A Pawn's Passage

Zhang Yuelu was startled to hear that Sage Pei had arrived, so she quickly turned her attention to the stairs.

Not long after, a Daoist priest in black attire and a long mustache walked up to the second floor. It was Pei Xiaolou.

Everyone, including Yuan Chongzong, stood up and saluted the Sage.

Pei Xiaolou perfunctorily returned the salute.

“Miss Zhang, I haven’t seen you since we last met in Shangqing Palace. How have you been lately?” Pei Xiaolou stroked his mustache with his thumb as he walked toward the round table where Zhang Yuelu was sitting.

Zhang Yuelu suppressed the shock in her heart and greeted him. “Thank you for thinking about me, Sage Pei. I’m fine.”

Pei Xiaolou walked up to a gentleman and knocked on the table. “Excuse me, please move.”

The gentleman did not dare to refuse a Sage. He quickly stood up and gave his seat to Pei Xiaolou.

Pei Xiaolou sat down and clicked his tongue. “You’re fine? It seems that Brother Qi doesn’t have much standing in your heart then.”

Zhang Yuelu’s face was icy as she glared at Pei Xiaolou. “Sage Pei, please don’t make a joke out of Tian Yuan.”

Everyone else was a little confused.

Judging from their short conversation, the two were obviously acquainted. There was also someone named “Tian Yuan” who had the honor of being brothers with a Sage. That man also seemed to have some undefined relationship with Zhang Yuelu. But that remarkable person was no longer around.

This seemed to be about the infighting within the Daoist Order, so it was best if outsiders like them did not get involved, lest they get implicated.

Pei Xiaolou stretched out his hand, signaling Zhang Yuelu to take a seat. “Here I thought you would shed tears for my brother, Miss Zhang. It seems I was wrong. You’re certainly not a weak woman who only knows how to cry. I am truly ashamed for being presumptuous.”

Zhang Yuelu took a deep breath and sat down slowly.

She had not inquired about Pei Xiaolou’s connection to Wei Wugui, yet this Sage took the initiative to approach her.

In theory, Zhang Yuelu and Pei Xiaolou had equivalent positions. However, Sage Cihang and Sage Donghua were on the same level as each other. She was Sage Cihang’s disciple, while Pei Xiaolou was Sage Donghua’s brother. Thus, Pei Xiaolou would be considered her senior. Moreover, Pei Xiaolou was a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master, while she was only a fourth-rank priest. According to the rules of the Daoist Order, she still had to show due respect to Pei Xiaolou.

She was perplexed by Pei Xiaolou’s purpose.

Zhang Yuelu remained silent for a moment before getting straight to the point. “Sage Pei, why did you come to Jiangling Prefecture?”

“If you can come, why can’t I?” Pei Xiaolou poured himself a glass of wine. “Miss Zhang, you’re here running an errand for the Golden Tower. I am also running an errand for the Chongyang Palace of Immortality. I have inspected various Daoist palaces and temples within the territory of the Quanzhen Sect, and Huzhou is the last one.”

“I see.” Zhang Yuelu looked at Pei Xiaolou. “Sage Pei, have you ever heard about Purple Immortal Mountain? It is also within the Quanzhen Sect territory and under the jurisdiction of the Chongyang Palace of Immortality. This case happens to involve the Yanqing Merchant’s Association from Jiangling Prefecture. I wonder, how will you deal with this, Sage Pei?”

Pei Xiaolou said sternly, “With strict punishment, of course. We can’t let anyone get away with it.”

Zhang Yuelu nodded. “Good.”

Pei Xiaolou suddenly changed the topic. “By the way, Tian Yuan—”

Zhang Yuelu’s eyes flashed. She could not help but ask, “What about Tian Yuan?”

……

At this time, the “Tian Yuan” being mentioned was at another inn in Jiangling Prefecture, disguised as an old man. He had beaten up all of Yuan Fengchan’s guards, leaving only the young master standing.

Qi Xuansu sat on a bench with his legs spread wide and his hands pressing on his knees. One of his hands was also holding the Divine Dragon Pistol.

Aside from the unexpected first shot, Qi Xuansu did not fire his gun again. He only used the gun as a hammer to bludgeon the remaining guards.

His original intention was to use his gun to scare away this young master and then run away. After all, he knew that it was dangerous to go against local forces.

However, he did not expect Yuan Fengchan and his entourage to be so bold as to snatch his gun. Qi Xuansu pulled the trigger instinctively and killed the first guard. Even so, one dead guard was not enough to scare Yuan Fengchan. That was why the situation escalated.

Qi Xuansu did not know what to do.

He wanted to leave, but he was afraid of implicating this innocent innkeeper. That was why he decided to wait until local government officials arrived. That way, he could lure the government officials away and help the innkeeper shirk the blame.

Qi Xuansu wanted to laugh at himself. He was certainly “poisoned” by Zhang Yuelu to be a good person because he would not have been so thoughtful in the past.

He looked at Yuan Fengchan. “Should I praise you for being brave or laugh at your ignorance? You ought to learn to retreat when you still can and get vengeance later. If I were like you, I would have died a thousand times over. You truly are a naive fool.”

Yuan Fengchan’s face was pale, but he was still calm. He found that he had underestimated this old guy. His guards were almost at the Kunlun stage, but this old man defeated all his guards in less than three strikes. Now, he had put himself in danger.

However, what baffled him even more was that the old man had taken the initiative to get a waiter from the inn to report the matter to the local government. That way, the inn would not be implicated.

To Yuan Fengchan, this further proved the old man’s arrogance as he did not even take the government seriously.

After a while, Liu Hu packed their bags and led their horses to the entrance of the inn.

At the same time, a flurry of footsteps from a large group of people approached the inn.

The local government officials dared not delay when they found out the young master of the Yuan family was kidnapped by gangsters, especially since the magistrate was invited to attend Old Master Yuan’s banquet. Therefore, while the deputy sent guards to rescue Young Master Yuan, he also sent someone to notify the magistrate and the Yuan family about this incident.

Naturally, these local government officials could not compare to the Black Robes or the Green Phoenix Guards. Qi Xuansu grabbed Yuan Fengchan by the collar and jumped on Bu Yue’s back, using his legs to clamp the horse’s belly. Then he rode away in full view of the public.

Liu Hu was at the Kunlun stage, so she followed Qi Xuansu with ease.

These government officials dared not stop Qi Xuansu, especially when Yuan Fengchan was in his hands.

Since it was broad daylight, and Jiangling Prefecture had been at peace for a long time, the city gate was wide open. The soldiers stationed at the city gate were not elites, so Qi Xuansu and Liu Hu managed to rush out of the city easily.

Yuan Fengchan was held by Qi Xuansu, unable to move.

He was terrified because he was held hostage by this cult demon and he could die at any moment.

……

At the Taiping Inn, Pei Xiaolou only sighed. “Tian Yuan’s life is so miserable…”

This annoyed Zhang Yuelu because she expected Pei Xiaolou to say something more substantial.

At this moment, a local government official rushed up to the second floor of the inn and looked for the magistrate. He then whispered a few words softly.

The magistrate subconsciously stood up upon hearing the shocking news, which attracted everyone’s attention.

Noticing his blunder, the magistrate calmed down, made eye contact with Yuan Shangdao, and coughed lightly.

In fact, some people had already overheard what was whispered.

Pei Xiaolou rubbed his ears and feigned surprise. “The young master of the Yuan family was kidnapped by a cult demon?!”

As soon as Pei Xiaolou said this, everyone in the hall gasped.

Yuan Chongzong suddenly turned to look at the magistrate. He no longer had his usual kind smile plastered on his face. Instead, he was exuding a fierce and intense killing aura.

The magistrate smiled bitterly. “Yes.”

Zhang Yuelu also heard the whisper. She asked, “Why did that person kidnap Young Master Yuan? There must be a reason.”

The magistrate hesitated to answer.

The guard explained clearly that Yuan Fengchan had taken the initiative to provoke the cult demon and ended up getting kidnapped. Moreover, it was still unclear whether that person was truly a cult demon.

Yuan Shangdao suddenly became agitated. He shouted, “These cult demons are always so reckless! Deputy Hall Master Zhang, why didn’t you ask the Lingshan Witch Cult the purpose of them attacking the flying ship?!”

Zhang Yuelu had a temper. Otherwise, she would not have broken one of Xu Kou’s hands when he challenged her position back then. Having her patience tested repeatedly today, she finally could not bear it anymore.

Many people only saw a silhouette flashing by.

The next moment, Zhang Yuelu grabbed Yuan Shangdao by the throat and lifted him with just one hand so that his feet were off the ground.

As a member of the Confucian School, Yuan Shangdao had a cultivation level equal to the Guizhen stage. However, facing Zhang Yuelu, he was unable to fight back. He was captured by Zhang Yuelu with the Six Void Tribulations.

Putting aside Zhang Yuelu’s Banish Immortal lineage and the Six Void Tribulations, she was almost a Heavenly Being. This was the gap between the strong and the weak within the Guizhen stage.

Zhang Yuelu said in a cold voice, “Our people have done nothing wrong. But you know exactly what kind of person your son is. How could you compare him to the Daoist disciples who lost their lives in that incident?”

Yuan Chongzong was horrified. He wanted to save his son, but just as he was about to get up, someone held his shoulder and sat him back down. He turned his head in anger and saw Pei Xiaolou standing beside him, with a palm pressing on his shoulder.

Pei Xiaolou held the wine glass in his other hand and took a sip of wine. “Brother Yuan, we shouldn’t interfere in the younger generation’s affairs. If you want to stretch your muscles, I don’t mind sparring with you. How about that?”

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