A Pawn's Passage

Daoist Ji took a sip of wine and sized up Qi Xuansu. “Brother Qi, you don’t seem to be a native of Shuzhou.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “I grew up in the Wanxiang Daoist Palace and later settled in Jade Capital.”

"I see.” Daoist Ji nodded. “Jade Capital is quite suffocating, with so many rules and bigshots. I haven’t been there for several years. Since you’ve settled down in Jade Capital, I’m guessing that you’re working in the Nine Halls.”

"Yes, I am with Tiangang Hall because it’s the easiest among the Nine Halls for ordinary priests like me to step foot into.”

Daoist Ji nodded. “That’s true. Over the years, Tiangang Hall has continuously recruited elite priests from the local Daoist mansion. It’s definitely a good path for promotion, but it’s also the most painful and tiring job among the Nine Halls. That’s why only priests from the local Daoist Mansions or the Wanxiang Daoist Palace are willing to do those jobs. The pampered priests in Jade Capital won’t want these jobs unless they become deacons.”

Qi Xuansu remarked, “I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion. They may look down on Tiangang Hall’s tough errands, but the Tiangang Hall may not accept such pampered priests either.”

"Indeed!” Daoist Ji guffawed.

Qi Xuansu glanced at Zhang Yuelu, but she seemed oblivious to Daoist Ji’s laughter.

Daoist Ji then looked at Zhang Yuelu and asked, “Is she also from Tiangang Hall?”

Daoist Ji glanced at their identical cloaks and smirked. “You two aren’t on official duty, I presume?”

Qi Xuansu hesitated for a moment before saying truthfully, “We’re going home for the New Year.”

Daoist Ji patted his knees gently and chuckled. “Brother Qi, you’re from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, so this home you’re referring to is that girl’s home, huh? Are you two getting married soon?”

"No, no.” Qi Xuansu coughed violently.

Daoist Ji took another sip of wine and lamented. “It’s nice to return home with a companion when you’re both young and naive.”

He looked nostalgic. Although Heavenly Beings remained a youthful appearance forever, time could not be stopped or reversed. Flowers could bloom again, but people could never return to their youth again.

Qi Xuansu added some sticks to the bonfire.

Daoist Ji was speaking the truth. He just wanted to find someone to chat with. The two men chatted for two hours, talking about the Daoist Order and other topics ranging from the ancient kingdoms to the first emperor uniting the Central Plains.

After finishing his wine, Daoist Ji excused himself and disappeared into the sky again. Qi Xuansu stared at Daoist Ji’s departing figure, thinking that their encounter was surreal, like a dream.

At midnight, Zhang Yuelu woke up on her own before Qi Xuansu could call out to her.

Zhang Yuelu stretched slightly and mumbled, “I had a weird dream just now.”

"What dream?” Qi Xuansu asked.

Zhang Yuelu rubbed her cheeks with both hands. “I dreamed that you were chatting and drinking with someone, but I didn’t get to see the person’s face clearly.”

Qi Xuansu smiled helplessly and said, “That wasn’t a dream. That middle-aged Heavenly Being we saw earlier dropped by to chat with me. I don’t know what method he used to isolate you so as not to disturb your sleep.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yuelu did not look too surprised. “What did you talk about?”

Qi Xuansu recounted their conversation but casually left out Daoist Ji’s question about them getting married soon.

Zhang Yuelu thought about it. “His last name is Ji, so he should be a member of the Quanzhen Sect. Maybe he has some connections with your Qi family.”

"My Qi family?” Qi Xuansu snorted. “I just followed my master’s last name. Does it mean that if I follow your last name, I’ll be included in the Zhang family’s household register?”

Zhang Yuelu rebutted. “Dream on! Who wants you to follow my last name? Why don’t you follow the Holy Xuan’s last name instead? The Li family likes to accept adopted sons and sons-in-law. Anyone capable can also serve as the head of the Li family.”

Qi Xuansu chuckled. “Li Xuansu? That’s too close to the Holy Xuan’s name. I’m afraid that the Great Sage of the Taiping Sect will kill me for that.”

If Qi Xuansu changed his last name to Li, there would only be a one-character difference between his name and the Holy Xuan’s name, making it seem like they were brothers. The Li family would not agree to it and would probably even resort to violent means to protect the name of their revered ancestor.

Speaking of the Li family, they never had a great reputation, whether it was before or after the Holy Xuan. Their nickname was the Donghai Weirdos. However, the only time they were not eccentric was during the years of the Holy Xuan’s reign.

In fact, the Holy Xuan did not make the Li family one of the most powerful families in the Daoist Order. Even without the Holy Xuan, the Li family would have held power. The Holy Xuan just elevated the Li family’s status.

On the contrary, the Holy Xuan only became the Daoist Order’s Grand Master with the Li family’s help. Both the Holy Xuan and the Li family played a crucial role in each other’s achievements.

That was why Qi Xuansu was so sure that the Li family would not allow him to have such a similar name to the Holy Xuan. Zhang Yuelu did not refute it either.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu did not think too much about whether Daoist Ji had other intentions in approaching Qi Xuansu. In the Daoist community, it was common to come across carefree individuals with high cultivation levels who liked to travel.

Since they had high cultivation levels, such carefree masters had no desire to compete for fame and profit. They did not make friends based on their status and liked to have fun. If they were in a good mood, they would occasionally give the younger generation some advice or pointers.

With the current size of the Daoist Order, there were many carefree masters like Daoist Ji. The Heavenly Being did not give Qi Xuansu any advice, probably because they were not fated. It could also be that Qi Xuansu’s strong blood qi made Daoist Ji mistakenly believe that Qi Xuansu was a Martial Arts Practitioner in the Guizhen stage, which was not far from a Heavenly Being, so there was nothing to teach him.

After joking around, Zhang Yuelu took out her pocket watch to check the time. “Go to sleep. We have to continue our journey tomorrow.”

Qi Xuansu nodded, gathered his cloak, and slept peacefully. By the time he woke up, the sky had turned a deep blue. Zhang Yuelu stamped out the bonfire and led the horses over.

They rode back to the main road and continued on their journey, traveling for three days until they could see Baidi City in the distance. They wanted to take a boat from Baidi City and go down the river to Jiangling Prefecture in Huzhou.

Baidi City was strategically located as a gateway from Huzhou to Shuzhou. It was surrounded by water on three sides and backed by mountains on one side, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.

When the Gongsun family ruled over the Shu Kingdom, they established their capital here. There was a White Crane Well that often had vapor gushing out of it. That was where the name “Baidi City” came from, as bai meant white and di meant imperial.

People who often read novels were also familiar with Baidi City because that was where the founding king of the Shu Kingdom died and entrusted his children to others, which was a touching story.

In the late Wei Dynasty, the Qingyang Sect was involved in a rebellion, and its main stronghold was located in Baidi City. After the Qingyang Sect was destroyed, Baidi City was placed under the jurisdiction of the Daoist Order.

The Daoist Order did not regard Baidi City as a strategic fortress but as a hub for the distribution of goods. Major commodities such as silk, satin, brocade, sugar, and salt from Shuzhou were gathered in Baidi City before being transported by waterway to places like Huzhou, Jiangzhou, and other states. Some would also be distributed north through the Grand Canal or go directly out to sea.

Due to this, Baidi City was not under the jurisdiction of the Shuzhou Daoist Mansion. Instead, it belonged to the Shibo Hall.

Shibo Hall was among the Nine Halls, in charge of the maritime trade and other commercial businesses under the Daoist Order. Duzhi Hall was responsible for auditing, budgeting, and expenditures, while Shibo Hall was responsible for earning money for the Daoist Order.

Among the Nine Halls, Shibo Hall was closely related to Duzhi Hall and cooperated with Tianji Hall and Huasheng Hall for the supply of goods. Shibo Hall would focus on how to sell the products created by Tianji Hall and Huasheng Hall, then hand the profits over to Duzhi Hall. Duzhi Hall would then use said money to support the expeditions of Beichen Hall and Tiangang Hall, which did not bring in any income.

For this reason, Shibo Hall also established branches in various cities. However, unlike Huasheng Hall and Tianji Hall, which set up branches near every local Daoist mansion, Shibo Hall mainly established branches in a few key locations on the various trade routes. These included Baidi City, Jinling Prefecture, Lanling Prefecture, Qingbin Prefecture, Loulan City, and so on.

At the same time, Shibo Hall also acted as an intermediary. In the Jiangnan case, Shibo Hall coordinated the transfer of goods from the Liaodong Daoist Mansion and the Qizhou Daoist Mansion to fill the gap in the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion. They were also the ones who negotiated the business with the Western Continent merchants. Jiangnan Daoist Mansion was mainly responsible for preparing the corresponding goods.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu had a good estimation of the distance and time needed to get to Baidi City. It was almost dusk by the time they arrived at the north gate. As expected, the gate inspection was very strict. Moreover, the gatekeepers were not Black Robes from the Imperial Court but Spirit Guards from the Daoist Order.

However, this was to their advantage, since they were also members of the Daoist Order. Sure enough, after Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu presented their documents, the Spirit Guard became more friendly and even skipped the process of checking their luggage, granting them immediate access to Baidi City without much fuss.

When they entered the city, it was still bustling with people and carriages, even though it was already getting late. They could also see the mountains all around the city, with some palace buildings on certain peaks.

Zhang Yuelu pointed to the palace on the mountain. “That’s the famous Yong’an Palace located on Yong’an Mountain, the tallest mountain in Baidi City. It’s the best lookout point, suitable for directing battles and observing the situation. The famous founding king of the Shu Kingdom died of illness there. Now, it’s a branch of the Shibo Hall and doubles as a Daoist temple, which serves as rest stops for Daoist disciples.”

Qi Xuansu’s eyes lit up. “Do you mean to say that we can stay there for free?”

Zhang Yuelu nodded. “Yeah. We can also sell our horses to them.”

"Let’s go, then!” Qi Xuansu took the lead and rode forward.

Zhang Yuelu pursed her lips and smiled, following closely behind.

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