Chapter 158: Chapter 157: A Supreme Protective Treasure for Mortals: The Golden Gang Bracelet

"Do you two have work today?"

"We had a performance last night, so we can go in this afternoon."

"Then get some rest."

A long silence followed.

"We actually..."

Xiao Ya seemed to want to explain, but Jiang Shishi cut her off. "We’ve actually had our eyes on you for a while. We were originally thinking of taking turns, but we didn’t expect you to be so impressive, able to handle both of us at once."

Xiao Ya was speechless. But on second thought, there really wasn’t much to explain. The reality was that they both had fallen for Gu Zhao and his miraculous abilities. Neither was willing to back down, so they had come at him together.

Gu Zhao, of course, knew why he was able to attract two women to the point they’d cast aside their reservations. There was nothing to be shy about.

’Seriously, where else in modern society could you enjoy the bliss of having two beautiful women at once, short of a purely monetary transaction? And what’s more, they were willing to offer genuine emotion and affection.’

Besides, Gu Zhao didn’t feel like he was getting the short end of the stick. Jiang Shishi was lively and kind, while Xiao Ya was gentle and filial. They came from wealthy families, had great personalities, and were beautiful. In this day and age, they were both goddess-level figures.

The slightly awkward atmosphere was broken by Jiang Shishi, and the relationship between the three of them suddenly felt more natural.

Feeling one soft and one firm hand in his, Gu Zhao continued the conversation, "Disciples of the Taoist Sect are best at wars of attrition. I was just going easy on you since it was your first time and you couldn’t take it. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be able to speak right now."

Jiang Shishi giggled. "Why wouldn’t we be able to speak? Would you have gagged us?"

Having slept for a few hours and recovered her strength, Jiang Shishi, having had a taste and wanting more, couldn’t help but start teasing him again. Gu Zhao felt a delicate hand gently caressing him and nodded. "I’ll let you witness the power of the Golden Locking Jade Technique!"

...

After waking up at eleven, eating lunch downstairs, and driving the two women to the traditional music orchestra, Gu Zhao called his old man.

"Dad, are you at home or at the factory?"

"Neither. I’m at a dinner party," Gu Qi replied. "What’s up? Are you coming home? Something you need?"

"I’m heading to the factory to turn a few beads for some bracelets," Gu Zhao said. "I’m going to add a bead to your and Mom’s bracelets, too."

"I might not be free to drop by this afternoon. Why don’t you come home for dinner tonight?" Gu Qi asked.

"I’ll be there!" Gu Zhao nodded. "I want twice-cooked pork, spicy chicken, boiled pork slices, stir-fried cured pork..."

BEEP BEEP BEEP—

Hearing the busy signal, Gu Zhao pouted, put his phone away, and turned the steering wheel.

Gu Zhao didn’t go straight home. He first went to the family factory, took a block of preliminarily processed Small-leafed Purple Sandalwood from the warehouse, and had one of the craftsmen turn enough beads for him.

This time, Gu Zhao wasn’t making a Celestial Spirit Bracelet, of course, but a Golden Gang Bracelet!

He had already mastered the Yin Yang Thunder Skill from the *Shenxiao Taiji Thunder Concealment Book*. ’A mere Vajra Profound Talisman? Wasn’t that a piece of cake?’

In the Otherworld, Gu Zhao had tested the effects of the Vajra Profound Talisman with a few old Daoists. He had Yunyang wear the Profound Talisman, and then Taoist Yi Hong brought a blade down on his head with the force of the Powerful Slash of Hua Mountain, which indeed activated the talisman’s defensive effect.

The Vajra Profound Talisman didn’t produce any visible special effects. It only strengthened one’s skin, flesh, bones, and internal organs, while a layer of True Qi enveloped the entire body, dissipating all external force so that none of it affected the person.

In light of this, Yunyang then tried falling off a cliff, sitting in a fire, and submerging himself in water. He finally confirmed that the Vajra Profound Talisman allowed him to fall from a cliff unharmed, resist fire, and prevent drowning, temporarily turning a person into a Vajra Body.

In modern society, after all, Magic is not apparent, and accidents are common. So, on the bracelet Gu Zhao was making, he placed one large Celestial Spirit Pearl in the center. On either side of the Celestial Spirit Pearl, he placed a slightly smaller Vajra Pearl. On either side of the Vajra Pearls, he placed even smaller Spirit Gathering Pearls. The rest were strung together with smaller beads, forming a bracelet that combined the effects of a Celestial Spirit Talisman and a Vajra Profound Talisman: the Golden Gang Bracelet!

This bracelet could not only ward off Yin-natured evil and malevolent Qi but also resist physical damage. Even in the modern world, it could slowly gather and store Spiritual Qi. For an ordinary person unable to cast the Golden Light Curse, it was undoubtedly a supreme protective treasure.

After putting away the two new bracelets, Gu Zhao made a Vajra Pearl and a Spirit Gathering Pearl for each of his parents and returned home just before dinner.

Gu Qi and Li Man were already waiting for Gu Zhao.

"You’re back! Come and eat first!" Li Man called Gu Zhao over for dinner.

Gu Zhao wasn’t in a hurry. He enjoyed a comfortable meal at home before mentioning that he wanted to add a few beads to their bracelets.

Of course, his parents wouldn’t refuse their own son’s kind gesture. Li Man and Gu Qi handed their bracelets to Gu Zhao, but as he took them, his expression changed.

"Dad, have you run into any trouble recently?" Gu Zhao asked.

"Trouble?" Gu Qi was curious. "No, nothing’s happened."

"’Nothing’s happened?’" Gu Zhao held his old man’s bracelet and discovered that a portion of the Spiritual Power in the Celestial Spirit Talisman had been consumed. It had clearly encountered Yin-natured evil and malevolent Qi.

"Have you met any strangers recently who might have ill intentions toward you?" Gu Zhao asked.

Hearing Gu Zhao’s words, Li Man’s eyebrows shot up. "Did some little vixen make a move on you?"

Gu Qi threw his hands up. "Your son is talking nonsense! I’m innocent!"

"Mom, you’ve misunderstood. That’s not what I meant," Gu Zhao said, shaking his head.

"Then what is it?" Li Man asked curiously.

After the incidents in Port City and Siam, Gu Zhao’s first thought was of someone who practiced Evil Techniques. He asked Gu Qi, "Did anyone suddenly vomit blood and collapse in front of you?"

Gu Qi looked completely baffled. "No?"

"’No?’" Gu Zhao frowned. He thought of Yunyang’s past experience and continued to ask, "Then have you been to any gloomy or eerie places?"

Gu Qi thought for a moment and nodded. "That, I have. A while ago, I went to the mountains in Mountain City to procure some Golden Rattan Wood. I visited several villages, all deep in the mountains. The environment was quite damp and cold. A lot of people got sick after we came out."

At this, both Gu Qi’s and Li Man’s eyes lit up, and they looked at Gu Zhao in surprise.

Gu Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. "So that’s what it was. Then it’s nothing to worry about."

Gu Qi pointed at the bracelet in Gu Zhao’s hand, his eyes filled with disbelief. "The Protective Talisman worked?"

Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow smugly. "You think your son’s ten years of practicing Daoist Techniques were for nothing?"

They both stared with wide eyes, not expecting their son to be so capable.

Protective Talismans that ordinary people get are usually just for praying for safety, but their son’s Protective Talisman could *actually* protect someone when something happened!

Li Man couldn’t help but look at the new beads. "Then what are these for?"

"One is for Gathering Spirit, and the other is to prevent accidental injuries." Gu Zhao didn’t hide it. The Celestial Spirit Talisman was one thing, but the Vajra Profound Talisman prevented actual physical harm. He didn’t want his parents to be completely clueless if a real accident occurred.

Gu Zhao gave them a brief explanation and was met with two pairs of baffled eyes.

"For real?"

They could understand dispelling evil and providing protection; after all, most Chinese people understood the concept of Qi. But preventing physical damage? That was a bit world-view-shattering. No matter how ignorant they were, they knew something like this shouldn’t exist.

If Gu Zhao hadn’t instantly identified the strange incident Gu Qi had encountered, they would never have believed it.

"Hard to believe, right?" Gu Zhao said with a grin, raising an eyebrow. "That’s because there are only a few people in the entire country with this kind of ability. To avoid all sorts of suspicion and trouble, the information is only circulated within a very small circle. Ordinary people have no idea!"

To add to his credibility, Gu Zhao mentioned someone. "Dad, you’ve met Taoist Yan Song, right? He’s one of them."

Gu Qi had a sudden realization. Their family’s Small-leafed Purple Sandalwood business had been set up through Taoist Yan Song’s connections. ’It makes sense,’ he thought. ’If he didn’t have these miraculous abilities, how could an ordinary old Daoist get his hands on so much Small-leafed Purple Sandalwood?’

’Thinking about it further, if my own son didn’t have this kind of ability, why would such a powerful old Daoist bother to help the Gu Family get rich?’

’So that’s how it is!’ Gu Qi figured it all out.

’My son has joined the most exclusive circle in the country’s world of metaphysics!’

Seeing Gu Qi’s look of sudden understanding, Gu Zhao nodded and reminded them, "This is a top secret of the Profound Sect. You must remember not to spread it around!"

Gu Qi and Li Man nodded in unison.

’Are you kidding?’ This kind of thing that could save your life in a crisis was a coveted treasure. Even the wealthiest people would fight over it with bloodshot eyes. They were adults; how could they not understand the gravity of the situation?

The couple said decisively, "We’ll never tell anyone!"