A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu knew that the Heavenly Preceptor had already done him an immense favor, yet he still asked, somewhat greedily, “Why only one chance?”

Zhang Yuelu shot him a glance. “You should be grateful. Immortal objects like this are similar to the Five Innate Tais in the sense that each use requires an interval. The Guizang Lantern can only be used once every 60 years, and the Three Treasures Scepter seems to be usable only once every 100 years.”

Qi Xuansu was startled once again. “Once every 60 years?! That’s truly an enormous favor!”

After hesitating for a moment, Qi Xuansu asked softly, “Surely, the Heavenly Preceptor isn’t just helping me for your sake. What’s the price?”

Zhang Yuelu sighed and shook her head. “Only the Heavenly Preceptor knows.”

Qi Xuansu also let out a sigh.

No matter what the conditions were, when the Heavenly Preceptor came to claim the price owed to him, Qi Xuansu would be powerless to resist.

Only the three Deputy Grand Masters could oppose each other.

When the Earthly Preceptor came to collect his debt, Qi Xuansu could only turn to the Heavenly Preceptor. But when the Heavenly Preceptor came to collect his debts, who could Qi Xuansu turn to? Surely not the Imperial Preceptor.

That would turn into a farce of repaying debts with debts. If Qi Xuansu truly had the ability to toy with the three Deputy Grand Masters in the palm of his hand, there would be no need for him to explore the Lingshan Paradise at all. He could simply replace the three Deputy Grand Masters instead. Then, he would let Zhang Yuelu become the Heavenly Preceptor and Madam Qi become the Earthly Preceptor.

But having reached this point, there was no turning back. Qi Xuansu stopped dwelling on it and reached out to grasp the Guizang Lantern.

In an instant, countless lights and shadows flashed before his eyes. Everything became hazy, and he felt momentarily dazed.

Zhang Yuelu’s voice seemed to come from far away, as if slowed several times over, blurred and sluggish. “You...must...remember...the...limit...of...the...Guizang...Lantern...is...one...month...”

Qi Xuansu suddenly came back to his senses. Everything returned to normal once more.

Zhang Yuelu spoke at her normal pace again. “This one month can be stretched to 300 days, which is roughly a year. That should be enough for you to thoroughly explore Lingshan Paradise.”

Qi Xuansu clicked his tongue in amazement. “What an incredible immortal object! It’s truly worthy of being the foremost among the Three Lanterns.”

He then added, “If I announce to the outside world that I’m going into seclusion for a month, it shouldn’t be a problem. After all, there are still two Mansion Masters above me. As long as another Chen Shuhua doesn’t appear, no one will force me to come out of seclusion.”

Zhang Yuelu nodded. “You just need to manage the timing yourself. But remember—safety first. Don’t take unnecessary risks. No matter how important something is, that’s something for the future. If you lose everything in the present, what future is there to talk about?”

Qi Xuansu nodded while placing the Guizang Lantern into the special magical receptacle Great Sage Jiang had given him. He then changed the subject. “How many days are you planning to stay this time?”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “I can at most stay the night before having to rush back to Lingnan tomorrow.”

Qi Xuansu said nothing and merely looked at Zhang Yuelu to express his dissatisfaction.

Zhang Yuelu had no choice but to soften her tone. “There’s nothing I can do. There’s just too much going on. Recently, you’ve concluded several major deals in succession, and we’ve been tasked with refurbishing ironclad warships. Some people saw profit in it and started stirring things up. It’s not just one major case but a systemic one. With an investigation, we’re bound to uncover an entire chain of people involved. This is a critical moment for me as the Second Deputy in charge of law enforcement, so I simply can’t get away. If the Guizang Lantern weren’t so important that I had to personally deliver it to you and explain everything, I would’ve had Old Lin send it instead.”

Qi Xuansu knew she was telling the truth. In front of her, he no longer tried to hide his emotions and sighed with some disappointment. “Alright then. Official duties come before personal matters.”

Zhang Yuelu suggested, “The moon is quite nice tonight. Shall we go for a walk?”

Qi Xuansu pondered for a moment. “Alright. But there are refugees from West Shakya outside, so let’s take a detour through the Nanting Protectorate.”

Zhang Yuelu had no objections.

The couple left the Tianfu Palace without bringing Little Yin so that they could enjoy their private time.

Little Yin was afraid that Zhang Yuelu might remember to check on her, so she naturally avoided hovering around them and had long since followed Xie Jiaofeng to the banquet. After all, she was a proper third-rank Youyi Daoist, more than qualified to attend such an event. To put it bluntly, being able to have Miss Yin grace the banquet with her presence should be considered an honor. Whether others thought so or not, that was certainly how Little Yin saw it.

The current Little Yin was not like Qi Xuansu nor like Zhang Yuelu. Instead, she resembled Madam Qi more and more. This girl was fond of Taiping coins and usually liked to wear the sunglasses that Madam Qi gave her. She tucked the brush gifted by her grandfather at her waist and strutted about like she owned Tianfu Palace.

The couple left Tianfu Palace and two made their way to the seaside.

The sea under the night sky possessed a unique charm. The two walked side by side along the pristine beach, with a bright moon overhead and the lapping of waves echoing in their ears.

Moonlight shimmered across the surface of the sea, rippling endlessly as the waves surged and receded, crashing against the rocks and breaking into frothy white foam.

The salty, damp sea breeze blew over, carrying strands of Zhang Yuelu’s loose hair onto Qi Xuansu’s face.

Qi Xuansu did not brush it aside. Instead, he sighed. “Time flows like water. In another ten years, I should start growing a beard, and I’ll be able to call myself an old man.”

Zhang Yuelu laughed. “Only ordinary people consider it rare to live to 70. In the Daoist community, you’d have to be at least 60 before you can call yourself an old man.”

Qi Xuansu said, “If we were ordinary people, we would’ve married long ago. We’d probably even have grandchildren by now.”

Zhang Yuelu scoffed. “That would require marrying and having children at 14. If I remember correctly, when you were 14, you were still studying at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, weren’t you?”

Qi Xuansu joked, “Of course. When I was 14, I had nothing to my name, while you were already Sage Cihang’s star disciple. That’s truly the difference between heaven and earth. I was just a frog dreaming of kissing a princess.”

“I didn’t mean that,” Zhang Yuelu hurriedly clarified, afraid that Qi Xuansu might be harboring some mischievous intent.

Qi Xuansu said, “I wasn’t hinting at anything. I just meant that being late has its advantages too, like being able to meet you.”

Zhang Yuelu said nothing, only lifting a hand to brush aside the hair tousled by the sea breeze.

They savored this rare time together, walking hand-in-hand in silence, leaving a trail of footprints on the beach.

Early the next morning, Qi Xuansu went to see Zhang Yuelu again.

Their relationship was already known to everyone, and the way they interacted resembled that of an old married couple, so no one found it strange, nor did anyone raise objections.

Just as Qi Xuansu had said, if the two of them had not been separated by distance, they would have married long ago.

When Qi Xuansu entered Zhang Yuelu’s bedroom, she was sitting before the dressing table, combing her hair. This was where Xie Jiaofeng’s attentiveness showed. As early as Zhang Yuelu’s first visit to Tianfu Palace, he had specially prepared a residence for her and never reclaimed it. When she was not there, it was kept sealed, with people assigned to clean it regularly.

Zhang Yuelu remained calm. Through the mirror, she saw Qi Xuansu behind her, yet she continued to smooth her hair, coil it up, and finally place the lotus crown upon her head.

Qi Xuansu did not speak. He quietly watched her get ready, observing her face through the mirror.

After finishing her preparations, Zhang Yuelu finally said, “I’ve already asked Ke Qingqing to prepare the flying ship. We’ll be leaving shortly.”

“So soon? You could leave in the afternoon.” Qi Xuansu placed his hands on Zhang Yuelu’s shoulders, leaning forward slightly so that his chin was resting atop her head.

Zhang Yuelu did not reject Qi Xuansu’s intimate gesture. She explained, “In such a vast Daoist Mansion, everything can run normally without any individual. But this case is different. Much of the resistance comes from the upper ranks of the Daoist Mansion. If I don’t push it forward forcefully, it will fade away unresolved. They haven’t had a chance to make their moves yet, so my absence becomes their opportunity. The longer I stay, the more variables I introduce.”

Qi Xuansu sighed. “Fine then. You’re always right.”

Zhang Yuelu finally remembered Little Yin’s existence, so she changed the subject. “By the way, I still haven’t checked on Little Yin’s studies. Has she been diligent lately? One cannot understand principles without studying. Without principles, one will remain a child forever.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Actually, staying a child forever isn’t so bad. Youth never returns. If we were still young, what do you think it would be like?”

Zhang Yuelu smiled at herself in the mirror. “We’d probably drink together. Attend classes and read books too.”

Qi Xuansu smiled. “We’d also play the Holy Xuan Cards.”

Zhang Yuelu added, “Drinking while playing the Holy Xuan Cards.”

Qi Xuansu smirked, “That doesn’t sound like something good children would do.”

“You know very well what kind of reputation the two of us have in the Daoist Order, don’t you? We’ve killed, punished, and dismissed so many people, yet you still think we can be good children? That’s something for the next life.” Zhang Yuelu laughed.

On this brief night of reunion, Zhang Yuelu smiled more than she had in the past year.

Of course, excluding polite and insincere smiles, Qi Xuansu was the same.

Qi Xuansu said in a Western accent. “Since it’s an imagination, we should be bold and extravagant.”

Zhang Yuelu prepared to stand up.

Qi Xuansu withdrew his hands and straightened up. “Since you’re leaving, I’ll see you off.”

The two of them walked out of the room. It was a rare day of fine weather. The sunlight penetrated the leaves, and fresh air filled every corner, dispersing the gloom in one’s heart. If they were not so busy, this kind of weather would have been perfect for exploring without caring about the destination, going wherever their steps led them.

Unfortunately, such a leisurely life did not belong to them.

Soon, the two of them arrived at the ramp of the flying ship.

Qi Xuansu seemed determined to imitate Westerners today. He opened his arms and asked, “Shall we do a Western farewell?”

Zhang Yuelu did not refuse. She also opened her arms and embraced Qi Xuansu deeply.

She whispered into Qi Xuansu’s ear, “Promise me—come back safely from the Lingshan Paradise. I’ll be waiting for you to share your secrets.”

Qi Xuansu replied with just two words. “I promise.”