A Pawn’s Passage

Night had fallen deep.

A Yellow Hornless Dragon flying ship descended onto the sea outside the Xiujing field camp.

It was Little Yin's first time riding a flying boat. At first, she was excited, but she soon grew bored. Now, she was the first to disembark.

She stood on the deck, leapt nimbly, and landed on the shore, drawing a few cheers of admiration.

Qi Xuansu, however, descended quietly down the ramp, neither ostentatious nor hurried, thinking to himself,When I first met this girl, I thought she was a refined young lady from a good family. Turns out that was just a farce. She's still a little troublemaker.

The camp was heavily guarded, but thanks to Qi Xuansu, Little Yin entered without incident. After all, she was accompanied by a third-rank Deputy Hall Master.

No matter how strict the system, how complex the organization, or how many rules there were, nothing could escape social niceties.

Qi Xuansu headed straight for Zhang Yuelu's tent.

This time, he had not forgotten to have Mu Jin send word ahead. Mu Jin said, "The Deputy Hall Master has been waiting for you."

As she spoke, Mu Jin kept glancing at Little Yin by Qi Xuansu's side, curious about where he had picked up another young girl.

Little Yin, not to be outdone, stared back at her, puffing out her cheeks and widening her eyes until they seemed as big as washbasins, startling Mu Jin in the process.

Mu Jin grew a little annoyed and looked to Qi Xuansu, hoping he would rein in this unruly child.

However, Qi Xuansu pretended not to notice and went straight in to see Zhang Yuelu. Little Yin followed behind him, grinning from ear to ear.

Zhang Yuelu's study was brightly lit and piled high with scrolls and books. She sat behind her desk, almost hidden from view. She rose to her feet and carefully sized up Qi Xuansu. After a moment, she merely said, "You're back."

Had they been Westerners, there would have been hugs, cheek kisses, and bold declarations of how much they had missed and worried for each other. But Easterners were reserved and restrained. They kept their emotions hidden, and everything was expressed in what was left unsaid. That was where the subtlety lay. Since Qi Xuansu had only been away for a few days, Zhang Yuelu's reaction seemed all the more composed.

Qi Xuansu was the same, simply answering, "Yeah, I'm back."

Mu Jin served three cups of tea, then tactfully retreated, intending to give the two some space.

Before leaving, she cast a glance at Little Yin. But the little imp was entirely oblivious, not realizing in the slightest that she was the elephant in the room.

Zhang Yuelu looked toward Little Yin. "Who is this young lady?"

Qi Xuansu introduced her. "This is the granddaughter of Master Yin, whom I mentioned to you before. Her name is Yin Wanmiao. You can call her Miaomiao or Little Yin."

"I see." Zhang Yuelu said with a slight smile. "Miss Yin, I'm Zhang Yuelu. You can call me Qing Xiao."

Little Yin's eyes lit with sudden recognition. "I've heard of you! You're the legendary Zhang Yuelu!"

Qi Xuansu, who had just sat down and sipped his tea, nearly choked. "And how would you know that?"

"Lots of female Daoists in the Ghost Pass talk about her," Little Yin replied matter-of-factly. "They often gather and discuss various topics, like the Grand Master election. They say that in this election for the seventh-generation Grand Master, Sage Cihang is bound to be just a foil. In the end, either Sage Donghua or Sage Qingwei will win. The Daoist Order is still a man's world, and if there's ever to be a female Grand Master, it will have to be Zhang Yuelu."

Zhang Yuelu gave a slightly awkward cough.

At first, she had not understood how she had inexplicably become the spiritual figurehead for young female Daoists. Later, she realized it was likely due to the growing wave of equality. More and more female Daoists wanted to see a woman as the Grand Master, as it would signify that equality was not something bestowed by the men in power but won through their own efforts.

However, from the first-generation Grand Master—the Holy Xuan—through to the sixth-generation, every single Grand Master had been male without exception. In the current undecided race for the seventh-generation Grand Master, although one of the three candidates was a woman, it was clear to any discerning eye that Sage Cihang's chances were slim. She was more of a token to demonstrate the Daoist Order's supposed equality.

Thus, they set their sights on the eventual eighth-generation Grand Master, where there would be two female candidates—Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei—making it arguably the most promising generation yet. Compared to the reclusive and little-known Yao Pei, Zhang Yuelu's many well-known exploits made her far more prominent. That was how she became the legendary Zhang Yuelu, admired by many women who had never even met her.

Qi Xuansu, of course, knew these reasons, but he was not nearly as optimistic. Judging from the Li family's strong support for Li Changge, Zhang Yuelu might not be able to surpass him even with her early advantage. After all, there was still time, and with the characteristics of a manmade Banished Immortal, Li Changge might reach immortality before the age of fifty. Faced with such an overwhelming gap in cultivation level, no amount of achievements would matter. The battle in Wuxing Mountain had indirectly confirmed this possibility. Yao Pei had been defeated by Li Changge, and Zhang Yuelu was likely no match for him either.

If Li Changge truly won, then the prospect of a female Grand Master would be all but gone. After all, if they could not win even with two women against one man, there would be even less hope in the future. One must not underestimate the weight of tradition. Never mind the Daoist Order's public proclamations of equality, those were for outsiders. Many still clung to the ancient belief that a woman at the helm was disrupting the "natural order."

Qi Xuansu even wondered if he could step in to turn the tide since he, too, was a manmade Banished Immortal, albeit incomplete for now.

What Qi Xuansu had not expected was that even Little Yin knew of Zhang Yuelu. This was indeed a force not to be underestimated. If the election were a one-person-one-vote affair, such popularity would certainly be useful. Unfortunately, the choice of Grand Master was decided mainly by votes from the Golden Tower Council. The Omniscient Sages and Great Sages would hardly care about such superficial matters. Gender was irrelevant. The key was to maintain the balance of power.

Qi Xuansu also felt that these women's thinking seemed somewhat misguided, indulging in misplaced empathy.

If Madam Qi and Sage Donghua were competing for the position of Earthly Preceptor, would he support Sage Donghua just because he was a man? Would Yao Pei support Madam Qi just because she was a woman? Of course not. Qi Xuansu would definitely support Madam Qi, and Yao Pei would certainly support Sage Donghua. It was simply a matter of personal closeness and alliances, nothing more.

Naturally, the fact that things had developed to this point must have been due to improper guidance, just like the case of flowerbed Daoists.

Qi Xuansu shook his head, dispelling these messy thoughts. He began to recount his experiences and encounters along the way to Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu also spoke of the intel she had gained during this period, mainly matters concerning Aobozu and Mount Fuyo.

This helped Qi Xuansu resolve part of his doubts. He had always felt that Fenglin was steeped in strange malevolence, overrun with demons and crawling with ghosts. Now it seemed this was connected to Mount Fuyo, one of the Three Sacred Mountains of Fenglin. Yet it turned out to be the very source of all turmoil.

Just then, Mu Jin hurried in again. She glanced at Qi Xuansu and Little Yin before approaching Zhang Yuelu and whispering, "The Sage Commander has returned."

Zhang Yuelu asked, "When?"

"Two hours ago. He returned in secret, and few know of it. Deputy Palace Master Shen says the Sage Commander has just finished cleaning up and is available now," Mu Jin replied.

Zhang Yuelu rose immediately. "Perfect. Tian Yuan, bring along Little Miss Yin and come with me to see the Sage Commander."

Qi Xuansu nodded.

He had already informed Zhang Yuelu about the matter of Shuten-Doji, and she believed it should not be delayed. The sooner Sage Qingwei knew, the better.

The two Deputy Hall Masters, with Little Yin in tow, went to the central command tent of Sage Qingwei. Since Mu Jin had already informed Deputy Palace Master Shen in advance, they passed unimpeded and were brought straight before the Sage Commander.

Sage Qingwei invited the three to sit, giving Little Yin a brief glance but asking nothing further.

Qi Xuansu spoke directly. "Sage Commander, the reason we've come to see you at such a late hour is because there is another matter of a rather special nature. I'm not entirely certain about it, so I didn't include it in my prior reports. I decided to show it to you in person instead."

Sage Qingwei nodded.

Qi Xuansu motioned for Little Yin to take out Shuten-Doji's head.

Little Yin opened her mouth wide and pulled out the head, which was radiating billowing yin energy.

Sage Qingwei's expression shifted slightly. "This is..."

Qi Xuansu said, "I suspect this is the head of Shuten-Doji, one of the Three Great Yokai."

He gave a rough account of how he had obtained the head, omitting Little Yin's involvement to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Sage Qingwei made a beckoning gesture, and the head floated up on its own, landing in his palm.

Without any visible movement from him, a Taiji seal appeared at the severed neck, sealing in the leaking yin energy.

In that instant, the head's tightly shut eyes snapped open, its gaze shooting toward Sage Qingwei.

But Sage Qingwei was unmoved by Shuten-Doji, especially when the latter was just a head without a body.

After a moment, Shuten-Doji's eyes slowly closed again.

Sage Qingwei murmured, "It is indeed Shuten-Doji's head...and it's alive."

Zhang Yuelu tentatively asked, "Sage Commander, do you mean we might be able to revive Shuten-Doji?"

"Even if we can't revive Shuten-Doji, this head alone is enough to bring Ibaraki-Doji to our side. With Suzuka Gozen, who inherited Ootakemaru's forces, that's two of the Three Great Yokai. The rest of the ghosts and gods of Fenglin will follow our summons." Sage Qingwei placed the head upon the desk.

He then looked at Qi Xuansu and smiled. "Tian Yuan, you've done well. This is a great merit. I ought to reward you."

Qi Xuansu leaned forward slightly. "It was my duty. I dare not claim credit."

Sage Qingwei said, "The exact merits will be tallied one by one after the war, so I can't promise you anything now. I have no other reward at hand except this piece of jade. I think you'll find it useful."

Qi Xuansu had intended to refuse, but the moment he saw the jade Sage Qingwei produced, he was struck speechless.

It was fine jade.

For Qi Xuansu, there was no jade in the world better than the Xuan Jade.

Even Zhang Yuelu was visibly surprised.

Sage Qingwei explained, "The Li family has collected quite a lot of Xuan Jade in recent years. I have no use for it, and Yong Yan has plenty to last him for a lifetime. I thought it'd be better to give it to you so you can kill a few more Wokou on the battlefield."

Qi Xuansu did not utter a single word of refusal or modesty. He accepted the Xuan Jade with both hands and said with utmost sincerity, "Thank you for the reward, Sage Commander."