Chapter 10: First Strike in the Modern World

Gu Zhao had not originally intended to use magic power.

Joke aside, he had only cast the Palm Thunder once so far; whether this Five Thunders Talisman would work was still uncertain.

What if the Five Thunders Talisman worked and strange phenomena occurred after he infused magic power?

What if the Five Thunders Talisman didn't work, and he rashly infused magic power, causing it to explode halfway?

In any case, infusing magic power into a talisman for the first time in public was not a good idea; he had originally planned to take the cinnabar and yellow paper to another world to test them.

But drawing it felt so incredibly comfortable!

From start to finish, he never stopped the brush, his momentum like Shanhe, completed in one breath; his entire body felt a sense of thorough comfort, which also triggered a surge of magic power within him, unconsciously beginning to circulate: rising from the dantian, flowing down through the three Yang meridians of the feet to flood both feet, then flowing up through the Chong meridian, turning into the three Yang meridians of the hands to penetrate the fingertips with force.

"Swish!"

The magic power flowed through the brush into the cinnabar, merged into the yellow paper, and then...

Most of the magic power quickly dissipated into the air, with only a small portion merging into the cinnabar and yellow paper, but it was still slowly escaping.

Sensing the magic power dissipating into the air, Gu Zhao couldn't help but sigh with relief; the failure of the talisman drawing was within his expectations, but at least no strange phenomena had appeared, and the talisman had neither burned nor exploded.

Thus, a useless Five Thunders Talisman was successfully drawn by him.

Only Daoist Elder Hui Bin, standing nearby, felt a sudden jump in his lower abdomen and a flutter in his heart, but he was just somewhat puzzled, "Did I eat something bad this morning?"

Others felt no trace of this escaping magic power, but they were very interested in the quite beautiful Five Thunders Talisman Gu Zhao had drawn; many people opened their phones to take photos and record videos.

Gu Zhao picked up the Five Thunders Talisman, shook it, inspected it for a moment, and handed it to Elder Hui Bin.

Elder Hui Bin glanced at the Five Thunders Talisman, which differed slightly from the Celestial Master Sect's style, but didn't mind, "Thank you, junior brother."

A young man standing nearby suddenly said, "Can you cast the Five Thunders Method with this Five Thunders Talisman? Why not demonstrate it for everyone!"

"Will you ever be done?"

Gu Zhao and Hui Bin looked at the young man, but it was Miss Shuo Guo who spoke, "This is a matter between him and the Yuanfa Palace; even the Daoists in the palace haven't said anything, so why are you making a scene?"

The young man's voice rose half a tone, "I'm saying what I want; what does it have to do with you? Why are you butting in? Making a scene for yourself?"

"I just think he's handsome and that he can draw Five Thunders Talismans!" Miss Miss Shuo Guo was equally straightforward, "I also can't stand your sarcastic tone."

The young man angrily said, "He said he met a female ghost and claimed he could use a Five Thunders Talisman!"

Miss Miss Shuo Guo immediately retorted, "You take a Duan Zi as truth; if I told you to eat shit, would you do it?"

"You damn..."

"The Daoist sect is a place of tranquility; noise is forbidden!" Elder Hui Bin stepped forward and shouted lowly, suppressing all sounds.

Holding the Five Thunders Talisman in his hand, he said to the young man, "The Five Thunders Talisman resolves calamities, dispels disasters, protects the house and wards off evil, and brings peace and fortune; it is not a tool for fighting and competing."

His girlfriend frantically pulled his sleeve, and the young man stopped speaking, merely snorted, glared at Gu Zhao once more, turned around, and left, not even taking the talisman he had chosen earlier.

Seeing the young man leave in a huff, Gu Zhao finally turned to Miss Miss Shuo Guo, "Thank you."

"You're welcome; he was just annoying." Miss Miss Shuo Guo waved her hand, causing a ripple of movement.

"I still must thank you for speaking up on behalf of justice." Gu Zhao also smiled, "Otherwise, if I had been provoked, I might have really given him a Palm Thunder, letting him know that the Thunder Method is not for joking."

"Then you would have been taken away by the security officers." Miss Miss Shuo Guo laughed heartily, then spoke seriously, "With the Five Thunders Talisman, you'll have a weapon next time you meet a female ghost; I wish you all the best in subduing demons and eliminating evil."

Gu Zhao also responded seriously with a cupped-hand salute, "Thank you, Miss, for your auspicious words; I have only seen ghosts so far, and whether there are demons or monsters is unknown; I hope the Five Thunders Talisman will work."

Both women laughed at this, finding Gu Zhao very interesting.

Of course, they were just strangers who had met by chance, not yet at the stage of exchanging contact information; after two sentences, Miss Miss Shuo Guo waved at Gu Zhao, pulled the Long-Legged Young Lady, and went to the Lu Zu Hall to draw lots.

Watching the two women leave, Gu Zhao had no intention of continuing to tour the Yuanfa Palace; instead, he thanked Elder Hui Bin again, bid farewell, and walked toward the gate to prepare to leave.

Watching Gu Zhao's upright back, a hint of confusion appeared in Elder Hui Bin's eyes; he felt something was not quite right.

A moment later, seeing Gu Zhao leave, Elder Hui Bin's eyes flashed, and he clapped his hands, saying to himself, "Right, a tiger's head and a snake's tail!"

Overall, this matter felt like a tiger's head and a snake's tail; the beginning, with the female ghost and the Thunder Method, had whetted people's appetites, but the end saw him draw a Five Thunders Talisman and then leave casually.

If this were a chunibyo youth who had learned a few tricks and came to show off, he would have displayed himself more flamboyantly, whether discussing Daoist arts with him or showing off his skills more.

But this young man, aside from his words sounding very unreliable, had a very steady demeanor, and his behavior was very natural, quite embodying the Daoist style.

Elder Hui Bin thought back again and suddenly realized that although this incident started with this young man wanting to buy cinnabar and yellow paper, he was not the one driving the event; whether it was the Five Thunders Talisman or the female ghost, he had actually asked about them himself, and the subsequent argument was initiated by that young man.

That is to say, whether he had refused him without asking for reasons or simply given him the cinnabar and yellow talismans, the subsequent events would not have happened.

In that case...

"Why did he say those words that caused misunderstanding?" Elder Hui Bin frowned deeply, very puzzled.

Elder Hui Bin thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out; he could only shake his head, saw that the Five Thunders Talisman in his hand had dried, folded it into a triangle in a few quick movements, put it in his bosom, and turned to leave.

On the other side, Gu Zhao walked out of the gate, rubbed the stack of yellow paper, and found there were more than twenty sheets, which should be enough for his consumption over the next two days.

"Hurry home, cross over to another world, and test the Daoist arts!" Gu Zhao's enthusiasm was reignited, and he prepared to take the subway home.

Then he saw the young man not far away.

The young man was walking with his girlfriend toward a BMW 3 Series parked by the roadside; he saw him reach into his pocket, and then the car emitted an unlocking sound.

"Crazy, coming to a Taoist temple to act cool, what a loser, he doesn't even..."

"Boom!"

A thunderclap suddenly rang out in front of him, making the young man shudder and almost throw his girlfriend away.

This roar also attracted the attention of passersby nearby, who all focused their gaze here.

"What happened?"

"Did it thunder?"

"The weather didn't change?"

"Thunder in a clear sky?"

Then everyone, including the young man, discovered that the parked BMW 3 Series was emitting thick smoke, the entire car body was obviously damaged and charred black, the front engine made a "crackle" sound, and a wisp of sparks emerged from the rear.

"Did the engine self-combust?"

"No, it looks like it was struck by lightning. What terrible luck..."

"Beware, the car is going to explode!"

Passersby scattered in all directions, but the young man stood frozen in shock, screaming at the top of his lungs, "My car!"