Lying Low for a While

"It looked like a good thing." Gu Zhao smiled.

"As long as you can use it, that's what matters. I'll help you put on your shoes!" Xiuniang's smile was radiant. Being able to help Gu Zhao made her very happy. She bent down, about to use her hem to wipe his feet.

Gu Zhao gave a start and hurriedly stopped Xiuniang. "I can do it myself."

Gu Zhao came from a well-off family. He actually knew quite a few kids from similar backgrounds, all long since seasoned at nightclub hopping and karaoke. Not that they indulged in revelry every night, but being waited on while washing their feet and putting on shoes was child's play—plain as plain could be.

But under his grandfather's guidance, Gu Zhao had spent all his time cultivating the Tao and practicing martial arts since childhood. He had never encountered such things. Though he had seen and heard of them, envied them in his heart, and bragged about them with his mouth, he had truly never put any of it into practice, nor was he used to it.

He rubbed his feet against his trouser legs, roughly wiping off some of the mud, then put on the leather boots. They really did fit quite well. Xiuniang had indeed put thought into them.

Seeing Gu Zhao put on his own shoes, Xiuniang pursed her lips, a trace of dimness flashing through her eyes.

Elder He looked at Xiuniang, then at the gentle and courteous Gu Zhao. An unfathomable expression flickered in his eyes as he tentatively asked, "How does Great Mage plan to proceed from here?"

How did he plan to proceed?

Elder He's question stumped Gu Zhao.

He truly felt as though a thousand threads were tangled in his mind, with countless matters demanding attention. He really had no idea how to arrange things going forward.

An ordinary afternoon's routine cultivation session after returning home had somehow cultivated him straight into another world.

The moment he arrived, he ran into bandits robbing people, then encountered a Female Ghost that was not human. If his cheat had not been powerful enough, he might already have died from bliss by now.

Speaking of his cheat...

Gu Zhao now knew that the Five Thunder Token could take him across worlds, awaken his Innate Qi and grant him Mana, and even kill monsters, level up, and assist his cultivation.

As for its other functions—such as what exactly the Thunder Seed orbiting the Five Thunder Token was for—those still required further exploration.

But after thinking it over, Gu Zhao felt that his survival had not been solely thanks to the Five Thunder Token. More importantly, he had cultivated since childhood, endured a full ten years of bitter practice, remained wise and calm at critical moments, and thoroughly mastered all sorts of methods for subduing demons and vanquishing evil!

Gu Zhao planted his hands on his hips. "Sure enough, becoming the protagonist depends entirely on my own hard work!"

Five Thunder Token: "..."

So, aside from continuing to explore the Five Thunder Token's other possible functions, he also needed to test which of the spells in those Taoist Scriptures of his could actually be used.

Those would be the capital he relied on to settle down and make a living in this world!

Putting aside everything else, that woman alone had called herself the Divine Maiden of the Golden Wind Sect, which showed that she belonged to an organization. Who knew whether the Golden Wind Sect would track him down? He had to raise his strength as quickly as possible.

Compared to that, exploring this world was not urgent. Besides, he was still absorbing the surrounding heaven-and-earth essence, and the Mana within him had not yet reached saturation.

After some thought, Gu Zhao decided that rather than heading to Xiu Yue County, it would be better to stay in Cuishan Village for a while longer.

The place was not exactly cut off from the world, but it had little contact with the outside. It was perfect for his plan to lie low for the time being. And since he had saved an entire village, they presumably would not object to letting him stay for a while.

As for what excuse he should use...

Gu Zhao looked at Elder He. Wasn't the excuse right there?

"To be frank, Elder, I went through an unexpected upheaval earlier, and it would not be suitable for me to travel about at present. I would like to stay in the village for a while. Would that be convenient?" Gu Zhao asked.

"Convenient, convenient, of course it's convenient!" Elder He hurriedly agreed. "There is an empty room in the courtyard. It used to belong to Xiuniang's parents. If Great Mage does not mind, this old man will have Xiuniang clean it up."

"Then I must thank you, Elder." Gu Zhao nodded in thanks, took out a silver ingot, and handed it to Elder He. "Consider this payment for my stay."

When the bandits had been looting earlier, quite a few jars and containers in Elder He's home had been smashed. Yet he had handed the entire bundle over to the farmers who entered afterward, without keeping a thing for himself.

Gu Zhao could tell that although Elder He held considerable prestige in the village, the village as a whole was very poor. He had also lost his children and lived only with his granddaughter. Though others might help provide food and drink, life was still hard for them.

Elder He had told him much, and He Xiuniang had helped him obtain a piece of spoils. Gu Zhao instinctively wanted to return courtesy with courtesy.

"How could this old man accept your money?" Elder He hurriedly refused, adamantly declining to take it.

When Xiuniang heard that Gu Zhao would be staying in their home, her eyes lit up. She no longer cared about the silver at all and turned to run away. "I'll go tidy up Great Mage's room!"

"I'll be living in your home, eating and drinking here. I have to pay."

"You must not call yourself that, Great Mage. You saved the lives of our entire village. Even if you stayed for a hundred years, we would provide all the food and drink you needed!"

"The bandits made a mess of the house for half the day. Many things need replacing."

"They're only worthless jars and containers. Next time, we can have Bo Qing go to the county and trade for more."

"Then use it to buy Xiuniang two bolts of cloth and make her some clothes."

"..."

Elder He accepted the silver. Gu Zhao then saw that Xiuniang had finished tidying the room next door and returned just in time to hear their conversation. Her cheeks immediately flushed red, and she seemed a little embarrassed.

"Great Mage..."

"Don't call me Great Mage anymore." Gu Zhao finally realized that he had not introduced himself. "My surname is Gu."

"Then I shall call you Young Master Gu!" Elder He immediately said.

"Fine!" Gu Zhao nodded, then followed Xiuniang to the room next door.

Though the room looked as though no one had lived in it for a long time, it had evidently never lacked cleaning. Xiuniang merely made the bed, laid out a pillow and a thin blanket, then placed an oil lamp on the table by the window. That was enough to count as tidying it up.

This oil lamp had even been brought over by Xiuniang from Elder He's room.

Gu Zhao looked at the patched clothes Elder He and Xiuniang wore, then at the thin blanket on the bed, which still appeared rather new. His brow furrowed slightly.

Elder He's expression tightened. Thinking Gu Zhao had some misgiving, he hurriedly explained, "Xiuniang's parents met with an accident in the mountains."

Xiuniang also looked at Gu Zhao somewhat nervously.

"You misunderstand." Gu Zhao reassured them. "What I mean is, these are relics left behind by Xiuniang's parents. You have preserved them so carefully, so it would not be right for me to use them."

"It's right, it's right." Elder He spoke repeatedly. "You are our lifesaver. Even if Xiuniang's parents were still alive, they would have to give these things to you. How could it be inappropriate?"

Xiuniang also looked at Gu Zhao expectantly.

So Gu Zhao stopped refusing and only said, "My cultivation schedule is uncertain, so I may not necessarily sleep here."

Gu Zhao explained his arrangements. From time to time, he would enter the mountains to cultivate. His meals and sleep would be irregular, and perhaps he would only return to the village during the day or walk beyond it. Elder He need not deliberately prepare anything for him.

After explaining everything, Gu Zhao looked at the sky, then sensed the Five Thunder Token in his mind. Under Elder He and Xiuniang's watchful gazes, he left the mountain village and entered the forest behind it.

A short while later, Gu Zhao found a secluded corner.

"Cross worlds!"

"Whoosh!"

Within a luxurious underground palace somewhere.

A handsome man with his upper body bare was entwined with seven or eight seductive, bewitching women, all completely naked, their bodies twisting together in lingering motion. With every breath, black-red, icy Yin energy spread through the palace hall.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, the handsome man turned his head toward a certain direction.

"Where is my incense-offering divine statue?"