A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu rescued the Metropolitan’s soul from the Death Apostle Samuel’s scythe. The Western Daoist Order did not bother putting the soul back into the body. Instead, they immediately conducted a soul search.

According to the results of the soul search, this observation post had been operating for about 3 years and had transmitted a large volume of intelligence. The Metropolitan came from the Steam Evangelical Sect and had entered into a contract with the Slaughter Apostle Zuriel, gaining the powers of a Fallen Apostle. This was also the reason why the Death Apostle Samuel had appeared.

Although this observation post served as a relay station for intelligence from New Paititi, the Evangelical Ministry had anticipated the possibility of its exposure. As a result, the post did not possess a detailed roster of spies operating in New Paititi.

In other words, the Evangelical Ministry did not assign specific tasks to these spies. What intelligence they gathered was largely left to their own discretion. They would deliver the information to designated locations, where personnel from the observation post would retrieve it.

The Evangelical Ministry would then evaluate the value of the intelligence and issue corresponding rewards. These payments were deposited into the accounts of certain merchant guilds rather than passing through the observation post itself.

Although conflicts between the Northern and Southern Continents were constant, trade still existed between them. This gave rise to a number of extraordinarily influential merchant guilds that operated across both regions and occupied a legal gray area. Strauni, one of Beichen Hall’s undercover agents, possessed connections to such guilds.

Naturally, this outcome greatly disappointed Tantai Ying. However, she could still use the content of the intelligence reports to narrow down potential suspects and conduct investigations accordingly. For example, intelligence involving finances would likely point toward personnel in financial departments, and so on.

Qi Xuansu also failed to obtain any intelligence regarding the Northern Continent from this raid. However, Kukulkan’s feather was an unexpected gain of moderate significance. It suggested that Kukulkan might have some connection with the Fallen Apostles, whether as an ally or through some form of transaction. This was a lead worth pursuing further.

At that moment, Chen Jianchou contacted Qi Xuansu and informed him about the situation in Poluo.

Given Zhang Yuelu’s temperament, she would never voluntarily tell Qi Xuansu about such matters. Moreover, Qi Xuansu was extremely busy and had no time to inquire. As a result, he remained completely unaware. In the end, Ke Qingqing could not stand by any longer and made a decision that went against Zhang Yuelu’s wishes.

Qi Xuansu was currently far away in the Southern Continent, and Ke Qingqing could not contact him directly. However, Chen Jianchou, as Qi Xuansu’s secretary, naturally had a way to reach him. Therefore, Ke Qingqing first informed Chen Jianchou, who then relayed the information to Qi Xuansu.

After learning of the situation, Qi Xuansu naturally felt obligated to comfort Zhang Yuelu and fulfill his responsibilities as her Daoist companion.

Zhang Yuelu’s license was linked to multiple contacts and functioned without distance limitations. Communication through the license was not limited to voice alone. The participants could also see each other’s image.

After establishing the connection through the license, Qi Xuansu saw Zhang Yuelu, who wore a calm expression, as though nothing had happened.

Qi Xuansu already knew the full story, so he was not fooled by her stone face. He deliberately asked, “Why do you look so bitter and aggrieved? Who upset you?”

“No one upset me.” Zhang Yuelu paused for a moment. “And I don’t look bitter and aggrieved.”

Qi Xuansu looked to the left, then to the right, scrutinizing her without saying a word. The silence made Zhang Yuelu increasingly uncomfortable, so she snapped, “What are you looking at?”

Qi Xuansu said, “Why are you still putting on a brave face in front of me?”

Zhang Yuelu frowned. “Did you hear something?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “I heard the Heavenly Preceptor went to Poluo and halted your reforms. Is that true?”

Zhang Yuelu answered flatly, “It’s true. Are you here to laugh at me?”

“What do you mean, laugh at you?” Qi Xuansu said. “I’m trying to comfort you. Old folks are set in their ways, so don’t mind them. Once we rise to power, we’ll change all of that outdated nonsense, and there won’t be a thing they can do about it.”

Zhang Yuelu replied indifferently, “Such bold words. You talk as if you can change things whenever you please. Those are the laws and traditions left by our ancestors.”

Qi Xuansu said, “There are plenty of ancestral laws. How could every one of them remain unchanged forever? Once I become the Grand Master, I’ll change whatever needs changing. Anyone who dares oppose me can be exiled to the Sahul mines. Then I’ll appoint you as the Grand Master Consort and Great Sage of the Zhengyi Sect so you can implement whatever reforms you want. I’ll personally back you up. Let’s see who will dare say no.”

Zhang Yuelu’s expression softened slightly. “It sounds as though the position of Grand Master is already in your grasp. Even if I can’t beat you, there’s still Li Changge and Yao Pei.”

Qi Xuansu laughed. “Those two are hardly worth mentioning. If they lay down their arms and surrender with proper courtesy, they can still keep the position of Deputy Grand Master. One can become the Imperial Preceptor, the other the Earthly Preceptor. You’ll be the Heavenly Preceptor. Isn’t that a perfect arrangement?”

Zhang Yuelu snorted. “So the Three Prodigies of the Daoist Order are nothing but props to you, the one true chosen hero?”

Seeing that Zhang Yuelu’s emotions had finally been stirred and that she was no longer so listless, Qi Xuansu pressed on. “I wouldn’t put it that way. It’s just that the Three Prodigies represent the Three Great Families of the Daoist Order, while I represent the vast number of ordinary grassroots Daoists. So naturally, the hearts of the people and the mandate of heaven are on my side.”

Zhang Yuelu rolled her eyes. “You really have no shame.”

Qi Xuansu retorted, “Who cares whether I have any shame? Don’t you think that my optimistic attitude is worth learning from? So what if the reforms were halted? It’s only a temporary setback. It’s no big deal. We still have a long road ahead of us.”

Zhang Yuelu lowered her eyes and remained silent.

If Qi Xuansu had been by Zhang Yuelu’s side at that moment, he would certainly have followed up with some physical gesture. At the very least, he would hold her hand, or perhaps even pull her into his embrace. But with the vast distance between them, such things were impossible. He could only comfort her with words.

Qi Xuansu said, “I don’t think you’re upset because the Heavenly Preceptor halted your reforms. Is it because of Tian Zhong?”

Zhang Yuelu raised an eyebrow. “Did Qingqing tell you?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “I spent three years in Poluo, so I have my own sources of information. Don’t worry about how I found out. The important thing is that I know about it now.”

“You don’t need to worry about it. I’ll handle it myself. It’s already settled,” Zhang Yuelu said.

Qi Xuansu deliberately tested her. “How dare that brat make you upset?! Sounds like he has a death wish. You’re holding back because of family ties, but I don’t have that problem. Leave it to me. I’ll speak with the Daoist Mansion and have Xie Jiaofeng teach him a lesson on your behalf. Then I’ll contact Chen Shuwen of the Nanyang United Trading Company and Liu Gui of the Heavenly Court. I’ll make sure he can’t take a single step in Nanyang. What do you think?”

Zhang Yuelu hurriedly said, “Tian Yuan, calm down. Tian Zhong only spoke out of anger. He wouldn’t dare challenge me directly. At the end of the day, he’s still just a half-grown kid. Besides, he calls you his brother-in-law. How could he possibly withstand that sort of intimidation from you?”

At that point, Qi Xuansu understood. Zhang Wuyue was like a child who threw a tantrum and shouted that he no longer recognized his sister. But no matter how hurt Zhang Yuelu felt, she could not stoop to a child’s level and declare that she no longer recognized him as her brother. Unfortunately, she was never particularly skilled in interpersonal relationships. When she could not handle something properly, she simply bottled it up and suffered in silence.

With Zhang Yuelu’s temperament, had she not met Qi Xuansu, she might have spent decades suppressing her feelings. By the time she became an old woman, those emotions could very well have twisted her psyche into something frightening.

Of course, had Qi Xuansu never met Zhang Yuelu, he might have walked a path of darkness to the very end as well, with no trace of light along the way.

Qi Xuansu teased. “You really are all talk and no action. You’re clearly hurt, but after so many years of affection, you can’t simply cut ties overnight. I understand your predicament. Leave this matter to me. I won’t intimidate him, but I guarantee that brat will admit his mistake and apologize to you properly.”

Zhang Yuelu asked, “What are you planning to do?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Don’t worry about that. I have my own methods. As long as he acknowledges me as his brother-in-law, I can handle him. At the end of the day, he’s a young boy who made a mistake, and you’re too straightforward in how you deal with things. You’ve made him feel as though you don’t value your kinship...”

Zhang Yuelu interrupted him. “I already took our kinship into consideration. That’s why I only told him to shut down the company and left it at that. If I truly didn’t care about family ties, I would have had him arrested for interfering with the Daoist Mansion’s decision-making process.”

Qi Xuansu could not help but sigh. “When the water is too clear, no fish can survive. If you really did that, you’d truly be a lonely ruler with no one left around you. That approach won’t work. There was one thing Tian Zhong said that wasn’t wrong. Quite a few people in the Li family do exactly the same thing. You’ve said it yourself that people do not resent scarcity. They resent inequality. Arresting him isn’t impossible, but only if you can make him genuinely accept it. For example, you’d have to arrest all the Li family members doing the same thing as well.”

Zhang Yuelu lowered her voice. “Of course I know that. That’s why I only told him to shut down the company and stop following the Li family’s example.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Alright, if we keep discussing this topic, we still won’t arrive at a definitive right or wrong. Whenever something involves human relationships and human nature, there can never be an answer that everyone accepts. We’re no exception. But when dealing with matters like this, I think the Daoist principle of balancing yin and yang works quite well. People also say that husband and wife should complement one another. Since you’re so unyielding, I’ll be the more flexible one.”

Zhang Yuelu rolled her eyes at him. “I’m always the one who has to play the villain, while you get to be the good guy.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “That’s what they call one willing to strike and one willing to take the blow. Just now, I was ready to be the villain and make it impossible for Tian Zhong to survive in Nanyang, but you were the one who objected. Who can you blame for that?”

For a moment, Zhang Yuelu was speechless.

Qi Xuansu suddenly changed the subject. “Feeling better now?”

Zhang Yuelu instinctively put on a stern face. “Better about what? I wasn’t upset to begin with.”

Qi Xuansu wanted to laugh, but out of consideration for Zhang Yuelu’s pride, he held it back. “Since you weren’t upset, then smile for me.”

Zhang Yuelu deliberately acted indifferent. “Why should I smile? Just because you tell me to? I don’t feel like smiling right now.”

Qi Xuansu said, “I’ve already helped you deal with Tian Zhong’s problem. Isn’t it reasonable to ask for a smile in return?”

Still keeping a straight face, Zhang Yuelu replied, “I never asked you to do anything. You’re the one who came looking for me.”

Qi Xuansu said, “You’ve just reminded me of something. If I hadn’t taken the initiative to contact you, you wouldn’t have told me about this even after I returned from the New Continent. Daoist companions are supposed to support each other, yet you kept it from me and waited for me to seek you out. Is that because you don’t trust me? That’s an additional offense. So one smile is no longer enough. You owe me two now.”

Zhang Yuelu said, “I’m done worrying about it. You can handle this matter yourself. I have plenty of things to deal with, and I need to focus my energy on cultivation. Don’t bother me. Goodbye!”

With that, she ended the conversation.

Looking at the vanished image, Qi Xuansu could not help but laugh.

Although Zhang Yuelu never did smile in the end, she was already in a far better state than before.

Qi Xuansu put away the license and began seriously considering Zhang Wuyue’s situation.

Zhang Wuyue’s problem was not particularly complicated.

At its core, it was simply a young man who wanted to make something of himself. He had merely chosen the wrong path.

When dealing with matters like this, Zhang Yuelu always preferred a direct approach—reasoning with people, talking about rules, and emphasizing principles.

Unfortunately, those were precisely the things young people hated hearing the most.

Some lessons could only be understood after one had personally run headfirst into a wall.

Qi Xuansu lightly tapped the desk before him.

Since Zhang Yuelu could not bring herself to be ruthless, he would be the villain this time.