A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu knew that the black market would be more expensive, but he did not expect that Tianji Hall would be so much cheaper. A brand new Divine Dragon Pistol from Tianji Hall and a secondhand one on the black market were the same price. This was the benefit of being a high-ranking priest, because only they could make purchases from Tianji Hall.

Zhang Yuelu glanced at Qi Xuansu, who nodded slightly.

After confirmation, Zhang Yuelu said to the receptionist, “Alright, I’ll take this one. Do you have any projectiles?”

The receptionist looked troubled as he said, “Mage, the Daoist Order does not control the sale of firearms, but there is a strict limit on ammunition. Phoenix Eye and Dragon Eye ammunitions must be approved byTiangang Hall.”

Tianji Hall focused on the projectiles fired, while the Western Continent’s emphasis was on the firearm itself.

Zhang Yuelu took out her Deputy Hall Master badge as proof of her identity.

The receptionist was shocked to see this. “Deputy Hall Master Zhang, please wait a moment while I ask the superintendent to attend to you.”

Not long after, the superintendent of Tianji Hall hurried over and greeted Zhang Yuelu. He asked, “Deputy Hall Master Zhang, what kind of projectiles would you like?”

Zhang Yuelu asked, “What do you have?”

The superintendent replied, “The Grade-A Dragon Eye and Phoenix Eye ammunitions are only available at the headquarters of Tianji Hall at the Ancestral Court. The Grade-B Series One for both ammunitions are also currently out of stock. The rest are still available.”

Zhang Yuelu thought about it for a moment before she said, “In that case, give me ten rounds of Grade-B Series Two Dragon Eye Bullets, twenty rounds of Grade-B Series Three Dragon Eye Bullets, and five rounds of Grade-B Series Three Phoenix Eye Bullets.”

The superintendent said, “The price of Grade-B Series Two Dragon Eye Bullets is 10 Taiping coins per round, so ten rounds cost 100 Taiping coins. Each round of Grade-B Series Three Dragon Eye Bullet is 7 Taiping coins and 500 Ruyi coins, so twenty rounds cost 150 Taiping coins. Grade-B Series Three Phoenix Eye Bullet costs 8 Taiping coins each, so five rounds of that will be 40 Taiping coins.

"All the above amounts to 290 Taiping coins. Adding 600 Taiping coins for the Divine Dragon Pistol, your total purchase will be 890 Taiping coins.”

Qi Xuansu was still rejoicing about how cheap the Divine Dragon Pistol was compared to his estimate. However, his joyful bubble popped when he heard the total price. He finally understood what was most costly in Tianji Hall.

In the past, he used the projectiles issued by Tiangang Hall, so he did not think much of it. Now that he had to buy his own projectiles, he realized how expensive they were. Just a few bullets cost him almost half the money he spent on the Divine Dragon Pistol.

Zhang Yuelu stated, “Round it up to the nearest hundred and make up the remaining 10 Taiping coins with some ordinary projectiles, preferably those that can pierce through armor.”

The superintendent nodded.

After a while, the receptionist retrieved the items and placed the various projectiles on the table. “Ten rounds of Grade-B Series Two Dragon Eye Bullets, twenty rounds of Grade-B Series Three Dragon Eye Bullets, five rounds of Grade-B Series Three Phoenix Eye Bullets, and thirty rounds of ordinary armor-piercing projectiles. This leather shoulder holster is a free gift. It can be used to hold ammunition. Please verify your purchase, Deputy Hall Master Zhang.”

All projectiles were packed in an exquisite black lacquer wooden box with the logo of Tianji Hall painted on it. The names of the various projectiles were clearly marked and arranged neatly into categories.

Zhang Yuelu did not move, while Qi Xuansu stepped forward to check the ammunition. Thanks to Zhang Yuelu, he was familiar with these projectiles because he had used them in previous battles. He opened the wooden box and checked the bullets skillfully.

Back in the day, both artillery shells and musket projectiles were spherical. However, with the development of firearms, especially the emergence of rifling, projectiles had to have a close fit with the rifling. The diameter of the spherical projectiles were slightly larger than the barrel, making loading difficult. So a ramrod was needed to force the projectile into the barrel, significantly reducing the loading speed. Thus, projectiles gradually evolved into a pointed cylindrical shape.

The shapes of all the projectiles they bought were the same. The difference was in the talisman carvings. Grade-B Series Two and Series Three Dragon Eye Bullets had more complex carvings, and the gunpowder encased in the bullets was also different. The bottom of the bullet was engraved with their series numbering.

After Qi Xuansu checked that everything was correct, he took out nine brand-new large cash notes that still had the scent of ink and handed them to the superintendent.

The superintendent accepted the cash notes while secretly wondering about the relationship between Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu. He sized up Qi Xuansu, thinking that the latter was well-dressed and generous with money. However, a true descendant of a prestigious family would have a magical receptacle instead of a worn-out leather satchel.

He thought, Is Mage Zhang keeping a boy toy?

Qi Xuansu put away their purchase and roughly estimated his savings. Not counting the loose change, he still had 400 Taiping coins. However, he still had the resettlement allowance that Tiangang Hall had not issued to him yet. He also had not received the monthly subsidy from the Qingping Society.

After returning to Jade Capital, he could be promoted to the sixth rank and enjoy the treatment of a fifth-rank Prospective Jijiu Daoist priest. Thus, he would receive a monthly allowance of 100 Taiping coins. He also had the Wuyou coins he kept with Madam Qi, which he did not plan to use for the time being.

From this point of view, he had a bright future. He could save about 1,000 Taiping coins every year. In the next three to four years, he could consider leaving Haichan Place and buying a house in the Upper Eight Neighborhoods. By then, it would not be a mere dream to be promoted to a fifth-rank or fourth-rank Daoist priest.

After that, he could finally consider starting his own family and getting a Daoist companion. As for children, there was no need to force it, as it depended on the wishes of his other half. In this sense, the Daoist community differed from the secular world.

Of course, the premise for this was that he had to stay alive, and his identity as a member of the Qingping Society had to stay hidden.

Thinking of this, Qi Xuansu felt weighed down by guilt.

Madam Qi was right. It was not ideal for him to continue sacrificing for theQingping Society. Instead, he should focus on climbing the ladder in the Daoist Order. Therefore, his goal of leaving the Qingping Society remained unchanged.

Qi Xuansu subconsciously glanced at Zhang Yuelu beside him from the corner of his eye.

Zhang Yuelu did not know what was on Qi Xuansu’s mind. She was not thinking about the future. Instead, she was reflecting on what happened earlier.

She had used her name to help Qi Xuansu buy a Divine Dragon Pistol and restricted ammunition. Was this appropriate behavior? The Daoist Order did not have clear regulations about buying firearms and ammunition on someone’s behalf, so it was not considered a violation. However, the Daoist Order did not support this kind of behavior, so this was considered a minor loophole.

Earlier, she helped Qi Xuansu buy a Divine Dragon Pistol on his behalf. Since it was not illegal to do so, she would not be punished for it. But what if this was done on a larger scale? If someone more powerful in the Daoist Order used their status to purchase dozens or even hundreds of guns and resold these items on the black market to make profits, was that also not illegal?

Zhang Yuelu could not help but ponder the repercussions of such actions. Why not mend this loophole? Was it because no one wanted to stop this, or because it could not be stopped?

If no one wanted to stop this, it only indicated that this had already become an unwritten rule. If it could not be stopped, where did the resistance come from?

Zhang Yuelu only felt that the road ahead was long and arduous. She also did not know where this path led. It would not be easy to reform the Daoist Order, even if the Holy Xuan came back to life.

She had the heart to make changes, but she had no influence or power at the moment to implement her ideas. All she could do was take things one step at a time and make every step worthwhile.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu asked softly, “Qing Xiao, shall we get going?”

Zhang Yuelu came back to her senses and nodded. “Sure.”

The two of them walked out of the lobby of Tianji Hall, but they were in no hurry to go down the steps.

Zhang Yuelu suddenly stretched out her hand in front of Qi Xuansu.

Startled and not quite understanding what Zhang Yuelu meant, Qi Xuansu hesitated and stretched out a hand to shake hers.

Her hand felt soft, smooth, and a little cool to the touch.

As exchanges between the Eastern and Western Continents became more frequent, it became a trend to learn the etiquette of the Western Continent. Qi Xuansu remembered an etiquette from the Western Continent. When meeting someone, both parties were required to show each other that they were not harboring ill intentions by disclosing if they were carrying weapons. Later, this custom gradually evolved into a handshake, which was roughly equivalent to the fist-and-palm salute in the Central Plains.

Zhang Yuelu knocked Qi Xuansu’s hand away angrily and glared at him. “Are you trying to take advantage of me?”

"You clearly reached out to me first, so why did you slap my hand away?” Qi Xuansu felt wronged.

Zhang Yuelu said bluntly, “Where is my Divine Dragon Pistol? You have your own now, so shouldn’t you give mine back to me?”

Qi Xuansu touched his old love, which had been with him for more than half a month. Then he touched his new love, which was still brand-new and in its box. He smiled awkwardly and said, “I heard about the handshake etiquette from the Western Continent, so I thought you were into it. Speaking of Western etiquette, people there have other strange customs, like hand kisses, hugs, and cheek kisses. How indecent!”

The corners of Zhang Yuelu’s lips curled up, but not in a charming way. Instead, she resembled a tiger stalking its prey, which made Qi Xuansu feel a chill running down his spine.

Zhang Yuelu asked, “Do you also want to try Western etiquette?”

Qi Xuansu coughed lightly and assumed a straight face. “Of course not! I just think that the people on the Western Continent are very different from us from the Central Plains.”

Zhang Yuelu snorted lightly and did not pursue the matter further. There was a faint smirk on her face. “Where’s my gun? Hand it over quickly.”

Qi Xuansu hesitated for a moment. He held the ivory handle of the gun and pleaded. “A weapon is a man’s best companion. I have been fighting side by side with this gun for more than half a month, and we’ve gotten along so well. I’ve been so used to the feeling of this gun, so my aim is much better with it. If I change to a new gun, I’ll have to get used to it again. Why don’t you take my new one instead?”

Zhang Yuelu did not retract her hand. “That’s a good proposal. If that Divine Dragon Pistol is mine, I’ll definitely agree to it since I don’t use it that much. So it really doesn’t matter which one I take. Unfortunately, that Divine Dragon Pistol is not mine. It’s issued by Tiangang Hall and has a serial number on it, so it can’t be traded.”

Qi Xuansu sighed as he handed over his old love to Zhang Yuelu. He then took out his new love from its box, loaded it with an ordinary projectile, and put it into the holster.

Zhang Yuelu took the gun and gently stroked the barrel, deep in thought.

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