Chapter 20: Chapter Twenty: An Unconventional Homecoming in Glory

In the following days, both sides lived very ordinary lives.

Gu Zhao ordered another batch of cinnabar, ink, and yellow paper online, like a hamster hoarding food for winter—besides cultivation, he spent all his time drawing talismans, wishing he could stockpile enough to fight an entire battle.

Draw talismans, cultivate to restore qi, draw talismans again.

After all, drawing talismans consumed magic power, but using them consumed very little.

I can't cast Meteor Fire Rain, but wouldn't ten thousand Fireball spells work as a substitute?

Only when Gu Zhao realized that as his cultivation advanced, the power of the same talisman also increased did he stop, refusing to further fill his storage.

The white fox also did not leave, staying in the village to heal, occasionally tagging along with Gu Zhao to eat and drink, her mouth always greasy; every time she saw Gu Zhao, her first reaction was to drool.

But the person she was closest to was Xiuniang—every night she slept beside Xiuniang.

Yet Gu Zhao noticed the white fox's behavior was contradictory; she seemed alternately intimate with Xiuniang and distant, appearing neither close nor far.

The happiest person, however, was Xiuniang; since her parents passed away, she hadn't been this happy in a very, very long time—during the day, the white fox kept her company; at night, her waiting brought rewards, each day filled with anticipation and hope.

Of course, beneath her joy there was also worry, for she didn't know when Gu Zhao would leave, or whether the white fox would depart once healed.

But she hid her anxiety deep inside, facing each day with a radiant, sunny smile.

…

On this day, Gu Zhao returned from the other world and received a call from Zhang Hang.

"I haven't seen you at school for several days—are you really not looking for a job?" Zhang Hang asked on the phone.

"Not anymore," Gu Zhao slumped on the sofa under the air conditioning. "I'll go pick up my diploma in June. Graduation means unemployment—I'm preparing to live off my parents."

"Perfect!" Zhang Hang cheered. "Come film videos with me!"

"Again trying to drag me into your labor?" Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow. "So energetic—did your video get a good response?"

"Extremely good!" Zhang Hang laughed proudly. "I just gave it a small push, and I got tens of thousands of likes, over a thousand comments—all saying 'love it, keep coming!'"

"By the way, I tagged you in the video—I gained you a few hundred followers. Didn't you notice?" Zhang Hang asked.

"I didn't notice. I haven't looked at my phone much these days," Gu Zhao shook his head.

"What have you been busy with?" Zhang Hang asked incredulously. "In modern society, is there anyone who can live without a phone?"

Gu Zhao spoke seriously. "Busy with cultivation, ascending to the heavens."

"Come on," Zhang Hang scoffed. "Even Daoist Priests now have video accounts—some recruiting students, some teaching Dao, some making Duan Zi, some chasing beauties—but none talk about ascending. What era are we in? Believe in science—corpse liberation and alchemy are so outdated."

Gu Zhao reached out, summoning a water cup from afar through empty air, took a sip, and said calmly, "I don't know if corpse liberation and alchemy are real, but spirit cultivation, qi refinement, talisman drawing, and spell incantations are definitely not fake."

Zhang Hang chuckled dismissively. "Alright, you've cultivated for ten years and still haven't achieved anything. Your Doukuai account has only three hundred followers. My one video gave you two hundred more. Why don't you actually do something real to gain followers?"

Gu Zhao felt a lump rise in his chest, speechless.

Even though he cultivated the Dao and refined his heart, he was still a young man—who doesn't love the spotlight? Why start a short video account if you don't want fame!

So when he first registered on Doukuai and uploaded his Daoist insights, he'd been full of hope—hoping to attract followers with mysterious Daoist esoterica and build a lofty persona.

But he hadn't expected that with national development and the revival of traditional aesthetics, Bentudao Sect had also ridden the wave—there were countless Doukuai accounts like his, displaying Hand Seals and spell incantations, explaining Daoist cultivation principles.

Gu Zhao was instantly drowned in the ocean of Daoist short videos. Moreover, what he showed was far less interesting than stories about Shaanxi's Dragon Vein battles, Henan's Thunderstorm battles, Sakura Nation's Summer Festival battles, and so on.

But he wouldn't let himself be outdone—he still sneered at Zhang Hang. "If I wanted to gain followers, I could do it in seconds."

Zhang Hang snorted, speaking in a teasing tone. "You're a cultivator—you must uphold your Dao heart. If you don't gain a thousand followers within three days, come quietly and film with me. Big bro'll take you flying!"

"You take me flying? I'll blow you into the stratosphere!" Gu Zhao hung up, staring at his account, eyes flickering.

When he first returned from the other world, he'd wanted to reveal his power before the world—after all, wealth without returning home is like walking in silk robes at night. He was so powerful now—wouldn't it be a waste not to show off?

But reason told him this wasn't the time to be reckless.

He wasn't worried about being dissected—this wasn't decades ago; people still had some trust.

He worried that if he exposed himself, his freedom might be compromised, he'd have to deal with the authorities, and more trouble would follow.

Worse still, if he revealed himself, word might reach overseas.

If domestic authorities could still be trusted, and domestic capitalists had the desire but not the nerve to act, Gu Zhao had zero confidence in foreign powers.

The filter had shattered too completely—boomerangs flying everywhere.

So Gu Zhao wasn't planning to expose himself yet—but who said you couldn't show off without exposure?

Didn't he use Palm Thunder to strike down a car, and no one came after him?

Gu Zhao: (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ

So he took his phone, went to the other world to record a video, carefully checked it, then crossed back and uploaded it.

Soon, users who followed "Light Illuminating Sun and Moon" saw a new video—filmed in a dense forest, the host unseen, only two hands extended before the camera, with a standard disclaimer at the bottom.

【Special effects for entertainment only】

The next moment, the host began the demonstration.

"Previous videos explained various Daoist techniques and spell incantations. Today, we demonstrate them in practice."

"This spell is called Palm Thunder—a foundational thunder technique of the Daoist sect."

"Form the Heavenly Thunder Seal with your left hand, pinch the Thunder Glyph with your right, draw the Heavenly Stem Yi, and the Earthly Branches Wu, Wei, and Shen, while chanting: Thunder and lightning pursue each other, heaven and earth are the eyes. The eight directions' righteous qi, lightning flashes."

"At this point, thunder gathers in your palm. Then point your palm at your target—say, that tree ahead—and release the lightning."

"Chi!"

"Boom!"

In the video, a purple flash vanished instantly—a tree as thick as a thigh was struck, instantly snapped, charred black, then the screen went dark, ending the video.

Viewers:???