Pawn Crossing the River

Zhang Yuelu knew in his heart that the jade bracelet that showed her true face was the key to making her visible.

Since the other party has already come to the door, it saves Zhang Yuelu some time. She stood up to pay the bill, and walked into the wind and snow under the surprised eyes of many people.

For a heavenly being, a distance of dozens of miles is really not that far and can be reached in the blink of an eye.

This is a small town. It has never built a stronghold to protect itself because it is not necessary. Ordinary thieves dare not go wild in Zhili territory. If someone can attack the imperial capital, a small town cannot cause any trouble, so there is no city wall here. The village wall has no checkpoints and blends in with the surroundings. And because it is close to the official road, it is quite lively with people coming and going. The town not only has what Xuanji calls "ajar doors", but also has taverns, teahouses, inns, various shops, etc.

Zhang Yuelu walked into the town and looked around. Because of the severe wind and snow, not a single person was visible. She had no choice but to step into a teahouse.

Probably because it was close to the Imperial Capital, the people here were also well-informed, and they immediately recognized the origin of the cloak, and looked at Zhang Yuelu with awe.

Zhang Yuelu reached out to the shopkeeper, first gave him a peace coin, and then asked: "Where is the local half-opened business?"

When the shopkeeper heard a woman's voice, he couldn't help but be startled. He thought to himself that it was a female crown. Then he realized that even a male Taoist priest would not seek such a half-open business if he wanted to do that. What's the difference between men and women? . I'm afraid this female Taoist priest is not here to straighten things out. He had heard that the imperial capital was now undergoing rectification measures every day, and all the large and small courtyards were suffering. Did the rectifications go all the way to a small place like theirs?

If you point out the way, wouldn't it ruin other people's business? We are all neighbors, and we can see each other without looking up. This evil person cannot do that. It's just that the Taoist priest in front of me is not easy to offend. When is there room for negotiation when officials are doing things?

Just when the shopkeeper was in a dilemma, Zhang Yuelu saw the shopkeeper's difficulty and explained: "I'm here to find someone, and it has nothing to do with anything else."

The shopkeeper felt a little relieved and said: "Go north when you go out. After you see a big poplar tree, turn right and there is an alley. That's the store at the end."

"Thank you." Zhang Yuelu turned around and went out, walking towards the north. Sure enough, he could see a poplar tree looming in the wind and snow.

At this time, there was a person standing under the poplar tree, holding an umbrella in his hand, as if he was waiting for someone.

Zhang Yuelu stopped not far away, raised his wrist, and saw that the jade bracelet on his wrist seemed to come to life again, with brilliance flowing and ripples.

Seeing this scene, the person holding the umbrella sighed softly: "'Purple Jade Chi', I haven't seen it for a long time, but it's a pity that there is only half of it."

Only then did Zhang Yuelu find out that the bracelet was called "Purple Jade Chi" and asked, "Are you...the original owner of the bracelet?"

The umbrella holder asked something unexpected: "Little girl, do you know the usefulness of this bracelet?"

Zhang Yuelu shook his head and said, "I don't know."

"This bracelet is for self-defense." After the umbrella holder finished speaking, a piece of flying snow that was supposed to fall suddenly changed its trajectory and shot towards Zhang Yuelu like a flying knife.

Almost at the same time, the "Purple Jade Chi" on Zhang Yuelu's wrist flashed, and a purple light curtain appeared around Zhang Yuelu, blocking the flying snow. Then the flying snow melted, and the light curtain disappeared.

Compared with Zhang Yuelu's own "Five Qi Yan Luo", the biggest advantage of the light curtain is that it is self-activated and does not require the owner to control it distractedly. It is most suitable for guarding against unexpected sneak attacks. Of course, after all, it is just a treasure. Even if the two bracelets are complete, they are only semi-immortal objects. They are of little use to the Celestial Master who has reached the stage of immortality. It is more of a symbolic meaning of the bracelets.

Zhang Yuelu said softly: "My heart is full of love for my son."

The umbrella holder smiled and said, "That's out of the question. It's just a thought."

Zhang Yuelu asked: "You haven't asked for advice yet?"

"We just met, just call me Xuanji." The umbrella holder said.

This is not what Zhang Yuelu was actually asking. Of course she could guess that the person in front of her was the person who had talked to her in the tavern before. What she wanted to ask was whether the other person was the clone of True Lord Ziguang, but Xuanji avoided talking about it, and she also It’s not easy to ask deeply.

Zhang Yuelu said: "Your Excellency is much older than me, so I will respectfully address you as Senior Xuanji. Senior should know the purpose of my visit."

"Of course I know." Xuanji said, "Zhang Wushou gave this bracelet to you, which means that you will be responsible for contacting the Ziguang Society. Fortunately, he thought of letting someone from Tiangang Hall contact us."

Zhang Yuelu said calmly: "There is no difference. I will not always be in Tiangang Hall. I will eventually go out in the future. At that time, I will be the deputy palace master of a certain place."

Xuanji said: "The classic promotion route of the Taoist sect is to advance to one level outside, then return to Yujing to advance to another level. This cycle alternates, and you will enter the Golden Palace without knowing it."

Zhang Yuelu was silent.

If she were to be released, she would naturally not be an ordinary deputy palace master. She would most likely start from the second position, which is one of the three legs of a Taoist palace. She should at least be a second-grade Taiyi Taoist priest. After a few more years of training, he returned to Yujing Jiutang as the chief. In the end, he will most likely be in charge of the Jiangnan Taoist Mansion like the other ancestors of Cihang's lineage, and as the real person in charge of the government, he will become the real person of Shenzhi and enter the Golden Palace. Then he was transferred back to Yujing and became one of the nine real masters in charge. He went from the lowest ranked master to the top ranked master. By that time, competition for the top coach will not be an empty talk.

Qi Xuansu is also walking on this road. If he can make great achievements in the Imperial Capital, he is likely to take Qi Jianyuan's place and become the last deputy head of Ziweitang, which is equivalent to Zhang Yuelu today. Then he would be transferred to another place as the second-in-command and return to Yujing as the chief, or he could be the second-in-command in Yujing and move to another place as the chief. With such a step-by-step climb, although it is unlikely that he will be able to compete for the title of Great Master, it is not difficult to ascend to the position of Master Shen Zhi.

Zhang Yuelu came back to his senses and continued: "Since senior already knows my intention, I won't repeat it again. I just don't know what the opinions of senior and Ziguang Society are."

"Ziguangshe has no objection, but personally, I am very interested in you." Xuanji said with a smile.

"Me?" Zhang Yuelu was startled at first, then his face darkened, "Does senior want me to join the Ziguang Club?"

Xuanji said: "I do have this idea, but I also know that someone who wants to be the headmaster, how can he look down on Ziguang Society? I just want to do a test to see who will contact us on behalf of the Zhang family in the future. Is it hard to live up to the reputation? Or is it true that there is no real person in the world?”

Zhang Yuelu frowned and did not give an answer immediately.

Xuanji continued: "Taking a step back, if one day our Ziguang Society decides to surrender to the Taoist sect, then most of the people in charge of the matchmaking will be you. Whether you can take on the big responsibility is also closely related to our Ziguang Society. Of course we hope that you will To be able to become the Grand Master of the Eighth Generation is just like the Heavenly Court hopes that the Li family will become the Grand Master, and the Qingping Society hopes that the Grand Master will come from the Quanzhen Tao, but hearing is false and seeing is believing. I hope you can understand."

Zhang Yuelu asked: "How do you plan to test it?"

"The so-called layout, strategy, city, vision, character, and skill, these things cannot be seen in a moment, and it is difficult to quantify them. As for your realm cultivation, you are now a heavenly being in the free stage. , He is not a newly enlightened child, and there is nothing to test." Xuanji made a rhombus-like gesture on her lower abdomen with the five fingers of her left hand and the five fingers of her right hand facing each other, letting the oil-paper umbrella hang in the air on its own and continue to block the wind. Snow.

Zhang Yuelu asked directly: "What do you want?"

Xuanji smiled and said, "We might as well play a game."

"Game?" Zhang Yuelu asked.

Xuanji smiled and said: "Yes, a game. If you win, then Ziguang Society will recognize Zhang Wushou's decision. If you lose, then sorry, you have to pay a small price."

Zhang Yuelu's face became solemn: "So... what is the price?"

Xuanji seemed to be able to see what Zhang Yuelu was thinking: "We are not men, so of course we will not have any thoughts about your body. As I just said, we just want you to join the Ziguang Society and become the daughter of the empress, and also a member of the Ziguang Society One of the seven star masters, nothing more. You know, for many people, this is not a punishment, but a great gift. But for a young master who is expected to become a great leader, this is indeed a blessing. A small punishment."

Zhang Yuelu fell into silence again.

There is no doubt that Xuanji's state of cultivation is far superior to hers, so she dare not say that she is sure of victory. Letting her contact and contact the secret society and joining the secret society are two completely different concepts. If she joined a secret society, not to mention her own ambitions, she would have failed to live up to the high hopes placed on her by Master Cihang.

Xuanji smiled: "Let me give you a little more bargaining chip. You want to be a great leader, but you suffer from a shallow foundation. For you, the Ziguang Society is a great help, just like the Qingping Society is to Quanzhen Taoism." Heavenly Court is like Taiping Dao. Whoever can control this part of the power can still be a face-saving person. Furthermore, you are young after all, and your cultivation level is limited. You have just entered the free stage of heaven and the infinite distance. There is still a long way to go before becoming a heavenly being. Although I cannot allow you to reach the immeasurable stage immediately, I can give you a small opportunity to help you go faster in the future. "

Xuanji paused for a moment: "Of course, the premise is that you win this game. If you can't even beat me, then what's the point of talking about being a master? It's better to give up as soon as possible."

Zhang Yuelu looked at Xuanji: "Who are you?"

Xuanji smiled and said: "I am your lady's attendant, I am the true king's messenger, I am your empress's incarnation in the world, you can call me Star Lord Xuanji."

Zhang Yuelu said slowly: "I accept this game."

"Very good." Xuanji clapped her hands together, "Without further delay, we'll start right away."

After saying that, Xuanji turned and left: "But now is the preparation time, and it is also your last chance to regret it. If you think you are ready, go to the house at the deepest part of the alley to find me. Of course, you can also turn around and leave here, just Act like nothing happened.”

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