"Of course not!"
Bai Ke shook her head and swished her tail. "It's not that I don't want to teach you, but you're only human. You have neither the Heavenly Fox bloodline nor a pact with me, and you can't draw upon the power of moonlight. How could you use Moonlight Evasion?"
"Just give it a try." Gu Zhao did not mind.
Though he lacked whatever Heavenly Fox bloodline that was, the natural way cultivated by Taoists began, in the Upper Clarity Heavenly Heart True Method, with the Three Lights True Qi Cultivation Method. Moonlight was one of the most standard sources of orthodox Taoist true qi.
"Alright, alright!" Xiuniang agreed repeatedly.
Her entire family, Bai Ke included, had received an immense kindness from Gu Zhao. Now that they had a chance to repay him, if Gu Zhao had needed it, she would even have wanted to give him the Heavenly Fox Nail in her hand.
Thus, Xiuniang explained in painstaking detail how Mana circulated through the body, especially how to sense the power of moonlight, then unite Mana, one's own body, and moonlight as one, burning Mana in an instant to protect the body and dart swiftly through space.
Gu Zhao carefully committed it all to memory and gave it a rough try, but did not succeed.
Still, he was in no hurry. Though he lacked the Heavenly Fox bloodline, that did not mean he could not master it. Even if he could not attain Moonlight Evasion's blistering speed, he could accept it being weakened by a few degrees.
Even a math problem might not have only one solution. So what if he modified a spell?
After testing it briefly, Gu Zhao stopped and asked Xiuniang, "Anything else?"
Xiuniang froze at his words, her face flushing faintly. She hesitated as if she wanted to speak but could not, and for some reason, a hint of seductive charm appeared in her expression.
"Of course there is. Did you think all those legends about fox spirits seducing people were fake? Xiuniang also has a move to bewi... mmph?"
Xiuniang grabbed Bai Ke's mouth shut, then said to Gu Zhao, "I can also temporarily borrow Little Bai's Mana. Whether it's the Heavenly Fox Nail or Moonlight Evasion, both can become more powerful."
"Oh!" Gu Zhao nodded, as though he had not heard Bai Ke at all. He merely said to Xiuniang, "Not bad. You have attacks, evasion, and temporary burst power. You can already count as a qualified minion."
Bai Ke: o(▼皿▼メ;)o
If this lady's mouth weren't being pinched shut by Xiuniang, I'd have gone up and bitten you at least once!
Yet Xiuniang's expression brightened. "Then can I go out with Young Master next time?"
Gu Zhao was startled. "You want to go out with me?"
"Young Master comes from a distinguished family. You shouldn't waste your thoughts on the trivial chores of daily life." Xiuniang looked at him expectantly. "I can recognize a few words too. I can serve you tea and water, make your bed and fold your blankets. And I count as a minion now, so I won't hold you back."
Gu Zhao could not help laughing. He rubbed Xiuniang's head. "I was joking. You don't really count as a minion anymore. Among ordinary people, you'd absolutely qualify as a top assassin."
Xiuniang jumped in fright and shook her head like a rattle-drum. "I don't want to be an assassin."
"Of course, of course!" Gu Zhao understood. Meeting Xiuniang's hopeful gaze, he thought that he would be heading out later anyway, traveling through mountain villages and county towns to clear out minions and improve his cultivation. There would be no danger, and bringing along a young girl familiar with the affairs of this other world would not be bad.
So Gu Zhao nodded. "Alright. Once you've gotten familiar with things for a few more days, I'll take you out with me and find a harmful ghost or monster for you to practice on."
Xiuniang immediately beamed, her entire person radiating a refreshed and invigorated air.
Bai Ke's eyes shifted, and she wagged her tail as well. "I know of a harmful ghost. It's perfect for Xiuniang to practice on!"
Qingcheng Mountain, Taishang Laojun Pavilion.
"Ding!"
A crisp, melodious, ethereal sound echoed through the main hall. The tourists who had climbed Qingcheng Mountain early that morning bowed once more to the statue of Lord Laozi before getting up and turning aside to look around.
The middle-aged Taoist priest striking the chime saw a young man enter behind the tourists. Rather than kneeling in worship, he bowed three times to Lord Laozi, then walked toward him.
"Excuse me, has Daoist Yansong gotten up yet?" Gu Zhao asked.
"Hm?" The middle-aged Taoist priest was taken aback. "You're looking for Martial Uncle Yansong?"
"I arranged with him yesterday to visit today." Gu Zhao nodded, then took out his phone and checked it. "I just sent him a message, but he hasn't replied."
The middle-aged Taoist priest instinctively looked at Gu Zhao's phone screen and saw that the avatar in the chat really was Daoist Yansong's. He hurriedly said, "Martial Uncle practices martial arts and recites scriptures every morning. He may not have checked his phone."
Just then, both of them heard a soft chime from Gu Zhao's phone. Daoist Yansong had replied: "I'll come over right away. Have Ning Wen take you upstairs first."
Gu Zhao looked up and asked, "Who is Ning Wen?"
The middle-aged Taoist priest pointed at himself. "I'm Ning Wen."
"Come on, I'll take you upstairs."
Though he did not know what relationship this young man had with Daoist Yansong, since Daoist Yansong had spoken, Daoist Ning Wen naturally led Gu Zhao up to the second floor and made him a cup of tea before going downstairs to continue striking the chime.
Before the tea had even cooled, Daoist Yansong pushed open the door and entered, grinning. "Your Heavenly Dipper Talisman worked so quickly? Did you come to thank me for playing matchmaker, or to invite me to your engagement banquet?"
Gu Zhao was speechless. "Are you that sure I took a liking to her?"
"A young man admires a fair maiden. Your eyes practically grew onto those long legs of hers. I'm helping you," Daoist Yansong said solemnly.
Gu Zhao looked the old taoist priest up and down, unable to understand no matter how he thought about it how the Five Thunder Token had judged such an old reprobate to possess a pure soul and be full of righteous qi.
He even watched romances where the domineering president fell in love with me!
Five Thunder Token, do you want to take another good look? Gu Zhao silently asked the Five Thunder Token.
The Five Thunder Token and the Thunder Seed circling around it gave a burst of joyful excitement.
Gu Zhao: "..."
"Actually, the other girl isn't bad either. I think her attitude toward you is even better than that long-legged one's." Daoist Yansong stroked his beard in thought. "If you put in some effort, this one should be easier to win over."
Gu Zhao sighed. "I actually came to see you today on serious business."
"I know. You said so. What serious business?" Daoist Yansong asked. "Something about cultivation?"
Yesterday, Gu Zhao had messaged him to say that he would come by that morning because he had something to discuss, and that they would talk when they met. So that morning, Daoist Yansong had merely practiced a set of Eight Brocades before taking the time to check his phone. He had not expected Gu Zhao to truly climb the mountain so early.
As for this serious business, Daoist Yansong was not particularly curious.
The other party was a young man, while he was a Daoist elder. Other than Daoist cultivation, what could they possibly discuss? Could they really be talking about short dramas about domineering CEOs and Purple Robe Celestial Masters?
"Did you find Qingcheng Mountain secluded, tranquil, and elegant, and decide you want to come to Qingcheng Mountain to become a Taoist priest?" Daoist Yansong said with a smile. "Don't worry, things are different now from before. Religion is religion, law is law, work is work, and life is life. Even Taoist priests of the Quanzhen Sect can marry and have children."
Gu Zhao raised a brow. "What about eating meat and drinking wine?"
"The Quanzhen precepts are stricter, mainly to purify the heart and body, cultivate one's character and nourish one's nature, avoid falling into desire, and devote oneself wholly to cultivation. Those precepts are useful for most people, but for geniuses, there is another standard."
Daoist Yansong grinned. "Patriarch Lü could drink wine and chase women, so why can't later generations?"
Before you continue