A Pawn's Passage

A bright, full moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery glow across the land.

A man and a woman faced each other under the moonlight. But there was nothing romantic about this scene. All that existed between them was an unspoken awkwardness.

Yao Pei stared intently at Qi Xuansu, as if trying to find any trace of deception on his face. Once she confirmed that Qi Xuansu was not joking, her expression subtly changed.

She had assumed that Qi Xuansu was merely one of her Seventh Grandaunt's subordinates, but she had not expected this answer.

On second thought, although her Seventh Grandaunt had high seniority in the Yao family, she was not particularly old. She was around the same age as Yao Pei’s father, so taking in an adopted son of Yao Pei’s age seemed reasonable.

Yao Pei remained silent for a while before saying, “I see.”

Qi Xuansu cleared his throat lightly. “I wasn’t going to tell you.”

Yao Pei continued, “Though we share this connection, as disciples of the Daoist Order, we should avoid being too close to avoid drawing attention from those with ulterior motives. It’s also best not to publicize Seventh Grandaunt’s identity.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Of course.”

Yao Pei silently exhaled a sigh of relief before concluding, “Then I shall continue calling you Daoist Qi, and you should continue calling me Daoist Yao.”

Qi Xuansu now understood Yao Pei’s intent. It seemed that her practice of the Taishang Emotionless Sutra had not entirely stripped her of worldly sentiment, and she clearly had no desire to address him as “Uncle.”

The deeper reason likely lay with the Yao family itself. Madam Qi must have had her reasons for leaving the Yao family. Perhaps there had been some unresolved grievances between them.

Moreover, from Yao Pei’s words, it was evident that opinions within the Yao family regarding Madam Qi were divided. The only person capable of making a final decision was the Earthly Preceptor, who had yet to take a clear stance.

Seeing that Qi Xuansu did not object, Yao Pei resumed her usual calm demeanor and asked, “How has Seventh Grandaunt been lately?”

“As good as can be.” Qi Xuansu immediately recalled his last encounter with Madam Qi. “After stepping down as the Acting Mogul of the Seven Treasure Pavilion, she’s been involved in some small business.”

“Small business?” Yao Pei asked. “How small?”

He did a rough estimate. “A single transaction brings in a few thousand Taiping coins. But those add up. In a year, she probably makes several hundred thousand Taiping coins. But she doesn’t lack money, and she spends very little. Making money is just her hobby.”

Qi Xuansu then thought about how his savings had been completely plundered by Madam Qi and could not help but sigh. “The way of the heavens is to take excess to replenish the lacking. But the way of man is to take from the lacking to serve the excessive.”

Upon hearing this, Yao Pei remained silent for a long time.

Although the Yao family was not as wealthy as the Li family, they would not consider a few hundred thousand Taiping coins significant. As a core member of the Yao family, Yao Pei had never experienced the worries of earning and not spending money, so she naturally could not understand the pleasure of accumulating wealth without using it.

Qi Xuansu shifted his gaze to the still-unconscious Chen Longtu and asked, “Daoist Yao, who exactly is this person?”

Instead of answering directly, Yao Pei said, “Although Qing Xiao is not easy to get along with, her status alone attracts many admirers. But how they try to gain her attention varies. Some, like Li Tianzhen, attempted to use power to subdue her. Others, like Chen Longtu, take a different approach.

“You might wonder why no one has come to provoke me. The answer is simple—I rarely leave home. In terms of reputation, I am far less well-known than Qing Xiao. Most people don’t even know whether I am male or female, so how could anyone admire me?”

Qi Xuansu was speechless for a moment before he asked a question he had long been curious about. “Daoist Yao, can you read minds?”

“I cannot read minds, but I can make simple calculations and guesses about what is going on in your head,” Yao Pei answered honestly.

“Everyone has microexpressions that flash by quickly and are difficult to detect. However, I can use Heavenly Calculation to capture these subtle expressions. For example, when you intend to lie, you will look directly into my eyes—either to convince me or to observe whether I believe you. Another example is if your expression of surprise lasts longer than one second, it is likely a feigned reaction.”

This time, Qi Xuansu was truly astonished.

Yao Pei continued, “I analyze these microexpressions to judge your emotional fluctuations, then combine them with the context of our conversation to deduce what you’re thinking.”

Qi Xuansu suddenly felt that Heavenly Blade was indeed far superior to Demonic Blade. It was no wonder Heavenly Blade was considered an orthodox perfected method. However, Heavenly Blade had to be paired with the Taishang Emotionless Sutra to unleash its full power, which seemed incredibly troublesome.

Yao Pei once again read Qi Xuansu’s thoughts. In an emotionless tone, she reassured him, “Each method has its strengths. When cultivated to a certain level, Demonic Blade grants an astonishing level of intuition, allowing one to sense danger before it even arrives.”

Qi Xuansu rubbed his face with both hands, as if trying to wipe away all his microexpressions.

“Daoist Qi, you may try to keep a straight face, but that only suppresses the obvious expressions. Microexpressions are different. They are unconscious reactions that require extensive training to control,” Yao Pei explained.

“However, once a Martial Arts Practitioner reaches the Everchanging Realm, this issue disappears. That’s because a Wuliang-stage Martial Arts Practitioner can control every bit of their muscles and skin. They can alter their facial features and even body shape at will, hence the name of the realm.”

Being repeatedly read like an open book made Qi Xuansu feel quite embarrassed. He hurriedly steered the conversation back on track. “So, in that case, Chen Longtu is here because of Qing Xiao?”

Yao Pei replied, “Actually, the root cause still lies with you, Daoist Qi.”

“What do you mean? How does this concern me?” Qi Xuansu asked in surprise.

Yao Pei pointedly stated, “Daoist Qi, think about it—if it were Li Changge or Li Tianzhen in your position, would Chen Longtu still dare to act so recklessly?”

Qi Xuansu fell silent.

Yao Pei continued, “As far as I know, ever since Qing Xiao expelled Li Tianzhen from Jade Capital, she managed to deter many petty schemers. Hence, such incidents have become rare. After all, no one believes they are better than Li Tianzhen. Since even he suffered defeat at her hands, they saw little hope for themselves and chose to stay away instead.

“But you are different. You know you can defeat Chen Longtu, but he does not. The root of the issue is that you have risen to fame too quickly, so many people are unaware of your strength.

“To them, if a nobody like you can gain Qing Xiao’s favor, then she must not be as unapproachable as they thought. They will only assume that Li Tianzhen was rejected due to the Zhang-Li rivalry. That’s why they believe they can replace you.

“Clearly, this won’t be the last time something like this happens. Many more will come to trouble you. Some will be seeking Qing Xiao’s attention, while others may be trying to curry favor with Li Tianzhen. This situation has both advantages and disadvantages.

“The drawbacks need no explanation, but the upside is that after you defeat them all, your name will spread far and wide. The entire Daoist Order will come to know the name Qi Xuansu.”

After listening, Qi Xuansu sighed. “You truly are wise.”

At the same time, he could not help but marvel at the Yao family’s intelligence network. Yao Pei claimed to rarely leave home, yet there was hardly anything she did not know. Clearly, this was due to the backing of the Yao family.

This was exactly where Zhang Yuelu suffered the most. Li Changge and Yao Pei both received the full backing of their respective families, whereas Zhang Yuelu, coming from a minor branch of the Zhang family, had almost no real support from them.

Otherwise, Tantai Qiong would not have considered an arranged marriage for her. Even Sage Cihang had not initially chosen Zhang Yuelu as her successor, as proven by Zhang Yuelu’s absence from Putuo Island.

One just had to ask—would the Li or Yao families ever place their core disciples under their rival's noses? Would they willingly send Li Changge or Yao Pei to risk their lives in Jiangnan?

Zhang Yuelu never had such privileges.

She was first sent to Beichen Hall, which was controlled by the Taiping Sect. Then she was dispatched to the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion to investigate a complicated case that was practically a death sentence. If not for Sage Cihang’s intervention at the last moment, Zhang Yuelu would have perished in Jiangnan.

However, fortune and misfortune went hand in hand. Zhang Yuelu’s performance in the Jiangnan case earned her the recognition of the Earthly Preceptor, who promoted her despite convention.

This allowed Zhang Yuelu to transfer to Tiangang Hall as a Deputy Hall Master, thereby escaping the risk of being sabotaged by her superiors in Beichen Hall.

To say Zhang Yuelu was unaffected by this unfair treatment would be a lie. Otherwise, she would not have considered joining the Quanzhen Sect. This was about far more than just an arranged marriage.

On one hand, she had the Earthly Preceptor who recognized her talents. On the other hand, she had a family that had largely neglected her. Was the choice really that difficult?

Perhaps seeing Zhang Yuelu’s dilemma, Sage Cihang used this as an opportunity to officially name her as a successor, securing her loyalty to the Zhengyi Sect through their master-disciple bond.

That being said, this was not solely the Heavenly Preceptor’s doing. A dignified figure like him would not be so petty. However, every family had its own internal struggles.

With such a large clan, everyone had their eyes on the Heavenly Preceptor’s position. If he showed too much favor toward Zhang Yuelu, many would suspect that he intended to designate her as his successor.

They would not accept the idea of the Heavenly Preceptor passing the title onto someone from a minor branch of the family. If so, some with ill intentions would start scheming against Zhang Yuelu, leading to internal strife. In fact, the decision to assign Zhang Yuelu to Beichen Hall was already quite telling.

With the Heavenly Preceptor’s authority, he could suppress any opposition if he wished. However, these were all his own family members. It would be difficult for him to be truly ruthless toward his kin.

Besides, he could still keep things in check while he was alive. But what would happen after he was gone? Thus, he deliberately remained vague in his stance, neither suppressing Zhang Yuelu nor showing her special favor. He also did not oppose the Earthly Preceptor’s overreach, seemingly content to let things take their natural course.

If Zhang Yuelu had faded into obscurity, the Heavenly Preceptor might have only sighed in regret. But if she could rise on her own merits, just as she had repeatedly shown she was capable of—defeating Confucian scholars in debate, slaying cult demons in Jinling, and making a name for herself in the Daoist Order—then he could simply go with the flow.

By then, the rest of the Zhang family would have no grounds to object. After all, who could they blame but themselves for failing to measure up to Zhang Yuelu?

As for why the Li and Yao families did not have such concerns, it was not because the National Preceptor and the Earthly Preceptor were more skillful. It was merely because Li Changge and Yao Pei’s status had been established from the start. They were born into the main branches of their families, and Li Changge’s seniority in the Li family was particularly high.

Qi Xuansu walked up to Chen Longtu and kicked his body. “What do we do with him?”

Chen Longtu showed no reaction whatsoever.

Yao Pei replied indifferently, “Let him sleep. He won’t wake up for the next 24 hours.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Fine.”