A Pawn's Passage

Su Ying’s charming smile resurfaced. “Daoist Qi, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. Please, have a seat.”

Qi Xuansu straightened up and glanced at Su Ying. Although Su Ying was not as aggressive as Zhang Yuyue, he keenly noticed her hostile tone.

However, Qi Xuansu had expected this, so he did not say much and sat next to Zhang Yuelu.

Su Ying chuckled and asked, “Daoist Qi, are you Qing Xiao’s subordinate?”

“Yes.” Qi Xuansu spoke calmly. “I am a deacon of Tiangang Hall, currently a seventh-rank Daoist priest. My master passed away long ago, and I’m not related to the Qi family of the Quanzhen Sect.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Su Ying questioned, “I’m not a Daoist priest from Beichen Hall interrogating a prisoner. It was just a casual question, so why bother telling me so much? I won’t be able to remember it anyway. Are you harboring resentment toward me?”

Before Qi Xuansu could answer, Zhang Yuelu interjected. “Since your brain is not working, you should stop talking so as not to waste our time.”

Su Ying’s expression changed slightly before it returned to normal. “Qing Xiao, why are you so rude to me in front of outsiders?”

Zhang Yuelu retorted. “You just said that you like my temper and that you much prefer it to those fake clay puppets in the Dazhen Mansion. Why are you mad at me for fulfilling your wish?”

“You...” Su Ying was speechless for a moment.

Zhang Yuelu sneered, “Are you harboring resentment toward me? If so, there’s no need to hide it. But even if you do, I don’t intend to change myself.”

Qi Xuansu lowered his head and tried not to laugh. He suddenly felt that Zhang Yuelu was like an old hen spreading out its wings to protect its little chick, pecking anyone who dared to approach them.

Although Su Ying was trembling with anger, she knew that she was far inferior to Zhang Yuelu in a fight, and she would be the one suffering a loss in the end. Thus, Su Ying adjusted her breath and snorted. “Fine, it’s my fault for speaking too much. But Qing Xiao, your behavior is starting to resemble that of the Li family. Those who didn’t know better would think that you were a Li.”

Zhang Yuelu continued to sip on her tea. Actually, it would not be a bad thing if Zhang Yuelu had been born into the Li family. Even though the Li family had all kinds of questionable qualities, there was one thing that the Zhang family could not compare to, which was meritocracy.

In the Li family, those who were capable, even adopted children or children-in-law, could become the head of the family. This was the reason the Li family could thrive forever. On the contrary, the Zhang family was strict about drawing a line between the main branch of the family and the distant branches. To this day, the Zhang family has never had a female Heavenly Preceptor.

Qi Xuansu changed the topic. “Ma’am, I haven’t asked for your name yet.”

“My last name is Su.” Su Ying smiled and added, “I’m Qing Xiao’s aunt.”

Zhang Yuelu spoke in a sarcastic tone, like that of the Li family. “If my uncle can witness everything in heaven and knows about your unwavering commitment and great achievements, he will be so happy that he’ll wish to have lived for another 500 years.”

Although Qi Xuansu did not know the inside story, he could hear Zhang Yuelu mocking Su Ying. He stifled a laugh and thought to himself, Qing Xiao sure has a way with words. She is definitely more sarcastic than I am.

Qi Xuansu collected his thoughts and said seriously, “Madam Su, I have never met you before, so how can I bear any resentment for you? I was merely stating facts.”

“Stating facts, huh?” Su Ying leaned forward with a meaningful gaze. “Qing Xiao is a talented girl with many suitors. You should have heard of Li Tianzhen pursuing Qing Xiao, but she rejected him and even beat him up. That was a glorious moment for Qing Xiao, but she has made some enemies for herself since then.

“Li Tianzhen will surely seek revenge one day. Qing Xiao has the protection of the Heavenly Preceptor and the Earthly Preceptor. She also has Sage Cihang as her backer. So naturally, she won’t be afraid of Li Tianzhen. But there is no guarantee that Li Tianzhen won’t vent his anger on the people around Qing Xiao. Aren’t you afraid that you’ll become his target?

“Surely, a grown man like you won’t think of hiding behind Qing Xiao forever, right? Won’t you just be a useless, pretty boy, then? Sorry for being blunt, but I hope you understand what I’m saying.”

Qi Xuansu had already thought about this problem. “It would be a lie if I said that I’m not afraid at all, but one can’t stop eating just because one is afraid of choking. Tiangang Hall priests will risk their lives fighting demons. They won’t quit because of fear or allow these demons to destroy the world. It’s the same concept, don’t you think?”

Su Ying raised her eyebrows. It was hard to refute such an accurate analogy, so she changed her tune. “What about Qing Xiao attracts you? It can’t be just because of her background, right?”

She went straight to the point.

Qi Xuansu asked back, “I don’t see a need for me to elaborate on Qing Xiao’s strengths. But Madam Su, do you think that Qing Xiao is nothing without her background?”

Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu had developed a tacit understanding after so long. Zhang Yuelu took over the conversation and ended the topic. “Since I’m nothing without my family background, it’s only right for me to be matched with Tian Yuan, a seventh-rank Daoist priest. Auntie, you don’t need to worry about me.”

Su Ying flashed a fake smile. Her face was shrouded in tobacco smoke as she remarked, “Since you called me ‘Auntie,’ I shouldn’t push it too far.”

Zhang Yuelu said expressionlessly, “Well, it’s getting late, so we’ll get going.”

Su Ying put down the smoking pipe in her hand. “Go on then, I won’t be sending you two off.”

Zhang Yuelu walked out the door. Qi Xuansu saluted Su Ying again before leaving Shangqing Temple with Zhang Yuelu.

After they left, Zhang Yuelu complained. “I really don’t like the Zhang family, but I can’t do anything about it. They should really look at the Li family, who work together as one to attack outsiders. The Li family is now testing the reactions of the other sects regarding their claim to the position of Grand Master. But what is the Zhang family doing now? They’re just showing off their status as one of the three most powerful families in the world.

“Li Qingnu even dares to go to Shangqing Prefecture openly, but does the Zhang family dare step foot into Beihai Prefecture? All they can do is embarrass you and bully you. The Zhang family was already in decline during the last fight with the Li family.

“If the Holy Xuan had not intervened to facilitate the Zhang family and the Li family’s negotiation, the Zhang family would have been completely defeated. Without the Holy Xuan, the Zhang family would not be in their current position today.”

Qi Xuansu shook his head in disappointment. When people mentioned Zhang Yuelu, the first thing that they thought of was how she had beaten up Li Tianzhen. Few people mentioned the major Jiangnan case that Zhang Yuelu contributed to. It seemed that the consequences of beating the young master of the Li family were more terrifying than the major Jiangnan case. This just proved how powerful the Li family was.

Among the higher-ups of the Daoist Order, the Great Sage of the Taiping Sect and Sage Qingwei were both from the Li family. Among all the Virtuous Great Sages, Omniscient Sages, and Sages, seven of them were members of the Li family.

On the other hand, Sage Cihang was not from the Zhang family. There was also no concept of bloodlines in the Quanzhen Sect due to their rule of celibacy. From this point of view, the Li family was indeed the number one family in the Daoist community. They were even stronger than the Zhang family.

The Zhang family only had a longer history. That was why they were considered one of the three major families in the world, alongside the descendants of Confucius and the current royal family.

Zhang Yuelu sighed. “Let’s not talk about this anymore. I can’t do anything to influence the Zhang family’s decline or prosperity. I just need to focus on my own goal. I apologize for what Su Ying—my aunt—said earlier. Please don’t take it to heart.”

Qi Xuansu reassured her. “This is nothing. It doesn’t hurt me. Now that we have met your cousin and aunt, both of whom are women, isn’t it time for me to meet a male representative from the Zhang family?”

Zhang Yuelu nodded. “Right. I have a cousin who lives in Shangqing County now. We’ll visit him later and have a meal together. This cousin of mine is very easygoing. He doesn’t have any contact with my mother either, so you don’t have to worry.”

Qi Xuansu did not dare to let down his guard, but he did not show his nervousness. “Are we going now?”

“Yes. After that, we’ll go home.” Zhang Yuelu added, “Let’s just get it over with.”

Qi Xuansu could not help but laugh. “You’re impatient.”

“I am. I just don’t understand what the hell the Zhang family is doing fighting among each other at such a critical moment!” Zhang Yuelu did not deny it.

The two of them walked to the largest restaurant in Shangqing County. Although it was not very luxurious, it was still a decent place to meet up.

Zhang Yuelu had arranged for them to meet her cousin there, so her cousin had arrived before them and was waiting for them in front of the restaurant.

Her cousin was Zhang Chiyue, who was also a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master from the same Yue generation of the Zhang family as her. However, in terms of position, he was only a superintendent of Ziwei Hall, so he was inferior to Zhang Yuelu, who was a Deputy Hall Master of Tiangang Hall.

Most high-ranking Daoist priests would have to stay in the fourth rank for a long time due to their position. Generally speaking, Hall Masters and Daoist Mansion Masters were mostly Omniscient Sages. The Chief Deputy Hall Master, Chief Deputy Mansion Master, Second Deputy Hall Master, and Second Deputy Mansion Master were served by ordinary Sages.

Aside from some nominal Deputy Hall Master and Deputy Mansion Master, who were second-rank Taiyi Daoist masters, under normal circumstances, ordinary Deputy Hall Masters and Deputy Mansion Masters were third-rank Youyi Daoist masters. Usually, one’s rank rose in accordance with one’s position.

However, there were a fixed number of positions for Deputy Hall Masters and Deputy Mansion Masters. Each hall or Daoist mansion was allowed up to nine Deputy Hall Masters or Deputy Mansion Masters. Excluding the Chief and Second Deputies, there were only seven deputies for each hall or Daoist mansion. Within the Nine Halls, there were 56 such positions. Including the many local Daoist mansions, there were less than 200 such positions.

In addition, there were many third-rank Youyi Daoist masters who did not hold any positions but were promoted through cultivation level and seniority. Thus, there were only about 300 third-rank Youyi Daoist masters in the entire Daoist community. A good chunk of them were concentrated in Jade Capital, while the rest were scattered around the world.

Zhang Yuelu was a special case, being a Deputy Hall Master when she was only at the fourth rank. She was personally promoted by the Earthly Preceptor, who was the acting Grand Master for the time being. Thus, she was the subject of envy.

Due to this, Zhang Yuelu’s status was far higher than that of Zhang Yuyue and other fourth-rank Daoist masters.

But in any case, Qi Xuansu still had to show respect to a fourth-rank Daoist master, so he bowed to Zhang Chiyue in greeting. Then they proceeded to a private room on the third floor.

After receiving hatred from the Zhang family members, Qi Xuansu finally felt some amiability from the Zhang family this time.

Zhang Chiyue did not look down on Qi Xuansu. He even thought that Zhang Yuelu had a good eye for men. Regardless of whether Zhang Chiyue was just being polite, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had an enjoyable meal with him.