A Pawn's Passage

Things were unfolding largely according to Qi Xuansu’s expectations.

According to the procedure, the Ziwei Hall and Beichen Hall needed to conduct separate assessments and interviews with Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu. However, since the two Hall Masters had already agreed to the appointments, these so-called assessments and interviews were merely a formality. Who would dare go against their own superior’s wishes and deliver a negative conclusion?

Soon, a resolution was issued from the Golden Tower Council, formally relieving Qi Xuansu of his position as Chief Deputy of the Poluo Daoist Mansion as well as Zhang Yuelu of her position as Second Deputy of the Lingnan Daoist Mansion. Zhang Yuelu was then officially appointed as the new Chief Deputy of the Poluo Daoist Mansion.

In Jade Capital, news of this personnel appointment had already circulated beforehand, so it did not cause much of a stir.

However, the Poluo Daoist Mansion reacted somewhat late. Everyone knew Chief Deputy Qi was leaving and had been speculating whether things would change after his departure. What they did not expect was that his successor would be Zhang Yuelu. With this arrangement, talk of any upheaval disappeared. Although Chief Deputy Zhang and Chief Deputy Qi might differ in their methods, the overall direction would certainly remain unchanged.

This allowed many people to breathe a sigh of relief.

In truth, some people had already begun to notice certain clues.

Although Great Sage Lan appeared lazy and disinclined to involve himself in affairs, he was still a highly influential Virtuous Great Sage. He had already begun arranging matters for what would come after him.

Many people were curious why Great Sage Lan insisted on keeping Xu Jiaorong as his secretary. Was he not worried about appearances? The reason was actually quite simple—Xu Jiaorong was his disciple.

Great Sage Lan came from Elder Xu’s lineage of the Quanzhen Sect, and Xu Jiaorong was from the Xu family, so taking her as a disciple was the most natural thing.

Using one’s disciple as a secretary was also quite common. For example, Xiao Yueru, disciple of Sage Cihang, seemed to be moving in that direction. Another example was Zhang Jucheng, who had likewise served as the Heavenly Preceptor’s secretary.

Xu Jiaorong, however, never addressed him as “Master” in daily life, referring only to his official title. As a result, many people did not realize that the two shared this relationship.

Great Sage Lan was destined to ascend, so he had to make arrangements for his disciple beforehand. Both Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu would not remain long in the Poluo Daoist Mansion. Zhang Yuelu would be there for at least two years and at most five before eventually moving toward the position of Acting Palace Master elsewhere.

Once Zhang Yuelu left, Xu Jiaorong’s seniority would be sufficient for her to step into the role of Chief Deputy Mansion Master. Overseas Daoist Mansions were unlike those in the Central Plains. The situation was more complicated, so frequent personnel changes were undesirable. Experienced officials familiar with local conditions were still needed. Although this approach risked strengthening local power factions, it was a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.

In this way, the influence of Great Sage Lan’s lineage within the Poluo Daoist Mansion would also be preserved, ensuring that it would not fade once he departed.

This was one of the reasons why Great Sage Lan agreed to Qi Xuansu’s proposal.

As for what happens afterward, it would depend on Xu Jiaorong herself. She was more or less tied to Qi Xuansu’s side now. Whether Qi Xuansu or Zhang Yuelu became the Grand Master in the future, Xu Jiaorong would be able to rise swiftly, securing the position of a Virtuous Great Sage. Chen Jianchou would likely obtain a Mansion Master post as well. But if Li Changge and Yao Pei emerged victorious, then her prospects would look far more troubling.

But those matters were many years in the future. Even if Great Sage Lan wished to help, he would not be able to.

After completing the handover in the Lingnan Daoist Mansion, Zhang Yuelu did not go directly to the Poluo Daoist Mansion to meet Qi Xuansu. Instead, she first reported to Jade Capital, and only afterward traveled from Jade Capital to Poluo.

Due to the special relationship between Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu, Ziwei Hall did not make a great show of the matter. They merely assigned an ordinary Deputy Hall Master to accompany Zhang Yuelu to her post. In truth, Zhang Yuelu going to Poluo was practically like returning home, so Ziwei Hall had no real need to send anyone along. It was purely a formality.

Upon arriving in Poluo, Yao Shu and Qi Xuansu had already prepared a welcome banquet.

Qi Xuansu personally went to Guijian Lake to receive Zhang Yuelu, just as Chen Shuhua had once welcomed Qi Xuansu.

When they arrived at the Sheji Palace, Great Sage Lan had not yet returned from Jade Capital, so he did not attend. However, the two first-rank Spirit Guards were present. Aside from them, when Zhang Yuelu looked around, more than half the faces were familiar—Xu Jiaorong, Pei Xiaolou, Xie Jiaofeng, Ji Jiaozhen, Lu Yuting, Han Yongfeng, and others. Even those she did not know well seemed vaguely familiar.

Nevertheless, according to protocol, Yao Shu, as the Mansion Master, still introduced these future colleagues to Zhang Yuelu.

The welcome banquet was divided into two sessions. The first was held at noon, mainly attended by members of the Daoist Mansion and presided over by Yao Shu. The second was arranged for the evening, attended mainly by various external parties and presided over by Qi Xuansu. Chen Jianqiu, Qi Muyu, Chen Shuwen, Genki, and others attended this latter gathering.

These people were considered members of Qi Xuansu’s faction, and they had all interacted with Zhang Yuelu before.

When Qi Xuansu first arrived in Poluo, he stood alone at the welcome banquet, surrounded by admirers. This time, however, Zhang Yuelu’s situation was different. Qi Xuansu remained by her side throughout. Anyone unaware of the circumstances might even think she had brought family along to the banquet.

Since the former and current Chief Deputies were on such close terms, there were no undercurrents at this banquet. The atmosphere was simply warm and harmonious.

Little Yin was not standing beside the two of them. Instead, she and Lin Yuanmiao were in a corner happily devouring food.

That said, Little Yin was already a familiar face. She spent half the year in Poluo, so everyone knew who Miss Yin was. Everyone understood that Chief Deputy Qi and Chief Deputy Zhang’s wedding was postponed, and the couple possessed cultivation levels that were too high, so having children together would likely be difficult. This young girl was most likely their adopted daughter, naturally cherished and protected.

Many people went over to greet Little Yin. As an established face in Poluo, whatever efforts these people needed to make had long since been made. No one would wait until now to scramble for favor at the last moment. It was simply a matter of exchanging greetings.

They also discovered that Little Yin never actually got anything done. At first, everyone thought the little girl was simply too young to understand the implications behind their words. Later, however, they realized that the child was quite clever. She probably understood perfectly well and was simply pretending to be foolish.

“I don’t know. What are you talking about? Oh, so that’s what you meant.” These were Little Yin’s standard lines for playing dumb.

As for Lin Yuanmiao, anyone could tell at a glance that this taciturn Daoist was no ordinary person. He had been personally promoted by the Heavenly Preceptor, listed under the Shangqing Palace, and held the rank of a second-rank Taiyi Daoist. Moreover, he had an extremely high cultivation level and was the most trusted confidant of both Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu. Yet this fellow also did very little actual work. Most days, he either wandered about freely or served as Miss Yin’s babysitter. Of course, in Little Yin’s eyes, the two of them were simply good friends.

That said, if this fellow truly wished to take up responsibilities, with his cultivation level, he would at the very least start as a Second Deputy. He certainly would not spend his days trailing behind the two Chief Deputies.

By the time the evening banquet ended, Little Yin was already sleepy. Qi Xuansu had always found it surprising that Little Yin kept such a regular schedule, going to sleep right on time. It was nothing like a Wuliang-stage Heavenly Being, and even less like a spirit of the Emperor Willow.

Little Yin also had a room in the Sheji Palace, so she obediently went off to sleep on her own.

Lin Yuanmiao got along well with Pei Xiaolou and Ji Jiaozhen. The three of them were often seen drinking together.

Chen Jianchou and Ke Qingqing were busy handling the handover, so in the end, only Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu remained.

The couple strolled along the lakeside of the Water Palace. At the banquet, many people had come to toast her, and Zhang Yuelu had accepted every one, drinking quite a bit. Yet there was no sign of intoxication. Under the moonlight, her face instead appeared as white as snow.

Qi Xuansu asked, “What are your thoughts?”

“No particular thoughts,” Zhang Yuelu replied, her hands clasped behind her back. “They’re all familiar faces, so there’s really nothing to say. You, on the other hand, will be in a brand-new environment. Not only are you going to Beichen Hall, where everything is unfamiliar, but you’re also heading to a completely unknown New Continent.”

Qi Xuansu chuckled. “Weren’t you originally from Beichen Hall? I’ll have to ask you for some tips.”

Zhang Yuelu waved her hand. “You’d be better off without my tips. Back then, I was just a Superintendent and had no contact with the higher levels of Beichen Hall. This time, you’re going as the Chief Deputy Hall Master and will be dealing with a group of Deputy Hall Masters. My former superiors will now be your subordinates, so how can both experiences be compared?”

Qi Xuansu had only said it casually. He did not truly expect guidance from Zhang Yuelu. “Come to think of it, I started from Tiangang Hall, then went to Ziwei Hall, the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, the Fenglin field camp, and the Poluo Daoist Mansion before finally heading to Beichen Hall. That means I’ve now covered all three of the Three Great Halls. Although I’ll hold my personal highest rank within Beichen Hall, and Ziwei Hall left the deepest mark, I still think that Tiangang Hall had the greatest influence on me.”

“Is that because Tiangang Hall was where your dream began?” Zhang Yuelu asked.

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “That’s part of the reason, but not all of it. More importantly, that was where I met you!”

This time, Zhang Yuelu did not ruin the mood. She simply chuckled. “How fortunate I am to have met you, huh?”

The next day, Zhang Yuelu officially began performing her duties as Chief Deputy of the Poluo Daoist Mansion.

Qi Xuansu did not remain in Poluo for long before departing for Jade Capital.

Before he left, the Poluo Daoist Mansion held a grand ceremony to send Qi Xuansu off. After all, this move counted as a promotion, and such an occasion naturally called for a celebration.

It was also the only such occasion in the Poluo Daoist Mansion in the past several decades. The previous Chief Deputy had been Chen Shuhua, who had been obliterated and shamed as a traitor. Before Chen Shuhua were Du Yuhua and Wang Jiaohe. Neither of them ever made it big. Even Du Yuhua, who had the best outcome among them, had resigned voluntarily.

This time, Qi Xuansu did not bring Chen Jianchou with him to Jade Capital so that the latter could continue handling the handover. Only after everything was fully completed would Chen Jianchou leave the Poluo Daoist Mansion and head to Jade Capital.

Since Qi Xuansu was heading to the New Continent, whether he brought a secretary or not made little difference.

At dawn, he departed Poluo amid colorful clouds and returned to distant Jade Capital within the same day. The cries of cranes echoed endlessly across the sea of clouds as the flying ship passed by the majestic mountain ranges.

After arriving in Jade Capital, although Qi Xuansu had not yet officially taken office, Beichen Hall still sent people to receive him. Leading them were Lu Yushu, Li Zhuyu, and Shen Yuqing, who were all acquaintances of Qi Xuansu and direct affiliates of Sage Qingwei.

The Second Deputy Hall Master, Shen Mingxin, had gone to Fenglin on official business and was not currently in Jade Capital.