A Pawn's Passage

During the era when Confucians ruled the world, society was governed by loyalty and filial piety.

After the Daoist Order replaced the Confucian School, the former overthrew the ideas of loyalty and filial piety but failed to find a suitable replacement. Daoists believed in inaction, but how could the world be governed through non-action? Therefore, since the revitalization of the Daoist Order, many Daoist Sages worked tirelessly to address this issue.

Eventually, the Daoist Order reached a consensus to replace loyalty and filial piety by adopting the Dao and virtue from the Primordial Daoist Ancestor’s classic, Five Thousand Words.

In the Confucian era, people were often accused of being disloyal and unfilial. Similarly, in the Daoist era, the equivalent accusation became lacking in Dao and virtue. However, this Dao and virtue was not the same as the Confucian’s definition of benevolence and righteousness.

The Confucians emphasized hierarchy, which was essentially a system of social order where the ruler was superior to court officials; the father was superior to the son; and the husband was superior to the wife.

For the Daoist Order to rebel against the Confucian School, it naturally could not continue advocating for hierarchy, so the former emphasized social equality. Like the Primordial Daoist Ancestor once said, “Nature is unkind, treating all things as dispensable.”

Another famous quote from the Daoist Master Nanhua was, “From the perspective of the Dao, there is no distinction between nobles and lowborns.”

It was because nature treated all things equally that there was no inherent distinction between nobles and lowborns. For this reason, the Great Xuan Dynasty abolished the hereditary servile class and military class. They also no longer imposed specific restrictions on scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.

Within the Daoist Order, it was strictly forbidden for Daoists to treat Daoist believers as slaves or to allow master-slave relationships. Practices such as kneeling rituals and polygamy were also abolished.

In the past, children had to kneel and kowtow to greet their parents, teachers, superiors, and elders. Mutual kneeling among equals was also common. However, in the Daoist era, all of this had been simplified. Standing and the fist-and-palm salute were sufficient.

Thus, when Madam Qi lectured Qi Xuansu, he only had to stand and listen with his hands at his sides. In the past, he would have had to kneel to her.

However, there was no absolute equality in this world, only relative equality. Thus, there was still a hierarchical system within the Daoist Order.

Many new policies could only be implemented in Jade Capital. Beyond Jade Capital, Confucian influences remained strong. After all, it was extremely difficult for the Daoist Order to erase over a thousand years of Confucian legacy with just two centuries of reform.

This led to two outcomes.

The first outcome was that the Confucian School still wielded considerable influence, especially after the Holy Xuan allied with the Confucians to suppress the Buddhist Sect.

Within the Daoist Order, there had always been a debate on how they should approach the Confucian School. One faction advocated for its complete removal, while the other called for the integration of the Three Religions—Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. This unresolved debate gave the Confucian School some room to maneuver.

The second outcome was that the “loss of virtue” became an extremely serious offense within the Daoist Order. For example, a certain third-rank Youyi Daoist master was demoted for mistreating a servant, completely ending the career of a high-ranking Daoist for something that might not even count as an issue outside the Daoist Order.

Similarly, frequenting brothels might be seen as a refined pastime among Confucians, but for Daoists, it was a matter of morality.

Now that Qi Xuansu was about to get promoted to the fourth rank, he was no longer an unknown figure. Such rapid advancement within the Daoist Order was bound to attract attention, even unwanted ones. Thus, he had to be cautious in this regard.

If he was carelessly accused of “losing virtue,” his career would be utterly ruined.

Such schemes did not require any intricate plotting. All it took was for a young and beautiful female Daoist to have some entanglement with Qi Xuansu and a writer to craft a couple of scandalous articles that disregarded the facts and exaggerated issues of personal virtue.

This would stir up public opinion in Jade Capital, which would put pressure on the decision-makers. A promising young talent like him could then be ruined beyond redemption.

Therefore, throughout their journey, Zhang Yuelu repeatedly warned Qi Xuansu to be cautious.

At this moment, the couple had already boarded the flying ship back to Jade Capital. Naturally, they were not returning to report on their duties since the Golden Tower Council meetings were still ongoing. There were meetings every two days, so it would take at least another half month to conclude.

From Jade Capital, they planned to take another flying ship to Longmen Prefecture. Since they had traveled to Jinling Prefecture on official duty, the return journey to Jade Capital was free of charge. As such, they only needed to purchase tickets for the ride to Longmen Prefecture.

The return journey was smooth and uneventful. They soon arrived at the flying ship port outside Jade Capital.

Zhang Yuelu took this opportunity to stop by her home, while Qi Xuansu went to purchase their tickets to Longmen Prefecture.

Zhang Yuelu was not the type of woman who insisted that men pay for everything. However, since she was accompanying Qi Xuansu to his alumni gathering, Qi Xuansu took the initiative to buy tickets for both of them.

As a result, Qi Xuansu was left with only 100 Taiping coins. He could not blame Madam Qi, lest she taunted him again for forgetting his mother after getting a wife. Nor could he explain this to Zhang Yuelu, especially since she had personally handed him his stipend for the past few months. He had no way to justify where the money had gone, so he just had to endure this grievance in silence.

Qi Xuansu held two tickets and sat idly on a bench in the waiting area. Feeling bored, he pulled out his copy of The Legend of the Ghost Fox and flipped it open.

The short story was titled “Painted Skin.”

It was about a scholar encountering a beautiful but mysterious woman. He brought her home, where they indulged in nightly revelries.

Later, a ghost-catching Daoist priest warned the scholar that he had encountered a ghost.

The scholar was dubious and peeked through the woman’s window at night. That was when he saw a hideous and ferocious ghost painting a human-skin face mask that resembled the woman he had been with.

Terrified, the scholar sought the Daoist priest’s help. But in the end, he was still disemboweled and had his heart gouged out by the ghost.

The Daoist priest used a peachwood sword to slay the ghost. Following the Daoist priest’s advice, the scholar’s wife sought out a mad monk, who had her swallow his phlegm. She then returned home and spat the mad monk’s phlegm into the scholar’s mouth. As a result, the scholar grew a new heart and came back to life.

Qi Xuansu instinctively touched his chest. He too had a heart replaced. This story was undoubtedly a warning to men not to be tempted by beauty, lest they fall victim to ghosts disguised in human skin.

At that moment, a woman approached Qi Xuansu. She did not wear a middle garment, only a waist-length tube with a loose outer jacket, revealing her creamy-white chest. Her dressing style was reminiscent of the customs during the Qi Dynasty.

Although it was summer, the peak of Kunlun Mountain remained bitterly cold, making the woman’s attire eye-catching. Thus, it drew the attention of many passersby.

The woman glanced around and walked straight toward Qi Xuansu, taking a seat at the other end of his bench.

Having just been lectured by Zhang Yuelu to be cautious and having just read “The Painted Skin” story, Qi Xuansu glanced at the book and suddenly felt uneasy.

He thought, Could it really be such a coincidence?

Without hesitation, Qi Xuansu closed the book and prepared to leave.

That was when the woman parted her red lips and spoke. “Your reputation precedes you, Superintendent Qi. Now that I’ve seen you in person, I can confirm that you truly are extraordinary.”

Qi Xuansu paused and took a closer look at the woman. She seemed to be in her mid-twenties. She had an oval face, almond-shaped eyes, willow-leaf brows, and a tall, striking figure—perhaps even surpassing Zhang Yuelu in grace.

Seeing Qi Xuansu look her way, the woman reached up to brush her dark hair from her temple, revealing a section of her delicate wrist adorned with a red string.

“May I ask for your name?” Qi Xuansu asked cautiously.

The woman smiled, revealing her pearly whites. “Li Zhuyu, from Beichen Hall.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “Are you from the Li family?”

“Yes, but I’m just a goddaughter who isn’t on the family registry, so I don’t have a rank among the family hierarchy,” Li Zhuyu replied.

Qi Xuansu had long heard of the Li family’s vast number of adopted children and godchildren. Generally speaking, the more important ones were given ranks, like Li Minghuang, who had abandoned Zhang Yuyue. Despite being adopted, Li Minghuang had been given the Ming generational name.

Another example was Li Qingnu. She was in the same generation as Li Minghuang, but she was not given the Ming generational name because they were of different status.

Qi Xuansu was secretly amazed by Beichen Hall’s intelligence network. He had just returned to Jade Capital, yet they already knew his whereabouts. They truly lived up to their name of being one of the Three Great Halls.

Still, Qi Xuansu maintained his composure and asked, “What are you doing here, Miss Li?”

Li Zhuyu’s eyes arched as she replied cryptically, “Superintendent Qi, your file in Beichen Hall was originally just a single page—no different from the Tiangang Hall records. You graduated from Class A of the Bingzi Year at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, and your master is deceased. But now, your records have been compiled into a thick volume. Your miraculous survival is particularly intriguing.”

Qi Xuansu’s heart was on edge.

His experiences were indeed rather suspicious.

Zhang Yuelu was not blind to the oddities. Rather, she had chosen to trust him.

However, the Li family would not extend such courtesy. Even if Qi Xuansu were not guilty, they would still find something to scrutinize, especially since his background was not exactly spotless.