A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu did not hesitate too much. “Fine, I’ll help since you begged. In the worst case, I’ll just get kicked out by your mother. She can’t possibly kill me, right?”

Zhang Yuelu beamed and patted Qi Xuansu on the shoulder. “You’re a good friend!”

Qi Xuansu reached out and grabbed Zhang Yuelu’s wrist, which felt cold to the touch. He moved her hand away from his shoulder and reminded her. “Don’t be overjoyed just yet. Our act might be discovered. Even if it's not exposed this time, what are we going to do in the future? We can’t possibly keep up the act for the rest of our lives, right?”

Zhang Yuelu brushed it off. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Let’s pass this hurdle first. There’s no need to talk about the future if we can't even solve this problem.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “What about your reputation? Word of this will spread. It doesn’t matter to me because I’m just a nobody. At worst, people will call me your boy toy and a freeloader. But what about you?”

Zhang Yuelu looked at Qi Xuansu and affirmed. “I don’t care either.”

Qi Xuansu let go of Zhang Yuelu’s wrist. “In that case, I have nothing more to add.”

Zhang Yuelu withdrew her hand and mumbled, “Thank you.”

They continued walking. After a while, Qi Xuansu sighed. “Three months ago, I would never have imagined that I would be going home with the famous prodigy to meet her parents. Life is truly unpredictable.”

Zhang Yuelu glanced sideways at him. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re being smug about what a bargain you got?”

"Am I?” Qi Xuansu coughed lightly. “I’ve obviously made a life-changing decision after careful consideration.”

Zhang Yuelu did not pursue it further. “I’ll settle my work in Yaoguang Pavilion tonight. You should go home and prepare for the journey. We will leave Jade Capital tomorrow morning and head to my hometown by the land route.”

"By land? Why not take a flying ship?” Qi Xuansu asked.

Zhang Yuelu rolled her eyes at him. “I intend to postpone this meeting as much as I can, so it’s ideal if we get back on New Year’s Eve and leave on New Year’s Day. The shorter the time you spend with my family, the less likely they will find any flaws in our act.”

Qi Xuansu found it strange. “In that case, you might as well not go back.”

Zhang Yuelu said helplessly, “My mother has a friend in Tiangang Hall. She already knew about our three months of vacation and contacted me through the mother-child talisman. She said she would come to Jade Capital if I didn’t go home. So, I’m taking my time going the land route. That way, she won’t know where I am, and she can’t fault me for not going home.”

Qi Xuansu already had a general impression of Madam Tantai and figured that she was a strong-willed woman. She would not be easy to fool, so he had to be careful.

Thinking of this, Qi Xuansu probed. “How is your relationship with your mother?”

Zhang Yuelu’s face turned slightly gloomy. She shook her head and replied, “Not bad, but not very harmonious either.”

Qi Xuansu did not comment much on Zhang Yuelu’s family affairs. However, he was not surprised by it. Although he grew up an orphan, he learned about the life of the Holy Xuan in detail as part of the history of the Daoist Order.

The Holy Xuan's life included father-son suspicion and quarrels between brothers. It was evident that so-called family affection had a very limited weight in the face of human nature.

Zhang Yuelu sighed. “I’m grateful to the Earthly Preceptor for providing me with another option. That’s why my mother didn’t dare to force me too much. She was afraid that I would become a nun of the Quanzhen Sect in a moment of anger.”

While talking, the two of them had already left Shaochu Street and arrived at the east gate of Taishang Place.

Zhang Yuelu offered. “Do you need me to send you back?”

Qi Xuansu waved his hand. “That’s not necessary.”

"Alright. I’ll meet you at Haichan Place tomorrow, then.” Zhang Yuelu left first.

Qi Xuansu only left Taishang Place after watching Zhang Yuelu walk away. By the time Qi Xuansu returned to his home in Haichan Place, it was almost midnight.

It was still October 15th, so Qi Xuansu took out his fish talisman and prepared the ritual spell to enter Qingping Society's dream meeting. He went to the same weird hall as last time. At first glance, there were fewer people than usual.

Qi Xuansu silently hoped that Madam Qi was still there. Otherwise, he would have to use the mother-child talisman to contact her.

Fortunately, Madam Qi, as a qualified businesswoman, was still there at this hour.

Qi Xuansu discovered that it was quite simple to distinguish Madam Qi from the crowd. The fish talisman was the key for him to enter and exit this place. Since he was Madam Qi’s subordinate, so long as he entered the dream meeting using his fish talisman, he would have some kind of connection with Madam Qi.

Even if Madam Qi concealed her true appearance at this time, he could still accurately find her through that pull. It was a two-way pull, so Madam Qi was able to find him last time.

When Qi Xuansu found Madam Qi, she was talking to another person. Qi Xuansu stopped in the distance. Although he could not hear what they were saying, it was obvious that Madam Qi was driving the conversation.

Soon, Madam Qi waved her hand. The person disappeared on the spot, probably exiting the dream meeting. Madam Qi walked toward Qi Xuansu and teased, “You’re quite independent now, huh? You didn’t come on September 1st, September 15th, or October 1st.”

Qi Xuansu said truthfully, “I was out on a business trip with Tiangang Hall, so I really couldn’t attend.”

"Did you secure your sixth rank?” Madam Qi asked casually.

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Madam Qi returned to the topic. “What are you doing here this time?”

Qi Xuansu told Madam Qi that Zhang Yuelu requested that he accompany her home for the New Year. After Madam Qi heard this, she looked at Qi Xuansu with a proud smile, as if her baby boy had finally grown up.

He asked, “Madam Qi, should I go?”

Madam Qi laughed. “I guess you’re not fully grown yet after all. A child will always come home to his mother when he’s lost.”

Qi Xuansu had always regarded Madam Qi as a motherly figure. But he was still embarrassed when she teased him. Fortunately, his face was covered with smoke. He forcefully changed the subject. “If I head to the Shangqing Prefecture, I won’t be able to do missions for the Qingping Society.”

"So what if you missed a few missions? It won’t matter.” Madam Qi waved her hand. “This concerns your lifelong happiness, so you ought to be cautious.”

"What lifelong happiness? This is just an act.” Even in this dream realm, Qi Xuansu’s face was flushed.

Madam Qi hit the nail on the head and said, “For a girl like her, she can easily find any man to play the role of her boyfriend. Why did she choose you of all people?”

Qi Xuansu repeated the reasons Zhang Yuelu mentioned, but the more he spoke, the less confident he became. In the end, his voice cracked.

Madam Qi chuckled. “I’m a woman, and I’m more experienced than you. So don’t you think that I would have a better understanding of women compared to you?”

"Yes.” Qi Xuansu answered.

Madam Qi continued, “In that case, you should listen to me. This is an excellent opportunity for you. But whether you can seize this opportunity depends on your own capabilities.”

Qi Xuansu frowned and asked, “What will happen if I seize the opportunity, and what if I can’t?”

"You fool!” Madam Qi scolded him. She was disappointed that he was so slow-witted. “Shouldn’t this be common sense? If you can seize the opportunity, you can turn this fake relationship into a real one. If you can’t, then you’ll just have to be put back in place.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Although we’re in a dream meeting, we shouldn’t be dream-talking, right?”

Madam Qi scoffed. “She’s a Banished Immortal, but she’s not completely unattainable. If you don’t even have ambition, how can you be the Grand Master in the future?”

Qi Xuansu became more certain that Madam Qi was indeed dream-talking. He said helplessly, “Madam Qi, even if it is the Xiayuan Festival today, you shouldn’t drink too much. Go to bed early.”

Madam Qi held her forehead and sighed. “Tian Yuan, I really regret having saved you back then.”

Qi Xuansu was speechless.

In the past few years, Madam Qi would often say such things, especially when Qi Xuansu was being stupid or if he had disappointed her. It was as if she was a mother who regretted giving birth to such a dumb son.

After a while, Madam Qi calmed down a little. “Fine. Let’s get back to the topic. Zhang Yuelu asked you to accompany her home to the Shangqing Prefecture to put on a show. Disregarding any possibility of romance between you two, you should still go because you ought to please your boss. Don’t you think so?”

Qi Xuansu hesitated for a moment. “What about the Qingping Society?”

Madam Qi replied, “I’m here. I can handle everything by myself, even before you joined.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Alright then, I will leave tomorrow.”

"Tomorrow?” Madam Qi sighed. “The saying is true. A son forgets about his mother after getting a wife.”

Qi Xuansu regretted going to Madam Qi tonight. He changed the subject. “By the way, how do you contact people outside the dream realm if you can’t see their faces?”

Madam Qi stretched out her right hand to show him a golden-purple fish talisman. She explained, “This is my fish talisman. All of our fish talismans were made with dream stones, so they can connect us to the dream realm and can also be manifested in dreams. The manifestation may be a little difficult for a Martial Arts Practitioner and easier for a Diviner, but it can be done. As long as you visualize your fish talisman in your mind, you can manifest it in your dream.”

Visualization, meditation, and breathing control and techniques were the basic courses taught in the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Madam Qi continued, “After manifesting the fish talisman, you can connect with other people’s fish talismans through your own fish talisman, like the connection between us two. If you no longer need the connection, you can sever it. It’s very convenient.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Got it.”

Madam Qi explained, “The fish talisman doubles as a magical receptacle, but it’s a small space only enough for the ritual spell materials. You will still need to get your own magical receptacle in the future.

"The main purpose of the fish talisman is for Qingping Society’s members to contact each other. It’s similar to how mother-child talismans and magnets work. But since this connection is established in dreams, it seems a bit more mysterious. You’ll learn more about it in the Wanxiang Daoist Palace when you get promoted to the fourth rank one day.”

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