

Qi Xuansu was happy but worried at the same time. He was glad that he had gained the appreciation of the Hall Master. That way, his future would be smooth sailing. What worried him was that he was now under the radar of a Sage, which increased the possibility of his identity as a Qingping Society member being exposed. He would be in great trouble if that were to happen.

Every time he thought of this, Qi Xuansu felt the urge to leave the Qingping Society as soon as possible. As long as he accumulated 9000 merits, he could leave the Qingping Society and lead a normal life. Otherwise, he would always live in the shadow of the Qingping Society. It was too stressful to constantly worry that his secret identity would be brought to light.

Zhang Yuelu keenly noticed Qi Xuansu’s expression. She teased, “What, do you think that sixth rank is too low for you?”

“Of course not! I don’t think that the sixth rank is too low for me.” Qi Xuansu came back to his senses. “All good things come in small helpings, and I must take baby steps to progress. I just needed some time to process this information.”

Zhang Yuelu continued, “The Hall Master will reward you, me, and Superintendent Lingquan with the Xuan merit, and everyone else will get the Huang merit. Superintendent Lingquan and I are both fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist masters, so a Xuan merit is not enough for us to get promoted. But a Xuan merit is enough for you to advance a rank. That way, you’ll be equal in rank with the other deacons.”

Qi Xuansu bowed his head. “Thank you for your support, Deputy Hall Master. I am eternally grateful.”

“Pretending to be a flowerbed priest again, huh?” Zhang Yuelu snorted, displeased.

Qi Xuansu answered solemnly, “That’s because we are in the Tiangang Hall, and I dare not overstep my bounds.”

Zhang Yuelu was not bothered. “Since it’s almost the end of the year, Ziwei Hall will be slower in processing this promotion. You will probably only get your official promotion to the sixth rank at the beginning of next year. Before that, you’ll still receive the salary of a seventh-rank Daoist priest.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “How much does a seventh rank get?”

“I’ve asked on your behalf.” Zhang Yuelu replied, “The basic salary for a seventh-rank priest is 20 Taiping coins per month. Tiangang Hall subsidizes another 10 Taiping coins, which totals 30 Taiping coins per month. In addition to that, you will also get 100 Taiping coins as a subsidy for this expedition. You can go to Superintendent Sun later to retrieve two months’ worth of salary and subsidies. That will be a total of 160 Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu counted the money he had on hand. Including the 160 Taiping coins, he would have just over 300 Taiping coins.

Out of the blue, Zhang Yuelu asked, “We get two months of vacation as compensation for the expedition. Adding the Lunar New Year holiday, we’ll get about three months off. What are your plans for those months?”

Qi Xuansu had plans to use these three months to complete missions for the Qingping Society so he could accumulate merits. He would first set a small goal to amass 1,000 merit. He also wanted to collect his salary from the Qingping Society.

However, he could not tell Zhang Yuelu of these plans, so he lied. “I don’t have any plans. I’ll just stay at home and enhance my cultivation level. I strive to reach the Yuxu stage as soon as possible.”

Zhang Yuelu blinked. “You live alone, right?”

“Yes.” Qi Xuansu nodded.

Zhang Yuelu hesitated for a while before speaking. “Isn’t it sad being on your own in Jade Capital during the holidays? Why don’t you—”

“Why don’t I do what?” Qi Xuansu was dumbfounded.

Zhang Yuelu suddenly changed the subject. “By the way, the Hall Master gave me two theater tickets. Do you want to go with me?”

Qi Xuansu was startled by this. “The Hall Master gave you theater tickets? Where did the theater troupe come from?”

His first reaction was not that the Hall Master had interests in theater but that there was a theater troupe in Jade Capital. In his memory, Jade Capital lacked such worldly entertainment. Jade Capital also strictly prohibited most entertainment centers, so he assumed that there were no theater troupes in the city.

Zhang Yuelu replied, “It has always been around, but you’ve been away so often that you aren’t aware of it.”

Qi Xuansu thought about it. When he lived with his master in Jade Capital, he rarely left Haichan Place. There were many places in Jade Capital that he had only heard his master mention and had not visited himself. So he was indeed quite clueless about this city.

Since Zhang Yuelu invited him to the theater, Qi Xuansu could not refuse. It also made him realize that something was off about this arrangement. The Hall Master did not want to go with Zhang Yuelu to the theater. Instead, he gave her two tickets and allowed her to invite whomever she wanted.

Qi Xuansu asked casually, “A theater ticket isn’t cheap, right?”

“Indeed.” Zhang Yuelu nodded. “I heard from the Hall Master that one ticket costs 100 Taiping coins. But it’s also possible that someone else gave it to him as a gift.”

“Wow! Of course, an Omniscient Sage would casually give away 200 Taiping coins like that.” Qi Xuansu blurted out, “Why don’t we—”

Zhang Yuelu asked, “Why don’t we do what?”

“Nothing.” Qi Xuansu shook his head.

Influenced by Madam Qi, Qi Xuansu had become more money-minded. He wanted to say that they should sell the tickets, but he suddenly realized that those two tickets were not his to begin with. Even if Zhang Yuelu sold them, she would not share the proceeds with him, so it was up to Zhang Yuelu what she wanted to do with her tickets.