A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu stayed at the Zhang residence for only one day. Early the next morning, they set off for Jade Capital.

It was Little Yin’s first time going to Jade Capital. She was both nervous and excited, the two emotions intertwining within her until she could not sit still. One moment, she pressed herself against the window to look at the scenery. The next moment, she ran over to Qi Xuansu to ask him questions about everything under the sun.

Only after Little Yin finally settled down for a moment did Zhang Yuelu ask, “How did you convince my mother? She actually came to see us off.”

Qi Xuansu smirked. “This humble man has his own clever methods.”

Zhang Yuelu shot him a look. “You’re being secretive with me?”

Qi Xuansu said, “There’s really nothing mysterious about it. What do your mother and I have in common? You. If it weren’t for you, she and I would belong to two completely different worlds, with no intersection at all. To solve a problem, you naturally have to address it at the root—that is, to start with you.”

Zhang Yuelu’s eyes lit up. “Not bad! I didn’t even think of that.”

Qi Xuansu smiled and said, “You’re inside the mountain, so of course you can’t see it as clearly as I do. I spoke with her again, but I didn’t talk about myself at all, only about you. When it comes to understanding you, your mother actually knows you less than I do, so naturally she was persuaded.”

Zhang Yuelu could not help but sigh. “When the desire for control is too strong, people become unwilling to understand others and only use their own ideas to define them. The two of us should take this as a warning.”

As they spoke, the flying ship had already passed through the Kunlun mountain pass.

Qi Xuansu remained silent for quite some time.

After a while, Qi Xuansu pointed to the Starry Sea below and said, “This is where I woke up. After that, I went to Salt Lake.”

The closer they drew to Jade Capital, the denser the signs of human activity became.

They could see various Daoist temples being constructed below. In some places, even the rudimentary outlines of cities had begun to take shape.

This was one of the places under the Kunlun Daoist Mansion where penal labor was carried out.

Daoists exiled to this place were overseen by large numbers of Spirit Guards. They would also have a special talisman implanted in their bodies. This allowed them to exert their normal cultivation level to perform hard labor, but if they dared to make any suspicious moves, the talisman would activate instantly, causing them to lose all cultivation. It was a highly specialized shackle.

Of course, this special talisman also had its limits. It would no longer work if a person’s cultivation was too high. That was why Sun Heyu could not be exiled here but was locked up in the Demon Suppression Tower instead.

Qi Xuansu sighed. “I hope that one day we won’t end up like this as well.”

In the rise and fall of officialdom, who could guarantee what the future holds?

Zhang Yuelu was rather optimistic. “Don’t worry. We definitely wouldn’t be exiled here to do hard labor. If the two of us ever lose power one day, the most likely outcome would be to be killed outright. The next would be being suppressed in some sort of pocket realm. I think the Dragon Palace would be pretty good. At least we’ll get to enjoy the sea view.”

For a moment, Qi Xuansu did not know what to say. But this was indeed the reality.

Once they lost, the most likely outcome was death. After all, their rival would prefer to cut the tree at the root. Imprisonment would be the second option.

This made Qi Xuansu think of Zhang Wuhen.

She had been imprisoned for many years. Once she finally escaped, she became entangled with secret societies. No one knew how she was doing now.

Come to think of it, Zhang Wuhen’s escape had happened during his last visit to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. He had personally seen her resurrection, yet it felt as though a very long time had already passed.

Last time, his fellow classmate was Yao Pei. At least this time, it would be Zhang Yuelu.

There were no mishaps along the way—no trouble stirred up by Wu Luo. After that incident, the Kunlun Daoist Mansion had tightened security. Moreover, Wu Luo had suffered heavy losses in Poluo and needed time to recuperate.

Qi Xuansu did not yet have the qualification to enter Jade Capital directly, so his flying ship landed outside the city, and the three of them entered on foot.

Naturally, this attracted quite a few gazes along the way.

Two young Sages walking side by side made them stand out. Most people could guess their identities. Even Little Yin had worn a miniature set of fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist robes. The onlookers were even more astonished at this sight, thinking that Little Yin was born with some height deficiency, because they could not imagine a child being at the fourth rank.

Naturally, the Daoist Order did not have hechangs this small. It had to be custom-made. Little Yin had drawn this uniform herself using her brush, the Unbound Thought.

After entering the city, they did not go to Qi Xuansu’s old residence nor to Zhang Yuelu’s home but headed straight for the Princess Xuanzhen Mansion.

After several months of renovation, the slightly dilapidated Princess Xuanzhen Mansion had been completely transformed.

Along the way, Little Yin’s eyes were dazzled, like a country bumpkin entering the city for the first time. Although Lion City was also prosperous, it could not compare to Jade Capital.

Jade Capital was on another level, as it seemed ethereal, like the White Jade Capital in the heavens.

Among Jade Capital’s 24 neighborhoods, the Upper Eight Blocks were the most prestigious, and among them, Taishang Place ranked first.

Within Taishang Place, the Princess Xuanzhen Mansion was among the very finest.

At this moment, Little Yin stood dumbfounded before the main gate of the Princess Xuanzhen Mansion, her mouth hanging open. Only after a long while did she return to her senses.

Little Yin tugged at Qi Xuansu’s sleeve and asked in disbelief, “Old Qi, this is your home?!”

She strained to draw a huge circle with both hands. “Your home is this big? It’s so much grander than your office, like way, way grander!”

Qi Xuansu smiled. “It’s your home too.”

“Really?!” Little Yin was both startled and delighted.

“Of course. When have I ever lied to you?” Qi Xuansu chuckled.

Little Yin let out a cheer and jumped about a meter into the air, even leaping straight over the gate tower. She promptly slammed into the mansion’s defensive formation and was bounced back, only to be caught by Zhang Yuelu.

At this time, Zhang Yuelu said, “I really should let Mother come and see this place. Once she lays eyes on the famed Princess Xuanzhen Mansion, she wouldn’t have anything left to say.”

Qi Xuansu stood up for Tantai Qiong this time. “Auntie has seen much of the world, so she wouldn’t be reduced to that.”

Zhang Yuelu waved her hand. “It’s not that simple. This mansion has stood empty for so many years. It’s not something anyone can buy just because they want to, and it’s certainly not just about money. If you ask me, the reason Madam Qi could buy it was most likely because the Earthly Preceptor voiced out. Since the Tianji Hall is aligned with the Quanzhen Sect, they have no choice but to comply.”

Qi Xuansu suddenly understood. “In that case, I really picked up a huge bargain!”

Zhang Yuelu snorted. “The Tianji Hall likes to hoard rare properties so that they can sell favors later. To them, they’re simply putting something to good use. Besides, they didn’t take a single Taiping coin less than the full price, so it’s not really a bargain. It’s just that—”

Qi Xuansu continued her sentence, “It’s an unhealthy practice, right?”

Zhang Yuelu nodded. “Yes, but the root of it isn’t you. It’s the Tianji Hall.”

Qi Xuansu made no comment. He took a secret key from his magical receptacle, opened the formation and the gate, then led the two of them into the Princess Xuanzhen Mansion.

Just as Zhang Yuelu had said, this mansion was not something money alone could buy. An ordinary wealthy person could purchase thousands of acres of land in Nanyang and build a palace without anyone interfering. But within Jade Capital, both building area and land usage were strictly regulated. Here, every bit of land was as expensive as gold.

Qi Xuansu introduced their future residence to them.

The residence had three wings, with three courtyards on the East Wing, three on the West Wing, and four on the Central Wing. Together, the three wings formed an T-shaped layout, complemented by a U-shaped garden.

As the master of the household, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu would reside in the Central Wing. The first two courtyards in front were used as the main hall and reception rooms, while the couple would live in the third courtyard. Elders such as Madam Qi would reside in the fourth courtyard. Little Yin was assigned to the third courtyard on the East Wing, though she insisted on living in the garden instead, since it looked the largest on the map. But Qi Xuansu rejected the idea outright.

The residence was truly enormous. Even a cursory walk-through took more than an hour.

Even Zhang Yuelu, who had been to the Dazhen Mansion and had even visited Zixiao Palace found herself somewhat astonished.

After all, no matter how splendid the Zixiao Palace was, it was not hers. This, on the other hand, was a place she would live in for 100 years. Naturally, this gave rise to a completely different set of emotions.

There were also craftsmen from the Tianji Hall present to refurbish the entire residence.

Upon seeing Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu, they could guess from their attire alone that these two were the future owners of this mansion, so they all stepped forward to offer their respects.

Qi Xuansu returned each greeting, smiling as he thanked them for their hard work.

Little Yin struggled to keep up with her short little legs, so she simply floated along leisurely. The craftsmen who saw this kept glancing over, baffled that the young girl was already a Heavenly Being.

By now, many pieces of furniture had already been brought into the mansion, all sent by the Zhang family. These were part of Zhang Yuelu’s dowry, custom-made to fit the dimensions of the estate, crafted from Nanyang timber, primarily various types of sandalwood.

It was said that the Heavenly Preceptor had paid for it. Since the old man had no children of his own, leaving the money unused would only benefit others, so he might as well help the young couple set up their household.

After touring the new residence, the couple began planning things out.

Unlike ordinary households, they would need two studies where they lived—one for each of them. After all, Zhang Yuelu had official duties and would use a study no less often than Qi Xuansu would.

Alternatively, they could share a single study, with two desks pushed together facing each other. But that would make it feel like an office—specifically the kind Qi Xuansu had used back when he was a seventh-rank Daoist.

That simply would not do. Since the residence was large enough anyway, they might as well have everything in pairs—two studies, two meditation rooms, double of everything. They even planned three bedrooms, preparing in advance one for temporary separation should the two ever quarrel.

After listening to their discussion, Little Yin offered them a suggestion. “Isn’t this all too much trouble? How about this—Old Qi, you live in the East Wing, while Old Zhang lives in the West Wing. That way, you’ll both get a full set of everything. I’ll live in the Central Wing for you. If you two ever feel like sleeping together, just go to the garden—it’s nice and spacious out there!”

Qi Xuansu grabbed Little Yin by the back of her collar, laughing as he scolded, “You’re quite ambitious, huh? Trying to become the master of the house?”

Little Yin kicked her short little legs wildly, struggling as she shouted, “I was just making a suggestion! What are you trying to do?”

As she spoke, she waved her tiny fists, putting up a desperate resistance.

Unfortunately for her, Qi Xuansu was exceptionally skilled, having fought on the Fenglin battlefield. There was no way she could hurt him. Zhang Yuelu seized the opportunity to grab Little Yin’s hands and said, “Sleep in the garden, huh? It looks like it’s time to teach you a lesson for running that loose mouth of yours.”

Little Yin was very quickly subdued by the two working together.