A Pawn's Passage

Most bystanders could not see much trickery in it. There were no sandstorms, flying rocks, flames, or thunder. It was just a few moves, giving the impression that it was a superficial fight.

Only those involved could understand the immense pressure Zhang Yuelu was exerting.

At this moment, Xu Kou found himself in a dilemma. He could not withdraw his fist, even if he wanted to. He felt as if he were trapped in mud.

Zhang Yuelu asked softly, “Heaven, Earth, Man, God, and Ghosts. Do you know why Heaven is ranked first?”

Of course, Xu Kou understood what Zhang Yuelu was implying—that Heavenly Immortals were at the top among the Five Immortals. The ultimate goal of Banished Immortals was to become Heavenly Immortals.

Zhang Yuelu was a natural-born Banished Immortal.

It was not until this moment that Xu Kou understood why the Great Sages valued Banished Immortals so highly. Xu Kou was about to speak, but Zhang Yuelu did not want to hear what he had to say. She suddenly twisted his fist, which was in her palm.

Everyone could hear bone-crunching sounds as Zhang Yuelu forcefully twisted Xu Kou’s hand as punishment for his outright defiance of her authority as Deputy Hall Master.

Xu Kou’s face turned pale, and the veins bulged on his forehead. Cold sweat dripped down his face, but he gritted his teeth and endured the pain silently, like the tough man he was.

Logically, Martial Arts Practitioners at the Yuxu stage passed the Flesh and Blood Realm, which meant they could quickly heal physical injuries. Xu Kou was already at the Guizhen stage, which was superior to the Yuxu stage, but there was no sign of his hand healing.

That was because Xu Kou could clearly feel that while Zhang Yuelu was twisting his hand, she was also injecting strange energy into his body to stop his regenerative abilities. He could not even fight back, which was extremely strange.

Was this the power of a Banished Immortal?

Zhang Yuelu slowly let go of Xu Kou’s hand. “I’ll give you two options. The first is to recuperate with a month’s leave, but after you’ve healed, you’ll come back and continue to serve me. The second option is to leave now and never return.”

Xu Kou held his broken right hand with his intact left hand and remained silent for a long time before he said softly, “Thank you for your mercy, Deputy Hall Master. I am the deacon of Tiangang Hall, so I will naturally obey your orders.”

Zhang Yuelu’s tone revealed neither joy nor anger. “Great.”

At this moment, Zhang Yuelu was completely different from the lady that Qi Xuansu had met back in Taiqing Square.

Xu Kou picked up his glaive and left in defeat.

Sun Yongfeng gulped nervously. Despite being at the Guizhen stage himself, he was just a flowerbed Daoist priest who could not hold a fight. Thus, he was truly intimidated by Zhang Yuelu’s show of authority.

Zhang Yuelu once again scanned the crowd and asked, “Does anyone have any objections?”

The silence was palpable, as no one dared to utter another word.

Zhang Yuelu waited for a while before her face softened into a smile once again. She reiterated, “Great.”

Qi Xuansu thought wryly to himself that there was no need for him to assert his authority. He could secure his position as a deacon based on Zhang Yuelu’s favoritism alone.

Zhang Yuelu continued to announce the appointments of the other four deacons, consisting of two men and two women. Including Qi Xuansu and Xu Kou, there were four male deacons and two female deacons in the newly established Yaoguang Division of Tiangang Hall.

The four individuals stepped forward and saluted the crowd when they were named.

One woman named Mu Jin, nearly the same age as Qi Xuansu, was a fifth-rank Daoist priest. She was good-looking, but she had a masculine aura. She used to be under Zhang Yuelu’s command in Beichen Hall and followed her boss to Tiangang Hall.

One man in his forties was the oldest among the six deacons. His name was Zhou Bai, a sixth-rank Daoist. He had a weathered face and a scar across his cheek. He was clearly not one of the flowerbed Daoist priests from Jade Capital, but rather from a local Daoist mansion.

The other appointed deacon was a young sixth-rank Daoist priest with a stern demeanor named Xu Zhen. He was not yet 30 years old, and his most striking feature was his sharp gaze.

The final deacon was a young girl who had just come of age. She was the youngest of them all, named Tian Baobao. She resembled a delicate and precious doll. Her innocent looks made it seem like she had recently graduated from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. However, she must have exceptional talent to achieve the sixth rank at such a young age.

Zhang Yuelu then outlined the preliminary division of responsibilities for the six deacons. Tian Baobao and the injured Xu Kou were temporarily placed under the supervision of Sun Yongfeng, responsible for internal affairs. Adjustments would be made once Xu Kou had recovered. Zhou Bai and Xu Zhen were assigned to Lingquanzi, the other superintendent.

As for Qi Xuansu and Mu Jin, they were directly under Zhang Yuelu’s command.

Next, Sun Yongfeng, the superintendent in charge of internal affairs, stepped forward to arrange various trivial matters. He had to show his authority as well.

The six deacons each had their own workspace. Xu Kou, Tian Baobao, Zhou Bai, and Xu Zhen all had separate rooms. However, Qi Xuansu and Mu Jin were not as lucky because Zhang Yuelu occupied the main hall, which consisted of four rooms. Her two deacons would stay in the outermost room of the main hall, as no one wanted to share a room with their boss.

Sun Yongfeng had been a veteran superintendent to the Tiangang Hall Master. This time, the Hall Master transferred him to Tiangang Hall’s newly established Yaoguang Division, indicating support for Zhang Yuelu. This was also one of the reasons why Zhang Yuelu did not confront Sun Yongfeng about receiving kickbacks from candidates.

Well-versed in handling these internal affairs, Sun Yongfeng assigned tasks to everyone. The crowd dispersed to familiarize themselves with their respective positions.

Qi Xuansu and Mu Jin followed Zhang Yuelu to the main hall of the Yaoguang Pavilion. The outermost room was originally a living room, but Zhang Yuelu had modified it into two rooms for the deacons. Inside, there was a small living room, specifically for receiving guests and holding discussions. Deeper inside were Zhang Yuelu’s study and a lounge.

Zhang Yuelu gestured to her two deacons to be more casual around her. “We’re all old acquaintances, so there’s no need for formalities.”

Mu Jin, who had been expressionless all along, finally smiled. “Yes, Superintendent Zhang. Oh no, it should be Deputy Hall Master now, huh?”

Qi Xuansu pursed his lips but said nothing.

Judging from Mu Jin’s tone, Qi Xuansu could tell that she was close friends with Zhang Yuelu. Qi Xuansu also vaguely sensed that Mu Jin seemed to harbor some subtle hostility toward him.

This was strange because he had just arrived. It was understandable that Xu Kou would use him as an excuse to challenge Zhang Yuelu, but why was Mu Jin hostile toward him? They had never met before and had no interaction, so there was no possibility of enmity. The only commonality between them was that Zhang Yuelu was their shared superior.

An idea popped into Qi Xuansu’s mind. Is Mu Jin competing with me for Zhang Yuelu’s favor?

It was common for subordinates to seek favor from their superiors. Since they were both serving Zhang Yuelu directly, it was natural for Mu Jin to see him as a potential rival.

Although Qi Xuansu had no intention of currying favor with Zhang Yuelu, he could not afford to let his guard down. As he looked at Mu Jin again, his gaze carried a hint of suspicion.

As a member of the clandestine Qingping Society, Qi Xuansu had taken a huge risk coming to the Jade Capital this time. He aimed for a bright future, so he had to be cautious. If anyone dared to sabotage him, he would not hesitate to retaliate. After all, he was not as magnanimous as the Holy Xuan.

Zhang Yuelu had been observing Qi Xuansu all along, so she had also noticed Mu Jin’s hostility toward him. Thus, when Qi Xuansu casually glanced at Mu Jin, Zhang Yuelu keenly sensed his suspicion, like a sword briefly unsheathing from its scabbard before quickly being sheathed again.

She frowned slightly and instructed, “Mu Jin, go to the duty room and bring me the files from today. I was in a hurry just now and left them there.”

Mu Jin nodded in acknowledgment. Before leaving, she even glared at Qi Xuansu.

When Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu were the only ones left in the room, Zhang Yuelu walked up to him, who had his head lowered. She suddenly said, “Don’t stoop to her level.”

Qi Xuansu was startled. He looked up at her and asked in surprise, “Deputy Hall Master, why would you say this?”

Zhang Yuelu smiled and replied, “I have a keen eye for people. Among the nearly one hundred people recruited today, only you and Xu Kou caught my attention. Mu Jin is not your match, but she has been working for me for a long time, so I don’t want her to feel too embarrassed.”

Qi Xuansu looked apprehensive and flattered. “Deputy Hall Master, you flatter me.”

Zhang Yuelu said, “When we’re alone, don’t address me by my title. Just call me Tantai Chu, as before. Also, don’t act so humble and timid. Otherwise, I will think that you’re treating me like a fool.”

"Yes, Miss Tantai.” Qi Xuansu complied, no longer bowing his head.

Zhang Yuelu continued, “Brother Tian Yuan, this isn’t the streets. We’re in the Jade Capital, so everything must be done according to the rules. Also, your opponent is not Mu Jin but Xu Kou.”

At that moment, Zhang Yuelu’s Daoist attendant came to report that the Hall Master wished to see her.

Zhang Yuelu said no more and turned to leave.

When Qi Xuansu was left alone, he pondered for a moment and decided to meet with his subordinates. Although they were wary of Zhang Yuelu’s power and dared not show their dissatisfaction openly, deep down, they probably still looked down on Qi Xuansu. Perhaps they had even labeled him as Zhang Yuelu’s boy toy.

Qi Xuansu’s subordinates were all gathered in the same room. There was even a table reserved for Qi Xuansu. When he entered, everyone stopped what they were doing and saluted him.

Although they did not fully accept Qi Xuansu, they dared not show it openly, especially with Xu Kou as precedence. Besides, regardless of rank, Qi Xuansu’s “connection” was not something anyone could afford to offend. Moreover, some of them had witnessed Superintendent Sun having a long and amicable conversation with Qi Xuansu, even personally escorting him out afterward, which indicated their close relationship.

Therefore, except for a few who wanted to curry favor with him, everyone treated Qi Xuansu with courtesy and maintained a respectful distance from him. If Qi Xuansu were to put on airs and act like a superior, he would likely be isolated by his subordinates.

Qi Xuansu was not arrogant. Instead, he returned the salute and said, “I know I am unworthy of holding the position of deacon as a mere seventh-rank Daoist priest, so I am deeply grateful for your future support. I’d like to thank you all in advance.”

Previously, Qi Xuansu’s sarcastic remarks toward Xu Kou led many to believe that he would be a difficult boss. However, the significant contrast in his demeanor and his current humility made many reconsider their opinions of him.

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