Chapter 82: Chapter 81: Processing the Ingredients

"Finally done!" Gu Zhao set down the Mountain Thunder Talisman in his hand.

The Silk Embroideress dispelled the Great Dragon-locking Talisman. Bai Ke bounded over in a couple of steps, exclaiming, "It’s huge!"

"It’s not just huge, it’s incredibly restorative!" Taoist Yan Song waved a hand, retracting his mask. Though he looked a bit weary, he launched into an enthusiastic explanation. "This creature replenishes qi and blood, nourishes yin and invigorates yang, enhances beauty, and benefits the kidneys and bones. It’s truly first-rate stuff!" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Just as Zhuo Qingyan put away her Jade Flute and walked over, she heard his words and paused. She shot Taoist Yan Song a sidelong glance, then her gaze drifted subtly toward Gu Zhao.

"That was an intense fight. Are you and the Daoist hurt, sir?" the Silk Embroideress asked, drawing near.

"We’re fine," Gu Zhao said with a wave of his hand. "Morale is highest on the first charge. Once that failed to injure us, he never stood another chance."

When the Bian Ancestor had charged for the summit, Taoist Yan Song and Gu Zhao had intercepted him, flanking him from the left and right to hold him in place.

Taoist Yan Song, his True Qi abundant, unleashed a torrent of Sword Qi. Gu Zhao, coordinating his Wind and Thunder Talismans with his Mountain Thunder Talismans, managed to halt the Bian Ancestor’s charge. By slowing him down, they gave Zhuo Qingyan, the Silk Embroideress, and Bai Ke the room they needed to maneuver and avoid injury.

’Withdrawing from the blood sacrifice triggers a backlash, just as I thought.’ Gu Zhao bent down and picked up the Primordial Pearl that had rolled to his feet.

During the battle, the Bian Ancestor’s attacks and defenses had been formidable, but not astonishingly so. That changed when he forcibly severed his connection to the Old Ao Primordial Pearl. Though he suffered a backlash and was wounded, his power had surged in that moment.

But that surge came at the cost of injury and reduced stamina. Combined with Gu Zhao’s vast array of talismans and powerful Thunder Techniques, as well as Taoist Yan Song’s profound and pure True Qi, the two were simply too much for him. Despite his high level of Dao Practice, the Bian Ancestor couldn’t pose a real threat and ultimately met a bitter end right then and there.

...

The fight had created quite a commotion. After picking up the Primordial Pearl, Gu Zhao and Taoist Yan Song hoisted the old turtle’s corpse, and the group swiftly departed from Crescent Bay, rushing back to Anlin Town.

Instead of going back to the inn, they found a spot in the forest just outside of town and began to butcher their kill.

The first step was to remove the massive shell, which was a full two meters in length.

Gu Zhao exclaimed in admiration, "This shell is a real treasure! It took so many of my Mountain Thunder Talismans and only ended up with a few scratches. Then it tanked two Thunder-Expelling Curses without its defenses being breached. That’s just insane!"

The shell’s surface was covered in shallow pits and scratches, but they were nothing compared to its overall thickness—a testament to the incredible defense of the Bian Ancestor’s carapace.

"I’ll study this when we get back. It can be refined into a Magical Treasure," Gu Zhao said.

Taoist Yan Song nodded. "As for the rest... it’s all edible."

"There’s too much. We can’t possibly eat it all," the Silk Embroideress said, her face falling. "It’ll spoil."

Bai Ke licked her lips. "We could salt and air-dry it. It would last a long time."

Zhuo Qingyan considered this for a moment. "I can turn water into ice. I could freeze it and we could store it in a cellar."

The Silk Embroideress sounded a little disappointed. "Are we going home already?"

’Even though this part of the journey was just a side trip on our way to Wuhe County for our main business of Eradicating Evil and Accumulating Merit, we’ve been out for less than two days,’ she thought. ’We haven’t even set foot inside Wuhe County Town, and we’ve already taken out the ancestor of Bian Palace, one of the four great powers of Changping Prefecture. Things are moving a little too quickly.’

’We only left Cui Mountain Village yesterday morning, met Liu Qingfeng on the road, and ran into the Bi Xing Commander last night in Anlin Town. Now it’s only the morning of the second day!’

Gu Zhao thought for a moment. "We’re still going to Wuhe County. After all, we’ve come all this way."

’Although the five grand commanders of Bian Palace and the Bian Ancestor have contributed a great deal of Evil Qi to my Five Thunders Order, one can never have too much,’ Gu Zhao thought. ’Wuhe County is bound to have its own share of rampant Demons and Ghosts.’

’The sooner I can form a new Thunder Seed, the sooner I can recruit more Daoists to help out.’

’And judging by the Bian Ancestor’s power, the Golden Wind Divine King is certainly even stronger. I’m lucky I didn’t get arrogant back then.’

"So what should we do with all this?" the Silk Embroideress asked.

"Let’s cut it into large chunks," Gu Zhao said. "Have Qingyan freeze them to store under the carriage. We can move them to the cellar when we get home. For now, let’s have a feast!"

Bai Ke nodded eagerly. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

...

A moment later, the aroma of a thick soup filled the air.

"The Silk Embroideress’s cooking is truly top-notch!" Taoist Yan Song declared, giving her a thumbs-up.

The Silk Embroideress took a sip of the turtle soup. She felt a warm current flow from her mouth down to her stomach, then radiate outward, suffusing her limbs and meridians until her entire body felt pleasantly warm.

"It’s mostly because the spices you gave me are so good, sir. Otherwise, I couldn’t have made it this fragrant," the Silk Embroideress said with a smile.

Gu Zhao gently ruffled the Silk Embroideress’s hair. "Too modest. Good spices don’t matter if the cook is no good. Most people could never make something this delicious."

"Hehe!" The Silk Embroideress flashed a playful smile. "If you like it, sir, then have some more!"

"SLURP... GLUG..." Beside them, Bai Ke was wolfing down her food.

Zhuo Qingyan sipped her soup delicately, using the Spiritual Power within it to nourish her Ghost Body. She, too, felt a wave of comfort. "The Silk Embroideress’s cooking really is excellent."

The group had first butchered the turtle, returned to Anlin Town to fetch their carriage, and placed both the meat and the shell into a hidden compartment beneath it. Then they left town again to set up a pot and cook. Though a few travelers passed by, none approached to ask what they were doing.

After lunch, they continued on their way and soon arrived in Wuhe County.

Wuhe County was a little less prosperous than Xiuyue County, but it was still a major town for a hundred-li radius. With the Chang River flowing past its eastern side, it didn’t lack a certain lively, worldly atmosphere.

However, for the past ten days, people had been dying nonstop in the county seat and its surrounding villages, casting a pall of gloom over the entire area. While the populace wasn’t in a full-blown panic, the atmosphere was undeniably somber.

"Don’t be scared. Just stay away from the river for a while. I heard from General Lu of the Golden Wind Sect. He said the Golden Wind Divine King has already set up a great Demon-Slaying Array on the banks of the Chang River. In ten days, he’ll be able to slay the River Demon, and everything will be safe again."

"The Golden Wind Divine King’s Magical Power is boundless!"

"My sister’s family lives in Ping’an Town. They were fine the day before yesterday, but yesterday... they were all gone!"

"You should just be grateful your family’s safe! We have the Golden Wind Hall here in the county seat, so the River Demon doesn’t dare come into the city to kill. I hear a lot of people have died in the nearby villages lately!"

A carriage rolled slowly into Wuhe County Town, its occupants listening to the discussions around them.

’Well, now. They really know how to spin a tale,’ Gu Zhao tutted. ’A slaying array to kill the demon in ten days? In ten days, the Bian Ancestor would have finished refining the Primordial Pearl.’

Just then, a group of people came tearing into town, whooping and hollering as they ran. "The River Demon is dead! The River Demon is dead!"

"What’s going on? How did the River Demon die?" someone asked, grabbing one of the newcomers. "Didn’t General Lu say the Demon-Slaying Array wouldn’t be ready for ten days?"

"I don’t know!" the man replied, shaking his head frantically. "But this morning, the people in Liu Family Village heard thunder from a clear sky coming from Crescent Bay. It went on for a whole hour before it finally died down. Some of them got brave enough to go check it out, and they found four dead River Demons on the riverbank!"

The man gestured wildly with his hands. "There were big fish, longer than a man! And a toad the size of a bathtub! It looked like they’d been burned—half their bodies were charred black!"