A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1410: Eve

Starting a venture required capital. Many wealthy merchants needed to clean up their image because the money or methods they used to start out were not clean.

On a national scale, Western powers rose mainly through external plunder, first by slave trading to seize labor, and second by massacres to seize resources.

Madam Qi now had a vast enterprise. Where did her starting capital come from? Certainly not from the Earthly Preceptor.

Qi Xuansu guessed correctly. Madam Qi’s initial capital did indeed come from Elder Yao’s palace. Although things like the sarira and Shebishi Venom were valuable, they were hard to sell, and ordinary people dared not touch them. If the Daoist Order investigated, the consequences would be severe.

Of course, Madam Qi would never admit it. Strictly speaking, half of it belonged to Qi Xuansu, but she had no intention of sharing. After all, she was a money-grubber. But more importantly, she had also sworn that Qi Xuansu would live the rest of his life coinless.

Qi Xuansu put away the two ink sticks and asked, “By the way, will you attend the ceremony, Madam Qi?”

Madam Qi thought for a moment. “There’s no need for me to go. Su Yuanyi will be there. That’s enough.”

Qi Xuansu persuaded her. “You should go. There will be many old acquaintances. You can catch up with them.”

Madam Qi gave a rather ridiculous reason. “I’m shy around strangers.”

Qi Xuansu was speechless for quite a while.

Even Little Yin was not afraid of strangers. How could an old woman like Madam Qi be shy? No one would believe her.

Qi Xuansu did not push further. “If you don’t want to go, then forget it.”

“It’s settled then.” Madam Qi walked out.

Early the next morning, Qi Xuansu went to receive the many guests. The flying ship was not slow, but it made many detours to pick people up, which delayed things.

With so many familiar faces, Qi Xuansu smiled until his face felt stiff. Only at the end did he finally see Zhang Yuelu and her group.

The first person Qi Xuansu spotted was not Zhang Yuelu or Little Yin, but Tantai Qiong.

It couldn’t be helped, since enemies were bound to meet.

Qi Xuansu and his future mother-in-law simply did not get along. They could not stand each other.

Since the Daoist Order emphasized equality, many female Daoists tend to overcorrect. They would control their parents and in-laws, discipline children, and manage their partners. Even pets at home were not allowed to misbehave in the slightest.

If anyone resisted control, the female Daoist would feel uneasy, and when that happened, the whole household suffered.

Most male Daoists were thoroughly conditioned, not daring to go against female Daoists.

This conditioning began from childhood.

However, Qi Xuansu never went through this kind of conditioning, at least not as a child. In the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, the focus was on cultivating loyalty to the nation and the Daoist Order, as well as reverence for the Primordial Daoist Ancestors and the Holy Xuan. By the time he met Madam Qi as an adult, he was already set in his ways and hard to change.

In short, Qi Xuansu had little regard for Tantai Qiong’s controlling nature.

To put it bluntly, Qi Xuansu responded to softness, not force. Whenever Madam Qi handled him, she never used harsh words. She used tears, along with material and financial leverage, and it almost always worked.

Zhang Yuelu never tried to control Qi Xuansu. She only wanted to influence him. Even that influence was not forced. It was subtle, like moisture that nourished things silently.

A key trait of Zhang Yuelu was that she always stood on reason and never acted irrationally.

Qi Xuansu was not a flawless saint. He was a mix of strengths and flaws, so naturally, there were times he was scared of Zhang Yuelu.

The main conflict between Tantai Qiong and Zhang Yuelu stemmed from the former’s inability to control the latter. This conflict had even extended to Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu did not indulge Tantai Qiong, leading to repeated clashes between them.

He did not buy the idea of keeping his mother-in-law happy. He believed it was enough to keep Zhang Yuelu happy.

After all, Zhang Yuelu had not exactly pleased Madam Qi either. Instead of appeasing everyone, they were better off doting on Little Yin.

However, Qi Xuansu would not give people the chance to criticize him. He still took the initiative to greet his future father- and mother-in-law respectfully.

Then Qi Xuansu exchanged a glance with Zhang Yuelu. It was their usual way of communicating, where everything was understood without words.

Finally, Qi Xuansu picked up Little Yin, who had rushed into his arms. Normally, he would not do this, but today was an exception. He wanted to ask her a question. “Little Yin, Madam Qi wants you to stay with her for a few days. Are you willing?”

“Yes!” Little Yin answered without the slightest hesitation, full of excitement. But the moment she caught Zhang Yuelu’s gaze, she immediately changed her answer without hesitation. “...I think?”

Qi Xuansu said, “What do you mean by I think? I’m asking you. Just say what you really think.”

Little Yin secretly glanced at Zhang Yuelu. “Going to Madam Qi’s place is...good, right? ...Or not?”

Zhang Yuelu suddenly recalled the scene from when they returned from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace and sighed softly. “If you want to go, then go. Why do you keep looking at me? You’re overthinking.”

Qi Xuansu said, “If she’s overthinking, that’s only because you forced it out of her. Everyone knows your style. Even people in the Western Daoist Order across the ocean have heard of your dominance. Back when I worked under you, I was constantly on edge.”

Zhang Yuelu rolled her eyes at him. “On edge? I didn’t see even a hint of that. You two are always pretending. When have you two actually listened to me? Yet you insist on acting like this.”

Qi Xuansu coughed lightly and looked around. Little Yin, still in his arms, tilted her head up and stared at the sky.

If Little Yin were truly afraid of Zhang Yuelu, she would not have sneaked out on her own to roam Jianghu.

This little girl had clearly learned some bad habits from Qi Xuansu.

Zhang Yuelu knew this perfectly well. She did not expect Little Yin to obey her in everything. She simply set boundaries because without rules, there was no order.

Tantai Qiong watched their exchange coldly. She had no issue with Little Yin. For Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu to rise to high positions at such a young age required a high level of cultivation, making it almost impossible for them to have biological children. That made adoption the only choice.

What Tantai Qiong disliked was her daughter’s inability to control Qi Xuansu.

Although Qi Xuansu held a higher position than Zhang Yuelu, it was widely known that among some male and female Daoists, there was an inequality. Females were always elevated and put on a pedestal.

Thus, a female Zaohua-stage cultivator was considered equivalent to a male Pseudo-Immortal, and a female Chief Deputy Mansion Master was equivalent to a male Chief Deputy Hall Master.

Such was their “equality.”

Fortunately, Zhang Yuelu never believed in such clichés. Even when Qi Xuansu was only a seventh-rank Daoist, she never thought about controlling him. She only thought about how to change his mindset.

Now that Qi Xuansu’s position was higher than hers, she still held to her original principles. She listened when she should, and when she needed to be firm, she did not hold back at all.

This was equality.

Great Sage Lan, Yao Shu, and the others all had their own residences, so Qi Xuansu did not need to worry about them. But now that his future in-laws had arrived, they could not stay elsewhere. His new home was not just for show. Besides, guests would not stay in the central courtyard where Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu lived.

On the way to Taishang Place, Qi Xuansu said, “I’ve had the guest rooms prepared. Uncle and Aunt can stay at my place. Qing Xiao’s old residence was a bit small, and she’s already assigned her attendants to help at the mansion, so manpower is short.”

Tantai Qiong had long known that Qi Xuansu bought a large residence, but she rarely visited Jade Capital and had never seen it herself. The furnishings were handled by the main branch of the Zhang family, and she felt too embarrassed to ask directly. They could not act like small-town folks pestering their son-in-law about houses and dowries. They only knew that it existed, and since the Zhang family’s main branch was satisfied, it must be good.

At this moment, Tantai Qiong could no longer contain her curiosity and asked, “Tian Yuan, how big is this Princess Mansion exactly?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “It’s on the scale of a royal’s mansion in the Imperial Capital. It’s probably the largest residence in Taishang Place. There are others about the same size, but none that are bigger.”

Zhang Juqi was shocked. Jade Capital was unlike the Imperial Capital. While the latter could expand, Jade Capital was built on Yuxu Peak and could not be enlarged. Every piece of land here was precious. Owning a mansion the size of a royal residence in the Imperial Capital here spoke volumes of his prestige.

Not to mention, among Jade Capital’s 24 neighborhoods, Taishang Place was unquestionably the most prestigious.

Zhang Juqi could not help but ask, “That must have cost a lot, right?”

Qi Xuansu answered honestly, “It cost 1.45 million Taiping coins, and another hundred thousand or so to renovate. I don’t have the money. The bulk was paid by Madam Qi, and the rest by Qing Xiao.”

Tantai Qiong fell silent.

No matter how Madam Qi and Qi Xuansu settled their accounts, to outsiders, Madam Qi’s money was Qi Xuansu’s money. If not now, then sooner or later.

Soon, the group arrived at Qi Xuansu’s new residence.

Zhang Juqi stepped out of the carriage and could not contain his awe. “Wow, it’s so grand!”

After renovation, the entire mansion looked completely refreshed. Even though Zhang Juqi and his wife were well-traveled, they were still somewhat stunned. After all, this was a residence that two Omniscient Sages had once competed for. It was truly extraordinary.

That said, no one made an issue out of Qi Xuansu’s residence, likely because they feared getting burned themselves. After all, once a fire started, it was not always under the control of the one who lit it. Qi Xuansu was not the only one living in a grand estate, and unlike private matters between men and women, these residences were all concentrated in Taishang Place. Making a fuss about this could easily offend the entire neighborhood of important people.

Qi Xuansu led the group into the new residence. Little Yin cheered with excitement and ran toward the back garden. She planned to sleep there tonight, where she could look up and see the stars.

Zhang Yuelu led her parents to the guest rooms to settle in.

Tantai Qiong looked around and even praised the place a few times. She quite liked it, but she had no intention of staying long. In this regard, she was the same as Madam Qi. Who would want to live under the same roof as the young couple and bear with their temper?

Qi Xuansu did not accompany them. Instead, he called over Chen Jianchou, who had been waiting, and the two went to the study together.

He needed to instruct Chen Jianchou to draft his speech for the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. Qi Xuansu also had to make some preparations for tomorrow’s apprenticeship ceremony.