Chapter 28: Gu Zhao: Then Let

“No wonder,” Gu Zhao looked at He Xiuniang; at this moment, her spiritual power was overflowing, even slowly improving her body, making her skin feel noticeably better, “Could the effect of soul-bonding really be this obvious?”

“Of course!” Bai Ke said proudly, “I’m a descendant of the Celestial Fox—once bonded with me, Xiuniang will surely become a great master renowned across the heavens!”

Gu Zhao sighed softly, “A descendant of the Celestial Fox, yet unable to speak for herself.”

Bai Ke flew into a rage, “That’s because I’m only sixteen!”

Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways, “I thought foxes don’t live long—sixteen’s already past the lifespan of most foxes. Aren’t you basically an old lady?”

All the fur on Bai Ke’s tail stood on end, “I’m not an ordinary fox—I’m a fox spirit! No, wait—I’ve never harmed the innocent, I carry no malevolent qi—I should be called a fox spirit, not a demon! I’m not a monster—I’m a Spirit Lord!”

Gu Zhao nodded in understanding, adding another new piece of knowledge to his store.

“Fine, fine, you’re a Spirit Lord,” Gu Zhao waved his hand, “Then tell me, Spirit Lord—everyone in the village fainted from your shout. When will they wake up?”

“I’m a Spirit Lord, but my name isn’t ‘Spirit Lord’—I have a name. It’s Bai Ke!”

Bai Ke emphasized, then noticed Xiuniang glancing worriedly at Old He inside the house, and added, “They’re just in a normal faint—should wake up in two or three hours, won’t even affect their nighttime urination.”

“You really are surnamed Bai?” Gu Zhao exclaimed.

Bai Ke fell silent—she couldn’t very well say she’d had no name before, and had only taken “Bai Ke” because Xiuniang called her “Little White.”

Xiuniang chuckled softly but said nothing, her gaze fixed intently on Gu Zhao.

Gu Zhao pulled out the four bracelets and asked Bai Ke, “Could the Golden Wind Sect’s patriarch sense this place through the qi on these bracelets?”

“These aren’t his incense idols—they bear no magical marks left by him,” Bai Ke shook her head. “Unless he leaves Changping Prefecture and gets close to the village, he won’t sense their qi at all.”

“Then good,” Gu Zhao nodded, then seemed to recall something, “You said earlier you couldn’t use the Golden Wind Sect’s incense idols, or you’d become his puppet—was that because of the imprint?”

“After incense belief leaves the body, it must be stored in special materials,” Bai Ke explained. “That old ghost’s power can’t absorb worship from a thousand li away, so he had to place an idol on the altar in Xiuyue County to gather devotional energy.”

“But he feared the local followers would embezzle the incense, so he placed a spell-mark inside the idol—anyone who touched the incense inside would trigger his distant awareness, letting him cast spells from afar.”

“So he can sense the idol from far away?” Gu Zhao asked.

“Maybe… probably… perhaps… only the general direction and distance,” Bai Ke wasn’t sure. She didn’t cultivate the Path of Spirits, and her power was nowhere near the Golden Wind Sect’s patriarch’s—how could she know so precisely?

So she grumbled, “If I could block the Golden Wind Sect’s patriarch’s sensing, why would I steal the Xiuyue County idol? Why not just steal the one in Changping Prefecture?”

Gu Zhao understood—and felt a chill of relief.

Fortunately, he’d brought the incense idol back to the modern world—if he hadn’t, he’d have been thrown straight into a high-stakes battle right after his transmigration. Not even considering whether he could win, if he’d been absent at the time, this village would’ve been wiped out.

Wait—why did he say “if I’d been absent”?

“Is the Golden Wind Sect’s patriarch powerful?” Gu Zhao asked, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

He’d just arrived, and though he’d obliterated the Golden Wind Sect’s goddess with one move, he remained cautious.

Even after the three thunderbolts had killed the black-cloaked ghost chasing Bai Ke and Xiuniang, he hadn’t felt anything special—he didn’t know the ghost’s rank.

But today, using the Shangqing Transformation Talisman with two Thunder-Expelling Spells, he’d instantly slain three ghosts—and now he knew they were the Golden Wind Sect’s Guardian Ghost Gods, second only to the patriarch. His ambitions stirred.

If you compared it to the power gap between Yang Dingtian and the Four Dharma Kings… maybe… probably… perhaps…

Am I terrifyingly strong now?

Gu Zhao: (◔◡◔)

“You don’t think killing four Golden Wind Sect Guardians makes you powerful, do you?”

Bai Ke snorted, “These Guardian Ghost Gods only received a sliver of divine essence granted by the patriarch—they’re just his servants, sent to do menial tasks. They’re not even a match for one blow from the patriarch.”

Bai Ke had figured it out—Gu Zhao truly knew nothing.

The Golden Wind Divine Sect was a dominant force in Changping Prefecture; the Golden Wind Divine King was an ancient ghost with centuries of cultivation. If Gu Zhao went to confront him, he’d be walking straight into his death.

Though Gu Zhao seemed powerful, he was no match for the Golden Wind Divine King. Bai Ke decisively doused his enthusiasm—otherwise, if he recklessly charged after the patriarch, she’d be dooming him.

Hearing this, Gu Zhao calmed down.

He’d just been comparing to characters from martial arts novels—those figures were all human. Yang Dingtian might be strong, but even he couldn’t withstand the Four Dharma Kings together.

In the entire world, no one could defeat the Four Dharma Kings in three moves or less—not even Zhang Sanfeng!

So here’s the key: the world he was in wasn’t a martial arts world—it was clearly a xianxia world. Don’t compare it to the Journey to the West or the Primordial Chaos—even if it were only at the level of Strange Tales, Yan Chixia slaughtered the Tree Demon’s female ghosts like chopping vegetables, yet nearly died when facing her directly.

In this world, the gap between each realm was truly like a chasm between heaven and earth. “Can’t withstand one blow” wasn’t just empty talk.

“Phew—”

Calming his heated heart, remembering his new arrival, and recalling the Five Thunder Talisman still helping him grow, Gu Zhao stopped rushing.

We’ve got all the time in the world!

“Then let’s let him off for now,” Gu Zhao nodded solemnly.

Bai Ke, “...”

But Xiuniang nodded vigorously, “Besides, the Golden Wind Sect can’t find us—we have no reason to seek them out.”

Here, Xiuniang glanced again at Gu Zhao, lips parting but words unspoken.

Gu Zhao looked back at Xiuniang, his eyes thoughtful.

As their gazes met, Xiuniang’s eyes began to dart away, while Gu Zhao’s grew brighter.

Bai Ke glanced left and right, her eyes flickering, about to speak—when suddenly Gu Zhao reached out, pulled a folded triangular yellow paper from a small pouch at his waist, and pressed it into Xiuniang’s hand, “Try it—can you activate this talisman?”

“Huh?” Bai Ke froze, stunned.

Xiuniang stared at the talisman in her hand, cheeks flushed crimson, feeling her own body heat could burn the yellow paper to ash.