A Pawn's Passage

Once the men found their female attendants, the atmosphere grew livelier.

Such a situation was hardly a violation of the rules because everything was consensual. There was no coercion involved, and nothing much was actually happening beyond conversation and drinking. Any small gestures were subtle and discreet.

But rules were only the lowest threshold of morality. Whether this was truly moral or not was a matter of personal judgment.

In short, this was a long-standing phenomenon, even becoming a kind of unwritten rule. Though there was resistance, it was difficult to change.

Qi Xuansu did not enjoy such an environment, nor did he wish to make any advances toward the woman beside him. He could only force a conversation with his senior sister to fill the silence.

But what was there to talk about? Their experiences shaped thoughts and perspectives that were worlds apart. The only possible common ground was their days at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. However, his senior sister had changed her name and cut ties with her past, so Qi Xuansu felt it was inappropriate to bring up.

In truth, there was always a common topic—the relations between men and women. Or rather, that was the real focus in this gathering. The lofty things like discussing literature were mere pretexts and window dressing.

Qi Xuansu observed the others, seeing human nature in all its variety.

Many men did not truly need a confidante. What they craved was the admiration of beautiful women. As long as a woman could understand what they were saying and, at crucial moments, show admiration and agreement in a worshipful manner, these men would feel deeply satisfied. To such men, that kind of woman was what they called a confidante who truly understood them.

This was not surprising. At home, their Daoist companions were equal in status, evenly matched. It was always one overpowering the other, a rivalry in some sense. So how could such women possibly adopt the coy demeanor of an obedient girl? More often than not, they had no patience for and no interest in listening to their men’s ramblings.

If faced with women like Zhang Yuelu, Yao Pei, or Madam Qi, who were exceptional in their own right, they might even be crushed. This was especially true with someone like Madam Qi, whose word was law. Even Sage Donghua found her hard to handle. For an ordinary man, he would not be able to do anything but quietly obey, with no chance to show off. Naturally, such men would seek compensation in other places.

Qi Xuansu, however, did not share such a mindset, since he had always kept his expectations low. Even when he had nothing to his name, Zhang Yuelu was already famous throughout the Daoist Order. To Qi Xuansu, being overshadowed by her was perfectly natural. This situation was entirely different from those talented men who deliberately married into powerful families to secure advancement.