Chapter 991: Old Home and New Residence
When Qi Xuansu left Kunlun Paradise, it was already late at night.
He had entered Jade Capital through Yuzhu Peak yet exited within Huasheng Hall in Xuan City.
Qi Xuansu suddenly realized a problem. Though many hailed him as the Fourth Prodigy of the Daoist Order, the other three prodigies all had places in the exalted Purple Mansion. Even the poorest Zhang Yuelu had lodgings in Xuan City. But he had no home here.
He only had two options—stay in Ziwei Hall’s office or return to his old family home in Haichan Place.
After much thought, he decided to go home.
Exiting Xuan City’s gates and stepping onto Shangqing Street of Jade Capital gave Qi Xuansu a sense of déjà vu. Years ago, when he had first returned to Jade Capital, he brought 200 Taiping coins to bribe Sun Yongfeng, hoping for a deacon’s post in Tiangang Hall. Now, he returned from Fenglin, decked in merit, preparing to face the Golden Tower Council to seek a Second Deputy Mansion Master’s seat. Such was the disparity in his circumstances.
He hailed a goat cart. At this time, Qi Xuansu was properly dressed in formal attire, so the driver was startled by his uniform. After all, there were at most 81 Deputy Hall Masters in Jade Capital, and all of them were people of rank who traveled in their own carriages, not hired ones.
In the Great Xuan Court, official travel was bound by strict codes, with a fixed number of bearers for a magistrate’s sedan, the number of guards, and the kind of banners allowed. In the Daoist Order, which practiced equality with near obsession, there were no such rules. One could ride with Spirit Guards clearing the road, like Sage Qingwei did in Fenglin, or travel utterly alone.
Since there was business, the driver did not refuse, nor did he dare to, so he drove on attentively.
Qi Xuansu sat alone with the window open, gazing at the night bustle. Daoist priests crowded the streets. Though they were not all free of worries, they were far from worldly suffering. At least none of them lacked food or clothing.
Compared to the Imperial Capital, Daoists believed in equality. They did not care about kneeling rites upon meeting. Even true aristocrats like the Zhangs and Lis never flaunted their lineage openly. Instead, they hid it, upholding the illusion of fairness.
It was ironic that in most places, nobles and commoners were separated by a gulf so vast it seemed almost as if they were two different species. The Daoist community was the opposite. Immortals and mortals truly were different kinds of beings, yet the Daoist Order classified all as “people” and hence must be equal. No one in the mortal realm was called a god.