A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu followed Yao Pei to the second floor. Several large rooms there had already been arranged for interrogations and administrative work. However, since Qi Xuansu had not been convicted and was only a suspect, he was not bound in shackles, nor was he imprisoned.

Trailing behind Yao Pei, Qi Xuansu could not help but ask, “Dearest niece, since when have you and Qing Xiao become so close?”

Yao Pei gave no reply.

Qi Xuansu continued, “Daoist Yao, what do you think of Acting Deputy Hall Master Li?”

This time, Yao Pei responded, “Do you want the nice version or the blunt one?”

“The nice one.”

“He’s rather upright in character, calm in crisis, and generous. After all, he represents the Li family and resembles the Holy Xuan. If one day you lose to him, you likely won’t bear much resentment.”

Qi Xuansu asked again, “What’s the blunt version?”

Yao Pei answered, “The dog that bites doesn’t bark.”

Qi Xuansu clicked his tongue. “That doesn’t sound like something a refined lady from the prestigious Yao family should say.”

Yao Pei was unfazed. “Blunt as it is, it hits the mark. Li Changge already knows why you didn’t die. After all, you and he are the same kind, both manmade Banished Immortals. You’re entirely different from us natural-born Banished Immortals. Go ahead, feel your chest. Is it still beating?”

Qi Xuansu instinctively pressed a hand to his chest. Sure enough, there was only stillness, tinged with a faint chill.

As they spoke, the two arrived outside a room.

Yao Pei had no intention of entering and simply said, “Go in yourself. I won’t intrude.”

“Thank you, Daoist Yao.”

Yao Pei had already turned away when she said without looking back, “Well, I’m a subordinate now, so I’m just doing my duty.”

Qi Xuansu shook his head and pushed the door open.

Sure enough, Zhang Yuelu was inside, seated behind a desk, poring over a case file.

Qi Xuansu cleared his throat. He made a show of performing a formal salute and said solemnly, “The humble Superintendent Qi would like to greet Deputy Hall Master Zhang.”

Zhang Yuelu glanced up at him and replied indifferently, “No need for such courtesy, Superintendent Qi.”

She thought, If he’s going to act, then I’ll play along.

Qi Xuansu blinked, surprised that Zhang Yuelu was playing along. But his niece, Yao Pei, had called it earlier, saying this was rather “frisky.”

He coughed awkwardly. “Deputy Hall Master Zhang, may I ask why you summoned me here?”

“Are you not aware?” Zhang Yuelu stopped flipping through the file and leaned back into her chair, her arms resting on either side. She merely stared at Qi Xuansu with a faint smile.

Before Qi Xuansu became a superintendent, he had two signature skills, which he learned from Madam Qi—one was acting, and the other was playing dumb. After assuming office, he had to be more serious to project authority. But now, facing his old superior, he naturally picked both habits back up. He deliberately pretended to be nervous, saying, “Heaven’s will is unfathomable. How dare I presume to guess Deputy Hall Master Zhang’s thoughts?”

Zhang Yuelu snorted lightly. “Then let me remind you. Why were you suspended from your duties in the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion? Why were you confined to the Yuhuang Palace?”

Qi Xuansu defended himself. “I’ve been wronged! I’m just waiting for a noble and upright master like you to clear my name and restore justice.”

Zhang Yuelu slapped the table. “Criminals are always stubborn. How did you collude with the Lingshan Witch Cult? Speak truthfully, or I’ll be forced to torture you.”

Qi Xuansu pretended to hesitate, then he let out a long sigh. “If that’s the case, then I suppose I must confess. I would like to report an accomplice to seek leniency in judgment. In truth, my direct superior within the Lingshan Witch Cult is named Zhang Yuelu. She is, in fact, the incarnation of the Ancient Immortal Wu Luo, long entrenched within the Daoist Order and plotting to overthrow—”

Zhang Yuelu finally lost her composure and spat, “Screw you! If I’m the Ancient Immortal Wu Luo, then who are you? True Lord Siming?”

Qi Xuansu nodded earnestly. “Now that you mention it, it does make some sense. We were both present when the Ancient Immortals appeared. I’ve only just realized that I’m True Lord Siming. Thank you for enlightening me, Deputy Hall Master Zhang.”

Zhang Yuelu casually grabbed an unimportant document from her desk and threw it at him.

Qi Xuansu caught it and walked over to her, asking, “There aren’t any surveillance spells in here, are there?”

Zhang Yuelu countered, “Why do you think I chose to meet you here?”

Qi Xuansu instantly understood—there was no surveillance.

Reassured, Qi Xuansu immediately grew bolder. He placed the document back onto the desk, then moved behind Zhang Yuelu, gently resting both hands on her shoulders.

Zhang Yuelu’s body instinctively shivered, but it was barely noticeable. Even so, she did not pull away or resist his touch.

Qi Xuansu glanced down at her long black hair and murmured, “I had just returned to Jade Capital after my 3-month training at the Upper Palace, but then I was reassigned to the Imperial Capital. In the blink of an eye, it’s been a month since. We’ve been apart for four months!”

Zhang Yuelu frowned. “Haven’t we been seeing each other daily through our licenses?”

“It’s not the same.” Qi Xuansu shook his head. “Those meetings are fake. I can see and hear you, but I can’t touch or smell you. There’s no warmth, so it doesn’t feel real.”

As he spoke, Qi Xuansu applied some pressure with his hands, beginning to massage her shoulders. He drew in a deep breath, inhaling her feminine scent and committing it to his memory.

Zhang Yuelu still did not resist. Instead, she closed her eyes. “Sweet talker. Where did you learn that from?”

“Does it even need to be taught? I thought it just comes naturally with age.” Qi Xuansu kept within boundaries, only massaging her shoulders, yet an unmistakable tension between them was growing increasingly suggestive.

Zhang Yuelu was not the type to flush with embarrassment at the slightest compliment. That was part of her paradox. She was clearly bold, yet she was rather reserved in terms of conduct. It was like someone bearing a sharp weapon yet choosing to follow all the rules, never giving in to violent impulse or breaching propriety.

So Zhang Yuelu did not stop Qi Xuansu and merely said, “Then you’d better do it right. If I’m not satisfied, you’ll be in for it.”

Qi Xuansu leaned forward slightly. “What exactly does ‘in for it’ entail?”

“Like this.” As if she had anticipated his advance, Zhang Yuelu flicked her finger just as he leaned forward, striking his forehead before he could even react.

Thwack!

Whatever technique she had used, it did not injure Qi Xuansu, but it was certainly painful.

Qi Xuansu straightened up immediately, no longer daring to push his luck. He resumed obediently massaging his superior’s shoulders.

Zhang Yuelu simply closed her eyes and enjoyed it.

At first glance, Qi Xuansu did not seem to hold much status at home. But truth be told, how many people would give anything to serve Deputy Hall Master Zhang like this? Here he was, in this position many envied.

After a while, Zhang Yuelu swatted his hands away. “Clearly, you’ve never served anyone before. Your technique is terrible!”

“You say that like you’ve experienced it yourself,” Qi Xuansu remarked. Zhang Yuelu’s frugality was well known, so he doubted she had the spare coin for such indulgences.

Zhang Yuelu replied, “I might not have money, but my mother and my cousin Zhang Yuyue do. I benefited from their generosity. Those female Daoist believers have really skillful hands—a hundred times better than yours. But that’s not something you’ll get to enjoy since that place only receives female guests to avoid unseemly rumors.”

Qi Xuansu deliberately teased, “Once I’ve got the money, I’ll visit Sycamore Villa, the best pleasure house in the Imperial Capital. By then, I can hire a courtesan to give me a massage. That place only receives male clients—no women allowed.”

Zhang Yuelu flashed a threatening smile. “You can certainly try.”

Qi Xuansu let out a sheepish laugh. “I was only joking.”

“Well, I wasn’t,” Zhang Yuelu said as she stood and rolled her shoulders. As a Heavenly Being, she would not get sore or tired, but some habits, once formed, were hard to shake, even if they served no real purpose anymore.

Qi Xuansu moved closer again.

Zhang Yuelu shot him a glance. “What do you want?”

Qi Xuansu was bolder than usual today. He murmured, “They say a short separation is sweeter than a new marriage. I just want to hug you...”

No matter how composed Zhang Yuelu usually was, she was still an untouched maiden. She could not quite handle that look of longing from Qi Xuansu and instinctively stepped back. “Tian Yuan, I’m warning you. Don’t push your luck.”

Qi Xuansu would not truly cross the line, but he was visibly disappointed. He muttered, “It’s not like I haven’t held you before. Back in the Western Region, when you were wounded by Desmond and fell unconscious, who carried you out? When the flying ship crashed, whose waist was I holding?”

Zhang Yuelu’s face finally flushed a little, but her tone remained firm. “So what? That was then, this is now.”

Qi Xuansu sighed.

After all, he was a man in his twenties, not some ascetic monk. With such a beautiful woman beside him who shared mutual feelings, it was impossible not to feel some desire.

Unfortunately, her conservative nature was both a blessing and a curse.

Due to her restraint, Zhang Yuelu was different from Shi Bingyun and Zhang Yuyue. She never had any romantic history and always maintained her virtue. Qi Xuansu was her first love, and very likely, her only one.

But because of that same restraint, Qi Xuansu never got to take advantage of it either. Zhang Yuelu was traditional in this regard. She believed intimate gestures should be reserved for formal Daoist companions. Otherwise, it would be improper.

Back when they chatted through their licenses, Qi Xuansu had once joked, “Qing Xiao, you could be included in the Biographies of Chaste Women. But by those standards, I once touched your hand, so you should chop it off yourself for being defiled by this filthy man. Oh, I even held your waist! I’m ashamed of your lack of resolve.”

At times like those, Zhang Yuelu would always laugh and reply, “Tian Yuan, you sure have a talent for ruffling feathers.”

In the end, Qi Xuansu could only comfort himself that good things took time. Once they officially became Daoist companions, she would not refuse him due to propriety anymore.