Chapter 44: The Heavenly Fox Nail and Moonlight Evasion

Almost no ordinary person in the Gold Wind Hall had ever faced him directly, but Master Lu the painter was different.

This man had interacted with him, and they were both evil humans and evil spirits—likely to be found by the Gold Wind Divine King. How could Gu Zhao leave them alive?

Killing Master Lu the painter and the painting spirit yielded even more 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 was the time to return to the mountain village and lie low.

He had just killed another Gold Wind Guardian Spirit and seized a spirit incense statue—perhaps the Gold Wind Divine King would come himself. Gu Zhao had no intention of staying at the crime scene to watch the aftermath.

…

As the sun set, He Xiuniang finished her day’s work and brought Bai Ke to the village entrance, leaning against the big tree by the gate, staring blankly at the distant official road.

“Stop staring—he’s only been gone for over ten days. How could he return so fast?” Bai Ke lay curled on Xiuniang’s shoulder, lazily yawning.

“I know, but I’ve got nothing else to do, so I came here to wait.” Xiuniang looked worried. “Don’t you think the Young Master might be in danger?”

“How would I know?” Bai Ke sneered, but seeing Xiuniang’s serious expression, added, “All three Gold Wind Guardian Spirits couldn’t withstand three of his strikes. As long as he doesn’t go to the prefectural city to provoke powerful beings, ordinary ghosts and spirits 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 Spirit Path mostly stay in or near cities, mindful of their reputation. But those who eat flesh, suck blood, or practice in solitude usually choose remote wilderness.”

The Da Ning Dynasty is in decline; the Xuanwei Spirit 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. She now asked, “Aren’t the Spirit Path cultivators policed by the Xuanwei Spirit 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 accepted—sort of like feudal lords carving out their own domains?”

Xiuniang nodded, half-understanding, and praised, “You know so much!”

Bai Ke flicked her tail, proudly saying, “Of course—I’m a heavenly fox bloodline, naturally gifted with wisdom. 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 cultivate well, I’ll be able to in… one… two… three…”

“Young Master!?”

While Bai Ke was still counting, Xiuniang had already cried out in surprise and rushed forward, nearly throwing Bai Ke off her shoulder. Bai Ke grabbed onto Xiuniang’s sleeve and barely managed to land firmly on her shoulder.

“Huh? He’s back already?” Bai Ke also spotted Gu Zhao approaching, and immediately checked his hands.

Seeing the familiar white transparent bag, with two white transparent boxes inside, each packed full, she finally smiled knowingly.

“Ying ying ying!”

Bai Ke’s fox eyes narrowed into slits. She grinned and followed Xiuniang closer, sniffing the air, catching a sweet fragrance.

“Mm, it’s Dongpo pork, and five-spice roasted chicken!”

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

“Mm, half done, at least,” Gu Zhao considered. “I’ll stay in the village for a few days, then head out 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. Why was she dragging him into a small grove? What was she up to?

He wasn’t that kind of man!

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 Tian Gang 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 beamed. “Does that mean you 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.

She flicked her wrist—the nail became a streak of white light, striking swiftly and piercing a small tree ten feet away, then looping back to her palm with a soft “bang.”

“Huh?” Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn’t expected her to have developed even a little spiritual power in less than half a month.

“This is Bai Ke’s Heavenly Fox Nail, forged from her hair. She made three in total and gave me one,” Xiuniang offered the nail to Gu Zhao.

“Ying ying!” Bai Ke lifted her head haughtily.

Gu Zhao didn’t look at the nail or at Bai Ke—he turned to examine the small tree closely, noting the two-finger-wide hole drilled cleanly through its trunk.

“It’s still zitan wood… Did that nail just erase ten thousand yuan worth of timber?”

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

The nail was cloud-white, neither metal nor iron, seeming woven from countless fine white threads, yet solid and unyielding—Gu Zhao exerted force, but couldn’t bend it.

Judging from how it had pierced the trunk without pause, its impact and penetration were formidable.

“Was this the same thing you used against that Gold Wind Cult Guardian?” Gu Zhao asked.

Bai Ke nodded her fox head. “That’s the one.”

“Impressive. Very powerful,” Gu Zhao returned the Heavenly Fox Nail to Xiuniang.

It’s like carrying a Desert Eagle in your pocket.

“Bai Ke said the initial cultivation progresses quickly,” Xiuniang blurted out the truth. “But it gets slower and slower after that.”

“Everyone’s the same,” Gu Zhao smiled.

Whether in reality or novels, cultivation always slows down over time. Stalling at higher stages is normal—even geniuses hit walls. That’s why systems that reward diligence and grind are the real cheat codes.

Otherwise, if all geniuses suddenly awakened overnight and ascended effortlessly, there’d be no need for cheats at all.

Encouraged by Gu Zhao’s words, Xiuniang brightened. “There’s more, Young Master—look!”

Xiuniang looked up at the moon, gathered her spiritual power, and in an instant—vanished, reappearing… two meters away.

This time, Gu Zhao was genuinely stunned. “Instant teleportation?”

“Hehehe, shocked? Can’t do that, right?” Bai Ke shook her head smugly.

Gu Zhao glanced at Bai Ke. “So you can pass through walls and move a thousand li in an instant?”

Bai Ke’s expression dropped instantly. “No. This is Moonlight Evasion—it only lets me move quickly within sight, using moonlight energy. It drains spiritual power heavily. It’s strictly for escape.”

After the explanation, Gu Zhao understood: it wasn’t true teleportation, didn’t traverse space—just pure rapid movement.

But it was already powerful. Once spiritual power increased, wasn’t this essentially shrinking distance into inches?

Gu Zhao rubbed his hands together, grinning. “Can I learn it?”