A Pawn's Passage

After Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu left Huasheng Hall, Qi Xuansu handed the medicine box to Zhang Yuelu and asked, “Do you know how to use these?”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “Yeah, but it’s inconvenient to apply them while traveling, so I’ll just use them after I get home.”

Qi Xuansu nodded without saying much and touched his satchel again.

He had 1100 Taiping coins worth of cash notes in his satchel. According to Zhang Yuelu, he deserved the treasure, so the rest of the money was his. Thus, he could do whatever he pleased with it.

Qi Xuansu was in a good mood when he thought of this.

For many big shots, 1000 Taiping coins was not a big deal, but this was the first time Qi Xuansu had so much extra money at his disposal, enough for him to do many things.

He thought about purchasing a new Divine Dragon Pistol. Although he kept a Divine Dragon Pistol on him, that pistol was issued to Zhang Yuelu by the Daoist Order. So he would have to return it to her sooner or later. Thus, he wanted one for self-defense on future missions on his own.

Qi Xuansu glanced at Zhang Yuelu again.

At this moment, Zhang Yuelu had her hand raised in front of her. Her finger was pointing at the shining beads on her wrist, and her eyes were dazed, looking like she was sorting out some things.

Qi Xuansu figured that she was organizing her magical receptacle. He saw her in this state because outsiders could not see the space inside one’s magical receptacle.

After a while, Zhang Yuelu put the medicine box into the magical receptacle and complained. “My magical receptacle is completely full. I can’t fit another thing inside.”

Qi Xuansu suggested, “Maybe you need a satchel too.”

Zhang Yuelu glanced at the satchel Qi Xuansu had been carrying with him and hesitated for a moment. “Maybe later.”

The two of them walked down the steps of Huasheng Hall and strolled around the market, where they found a tailor shop.

Qi Xuansu turned to Zhang Yuelu. “We might as well mend our cloaks since we’re already here. As they say, new clothes will last for three years, and they’ll last for another three years after mending.”

Zhang Yuelu took out their cloaks and grunted. “Ours didn’t last three weeks, let alone three years.”

That was true. Zhang Yuelu bought these two cloaks less than a month ago. Unfortunately, they were damaged due to the many fights they encountered during their journey. This was the reason Qi Xuansu had never bothered wearing new clothes when he was a lone traveler.

Most people would throw away their torn cloaks. Unfortunately, neither of them were rich, so they were more frugal.

Qi Xuansu laughed, took the cloaks, and walked into the tailor shop.

The tailor was an old man in his fifties, with gray hair and glasses. When he saw Qi Xuansu entering his shop with two cloaks in hand, he knew what the young man wanted.

Qi Xuansu put the cloaks on the table and asked, “Sir, how long will it take to repair these two cloaks? How much will it cost?”

The tailor picked up a cloak, looked through it carefully, and replied, “This seems like the ready-made clothes found in Jade Capital. It’s quite rare here.”

“You’re quite knowledgeable.” Qi Xuansu praised him. This kind of ready-made clothing was common in Jade Capital, but it was not commonly seen outside Jade Capital. They were usually seen on Daoist priests in the local Daoist mansions.

The tailor thought about it for a moment before replying, “One day should be enough. But unlike Jade Capital, some of the fabrics and threads are not so common here, so it’ll be a bit more expensive, totaling two Taiping coins.”

Since Qi Xuansu just had a windfall of money, he generously took out two Taiping coins from his sleeve pocket without negotiating the price, placing them beside the two cloaks.

For the tailor, two Taiping coins were considered a big deal. He was ecstatic and said, “I noticed that your robe is also somewhat damaged. Would you like to have it repaired? I’ll do it for you on the house.”

Qi Xuansu hesitated and said, “I didn’t bring a change of clothes.”

After becoming a Xiantian Being, one’s lifespan would not increase, but there would be many subtle changes. Xiantian Beings would no longer be susceptible to common diseases. They did not sweat, have body odor, or shed dead skin cells or hair. They were like lotus flowers that emerged from the mud without being stained. Thus, the frequency of changing clothes and bathing could be reduced. They could also reduce and eventually stop their food consumption after learning the Fasting Technique.

Due to this, the Daoist Order issued a rule that all members of the Daoist community, from fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist masters to the Grand Master, were only allowed a maximum of eight sets of clothing. This was to encourage frugality and minimalism.

On the other spectrum, dignitaries of the Imperial Court practiced extravagance and maximalism. It was seen as normal for the rich and noble to change into four sets of outfits per day. These clothes were also just slightly different, with differences so subtle that most people could not tell it was a new outfit at a glance. Only upon closer inspection would one be able to see the changes.

A Heavenly Being was considered semi-immortal. Their lifespan would increase significantly to a minimum of 100 years old, and they were unaffected by the cold and the heat. They would be able to reduce their need for sleep as time progressed until they eventually did not need sleep at all. This was also the reason many Heavenly Beings could cultivate in seclusion for decades. If an ordinary person were to cultivate in seclusion for so long, they would have starved to death or smelled disgusting.

Since Qi Xuansu was a XiantianBeing, he did not prepare a change of clothes. He had expected the journey to be arduous, but he did not expect to get involved in so many fights along the way.

Even though Qi Xuansu’s clothes and body were laden with cuts from the fierce battles, he had no body odor. On the contrary, he was much cleaner than ordinary people.

The tailor said, “There’s no need to change. The damage to your robe is not serious, so I can just sew it up like this.”

Qi Xuansu was surprised by this. He stood still and opened his arms wide as instructed, while the tailor took the needle and thread and mended his robe effortlessly. After the tailor finished working on him, Qi Xuansu looked around and saw no traces of the tears. He praised the tailor. “Good workmanship!”

He turned to Zhang Yuelu and looked at her without saying anything. But it was obvious what he wanted to ask. “Do you want to mend your robe too?”

In the fierce battles before, Zhang Yuelu was seriously injured by the flying sword, which was extremely thin and sharp, cutting through Zhang Yuelu’s thick cotton coat like butter. At first glance, her coat seemed intact, but upon close inspection, there were many tears that exposed the cotton padding.

Zhang Yuelu kept silent, clearly refusing the offer.

Although Confucian women’s etiquette was no longer adhered to strictly in the current society, some women were still conservative and kept their distance from men.

Zhang Yuelu brought a change of clothes, but it was the formal attire of a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist priest. She did not want to wear this attire so as to avoid showing off her rank.

The tailor hurriedly said, “My wife can help the lady, so there is no need to change either.”

Zhang Yuelu nodded.

The tailor shouted for his wife, and a middle-aged woman came out to invite Zhang Yuelu to the room at the back of the shop.

Qi Xuansu sat outside and waited, while the tailor took out a ruler to mark the two cloaks.

About an hour later, Zhang Yuelu and the woman came out of the inner room. Since this service was not inclusive, Zhang Yuelu paid the woman a small Taiping coin.

Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu left the tailor shop. Since they had to wait for another day for their cloaks to be ready, they decided to head to the nearest Taiping Inn to book a room first, so they could avoid the dilemma of having only one room left like last time.

Qi Xuansu did not want to sleep on the chair all night again.

......

The woman in the fox fur ran into the yard and yelled, “We’re in trouble!”

The man sitting on the steps raised his eyelids and asked, “What’s with the shouting?”

“Those two people are here!”

“Who?”

The woman in the fox fur said, “The two people that Boss Hua mentioned—Mage Zhang and that guy!”

The man suddenly stood up, his face solemn. “You saw them?”

“Of course! I crossed paths with them, but they didn’t recognize me. If it was Sister, I’m afraid Mage Zhang would have identified her. Luckily, Sister is in her room reflecting on her mistakes.”

The man looked deep in thought, so the woman in the fox fur just stopped talking and waited quietly.

After a while, the man muttered, “Let’s leave.”

“Leave?” The woman asked.

“Yes, we must leave.” The man explained, “We can’t stay here for long. Stop following Mage Zhang, lest she notice something. Just keep an eye on the main entrance of the inn. The moment they leave the inn, lead the rest out through the back door and go to the residence in the south of the city.”

The woman obliged. “Yes, sir.”

......

On the other hand, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu did not know that the group of scammers who were making trouble in Jinguan Prefecture were also in the Taiping Inn. The two of them asked for an individual courtyard with two bedrooms and a living room. After paying and collecting the key, they went out again because it was still early.

They walked around the lively market in the city, which was not as nice as Taiqing Square in Jade Capital. Eventually, they arrived at the other end of the market and found a branch of TianjiHall, which was equally grand as Huasheng Hall. However, the statue of the Earth Queen Lady was replaced by an Emperor of Heaven statue.

But for some reason, Tianji Hall was on the other end of the market, away from Huasheng Hall.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Do Huasheng Hall and Tianji Hall have a bad relationship?”

Zhang Yuelu also found it strange. “No, the headquarters of Tianji Hall and HuashengHall are right next to each other in Xuan City. Since the two halls have frequent interaction, they even have an internal bridge allowing for direct access without going through the main entrance.”

“Oh, well, let’s go in and take a look.” Qi Xuansu wanted to buy a Divine Dragon Pistol, so he walked into Tianji Hall excitedly. Zhang Yuelu let him go first and followed him leisurely.

The layout of Tianji Hall was similar to that of Huasheng Hall earlier, except that the receptionist at the counter was a male Daoist priest.

With Qi Xuansu’s rank, he was not qualified to buy the Divine Dragon Pistol, so Zhang Yuelu had to use her name for this purchase. Zhang Yuelu stepped forward to show her credentials and asked straight to the point, “Do you have a Divine Dragon Pistol?”

The Daoist priest was shocked when he saw Zhang Yuelu’s credentials. Although he had not heard of Zhang Yuelu’s name, he knew how high of a status a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master had. His original arrogance disappeared, and he said respectfully, “Yes, Mage.”

Although the Divine Dragon Pistol was invented by the Divine Armory, Tianji Hall could manufacture it because the two parties were in a cooperative relationship.

Zhang Yuelu ordered, “Bring me one.”

The Daoist priest left and returned with a box after a while, placing it on the stone counter.

Zhang Yuelu reached out to open the box and saw a gun with an ivory handle and a brass body, decorated with a dragon’s head and wrapped in velvet.

The Daoist priest introduced the item. “This is a breechloader that uses a single metal cartridge. The small flintlock is replaced with a firing pin structure, and it has a shooting range of about one hundred steps. It costs 600 Taiping coins.”