A Pawn's Passage

It was pouring outside, but Qi Xuansu was able to repel the rain with his qi shield. He showed his insignia along the way and soon arrived at Pei Xiaolou’s courtyard.

Lei Xiaohuan happened to be with Pei Xiaolou.

As expected, this couple would not be as hard-working as Zhang Yuelu. They were not reading case files or discussing the case. Instead, they were playing the Holy Xuan Cards.

To be precise, Pei Xiaolou was teaching Lei Xiaohuan how to play the Holy Xuan Cards. Since the rules were simple, Lei Xiaohuan had already started to get a hang of the game.

Hearing the Daoist priest on duty announce Qi Xuansu’s arrival, Pei Xiaolou immediately threw down the cards in his hand and asked the attendant to lead Qi Xuansu inside.

As soon as Qi Xuansu entered the room, he heard Pei Xiaolou snicker. “Boy, I didn’t peg you for the kind who would stay up all night in a lady’s room.”

With that said, Pei Xiaolou waved to the Daoist priest on duty, signaling the latter to retreat. “It seems that you and Deputy Hall Master Zhang have reconciled, and your relationship is even better than before. I guess we don’t need to worry about you anymore.”

Qi Xuansu quickly explained himself. “Sage Pei, you misunderstood. Nothing happened between me and Qing Xiao. We just got a little drunk, so I accidentally fell asleep at her place and woke up not long ago.”

“What kind of wine can get you two drunk?” Pei Xiaolou was startled before he widened his eyes in disbelief. “Could it be Dreaming Death?!”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “I finally understand why it’s called Dreaming Death. I felt like a corpse having slept for 12 hours.”

Lei Xiaohuan, who had been silent all this time, could not help but chime in. “You kids sure are brave to secretly drink Dreaming Death before becoming Heavenly Beings. I remember the Daoist Order has a strict prohibition order that non-Heavenly Beings aren’t allowed to purchase Dreaming Death. Even Zhang Yuelu can’t buy it, so how did you get it?”

Qi Xuansu answered truthfully. “I got it from the Mystery Jar at Huasheng Hall.”

“Hah! You’re so brave to touch the Mystery Jar!” Pei Xiaolou clicked his tongue. “Back then, when I was still an ignorant young man, those Stupid Jars cheated me of 6,000 Taiping coins, which I spent so much effort to save. All I got in return was a spiritual object and some items worth 2,000 Taiping coins. It’s such a scam job!”

After Qi Xuansu heard this, he dared not tell Pei Xiaolou that he had won a substandard treasure so as not to rub it in the Sage’s face.

The nosy Pei Xiaolou enquired about more details about the young couple’s reunion, so Qi Xuansu could only give him a brief summary, discounting the intimate details that were only reserved for him and Zhang Yuelu.

After hearing this, Pei Xiaolou lamented. “I still don’t understand why such an outstanding girl fell in love with you. Are clever women always into dumb men?”

Qi Xuansu did not take offense to this. After all, Pei Xiaolou had been kind to him, coming to his aid whenever possible. Thus, Qi Xuansu treated him like an elder. Furthermore, compared with Zhang Yuelu, Qi Xuansu knew that he was indeed not outstanding. If they ever got married, everyone would also think that Qi Xuansu was not worthy of Zhang Yuelu. Even Qi Xuansu himself shared the same sentiment.

However, Lei Xiaohuan became upset and rebuked. “Those with limited aspirations can’t possibly understand those with lofty ambitions. You’re always judging others by your low standards, so naturally, you can’t figure it out.”

Pei Xiaolou was already used to his wife’s scolding. He just asked, “Then what do you think, oh lofty wife?”

Lei Xiaohuan answered, “Well, it’s not difficult to understand. If you are asked to marry someone, will you find someone who is more capable than you or someone who can give you a sense of security?”

Pei Xiaolou sized up Lei Xiaohuan and hesitated to speak.

Lei Xiaohuan sighed. “Just be honest. I won’t blame you.”

Pei Xiaolou said, “Few men are willing to be inferior to their wives, so naturally, they will find someone they fancy, not someone who is more capable than them.”

He paused and did not forget to add, “Of course, I’m not saying that I don’t like you, my darling. I’m just discussing this topic from a stereotypical man’s perspective.”

Lei Xiaohuan ignored the second half of his sentence. “This is what you men think. You don’t care much about a woman’s ability but more about whether you have feelings for her. That’s because most men will think that they can cope with a weaker woman and protect her.”

Qi Xuansu nodded thoughtfully.

Lei Xiaohuan continued, “The reason why men don’t care or show they care about the so-called sense of security is that they have been taught since childhood that they are the pillars of the family. They must support the family business and protect their wife and children. So naturally, men were taught not to show any weakness, as showing one’s weakness meant admitting that you are inferior to others. This eventually leads to losing status, power, and reputation.”

Pei Xiaolou and Qi Xuansu exchanged a look, neither of them denying this statement.

This was indeed their reality. The support, protection, morality, and responsibility were all imposed on men. Therefore, the world required men to be masculine and strong, not showing any weakness.

For thousands of years, calling a man a sissy was meant as an insult. Their world was more tolerant of women being weak, never allowing men to be vulnerable. Women could be like water, but men were expected to be like rocks.

Pei Xiaolou asked, “What does this have to do with Zhang Yuelu fancying Tian Yuan?”

Lei Xiaohuan cast a sidelong glance at him. “I don’t deny that some women marry a man for his capability and the so-called sense of security, like a big tree that they could take shelter under. That’s because they can only rely on men to survive. But some women don’t want to do this because they think they can do what men can do. They are self-reliant, and they strive for personal development. Zhang Yuelu is undoubtedly the latter type.

“As long as you put yourself in her shoes, you will come to understand how strong Zhang Yuelu is. She does not need anyone to give her a sense of security, nor does she need others to protect her from storms. She doesn’t need to rely on a man to survive.

“That’s why the only thing she will consider when choosing a Daoist companion is whether she likes him or not. It’s a simple question. To her, it doesn’t matter whether Tian Yuan is stronger or weaker than her. Of course, being evenly matched is still the best, but even if Tian Yuan is weaker than her, it doesn’t matter to her because she is more than capable of protecting herself and him. Do you get it now?”

Qi Xuansu was greatly shocked by this revelation.

In the past, he only had a vague idea but could never pinpoint them.

Pei Xiaolou reacted faster, clapping his hands and praising. “Listening to your words is certainly better than ten years of studying Daoism. Zhang Yuelu is a self-reliant and proud woman; so are you. That’s why you can sympathize with her.”

Lei Xiaohuan rolled her eyes at him. “I don’t need you to flatter me.”

However, it was clear that Lei Xiaohuan still enjoyed the flattery. She added, “Of course, Tian Yuan is not so bad himself. He’s just a few steps behind Zhang Yuelu. Compared with others his age, he’s considered a young talent. Old Pei here is the same. Although he is a little worse than me, he still has merits compared to others.”

This was probably the extent of Lei Xiaohuan’s recognition and praise for Pei Xiaolou.

Pei Xiaolou and Qi Xuansu glanced at each other.

The Sage was annoyed by the hint of amusement in Qi Xuansu’s eyes. He wanted to tell Qi Xuansu that he was not a henpecked husband. It was just his sad reality that his cultivation level was not as high as his wife’s, so he was helpless.

Pei Xiaolou coughed lightly and planned to pass on some of his experience to maintain his image as an elder. “Tian Yuan, consider yourself lucky that Qing Xiao is quite independent and doesn’t like to hang out with other women. It’s a good thing.”

Qi Xuansu was curious. “Why?”

Pei Xiaolou dusted off his clothes and explained, “Women like to compare, especially among their close friends. For example, if a female Daoist found a fourth-rank companion, her other girlfriend would also likely seek out a fourth-rank partner or someone of higher status. Otherwise, the relationship would not last.”

Though young and inexperienced, Qi Xuansu was still suspicious of what he heard.

Pei Xiaolou glanced at Qi Xuansu, as if the boy were hopeless. He continued, “Take a group of girls who are as close as sisters. One is from the royal family, one is amazingly talented, one is stunningly gorgeous, and the other is relatively unremarkable in all aspects. If you had to choose, which one do you think would be easier for you to approach?”

Qi Xuansu thought for a while before replying, “The ordinary one.”

“Wrong.” Pei Xiaolou stretched out his index finger and wagged it back and forth like a pendulum. “Assuming that these four girls are as close as sisters and there is no infighting between them, the difficulty level of these four girls are actually the same. In other words, you are not facing one person, but all four of them. So, you must be worthy of the princess, extremely talented, and extraordinarily handsome as well.”

Qi Xuansu was stunned by this logic. “What the hell?”

“This is just one of the problems.” Pei Xiaolou sighed. “In fact, you’re not being compared to the woman you are pursuing, but with her friends’ partners. Even if you manage to be the first to pursue a woman in that group and have no one to compare to, you won’t be able to relax for one second.

“The other three women will share you as if you are their personal slave, getting you to do things for them and pay the bill. By then, you will feel like you have suffered a loss because you’ve only agreed to marry one of them, but you have to be at the beck and call of all four of these women. This arrangement would have only made sense if you could sleep with all four—”

Before Pei Xiaolou could finish his sentence, Lei Xiaohuan’s fist had already landed on his head. She said with a threatening smirk, “Pei Xiaolou, I didn’t know you were such a playboy before we got married! I wonder who these four ladies are. Why don’t you tell me all about them?”

Pei Xiaolou dared not resist. He flashed a sheepish smile and explained, “This was just a hypothetical situation to let Brother Qi here know what some women can be like. I never dated four ladies at once!”

Lei Xiaohuan sneered, not saying a word.

Although Qi Xuansu was doubtful, he still felt lucky that Zhang Yuelu did not like to hang out with other women. Otherwise, he would not have to think far about what her friends’ attitudes would be like. Zhang Yuyue was the best example of this.

Lei Xiaohuan ignored her nonsensical husband and turned to look at Qi Xuansu. “Tian Yuan, let’s talk business.”