Chapter 73: The Mage's Intimidation Is Quite Strong

Daoist Yan Song looked across at the guards, each one burly and with sharp light in their eyes; another man rode a horse, his temples slightly bulging, his qi steady—surely a martial arts expert of this world.

"Truly a world brimming with spiritual energy; even martial arts are far easier here than over there," Daoist Yan Song sighed inwardly, then bowed to the young man, "Thank you, Young Master, for the reminder. We shall be cautious. Kindly have your attendants step aside."

The young man raised an eyebrow and said displeasedly, "Let your Young Lady answer."

Just now, Gu Zhao had been reclining inside the carriage; the young man had only seen Zhu Qingyan and the embroiderer, assuming only two people were inside—a Young Lady traveling with a maid and an old servant.

Daoist Yan Song was momentarily stunned, then saw the carriage curtain drawn back behind him. Gu Zhao poked his head out and said the same words: "Thank you, Young Master, for the reminder. We shall be cautious. Kindly have your attendants step aside."

The embroiderer chuckled lightly. "Young Master, how perfunctory."

Zhu Qingyan's eyes curved slightly as well; she lifted her teacup and took a light sip.

Seeing Gu Zhao appear, the young man was stunned; he hadn't expected another person inside the carriage, and a man at that. Recalling the two beauties, one older and one younger, inside the carriage, a pang of jealousy rose in his heart.

"Greetings, Young Master. I am Liu Qingfeng of the Liu family in Changping Prefecture. May I ask your honorable surname and name, and where you are from?" Liu Qingfeng thought for a moment, a look of pride on his face, and bowed slightly.

"Gu." Gu Zhao nodded, spoke one word, then said again, "I am in a hurry to travel. Might I ask Young Master to step aside?"

Seeing Gu Zhao's indifferent expression, Liu Qingfeng naturally realized his own behavior just now had been too eager. He forced a smile onto his face. "Young Master Gu must not be from Changping Prefecture. Do you not know that bandits roam the area nearby?"

"Just now I spoke rashly and offended greatly. But since Young Master travels with family, you should pay extra attention to your safety. If you truly encounter bandits, would it not be too late to regret?"

Liu Qingfeng pointed ahead, his words sincere. "The nearest town is still dozens of li away. The road is sparsely populated and full of mountain bandits. Young Master might consider joining our convoy to reach the densely populated area first, for absolute safety."

Gu Zhao narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "A band of bandits wanted to make a move on us, and we killed them all."

Hearing this, Liu Qingfeng was stunned. "Ah?"

"If bandits block the road, they are merely playthings for our amusement," Gu Zhao said in a low, eerie tone. "I most enjoy encountering those lawless, ferocious-faced bandits. Only with such people do I feel the thrill of killing."

Liu Qingfeng instinctively stepped back, nearly losing his footing, and was caught by the guard leader who rushed over.

The guard leader looked at Gu Zhao, observed him carefully for a moment, then hurriedly leaned close to Liu Qingfeng's ear and whispered, "Their carriage is extraordinary. They travel alone yet remain utterly calm. They are either martial artists or mages!"

Liu Qingfeng swallowed hard and instinctively asked, "Mages?"

"Possibly!" The guard leader waved his hand, and the two guards blocking the road immediately stepped aside.

Daoist Yan Song chuckled, cracked his whip in midair to drive the carriage away, and whispered with a laugh, "Don't young people nowadays love playing that 'pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger' trick? Even short dramas act that way. Why don't you try pretending?"

Gu Zhao chuckled, returned to the carriage, and said, "I am a Daoist, not a domineering CEO. Daoists only pretend to be mysterious; when have we ever played the 'pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger' trick?"

Daoist Yan Song laughed heartily, thinking to himself that treasures choose their masters for a reason; the Five Thunder Talisman choosing Gu Zhao as its host indeed had its grounds.

Watching the carriage depart, a glint of greed flashed in Liu Qingfeng's eyes. Unwilling to accept defeat, he asked the guard leader in a low voice, "Could they be bluffing? Where in the world are there so many mages?"

The guard leader frowned subtly and pondered before advising, "Nowadays, south of the Ten Thousand Spirits River, all is unstable. Demons and ghosts are rising everywhere. Common people have no livelihood and are helpless, while wealthy families mostly cherish their lives and will not act recklessly."

"This humble one sees that the man has an extraordinary bearing and the ladies inside the carriage are stunning. Without the power to protect themselves, they likely would never have had the chance to meet us. Young Master's noble body need not provoke evil and create unnecessary complications."

Liu Qingfeng nodded, feeling somewhat restless. He glanced at the sky, then returned to his carriage. "Hurry on. The sky looks unfavorable. We must reach Anlin Town today. I need to vent my anger properly."

Inside the carriage, Gu Zhao leaned back comfortably, feeling both reflective and puzzled. "I thought I would have to waste more words. I didn't expect one scare to make him back down. Are mages really that terrifying?"

The embroiderer said seriously, "Mages are very powerful. Grandfather heard many stories in Xiuyue County but has seen only a few mages!"

Bai Ke flicked her tail. "Demons and ghosts rarely show themselves before humans. To ordinary people, mages are already an unreachable existence. Even a small mage could kill them without breaking a sweat. How could they not be afraid?"

Gu Zhao said nothing, but he understood in his heart.

Although he had encountered the Golden Wind Goddess immediately upon arrival, later cleared several Golden Wind Protectors, Branch Altar Generals, a Painter Demon, a Corpse-Ghost Ape Demon, and a Butcher of the Meat Shop, and even eliminated a Golden Wind Imperial Consort.

All of this was built upon the foundation that he himself was a Thunder Mage. Not only could he sense qi and evil energy, but he was also deeply involved in these events, which is why he felt surrounded by capable and extraordinary people.

Now, thinking back, after circling Xiuyue County, even the openly operating Golden Wind Hall had only a few true ghosts inside. The remaining eerie places were merely the Meat Shop, the Tea House, and the Zhu Family Courtyard.

Even if there were demons, ghosts, and mages within the county who suppressed their qi and hid their identities, compared to the tens of thousands of people in Xiuyue County, they were truly not many.

This world is still mostly populated by ordinary people.

No wonder, after the people of Cuishan Village learned he was a great mage, they treated him with utmost respect and even considerable fear.

Just then, Daoist Yan Song said from outside, "It's raining!"

Without even needing to open the curtain, Gu Zhao could hear the sound of fine rain striking the leaves outside, and the sound grew louder and louder.

He lifted the curtain and heard Daoist Yan Song say, "The road is hard to travel in the rain. We must find a place to take shelter."

Although the road leading to Wuhe County was an official highway, it was still an earthen road, merely more compacted. Normally, there was no problem, but after rain, potholes appeared constantly, making it slippery and difficult to traverse. The carriage would be fine, but the horses might easily meet with accidents.

Bai Ke jumped onto the embroiderer's shoulder. "Not far ahead, near the official road, there should be an abandoned River God Shrine where we can take shelter from the rain."

"I see it." Daoist Yan Song gathered his power into his eyes and faintly spotted a corner of a building within the forest ahead. Then he raised his whip to urge the horses. "Let's go there to shelter from the rain."