A Pawn's Passage

The welcome banquet was not grand at all. In fact, it could even be described as simple to the point of austerity.

Apart from the host, Qi Xuansu, and the guest, Shangguan Ya, there were only three others present: Han Yongfeng, Ke Qingqing, and Lu Yuting. These three were Qi Xuansu’s trusted aides. Although Lu Yuting was from the Taiping Sect, she could be trusted.

Being part of a sect did not mean that one’s loyalties lay with it. Everything was intermingled, just like how Wang Jiaohe could not be trusted, even though he was from the Quanzhen Sect.

For Lu Yuting, there was no benefit in being loyal to the Taiping Sect. Li Changge would never give her special treatment since there were too many who had already pledged allegiance to him. But Qi Xuansu was different because he lacked foundation and manpower. Following him was a gamble, but if the bet paid off, she would rise to the top in one leap.

The best way to stand out was to serve someone not yet established. That way, she could quickly become part of the inner circle. In contrast, great powers were usually brimming with talent, so competition was fierce, with no room to rise.

Lu Yuting had been a marginal figure in the Taiping Sect who rarely got to see Li Changge. But after serving Qi Xuansu, she could directly participate in important decisions. She was now promoted to Chief Superintendent of a Huasheng Hall branch. Even setting aside her life debt to Qi Xuansu, for the sake of her own future, she would remain loyal to him.

The Lu family was also happy to see this happen because large families were adept at betting on multiple sides. That was how they endured through generations. Though the Lu family was a vassal of the Li family, that did not stop them from placing a few side bets elsewhere. Since Lu Yuting had built a connection with Qi Xuansu by chance, the Lu family turned a blind eye to it and allowed her to pursue it.

After all, there was no harm in building more bridges.

The Li family might appear dominant now, but who could say for sure until the very end? What if—by some stroke of fate—Qi Xuansu was blessed by the Primordial Daoist Ancestor and the Holy Xuan, and through a twist of destiny, all Three Prodigies fell from glory, leaving him to reap the spoils? When that time came, the Lu family would have to rely on Lu Yuting.

That was the survival instinct of great clans. They had the confidence to take risks and cushion failure. They would never put all their eggs in one basket. In contrast, those from humble origins had no chance to make mistakes. They could only pick a single path and follow it to the end. If they won, they could soar. But if they lost, they could not recover from it.

The same rule applied everywhere. If Zhang Yuelu lost, the Zhang family would still remain. If Li Changge fell, the Li family would still endure. If Yao Pei lost, the Yao family could still move on. Even if all three of them were to fail, they could still become Deputy Grand Masters or Virtuous Great Sages with their family’s backing. However, Qi Xuansu did not have such assurance. If he lost, that would be the end. There was no path of retreat. After all, a pawn could only move forward and never take a step back.

That was the reason Sage Donghua employed Qi Xuansu.