Chapter 55

White-cut chicken, braised squab, honey-glazed char siu, poached prawns... all are famous Cantonese dishes.

The four ate and chatted; Zhang Hang learned the two women were from Yan Du, but they first met Gu Zhao at Yangcheng Primordial Method Palace, formally got to know him at Rongcheng Qingyang Palace, and became friends at Qingcheng Mountain.

"Do famous mountains and great sights have this function?" Zhang Hang was astonished. "Tomorrow I'll go to Primordial Method Palace and try it too!"

Gu Zhao reminded him, "Remember to donate more incense money."

"Incense money isn't the problem; the problem is, what's the situation with your Wu Gong?" Zhang Hang looked at Gu Zhao in shock. "How did I not know you were this formidable before?"

Jiang Shishi spoke with excitement and vivid detail, recounting the scene of Gu Zhao leaping to save someone, but regarding the Heavenly Gang Body-Protecting Talisman, the two women tactfully did not mention it.

Judging from Daoist Yan Song's and Gu Zhao's behavior, there wouldn't be many people in the country with such miraculous abilities; naturally, they wouldn't speak of it recklessly, let alone expect ordinary people who hadn't seen it to believe it.

Zhang Hang didn't even know Gu Zhao's true martial prowess; obviously, he wouldn't know Gu Zhao had already cultivated the miraculous Daoist True Qi.

"I've always practiced Wu Gong with my grandpa; you know that." Gu Zhao picked up a squab. The skin was crisp, the meat smooth, the bones tender and juicy; after taking a bite, fragrance filled the mouth, bringing satisfaction.

"I know you practice Wu Gong and fight beautifully, but I didn't know you were this formidable, a parkour expert too. Why have you never shown off at school?" Zhang Hang was very surprised. "I thought you just practiced it for physical fitness, about the same as broadcast calisthenics."

"Low profile, low profile," Gu Zhao said modestly. "In peaceful times, there's no opportunity for me to act."

Both came from good families and attended good schools; they had never encountered bullying. Their biggest disputes were slamming tables and shouting at classmates, but never reaching the point of fighting.

So Zhang Hang had only seen Gu Zhao perform Wu Gong in the void; he never knew Gu Zhao was actually quite formidable.

"So, can you fight?" Zhang Hang asked enthusiastically.

Gu Zhao glanced at him sideways. "Do you want to try?"

"No need," Zhang Hang refused solemnly. "We are friends; I believe in you!"

"But if you can fight, you could be a Wu Gong blogger!" Zhang Hang advised Gu Zhao. "Do some real Wu Gong, then do a few Wu Gong fraud exposures; you'd probably become famous."

Jiang Shishi nodded repeatedly, saying to Gu Zhao, "We could film videos together. After changing into ancient costumes, I'll play instruments while you practice Wu Gong; it should be quite effective."

Zhang Hang looked at Gu Zhao, then at Jiang Shishi.

Handsome man, beautiful woman, both possessing real Wu Gong; if they entered the short-video field, there might actually be potential.

However...

Gu Zhao asked in confusion, "I'm in Yangcheng, you're in Yan Du; one south, one north. How can we film videos together?"

Zhang Hang wished he could knock Gu Zhao three times on the back of the head. He couldn't even hear the subtext in those words; did he really want to stay single for life and spend it with his Daoist scriptures and martial arts?

But Jiang Shishi smiled, saying, "Maybe I'll be in Yangcheng in the future too!"

Gu Zhao was momentarily stunned. "Ah?"

"Yan Du National Orchestra is too hard to enter. I submitted my resume to the Guangdong Province National Orchestra. This time, besides coming to surprise you, I'm here for an interview." Jiang Shishi lifted her pretty face. "If I pass the interview, I'll develop my career in Yangcheng from now on."

Zhang Hang was dumbfounded and instinctively looked at Xiao Ya. He saw Xiao Ya smile gently, but her eyes revealed a hint of stubbornness. "I also submitted a resume; I'm interviewing together with Shishi."

Zhang Hang:???

On the other side, a high-end residential area in Yan Du.

"Ding-dong!"

"Daoist Priest Yi Guan is here!"

An elegant middle-aged woman, resembling Xiao Ya somewhat, opened the door and saw two Daoist Priests with gray beards and hair and kind smiles standing at the entrance.

"Daoist Priest Master Yihong is here too!"

"Senior brother only returned recently after being away for three years," the first old Daoist Priest nodded. "Xiao Lao Di has weak Qi and a frail body; I asked Senior Brother to come and unblock his Qi and blood."

"Daoist Priest Yi Guan is thoughtful. Dad's health has improved considerably recently; he can already walk by himself." Su Lei stepped aside to usher the two Daoist Priests into the room.

"He can walk by himself?" Daoist Priest Yi Guan was momentarily stunned. "Wasn't he unable to last month? Didn't it even get worse this year?"

"Perhaps he has rested well recently, and the weather has improved, so he often goes out to bask in the sun," Su Lei guessed.

"Is that so?" Daoist Priest Yi Guan nodded, then saw an old man walking out of the bedroom, leaning on a cane with one hand and supported by a nanny on the other side. Although he still looked very weak, his complexion was much ruddy.

"Xiao Lao Di," Daoist Priest Yi Guan stepped forward.

"Senior Brother Yi Guan!" Xiao Xiao Yanhua smiled and greeted the two old Daoist Priests. "Trouble you, Senior Brother Master Yihong, to make the trip as well."

"We are old friends; if I had known you were ill, I should have returned long ago," Daoist Priest Master Yihong said.

"It's not illness, just weak Qi and a frail body, little sleep and many dreams, low spirits, which has also affected my physical condition. But these symptoms are quite normal for old age," Xiao Xiao Yanhua smiled. "How could I delay your journey to collect rare Daoist scriptures?"

"Don't say that. It's not like the past; planes are very convenient. Actually, I spend most of my time touring mountains and waters," Daoist Priest Master Yihong joked.

Seeing Xiao Xiao Yanhua was fine, Daoist Priest Master Yihong also felt relieved.

Then the three went to the study to chat, with Su Lei accompanying them on the side, occasionally adding tea and water.

"Since I returned from abroad three years ago, my body hasn't been well. It seems that at my age, one should travel less; this consumes more energy than physical exercise," Xiao Xiao Yanhua took a sip of tea.

Daoist Priest Yi Guan nodded. "You've been recuperating for three years; that's quite something."

Daoist Priest Master Yihong added, "As long as you've recovered well, that's good."

"Good mood also plays a huge role in recuperation," Daoist Priest Yi Guan looked at the many Health Talismans and Peace Talismans hanging in the study. "Xiao Lao Di has a good granddaughter; wherever she goes, she doesn't forget to pray for charms and talismans for her grandpa."

Xiao Xiao Yanhua nodded with a chuckle.

However, upon hearing this, Su Lei frowned and said to Daoist Priest Yi Guan, "Xiao Ya having filial piety is good, but recently she's become obsessed and was even deceived by a scammer, causing a conflict with the family. Daoist Priest Yi Guan, could you help persuade her?"

"How was she deceived by a scammer?" Daoist Priest Yi Guan asked curiously.

"She returned from Qingcheng Mountain last month and obtained a body-protecting talisman, saying it was a truly consecrated talisman that would definitely work on Dad's condition."

Su Lei continued, "But the main point is, she said a young man drew it and claimed that young man could save people on cliffs and had cultivated some kind of internal breath True Qi."

"Recently, her eyes looked strange when she was on her phone. Under my questioning, she admitted she had feelings for that young man," Su Lei said worriedly. "Isn't this clearly being deceived?"

"I tried reasoning with her, but she wouldn't listen and even argued with me," Su Lei said indignantly. "These modern romance scammers are too formidable; they even specifically investigated the family's situation and tailored their approach!"