A Pawn's Passage

In the blink of an eye, the Shangyuan Festival was about to arrive. It was a grand festival of the Daoist Order and, by extension, a grand festival of the Western Daoist Order.

Its importance was comparable to the Lunar New Year among the common people. Shangyuan Festival was essentially the Daoist New Year, when the Heavenly Official bestowed blessings.

As the Shangyuan Festival drew near, the Western Daoist Order shifted its primary focus to the celebrations. Many matters could be temporarily set aside, including the construction of the new port. Organizing the annual festivities was one of the year’s major tasks. The celebrations centered on two locations: Danxiu Mountain, where a small but highly prestigious ceremony would be held, and New Xijing, where a massive citywide celebration would take place.

As a guest, Qi Xuansu only needed to attend the celebrations and did not have to concern himself with organizing them. Taking advantage of this Daoist New Year, he also began sending greetings to people.

Among them were his father-in-law Zhang Juqi, his mother-in-law Tantai Qiong, Zhang Yuelu’s eldest uncle Zhang Jucheng, his other mother-in-law Sage Cihang, his master Sage Donghua, as well as his current superior, Sage Qingwei. He also greeted several Great Sages with whom he had close ties, such as Great Sage Jiang, Great Sage Lan, Great Sage Shi, and even Great Sage Zhang in Fenglin. After all, they had worked together before.

These were all his elders.

Qi Xuansu was still not at the rank where he could contact the Three Deputy Grand Masters, so he had no business trying to join that crowd. Although he wielded considerable influence now, he was still not an Omniscient Sage. Moreover, with the Daoist Order currently lacking a Grand Master, the status of the Three Deputy Grand Masters stood even higher than that of their predecessors throughout history. They were effectively equal to a Grand Master, so the gap between him and them was enormous.

He also greeted some friends and former superiors, such as Xu Dacheng, Xu Xiaoying, Ye Qingshuang, Ning Lingge, Pei Xiaolou, Lei Xiaohuan, Shi Bingyun, Bai Yingqiong, Lin Yuanmiao, Ji Jiaozhen, several first-rank Spirit Guards with whom he was familiar, Xu Jiaorong, Qi Jiaozheng, Yao Shu, Yao Pei, Li Changge, and many others.

Some of these people were now lower in status than Qi Xuansu and, by etiquette, should have been the ones to greet him first. However, Qi Xuansu preferred to take the initiative and lower his stance. After all, among friends, there was no need to place too much emphasis on rank and status.

Take Mo Qingdi, for example. The man was incredibly slow-witted. He insisted on waiting until the actual day of the Shangyuan Festival before offering greetings. As a result, every year, he ended up benefiting from Qi Xuansu taking the initiative to greet him first. Afterward, Shi Yu would inevitably lecture him at length, scolding him for being so clueless. “How can you let Sage Qi be the one to greet you first? Do you think you’re on the same level as Sage Donghua, Sage Qingwei, and Sage Cihang?”

Thanks to Qi Xuansu, many people now also made a point of offering greetings to Mo Qingdi. They would even bring him small gifts that were not particularly valuable but were gestures of goodwill. After all, that was how social etiquette worked.

Mo Qingdi himself understood this perfectly well. These people were all much older than he was and held respectable positions. By age alone, many were old enough to be his uncles. Why would they think highly of him or take the initiative to wish him? It was all because of his connection to Qi Xuansu.

Without his connection to Qi Xuansu, none of these people would have spared him a second glance, much less known who he was.

There was no helping it. This was simply the reality of the times. Status determined everything. Small figures were always overlooked, while important figures were always surrounded by admirers. Those who stayed close to the powerful naturally benefited as well.

In Mo Qingdi’s eyes, the greatest stroke of luck in his entire life was having Qi Xuansu as a classmate. Thanks to him, an obscure nobody like himself had managed to carve out a place in the vast Daoist Order and could now be considered someone of some significance, however minor.

Although Qi Xuansu had never personally asked anyone to help him over the past few years, the Qingping Publishing House knew of their relationship. Without waiting for Qi Xuansu’s instructions, they took the initiative to resolve all sorts of difficulties for Mo Qingdi. He was promoted to a permanent editorial position within the publishing house, and his writing fees were considerably higher than those of his peers. He also received numerous allowances under various categories. As long as everything remained within the rules, they made every possible arrangement for him. Due to this, Mo Qingdi and Shi Yu had managed to save quite a bit of money and were already planning to look for a house in Jade Capital.

As for Shi Yu, after graduating from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, she had been assigned to one of its many branch palaces as the lowest-ranking Assistant Instructor Trainee. The position was jokingly referred to as the “King of Children.” The work itself was not particularly demanding, but the pay was paltry. Unlike the main palace, the branch palaces were only offered the bare minimum.

Moreover, competition and comparison were rampant in this profession. The female instructors were vain, constantly comparing what their husbands did or bought and so on.

Since Mo Qingdi had not been particularly successful, Shi Yu naturally found herself at the very bottom of the social hierarchy and was always bullied for it. Her superiors also treated people according to their connections. Those with influential families were promoted first, while those without connections simply had to wait. Shi Yu had waited for several years and was still only an Assistant Instructor Trainee, unable to shed the word “Trainee” from her title.

In the end, it was all because Qi Xuansu had risen to prominence, and Mo Qingdi happened to be his close friend that Shi Yu benefited as well. Once the Daoist Palace learned of Mo Qingdi’s relationship with Qi Xuansu, they immediately promoted Shi Yu to an Assistant Instructor. Only a few days later, she was elevated again to an Acting Regular Instructor and even explicitly promised that as soon as an opportunity arose, the word “Acting” would be removed from her title and she would officially become a Regular Instructor.

As a result, Shi Yu instantly became the most celebrated person in the administrative office. Countless people began flattering her, hoping to establish connections through her and perhaps receive a helping hand in the future. After all, she was connected to Sage Qi, the disciple of Sage Donghua and contender for the position of the eighth-generation Grand Master.

Rumors were already circulating that Sage Qi would soon become the Wanxiang Daoist Palace Master, making him the ultimate superior of all the branch palaces and giving him authority over their very survival. As such, Shi Yu’s status rose accordingly. While other female instructors were often expected to accompany their superiors to banquets and might even have to endure unwanted advances, Shi Yu found herself being toasted by her superiors instead.

Shi Yu received a warm reception from her direct superior, her superior’s superior, and even one of the Deputy Palace Masters, who invited her to a banquet hosted in the branch palace’s official reception hall that was normally reserved for entertaining high-ranking officials.

Back when Shi Yu was still an Assistant Instructor Trainee, she had walked past the entrance to this place many times but had never once stepped inside. She had always assumed that if she ever did enter, it would only be to serve others. Others would sit while she stood and eat while she watched. Never had she imagined that one day, she would be invited inside as an honored guest.

It was the most glorious moment of Shi Yu’s life, and for the first time, she truly understood why power could be more alluring than any beauty.

The Deputy Palace Master did not ask for much. He simply wanted an insurance policy. If Sage Qi ever casually inquired about the branch palace, Shi Yu did not even need to praise it. It would be enough if she just spoke fairly and refrained from saying anything negative. Naturally, if she happened to put in a few good words, that would be even better.

After that banquet, Shi Yu was promoted directly to a Regular Instructor. She was also to be transferred to the Wanxiang Daoist Upper Palace, where she would be responsible for matters concerning the high-ranking Daoists. Qi Xuansu, Zhang Yuelu, Yao Pei, and many others had once pursued advanced studies there. It was a place where one could easily come into contact with influential figures, expand one’s network, and perhaps stumble upon life-changing opportunities. Countless people coveted such a position but could never obtain it.

Shi Yu was only given such an opportunity because Qi Xuansu was about to become the Wanxiang Daoist Palace Master.

From beginning to end, Qi Xuansu had neither made any requests nor dropped any hints. In fact, he did not even know about such an arrangement. Everything had been done voluntarily by those beneath him. That was what true influence looked like.

Qi Xuansu naturally understood how these things worked. Due to this, he had no need to personally ask others to take care of an old classmate. Doing so would have been a clumsy, second-rate approach.

Mo Qingdi was not Qi Xuansu’s only classmate, yet he was the only one with whom Qi Xuansu still maintained close ties. Many people were green with envy, but they had no one to blame except themselves.

Back when Qi Xuansu studied at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, he kept an extremely low profile. True to his nature, he never sought people out unless he had a reason. Only the equally taciturn Mo Qingdi had grown close to him. They were both unpopular and ignored. So now that Qi Xuansu had made a name for himself, those who ignored him back then did not get to claim being close to him in school.

As for why Qi Xuansu chose to promote Zhang Wuyue instead of Mo Qingdi was not simply because Zhang Wuyue was his brother-in-law.

Just as Huangfu Ji had said, Zhang Wuyue himself possessed genuine value. Through Zhang Yuelu and the Zhang family, Zhang Wuyue had extensive connections that would be beneficial to expanding business at the new port, making it a mutually beneficial arrangement. Zhang Wuyue had managed to make a name for himself in Lion City, quietly opening countless doors without Zhang Yuelu’s knowledge, and many people even depended on him for their livelihoods. Although what he had done was improper, it nevertheless demonstrated that he had genuine ability. He was not one of those useless wastrels incapable of accomplishing anything.

Some spoiled scions could only start a business after their elders personally made introductions and protected them every step of the way. Even then, such a business often ended in complete failure. Compared with them, Zhang Wuyue had never asked Zhang Yuelu to step in. He had quietly accomplished everything himself by borrowing her name. The difference in capability was obvious.

On the other hand, Mo Qingdi was not capable. He could not even organize a simple class reunion. Even if Qi Xuansu wanted to bestow wealth and success upon his old classmate, Mo Qingdi simply lacked the ability to make use of such an opportunity. It would be far wiser for Mo Qingdi to remain honestly within the Daoist Order’s system, holding on to his secure position rather than chasing unrealistic ambitions.

Naturally, there were also many people who took the initiative to send festive greetings to Qi Xuansu. After all, his status spoke for itself.

Among them were both his own people and others who were not especially close to him but had crossed paths with him before.

His own circle included Chen Jianchou, Liu Hu, Chen Jianqiu, Lu Yuting, Mu Jin, Ning Yuqing, Ke Qingqing, Han Yongfeng, Sun Yongfeng, Huan Ji, Xu Kou, Lingquanzi, Zhang Juping, Shi Yu, Li Qingnu, Audrey, Shangguan Ya, Xie Jiaofeng, Gong Jiaojun, Xiao Yueru, Cheng Lixue, numerous staff members from the Nanyang Branch Headquarters of the Taiping Bank, as well as several Branch Managers and Deputy Mansion Masters of the Poluo Daoist Mansion, among many others.

Those who were not exactly part of his inner circle but had dealings with him included Liu Gui, Li Zhuyu, the Star Lord Yuheng, Shen Yuqing, Zhou Jiaoxian, Lu Yushu, Shen Mingxin, and others.

These did not add up to 100 people, but certainly several dozen. Even if each conversation lasted only a few sentences, it still amounted to quite a substantial undertaking.

Thus, whenever a major festival arrived, navigating social etiquette and personal relationships became everyone’s highest priority.

This year, Qi Xuansu happened to be on the New Continent, so exchanging greetings from afar was sufficient. In previous years, when he served as the Chief Deputy of the Poluo Daoist Mansion, his residence would become packed with visitors whenever a festival came around. Even though he had announced in advance that no gifts were necessary, there was still an endless stream of people calling on him in person to offer holiday greetings to Chief Deputy Qi. One visitor after another arrived without pause, making it almost unbearable. Qi Xuansu often wanted to close his doors and refuse visitors, yet he also did not wish to leave others with the impression that he was arrogant and aloof. As a result, he barely had a moment to himself during the holidays.

Every festive season, while others came to pay their respects to Qi Xuansu, he in turn had to visit and offer greetings to his superiors, elders, and friends. Consequently, every holiday season was exceptionally lively and busy throughout the Daoist Order. The bustle was due to far more than the official celebrations alone.

There was no helping it because everyone wanted to move up in the world.

Compared with most people in the Daoist Order, Qi Xuansu was already considered rather blunt and unsociable. People often described him as someone who never visited unless he needed something, which was hardly intended as a compliment.

But compared with Zhang Yuelu, Qi Xuansu could practically be described as a master of social graces. Zhang Yuelu’s reputation for being difficult to approach was certainly not without reason.