Chapter 217: Chapter 216: The Old Daoist from the Great Northwest

"Do you know me?" Taoist Jing Fa asked curiously.

"My name is Gu Zhao. I’m a friend of Yunyang’s," Gu Zhao replied.

"You’re Gu Zhao?" Taoist Jing Fa stood up, his expression turning serious. "Hello, a pleasure. Yunyang has told me about you. The successor of the Shangqing Celestial Heart Sect, he said your Magical Power is profound and that you’re incredibly skilled."

During the Port City incident last year, Yunyang had earned five million. He’d also shared stories of Gu Zhao’s abilities with his martial uncle, praising him to the high heavens. The effects of the Celestial Spirit Talisman, in particular, had been truly astounding.

That’s why Taoist Jing Fa knew of Gu Zhao, and upon meeting him now, he was naturally respectful.

"What exactly did Yunyang say about me?" Gu Zhao asked.

"He said you can create a true Celestial Spirit Divine Talisman, and Taoist Yi Hong praised you as being on par with the Ancient High Taoists," Taoist Jing Fa said honestly, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect between peers.

"You’re too kind, Daoist." Gu Zhao returned the gesture. Then Taoist Jing Fa asked him, "How has Yunyang been lately?"

"He’s doing very well," Gu Zhao said. "His Dao Practice has advanced significantly, but he talks about you constantly. He wants to bring you to Yangcheng."

"I’m not going. I’m not used to the south." Taoist Jing Fa refused with a shake of his head and a wave of his hand. "I can practice just as well here in the north."

Before Gu Zhao could say more, Taoist Jing Fa introduced the old Daoist beside him. "This is my senior martial brother, Jing Hong. He is also a True Dao."

"Greetings, Taoist Jing Hong," Gu Zhao said politely.

Taoist Jing Hong fit Gu Zhao’s typical image of an old man from the Northwest perfectly. His skin was tanned dark from exposure to the fierce sun, and his face was deeply lined, weathered by the region’s dust and sand.

Yet, his bearing exuded an unworldly simplicity, and his eyes held a firmness unique to the Great Northwest.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist!" Taoist Jing Hong returned the bow, his smile warm and his speech carrying a slight accent. "Ya eaten?"

"Yes, I have," Gu Zhao nodded repeatedly. "I ate my fill before climbing the mountain."

"Good that ya ate!" Taoist Jing Hong chuckled. "Since you came all this way, let us show ya around."

Gu Zhao replied instinctively, "I was looking around as I came up."

Taoist Jing Hong waved a dismissive hand. "Some places are closed off. Tourists can’t get to ’em."

"Oh, I see. In that case, sure," Gu Zhao nodded, happy to agree.

Then Taoist Jing Hong and Taoist Jing Fa led Gu Zhao down the path.

Despite both being in their sixties or seventies, their movements were crisp and efficient. As they climbed up and down ladders and across iron chains, their bodies were nimble, without a single wasted motion.

Gu Zhao followed behind them, descending from the Jade Emperor Pavilion and passing Taibai Hall, chatting as they walked down the mountain.

The tourists who had been resting and had watched Gu Zhao ascend were now astonished to see him coming back down with two Daoists.

The Dragon Gate Cave Taoist Temple was almost completely non-commercialized. It didn’t sell incense or candles, nor did it offer religious trinkets or fortune-telling services. Although the temple was part of a scenic area, the Daoists within mostly kept to themselves and their own practice. They rarely initiated conversation with tourists unless approached with a question.

As a result, tourists always found the Daoists here to be rather cold and aloof.

So, seeing a young tourist coming down, laughing and chatting with two of the old Daoists, was quite a surprising sight.

"Do they know each other?"

"You don’t think those two old Daoists saw how fast that guy was and decided to recruit him as a disciple, do you?"

"HAHAHA!"

Gu Zhao’s group, of course, paid no mind to the tourists’ gossip. Led by the two old Daoists, Gu Zhao toured the ancient buildings on the mountain, learning about their history and lineage. Then, they arrived at a Taoist School closed to the public, where they saw several Daoists practicing ceremonial music.

The ceremonial music of the Taoist Temples in the Great Northwest was different from that of the south. To Gu Zhao’s surprise, he saw cymbals, a xun, and even a suona!

Upon seeing Taoist Jing Hong and Taoist Jing Fa, the other Daoists came over to greet them. One of them even handed his suona to Taoist Jing Hong, saying, "Martial Uncle, play a piece for our guest."

Taoist Jing Hong’s eyes lit up at the sight of the suona. He turned to Gu Zhao. "You don’t mind if I play a little somethin’, do ya?"

"Of course not!" Gu Zhao said with a smiling shake of his head. "I’m honored to listen."

"HAHAHA!" Taoist Jing Hong laughed heartily, then gestured to Gu Zhao for the others’ benefit. "Perfect! We have a guest from the south."

Then he raised the suona. "You all accompany me. Let’s play a piece for our guest. We won’t play our temple music; it’s not as exciting. Let’s do ’Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix’."

"You got it!" The other Daoists all greeted Gu Zhao in turn before nodding with smiles.

THUMP THUMP THUMP! The drums sounded first.

CLANG CLANG CLANG! The bronze cymbals followed.

WOO WOO WOO! The sound of the xun came next.

SKREEE SKREEE SKREEE! The suona began to play.

It had to be said, the sound of the suona was majestic and resonant, with an incredible piercing quality. Once it began to play, it drowned out all other instruments.

It was obvious that Taoist Jing Hong was also channeling the True Qi in his body as he played, making the suona’s sound even more piercing.

Even with his accomplished level of Qi Refining, Gu Zhao could feel the music pierce his eardrums and reverberate through his mind, which seemed to fill entirely with the suona’s echo.

...

When the piece ended, Taoist Jing Hong reluctantly handed back the suona. He smiled at Gu Zhao and said, "A humble performance!"

"You play the suona wonderfully, Daoist!" Gu Zhao praised, giving him a thumbs-up. "If you infused it with Magical Power, it would become a Sonic Attack!"

Taoist Jing Hong gave a proud smile, then continued to lead Gu Zhao on the tour.

Taoist Jing Fa wasn’t much of a talker, but he followed alongside them.

After visiting two more places, Taoist Jing Hong asked Gu Zhao, "You’re not in a hurry to leave, are you? Why not stay the night?"

"I can’t," Gu Zhao shook his head. "I have plans tonight. I’ll be leaving in a bit, once I’ve taken care of things."

Today was the last day of the holiday. Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi had just finished a performance and had asked him when he was coming back. Gu Zhao had promised to return to Yangcheng that evening to have dinner and go shopping with them, so he couldn’t possibly stay the night at Dragon Gate Mountain.

"Ah, right. Young folks are always busy nowadays." Taoist Jing Hong nodded in understanding. He then added, "We’ll walk out with ya later, get your parking fee waived."

The old Daoist’s simplicity was endearing. Gu Zhao waved his hand with a smile. "That won’t be necessary. I didn’t drive."

Taoist Jing Hong’s eyes widened. "Didn’t drive? Then how’d ya get here?"

Dragon Gate Mountain was far from any urban area, fifty kilometers from the nearest county seat. The only public transportation was a subsidized village bus service, and hailing a cab in such a small place was difficult. Without your own car, it was nearly impossible to get here.

"I flew."

"Flew?"

Gu Zhao checked the time and figured it was about right. He then said to the two men, "You two Daoists are sincere and kind-hearted, and you are accomplished in Qi Refining. I would like to formally invite you both to join the Yangcheng Taoist Research Institute, to slay demons and devils, and to act on Heaven’s behalf."

Taoist Jing Hong and Taoist Jing Fa wore looks of utter confusion.

Then, before they could even react, they saw Gu Zhao lightly tap the spot between each of their eyebrows.

...

A moment later, they still stared at Gu Zhao, completely baffled.

Now Gu Zhao was baffled, and couldn’t help but ask, "Did you... understand?"

Taoist Jing Hong stared at Gu Zhao. "Are there really Immortals in this world?"

Taoist Jing Fa swallowed hard and stammered, "Actually... I’d be willing to go to Yangcheng."

Gu Zhao burst out laughing. He first said to Taoist Jing Hong, "Whether or not there are Immortals in this world will depend on whether you can achieve Ascension."

Then he turned to Taoist Jing Fa. "Yangcheng has a nice environment, too. I’ll be waiting for you in Yangcheng, Uncle."

With that said, Gu Zhao addressed them both again. "I have plans tonight, so I won’t be staying. I’ll see you both in Yangcheng."

Gu Zhao gave them both a parting bow, then rose into the air. With a wave of his hand, he cast his Invisibility Skill. Before the astonished eyes of Taoist Jing Hong and Taoist Jing Fa, his figure vanished as he rode away on the wind.

The two of them stared at the spot where Gu Zhao had vanished into the sky and exclaimed in unison, "Oh, my heavens!"