Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds-Chapter 38: First Arrival at Xiuyue County

Gu Zhao had a pot of tea with Taoist Yan Song, and they added each other as friends.

Seeing how surprisingly trendy Taoist Yan Song was, Jiang Shishi couldn’t help but ask, "You don’t have a TikTok or anything?"

"No, I can still watch videos without an account anyway." Taoist Yan Song shook his head, grinning. "If I registered and people found out I was only following those Purple-robed Celestial Masters, where would this old face of mine hide?"

Jiang Shishi didn’t get it. "Isn’t it perfectly normal for a Daoist to follow Purple-robed Celestial Masters?"

Xiao Ya silently handed her phone over. "These kinds of Purple-robed Celestial Masters."

Jiang Shishi: Σ(ﾟдﾟlll)

’So they’re not just called Female Bodhisattvas, but also Female Celestial Masters. The Buddhist Family is keeping up with the times, and it looks like the Taoist Family hasn’t fallen behind either!’

...

Seeing that it was getting late, and they had plans to have dinner with Xuanxuan’s parents that evening, they decided not to stay any longer.

Taoist Yan Song took out a card and handed it to Gu Zhao. "This is a secondary pass for the Qingcheng Mountain Taoist Palace. You won’t be charged an entrance fee."

Gu Zhao didn’t stand on ceremony. ’This man is acknowledged by the Five Thunders Order. I might really need to come find him someday. I don’t have an income right now, so I might as well save on the entrance fee where I can.’

Gu Zhao: (oﾟ▽ﾟ)o

On the way down the mountain, Jiang Shishi and Xiao Ya were like a pair of curious cats.

"Is Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi real?"

"Can you really do Cultivation? What does Cultivation feel like? Can it grant you Immortality and eternal youth?"

"Are ghosts real in this world? Like Female Ghosts, child ghosts, old man ghosts?"

"Can you fly? Turn invisible? See through things?"

Gu Zhao shot Jiang Shishi a sidelong glance. Jiang Shishi subconsciously covered her chest with her hands.

Gu Zhao sneered, "If I could see through things, what good would covering up do?"

"True!" Jiang Shishi nodded, lowered her hands, then puffed out her chest and asked provocatively, "So? Are they nice to look at?"

Gu Zhao didn’t look away, gritting his teeth and holding firm. "They’re alright."

"You two hooligans, that’s enough!" Xiao Ya stepped between them, blocking their line of sight. "We have things to do later!"

Jiang Shishi gave Xiao Ya a meaningful look before adding, "I was just asking if cultivation was really all that magical!"

Gu Zhao retorted, "What do you think?"

"Of course it’s magical! You actually managed to save that little kid in such a dangerous situation," Jiang Shishi said with admiration.

"And it can cure illnesses and improve health," Xiao Ya added.

Gu Zhao nodded without a word. ’Judging by Taoist Yan Song’s condition, with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi being so thin, they can only accumulate such a shallow amount of Magical Power. They probably can’t even successfully draw the simplest Celestial Spirit Talisman in one go. Naturally, their abilities would be limited to curing illnesses and improving health.’

Of course, Gu Zhao now had more questions of his own.

’Are there any places in this world where the Spiritual Qi is relatively dense?’

’Besides Taoist Yan Song, are there any other Daoists—or other people—who have cultivated Magical Power?’

’Are there any evil practitioners? Are there...’

But these questions weren’t urgent. Gu Zhao buried them in the back of his mind. After coming down the mountain with the two women, he contacted Xuanxuan’s parents and they all had an authentic Sichuan meal in Rongcheng.

After a reluctant farewell, they promised to chat more online and get together again when they had time. The next morning, Jiang Shishi and Xiao Ya left Rongcheng. They had to go perform with their group and would return to Yandu in a week.

Gu Zhao didn’t return to Yangcheng with Li Man. Instead, he made the excuse that he missed his maternal grandparents and stayed on in Rongcheng for a while, much to their delight. That very evening, they prepared a huge spread of proper Sichuan cuisine, and Gu Zhao ate until he was thoroughly satisfied.

...

"Xiuyue County."

Gu Zhao looked at a stone tablet standing in front of the earthen wall, on which the name of the county town was carved.

A team of Governmental Constables in standard-issue cloth armor stood guard at the town gate. They collected two Copper Coins from everyone who entered, but they didn’t seem to be searching cargo or checking travel permits.

Commoners, merchants, Scholars, farmers, carts, and horses flowed in and out endlessly. Although the small town wasn’t particularly prosperous, it was bustling with life. No wonder the village’s woven bamboo products always sold out.

Gu Zhao watched for a moment before walking out from the side of the road, dutifully paying the two Copper Coins, and entering the town.

This small town perfectly matched Gu Zhao’s image of an ancient county seat. Along the slightly wider roads were inns, taverns, apothecaries, cosmetics shops, and more, while the narrow alleys led to residential courtyards.

Gu Zhao strolled through the streets and alleys. Dressed in ancient-style clothing, he blended in quite well, and it felt rather atmospheric.

However, as he looked around, the small town just seemed like an ordinary ancient county. There were wealthy squires dressed in brocade and disheveled beggars, but the majority were just common folk.

If Gu Zhao had transmigrated directly into this town without his ’cheat’ ability, he probably never would have imagined that this world was also home to Demons and Ghosts.

But now that Gu Zhao possessed Magical Power, a careful observation revealed that something was wrong with this county town.

He saw more than a dozen townspeople who had clearly had their Essence, Qi, and Spirit drained. There was also a deep-set mansion that, even in broad daylight, was shrouded in a bone-chilling aura that made one’s skin crawl.

As he passed a butcher shop and a teahouse, Gu Zhao sensed a faint smell of blood, which was clearly not a good sign.

The County Yamen, on the other hand, showed no signs of anything unusual. Of course, he wouldn’t underestimate the place, especially since he still hadn’t found the Golden Wind Sect’s Divine Altar in town.

’The things I can sense probably aren’t even the most powerful threats. Xiuyue County Town is not a peaceful and stable place,’ Gu Zhao thought. ’No wonder Elder He fled back to the village.’

Compared to the remote mountain village, Xiuyue County was indeed much more dangerous. As long as one didn’t face the threat of their entire village being annihilated, staying in the mountains was actually safer than living in the county seat.

Just as Gu Zhao was pondering how to discreetly inquire about the Golden Wind Sect, he suddenly realized someone was following him.

It wasn’t that he had eyes in the back of his head. Rather, it was a keen sixth sense that came naturally with possessing Magical Power and Divine Sense. As long as someone’s gaze lingered on him for too long, he would naturally feel it.

Using the opportunity of passing a stall to buy a baked flatbread, Gu Zhao spotted two men dressed as loafers. They weren’t far from him and were pretending to be casual, but they kept glancing his way.

Their gaits were shifty, they concealed weapons at their waists, their eyes glinted with greed, and they radiated malice.

If he had encountered such people in the modern world, Gu Zhao would have quickly gotten in a car and left, or found a police officer to handle it. But here...

Gu Zhao turned and walked into a nearby alley. ’Well, look what we have here. A source of information.’

However, contrary to his expectations, the two loafers didn’t follow him in immediately. Just as Gu Zhao was about to casually walk out of the alley, a figure appeared in front of him—it was one of the two loafers.

The next moment, footsteps sounded from behind. The other loafer had finally entered the alley, quickly moving to block Gu Zhao’s rear.

With their pincer attack set, savage grins spread across the two loafers’ faces.

"You look new around here, kid. First time in Xiuyue County? Visiting friends, or here to study?"

"You’re dressed pretty well, so you must have a lot of money on you. Today, we’re gonna teach you a lesson: don’t go wandering into alleys in broad daylight."

"Alright, enough talk. Hand over all your money, or don’t blame our blades for not having eyes!" The loafer in front drew a short knife, while the one behind him bared his teeth in a vicious grin.

Gu Zhao pressed his back against the wall, a look of innocence on his face. "You... you’re not trying to rob me, are you?"

Gu Zhao made a few gestures with his hands and warned them sternly, "If you take another step, I’m going to have to fight back. I’m telling you, it’s called self-defense. I won’t be held responsible even if I kill you."

The Taoist Family acts with integrity, never punishing without first giving a warning.

Seeing Gu Zhao’s adorable naivete, the two loafers couldn’t help but laugh out loud before closing in on him step by step.

TAP! TAP! TAP!

But just before they could make a move, a few light tapping sounds echoed out. A man in white suddenly appeared behind the loafer in front. He carried a bamboo basket on his back filled with scrolls and held a bamboo pole from which a landscape painting of figures was hung.

"Excuse me, coming through," the man said faintly.