A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu changed into casual clothes and did not call for a carriage. Instead, they leisurely made their way to Taiqing Market on foot.

The entire Jade Capital had an austere air, seemingly cold and unmoved by the outside world. However, Taiqing Market was the sole exception. There were all types of shops here, drawing the largest crowds and giving it the liveliest, most down-to-earth atmosphere in the Daoist capital.

Upon arriving at Taiqing Square, the first thing that came into view was a towering statue of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, standing a full 33 meters tall atop a three-tiered pedestal. Shangqing Avenue and Yuqing Avenue intersected here, and the statue of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor stood precisely at their intersection, making it both the center of Taiqing Square and the center of Jade Capital.

In the beginning, someone had proposed erecting a statue of the Holy Xuan here, but the Holy Xuan rejected the proposal, so it was changed to the Primordial Daoist Ancestor instead.

Surrounding the statue of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor were 24 sky lanterns with tassels floating in the outer ring and 12 in the inner ring, totaling 36. Each sky lantern was as large as a water vat and slowly revolved around the statue along some peculiar trajectory. When night fell, they illuminated the entire Taiqing Square.

Although Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were both highly renowned, not many ordinary Daoists actually recognized them. After all, the Daoist Order would not print their portraits in the official bulletin and circulate them throughout the world. Most people had only heard their names and their deeds without knowing what they looked like.

Thus, when Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu entered Taiqing Market, there was no commotion. In fact, they were not the only ones who liked to visit the market incognito. Other Sages also did the same.

Since they were making a trip down memory lane, their first stop was the weapons shop where they had first met all those years ago.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu might have gone through one tumultuous event after another over the past few years, but for the Daoist priests living in Jade Capital, only a few ordinary years had passed. The storms of the outside world could not reach Jade Capital, and everything here remained much the same as before.

When the newlyweds entered the shop, the shopkeeper still remembered them.

This came as quite a surprise to Qi Xuansu. “It’s been so many years. I didn’t expect you would still remember us.”

The shopkeeper smiled. “You two possessed extraordinary bearing. Naturally, I remembered you.”

Qi Xuansu waved his hand. “You flatter us.”

The shopkeeper glanced at the clothes the two were wearing. Since the clothes had been prepared by the Zhang family, neither the materials nor the craftsmanship were ordinary.

It was obvious that the two were no longer who they had once been and most likely had little interest in the weapons sold by his humble little shop.

Qi Xuansu said, “To tell you the truth, the two of us first met right here in your shop. Yesterday, we finally became Daoist companions, so we are just revisiting the place where it all began.”

The shopkeeper was taken aback for a moment before cupping his fists.

“Congratulations to you both.”

Qi Xuansu cupped his fists in return. “Thank you.”

The shopkeeper tentatively asked, “May I know your names, fellow Daoists?”

Qi Xuansu said, “My name is Wei Wugui. Her name is Tantai Chu.”

“I see.” The shopkeeper sighed with emotion. “Yesterday truly was an auspicious day. I heard that Sage Qi and Sage Zhang were also married yesterday. Apparently, it was quite the grand occasion. Half the important figures of the Golden Tower Council attended, with more Sages than one could count.”

Qi Xuansu remained composed, his smile unchanged. “We heard about it too. That’s why we deliberately chose the same day. We’re hoping to share in the good fortune of the two Sages.”

Zhang Yuelu remained silent as she carefully selected a handgun. Finally, she asked, “How much is this?”

The shopkeeper took a look and smiled. “It’s 480 Taiping coins. I’ll give you a discount and make it 460 Taiping coins. Consider the difference my wedding gift to you.”

Zhang Yuelu readily paid the money. “Thank you for your kind gesture.”

Qi Xuansu exchanged a few more pleasantries with the shopkeeper before they finally left.

Zhang Yuelu gently ran her fingers over the handgun before holding it out to Qi Xuansu. “It’s for you.”

Qi Xuansu accepted the handgun and said, “This is nice. I may have no use for it anymore, but I can display it in my study.”

Then Qi Xuansu looked around. “Since you gave me a gift, I should give you something in return.”

There was a jade jewelry shop not far away, so Qi Xuansu took Zhang Yuelu by the hand and headed straight toward it.

Zhang Yuelu allowed Qi Xuansu to lead her along, though she voiced her doubts. “Do you even have any money? I’m not lending you any. Otherwise, you’d be using my money to buy me a gift.”

Qi Xuansu was brimming with confidence. “Don’t worry. I just borrowed 1,000 Taiping coins from Little Yin. That girl has quite a bit in savings. She even had Madam Qi open an account for her at the Taiping Bank.”

Zhang Yuelu was even more skeptical. “Little Yin was that generous?”

Qi Xuansu explained, “I’m paying interest.”

As they spoke, the newlyweds had already entered the jade jewelry shop.

The shop was fairly large, and there were quite a few customers inside.

There were young Daoists who had brought their elderly mothers to buy jade ornaments, but most of the customers were men and women who were either preparing to marry or were already married.

Most of the female Daoists tried every possible way to get the men to spend more. But the male Daoist priests were no fools either, constantly bargaining and stalling, sometimes pushing it to the absolute limit.

One male Daoist kept studying the prices of the jade ornaments. The more he looked, the graver his expression became, until tiny beads of sweat began forming on his forehead.

Eventually, he settled on a pendant priced somewhere in the lower-middle range, while his companion had her eye on another pendant that cost 30% more.

The male Daoist deliberated for a long time before trying to persuade the female Daoist otherwise. Yet the moment he began speaking, her bright expression immediately turned gloomy. So he did not dare continue. With a long sigh, he gritted his teeth and pointed at the pendant that cost 30% more. After which, the female Daoist immediately flashed a radiant smile again.

Another male Daoist had come with his Daoist companion, who was already holding up a jade necklace in a mirror. Although the male Daoist wore a visibly pained expression, when his companion repeatedly asked whether it looked good, he suppressed his helplessness and frustration and forced out a smile that looked more like he was about to cry. He even went against his true feelings and said that it looked wonderful.

This poor fellow clearly understood that he had no choice but to do this. He had to kneel, smile, and hand over the Taiping coins, because the moment he voiced any objection or even showed the slightest hesitation or displeasure, the female Daoist priest would storm off. Afterward, the two would have a huge argument, and he would ultimately have to buy something even more expensive just to smooth things over.

Another male Daoist who, compared with the previous two unfortunate fellows, had much greater mastery over his composure. He wore a smile throughout and appeared perfectly delighted. However, Qi Xuansu still keenly noticed that whenever the exact price was mentioned, the man’s face would twitch unnaturally before he glanced elsewhere to conceal his reluctance.

Naturally, the female Daoists could see the men’s reluctance and knew perfectly well that they did not want to buy them jade ornaments, but they simply pretended not to notice. After all, no one had forced these men to marry them.

Of course, Qi Xuansu was nothing like these three male Daoists. He was doing this entirely of his own accord.

The shopkeeper could tell at a glance that Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were dressed in fine clothes and possessed extraordinary bearing. They were clearly potential big spenders, so he proactively came forward to greet them.

Qi Xuansu waved his hand with great generosity and declared, “Don’t bother showing us anything below 500 Taiping coins.”

After all, he was spending Little Yin’s money to buy something for Zhang Yuelu, so he did not feel the slightest heartache over the expense.

After being promoted to Omniscient Sage, Qi Xuansu’s benefits had improved once again. In addition to other benefits such as transportation, housing, divine power, and creations, he also received a stipend.

Sage Donghua returned a portion of Qi Xuansu’s salary directly to him, while his previous income would still be deposited into Madam Qi’s account as usual to repay his debts.

By this calculation, Qi Xuansu now had an annual income of 3,600 Taiping coins. For a Daoist of his rank, that was only enough to cover ordinary daily expenses, but it was more than sufficient to repay what he owed Little Yin.

The shopkeeper’s eyes immediately lit up. He ordered his staff to bring out the finest pieces in the shop, each placed inside a box and arranged before them in a row.

In truth, any random piece of jewelry among the dowry prepared for Zhang Yuelu by the Zhang family was far superior to these, and each had its own origin story and significance. If Qi Xuansu truly wanted to prepare an exquisite gift, he could easily procure some exceptional materials from Nanyang and commission a top craftsman to make something bespoke. But that would lack meaning. Taiqing Market was where they had first met, so that was what gave the gift meaning.

At Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu’s current status, material value was secondary. The meaning behind the gift was what mattered more.

Qi Xuansu eventually selected a deer-shaped jade pendant, holding it up against Zhang Yuelu to see how it looked on her.

Zhang Yuelu graciously played along and cooperated with him.

The shopkeeper quoted a price. “This is 700 Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu was in a good mood, so he did not bother bargaining and readily paid the money.

As a result, Qi Xuansu unexpectedly became a role model. Several female Daoists began using him as an example to lecture their own Daoist companions. “Look at him! He doesn’t hesitate at all when buying something for his Daoist companion. Now look at you, dawdling over something so small.”

The male Daoist priests were so annoyed with Qi Xuansu that they gritted their teeth, regarding him as a traitor and a disgrace to their kind. Yet they dared not argue and could only meekly go along with their companions.

Qi Xuansu suddenly came to a realization. For someone like Li Minghuang, conquering female Daoists who usually bossed their Daoist companions around and making those women become utterly devoted to him and even fawn over and serve him in every way must have brought him some kind of twisted gratification. That pleasure might even surpass physical satisfaction, which was why he never tired of sleeping with other men’s wives.

Moreover, Li Minghuang was a hypocrite with blatant double standards. He was free to seduce other men’s women, yet his own women were expected to remain perfectly chaste. If anyone so much as touched one of them, he would fight that person to the death. Even after they had separated, he would still go looking for trouble.

Someone like this was probably ill-suited to the work of uniting the female Daoists. When an opportunity arose, Qi Xuansu would have to suggest that it would be best if Li Minghuang could retire early.

Although holding an official position in the Daoist Order came with countless rules and restrictions, with one’s conduct constantly subjected to moral scrutiny and the slightest misstep liable to be used against oneself, it was also an immensely powerful shield.

It was not that Qi Xuansu intended to kill Li Minghuang. Rather, he understood one simple truth. After everything he had done to Li Minghuang, the latter would never accept it willingly and would inevitably seek an opportunity for revenge. As long as Li Minghuang refused to concede defeat, sooner or later, their conflict would reach the point where only one of them could survive.