Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Expelling the Mark

"The Golden Wind Divine King has at least five hundred years of Dao Practice," Zhuo Qingyan stressed. "He can fly through the sky and cross great distances in the blink of an eye. Consort Yu was one of his two Divine Consorts. Now that she’s dead, the Golden Wind Divine King will certainly come for revenge. If you stay here, you’ll only die with me."

Although Taoist Yan Song and Gu Zhao had both displayed extraordinary power, five hundred years of Dao Practice was a significant threshold. She still didn’t believe they could defeat the Golden Wind Divine King.

"The Golden Wind Divine King can fly?"

"You can fly with five hundred years of Dao Practice?"

Gu Zhao filed away another piece of information, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. "Does he have an imprint on you?"

"Half a month ago, someone wreaked havoc in Golden Wind Hall, killed the First Guardian of the Golden Wind Divine Sect, and stole the hall’s Incense and Candle Divine Statue. The Golden Wind Divine King descended upon Xiuyue County to investigate. He discovered me by chance and demanded I become his third Divine Consort. I was no match for him, and he wounded me."

Zhuo Qingyan said hollowly, "Seeing that I would rather die than submit, he placed a Dharma Seal on me to stop me from taking my own life. He said he would return in a month to take me as his bride. You probably know the rest."

"He can sense my presence and general location through this imprint. Once he gets close, he can track me by following my aura," Zhuo Qingyan said. "That’s why I can’t escape, no matter what. You should all leave now."

"Ah!" the Silk Embroideress gasped, her eyes filled with worry.

She had just learned Zhuo Qingyan’s story, and remembering what Consort Yu had said, she knew full well that the Golden Wind Divine King now planned to hand Zhuo Qingyan over to her greatest enemy.

But now that Zhuo Qingyan had been marked by the Golden Wind Divine King, she couldn’t bring herself to ask Gu Zhao to take Zhuo Qingyan away with them.

Gu Zhao blinked and simply asked, "Is this imprint hard to remove?"

Zhuo Qingyan shook her head. "The Golden Wind Divine King has hundreds of years of Dao Practice. His imprint is impossible to remove."

Gu Zhao looked at Taoist Yan Song. "Our Magical Power won’t hurt her, will it?"

The Magical Power developed through Daoist Cultivation was the natural enemy of ghosts and evil entities, allowing one to fight opponents far above one’s own level. Gu Zhao suspected it might be able to erase the Golden Wind Divine King’s imprint, but there was a risk it could harm Zhuo Qingyan in the process.

Gu Zhao was confident he could do it, but he still looked to Taoist Yan Song for confirmation.

Taoist Yan Song smiled, shaking his head. He then winked at Gu Zhao. "Whether a knife hurts someone depends on if the one holding it wants it to. As long as you control your Magical Power, of course you won’t harm her."

Gu Zhao then turned to Zhuo Qingyan. "Want me to give it a try?"

Zhuo Qingyan gave Gu Zhao a cool, appraising look. After a moment, she finally extended her hand, gently rolling up her sleeve to reveal a slender, porcelain-white arm that seemed fairer than frost or snow.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Gu Zhao took hold of her wrist.

Zhuo Qingyan’s body tensed involuntarily. Then, she felt a warm energy surge into her body from her wrist, flowing up her arm through her meridians.

"The imprint is on my shoulder." As she spoke, Zhuo Qingyan used her other hand to point to her shoulder, while simultaneously using her own Magical Power to guide his within her body.

The next moment, Gu Zhao sensed the imprint inside Zhuo Qingyan’s body.

It emanated a sinister, bone-chilling cold and carried a faint trace of a Spiritual Attribute—exactly the same as the aura Gu Zhao had sensed on the Incense and Candle Divine Statue.

’No wonder he can sense it,’ Gu Zhao thought with a nod. He didn’t understand how the imprint was placed, but he now had a general idea of how it worked.

The key was to destroy the strand of spiritual essence embedded within the imprint.

Gu Zhao enveloped the imprint with his Magical Power, but the strand of spiritual essence inside immediately launched a violent counterattack.

Perhaps because their powers were fundamentally opposed, the moment it touched Gu Zhao’s Magical Power, the spiritual essence flared up like fire on oil. It surged back along the flow of Gu Zhao’s power, aiming straight for his Sea of Consciousness.

Startled and afraid Gu Zhao would be harmed, Zhuo Qingyan tried to yank her arm free. "Let go!"

But Gu Zhao didn’t let go. The instant the spiritual essence entered his body, he silently recited the Celestial Heart General Curse to guard his mind.

Taoist Contemplation Techniques were designed to train one’s Spiritual Power. Though this invading strand of spiritual energy was condensed, Gu Zhao wasn’t afraid. The moment the Celestial Heart General Curse took effect, the Five Thunders Order in his Sea of Consciousness simultaneously shuddered.

The next moment, a bolt of lightning shot out from the Five Thunders Order and instantly struck the spiritual essence. The spiritual imprint, which seemed solid but was far too small in volume, crumbled to nothing within the thunderous blast.

Gu Zhao, "..."

’Brother Lei, I was wrong about you! Turns out you can protect my Sea of Consciousness too!’

Having obliterated the spiritual imprint, Gu Zhao let go of Zhuo Qingyan’s wrist and snapped his fingers. "Job’s done!"

Zhuo Qingyan stared at Gu Zhao in astonishment. She couldn’t believe that the imprint that had tormented her for half a month—one she had been utterly powerless to remove—had been so effortlessly shattered by him.

"Sir, did you really remove Miss Zhuo’s imprint?" the Silk Embroideress asked, unable to stop herself.

"It’s gone." Gu Zhao nodded.

"The moment the imprint was broken, the Golden Wind Divine King must have sensed it. You all have to leave, now!" Zhuo Qingyan urged.

The Silk Embroideress couldn’t help but ask, "What about you, Miss Zhuo?"

"I..." Zhuo Qingyan’s gaze swept across her home, her heart aching with reluctance.

Taoist Yan Song stepped to her side and advised in a calm, soothing voice, "Home is where the heart finds peace. No matter where you are, as long as you hold the memory of your parents in your heart, you need not rely on physical mementos."

Zhuo Qingyan gave a slight curtsey. "Thank you for your wisdom, Senior."

"Let’s leave the city first," Taoist Yan Song nodded. "There have been several incidents in Xiuyue County already. The Golden Wind Divine King will probably arrive soon."

Zhuo Qingyan was not one for indecision—if she were, she never would have defied her father’s arrangements all those years ago. After grabbing a few small keepsakes, she swiftly left Xiuyue County with the others.

...

"Thank you, Senior. Thank you, Sir."

In the woods outside the city, Zhuo Qingyan thanked the group again, glanced at Gu Zhao, and then took her leave.

Seeing the determination in her eyes, Gu Zhao couldn’t help but ask, "Miss, are you heading to Changping Prefecture to find Yuan Wenrui?"

Zhuo Qingyan froze. "Yuan Wenrui was responsible for my parents’ wrongful deaths," she said, her voice hollow. "It was one thing when I didn’t know his whereabouts. But now that I know he’s the Changping Prefectural Magistrate, I would be an unworthy daughter if I didn’t seek revenge."

"But the Golden Wind Divine King is in Changping Prefecture! If you go there for revenge, wouldn’t that be... wouldn’t that be..." The Silk Embroideress was getting anxious. Then her eyes fell on Bai Ke, perched on her shoulder. Recalling something Gu Zhao had said, she blurted out, "Isn’t that just like throwing a meat bun at a dog? There’s no coming back!"

Bai Ke: (▼へ▼メ)

The Silk Embroideress couldn’t help but glance at Gu Zhao. Seeing him give her a subtle wink, she immediately understood. She turned to persuade Zhuo Qingyan, "We’re staying in Cui Mountain Village, just west of the county seat. Why don’t you come back with us for now, Miss? We can make a proper plan."

Zhuo Qingyan waved a hand, politely declining. "No, I can’t drag you all into my troubles."

Seeing her insistence, Gu Zhao shook his head. "You’re not the one dragging us into this," he said to her. "Actually, I’m the one who’s dragged you into my mess."