A Pawn's Passage

Zhang Yuelu understood clearly that the jade bracelet, now revealed in its true form, was the key that placed her squarely within someone’s line of sight.

Since the Ziguang Society had already taken the initiative to appear, it saved Zhang Yuelu the effort to seek them out. She got up, paid the bill, and walked into the snowstorm under many surprised gazes.

For a Heavenly Being, 15 kilometers was truly nothing, so Zhang Yuelu arrived in the blink of an eye.

This was a small town, not enclosed by walls or forts, because there was no need. Ordinary bandits would not dare stir up trouble near the Imperial Capital. If someone could actually march an army to the capital’s gates, this little town would not make any difference. So there were no city walls or checkpoints. It blended naturally with the surroundings. Since it was close to the main road, it was usually lively, with not only the door-half-open establishments Xuanji had mentioned but also with taverns, teahouses, inns, and various shops.

Zhang Yuelu entered the town and looked around. Due to the heavy snow, there was not a soul in sight. She had no choice but to step into a teahouse.

Perhaps due to its proximity to the Imperial Capital, the locals were well-informed and immediately recognized the origin of her cloak, so they looked at Zhang Yuelu with a hint of reverence.

Zhang Yuelu beckoned the shopkeeper and handed him one Taiping coin before asking, “Where’s the local door-half-open establishment?”

The shopkeeper was slightly startled at hearing a woman’s voice. But then again, a male Daoist would not seek out these kinds of low-end brothels for pleasure either, so gender made no difference. This female Daoist was likely here to enforce the law. He had heard that there had been a crackdown on brothels in the Imperial Capital. Had the cleanup now extended even to small places like this?

If he pointed the way, that would just harm the neighbor’s business. This was a small town with familiar faces everywhere, so he could not afford to be the bad guy. But this Daoist was not someone he could afford to offend either.

Just as the shopkeeper was having an internal dilemma, Zhang Yuelu saw through his difficulty and explained, “I’m here to find someone. It’s unrelated to official business.”

The shopkeeper finally relaxed slightly and said, “Head north when you leave. After you see a big poplar tree, turn right down an alley. The establishment is the one at the very end.”

“Thank you.” Zhang Yuelu turned and left, walking north. Sure enough, she could faintly make out a poplar tree through the snow.

At that moment, there was a figure standing right under the poplar tree, holding an umbrella, seemingly waiting for someone.

Zhang Yuelu stopped a short distance away and raised her wrist, noticing that the jade bracelet had come alive once more, with purple light flowing and rippling outward.

The figure holding the umbrella saw this scene and softly murmured, “The Purple Jade Hornless Dragon...it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it. What a pity that only half remains.”

Only now did Zhang Yuelu realize the bracelet was called the Purple Jade Hornless Dragon. She asked, “Are you the bracelet’s original owner?”

The person holding the umbrella asked, “Little girl, do you know what the marvelous use of this bracelet is?”

Zhang Yuelu shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“This bracelet is for protection.” As the person spoke, a patch of snow that should have fallen with gravity changed trajectory, shooting toward Zhang Yuelu like flying daggers.

Almost at the same time, the Purple Jade Hornless Dragon on Zhang Yuelu’s wrist flashed with light, and a violet shield appeared around her, blocking the flying snow daggers. When the snow melted upon contact, the shield disappeared as well.

Compared to Zhang Yuelu’s own Five Elements Qi Shield, this violet shield’s greatest advantage was that it triggered automatically without needing her to divert attention or consume any true essence, making it ideal against surprise attacks. Of course, it was just a protective treasure. Even if both bracelets were combined, it would only qualify as a semi-immortal object. Thus, for the Heavenly Preceptor who was already an Immortal, this was a trinket of little use. Its value was mostly symbolic.

Zhang Yuelu softly murmured, “A heartfelt token of a parent’s love.”

The person with the umbrella chuckled. “Not quite. It’s just a keepsake.”

Zhang Yuelu asked, “May I have your name?”

“We just met earlier. You can call me Xuanji.”

In truth, Zhang Yuelu had not meant to ask that. She could already guess this was the same person who had spoken to her at the inn earlier. What Zhang Yuelu really wanted to ask was whether she was an incarnation of the True Lord Ziguang. But since Xuanji avoided the topic, Zhang Yuelu chose not to press further.

Zhang Yuelu said, “You are far senior to me, so I will respectfully address you as Elder Xuanji. I trust you already know my purpose here.”

“Of course I’m aware,” Xuanji replied. “Zhang Wushou gave you this bracelet, which means you’re tasked with handling contact with the Ziguang Society. I must say, I’m impressed that he thought of having a Tiangang Hall official reach out to us.”

Zhang Yuelu calmly said, “It makes no difference. I won’t stay in Tiangang Hall forever. Sooner or later, I’ll be posted elsewhere. By then, I’ll be a Deputy Mansion Master in some local region.”

Xuanji sighed. “The classic promotion path in the Daoist Order. An external post gets you promoted one rank. Returning to the Jade Capital gets you promoted to another. This pattern cycles back and forth until you’ve joined the Golden Tower Council.”

Zhang Yuelu fell silent.

If she took an external post, it would not be as an ordinary Deputy Mansion Master. More likely, she would start as the Second Deputy, one of the three pillars of a local Daoist mansion. By then, she would at least be a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master. After several more years of experience, she would return to the Jade Capital’s Nine Halls as a Chief Deputy Hall Master. Eventually, like the forebears of the Cihang lineage, she would become the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master and rise to the rank of Omniscient Sage, joining the Golden Tower Council. After that, she would return to the capital again and become one of the nine Hall Masters, moving from a lower-ranked Omniscient Sage to a top-ranked one. By then, competing for the position of Grand Master would no longer be mere talk.

Qi Xuansu was also walking this same path. If he could make great achievements in the Imperial Capital, he might replace Qi Jianyuan and become the lowest-ranking Deputy Ziwei Hall Master, equivalent to Zhang Yuelu’s current position. Then, like her, he would be posted externally as a Second Deputy Mansion Master, and would return to the Jade Capital as a Second Deputy Hall Master, or serve as a Chief Deputy Mansion Master. Step by step, he could rise steadily. While it was unlikely he would be able to compete for the Grand Master’s seat, becoming an Omniscient Sage would not be difficult.

Zhang Yuelu snapped back to her senses and continued, “Since you already know my intentions, I won’t repeat them. But I wonder, what are your views and those of the Ziguang Society?”

“The Ziguang Society has no objections, but personally, I find you quite interesting,” Xuanji said with a teasing smile.

“Me?” Zhang Yuelu was first startled, then her expression darkened. “Are you asking me to join the Ziguang Society?”

Xuanji replied, “I did have that idea, but I also know that someone aiming to become the Grand Master would probably look down on our little society. I just want to test you to see whether the one who will represent the Zhang family in dealings with us truly lives up to their reputation, or if you are just a hollow name.”

Zhang Yuelu furrowed her brows and did not respond immediately.

Xuanji continued, “Put it this way, if one day the Ziguang Society decides to surrender to the Daoist Order, the person most likely responsible for bridging that connection would be you. Whether you can shoulder such a responsibility is of great concern to us. Of course, we hope you can become the eighth-generation Grand Master, just as the Heavenly Court hopes for a Grand Master from the Li family, or the Qingping Society hopes for one from the Quanzhen Sect. But seeing is believing, so we hope you understand.”

Zhang Yuelu asked, “How do you plan to test me?”

“Things like vision, strategy, depth, foresight, temperament, and finesse can’t be seen in just a short while, nor can they be easily measured. As for your cultivation, you’re already a Xiaoyao-stage Heavenly Being, not some newly initiated child, so there’s nothing to test there,” Xuanji said as she brought the fingers of her two hands together, forming a diamond-like shape at her abdomen, while letting her paper umbrella float in the air, still shielding her from the snow.

Zhang Yuelu asked directly, “What do you want?”

Xuanji smiled. “Why don’t we play a little game?”

“A game?” Zhang Yuelu asked, puzzled.

Xuanji chuckled softly. “Yes, a game. If you win, the Ziguang Society will acknowledge Zhang Wushou’s decision. If you lose, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to pay a small price.”

Zhang Yuelu’s expression grew serious. “Then...what is the price?”

Xuanji seemed to see through what Zhang Yuelu was thinking. “We’re not men, so of course, we have no desire for your body. As I said earlier, we just want you to join the Ziguang Society, become Her Ladyship’s daughter, and become one of the seven Star Keepers of the Ziguang Society. You should know that for many people, this wouldn’t be a punishment but a great blessing. But I suppose for a young and promising High Mage striving to become the Grand Master, this indeed counts as a small punishment.”

Zhang Yuelu once again fell into silence.

There was no doubt that Xuanji’s cultivation and strength far surpassed hers, so Zhang Yuelu could not claim absolute victory. Contacting and liaising with a secret society was a completely different matter from joining one. If she were to join a secret society, it would not only betray her own ambitions, but she would also let down her master, Sage Cihang, who had placed such high hopes on her.

Xuanji smiled slightly. “Let me sweeten the pot for you. You want to become the Grand Master, yet you suffer from shallow foundations. For you, the Ziguang Society is a huge source of support, just like the Qingping Society is for the Quanzhen Sect, or the Heavenly Court is for the Taiping Sect. Whoever controls such forces, even if they can’t stand proudly in the light, can at least wield real influence. Besides, you’re still young, and your cultivation is limited. You’ve just entered the Xiaoyao stage, and there’s still quite a distance to the Wuliang stage. While I can’t immediately elevate you to the Wuliang stage, I can offer you a small opportunity or blessing to help you advance faster down the road.”

Xuanji paused before continuing, “Of course, that’s on the condition that you win this game. If you can’t even beat me, then what talk is there of becoming the Grand Master? You’d best give up early.”

Zhang Yuelu stared at Xuanji. “Who exactly are you?”

Xuanji smiled. “I am the Madame’s attendant, the True Lord’s envoy, and the earthly incarnation of Her Ladyship. People call me Star Keeper Xuanji.”

Zhang Yuelu nodded. “I accept this game.”

“Great!” Xuanji clapped her hands. “No time to waste, then. We’ll begin right away.”

With that, Xuanji turned and reminded Zhang Yuelu. “But now is your last chance to back out. Whenever you’re ready, come find me at the house at the very end of the alley. Of course, you can also just turn around and leave, as if none of this ever happened.”