Golden Wind Hall

Gu Zhao stopped, and Painter Lu turned back curiously, "Hong Xin?"

"Creak—"

The bolt on the small courtyard's gate lifted, and then the door was pushed open. A burly man in black clothes with gold patterns walked in. Seeing Painter Lu about to start drawing, he couldn't help but grin, "As soon as I heard those two idlers muttering, I knew you were about to draw something, Lu Sheng."

Painter Lu narrowed his eyes and asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"

Hong Xin strode over but stopped at the side room's entrance, "Why can't I be here?"

Painter Lu frowned slightly and pretended to be nonchalant, "Of course you can come, it's just a coincidence."

After saying that, he pointed at Hong Xin and said to Gu Zhao, "This is my friend Hong Xin. He's straightforward and loves making friends."

Then he gestured towards Gu Zhao and introduced, "Brother Zhang is new here and didn't mean to intrude into the alley. I happened to pass by and felt inspired, so I helped him out and invited him to my home as a guest. I was just about to paint a picture for Brother Zhang."

Hong Xin chuckled, "I know. You can't resist drawing whenever you see a handsome young man."

A flash of anger appeared in Painter Lu's eyes. He glanced sideways at Gu Zhao and saw Gu Zhao nod knowingly, looking as if he suddenly understood. "No wonder the young man in Brother Lu's painting looks so handsome and ethereal, like he's about to ascend to immortality."

Speaking of which, Gu Zhao touched his chin, looking rather pleased. "If that's the case, doesn't that mean I'm handsome too?"

"Brother Zhang is dignified and elegant, clearly an exceptional gentleman!" Hong Xin exclaimed loudly. Then he turned to Painter Lu again and emphasized, "You don't have any good tea at home, why don't you come to my place and sit for a while?"

Painter Lu frowned slightly, a mix of displeasure and doubt, "You have good tea at your place?"

Hong Xin smiled slightly, "Yes."

Painter Lu's pupils contracted, and he blurted out, "Could it be..."

A sharp glint flashed in Hong Xin's eyes, and Painter Lu couldn't help but lick his lips. "If that's the case, then Lu can cough cough."

Painter Lu coughed twice, his eyes flickered, and then he clutched his chest and coughed several more times.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Looking up, Painter Lu's face had grown even paler. He said to Gu Zhao, "Brother Zhang, please forgive me. I might have caught a chill last night."

"In that case, I won't be able to paint for you, Brother Zhang," Painter Lu said with a frown. "Why don't you go to Brother Hong's place and rest for a while? He can guide you wherever you want to go afterward."

"After you're done, please come back. Since I promised to paint for you, Brother Zhang, I will definitely do it," Painter Lu said seriously.

Hong Xin nodded in satisfaction and then asked Gu Zhao, "Brother Zhang, are you visiting a friend or traveling for study in Xiu Yue County?"

"I'm here for inspiration," Gu Zhao said earnestly. "I'm currently writing a poetry collection and have run out of ideas, so I'm traveling around to find inspiration."

"So Brother Zhang is also a poet! I'm impressed, truly impressed!" Hong Xin quickly cupped his hands and asked flatteringly, "May I ask what your masterpiece is?"

"It's nothing special! The green mountains are high, piercing the sky, white clouds drift leisurely around the peaks. Climb halfway and take a breath, look up and you're still not there!" Gu Zhao tilted his head and recited the poem. After finishing, he clapped his hands and smiled, quite pleased with himself.

Hong Xin: "..."

Painter Lu: "..."

"Good poem! Good poem!" Hong Xin gave him a thumbs-up and then said to Gu Zhao, "Lu Sheng is unwell. Brother Zhang, why don't you go to my place and rest? Have some hot tea. If you're looking for inspiration, I can accompany you around."

Gu Zhao looked at Hong Xin, touched the bulging cloth bag at his waist, and nodded with a smile, "Alright!"

Under Painter Lu's reluctant gaze, Gu Zhao and Hong Xin left the small courtyard together and headed north of the city.

To Gu Zhao's surprise, they didn't walk into a more secluded area. Instead, they walked along a rather wide street, and the number of pedestrians not only didn't decrease but seemed to be increasing.

There were even quite a few people who recognized Hong Xin and greeted him.

"General Hong!"

"Director Hong!"

Hong Xin cupped his hands in return and said with a hearty laugh, "Hello everyone, how are you feeling today?"

"Comfortable!"

"Full of energy!"

Everyone laughed at this, then dispersed.

Gu Zhao watched them leave, and seeing their rosy complexions and vibrant energy, he couldn't help but wonder if he had guessed wrong.

Then they arrived at their destination.

The gate faced east, with blue stone and red pillars. Instead of stone lions on either side, there were stone statues of two generals, one holding a sword and the other a spear. With the incense smoke wafting from inside the gate, they seemed almost alive.

Gu Zhao looked up and saw three large characters written in gold paint on the gate's plaque: Golden Wind Hall!

Gu Zhao: ( °ー°〃)

Compared to those few courtyards exuding a chilling aura, there was no ghostly energy in the Golden Wind Hall. Instead, it was filled with the scent of incense, like a Buddhist or Taoist temple in the modern world.

But Gu Zhao knew that the Golden Wind Divine Cult was full of ghosts!

Thinking of this, Gu Zhao looked at Hong Xin beside him. So, was this guy also a ghost?

Gu Zhao had been relatively cautious entering the city this time and hadn't actively released his spiritual sense to probe. Therefore, unless the other party unintentionally or intentionally revealed their aura, it would be difficult for Gu Zhao to clearly sense their identity.

But if he couldn't sense it, the Five Thunder Token was a treasure. It could sense both Painter Lu and Hong Xin, so Gu Zhao naturally became vigilant.

Seeing Gu Zhao looking at him, Hong Xin smiled and gestured invitingly, "Please, sir!"

Gu Zhao smacked his lips. His intention for entering the city this time was merely to secretly investigate the Golden Wind Divine Cult's strength. He hadn't planned on barging directly into their stronghold!

Well, it wasn't exactly their stronghold. This was Xiu Yue County, after all, not Changping Prefecture. Since he was here to investigate, coming during the day was better than coming at night. Moreover...

"Worst case scenario, I'll just bombard the place!" Gu Zhao felt a thrill at the thought before following Hong Xin inside.

The Golden Wind Hall occupied a considerable area. Inside, there were quite a few cult members and commoners. Some were offering incense in the main hall, while cult members in the side halls were praying for the blessings of the people. Some commoners were also invited into the backyard.

As Gu Zhao passed the main hall, he saw a Divine Statue, about a person's height, placed on the altar. It looked identical to the wooden carving he had confiscated from the female ghost in green that day.

His gaze shifted downward, and Gu Zhao's eyebrows twitched. Below the Divine Statue, a wooden carving was displayed.

Alright, this time it was exactly the same...

As he got closer, Gu Zhao could feel faint wisps of mental energy emanating from the commoners offering incense and paying homage in the hall. This energy was then absorbed by the wooden carving on the altar.

This mental energy came from the commoners, so it carried the essence of the mortal world. If a ghostly creature could absorb and refine it, they could stabilize their soul and ghostly body, act in broad daylight, and even resist certain powers specifically designed to counter the yin and evil.

"So those Guardian Ghost Gods can withstand a few more of my lightning strikes," Gu Zhao mused. "No wonder they're called deities."

Perhaps the mental energy provided by a single commoner was extremely weak, but with the accumulation of many, over time, the mental energy stored within this wooden carving would certainly not be insignificant.

Gu Zhao's eyes flickered, and a measure of apprehension towards the Golden Wind Divine King grew in his heart. He then followed Hong Xin around the main hall and arrived at a quiet room in the backyard.