A Pawn's Passage

The relationship between the Daoist Order and the Imperial Court was very complex. Generally speaking, the Mansion Master was equivalent in rank to a governor or a minister. Thus, the Deputy Mansion Master of the Shuzhou Daoist Mansion was about the same level as the Chief Admiral of Shuzhou.

In terms of status, Lingyunzi was above Zhao Fu’an. In terms of cultivation level, Lingyunzi was also superior to Zhao Fu’an. Thus, Zhao Fu’an was not Lingyunzi’s opponent, just as Zhang Yuelu was not Zhao Fu’an’s opponent.

As a result, Zhao Fu’an’s expression turned gloomy because he would not be able to get away with it. However, he could not stand the humiliation of being yelled at in public.

Seeing Zhao Fu’an’s expression change, Lingyunzi warned him. “Although Mage Zhang is a distant relative of the Heavenly Preceptor, she is also highly regarded by the Earthly Preceptor. Moreover, she is a direct disciple of Sage Cihang. If anything happens to her, you won’t be able to defend yourself, Zhao Fu’an. Or do you think that Governor Wang will argue with the Heavenly Preceptor, Earthly Preceptor, and Sage Cihang for your sake?”

This was a reminder for Zhao Fu’an not to act rashly.

Li Tianzhen was the precedent. He was the direct descendant of the Imperial Preceptor and Sage Qingwei. When he was ten years old, he even got to meet the current emperor. Li Tianzhen was expected to become the head of the Li family in the future, but even he suffered a heavy loss against Zhang Yuelu back then.

If Zhao Fu’an wanted to offend Zhang Yuelu, he would need to have a bigger backing compared to Li Tianzhen’s.

Zhao Fu’an had been involved in politics for a long time, so he immediately got the hint. He was quick to think of a solution, apologizing with a salute. “It turns out that Deputy Hall Master Zhang has a close relationship with the Earthly Preceptor. My apologies for not recognizing your status earlier. I hope you can forgive me, Deputy Hall Master Zhang.”

His words were apologetic, but there was a hidden meaning behind them. He was only willing to admit his mistake because he was unaware of the relationship between Zhang Yuelu and the Earthly Preceptor. In fact, he only did this to curry favor with the Shuzhou Daoist Mansion and Lingyunzi.

Of course, Zhang Yuelu also understood what Zhao Fu’an meant. She knew that she could only get away unscathed this time thanks to Lingyunzi. Thus, she did not say anything more to avoid embarrassing Lingyunzi.

However, she was still angry.

This matter had nothing to do with the Earthly Preceptor. It was her idea to seal the villa and search for the cult demon’s traces, but Zhao Fu’an and Wang Ruyi were obstructing the investigation. However, the situation turned into Zhang Yuelu throwing her weight around.

In fact, this case had nothing to do with Zhang Yuelu. She was currently on vacation and happened to pass through Baidi City. Even if she encountered a cult demon causing trouble, she could have reported it to the Tiangang Hall and continued on her way. But she took her job seriously. Even though she was not obligated to do so, she decided to investigate the case thoroughly.

As a result, Qi Xuansu was attacked. They seemed to have gotten an apology, but it was half-hearted only because her backing was big enough.

Zhang Yuelu fell into deep thought. If I had no backing, would I be the one apologizing to Zhao Fu’an? Or would I have to bury Qi Xuansu here? Was it so wrong for me to do my job faithfully? If I was overestimating my capabilities and meddling in other people’s business, then who was supposed to be responsible for this case? If everyone was just trying to protect themselves, would the Daoist Order be able to maintain authority for long? Was not distinguishing right from wrong and power-tripping what the Holy Xuan wanted to see in the Daoist Order? Shouldn’t this be rectified?

The only person Zhang Yuelu felt sorry for was Qi Xuansu. If she had not asked Qi Xuansu to accompany her home, all of these would not have happened. Even though Zhang Yuelu was morally right in this scenario, she should not have implicated Qi Xuansu.

Zhang Yuelu silently walked to Qi Xuansu’s side and slowly helped him up. At the same time, she injected some qi into his body to relieve some of his pain.

Qi Xuansu felt a little more comfortable. Being hit by a Heavenly Being was no joke. He almost died from just one punch. If Zhang Yuelu had not intervened and he had to go up against Zhao Fu’an alone, he might not have been able to last three moves.

That was when Lingyunzi finally noticed that someone else was injured. His face darkened, and he raised his voice. “Chief Zhao, you injured my fellow Daoist disciple. Do you think you can just brush it off with a simple admission of fault? I’m afraid that won’t do.”

When Zhao Fu’an heard that Lingyunzi no longer called him by his full name but addressed him as Chief Zhao, he knew that he was off the hook. He played along and said, “You’re right, Sage Lingyun. I was too impulsive just now. Here, this should be enough for a visit to Huasheng Hall.”

After that, Zhao Fu’an took out five brand-new cash notes, worth 100 Taiping coins each. He instinctively wanted to throw the cash notes at Zhang Yuelu’s feet. However, considering that Lingyunzi was still around and that Zhang Yuelu’s backer was not easy to mess with, Zhao Fu’an patiently walked to Zhang Yuelu and handed the cash notes to her. “Deputy Hall Master Zhang, apologies.”

Zhang Yuelu did not respond and merely glared at Zhao Fu’an.

Lingyunzi slowly approached them, took the cash notes from Zhao Fu’an, and personally delivered them to Qi Xuansu. “Deputy Hall Master Zhang, as your senior, I’d like to remind you that sometimes, it’s better to go with the flow.”

Qi Xuansu took over the five large cash notes from the second-rank Taiyi Daoist master.

Zhang Yuelu did not stop Qi Xuansu, but she felt humiliated for Qi Xuansu and herself.

Lingyunzi was glad to see that Qi Xuansu was sensible enough to accept the money and not make matters worse, gaining a good impression of this young deacon. He turned to Tang Yongde and instructed, “Superintendent Tang, please prepare a carriage and take them to Huasheng Hall.”

“Yes, Sage.” Tang Yongde finally came to his senses and ordered the Spirit Guards to prepare the carriage. At the same time, he felt guilty for involving Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu in this mess.

Since the investigation turned out badly, Tang Yongde could not shirk responsibility. Even if Zhang Yuelu did not express her anger, his superiors would have a bad impression of him, which would affect his future promotion.

Zhang Yuelu helped the seriously injured Qi Xuansu into the carriage and let him lean on her the whole journey. Along the way, she kept quiet.

This was not the first time Qi Xuansu had experienced a life-and-death situation. He managed a chuckle and even took the initiative to comfort Zhang Yuelu. “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

Zhang Yuelu was managing her emotions until Qi Xuansu tried comforting her. When she heard this, her eyes reddened slightly. She murmured, “I’m sorry.”

“What’s there to be sorry for? I earned 500 Taiping coins from one punch!” Qi Xuansu boasted.

He continued, “I’ve been beaten before. It’s not a big deal. I’m not a scion or a flowerbed priest. I’m like a weed that grows in a storm. I’ve lived on the edge of my blade and even got stabbed in the chest once. But I’m still alive, aren’t I? I won’t die so easily.”

Zhang Yuelu confessed. “I shouldn’t have dragged you along this precarious journey of reforming the Daoist Order. People are afraid of my background, so they won’t dare to touch me. But they certainly have no qualms about hurting you. I'm at fault for not thinking from your perspective and being too confident and righteous in my cause. I’m sorry.”

“You make it sound like I’m a regular civilian,” Qi Xuansu quipped. “I am also a Daoist disciple and a deacon of Tiangang Hall, so it is my duty to hunt down evil cult members. As the saying goes, everyone plays a role in the rise and fall of a dynasty. As a Daoist disciple, I am also responsible for the rise and fall of the Daoist Order. Why would you say that you’ve dragged me along?”

Zhang Yuelu’s eyes sparkled. “Do you really think so?”

Qi Xuansu smiled. “Why would I lie to you?”

Zhang Yuelu’s mood improved slightly. She muttered, “I just thought you’d probably be content with being a fourth-rank Daoist master since that was what you told me before. I thought I was forceful and selfish to drag you along in solving these cases with me during your break.”

Qi Xuansu teased. “Can’t minions like me have big ambitions too?”

“That’s not what I meant.” Zhang Yuelu shook her head.

The two fell into silence. Zhang Yuelu felt guilty, humiliated, and sad, while Qi Xuansu was actually not as calm as he appeared to be.

If he were such a calm person, he would not have worried so much about being associated with the Qingping Society, nor would he have been traumatized by The Inn’s assassination many years ago.

He was merely consoling Zhang Yuelu by pretending to be nonchalant because he saw how depressed she was.

Qi Xuansu was indeed a weed that grew in the harsh wind and rain. He was not like the Holy Xuan, who was ambitious and determined to change the Daoist Order. Qi Xuansu had feelings too. He was afraid, resentful, annoyed, happy, and furious. The reason he acted indifferent was only so that he would look less incompetent.

He wished he could kill Zhao Fu’an and spit at him arrogantly as a warning for others not to bully Zhang Yuelu. He wished he could name-drop his master or family to make Sage Lingyun tremble in fear. He wished he could throw the five large cash notes in Sage Lingyun’s face and snap back at that old fart to go with the flow.

However, the reality was that he could not kill Zhao Fu’an with one punch. Qi Xuansu was considered lucky to still be alive after being punched by a Heavenly Being. He also had no backing to speak of. His master was dead, and he was an orphan. His biggest backer was Madam Qi, but Madam Qi could only help him covertly as a member of the Qingping Society.

All Qi Xuansu could do was endure the pain on his own and comfort Zhang Yuelu so that she would stop blaming herself for what happened.

What else could he do if he did not comfort her? They could not possibly hug each other and cry in grievance, right?

Zhang Yuelu touched Qi Xuansu’s broken arm and asked softly, “Does it hurt?”

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “No, it doesn’t. My nerves are probably shattered, so I can’t feel a thing.”

Zhang Yuelu felt mixed emotions in her heart. She would rather have one of her arms broken in his place. She vowed. “It’s never too late to get vengeance. Tian Yuan, just wait. I promise to get justice for you one day.”

Qi Xuansu reminded her. “Qing Xiao, to live in this world, one must know when to bow and compromise. If I had lashed out and cursed at Chief Zhao for punching me, I would’ve suffered a worse death. Even if he hadn’t killed me, I would’ve died from bearing such strong resentment. What I’m trying to say is that there is no point in getting angry. All I can do is blame myself for not being strong enough to defeat him.”

At this point, he paused and joked. “Of course, not being angry is one thing, but taking revenge is another. I will have vengeance, but I’ll do it myself. I also remember my grudge against that monk, Yan Xiu. I’m just waiting for my time to shine.”

Zhang Yuelu’s mood gradually improved due to Qi Xuansu’s optimism. She laughed and teased, “It looks like we’ll have to wait for a long time, then.”

Qi Xuan was aware of his own capabilities, so he did not refute. He sighed. “You have no choice but to wait. I can’t possibly let you seek justice for me. Otherwise, people will think that I’m a softie who can only depend on you for everything.”

Zhang Yuelu scoffed. “Nonsense! I’ll let it slide this time considering your injury.”

Qi Xuansu smiled and kept quiet. He was just content being in Zhang Yuelu’s arms, as he considered this a silver lining.

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