An Alternative Way to Return Home in Brocade

For the next few days, life on both sides passed very peacefully.

Gu Zhao ordered another batch of cinnabar, ink, and yellow paper online. Like a hamster hoarding food for winter, he spent his time cultivating and drawing talismans, wishing he could accumulate enough talismans to fight a whole war.

Drawing talismans, cultivating to restore mana, then drawing more talismans.

After all, drawing talismans consumed mana, but using them consumed very little.

I can't cast Meteor Shower, but could a thousand Fireballs be a decent substitute?

It wasn't until Gu Zhao discovered that as his cultivation improved, the power of the same talisman also increased, that he stopped. He didn't continue filling his warehouse.

The white fox also didn't leave. It stayed in the village to recover from its injuries, occasionally tagging along with Gu Zhao for meals. It ate until its mouth was greasy, and its first reaction upon seeing Gu Zhao was to drool.

However, its closest companion was Xiuniang. Every night, it slept with Xiuniang.

Yet, Gu Zhao noticed the white fox acted somewhat contradictorily. He always felt it was sometimes very affectionate towards Xiuniang, and other times seemed distant, keeping her at arm's length.

The happiest of all was Xiuniang. Since her parents' passing, she hadn't had such a joyful time in a long, long while. During the day, the white fox kept her company. At night, her waiting was rewarded. Every day was filled with anticipation and hope.

Of course, beneath her happiness lay some worry. She didn't know when Gu Zhao would leave, and the white fox might also depart once its injuries healed.

But she hid her anxieties deep in her heart, facing each day with a bright, sunny smile.

One day, Gu Zhao returned from his transmigration during the day and received a call from Zhang Hang.

"I haven't seen you at school for several days. Are you really not looking for a job anymore?" Zhang Hang asked on the phone.

"Not looking," Gu Zhao replied, lounging on the sofa enjoying the air conditioning. "I'll go to school in June to get my diploma. Consider it graduating into unemployment, I'm preparing to live off my parents."

"That's great!" Zhang Hang cheered. "Come shoot videos with me!"

"Trying to drag me into your mess again!" Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but ask, "You're so energetic, did that video of yours do well?"

"Extremely well!" Zhang Hang said proudly, laughing heartily. "I gave it a little push, and it got tens of thousands of likes, with thousands of comments. The messages were all 'love to watch, please continue the series.'"

"Oh, right, I also tagged you in the video. It gained you a few hundred followers too. Didn't you know?" Zhang Hang asked.

"I didn't. I haven't been looking at my phone much these past few days," Gu Zhao shook his head.

"What have you been so busy with these past few days?" Zhang Hang asked incredulously. "In modern society, can anyone live without their phone?"

Gu Zhao said earnestly, "Busy cultivating, preparing for ascension."

"Oh, come on. Even Taoist priests now have video accounts. Some are recruiting, some are giving lectures, some are making skits, and some are just looking at pretty girls. But not a single one is talking about ascension," Zhang Hang complained. "What era are we in? Believe in science. That whole 'corpse release and alchemy' stuff isn't popular anymore."

Gu Zhao reached out and levitated a cup from nearby, taking a sip. He said calmly, "Whether corpse release and alchemy is real, I don't know. But concentrating the spirit and refining qi, drawing talismans and casting spells, are definitely real."

Zhang Hang chuckled dismissively. "Alright, you've been practicing for ten years and haven't achieved anything remarkable. Your Douyin account only has 300 followers. One of my videos helped you gain 200 followers. Why don't you actually try to gain some followers?"

Gu Zhao felt a lump in his throat, speechless.

He thought, even if he cultivated his Taoist heart, he was still a young man. Who among young people doesn't like to be in the spotlight? Why would anyone open a short video account if they didn't want attention!

So, when he registered Douyin and uploaded his cultivation insights, he was full of hope, wishing to attract a following with mysterious Taoist metaphysics and establish a persona of a master.

Unexpectedly, with the country's development and the resurgence of national aesthetics, even local Taoism benefited. There were countless accounts on Douyin like his, demonstrating hand seals and mudras, and explaining the principles of Taoist cultivation.

Gu Zhao was completely drowned in the vast ocean of Taoist short videos. Moreover, the things he demonstrated were far less interesting than those telling legendary stories.

But he wouldn't back down. Gu Zhao still looked at Zhang Hang with disdain. "If I wanted to gain followers, I could do it in minutes."

Zhang Hang scoffed, his tone cheeky. "You're a cultivator, you need to establish your Taoist heart. If you can't gain a thousand followers within three days, you'll obediently come shoot videos for me. Big brother will carry you to success!"

"You'll carry me? I'll blow you up!" Gu Zhao hung up the phone and stared at his account, his eyes flickering.

When he had first returned from his transmigration, he had wanted to show off. As the saying goes, returning home rich without showing off is like walking at night in brocade clothes. If he was so powerful now, wouldn't it be a waste not to flaunt it?

But reason told him it wasn't time to show off yet.

It wasn't that he was worried about being dissected. It wasn't like decades ago; there was still a degree of trust.

He was worried that once exposed, his freedom would inevitably be somewhat restricted. He would definitely have to deal with government agencies, leading to more troublesome matters.

Not to mention, if he were exposed, the news might even spread abroad.

While he might trust the domestic authorities, and domestic capitalists might have the desire but not the guts to act rashly, Gu Zhao had no faith in foreign countries at all.

The illusion had shattered too thoroughly, and boomerangs were flying everywhere.

Therefore, Gu Zhao didn't plan to expose himself for now. But... who said not exposing himself meant he couldn't show off?

He had used Palm Thunder to strike a car, and no one had come looking for him, right?

Gu Zhao: (=ω=)

So he picked up his phone, went to the other world to record a video, carefully checked it, and then traveled back to upload it.

Soon, users who followed [Guang Zhao Ri Yue] saw a new video. The video was shot in a dense forest. The blogger did not show their face, only extending two hands in front of the camera. Of course, a routine small text was displayed at the bottom of the screen.

[Special effects, for entertainment purposes only]

The next moment, the blogger began the demonstration.

"In previous videos, I've explained various Taoist arts and spells. Today, I'll begin practical demonstrations."

"This spell is called Palm Thunder, a basic Thunder Magic of the Taoist school."

"Left hand forms the Heavenly Thunder Seal, right hand grasps the Thunder Script, take the Heavenly Stem's Yi, and the Earthly Branches' Wu, Wei, Shen, and simultaneously chant the incantation: 'Lightning chases lightning, heaven and earth are our eyes. The righteous qi of the eight directions, electric light flickers.'"

"At this moment, the thunder has gathered in your palm. Then, aim your palm at the target of the spell, like that tree in front of you, and release the lightning."

"Hiss!"

"BOOM!"

In the video, a flash of purple light appeared and disappeared. A tree as thick as a thigh was struck, instantly snapping in half, charred black. Then, the screen went black, and the video ended.

Audience: ???