A Pawn's Passage

Chiming Palace.

Not a word came from the Tiangang Hall Master, who was sitting in the main seat at the discussion table. Thus, everyone in the hall kept quiet.

However, there was one exception. The Deputy Hall Master of Beichen Hall, who was a third-rank Youyi Daoist from the Lu Clan of the Taiping Sect, spoke up in a soft voice, “This is disrespectful.”

The Deputy Beichen Hall Master did not specify who was being disrespectful, but everyone knew who he was referring to.

Li Mingzhi, who was also from the Taiping Sect, immediately echoed, “Even if the Great Sage Lunzhi values her, it doesn’t give her reason to be so arrogant and disrespectful.”

Finally, the Tiangang Hall Master spoke. “Let’s wait for another stick of incense to burn out.”

The two third-rank Youyi Daoists who spoke up earlier fell silent. A seventh-rank Daoist priest on hall duty lit another stick of incense in the nearby censer.

Silence once again filled the Chiming Palace.

When only half a stick of incense remained, a woman in a plain Daoist robe approached the Chiming Palace without haste, showing no signs of panic.

The crowd that had been waiting for her was unsure whether to admire her composure or reproach her for being arrogant.

As soon as the woman entered the Chiming Palace, the Daoist disciple on duty closed the palace doors tightly.

The woman first bowed to the Tiangang Hall Master, who was sitting in the main seat. She then explained, “Please forgive my tardiness, Sage Tiangang. I accidentally got lost on the way here. I will accept any punishment.”

The Tiangang Hall Master smiled faintly and said, “The roads in the Purple Mansion are indeed complex. Pay more attention next time. Please, take your seat."

A large table was set up in the Chiming Palace, with a main seat in the center and multiple seats on both sides. Sage Tiangang sat in the center main seat, while the Deputy Beichen Hall Master sat on the first seat on the left side of the table closest to the sage. The seat next to the Deputy Beichen Hall Master was taken by Li Mingzhi, who was the Deputy Duzhi Hall Master.

Zhao Jiaowu sat on the first seat on the right side of the table. The seat next to him remained vacant, reserved for Zhang Yuelu.

Besides Sage Tiangang, three of them were third-rank Youyi Daoist masters, and Zhang Yuelu was a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master. There was a clear mismatch between her rank and her official position.

Sage Tiangang’s attitude, along with the seating arrangement and the previous casual remarks, indicated Zhang Yuelu’s exceptional status.

According to custom, Zhang Yuelu should have humbly declined with perfunctory words, then everyone would praise her before she took her seat. However, Zhang Yuelu did not humble herself. She did not greet anyone at the table besides Sage Tiangang. She did not even glance at them before confidently walking to her seat.

The faces of the people at the table, especially the three third-rank Youyi Daoist masters, were unpleasant, but they had to endure it because Sage Tiangang was there.

As a result, Zhang Yuelu ended up sitting across from Li Mingzhi.

Li Mingzhi subconsciously looked at Zhang Yuelu. When their eyes met, Li Mingzhi suddenly froze. Zhang Yuelu’s eyes were icy, exuding a chilling aura.

This invisible pressure startled Li Mingzhi, so he had to withdraw his disdainful gaze.

Sage Tiangang noticed their interaction, but his expression was unchanged. He cleared his throat and stated, “Let’s proceed with the discussion.”

The Chiming Palace fell silent, and everyone sat upright.

Sage Tiangang turned to Zhang Yuelu and addressed her. “I’m sure you already know about the situation in the Western Region. I transferred you to Tiangang Hall from your original post in Beichen Hall so that you can lead this mission. I’ve already reported the situation to the Great Sage Lunzhi.

"Considering your age, he suggested that you remain a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master. However, you can temporarily exercise the authority of a Deputy Hall Master. What do you think of this arrangement?”

In every hall, there could only be one Hall Master, who was appointed by the Omniscient Sage. However, there could be multiple Deputy Hall Masters, and the number of deputies in each hall was not fixed. The Deputy Grand Master had the authority to temporarily appoint Deputy Hall Masters.

Zhang Yuelu stood up and said, “Thank you, Sage Tiangang. My deepest gratitude goes to the Great Sage for promoting and believing in me. I have no objections.”

Sage Tiangang gestured for Zhang Yuelu to sit down again.

The main purpose of this discussion was to address the demon problem in the Western Region. This so-called demon did not necessarily mean monsters but also demonic behavior in humans, like banditry and other illegal activities that needed to be eradicated. This fell under the jurisdiction of Tiangang Hall.

However, due to the war in the Western Region, Tiangang Hall lacked sufficient manpower. The Grand Master could not intervene in person, so Sage Tiangang requested Zhang Yuelu to transfer from Beichen Hall. That was why the Deputy Beichen Hall Master showed up for the meeting at the Chiming Palace.

Additionally, cooperation from the Western Region Daoist Mansion and funding from the Duzhi Hall were needed, which explained Zhao Jiaowu’s and Li Mingzhi’s participation.

In essence, this discussion was about Tiangang Hall negotiating the allocation of resources from other halls. Therefore, the Tiangang Hall Master presided over the meeting while the deputies represented their respective halls.

Sage Tiangang turned to Li Mingzhi and ordered, “Since Duzhi Hall is in charge of the finances, you will have to allocate additional funds for the extra headcount in Tiangang Hall. The Great Sage Lunzhi has already approved this arrangement.”

Li Mingzhi stood up with a bitter expression.

Duzhi Hall was akin to the Ministry of Finance in the imperial court. All halls needed to request funds from Duzhi Hall, and Duzhi Hall had a reputation for acting poor, in hopes of allocating less budget. However, Li Mingzhi was genuinely facing some difficulties this time, aside from the typical complaints.

Each Deputy Hall Master had a fixed number of direct subordinates to assist them: two superintendents and six deacons. Before her transfer to Tiangang Hall, Zhang Yuelu had served as a superintendent in Beichen Hall.

Having only eight subordinates was not a big deal. The bigger problem was the positions beneath the deacons. Their organizational structure specified that each deacon needed at least ten subordinates of their own, sometimes even dozens, depending on the hall’s needs. So, that totaled at least 60 people.

Even with a minimum of 60 people, considering expenses like salaries, equipment, and relocation, one extra role of Deputy Hall Master would require 90,000 Taiping coins, excluding subsequent expenses.

However, Sage Tiangang did not want to listen to Li Mingzhi’s complaints. He raised his hand to stop Li Mingzhi from speaking and added, “Save your complaints for your Hall Master. I only want to know if Duzhi Hall can ensure that the necessary Taiping coins will be delivered on time.”

Li Mingzhi had no choice but to nod reluctantly.

Sage Tiangang then shifted his gaze to Zhao Jiaowu.

"The Daoist Mansion in the Western Region will provide our full support,” Zhao Jiaowu said readily.

After all, Zhang Yuelu was not only handpicked by Sage Tiangang to assist him but also acknowledged by the Great Sage Lunzhi, who was currently the Great Sage of the Quanzhen Sect. As a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect, Zhao Jiaowu had no reason not to support the decision of his master.

......

The flying ship could not enter the Jade Capital directly and could only dock at a lake outside the city, which was several kilometers away from Xuan City.

It was spring all year round inside the Jade Capital, but it was cold outside the city. A gust of wind blew up the snow on the surfaces like swan feathers swirling in the air.

Some passengers on the same flying ship as Qi Xuansu had already put on thick outer robes or cloaks, while others were still in thin clothes with their wide sleeves billowing. It was evident that they had reached a level of cultivation where they were not affected by the cold or heat.

Qi Xuansu was not prepared for this, so he could only rely on his luck to survive the biting cold.

Luckily, Qi Xuansu was a Xiantian Being. If he were a Houtian Being, he would probably freeze to death before he could even make it to the Jade Capital.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu felt a warmth emanating from his chest, so he quickly reached into his chest pocket and took out a pale yellow talisman.

This was an improved version of the mother-child talisman, where one person kept the child talisman and another kept the mother talisman. They could converse face-to-face over thousands of miles.

However, the downside was that only the mother talisman could initiate contact with the child talisman, not the other way around. Also, it was expensive to own a set, which cost 100 Taiping coins.

Qi Xuansu and Madam Qi had three sets of mother-child talismans.

Madam Qi had two mother talismans and one child talisman, while Qi Xuansu had two child talismans and one mother talisman.

Given Madam Qi’s stinginess and Qi Xuansu’s poorness, they would not spend so much money on such an extravagance. These three sets of mother-child talismans were actually issued by the Qingping Society. They were distributed once a year.

Madam Qi originally intended to sell them for money, but Qi Xuansu stopped her. So she kept them. At this moment, Qi Xuansu felt a vibration from one of the child talismans, indicating that Madam Qi was summoning him.

Qi Xuansu found a secluded place to take shelter from the wind and injected his qi into the child talisman in his hand. Using the talisman as kindling, he lit a fire that was not scorching hot to the touch. Within the flames, a faint image of Madam Qi’s upper body appeared. The hologram was palm-sized and slightly distorted as it flickered with the fire. Madam Qi could also see Qi Xuansu through the fire.

Madam Qi’s slightly distorted voice emanated from the flames. “Tian Yuan, where are you?”

Qi Xuansu glanced at the majestic city in the distance and replied, “I just got off the flying ship at the Ancestral Court. What’s the matter?”

"The flying ship? Wow, you’re a spendthrift! I thought you would walk there.” Madam Qi chuckled. “Great. Now that you’re at the Ancestral Court, this will be much easier. When you get to the Jade Capital, head to Nanhua Place and find a man named Sun Yongfeng. He’s one of the superintendents of Tiangang Hall who will arrange a position for you there.”

Qi Xuansu could not help but ask, “I remember that the Deputy Tiangang Hall Master has to approve all positions. Can this superintendent really get me in?”

"Under normal circumstances, no.”

Due to the limited time on the mother-child talisman, Madam Qi did not beat around the bush.

"But this time is different. Tiangang Hall has a new Deputy Hall Master who has just been transferred from Beichen Hall. She’s new to Tiangang Hall and unfamiliar with many things, so the superintendents will take charge for the time being, allowing us to take advantage of the loophole.”

Qi Xuansu understood. “So, do you mean to say that I’ll have to work under this new Deputy Hall Master from now on?”

"Yes.” Madam Qi said mysteriously, “I’ll tell you another inside story. This new Deputy Hall Master is a beautiful woman, and she’s not even 25 this year.”

Qi Xuansu was taken aback, and his expression changed slightly. “Madam Qi, is this new Deputy Hall Master the prodigy who advanced to the Guizhen stage?”

"Yes, that’s her!” Madam Qi smiled. “Her name is Zhang Yuelu, and she has some connection with the Dazhen Mansion. But she’s just a distant relative, not from the main branch of the Zhang family. Her current status is mainly due to her own efforts. Her cultivation level has indeed surpassed yours by far. From what I know, she’s a Banished Immortal.”

"Banished Immortal?!” Qi Xuansu was surprised.

Banished Immortals had a far higher status compared to ordinary Martial Arts Practitioners, Diviners, Shamans, and Qi Refiners, not to mention Rogue Cultivators like Qi Xuansu, who were seen to be at the bottom of the chain. There was no way that Qi Xuansu could compare to someone like that.

Banished Immortals were also extremely rare, with truly one in a million chances of seeing them.

Qi Xuansu finally understood why the Ancestral Court would make an unprecedented move to bestow her with a semi-immortal object. This was the reason. It also meant that Zhang Yuelu would surely ascend to a Heavenly Being as long as she did not die prematurely. She even stood a chance of becoming one of the 36 Omniscient Sages.