Almost none of the ordinary people in Golden Wind Hall had faced him directly, but Painter Lu was different.
This man had interacted with him. He and the Painting Demon were a pair of villains, one human and one demon; perhaps the Golden Wind Divine King would find them through that. How could Gu Zhao leave them alive?
After killing Painter Lu and the Painting Demon, he had indeed gained quite a bit of Killing Intent.
Gu Zhao recited a passage from the Scripture for Delivering People, then directly used Mana to erase the souls in the remaining paintings, letting them dissipate between heaven and earth. He then quietly left Xiu Yue County.
A gentleman did not stand beneath a crumbling wall. This was the right time to return to the mountain village and lie low.
He had killed another Golden Wind guardian deity and even stolen an incense-worshiped divine statue. Perhaps the Golden Wind Divine King would come in person. Gu Zhao certainly would not stay at the scene of the crime to see what happened.
As the sun set in the west, He Xiuniang finished a day's work and brought Bai Ke to the village entrance. Leaning against the great tree there, she stared blankly down the official road in the distance.
"Stop looking. He's only been gone for a little over ten days. How could he be back so soon?" Bai Ke lay across Xiuniang's shoulder and lazily yawned.
"I know. I just have nothing to do, so I came here to take a look." Xiuniang was somewhat worried. "Do you think Young Master might be in danger?"
"How would I know?" Bai Ke curled her lips. Seeing Xiuniang's earnest expression, she still said, "The three guardian deities of the Golden Wind Sect couldn't even take three moves from him. As long as he doesn't go provoking powerful figures in the prefectural city, ordinary Demonic Beasts and ghosts are no match for him."
"Are all the powerful people in the prefectural city?" Xiuniang asked.
"Not necessarily." Bai Ke stuck out her tongue and licked her lips. "Those who cultivate the divine path are basically all in cities or nearby, and they still care somewhat about appearances. But those who eat flesh and drink blood, or cultivate bitterly on their own, will mostly choose desolate wildernesses.
The Great Ning Dynasty is going downhill day by day, the Profound Might Divine Sect is no longer what it once was, and the Spiritual Court is short-handed as well. Still, they retain some measure of deterrence."
After cultivating with Bai Ke for many days, Xiuniang had learned a little about the cultivation world. She asked, "The Profound Might Divine Sect doesn't deal with those divine-path cultivators either? Doesn't the Imperial Court forbid wicked gods and obscene worship?"
"Because they can't manage it anymore. As long as they don't wipe out the government offices in one fell swoop and still acknowledge this as Great Ning territory, it's tacitly accepted. It's probably like carving out territory and crowning oneself king?" Bai Ke pondered.
Xiuniang nodded as though she understood, then exclaimed in admiration, "You really know so much!"
Bai Ke flicked her tail and said smugly, "Of course. I have the Heavenly Fox bloodline, born with spiritual wisdom. Naturally, I know a lot."
"When will you be able to take human form?" Xiuniang asked expectantly.
"Soon, soon." Bai Ke stretched out her paw and began counting. "As long as you cultivate properly, I'll be able to in one... two... three..."
"Young Master!?"
Bai Ke was still doing arithmetic when Xiuniang cried out and rushed forward, nearly flinging Bai Ke off balance. Bai Ke desperately grabbed Xiuniang's collar before managing to stay steadily on her shoulder.
"Hm? He's back already?" Bai Ke saw Gu Zhao approaching as well, then immediately looked at his hands.
When she spotted the familiar white transparent bag, with two white transparent boxes inside filled to the brim, a knowing smile finally appeared on her face.
"Ying ying ying!"
Her fox eyes narrowed into slits. Bai Ke happily followed Xiuniang closer, then sniffed and caught a sweet fragrance.
"Mmm, it's Dongpo pork, and five-spice roast chicken!"
"Have you finished your business, Young Master?" Xiuniang came to Gu Zhao's side, took the plastic bag from his hand, and walked into the village with him.
"Mmm, you could say I've done half of it." Gu Zhao chose his words carefully. "I'll stay in the village for a few days, then I'll have to go out again."
Xiuniang bit her lip. "Mm..."
"Young Master, come with me!"
After dinner, while the sky had not yet completely darkened, Xiuniang pulled Gu Zhao into the woods not far behind the village.
"What is it?"
Gu Zhao narrowed his eyes, extremely vigilant. This young girl's face was flushed, her expression excited, and her behavior furtive. She had dragged him into the little woods—what kind of crooked scheme was she plotting?
He was not that kind of casual man!
Even if he were going into the little woods, it should at least be Jiang Shishi or Xiao Ya. They fit his tastes.
Ah, speaking of them... If his Heavenly Dipper Talisman really cured Xiao Ya's grandfather, and she realized how extraordinary he was and wanted to offer herself to him, how should he respond?
Seeing the smile at the corner of Gu Zhao's mouth, Xiuniang was delighted too. "Young Master, have you agreed?"
"Huh?" Gu Zhao looked utterly baffled.
"Young Master, look!" As Xiuniang's sweet voice fell, she flipped her palm over, and a white nail about an inch long appeared in her hand.
Xiuniang flicked her wrist and threw it. The nail became a streak of white light and shot forth in an instant, piercing through a small tree over three meters away with a bang. It then circled around and flew back into her hand.
"Huh?" Gu Zhao raised his brows in surprise. He had not expected that in less than half a month, Xiuniang had already gained a modest amount of Mana.
"This is Little Bai's Heavenly Fox Nail. It was refined from her fur. She made three in total and gave one to me." Xiuniang held the Heavenly Fox Nail out before Gu Zhao.
"Ying ying!" Bai Ke proudly raised her head.
Gu Zhao did not look at the nail or at Bai Ke. Instead, he turned and carefully examined the small tree, as well as the hole in the middle of its trunk, wide enough for two fingers.
"It's even Small-leaf Sandalwood... Didn't that one nail just erase over a hundred thousand?"
Gu Zhao clicked his tongue, then reached out and took the nail.
The nail was cloud-white. It felt neither like gold nor iron, seemingly condensed from countless fine white threads, yet its form was solid. Even when Gu Zhao applied a little force, he could not bend it.
Judging by how it had pierced straight through the tree trunk without stopping, its impact and penetrating power were considerable as well.
"When you fought that Golden Wind Sect protector last time, was this what you used?" Gu Zhao asked.
Bai Ke nodded her fox head. "This was it."
"Not bad. It's quite formidable." Gu Zhao returned the Heavenly Fox Nail to Xiuniang.
This was like carrying a Desert Eagle at all times!
"Little Bai said cultivation is faster at the beginning." Xiuniang could not help revealing the truth. "It'll get slower and slower afterward."
"It's the same for everyone." Gu Zhao smiled.
Whether in reality or in novels, everyone cultivated more slowly the further they went. It was perfectly normal to get stuck later on; even geniuses were no exception. That was why systems that let diligence make up for shortcomings or allowed people to pile up progress bars counted as golden fingers.
Otherwise, if every genius attained enlightenment in a single morning and ascended overnight without any obstacle, there would be no place for any cheats.
Encouraged by Gu Zhao, Xiuniang was greatly invigorated. "There's more, Young Master, look!"
Xiuniang looked up at the moon in the sky, then activated all the Mana in her body. Her entire figure flashed, instantly shifting sideways to... two meters away.
This time, Gu Zhao was truly stunned. "Teleportation?"
"Heh heh heh, scared stupid, aren't you? You can't do it, can you?" Bai Ke shook her head, brimming with pride.
Gu Zhao shot Bai Ke a sidelong glance. "So you can pass through walls and doors, and cross a thousand miles in an instant?"
Bai Ke's face immediately fell. "No! This is called Moonlight Evasion. It can only use the power of moonlight to move swiftly within your line of sight, and it consumes an enormous amount of Mana. It's for saving your life."
After a long explanation, Gu Zhao finally understood that it was not instantaneous teleportation and could not cross space. It was simply rapid movement.
But it was already very powerful. Once her Mana grew stronger, wouldn't this be Shrinking Ground to an Inch?
Gu Zhao rubbed his hands together and grinned. "Can I learn it?"
Before you continue