A Pawn's Passage

Staring at the calligraphy, Zhang Yuelu could not help but think of the impending war in Fenglin.

But since the military action in Fenglin had been unanimously approved by the three Deputy Grand Masters and the Golden Tower Council, the key idea was to use ominous weapons only when absolutely necessary.

This Fenglin conflict was not the Daoist Order’s original intention, but a sudden incident. On the surface, the Daoist Order had indeed acted out of necessity.

If the war ended in victory, the greatest beneficiary would be the Taiping Sect, so much so that it was hard not to suspect whether this had been part of a long-planned scheme to empower oneself by nurturing an enemy.

If there had indeed been a hidden ploy, it would not have been deployed at the last minute. It likely had been planted several generations ago, but was only revealed now. The predecessors planted the tree for the successors to enjoy the shade.

In this regard, noble families might have many flaws, but they excelled in policy continuity, especially old houses like the Li family, whose orderly succession and strong cohesion made it almost impossible for decisions to die with their makers, nor for orders to reverse overnight.

Put bluntly, Zhang Yuelu suspected the Li family had a hand in fueling this Fenglin war. Throughout history, battle merit had always been the most valued and had the most immediate impact, unlike finance or civil administration, which were slow to show results.

Still, Zhang Yuelu did not voice her doubts. She knew that even if she asked, the Heavenly Preceptor would not answer them. If he intended to say something, he would take the initiative. Besides, at this stage, whether it was true or not no longer mattered. The Daoist Order could not afford to lose this battle.

This united front against outsiders was one of the few remaining shared principles among the three Daoist sects. That “outsider,” however, probably did not include the Imperial Court, which was, in a sense, considered Daoist.

But Fenglin was certainly an outsider. During the last Western Region war, the Taiping Sect contributed little due to their being the furthest from the Western Region. Most of the burden fell on the Quanzhen Sect. This was why Ning Lingge, an Omniscient Sage from the Quanzhen Sect, had once served as the Tiangang Hall Master.

The Taiping Sect had not dragged the Quanzhen Sect down then. But now, to avoid interference or betrayal from the other two sects, the Taiping Sect would surely pull them onto the war chariot together.

Indeed, an external enemy had always been the best way to unite internal factions. That was why whenever internal strife became irreconcilable, launching an external war always proved effective.

While Zhang Yuelu pondered, the Heavenly Preceptor quietly regarded this most outstanding junior.

The Heavenly Preceptor had never married or had children, so he had no biological granddaughters. But as the patriarch and head of the Zhang family, every girl of the Yue-generation was considered his granddaughter.

There was one generational gap between parent and child, which was quite vast. Thus, the two-generation gaps between grandparent and grandchild was nearly insurmountable.

But perhaps due to that distance, sharp conflicts no longer occurred between grandparents and grandchildren. What emerged instead was a certain beauty and harmony in their bond.

The elders saw the youngsters as naive children and did not hold grudges with them. Meanwhile, the younger ones saw the elders as senile and likewise let things slide. Each generation took a step back, absolving direct conflict.

“Heavenly Preceptor,” Zhang Yuelu greeted softly.

The Heavenly Preceptor waved his hand. “I’ve told you before. Only use honorifics in public settings. In private, there’s no need for that.”

Zhang Yuelu smiled. “Grandpa.”

Zhang Yuelu could not help but wonder how Li Changge would address the Imperial Preceptor, since both were of the Chang-generation. He would not call the Imperial Preceptor “Big Brother,” would he? That would be a bit ridiculous.

Just as Zhang Yuelu was about to speak, she suddenly felt her Intermediate License begin to vibrate.

She glanced at the Heavenly Preceptor, who waved his hand, signaling her to go ahead and respond.

Zhang Yuelu moved to a corner and unfurled her license to see Qi Xuansu, standing in front of the gate of Zixiao Palace. She immediately realized he had been stopped outside the gate.

She exchanged a few words with Qi Xuansu, then closed the license and looked toward the Heavenly Preceptor. “Grandpa, I’d like to bring someone in.”

Feeling lighthearted, the Heavenly Preceptor teased, “Is it the Zhang family’s matrilocal son-in-law who made a jaw-dropping leap for you?”

Zhang Yuelu showed a rare, embarrassed expression that only appeared in front of elders. “What matrilocal son-in-law? That’s just gossip made up by idle tongues.”

The Heavenly Preceptor chuckled. “Exactly. It would be quite the novelty if there really were a matrilocal son-in-law in the Zhang family I hadn’t met. Since he’s already here, go ahead and let him in. Don’t leave him waiting outside. It’d be poor hospitality, and if someone sees that, they might think the Zhang family lacks proper manners.”

With that, the Heavenly Preceptor casually wrote a writ and handed it to Zhang Yuelu.

Though this could not compare to Zhang Yuelu’s special pass, a writ from a Deputy Grand Master was still sufficient as a temporary pass.

Zhang Yuelu accepted the writ and turned to leave Biyou Palace.

Having nothing else to do outside Zixiao Palace, Qi Xuansu strolled idly around Jade Pond, occasionally glancing up at the massive ship on the lake that resembled a small mountain.

While the Imperial Capital still lay blanketed in snow, Jade Capital enjoyed year-round spring. But since the Purple Mansion sat at the city’s highest elevation, one could faintly make out distant mountain ranges and wintry scenes from here.

Such a contrast of scenes was rare.

Qi Xuansu simply stood there, appreciating Kunlun’s beauty, until Zhang Yuelu came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Deputy Hall Master Qi. The Heavenly Preceptor would like to invite you to his residence.” Zhang Yuelu was in a good mood.

Qi Xuansu immediately picked up on the Heavenly Preceptor’s attitude from her tone and felt a weight lift from his heart. As long as he made a good impression on the Heavenly Preceptor, the rest of the Zhang family would not be a real concern.

Though the Zhang family still had many Omniscient Sages and even Great Sages, they were not Zhang Yuelu’s direct relatives nor the head of the Zhang family. Thus, they lacked the proper standing to oppose this relationship. In other words, if Zhang Yuelu, her immediate family, her master, and the head of the Zhang family agreed, then no one else had grounds to object to their union.

Qi Xuansu naturally felt more confident now. But then he suddenly remembered that Zhang Yuelu had told him to think carefully about how he should introduce himself to the Heavenly Preceptor. He had not really prepared anything. He did not even have a proper gift.

Thinking of this, he quickly voiced his concern to Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu waved it off. “Forget it. You’re just a junior, a poor one too. What kind of gift could you prepare anyway? The Heavenly Preceptor might even be the one giving you a greeting gift.”

With that, she presented the Heavenly Preceptor’s writ to the Spirit Guard at the gates and led Qi Xuansu into Zixiao Palace.

To be fair, Zixiao Palace was quite different from what Qi Xuansu had imagined. He had expected a heavenly paradise, but in truth, while the residence of the Grand Master and three Deputy Grand Masters certainly had a celestial aura, they were not particularly awe-inspiring.

But then he thought it through and understood that they were merely emulating the Primordial Daoist Ancestor’s Three Virtues—compassion, frugality, and humility. Since frugality was valued, it would be contradictory to build some grandiose celestial palace, as that would be hypocritical.

Zixiao Palace covered a vast area. Upon entering the main gate, Qi Xuansu came upon a lake, with four palaces arranged around it.

Zhang Yuelu led Qi Xuansu westward. Along the way, there were many Spirit Guards. But upon seeing Zhang Yuelu, none of the Spirit Guards stopped them.

This gave Qi Xuansu some insight. Though the three prodigies did not currently hold high ranks or lofty posts, they indeed carried tremendous influence.

An ordinary Omniscient Sage might not even be able to get through the Zixiao Palace so freely, yet Zhang Yuelu, a mere third-rank Youyi Daoist master, could. The implications were obvious.

Qi Xuansu reminded himself that though many now called him the fourth prodigy, even small matters like this made clear the gap between him and the original three prodigies. He must not let pride cloud his judgment.

When they arrived at Biyou Palace, Qi Xuansu found it oddly familiar. Thinking back, he realized its layout bore some resemblance to the Shangqing Palace of Yunjin Mountain.

Soon, under Zhang Yuelu’s guidance, Qi Xuansu arrived at the Heavenly Preceptor’s study.

The Heavenly Preceptor was still standing behind the desk, while Qi Xuansu hurried to perform a formal bow.

The Heavenly Preceptor was kind, waving off Qi Xuansu’s formalities. “This time, I’m meeting you as Yuelu’s grandfather, not as the Heavenly Preceptor. So there’s no need for overly strict decorum.”

What he meant was that Qi Xuansu only needed to follow the etiquette expected of a junior toward an elder, not the full protocol due to a Deputy Grand Master.

Qi Xuansu readily complied.

The Heavenly Preceptor had Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu sit down, exchanged a few words of small talk, and actually gave Qi Xuansu a greeting gift—one that nearly made Qi Xuansu jump out of his seat.

The Heavenly Preceptor pulled out a case file and handed it to Zhang Yuelu. “A few days ago, after the Golden Tower Council passed the resolution on Xuansu’s appointment as a third-rank Deputy Hall Master, Fengxian Hall received an anonymous complaint. Normally, such matters would be handled independently by the Fengxian Hall. But since it involves Yuelu, it landed on my desk.”

Qi Xuansu immediately tensed.

It was not because the Heavenly Preceptor addressed him by name, since it was still appropriate for an elder of this stature to address him by his given name. What concerned Qi Xuansu was the complaint.

He wondered, Had something from my past been exposed? That shouldn’t be. Such matters were usually transferred to Beichen Hall. Why was Fengxian Hall handling this case? And what did it have to do with Qing Xiao?

Zhang Yuelu had already opened the file. After just a few pages, she could not help but laugh out loud before handing over the file to Qi Xuansu.

After reading it, Qi Xuansu almost slammed the table in fury.

The content of the file was regarding a woman accusing Qi Xuansu of seducing and abandoning her. She claimed that she had been his classmate back at the Wanxiang Daoist Lower Palace, where they had been intimate and secretly pledged themselves to each other. She even claimed to have miscarried Qi Xuansu’s child. But Qi Xuansu cut off all contact with her after he moved to Jade Capital. When she went to see him again, he was already favored by Zhang Yuelu and had been taken under the Zhang family’s wing. After that, Qi Xuansu became heartless, ignored her, and even threatened her multiple times.

One could only imagine how furious Qi Xuansu was. If he had really done this, he would admit it. But he was as pure as they come. Even Zhang Yuelu had not been intimate with him. But now, this stranger had smeared his name. Worst of all, such matters were like mud on the crotch of one’s pants—people would only think that it was shit and would not actually care if it was shit or mud.