Chapter 67: Removing the Mark

"The Golden Wind God King has at least five hundred years of cultivation; he can ride the void and traverse a hundred li in an instant."

Zhu Qingyan emphasized to the group, "The Rain Concubine was one of the Golden Wind God King's two concubines. Now that she is dead, the Golden Wind God King will surely come for revenge. If you stay here, you will only die alongside me."

Although Daoist Yan Song and Gu Zhao had both displayed extraordinary power, five hundred years of cultivation was a threshold she did not believe they could surpass against the Golden Wind God King.

"The Golden Wind God King can fly?"

"Five hundred years of cultivation is enough to fly?"

Gu Zhao learned another piece of knowledge, but now was not the time to focus on that point. "You have his mark on you?"

"Half a month ago, someone caused a great disturbance in the Golden Wind Hall, killed the First Guardian of the Golden Wind Divine Sect, and stole the Incense Spirit Statue of the Golden Wind Hall. The Golden Wind God King descended upon Xiuyue County to investigate, inadvertently discovered me, and demanded I become his third divine concubine. I was no match for him and was injured by him."

Zhu Qingyan spoke in a low, melancholy voice. "Seeing that I was determined to die rather than submit, to dispel my resolve to die, he planted a magic seal upon me, saying he would return in a month to marry me. The rest, you should already know."

"He can sense my existence and approximate location through this mark. Once he gets close, he can track me down by following the aura." Zhu Qingyan said, "So there is no way for me to escape. You should leave quickly."

"Ah!" The embroiderer cried out, her eyes full of worry.

She had just learned Zhu Qingyan's story and heard the words of the Rain Concubine; how could she not know that the Golden Wind God King now intended to deliver Zhu Qingyan to her greatest enemy?

But now that Zhu Qingyan had been marked by the Golden Wind God King, she could not bring herself to beg Gu Zhao to take Zhu Qingyan away.

Gu Zhao blinked and simply asked, "Is this mark difficult to remove?"

Zhu Qingyan shook her head. "The Golden Wind God King has several hundred years of cultivation; his mark cannot be removed."

Gu Zhao looked at Daoist Yan Song. "Will our magic power hurt her?"

Magic power cultivated by Daoists is naturally lethal to ghosts and evil spirits, allowing them to fight across levels. Gu Zhao guessed it might be able to erase the Golden Wind God King's mark, but it might also hurt Zhu Qingyan.

Although Gu Zhao was confident, he still sought confirmation from Daoist Yan Song.

Daoist Yan Song smiled and shook his head, then winked at Gu Zhao. "Whether a knife hurts someone depends on whether the wielder wants to hurt them. If you control your magic power, you will naturally not hurt her."

So Gu Zhao turned to Zhu Qingyan. "How about I give it a try?"

Zhu Qingyan looked at Gu Zhao with a cold gaze. After a moment, she finally extended her hand, gently rolled up her sleeve, and revealed a white arm as fair as frost and snow.

Then Gu Zhao unceremoniously grabbed Zhu Qingyan's wrist.

Zhu Qingyan's body involuntarily tensed, and then she felt a warm aura surge into her body through her wrist, traveling up her meridians toward her upper arm.

"The mark is on my shoulder." While guiding the aura within her body with her own magic power, Zhu Qingyan pointed to her shoulder with her other hand.

In the next instant, Gu Zhao sensed the mark within Zhu Qingyan's body.

It radiated coldness and chill, along with a faint spiritual attribute, exactly the same as the aura Gu Zhao had sensed on the Incense Spirit Statue.

"No wonder there could be a connection." Gu Zhao nodded. Although he still did not understand how the mark was cast, he roughly understood its principle.

Most importantly, he had to destroy that strand of spirit within the mark.

Gu Zhao wrapped the mark with his magic power, but that strand of spirit immediately retaliated violently.

Perhaps due to the mutual suppression of magic powers, when that strand of spirit encountered Gu Zhao's magic power, it was like boiling water or scorching fire, rushing down along Gu Zhao's magic power and diving straight into Gu Zhao's spiritual sea.

Zhu Qingyan was startled and, worried about hurting Gu Zhao, quickly shook her arm. "Let go!"

Gu Zhao did not let go. The instant that strand of spirit entered Gu Zhao's body, he silently recited the Heart of Heaven General Mantra to protect his spirit.

Daoist Visualization Methods cultivate spiritual power. Although that strand of spiritual power was solid, Gu Zhao was not afraid. The moment the Heart of Heaven General Mantra took effect, the Five Thunder Talisman in his spiritual sea also trembled simultaneously.

In the next instant, a thread of Lei Ting shot out from the Five Thunder Talisman and instantly struck that strand of spirit. That strand of spirit, which looked solid but was actually too small in quantity, crumbled to dust within the Lei Ting.

Gu Zhao, "..."

"Brother Lei, I misunderstood you. It turns out you also have the function of protecting my spiritual sea!"

Having obliterated the spiritual mark, Gu Zhao released Zhu Qingyan, casually snapped his fingers, and said, "Done and finished!"

Zhu Qingyan looked at Gu Zhao in surprise. She never expected that the mark that had tormented her for half a month and which she could not remove no matter what would crumble to dust under Gu Zhao's hands.

"Young Master, did you remove the mark for Miss Zhu?" the embroiderer could not help asking.

"Removed it." Gu Zhao nodded.

"Once the mark is removed, the Golden Wind God King will surely sense it. You must leave quickly!" Zhu Qingyan urged.

The embroiderer could not help asking, "And what about you, Miss Zhu?"

"I..." Zhu Qingyan looked around her home, her heart filled with reluctance.

Daoist Yan Song came to her side and spoke in a gentle voice. "Where my heart is at peace is home. No matter where I am, as long as I miss my parents in my heart, I need not rely on external objects."

Zhu Qingyan performed a bow. "Thank you, senior, for your guidance."

"Let us leave the city first." Daoist Yan Song nodded. "Several incidents have already occurred in Xiuyue County. The Golden Wind God King will likely arrive very soon."

Zhu Qingyan was not indecisive by nature; otherwise, she would not have firmly refused her father's arrangements back then. She simply took a few small keepsakes worth remembering and left Xiuyue County quickly with the group.

"Thank you, senior. Thank you, Young Master."

In the woods outside the city, Zhu Qingyan thanked the group once more, glanced at Gu Zhao, and then took her leave.

Gu Zhao looked at Zhu Qingyan's determined eyes and could not help asking, "Miss, are you going to Changping Prefecture to find Yuan Wenrui?"

Zhu Qingyan paused, then spoke in a low voice. "Yuan Wenrui caused my parents to die unjustly back then. I did not know his whereabouts before, so it was one thing, but now that I know he has become the Prefect of Changping Prefecture, if I do not take revenge, I am unworthy of being a child."

"But the Golden Wind God King is in Changping Prefecture. If you go to take revenge, isn't that... isn't that..." The embroiderer grew anxious, then seeing Bai Ke on her shoulder, recalled a sentence Gu Zhao had said, and blurted out, "Isn't that like throwing a meat bun at a dog, going there but never returning?"

Bai Ke: (▼へ▼メ)

The embroiderer could not help looking at Gu Zhao. Seeing Gu Zhao wink at her, she immediately understood and advised Zhu Qingyan, "We live in Cuishan Village west of the county town. Why don't you come back with us first, Miss, and we can plan from there?"

Zhu Qingyan waved her hand and politely refused. "No, I cannot implicate you."

Seeing Zhu Qingyan insist, Gu Zhao shook his head and said to her, "It is not you implicating us; actually, it is I who implicated you."