A Pawn's Passage

Why did the Holy Xuan’s wife have such a good relationship with the Li family? It was not merely because the Li family, led by Donghuang, was always eager to curry favor with her. It was also because the Qin and Li families were extremely close. Later events proved that the Holy Xuan’s wife had judged them correctly. The marriage alliance between the two families ended up lasting 200 years.

Within the Li family, opinions of the Holy Xuan were a mixture of love and resentment, whereas opinions of the Holy Xuan’s wife were nothing but praise.

In this regard, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were somewhat similar, except that their situation was reversed. Within the Zhang family, Zhang Yuelu’s reputation was somewhat mixed, but their opinion of Qi Xuansu had always been very favorable.

It seemed that everyone wanted people who walked the righteous path, yet when such a person actually appeared, they would inevitably begin to feel uncomfortable.

Just as everyone despised those who abused their authority for personal gain, it was only when they themselves gained the power to do so that they realized what they truly resented was that others could do it while they could not.

After this little interlude, the banquet officially began.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had to make the rounds and toast the guests. It was an arduous task, but judging from Zhang Yuelu’s expression, she seemed almost eager to get started.

Their groomsmen and bridesmaids now began to fulfill their roles as well, following the newlyweds and taking care of miscellaneous matters.

Since today was a joyous occasion, there were no individual tables for each guest, nor did they use the long tables favored by Westerners. Instead, they used large round tables for their auspicious symbolism.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu first went to toast the table of the Virtuous Great Sages. After all, this was the highest-ranking table, headed by the Heavenly Preceptor, with Huangfu Ji seated there as well.

The Heavenly Preceptor spoke a few words on behalf of the Great Sages. “Daoist companions are also companions on the path of cultivation. Now that the two of you have become Daoist companions, you should naturally support each other from this day forward. If you can become a pair of Immortal lovers like the Holy Xuan and his wife, then nothing could be better.”

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu respectfully acknowledged his words before moving on to the table of the Hall Masters.

Next, the four elders, acting as the hosts, once again offered a toast to the Great Sages.

The Hall Masters’ table was fairly complete, apart from Sage Qingwei, Sage Donghua, and Sage Cihang. This time, Ning Lingge took the place of honor because he was Qi Xuansu’s and Zhang Yuelu’s former superior.

After offering his toast, Qi Xuansu made a point of thanking his former superior, Ning Lingge. “Sage Ning, those two theater tickets you gave us back then have brought me and Qing Xiao together. They say marriage comes by the command of one’s parents and the words of a matchmaker, so that makes you the matchmaker who brought me and Qing Xiao together.”

Zhang Yuelu also raised her cup. “Hall Master Ning, a toast to you.”

Ning Lingge smiled with evident delight and said, “You were both still so young back then. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed, and now you’ve finally reaped the fruits of your journey together. It certainly hasn’t been easy.”

After making a full round of toasts with Dreaming Death, Qi Xuansu had deliberately refrained from using his cultivation to dispel the effects of the alcohol and was actually beginning to feel slightly tipsy. On the other hand, Zhang Yuelu showed no sign of being affected apart from a faint flush on her face. She looked as though she had only just finished warming up. Now that was truly an extraordinary natural talent.

Their groomsmen and bridesmaids had also taken quite a few drinks on the couple’s behalf and were beginning to struggle by now.

Qi Xuansu instructed Yan Yongzhen to escort Zhang Zhiyue back, while Chen Jianchou and Xiao Yueru each departed on their own.

The Great Sages were the first to leave the banquet, departing in order of rank as though they had arranged it beforehand. Next to leave were the Hall Masters, followed by the Mansion Masters. Once all the Omniscient Sages had left, those of the Sage rank began departing as well.

Of course, there were exceptions. Some of those closest to the couple had deliberately stayed behind.

Seeing everyone else drinking, Little Yin had made a fuss about wanting to try some “bitter water” herself. She accidentally drank too much and soon fell asleep, snoring away. So Lin Yuanmiao took her home early.

By the time even those closest to them began leaving one after another, the night had grown late.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu then prepared to return to their new residence in Taishang Place.

It was equally lively there, except everyone present was family.

However, once they entered the bridal chamber, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu found themselves feeling somewhat awkward.

The two of them were rather conservative. Neither had ever been intimate with the opposite sex before. Had they not become Daoist companions, they probably would have remained single for the rest of their lives.

Zhang Yuelu kept a straight face, her expression betraying nothing. She appeared completely unfazed, yet one hand was unconsciously clutching at the cuff of her sleeve, making it obvious that she was nowhere near as calm as she appeared.

Qi Xuansu pondered for a moment, thinking that it would be more appropriate for him to take the initiative. Fortunately, he had come prepared.

He took out a jade slip and deliberately waved it before Zhang Yuelu’s eyes.

Sure enough, Zhang Yuelu took the bait and asked, “What is that?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “This is the Pure Maiden’s Longevity Scripture.”

Given Qi Xuansu’s current status and cultivation, requesting permission to learn a perfected method was as easy as submitting an application. He simply had never applied for this particular method before, partly because he had lacked the time and partly because he had never had any need for it.

But before their wedding, Qi Xuansu had specifically applied to learn this perfected method.

Zhang Yuelu was exceptionally well-read, so the moment she heard the name, she nearly lost her composure. A faint blush crept across her face, and the calm facade she had maintained showed signs of crumbling.

After all, she had no experience in romantic matters.

According to legend, when the Heavenly Emperor was still the human emperor, he once sought guidance from the Pure Maiden on the path to longevity. The Pure Maiden then taught the Heavenly Emperor a method of dual cultivation between man and woman, intended to strengthen one’s foundation and nourish one’s vital essence.

With a perfectly serious expression, Qi Xuansu said, “The night is long, and we have such a fine evening before us. Why don’t we study it together?”

Zhang Yuelu remained silent for a long while, her face growing even redder. Finally, she uttered a single word. “Alright.”

Qi Xuansu opened the jade slip, revealing its contents before them.

At first, Zhang Yuelu was only reading it to ease the awkwardness, but gradually, she became absorbed in its contents. Despite being the one who had brought it up in the first place, Qi Xuansu barely absorbed any of what he was reading. Such was the difference between a cultivation genius and a cultivation dunce.

After reading the foreword, Qi Xuansu removed the special golden purple crown from his head and placed it on the table. He then casually removed Zhang Yuelu’s crown as well, allowing both their hair to fall loose around their shoulders.

Zhang Yuelu trembled slightly but did not object or make any move. She continued looking at the jade slip containing the Pure Maiden’s Longevity Scripture, though she was no longer nearly as focused as before.

Qi Xuansu found himself somewhat at a loss as well. Although this was his first time, he had never thought there would be anything particularly difficult about such matters. But when the person in question was Zhang Yuelu, things were different.

While drinking the previous night, experienced men like Huangfu Ji and Pei Xiaolou had even shared a few jokes with Qi Xuansu, leaving quite an impression on him.

Huangfu Ji had asked Qi Xuansu whether he knew how to undress a woman. To which Qi Xuansu honestly admitted that he had never done such a thing before, so he dared not claim that he knew how.

Huangfu Ji had told him that it was actually quite simple. All he had to do was make a token attempt and pretend he could not figure out the fastenings. The woman would then sigh helplessly and take care of it herself.

Qi Xuansu considered this for a moment. Should I put what I have learned into practice?

While his thoughts were wandering, Zhang Yuelu seemed to have finally made up her mind and turned around to face Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu returned to his senses and asked, “Shall we begin?”

Instead of closing her eyes as other women might have done, Zhang Yuelu stared directly at Qi Xuansu, looking as though she were preparing to march onto a battlefield. She had a resolute expression as she said solemnly, “Yes.”

Qi Xuansu felt that something was off, so he joked, “Qing Xiao, you look like a warrior about to go into battle.”

Zhang Yuelu said, “Aren’t warriors exactly your type? Isn’t that why you married me? So no complaining!”

Qi Xuansu could only keep his mouth shut. Then he let action speak for him.

Before long, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were completely entangled in each other’s arms.

Qi Xuansu launched a fierce offensive, but Zhang Yuelu did not merely endure it passively. Instead, she launched a counterattack of her own.

This undoubtedly provoked Qi Xuansu, prompting him to launch an even fiercer offensive.

What was pain? Those who stepped onto the battlefield did not fear pain.

Zhang Yuelu was unwilling to back down because she was no meek young woman who simply submitted to a man. She was Zhang Yuelu, and she intended to change the Daoist Order. If she could not even handle Qi Xuansu, how could she ever contend against the heavens?

Therefore, she could not retreat. She had to attack and advance.

Their “battle” grew increasingly fierce. Artillery shells tore through the air with piercing whistles, followed by earth-shaking explosions as they struck the ground. The offensive surged forward like a tidal wave amid thunderous battle cries, overwhelming everything in its path.

The Pure Maiden’s Longevity Scripture also started to activate.

The key to dual cultivation was in mutual complementation.

The Way of Heaven took excess to replenish the lacking, while the Way of Man took what was lacking and gave to the abundant. The method of dual cultivation emulated the Way of Heaven by taking excess to replenish deficiency.

Men were yang, while women were yin. A man possessed an abundance of yang but lacked yin, while a woman possessed an abundance of yin but lacked yang. Thus, the man drew upon the woman’s yin to replenish his own yin, while the woman drew upon the man’s yang to replenish her own yang, ultimately allowing both to achieve a balance between yin and yang.

Apart from the yin and yang of man and woman, cultivation methods could also be divided into yin and yang. If one person cultivated a pure-yang method while the other cultivated a pure-yin method, they could likewise practice dual cultivation to complement one another. However, when their cultivation levels were insufficient, they still had to use physical intimacy between man and woman as a bridge, allowing each to exchange what the other lacked.

At this moment, the newlyweds were locked in an embrace. Around them, countless densely interwoven meridians appeared. These meridians were somewhat ethereal, condensed from true essence, and connected the various acupoints throughout both their bodies. These were qi meridians.

Coincidentally, both Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had also cultivated the Dragon Tiger Sword Technique, which already complemented one another, embodying the balance between yin and yang.

There was a resounding cry as the dragon and tiger joined as one.

As their dual cultivation deepened, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu both experienced the same illusion. They felt as though they were aboard a tiny skiff, drifting across the vast and boundless lake while a violent storm raged around them. The little skiff rose and fell with the wind and waves, pitching violently as wave after wave of torrential rain and fierce winds swept over it. One moment, the skiff was hurled onto the crest of a wave. The next, it plunged heavily into the lake below. The intense sensation was mingled with an exhilarating feeling of being on the verge of breaking free from all restraints.

Suddenly, the storm swept across the lake and rolled away toward the dark and distant horizon. The lake, which had been roaring with turmoil before, returned to its previous calm. The little skiff drifted quietly with the current, its hull rocking gently upon the water. The bright moon was reflected on the lake’s surface, while scattered fishing lights began to glow in the distance.

The lingering mist vanished, and the radiant moon shone across the water, its shimmering light scattering like silver while its tranquil reflection sank like a jade disc beneath the surface. Fishermen’s songs echoed back and forth across the lake, for what greater joy could there be?