Chapter 998: Qi Muyu
Qi Muyu mentioned an elder brother, who was Qi Jiaozhen, the head of the Qi family and the Shuzhou Daoist Mansion Master.
Shuzhou was a crucial region, being the second-largest state after Xizhou. However, unlike the desolate Xizhou, Shuzhou was a land of beauty and prosperity, making its importance all the greater. It was one of the core regions of the Quanzhen Sect. So for Qi Jiaozheng to govern it showed just how important his position was within the Quanzhen Sect.
Back when the Quanzhen Sect representatives paid a visit to the Dazhen Mansion at Yunjin Mountain, Sage Donghua could not attend in person, and it was Qi Jiaozheng who led the delegation. Although Qi Jiaozheng was not one of the nine Hall Masters, he still bore the title of Sage Wanmiao.
If Qi Xuansu truly wanted to join the Qi family, the only one with the authority to decide would be Qi Jiaozheng. Anyone else would not have the power to add Qi Xuansu to the family registry.
Qi Jiaozheng was a seventh-generation disciple, and so was Qi Muyu. Coincidentally, Qi Xuansu’s two future mothers-in-law, Su Yuanyi and Tantai Qiong, were also of the seventh generation.
If Qi Xuansu were to count his seniority in the Yao family through Madam Qi, he would technically be of the same generation as Sage Donghua, as Yao Pei’s uncle. But family seniority could not be calculated this way. After all, Li Changge was of the same generation as the Imperial Preceptor, yet even he did not presume to call the Imperial Preceptor “Elder Brother.” Instead, Li Changge used proper honorifics when addressing his elders. What’s more, Qi Xuansu was not entered into the Yao family’s registry, so his seniority had to follow Daoist standards.
By generational rank, Qi Muyu was one level above him. By age, she was about 10 or even 20 years older, old enough to be Qi Xuansu’s mother. Yet here she was, lowering herself to call Qi Xuansu her brother.
Being cautious as ever, Qi Xuansu instantly thought of the saying that when one offered kindness for no reason, they were either scheming or thieving.”
Qi Xuansu could not help but grow wary.
Of course, this was no fault of Lei Xiaohuan. As fellow disciples of the Quanzhen Sect, they would have interacted often and had some degree of friendship. Now that she was leaving Jade Capital for a regional post, it was only natural for Qi Muyu to come and see her off. But what Lei Xiaohuan had not expected was for Qi Muyu to pull such a stunt.
Yet in a way, it was inevitable.
The Daoist Order preached equality, having overturned the rigid Confucian etiquette. So women no longer had to be so constrained. Qi Xuansu’s former superior, Shi Bingyun, was one such example of carefree living. In the Confucian era, Shi Bingyun would have been vilified and scorned by society.