Chapter 5: Chapter Five: The Wooden Carving

The silent mountain village, corpses strewn across the ground, Gu Zhao standing dazed with an eerie smile on his face…

A breeze stirred, crows cawed mournfully, a corner of the green robe on the ground fluttered up, black powder drifting like willow catkins, reflecting off dozens of scattered blades and spears…

Gu Zhao looked up and glanced around; the gazes in the cracks of doors and windows vanished in an instant. When an occasional wail rose up, it was immediately muffled by a covering hand, leaving only faint, directionless mumbling.

Gu Zhao, "…"

Gu Zhao was speechless—did this count as a real-life version of "enough to stop a baby from crying at night"?

"Creak—"

The one who broke the silence was still that oldest-looking elder.

That elder, supporting the little girl, tottered out. His gaze toward Gu Zhao carried caution and care. "This old man greets the Master Mage. Many thanks, my lord, for slaying the ghost creature and saving our lives!"

Compared to the elder's caution and care, the gaze of the little girl beside him held nothing but unreserved worship and excitement, her bright eyes seeming to shine.

Gu Zhao glanced at the pile of black ash, then looked up at the sun.

This world actually had ghosts, and they could appear in broad daylight?

Gu Zhao's eyes shifted as he organized his words. "Although I came here by accident, since I happened upon a ghost creature doing evil, destroying her was merely a matter of convenience. You need not be so polite, He Laozhang."

The elder glanced at his shoeless feet, then pretended he hadn't noticed anything, nodding repeatedly and bowing in invitation. "The Master Mage must be weary from slaying the ghost. If you don't mind, please come inside and rest a while, and let this old man serve you tea."

Gu Zhao had been wanting to scout out the truth of this world. The elder before him clearly knew quite a bit, and he had a life-saving debt owed to them—wasn't he the most suitable source of information?

So Gu Zhao accepted the elder's invitation, went inside to rest, and made small talk with him.

The elder's surname was He. He was the oldest man in the village, and also the one with the highest prestige.

The little girl beside him was called He Xiuniang, He Laozhang's granddaughter. Both her parents had died, and she had always lived with He Laozhang.

Seeing Gu Zhao and He Laozhang chatting happily, the surrounding villagers also came out one after another. The bolder ones, after paying their respects to Gu Zhao, went to clean up the bandits' corpses; the more timid ones stood by watching the commotion.

"This place is called Cuishan Village. The mountain behind us is called Cuiluo Mountain. Beyond it, mountains connect to mountains, and hidden within are quite a few mountain strongholds and bandits."

He Laozhang explained, "It's just that those bandits still follow some rules. They've never eaten from their own doorstep, and besides, we don't have much to plunder. This time, I don't know what came over them…"

"Not far ahead of the village is the official road. Heading east along the official road for thirty li is Xiuyue County; heading west for over a hundred li is Wuhe County. If the Master Mage wishes to go to Changping Prefecture, you'll have to head northwest." He Laozhang said.

Gu Zhao nodded. The mini-map function activated. Besides the starting location Cuishan Village, three towns lit up: Changping Prefecture, Wuhe County, and Xiuyue County.

Gu Zhao chatted with He Laozhang, listening more and speaking less, sorting through the information.

He Laozhang didn't seem to find it strange either, and did his best to lay out everything he knew clearly.

"Master Mage!"

A man dressed as a farmer carefully entered the room. He first bowed to Gu Zhao, then greeted He Laozhang, and gently set the bundle in his arms down on the table before the two of them.

"Master Mage, this is the gold and silver we picked off those bandits. None of us touched it." The man said respectfully.

Gu Zhao was stunned at the words, and involuntarily reached out to open the bundle, revealing a scattered pile of copper coins, two standard silver ingots, and five or six pieces of roughly polished brass and silver jewelry.

Hmm… even by modern standards, it wasn't worth much.

Thinking he might actually need it later, Gu Zhao took the two silver ingots, grabbed a handful of copper coins, then pushed the rest toward He Laozhang. "He Laozhang, please arrange for the rest of these things."

He Laozhang knew Gu Zhao looked down on these things, and didn't refuse. He handed the bundle back to the man and instructed, "See whose house was smashed up the worst, and give them a little more."

"Aye!" The man agreed happily, bowed to Gu Zhao once more, then hugged the bundle and ran out the door.

He Xiuniang brushed past the man, a pair of leather boots in her hands. They looked freshly washed, still dotted with water droplets.

"Master Mage!" He Xiuniang blinked her bright, dewy eyes and said, somewhat expectantly, "I found a pair that should fit you. I've already wiped them clean…"

"Hold your tongue!" He Laozhang was startled and scolded He Xiuniang. "How the Master Mage dresses—is that any of your business?"

He Xiuniang was startled too, timid and at a loss.

Gu Zhao was also a bit dumbfounded, not knowing why He Laozhang had suddenly gotten angry.

He Laozhang hurriedly turned back to apologize. "Xiuniang is still young and speaks without thinking. Please don't take offense, Master Mage!"

"It's fine, it's fine." Gu Zhao waved his hand.

Perhaps seeing Gu Zhao's mild temper, and seeing He Xiuniang's pitiful, teary eyes, He Laozhang's heart softened. He explained to He Xiuniang, "The Master Mage, at such a young age, can subdue demons and drive out ghosts, slaying the female ghost in a single strike. In a few more days, even more powerful ghosts won't be his match."

He Xiuniang half-understood; Gu Zhao suddenly saw the light.

So He Laozhang had assumed he had run into a fearsome ghost creature, been beaten so badly he'd thrown off his armor and fled in panic, left with nothing but his inner garments, and even lost his shoes in the scramble.

Hmm… looking down on him like this—should he give He Laozhang a little shock therapy?

But Gu Zhao also figured out why He Laozhang had asked nothing when facing him, and had done his best to describe the surrounding area.

Gu Zhao laughed it off, didn't explain, and instead took the shoes from He Xiuniang's hands, smiling gently. "Thank you, Xiuniang. Going barefoot really isn't as comfortable as wearing shoes."

Xiuniang immediately broke into a bright smile, revealing two little dimples. "As long as the Master Mage likes them!"

"Oh right, there's also this!" Xiuniang said, reaching into her clothes and pulling out a wooden carving about twenty centimeters tall from her lapel, handing it to Gu Zhao. "That female ghost only had this thing on her. Maybe the Master Mage can use it!"

Gu Zhao reached out and took it. The carving was a handsome male figure, clad in precious armor, a cape on his back, a precious pearl atop his head, riding the clouds beneath his feet, one hand raised, one hand pressed down, wielding twin swords—magnificent and imposing.

The carving had a red base with gold patterns. As Gu Zhao turned it over to examine it, he saw the two characters 【Jin Feng】 carved into the base, and moreover…

Gu Zhao sensed the carving seemed far from simple; a layer of energy seemed to shroud it from the outside.

"This energy seems to be radiating outward, and the inside is even more saturated with it, as if carrying a spiritual attribute." Gu Zhao felt the consciousness sea guarded by the Five Thunder Talisman stir.

Gu Zhao tried to sense it and found this spiritual energy was not pure, carrying a cold, sinister force, somewhat similar to the power the green-robed female ghost had just wielded.

Could it be her dharma treasure?

She hadn't even had time to use her dharma treasure before he struck her dead with a bolt of palm thunder?

Gu Zhao: (◔◡◔)