A Pawn's Passage

Most of the residents in the Xiang Family Fortress were related to each other, as they were one big clan. Some clans were so powerful due to their unity that they could even fill some of the gaps in the local governance.

Originally, the county magistrate was a little worried the Xiang clan would revolt if they arrested Xiang Rulin. Although the government was not afraid of this, it was still a troublesome matter. What he did not expect was that most of the people outside the Xiang Residence would gloat over Xiang Rulin’s misfortune. This showed that Xiang Rulin’s relationship with his clan was not great.

After a brief discussion between the county magistrate, Deacon Zhou, and the assistant major, they decided to take Xiang Rulin to the county prison while awaiting his conviction.

This case would definitely alarm the government, and perhaps even the state. Thus, there were still many procedures to go through.

Although Qi Xuansu happened to be going to Tianshui Prefecture, he did not want to follow through with this case. After all, his identity as Qin Wubing’s personal guard was fake. It could be used to fool guards at a blockade, but if someone looked into him, his identity would be exposed.

The heavy snow had stopped, so Qi Xuansu bid goodbye to the three officials with the excuse of not wanting to delay General Loulan’s errands. By this time, the case was considered solved, and the three officials did not need anyone to be their scapegoat, so they naturally agreed to Qi Xuansu’s departure. However, they perfunctorily asked him to stay out of politeness.

All of them left the Xiang Family Fortress and went to the county seat, where they hosted a farewell banquet for Qi Xuansu. After drinking and talking, Qi Xuansu left the county seat and continued toward the prefectural capital.

He planned to stop in the prefectural capital before passing through Tianshui Prefecture to leave Liangzhou and enter Qinzhou’s territory.

The rest of the journey was uneventful.

Qi Xuansu arrived at the capital city of Tianshui Prefecture, which was bustling with people. Many of the Daoist Order’s establishments had branches in this city, including Taiping Inn, Huasheng Hall, and Tianji Hall. Unfortunately, Qi Xuansu was short of money. His original savings of 300 Taiping coins were down to 150 Taiping coins after he compensated the innkeeper and his wife with 100 Taiping coins and spent the other 50 Taiping coins.

Qi Xuansu had heard of some rules among the officialdom. A visiting official would be received by a local government official and given an allowance. This time, the three local officials only held a banquet for Qi Xuansu but did not give him any money, which disappointed the money-grubber. He figured that it was because his status as Qin Wubing’s personal guard was not enough to grant him this privilege.

In fact, the Imperial Court did have such unwritten rules. Just as Qi Xuansu guessed, not all levels of officials could receive such treatment. If Qin Wubing had passed by, he would have been entitled to this treatment.

According to common practice, the Deputy Protector’s treatment would be equivalent to that of the Pacification Commissioner, Chief Military Officer, and Deputy Minister. They would receive about 100 Taiping coins for food and fodder, as well as an additional 300 Taiping coins as tribute.

A level above that was for the Governor, Chief Admiral, and Minister. They would be entitled to 200 Taiping coins for food and fodder and 400 Taiping coins as tribute. A higher rank than that would be for cabinet ministers and the like, which had no standard rule of treatment. It all depended on the local government. Some even went as far as to build a large sedan chair that needed to be carried by 32 people.

In the Imperial Court, these expenses could be recorded openly as gifts under the local government office. Thus, if someone committed a crime in the future, these accounts would be audited, but the giver would not be held accountable as it was an explainable expense. Thus, this rule made it difficult for the law to hold everyone accountable.

Unlike the Imperial Court, the Holy Xuan strictly prohibited such rules within the Daoist community.

With his status, Qi Xuansu would not have been able to interact with high-ranking officials. At most, he would only be able to interact with county-level officials because they would be roughly equivalent to his Daoist seventh or sixth rank.

As for Qingping Society’s salary, Madam Qi withheld it on the grounds of using half to pay off his debt and saving the other half for his future marriage.

Qi Xuansu found it strange. He could never understand Madam Qi’s thought process. The Li family of the Taiping Sect was searching high and low for Xuan Jades, so if Madam Qi were to sell it to them, she could easily fetch tens of thousands of Taiping coins. However, she casually gave him the Xuan Jade of Death without so much as batting an eyelid. Also, she saved him back then by footing the bill for his Auxiliary Heart, which cost at least tens of thousands of Taiping coins.

Madam Qi did not seem to care about spending on these big-ticket items, but she liked to eye Qi Xuansu’s meager salary and confiscate his money. Sometimes, Qi Xuansu even felt that Madam Qi might be mocking him.

How long would it take to repay his debt of tens of thousands of Taiping coins with his meager savings?

Also, saving up for marriage was an absurd idea. Qi Xuansu only wanted to marry Zhang Yuelu, but money was not an important factor. By the time he could overcome all obstacles and win her back, he would probably have to be a Sage. By then, he would have no shortage of money or connections. People would even do him favors without him asking.

Qi Xuansu walked around the city for a while and felt for the Demon Pill in his sleeve pocket. He decided to head to Huasheng Hall.

The layout of Huasheng Hall’s branches was similar everywhere. Qi Xuansu went into the lobby and took out his Black Robes badge to prove that he was not a cult demon. Seeing the badge, the staff in Huasheng Hall was not impressed. The superintendent did not come out to greet him either.

Qi Xuansu remembered clearly that the last time he followed Zhang Yuelu to the branches of Tianji Hall and Huasheng Hall, the superintendents attended to them in person. This indicated Zhang Yuelu’s status within the Daoist Order. After all, she was the youngest Deputy Hall Master with a bright future.

Qi Xuansu took out the green bead he had wrapped, placed it on the counter, and asked, “How much is this worth?”

The receptionist behind the counter reached out for the demon pill, examined it for a moment, and answered, “This is an ordinary Demon Pill, but most of its medicinal effects have been lost due to the lack of proper storage. It’s an average-quality pill that is priced at 500 Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu tried his luck. “Can you go a bit higher?”

The receptionist shot a glance at Qi Xuansu. “What do you think this place is? A vegetable market that allows haggling? This is the final offer. Sell it if you want. If not, the door’s that way.”

After all, Huasheng Hall was not a family business. The receptionist was a Daoist priest with a permanent position, so even if this branch’s business was not good, she would not lose her job. That was why she did not bother to be polite to Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu remembered the last time he went to the branches of Huasheng Hall and Tianji Hall with Zhang Yuelu. Everyone there was more hospitable and enthusiastic in front of her. Without Zhang Yuelu around, this receptionist had such a cold attitude. Although they were not the same branch, it was the typical behavior of Daoist priests toward non-Daoists.

If Qi Xuansu still had the status of a sixth-rank Daoist priest, this receptionist would not have been so rude to him. After all, there would be a day their paths would cross again if they both worked for the Daoist Order. Therefore, the receptionist would have at least smiled at him perfunctorily to maintain a cordial front in case she ever needed help from him in the future.

Since Qi Xuansu’s current identity was one of the Black Robes with no official status, the receptionist did not bother with pleasantries.

Qi Xuansu was accustomed to such behavior having traveled the world on his own for so long. Thus, he did not get angry or sad over such a trivial matter. He said indifferently, “Sorry, this is my first time here, so I don’t know the rules.”

“So, do you want to sell it or not?” The receptionist asked.

“I’ll sell it,” Qi Xuansu said without hesitation.

Only a rash person would walk away in anger. Qi Xuansu was better than that. He was a shrewd little merchant at this time, calculating the pros and cons.

Since he did not have a suitable container to store the Demon Pill, the medicinal effects would diminish over time, so the quality would continue to decline. Therefore, the selling price would naturally decrease. If he did not sell it now, he would have to consume it. However, this kind of unprocessed Demon Pill had serious side effects. It might even cause one’s body to take on the traits of the demon, such as growing scales on the body, horns on the head, or vertical pupils in the eyes. The best course of action was to sell it as soon as possible to exchange it for cash.

The receptionist took out a jade box to place the Demon Pill in. She asked, “Do you want coins or cash notes?”

“Cash notes.” Judging by the receptionist’s attitude, Qi Xuansu knew not to test her patience by specifying the type of cash notes.

The receptionist took out five brand new cash notes, worth 100 Taiping coins each, and placed them in front of Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu put them away and asked, “Do you sell Jade Liquor here?”

“Yes.” The receptionist was getting impatient. “The cheapest one is for ordinary Xiantian Beings and costs 1,500 Taiping coins. Do you want it?”

Qi Xuansu was surprised to hear this. “Isn’t it 1,000 Taiping coins?”

The receptionist rolled her eyes at him. “That’s the special price for Daoist priests. If you are a high-ranking Daoist priest, you will even be entitled to a discount. If you are a second-rank Sage, you will be allotted free bottles of Jade Liquor. Since you’re not a member of the Daoist Order, this is the price for outsiders. Take it or leave it.”

Qi Xuansu silently left Huasheng Hall and went to Taiping Inn, which was not far away. After resting for a night, he continued on his way.