Chapter 35

"Aaaah!"

A scream even sharper than before rang right beside Gu Zhao’s ear.

"So cool!"

Jiang Shishi rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Gu Zhao; he felt his arm sink deep into softness, as if buried within it.

Xiao Ya beside them was stunned, lips slightly parted, staring at Gu Zhao in disbelief.

They had heard Gu Zhao’s brief introduction—that he’d studied some Daoist scriptures and martial arts since childhood, that he exercised regularly and was certainly stronger and more capable than an ordinary young man—but that was all they assumed.

How could they have imagined Gu Zhao could display such speed and power?

It was like something out of an action movie!

The surrounding crowd also burst into exclamations—"Holy shit!" "Incredible!"—and only after recovering did they cheer and applaud, offering their admiration to Gu Zhao.

No one suspected anything unusual, because Gu Zhao hadn’t shown speed or strength beyond human limits—just the kind seen in parkour experts.

To onlookers, Gu Zhao’s reaction and courage were even more precious.

"Xuanxuan!"

Only then did the child’s family scramble over; the mother snatched the child into her arms, trembling with emotion.

"Wah!" The child seemed to snap out of it and burst into tears.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you..." Another middle-aged man grabbed Gu Zhao’s hand, bowing repeatedly; though he tried to control himself, his voice trembled.

"It’s fine," Gu Zhao comforted him, patting his hand. "Be more careful next time."

"I will, I will! I probably won’t take him hiking for years." The man shook his head with a bitter smile, still shaken.

He was terrified himself—just now, for an instant, he felt his heart stop. Without Gu Zhao’s intervention, he couldn’t imagine the outcome.

The woman finally regained her composure, bringing the child over to thank Gu Zhao. She’d originally planned to invite him to join their outing, but seeing the two beautiful girls beside him, she wisely said nothing.

But saving a life was no small thing—merely saying thanks wasn’t enough. The man insisted on adding Gu Zhao as a friend. "Young brother, you might not care, but if we don’t properly thank you, we’ll never feel at peace!"

Someone nearby chimed in, "Give the young man a banner for his workplace!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The man nodded eagerly.

Gu Zhao shook his head. "I haven’t graduated yet."

The woman’s eyes lit up. "Then perfect! Give it to the school!"

"No, no, really no—it was nothing," Gu Zhao said. He had a cheat system now and didn’t want attention. "Just treat me to a meal instead."

"Of course!" The woman turned, pulling the two girls over. "You two come too—let’s add each other on WeChat, so we can stay in touch."

The family thanked Gu Zhao once more, holding the child close. Seeing the child was still shaken—even though slightly recovered—they decided not to continue climbing and turned back down.

The crowd gradually dispersed, but Jiang Shishi remained ecstatic. "You’re insane!"

"Basic move, no big deal," Gu Zhao joked, then added, "It wasn’t far, and not that dangerous."

Xiao Ya looked at the slope beyond the stone steps. Though grass and shrubs grew near the steps, the ground below grew steep and vanished from sight after a short distance—it was impossible to call it "not that dangerous."

"It’s not appropriate to say this, but please don’t be reckless again—it’s far too risky," Xiao Ya urged gently.

Gu Zhao accepted her concern with a sincere nod. "Thank you. I’ll be careful."

Though he’d never tested his Wu Gong against a person, in terms of qinggong alone, even the world’s top parkour athlete would bow to him. As long as he wasn’t falling directly from a skyscraper or cliff, he shouldn’t face mortal danger.

"You should be careful, but showing off is essential!" Jiang Shishi still clung to Gu Zhao’s left arm, staring at him. "I bet you never get to show off—how does it feel?"

Gu Zhao savored the soft touch, his face serious. "Incredibly satisfying!"

Xiao Ya subtly tugged Jiang Shishi. "Alright, alright, keep climbing. We’re still far from the Lord Laozi Pavilion—we need to get down early for dinner."

Jiang Shishi let go, smoothing her clothes. "Fine, fine, let’s keep climbing."

They had now left the Ancient Celestial Master Cave and, after walking a distance, turned toward the Ancestral Master Hall.

"Quanzhen Preaches the Teachings," Jiang Shishi read the inscription on the plaque. "Another Quanzhen temple? Isn’t that sandwiching Zhengyi from both sides?"

Gu Zhao shook his head. "All Daoist sects are one family. Quanzhen and Zhengyi are both orthodox Daoist lineages that uphold our native culture."

Jiang Shishi turned back, bewildered, just as a middle-aged Daoist priest passed by. He nodded to Jiang Shishi, then bowed to Gu Zhao with a smile. "Fusheng Wuliang Tianzun!"

Gu Zhao smiled and returned the greeting.

Jiang Shishi, "... "

After the Daoist passed, Jiang Shishi lightly punched Gu Zhao. "Were you planning this?"

Gu Zhao spread his hands. "You said it, not me."

Jiang Shishi sighed. "Didn’t you keep telling me Zhengyi and Quanzhen either debate or fight each other?"

Gu Zhao looked confused. "Did I say that?"

Jiang Shishi clenched her tiny fist, when Xiao Ya murmured beside her, "Actually, you didn’t."

"Aaaah! Xiao Ya, you’ve turned bad too!"

Laughter and chatter echoed along the mountain path, then dissolved into heavy panting.

After that incident, the three had grown noticeably closer—they were friends now.

"Finally made it. Didn’t expect Qingcheng Mountain to be this hard," Jiang Shishi panted, gazing at the nearby Lord Laozi Pavilion.

"Not bad—it’s easier than Mount Tai," Xiao Ya said, also tired but clearly less exhausted than Jiang Shishi.

Jiang Shishi glanced at Xiao Ya’s legs, then at her own chest. The other had advantages; she had burdens. Add and subtract, the difference was two hundred percent—how could she compete?

Gu Zhao rested with the two girls briefly, then together they lit incense and lamps before the Lord Laozi Pavilion, prayed for blessings, and entered the pavilion to bow before the Three Pure Ones.

Inside, a statue of Laozi stood facing them. A line of climbers waited to bow; an old Daoist priest, white-haired and wrinkled, sat behind a small table beside the statue, eyes lowered, expressionless, one hand holding a small mallet, staring at a bronze bell on the table.

Each time worshippers knelt and bowed, the old priest struck the bell once.

"Dong—"

The three waited in line. Jiang Shishi suddenly remembered something and studied the old priest closely, finally noticing something odd.

"He’s wearing Bluetooth earbuds!" Jiang Shishi whispered.

Xiao Ya looked up, scanning the table, and whispered back, "Behind the signboard, there’s a phone mounted."

"You remember that news too?" Jiang Shishi turned to Xiao Ya; the two girls giggled.

Only Gu Zhao suddenly felt the Five Thunder Talisman leap in his mind; the thunder seed, long useless, suddenly stirred, subtly pointing toward a direction.

Gu Zhao’s heart stirred—he looked up sharply—and found the old Daoist priest staring directly at him.