A Pawn's Passage

The Heavenly Preceptor’s ship was laid out similarly to the Imperial Preceptor’s, with only subtle differences in detail, and the study was naturally located in the same position.

When they arrived at the Heavenly Preceptor’s study, they found him reviewing official documents. Tang Jiaohua immediately stepped forward to brew tea for him.

Though the Heavenly Preceptor practiced the Fasting Technique, he still enjoyed drinking tea.

Tang Jiaohua’s tea-brewing was extraordinarily skillful, not because the technique was flashy, but because of how precisely he catered to the Heavenly Preceptor’s preferences. It was truly astonishing.

Tea could be hot or cool. The cool tea was not the same as the herbal tea of Lingnan. It was still fundamentally green tea, only cooled after being brewed. Since the tea had to cool naturally, the amount of tea leaves became crucial.

If there were too few tea leaves, the cooled-down tea would lack flavor. If there were too many, the long steeping time required to cool the tea would extract too much bitterness from the leaves.

Tang Jiaohua could not only measure this precisely but also ensure that every brew contained not one leaf too many or too few. It was this accumulation of such details that had earned him a permanent place at the Heavenly Preceptor’s side.

The kind Heavenly Preceptor gestured for the two young ones to sit down, then he took a sip of hot tea. Since he had not immediately served tea as a dismissal gesture, this clearly indicated that the meeting was informal, a casual chat between an elder and his juniors. There was no need for formality.

Hot tea and cool tea used different leaves. The leaves for hot tea came from Kunlun Paradise. Compared to ordinary tea, these tea leaves had cultivation-enhancing properties. For a typical Xiantian Being, simply drinking this tea daily for a few years could allow them to reach the Guizhen stage. But for an Immortal at the Heavenly Preceptor’s level, the effect was virtually negligible.

This was the way of humankind—taking from the lacking to give to the excess. Those who needed such tea to cultivate might never get a taste of it, while those who drank it daily did not need its benefits. They likely drank it for the taste or to flaunt their status.

Tang Jiaohua brewed this hot tea for the two youngsters as well.

Trying to be polite, Qi Xuansu made a show of declining. However, Zhang Yuelu simply sat calmly without moving, perfectly composed.

The Heavenly Preceptor set down his cup, leaned back in his chair, and asked, “Xuansu, how do you feel about your recent promotion of being a Deputy Hall Master of Ziwei Hall?”

Just as Qi Xuansu was about to stand and reply, the Heavenly Preceptor gently pressed down with his hand. A soft force made Qi Xuansu sit back down again. “Don’t stand while speaking. I told you that there’s no need to be so formal today.”

Qi Xuansu could only respond seated, “I’ve just arrived at Ziwei Hall and haven’t interacted much with my fellow colleagues. But Deputy Hall Master Lei was once my superior and has helped me a lot, and Sage Donghua has also been very kind to me.”

The Heavenly Preceptor nodded. This was merely the beginning, not a sign he intended to interfere in Ziwei Hall’s affairs, so he simply switched to another topic. “I recall that you were working in Tiangang Hall under Yuelu before you were assigned to Ziwei Hall, correct?”

Qi Xuansu immediately felt a little tense, though he did not show it on his face. He nodded solemnly. “Yes. At the time, I was essentially the secretary to Deputy Hall Master Qing Xiao.”

Zhang Yuelu, who was drinking tea, choked slightly. Her expression turned a little odd, but no one knew whether it was from the odd combination of her title and courtesy name or from the mention of him being a secretary.

A smile appeared on the Heavenly Preceptor’s face. “After that, you made an astounding leap. Since then, you were transferred to Ziwei Hall, transitioning from the Zhengyi Sect to the Quanzhen Sect.”

Qi Xuansu was not quite sure how to respond.

The key issue was not his transfer from Tiangang Hall to Ziwei Hall, nor the fact that he had survived that fall. None of that could be hidden from the Heavenly Preceptor. The critical part was that he had switched from the Zhengyi Sect to the Quanzhen Sect, and the elder before him was the leader of the Zhengyi Sect. It was hard not to associate him with the word “traitor,” and he could not help but worry it might affect his marriage prospects with Zhang Yuelu.

After all, he was traveling to Yunjin Mountain to spend the holidays with Zhang Yuelu, not just to make a splash and stun all those who once looked down on him, but mainly to make real progress in their marriage. Officially becoming Daoist companions could wait, but at the very least, he hoped to get engaged to her. Even if he could not secure an engagement, he wanted to probe the Zhang family’s stance and obtain a clear verbal commitment.

By rights, such matters should be handled by elders, not by Qi Xuansu himself. But unfortunately, Qi Xuansu did not have any clearly defined elders. He was an orphan, and his master, Qi Haoran, had already passed away. Madam Qi could be considered an elder, but there was no formal adoption between them. After all, she had met him when he was already grown and capable of looking after himself, not a clueless child. Moreover, due to her status, it was not appropriate for her to openly visit Yunjin Mountain’s Dazhen Mansion.

As for others like Lei Xiaohuan or Sage Donghua, their relationship with Qi Xuansu was not so close as to meddle in his marital affairs. Even if they were, it would not be appropriate for a superior to propose a marriage on their subordinates’ behalf.

In the end, Qi Xuansu had no choice but to make all the arrangements himself.

It was rather heartbreaking when he thought about it. He had no parental blessings or matchmaker because he simply had no such privileges, not because he was progressive and eager to break tradition.

Back in the day, the Holy Xuan’s marriage to his wife was a grand alliance between the Qin and Li families, with the entire Daoist community coming to offer congratulations. Zhang Yuelu might not compare to the Holy Xuan’s wife, but with the Heavenly Preceptor’s support, the Zhengyi Sect would at least honor the occasion. Qi Xuansu, on the other hand, could never measure up to the Holy Xuan.

If they truly got married and held a grand wedding banquet, the bride’s side would be crowded with friends and relatives, while the groom’s side would only have a couple of people. Qi Xuansu did not have many friends either, and he could not have Madam Qi act as both parent and guest. Only Qi Xuansu felt the awkwardness and sorrow of such a scene.

Aside from that, Qi Xuansu was also deeply troubled by another matter. The Zhang family, being one of the Three Great Families in the world, would naturally have many customs and formalities when it came to marriage. Although the Daoist Order advocated frugality, and becoming Daoist companions could theoretically be done with just a simple visit to the City God Temple, Qi Xuansu could not actually do that.

Zhang Yuelu might agree with skipping a wedding banquet, but if Qi Xuansu really did that, it would solidify his reputation as the Zhang family’s matrilocal son-in-law. More importantly, he did not want Zhang Yuelu to be slighted or have people gossip about her behind her back. After all, no one was truly immune to the expectations of social customs.

The real issue now was the betrothal gift and dowry.

The Zhang family could certainly afford a dowry, maybe throwing in a grand mansion in Taishang Place along with some land and businesses. But Qi Xuansu could not afford the betrothal gift.

If they were to follow traditional custom, Qi Xuansu would have to ask an elder to visit the Zhang family to confirm the engagement, and it would need to be done in two parts. The first would involve a female elder from Qi Xuansu’s side visiting the Zhang family to settle the betrothal, known as a pre-agreement. The second would require Qi Xuansu and some male elders to deliver the betrothal gifts and set the wedding date, known as the final agreement.

Never mind where Qi Xuansu would even find such elders; betrothal gifts needed to match the dowry. Some members of the Zhang family would likely seize this opportunity to make things difficult for him, offering an outrageously generous dowry under the pretense of honoring Zhang Yuelu, leaving him no room to object.

But where was he supposed to find so many Taiping coins? He mulled it over again and again. Aside from leveraging his power improperly to make money, his only option was to turn to Madam Qi. She often claimed she was saving up money for his future wedding, but who knew how much that miser had actually set aside?

Whenever he thought about these things, Qi Xuansu grew increasingly distressed. But he could not bring it up with Zhang Yuelu either, because she would undoubtedly support keeping things simple, which would then make it seem like he was morally pressuring her.

Besides, Zhang Yuelu was conservative and reserved. She had yet to explicitly express her intention to marry Qi Xuansu. The two merely maintained a subtle tacit understanding. So, it would be far too abrupt for him to suddenly bring up discussions about betrothal gifts and dowry.

On this matter, the Heavenly Preceptor was someone Qi Xuansu absolutely could not overlook.

Now that the Heavenly Preceptor had suddenly brought up the matter of the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect, Qi Xuansu naturally connected it to these concerns, yet he found himself unable to respond.

The Heavenly Preceptor seemed to sense Qi Xuansu’s unease and waved his hand dismissively. “Whether it’s the Zhengyi Sect or the Quanzhen Sect, we’re all Daoist disciples serving the Daoist Order. To take it a step further, one of the Holy Xuan’s unfulfilled wishes was to unify the three sects, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary for disciples to move from one sect to another. You don’t need to feel any burden.”

Qi Xuansu suddenly understood why Zhang Yuelu’s expression had been so odd. After all, she too had once considered leaving the Zhengyi Sect.

Yet the Heavenly Preceptor’s words were lofty and well-founded, leaving no room for criticism.

Only then did Qi Xuansu speak. “I was from the Wanxiang Daoist Lower Palace, with no particular connection to any sect. Later, I followed my master into the Zhengyi Sect. But my master was originally a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect. Due to that connection, Sage Donghua transferred me back to the Quanzhen Sect.”

Qi Xuansu still felt the need to clarify that it was not his intention to betray the Zhengyi Sect. Rather, he was simply returning to his roots. Moreover, this transfer had not been his decision, which made all the difference.

The Heavenly Preceptor had the privilege of speaking freely. In this private setting, he bluntly revealed the truth. “This progression is only natural. If Sage Donghua hadn’t transferred you back to the Quanzhen Sect, how could he feel assured in appointing and promoting you?”

Qi Xuansu was once again left speechless.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Preceptor did not demand a response and simply continued, “When you visited Zixiao Palace, you saw the four palaces encircling the lake. The Daoist Order is like one big family. With so many people, the meal must be cooked in separate pots. Right now, Biyou Palace and Yuxu Palace are a bit closer than the others, but they still can’t get the stew to the right temperature. The hearth is still short of one fresh log.”

Qi Xuansu understood.

Since ancient times, marriage alliances have been the simplest and most direct form of forming bonds. The promise of an offspring became even more reliable than sworn oaths or brotherhoods.

Now, the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect lacked something crucial in this alliance. They could not force Sage Cihang and Sage Donghua—both advanced in age—to become Daoist companions. While they were well-matched in status and stature, there were too many entanglements. How would the disciples, juniors, and family members get along? After all, the Cihang lineage, the Su family, the Donghua lineage, and the Pei family were no small players. If there were suddenly a new Master-Father or Master-Mother, it would only add confusion to those below.

Such an arrangement would be too conspicuous. It was better to leave it unspoken and let it unfold gracefully. Thus, it would be far wiser to choose two younger members with fewer complications for a marriage alliance.

Qi Xuansu almost blurted, “Qing Xiao and I are more than willing to be that fresh log!”

But he managed to control his mouth. At the same time, he felt somewhat relieved that Yao Pei was not a man. If Yao Pei were male, she would have become his number one rival in this situation.