Chapter 44

Almost no ordinary people in the Gold Wind Hall had ever faced him directly, but Lu the Painter was different.

This man had communicated with him, and they were both evil humans and evil spirits—perhaps the Gold Wind God-King would find them; how could Gu Zhao leave them alive?

Killing Lu the Painter and the painting spirit indeed yielded a great deal of dark energy.

Gu Zhao recited a passage from the Sutra for Delivering Souls, then directly used his magic power to erase the spiritual essences remaining in the scrolls, letting them dissipate into heaven and earth, before quietly leaving Xiuyue County.

A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall; now is the time to return to the mountain village and lie low.

Another Gold Wind Guardian Spirit was slain, and a spirit idol was seized—perhaps the Gold Wind God-King himself would come; Gu Zhao had no intention of staying at the crime scene to admire the results.

…

As the sun set, He Xiuniang finished a full day's work, then brought Bai Ke to the village entrance, leaning against the big tree by the gate, staring blankly at the distant imperial road.

"Stop staring—he's only been gone for over ten days; he won't come back that fast," Bai Ke, curled on Xiuniang's shoulder, lazily yawned.

"I know, but I've got nothing else to do, so I came here to wait," Xiuniang said, worried. "Don't you think Young Master might be in danger?"

"How would I know?" Bai Ke snorted, but seeing Xiuniang's serious expression, she added, "All three of the Gold Wind Sect's Guardian Spirits couldn't withstand three of his moves; as long as he doesn't go to the prefectural city and provoke powerful beings, ordinary spirits and monsters aren't his match."

"Are all the powerful ones inside the prefectural city?" Xiuniang asked.

"Not necessarily," Bai Ke licked her lips with her tongue. "Those who cultivate the Divine Path mostly stay in or near cities, mindful of their reputation—but those who eat flesh and suck blood, or who practice in solitude, usually choose remote wilderness."

The Da Ning Dynasty is in decline; the Xuanweishen Sect is not what it once was, and the Spirit Court is short-staffed, but they still retain some deterrent power."

After training with Bai Ke for many days, Xiuniang had learned a bit about the cultivation world; now she asked, "Aren't the Divine Path cultivators policed by the Xuanweishen Sect? Isn't the imperial court forbidden from allowing heretical worship?"

"Because they can't possibly police them all," Bai Ke mused. "As long as they don't overthrow the local government and still acknowledge Da Ning's territory, they're tacitly allowed—sort of like feudal lords carving out their own domains?"

Xiuniang nodded, half-understanding, and marveled, "You know so much!"

Bai Ke flicked her tail, proudly saying, "Of course—I'm a Heavenly Fox bloodline; innate wisdom comes naturally, so of course I know more."

"Then when will you be able to take human form?" Xiuniang asked eagerly.

"Soon, soon," Bai Ke extended her paw and began counting. "As long as you train well, I'll be able to— one… two… three…"

"Young Master!?"

Bai Ke was still counting when Xiuniang cried out in surprise, then dashed forward—nearly flinging Bai Ke off her shoulder; only by clutching Xiuniang's sleeve did Bai Ke land firmly back on her shoulder.

"Huh? He's back already?" Bai Ke also saw Gu Zhao approaching, and immediately checked his hands.

Seeing the familiar white transparent bag, inside which were two white transparent boxes, each packed full, she finally let out a knowing smile.

"Ying ying ying!"

Bai Ke's fox eyes narrowed into slits; she grinned as she followed Xiuniang closer, then sniffed the air and caught a sweet fragrance.

"Mm, it's Dongpo pork, and five-spice roasted chicken!"

"Did you finish your business, Young Master?" Xiuniang walked up beside Gu Zhao, took the plastic bag from his hands, and walked with him toward the village.

"Mm, half done, at least," Gu Zhao said carefully. "I'll stay in the village for a few days, then leave again."

Xiuniang bit her lip. "Mm…"

…

"Young Master, come with me!"

After dinner, while the sky was still not fully dark, Xiuniang pulled Gu Zhao to the woods not far behind the village.

"What's wrong?"

Gu Zhao's eyes narrowed slightly—he was on high alert. This girl's face was flushed, her expression excited, her movements furtive; dragging him into a small grove—what was she up to?

He wasn't just anyone!

Even if he were to enter a grove, it should be Jiang Shishi or Xiao Ya who fit his taste.

Hmm, speaking of them—if his Heavenly Wind Talisman truly cured Xiao Ya's grandfather, and she realized his extraordinary nature and wanted to offer herself in marriage, how should he respond?

Seeing Gu Zhao's smile, Xiuniang was delighted. "Did Young Master agree?"

"Huh?" Gu Zhao looked utterly confused.

"Young Master, look!" As Xiuniang spoke, she flipped her palm—and a white nail, an inch long, appeared in her hand.

With a flick of her wrist, the nail became a streak of white light, shooting out with a sudden *bang*—piercing a small tree ten feet away, then circling back into her hand.

"Huh?" Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow in surprise—he hadn't expected Xiuniang to have developed even a little magic power in less than half a month.

"This is Bai Ke's Heavenly Fox Nail, forged from her fur. She made three in total and gave me one," Xiuniang offered the Heavenly Fox Nail to Gu Zhao.

"Ying ying!" Bai Ke lifted her head haughtily.

Gu Zhao didn't look at the nail, nor at Bai Ke—he turned to carefully examine the small tree, and the two-finger-wide hole drilled cleanly through its trunk.

"It's still a small-leaf rosewood… this nail—did it just erase tens of thousands?"

Gu Zhao clicked his tongue, then reached out and took the nail.

The nail was cloud-white, neither metal nor iron, seeming formed from countless fine white threads, yet solid in form; even when Gu Zhao exerted force, he couldn't bend it.

From its ability to pierce the tree trunk instantly without pause, its impact and penetration power were clearly substantial.

"Was this the same thing you used against that Gold Wind Sect Guardian?" Gu Zhao asked.

Bai Ke nodded her fox head. "That's the one."

"Excellent. Very powerful," Gu Zhao returned the Heavenly Fox Nail to Xiuniang.

It's like carrying a Desert Eagle on your person!

"Bai Ke said the initial cultivation progresses quickly," Xiuniang couldn't help revealing the truth. "But it gets slower and slower after that."

"Everyone's the same," Gu Zhao smiled.

Whether in reality or novels, everyone slows down the more they cultivate; getting stuck later is normal—even geniuses aren't exempt. That's why systems emphasizing diligence compensating for lack of talent or grinding progress bars count as cheat abilities.

Otherwise, if all geniuses suddenly awakened overnight and ascended without obstacle, there'd be no need for cheats at all.

Encouraged by Gu Zhao, Xiuniang was invigorated. "There's more! Young Master, look!"

Xiuniang looked up at the moon, then channeled her A Body Full of Techniques—her entire body flickered instantly, shifting sideways… two meters away.

This time Gu Zhao was truly stunned. "Instant teleportation?"

"Hehehe, scared silly, right? Can't do it?" Bai Ke shook his head, full of pride.

Gu Zhao cast a sidelong glance at Bai Ke. "So you can pass through walls and leap over houses, covering a thousand li in an instant?"

Bai Ke's face instantly fell. "No. This is called Moonlight Escape. It can only use the power of moonlight to shift quickly within sight, and it consumes a great deal of magic power. It's for saving one's life."

After a long explanation, Gu Zhao finally understood this did not count as instant shifting, could not traverse space, and was simply pure rapid movement.

But it was already very strong. Once magic power was high, wasn't this shrinking the earth to an inch?

Gu Zhao rubbed his hands together and grinned. "Can I learn it?"