A Pawn's Passage

The Zhongyuan Festival celebrations at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace could not compare to those in Jade Capital, but they had their own unique charm.

Xingye Lake was divided into two parts. The larger section lay outside the Wanxiang Daoist Palace’s formation coverage, used for the takeoffs and landings of flying ships, while the smaller section was within the formation, belonging to the Lower Palace.

At this moment, many people had descended from the Star Observation Deck to the lakeside, placing pre-prepared river lanterns onto the water.

For a while, the lake’s surface was dotted with shimmering lights, reflecting the vast starry sky above, making it nearly impossible to distinguish between them. Even the boundary where the sky met the water blurred, as if the lake was seamlessly connected to the galaxy.

It would be incredibly dreamy and romantic if one could drift across the lake in a boat at this moment.

Someone as busy as Qi Xuansu naturally had no time to make river lanterns, so he simply enjoyed the sight from the Star Observation Deck. At that moment, food was brought to him.

Though the usual meals at Zhen Garden consisted of tough duck, scrawny chicken, raw vegetables, and hard rice, the food provided for the Deputy Palace Masters was exquisitely prepared—on par with the delicacies at Taiping Inn. Clearly, the unappetizing food served daily was not a matter of inability but rather a deliberate maneuver of those with hidden intentions.

Thanks to Sun Hewu, Qi Xuansu was served a plate of braised beef, paired with a mild yellow rice wine. He felt utterly content.

Although baijiu had become quite popular in recent years, yellow rice wine remained the dominant choice for elite banquets. Over a century ago, baijiu was derisively called “stinky liquor.” The very name “baijiu” had only been formalized in recent decades. In the past, baijiu was considered unrefined, consumed only by the lower classes or by those in frigid climates out of necessity, hence its prevalence among frontier troops. It was only in the past century that societal trends shifted, elevating baijiu’s status and allowing it to finally enter more refined settings.

Whenever wine was mentioned in countless classical poems, it actually referred to yellow rice wine.

The reason for this was straightforward. Setting aside differences in taste, baijiu caused intoxication far too quickly. Those with lower tolerance could easily embarrass themselves at banquets.

On the other hand, yellow rice wine allowed drinkers to enter a pleasantly tipsy state without becoming completely insensible. This was precisely why scholars and poets could compose many timeless masterpieces while slightly inebriated. Had they been drunken wrecks, they would not only fail to write poetry or prose but likely forget their own identities. They would perhaps even make a fool of themselves under the influence of alcohol, which would be anything but refined.

Another factor was that yellow rice wine was exceedingly expensive. Freshly brewed yellow rice wine and those aged for ten years had drastically different flavors. Due to the underdeveloped brewing techniques of the past, the liquor contained numerous impurities, and the cost of filtering them was high.

This led to the classification of clear wine for the nobility and cloudy wine for commoners. Storage was also a challenge. Many yellow rice wine varieties would spoil before reaching a decade in age, making well-aged yellow rice wine all the more precious. Additionally, color was a distinguishing factor. Only yellow rice wine with a deep amber hue was considered premium-grade.

In contrast, baijiu was easy to store, but it did not significantly improve with age. As a result, in the past, wealthy families favored yellow rice wine, while the common folk preferred the affordability of baijiu.

During his years wandering the world, Qi Xuansu mostly drank baijiu. But its excessively pungent taste made him dislike drinking altogether. Fortunately, thanks to advances in brewing techniques, he could now enjoy the top-grade amber-red and crystal-clear yellow rice wine that had once been exclusive to noble families. Only now did he truly understand the beauty of fine liquor.

Zhang Yuelu was an expert in this field. She did not limit herself to any particular type of liquor and could appreciate all types, including yellow rice wine, baijiu, Western red wine, and various fruit wines. Lately, she had taken a preference for strong liquors like Dreaming Death, though this was due to her increased cultivation. Dreaming Death was difficult to categorize. Due to the numerous medicinal ingredients infused in it, it was technically a medicinal wine.

Even though Qi Xuansu did not deliberately dissipate the effects of the alcohol, his Martial Arts Practitioner’s physique was able to metabolize the alcohol efficiently. Thus, even after drinking a jar of yellow rice wine, he was only slightly tipsy—enough to loosen his tongue and engage in an animated conversation with Sun Hewu.

In terms of scholarly knowledge, Qi Xuansu was naturally far inferior to Sun Hewu. However, Qi Xuansu had his own advantage—his experience in Jianghu.

Sun Hewu was an old scholar who had spent his entire life studying in closed quarters. He had never personally witnessed the underbelly of Jianghu, proving the saying that knowledge gained from books alone was ultimately shallow and that true understanding came from experience. Even if one could not experience it firsthand, hearing the first-hand accounts of someone who had was far more valuable than mere words on a page.

As Qi Xuansu recounted various Jianghu slang and unwritten rules, Sun Hewu listened with fascination. Though some of it sounded crude, it was filled with practical wisdom. Again and again, the old Sage could not help but slap his knee in admiration.

Qi Xuansu greatly enjoyed the company of this elderly Sage, but he also had a personal agenda. He wanted to extract some knowledge about divine power from the knowledgable old man. After all, the Daoist Order held true dominance when it came to divine power. All the other secret societies were hardly worth mentioning in comparison.

The two men were engrossed in conversation, clinking cups with great enjoyment. However, Yao Pei, seated nearby, was completely uninterested and even found their chatter mildly irritating, so she deliberately distanced herself. She sat alone in an unnoticed corner, completely out of place amid the night’s festive atmosphere.

By this time, the sky was completely dark and dotted with shimmering stars.

Yao Pei retrieved a novel from her magical receptacle. Though it was dark out, her exceptional eyesight allowed her to read under the vast, starlit sky. She could finally enjoy herself in solitude.

Yet, no matter how vividly the book depicted joys and sorrows, and no matter how eloquent the writing, none of it stirred even the slightest emotion in her.

She felt no empathy or sense of connection.

At this moment, Yao Pei seemed devoid of any human warmth.

Just then, a figure streaked through the air at great speed, finally landing gracefully on the Star Observation Deck. He was a handsome and refined young man, dressed in a simple Daoist robe with a long sword strapped to his back.

Flying was strictly prohibited within the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. Though the Star Observation Deck was technically in the outer perimeters, flying so openly here was still an arrogant and ostentatious display. Fortunately, since it was already late at night and most people’s attention was on Xingye Lake and the festivities, only a few took notice of the young man.

The strikingly handsome young man had a cold and detached expression, looking unapproachable.

He scanned his surroundings before striding straight toward Yao Pei.

Qi Xuansu merely glanced at Yao Pei’s direction before withdrawing his gaze and continuing to drink with the old Sage.

The young man approached Yao Pei, who sat alone in a secluded corner. With a casual flick of his hand, he set up a privacy barrier and got straight to the point. “What’s your progress on the investigation that Master assigned you?”

Yao Pei seemed not to have heard him. She kept her head lowered and eyes fixed on the book that was spread open on her lap.

Had this been in the Chongyang Palace of Immortality or Jade Capital, even a casual word from him would have left many female Daoists flustered with excitement. It was said that quite a few proud and self-assured women had fallen for him. Some even devoted themselves to him.

However, Yao Pei was clearly not among those female Daoists. She did not even bother to look up at him, as if his handsome face was far less interesting than the melodramatic tales in her book.

The young man had long been accustomed to Yao Pei’s indifference, so he remained unfazed. His gaze shifted to her book as he remarked, “It seems you haven’t taken Master’s words to heart.”

Only then did Yao Pei close the book on her lap, responding coolly, “Master said this matter must be kept secret. Yet here you are, openly flying through the Wanxiang Daoist Palace and discussing it with me in such a public setting. Are you hoping that people will notice? Would you like an attendant to announce your arrival, shouting, ‘High Mage Qi has arrived?’”

Yao Pei made no effort to conceal the mockery in her words.

Just as Zhang Yuelu had Bai Yingqiong as her senior sister, Yao Pei also had martial siblings. The man before her was Qi Jianyuan, her senior brother.

In terms of Daoist ranking, Qi Jianyuan was not on the same level as Bai Yingqiong. He was merely a third-rank Youyi Daoist master. However, his greatest advantage was his youth. He was in his early thirties, about the same age as Li Tianzhen, and older than Zhang Yuelu, Yao Pei, and Qi Xuansu by a few years.

Qi Jianyuan came from the Qi family of Quanzhen Sect. His uncle, Qi Jiaozheng, served as the Shuzhou Daoist Mansion Master. He himself was a disciple of the revered Sage Donghua.

As Shi Bingyun had said, Sage Donghua did not tolerate mediocre talents in high positions. Even his own younger brother, Pei Xiaolou, had failed to enter Ziwei Hall, yet Qi Jianyuan had risen to become the Ninth Deputy Ziwei Hall Master. In terms of rank and position, he was not inferior to Zhang Yuelu. But because he was older, Zhang Yuelu’s accomplishments had overshadowed him. Furthermore, with Yao Pei’s presence, he had been unable to claim the title of Junior Ziwei Hall Master.

Regardless of these circumstances, he was still not to be underestimated.

Since the closure of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, ordinary people could not step foot into the premises. The fact that Qi Jianyuan had managed to enter at this time spoke volumes.

Qi Jianyuan had long grown accustomed to his junior sister’s drastic changes in temperament. He took no offense and simply said, “I’ve investigated—those people came for Xingye Lake. We can close the net now.”

Yao Pei remained silent, neither agreeing nor objecting to his suggestion.

Qi Jianyuan continued, “Master said this is an internal matter of the Quanzhen Sect. Family scandals must not be aired in public, so it’s best not to involve the Zhengyi Sect or Taiping Sect, and certainly not Tiangang Hall or Beichen Hall.”

Finally, Yao Pei spoke. “Then go ahead and close the net. I won’t oppose it, and I won’t claim any of your credit.”

Qi Jianyuan sighed helplessly. “Junior Sister, I’m not confident I can handle this alone. We will disappoint Master if there are any slip-ups. Moreover, the fewer people who know the details, the better, so we can’t send too many people into the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, nor can we directly notify them. Since you’re here for training, you are the only one who can assist me.”

Yao Pei replied, “And what if I refuse?”

Qi Jianyuan fell silent, furrowing his sharp sword-like brows. His expression was a mix of helplessness and irritation.

At this time, Qi Xuansu glanced toward Yao Pei from the corner of his eye and quietly asked, “Sage Sun, is that guy causing trouble for Yao Pei?”

Sun Hewu merely took a brief look and replied, “Although the Wanxiang Daoist Palace is directly under the jurisdiction of Jade Capital, it is still within Quanzhen Sect’s territory. Who would dare trouble the noble daughter of the Yao family here? I recognize that boy. He came here for training a few years ago. He actually shares your last name, Qi. That boy is Pei Xuanzhi’s disciple, which means he is that Yao girl’s senior brother.”

Qi Xuansu suddenly thought of Bai Yingqiong and remarked, “Is there a possibility that the senior brother and junior sister are at odds over the position of Sage Donghua?”

Sun Hewu paused for a moment, stroking the long beard on his chin. “That’s not entirely impossible.”