A Pawn's Passage

After the conferment ceremony, Qi Xuansu began packing his belongings in preparation to leave the Upper Palace. Fortunately, with his magical receptacle, the process was not troublesome at all.

Before leaving, he made a point to visit Sun Hewu, Ning Lingyun, and Ning Yuqing to bid farewell.

Ning Yuqing felt some regret, yet also none at all. Keeping such a talented individual within the Quanzhen Sect did not necessarily have to be her responsibility. Yao Pei would do just as well. Why Ning Yuqing would think this way was not surprising. Over the past three months, anyone could see that Yao Pei, who was usually cold and indifferent to others, treated Qi Xuansu differently. Yao Pei and Qi Xuansu were often seen together in various areas within the Upper Palace. They had also gained merit together. Naturally, rumors began to circulate.

Many found it strange. Qi Xuansu was certainly worthy of being called a brilliant young talent. However, he was not so astonishing as to compare with Li Changge, the sixth-generation Grand Master, or Donghuang from the past.

As for looks, he was indeed handsome, but not to the level of an unparalleled gentleman of his generation. How, then, had he managed to entangle himself with both Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei, two of the most outstanding women of their generation?

Moreover, these two were not ordinary women, nor were they the type to be charmed by sweet talk. Many saw Zhang Yuelu as an iron-willed woman, unyielding and domineering—not someone easy to get along with. Yao Pei was no less formidable. Before the second major Jiangnan case, both her reputation and capabilities were considered above Zhang Yuelu’s, second only to Li Changge. The recent events at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace had proven that Yao Pei’s fame was well-earned.

To many ambitious figures aiming for the pinnacle, romance was merely a bonus—nice to have, but never a necessity. Both Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei had long demonstrated grand aspirations and never seemed like lovesick women.

It was precisely because it made no sense that many became curious. Some even held Qi Xuansu in admiration. Many were envious, but they were not jealous of Qi Xuansu, especially since the Daoist community practiced strict monogamy. Who would he choose out of these two stellar women? Even if they followed the Imperial Court’s system of polygamy, the question of who would be the wife and the concubine would be an unsolvable dilemma.

It would also be an earth-shattering event if these two women ended up in conflict over him. Should things escalate to true hostility, even Li Changge would not be able to mediate. Anyone involved would be implicated.

But Qi Xuansu was clear that these rumors were baseless nonsense.

The reason he spent so much time with Yao Pei was partly due to Madam Qi, but also because they were allies, bound purely by shared interests.

The only woman he truly liked was Zhang Yuelu. In some ways, Yao Pei was too similar to him. Or rather, she carried traces of Madam Qi’s presence. Perhaps this was a tradition of the Yao family.

Besides, Qi Xuansu believed that a husband and wife should complement each other. If they were too similar, life would be dull. He had no particular attachment to motherly figures. To him, one Madam Qi in his life was already enough trouble. Imagining another one beside him was just unbearable. Would that even be a life worth living?

Regardless, they had at least been classmates, and to some extent, colleagues. So Qi Xuansu felt that he should bid farewell to Yao Pei. From a practical standpoint, this was about building connections. If he wanted to make a name for himself in the Daoist Order, he needed to learn how to grow his own network.

When Qi Xuansu arrived at Yao Pei’s residence, he found that the courtyard gate was wide open, with no restrictive formations in place. Yao Pei had already packed her belongings and was standing beside a small pond in the courtyard, lost in thought.

Qi Xuansu knocked lightly on the open gate. Yao Pei turned around, looked at him, and got straight to the point. “You’re here to say goodbye?”

He nodded. “I’m heading back to Jade Capital.”

Yao Pei let out a soft hum, then said, “I’ll be going to the Chongyang Palace of Immortality first. I won’t be in Jade Capital until the end of the year.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “By then, I likely won’t be in Jade Capital anymore. I’ve heard the higher-ups plan to temporarily reassign me to the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion.”

Yao Pei was not surprised by this information. She lifted her Novice License and asked, “Do you want to stay in touch? I don’t have many friends.”

Qi Xuansu hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. “Sorry, my Novice License is already reserved for someone else. Let’s just exchange mother-child talismans instead.”

Yao Pei’s expression showed no trace of disappointment, nor was there any awkwardness—only a calmness that bordered on lifelessness. “Alright.”

With that, she retrieved a mother-child talisman from her magical receptacle, handed Qi Xuansu the child talisman, and kept the mother talisman for herself. Qi Xuansu did the same, retaining the mother talisman while giving the child talisman to Yao Pei. This was the standard exchange process.

Yao Pei stored the talismans and asked out of the blue, “What is love? What are emotions?”

Qi Xuansu was taken aback. For a moment, he found himself unable to answer.

Yao Pei continued, “There are two kinds of love. One type of love allows each person to have their independence. Despite their emotions, they have clearly defined boundaries, so the couple remain separate individuals. Those who are strong are often like this.

“The other type of love is similar to clinging together for warmth. Whether as friends, family, or Daoist companions, the connection between people is inseparable. When emotions run too deep, the other person becomes one’s entire world, to the point of losing oneself. For the other’s sake, one would do anything—even give up their life. The weak are often like this.

“In the ‘Song of Me and You,’ Guan Daosheng wrote:

“You and me, and me and you, so much in love are we;

So much in love, like bathing in fire are we.

We knead and shape a clod of clay into figures of you and me.

We smash, trash our two figures, add water to admix the debris,

To again knead and shape fresh figures of you and me;

In my clay, then, you’ll abide, and in yours, there I’ll be.

You and I, in life, one single quilt we share;

In death, in the same coffin, please bury me.”

“This is the kind of love that most people yearn for. I would really like to know—which one are you and Qing Xiao? The first or the second?”

Qi Xuansu had not expected Yao Pei to say something like this. Thus, he found himself speechless.

Yao Pei continued, “Qing Xiao has an incredibly strong will. She has her own world, and she refuses to change easily or become anyone’s sidepiece. To be fair, from Yue Liuli’s case, we can see that she has made some compromises and changes for you. But those were minor adjustments, not nearly enough to shake the foundation of her world. This means she is still firmly holding on to her own existence.

“But what about you? Do you have your own world? Will you become her liege and lose yourself entirely? Or do you think you can shatter both of your worlds, blend them together, and reshape yourselves—where your clay contains hers and hers contains yours?”

Qi Xuansu had no answer to this.

Just as Zhang Yuelu deliberately deceived herself, Qi Xuansu had also avoided thinking about this issue.

Would he really become Zhang Yuelu’s liege? Would he take Zhang Yuelu’s dreams as his own and her pursuits as his sole purpose, losing himself completely? What was he so afraid of? Why was he afraid of Zhang Yuelu knowing his true identity yet unconcerned about Yao Pei knowing it?

The truth was simple—he and Yao Pei had clear-cut boundaries, so there was no reason to fear anything. But he did not want such boundaries with Zhang Yuelu. At the same time, he lacked the confidence to change her world, nor did he believe they could truly blend together like the clay in the poem.

Qi Xuansu knew himself well. Since he could not figure it out at the moment, he might as well stop thinking about it altogether and pretend the problem did not exist.

In this regard, he and Zhang Yuelu were shockingly alike.

He had not expected Yao Pei to see through him so easily and even lay it bare in front of him with just a few words. But upon closer reflection, it made sense. If Yao Pei did not even understand what emotions were, then how could she practice the Taishang Emotionless Sutra?

Yao Pei finally revealed her blade and struck straight at his heart. “Uncle, since we’re both from the Yao family, I’ll introduce you to a good match if Qing Xiao ever kicks you to the curb one day. Qing Xiao is like a rock—easy to break but incredibly difficult to sculpt. But the noble ladies in the Quanzhen Sect are like clay—moldable however you wish.”

Qi Xuansu’s expression darkened. “Keep your noble ladies for yourself.”

Yao Pei did not react to that statement. Instead, she asked, “Daoist Qi, is there anything else?”

“Nope,” Qi Xuansu replied.

Yao Pei turned away, ignoring Qi Xuansu and resuming her blank stare at the pond.

In truth, Yao Pei was not lost in thought. She only appeared dazed because she was activating Heavenly Calculation. The first time Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had met her, she had been in this exact state.

A practitioner of the Taishang Emotionless Sutra was often indistinguishable from a mechanical puppet. During battle or in special situations, traces of their emotions could still be felt. But now, there was nothing—not a single ripple. Compared to her brief moments of clarity, this was true dormancy.

Qi Xuansu lost all interest in continuing the conversation, so he turned and left.