Pawn Crossing the River

The two of them were walking in the bustling Taiqing Square. Zhang Yuelu suddenly asked: "Tianyuan, you seem to be short of money? How much money do you make per month now? If it's not convenient to say, just pretend I didn't ask. It doesn't matter."

Qi Xuansu did not deliberately hide it and said: "I probably still have less than two hundred Taiping dollars in savings. Because I have never worked in any local government, I don't have regular money."

"No regular money? Why don't you serve in the local Taoist government?" Zhang Yuelu was slightly surprised. On the surface, he was surprised that Qi Xuansu had no income from the Taoist sect, but in fact, he was surprised by Qi Xuansu's confession.

Qi Xuansu knew that Zhang Yuelu was not an ordinary person, and it should not be difficult to check his past resume. If he rashly lied and prevaricated, he would end up with three hundred taels of silver in this place.

So he said with all sincerity: "My master died in a vendetta back then, and I still don't know who did it. I thought he was probably a big shot in the Taoist sect who dared to attack a fourth-grade Taoist priest. Although I was lucky enough to escape with my life, I still can't. I was afraid of being cut off from the roots, so I have been wandering around in the rivers and lakes for these years, and I did not dare to work in various local governments. "

"Are you not afraid now?" Zhang Yuelu raised his eyebrows.

Qi Xuansu smiled bitterly: "I'm not afraid either."

Zhang Yuelu asked: "How do you say this?"

"When I say I'm afraid, I'm afraid that I'll die in an unknown way like Master." Qi Xuansu said calmly, "If I say I'm not afraid, it's just a matter of death. I must avenge Master."

Zhang Yuelu's words were not polite: "It seems that you are quite bloody and know the word 'revenge', otherwise I would really look down on you and become a friend."

Qi Xuansu coughed slightly in embarrassment: "I'm not afraid of dying. I'm just afraid that I don't know how I died. I'm afraid that I'll still be a confused person."

Zhang Yuelu asked again: "Then do you have any clues?"

Qi Xuansu shook his head and said: "No, I was still very young when Master died. I don't know much about Master's interpersonal relationships. I also don't know much about Master's past. To put it bluntly, without Master, it will be difficult for me to make a living." . Now, I am only a seventh-level Taoist priest, with no power, and it has been many years. So I think that if you want to take revenge, you must first get ahead. As the Confucian saying goes, a gentleman takes revenge. Ten years is not too late. I happened to hear that Tiangang Hall had added a new staff, so I spent half of my savings and started to seek promotion to the sixth rank of Taoist priest."

"Connections." Zhang Yuelu looked at Qi Xuansu with a half-smile.

Qi Xuansu felt uncomfortable being looked at by Zhang Yuelu and said helplessly: "Don't look at me like this. This is human nature."

"I don't like such common sense." Zhang Yuelu frowned, "Such common sense will corrupt the Taoist sect's atmosphere and damage the foundation of the Taoist sect."

Qi Xuansu sighed: "I don't know, it's just...there is nothing I can do."

Zhang Yuelu did not stand on the moral high ground to criticize Qi Xuansu. This was her strength. She would never judge others by herself. For various reasons, she was favored by Da Zhenren, and she could rise to the top with a clear conscience. It does not mean that others also have this qualification. If she uses her own standards to demand those who are still struggling in the mud, she will just stand and speak. Back pain.

Zhang Yuelu turned to ask: "So, you are not serving in the local Taoist government, but you are promoted to the seventh rank of Taoist priest. Is it because of 'human nature'?" Qi Xuansu was shocked and vaguely guessed why Zhang Yuelu paid special attention to him. However, the expression on his face was one of helplessness, guilt, bitterness, and shame. He borrowed Qiniang's original words and replied: "There is no way. If you want to climb to the position of a third-grade Taoist priest one day, you have to climb higher step by step. If you can't keep up with one step, it will be easy." If you are not even a sixth-grade Taoist at the age of thirty, you will be out of business."

Zhang Yuelu obviously understood this set of rules and did not comment too much. He just said: "I understand, in order to avenge the master, you want to be promoted to a third-level Taoist priest, and then you dare not serve in the local Taoist government because you are afraid of the enemy in the dark. You work hard to make money in the world, and then use money to smoothen your relationships, but the seventh-grade Taoist priest is almost the limit, so you plan to find a job in Tiangang Hall, so that you can gain merit and get promoted. "

Qi Xuansu nodded and said, "That's right. I hope Miss Tantai doesn't want to..."

"Don't worry." Zhang Yuelu cleared up his doubts and became more gentle towards Qi Xuansu, "I won't tell anyone. After all, we are friends."

Qi Xuansu smiled: "Yes, friend."

However, Qi Xuansu has been walking around in the world for many years and has been taught by Qiniang through words and deeds. He is no longer the ignorant young man he once was. He has his own scheming skills. He does not take Zhang Yuelu's words as a friend seriously, but takes advantage of the situation and pretends to be hesitant.

As expected, Zhang Yuelu noticed Qi Xuansu's demeanor and said softly: "If you have something to say, you might as well say it directly."

Qi Xuansu said: "Since we are friends, I don't know which court or Taoist house Miss Tantai works in?"

Zhang Yuelu smiled and said: "It's a coincidence. If you can successfully enter Tiangang Hall, then we will be colleagues in the future and can see each other often."

Qi Xuansu was startled: "What a coincidence."

Zhang Yuelu did not directly answer Qi Xuansu's question: "Let's not talk about coincidence for now, I just assumed you didn't plan to ask."

Qi Xuansu said half-truthfully: "I can't help it. In my eyes, Miss Tantai has a certain aura, like a fierce tiger or a dragon. I really don't dare to ask rashly."

Zhang Yuelu smiled instead of getting angry, and lightly hit Qi Xuansu on the shoulder: "Okay, are you talking about me being a tigress in a roundabout way?"

Qi Xuansu waved his hands repeatedly: "No such intention."

This scene naturally attracted the attention of many passers-by. The older people who had experienced it naturally smiled knowingly, while the young people who had never experienced it could not hide their envy.

As for the person involved, Qi Xuansu, it is complicated and difficult to describe.

First, this Tantai girl came with bad intentions and made him walk on thin ice.

Then he gradually relaxed, and later realized that the Tantai girl was actually a woman of the same age, and a very beautiful woman. There was always a faint fragrance of virginity entering his nose with every move she made.

To be fair, Qi Xuansu is also a vigorous young man. The woman he has interacted with the most over the years is Qiniang. But for Qi Xuansu, Qiniang is an elder role between mother and eldest sister, and cannot be generalized with women of the same age.

For a moment, Qi Xuansu was also a little distracted.

Fortunately, Qi Xuansu had experienced many years of hard work in the world and was relatively determined. He quickly suppressed this strange emotion and said instead: "Since Miss Tantai is working in Tiangang Hall, I wonder if Miss Tantai can introduce Tiangang to me. Tang’s specific responsibilities?”

Zhang Yuelu said: "The main responsibility of Tiangangtang is to crack down on secret associations, lawbreakers, cultists, demons, and ghosts."

Qi Xuansu asked: "What's the difference?"

"There is no specific difference, but the emphasis is different." Zhang Yuelu said casually, "A few days ago, the rotating Grand Master issued an order to 'further crackdown on secret associations,' so Tiangang Hall's focus will first be on secret associations. Secondly, there are lawless people, such as criminal gangsters. In fact, the court has always taken the lead in this aspect, and we can only help from the side. Then there are the cultists. In many cases, cultists and secret societies are inseparable. , or some secret societies are simply cults themselves. As for monsters and ghosts, we don’t want to kill them, they have to go through screening. However, there are other voices in the Taoist sect, advocating a different path for humans and monsters, and to drive out all monsters and ghosts. Who is right or wrong is a matter of opinion.”

Qi Xuansu continued to ask calmly: "Some secret societies are cults themselves, which means that not all secret societies are cults?"

Zhang Yuelu nodded and said: "There are indeed some secret societies that are not cults, such as Qingpinghui, 'Inn', Babuzhong, Qibaofang, etc. Not only are they not cults, they are even inextricably linked to Taoism."

Qi Xuansu was startled: "Daomen..."

Zhang Yuelu smiled coldly: "It's not surprising. Without the connivance and support of Taoist figures, how could these secret societies develop safely to this day? It's just that I don't say anything and can't change anything."

Qi Xuansu dared not underestimate this Tantai girl, because he, a member of the Qingping Society, also thought so after seeing the tip of the iceberg of the Qingping Society. He even vaguely felt that it was not a coincidence that Qiniang asked him to join Tiangang Hall, but on purpose. for it.

Zhang Yuelu sighed: "I am among you, and you are among me. Everything bad in the world is bad here... There are big figures in the Taoist sect behind the scenes supporting these secret societies. Even if they fight for ten or twenty years, they will not be able to eradicate them. A secret association. Therefore, the most serious danger of the Taoist sect is never outside, but in this Yuxu Peak, in this ancestral court."

Qi Xuansu also sighed: "So, these secret societies are just shadow puppets, and the people who really control these shadow puppets are hidden in the shadows of the lights, making them invisible and intangible."

"You can say that." Zhang Yuelu felt a little sad, obviously touched by Qi Xuansu's words.

Qi Xuansu couldn't help but ask further: "Are we a bit close to each other?"

Zhang Yuelu waved his hand: "A thousand cups of wine is too little to meet a close friend, and half a sentence is too much to talk without speculation."

She paused for a moment: "Don't you think the two of us are talking in harmony?"

"Of course not." Qi Xuansu quickly denied.

Zhang Yuelu said half-jokingly: "Let's put aside these discouraging things for the time being. When I become the head master one day, we will discuss how to rectify the atmosphere of the Taoist sect."

Qi Xuansu looked around and said softly: "Miss Tantai, you should be careful what you say."

Zhang Yuelu smiled: "Only you can hear what I said just now."

Qi Xuansu was startled at first, and then couldn't help laughing.

It turns out that this Tantai girl is not fearless.

Zhang Yuelu seemed to see what Qi Xuansu was thinking, and rolled his eyes at him: "I'm not stupid, but there will be that moment