Chapter 6: Chapter Six: Lie Low for a While

“Looks like a good item,” Gu Zhao said with a smile.

“As long as you can use it, I’ll help you put on your shoes!” He Xiuniang smiled brightly, delighted to be of service to Gu Zhao; she bent down, ready to wipe his feet with her sleeve.

Gu Zhao was startled and quickly stopped her. “I can do it myself.”

Gu Zhao came from a wealthy family; he knew several children from similar backgrounds, and had long been adept at nightclubs and private karaoke—though not nightly revelry, being served foot-washing and shoe-dressing was nothing more than basic, mundane luxury.

But since childhood, under his grandfather’s guidance, Gu Zhao had devoted all his time to cultivating the Dao and practicing martial arts, never having experienced such things; though he had seen them, heard of them, secretly envied them, and even boasted about them, he had never actually done any of it, and was still uncomfortable with it.

He rubbed his feet against his pant leg, scraping off some dirt, then slipped on the leather boots—indeed, they fit perfectly; He Xiuniang had truly put thought into it.

Seeing Gu Zhao put on his own shoes, He Xiuniang pursed her lips, a faint hint of pique flashing in her eyes.

He Laozhang glanced at He Xiuniang, then at Gu Zhao’s gentle and courteous demeanor, his eyes flickering with unspoken emotion; he ventured, “May I ask, Master Fa Shi, what are your plans henceforth?”

What plans?

He Laozhang left Gu Zhao speechless.

He truly felt overwhelmed, with countless matters tangled together, and had no idea what to do next.

He had simply returned home for an ordinary afternoon cultivation session—and ended up getting transported across worlds.

Just after arriving, he encountered bandits raiding the village, then ran into a non-human female ghost; had his golden finger not been so powerful, he might already be dead.

Speaking of the golden finger…

Gu Zhao now knew the Five Thunder Talisman could transport him, activate his primordial qi to grant him magic power, and aid his cultivation by slaying monsters and granting levels.

As for other functions—such as the thunder seed orbiting the Five Thunder Talisman—its purpose remained to be explored.

But Gu Zhao reflected: his survival wasn’t solely due to the Five Thunder Talisman; it was primarily because he had cultivated since childhood, enduring ten full years of grueling effort, staying wise and calm at critical moments, and mastering all manner of demon-subduing techniques!

Gu Zhao crossed his arms, “Clearly, becoming the protagonist relies entirely on my own hard work!”

Five Thunder Talisman, “...”

So now, besides continuing to explore the Five Thunder Talisman’s possible other functions, he must also test which spells from his Dao scriptures are usable.

Those are the very foundation of his survival in this world!

Not to mention, the woman claimed to be the Divine Maiden of the Golden Wind Sect—meaning she belonged to an organized group; who knew if the Golden Wind Sect might come hunting for him? He must rapidly strengthen himself.

Compared to that, exploring this world was less urgent; moreover, he was still absorbing surrounding heavenly and earthly spiritual energy, and his magic power had not yet reached saturation.

Gu Zhao thought it over: rather than going to that Xiuyue County, he might as well stay a while longer in Cuishan Village.

Though not completely isolated, this place had little contact with the outside world—perfect for his current plan to lie low; and since he had saved the entire village, they would surely not object to his temporary stay.

As for an excuse…

Gu Zhao glanced at He Laozhang—wasn’t the excuse right there?

“To be honest, Master, I’ve recently undergone a disturbance and am not yet fit for strenuous activity; I’d like to stay here in the village for a while—is that convenient?” Gu Zhao asked.

“Convenient? Of course convenient!” He Laozhang hurriedly agreed. “There’s an empty room inside the courtyard—used to be He Xiuniang’s parents’ room. If you don’t mind, I’ll have He Xiuniang clean it up for you.”

“Then thank you, Master,” Gu Zhao nodded in gratitude, handing him a silver ingot. “This shall cover my lodging expenses.”

Just moments ago, during the bandit raid, He Laozhang’s home had been smashed up—many pots and jars broken—but he had given the entire sack to the peasant man who entered, keeping nothing for himself.

Gu Zhao could see: though He Laozhang held high prestige in the village, the village as a whole was poor; he had lost his children and now lived only with his granddaughter; though others might provide food and drink, his life remained hard.

He Laozhang had shared many pieces of information with him; He Xiuniang had helped him obtain a war trophy; Gu Zhao instinctively wished to reciprocate.

“How could I possibly take your money?” He Laozhang hastily refused, adamantly declining.

Hearing Gu Zhao would be staying in their home, He Xiuniang’s eyes lit up; she forgot about the silver entirely, turned, and ran off. “I’ll clean the room for Master Fa Shi!”

“I’ll be staying in your home, eating and drinking—of course I must pay.”

“Don’t call me Master Fa Shi! You saved our entire village; even if you stayed a hundred years, food and drink would still be enough!”

“Your home was ransacked by bandits; many things need replacing.”

“Those were just cheap pots and jars; next time, let Boqing go to the county and replace them.”

“Then buy two bolts of cloth for He Xiuniang to make a new dress.”

“...”

He Laozhang accepted the silver; Gu Zhao saw He Xiuniang return after finishing cleaning the neighboring room, just in time to hear their conversation—her cheeks flushed red, embarrassed.

“Master Fa Shi...”

“Don’t call me Master Fa Shi,” Gu Zhao finally realized he hadn’t introduced himself. “I’m Gu.”

“Then I’ll call you Young Master Gu!” He Laozhang immediately said.

“Good!” Gu Zhao nodded, following He Xiuniang into the neighboring room.

Though the room hadn’t been lived in for a long time, it had been regularly cleaned; He Xiuniang had simply laid out the bed, placed a pillow and thin blanket, and set an oil lamp on the windowsill—done.

The oil lamp had been taken from He Laozhang’s own room.

Gu Zhao looked at He Laozhang and He Xiuniang’s patched clothes, then at the bed’s still-fresh thin blanket, and frowned slightly.

He Laozhang tensed, thinking Gu Zhao was offended, and quickly explained, “He Xiuniang’s parents died in an accident in the mountains.”

He Xiuniang also looked at Gu Zhao anxiously.

“You misunderstand,” Gu Zhao reassured them. “I mean, this was He Xiuniang’s parents’ belongings—you’ve cared for them so well. I using them feels inappropriate.”

“Appropriate, very appropriate!” He Laozhang insisted. “You’re our savior; even if He Xiuniang’s parents were still alive, they’d give this to you—there’s nothing inappropriate about it.”

He Xiuniang looked at Gu Zhao hopefully.

So Gu Zhao no longer refused, but said, “When I cultivate, I’m not certain where I’ll be—I may not even sleep here.”

Gu Zhao explained his plans: he would occasionally enter the mountains to cultivate, with no fixed schedule for meals or sleep—sometimes returning to the village by day, sometimes leaving the village entirely; He Laozhang needn’t prepare anything specially for him.

After finishing, Gu Zhao looked at the sky and sensed the Five Thunder Talisman in his mind, then departed the village under He Laozhang and He Xiuniang’s watchful eyes, entering the forest behind the mountain.

Moments later, Gu Zhao found a secluded corner.

“Transport!”

“Whoosh!”

…

In a luxurious underground palace somewhere.

A handsome man, bare-chested, writhed with seven or eight alluring, naked women; with each breath, dark red, icy energy spread through the chamber.

Suddenly, the handsome man seemed to sense something—he turned his head toward a certain direction.

“Where is my incense shrine?”