Five Thunder Token Anomaly

"Ahhh!"

A shriek, even more piercing than before, rang out next to Gu Zhao's ear.

"So cool!"

Jiang Shishi stepped forward and threw her arms around Gu Zhao. He felt his arm sink deeply into something soft, giving him the illusion of being buried within it.

Xiao Ya, standing beside them, was also dumbfounded. Her small mouth hung open as she looked at Gu Zhao in disbelief.

They had heard Gu Zhao give a rough introduction of himself, mentioning that he had learned some Taoist scriptures and martial arts from his grandfather since childhood. They knew he exercised regularly and was definitely stronger and more capable than ordinary young people, but that was all they thought.

How could they have imagined Gu Zhao would display such speed and strength?

It was just like something out of an action movie!

The surrounding crowd also let out exclamations, with shouts of "Holy crap" and "Awesome" echoing endlessly. After they recovered, they cheered and applauded, offering their congratulations to Gu Zhao.

The crowd didn't suspect anything because Gu Zhao hadn't displayed speed and strength that completely surpassed human limits; it was more akin to the state of a parkour master.

In the eyes of bystanders, Gu Zhao's reaction and courage were even more precious.

"Xuanxuan!"

It was only then that the child's family scrambled over. The child's mother clutched him in her arms, trembling with emotion.

"Wah!" The child seemed to have realized what happened and burst into tears.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you..." Another middle-aged man grabbed Gu Zhao's hand and bowed repeatedly. Although he was trying to control himself, his voice could be heard trembling.

"It's nothing," Gu Zhao said, comforting the man and patting his hand. "Please be careful next time."

"Definitely, definitely! I don't think I'll dare to bring him hiking for the next few years," the man said with a wry smile, still shaken.

He was also filled with lingering fear. In that moment, he felt his heart stop. If Gu Zhao hadn't intervened, he couldn't even imagine the consequences.

At this point, the woman also finally recovered. She brought the child over to thank Gu Zhao. She had intended to invite Gu Zhao to explore with them, but seeing the two beautiful girls accompanying him, she wisely refrained from asking.

However, a life-saving debt couldn't be repaid with just a couple of thank-yous. The man insisted on adding Gu Zhao as a friend. "Little brother, you might not care, but if we don't thank you properly, we won't be able to live with ourselves!"

Someone nearby chimed in, "Send a banner to the young man's workplace."

"Yes, yes!" the man nodded repeatedly.

Gu Zhao shook his head and refused. "I haven't graduated yet."

The woman's eyes lit up. "Then that's perfect, we'll send it to the school!"

"No, no, really, it's just a small favor," Gu Zhao said. With his cheat system, he didn't want to attract attention. "How about you treat me to a meal instead?"

"That's a must!" The woman's eyes shifted, and she pulled the two girls along. "You two ladies should come too. Let's add each other as friends so we can keep in touch."

After thanking Gu Zhao again while holding the child, they saw that the child was still frightened. Although he had recovered somewhat, they decided not to continue hiking and turned back.

The crowd gradually dispersed, but Jiang Shishi was still incredibly excited. "You were amazing!"

"Just a basic move, nothing special," Gu Zhao joked, then added, "It was mainly because the distance wasn't far, and it wasn't that dangerous."

Xiao Ya looked at the slope outside the stone steps. Although there was grass and vegetation near the steps, it became very steep further down. After a short distance, the bottom was no longer visible. She couldn't see how it was "not that dangerous."

"Although it might not be appropriate to say this, please don't be so impulsive in the future. It was really dangerous," Xiao Ya advised with concern.

Gu Zhao appreciated her concern and nodded sincerely. "Thank you, I'll be careful."

Although he hadn't tried using martial arts to fight anyone yet, in terms of pure agility, even the world's top parkour experts would have to bow down to him. As long as he wasn't falling from a skyscraper or a cliff, he shouldn't be in mortal danger.

"You should be careful, but showing off is also essential!" Jiang Shishi still held Gu Zhao's left arm, staring at him. "I bet you don't get many chances to steal the spotlight usually, right? How does it feel?"

Gu Zhao savored the soft touch and said with a straight face, "It feels amazing!"

Xiao Ya subtly tugged at Jiang Shishi. "Alright, alright, let's continue climbing. It's still a long way to the Taishang Laojun Pavilion, and we need to head down early for a big meal today."

Jiang Shishi let go as if on cue and tidied her clothes. "Okay, okay, let's keep climbing."

They had already left the Ancient Celestial Master Cave and, after walking some distance, turned to visit the Patriarch's Hall.

"Quanzhen Preaching Teachings," Jiang Shishi read the large characters on the plaque. "Another Quanzhen Dao sect. Doesn't that put Zhengyi Dao in a pincer attack?"

Gu Zhao shook his head. "All Taoist sects are one family. Both Quanzhen Dao and Zhengyi Dao are legitimate branches of Taoism and uphold our native culture."

Jiang Shishi turned back, looking bewildered, and then saw a middle-aged Taoist priest walk past the three of them. He first nodded at Jiang Shishi, then cupped his hands at Gu Zhao and said with a smile, "May Heaven Bless You Boundlessly!"

Gu Zhao returned the greeting with a smile.

Jiang Shishi, "..."

After the Taoist priest left, Jiang Shishi lightly punched Gu Zhao's arm. "Were you doing that on purpose?"

Gu Zhao spread his hands. "You said that, I didn't teach you."

Jiang Shishi was speechless. "Didn't you keep talking about how Zhengyi Dao and Quanzhen Dao were always debating or fighting?"

Gu Zhao looked confused. "Did I say that?"

Jiang Shishi clenched her small fists, and then heard Xiao Ya say softly from the side, "It seems like you didn't."

"Ahhh! Xiao Ya, you've learned to be naughty too!"

A string of laughter and joy was left on the mountain path, then it turned into a panting sound.

After this incident, the relationship between the three had clearly become closer; they could now be considered friends.

"We're finally here. I didn't expect Qingcheng Mountain to be so hard to climb," Jiang Shishi said, catching her breath and looking at the Taishang Laojun Pavilion not far away.

"It's not too bad, much easier than Dongyue," Xiao Ya also felt tired, but she was clearly not as exhausted as Jiang Shishi.

Jiang Shishi looked at Xiao Ya's legs, then at her own chest. The other girl had an advantage, while she had a burden. One plus one minus equals a 200% difference, how could she possibly compare?

Gu Zhao rested with the two women outside for a while before they went together to offer incense and pay respects outside the Taishang Laojun Pavilion, light lamps to pray for blessings, and then entered the building together to worship the Three Pure Ones.

As they walked into the pavilion, they were greeted by a statue of Laozi. A group of people who had reached the summit were queuing to pay their respects. An old Taoist priest with white hair and a face full of wrinkles sat behind a table beside the divine statue. He kept his head lowered, his expression blank, only holding a small hammer in one hand and looking at the bronze chime on the table.

When a batch of pilgrims finished their kowtows, the old Taoist priest would strike the chime once.

"Dong—"

The three queued up behind them. Jiang Shishi seemed to recall something and couldn't help but observe the old Taoist priest for a long time before finally discovering something odd.

"He's wearing Bluetooth earphones!" Jiang Shishi whispered.

Xiao Ya also looked up, her eyes scanning the table before she whispered, "Behind the standing sign on the table, there's a phone propped up."

"You remember that news report too?" Jiang Shishi looked back at Xiao Ya, and the two girls giggled.

Only Gu Zhao suddenly felt the Five Thunder Token in his mind jump. The lightning seed next to it, whose function he had never known, suddenly became active, faintly pointing in a certain direction.

Gu Zhao's heart stirred, and he suddenly looked up, only to find that the old Taoist priest striking the chime had also suddenly looked at him.

Thanks to fellow Daoist 20180707144157515 for the 100 reward.