The next few days passed uneventfully for both sides.
Gu Zhao ordered another batch of Cinnabar, ink, and Yellow Paper online. Like a hamster hoarding food for the winter, he did nothing but Cultivation and Drawing Talismans, as if he were stockpiling enough Talismans to fight a whole war.
Draw Talismans, cultivate for Qi Recovery, and continue Drawing Talismans.
After all, Drawing Talismans consumed a lot of Magical Power, while using them consumed very little.
'I might not be able to cast Meteor Fire Rain, but can't ten thousand Fireball Skills serve as a decent substitute?'
He only stopped when he discovered that as his Cultivation level increased, the power of his Talismans also grew stronger. There was no need to keep filling his warehouse.
The White Fox didn't leave either, staying in the village to recover from her injuries. From time to time, she would tag along with Gu Zhao for free food and drinks, eating until her mouth was greasy. Now, her first reaction upon seeing Gu Zhao was to drool.
However, the person she was closest to was the Silk Embroideress, with whom she slept every night.
But Gu Zhao noticed something contradictory about the White Fox's behavior. She seemed to be intimate with the Silk Embroideress one moment, yet distant and reserved the next, keeping her at arm's length.
The happiest of all was the Silk Embroideress. Since her parents had passed away, she hadn't had such happy days in a very, very long time. The White Fox kept her company during the day, and her nightly waiting was always rewarded. Her days were filled with anticipation and hope.
Of course, her happiness was tinged with worry. She didn't know when Gu Zhao would leave, and the White Fox would probably depart once she was fully healed.
But she hid her anxiety deep in her heart, facing each day with a bright, sunny smile.
...
One day, after Gu Zhao returned from his daytime trip to the Otherworld, he received another call from Zhang Hang.
"I haven't seen you at school for days. Have you really given up on finding a job?" Zhang Hang asked from the other end of the line.
"I've given up," Gu Zhao said, sprawled on the sofa enjoying the air conditioning. "I'll just go to school in June to pick up my diploma. I'll be unemployed right after graduation. I'm ready to live off my parents."
"That's great!" Zhang Hang cheered. "Come make videos with me!"
"Trying to draft me again!" Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but ask, "You sound so energetic. Did that video of yours do well?"
"It did great!" Zhang Hang said, sounding very pleased as he laughed. "I just gave it a little boost and got tens of thousands of likes and over a thousand comments. They're all leaving messages like 'Love it, make it a series!'"
"Oh, by the way, I tagged you in the video, and you gained a few hundred followers from it. Didn't you know?" Zhang Hang asked.
"I didn't. I haven't really looked at my phone these past few days," Gu Zhao said, shaking his head.
"What have you been busy with?" Zhang Hang asked incredulously. "Can anyone in modern society really live without their phone?"
Gu Zhao answered with a straight face, "I've been busy with Cultivation, preparing for Ascension by Riding the Clouds."
"Oh, come on. These days, even Daoists have their own video channels. Some are for recruiting students, some for preaching, some for making skits, and some are just for admiring pretty women. But not a single one of them talks about Ascension," Zhang Hang retorted. "What era are we in? You should believe in science. That whole Corpse Dissolving Alchemy schtick is out of fashion."
Gu Zhao reached out, and a water glass from across the room flew into his hand. He took a sip and said nonchalantly, "I don't know if Corpse Dissolving Alchemy is real, but Conserve Spirit and Refine Qi and Drawing Talismans and Using Curses are definitely not fake."
Zhang Hang chuckled dismissively. "Yeah, right. You've been practicing for ten years, and I haven't seen you accomplish anything. Your ClipTok account only has three hundred followers. My one video got you two hundred of them. Why don't you do something real to get some more followers?"
Gu Zhao felt a lump in his throat, utterly speechless.
Even though he was Cultivating the Dao and Refining the Heart, he was still a young man. And what young man doesn't like to be in the spotlight? Why else would he have started a short-video account!
So when he first registered on ClipTok and started uploading his insights on Cultivation, he was full of hope. He wanted to use the mysterious metaphysics of the Taoist Family to attract a wave of followers and establish himself as a master.
But unexpectedly, with the country's development and a revival of traditional aesthetics, native Daoism had also jumped on the bandwagon. There were countless accounts on ClipTok just like his, demonstrating various Hand Seal Techniques and explaining the principles of Taoist Family cultivation.
Gu Zhao was simply drowned in a vast sea of short videos from every Taoist Sect. Besides, the things he demonstrated were far less interesting than the channels that told legendary stories.
But he couldn't lose face. Gu Zhao feigned disdain for Zhang Hang. "If I wanted to gain followers, I could do it in minutes."
Zhang Hang scoffed, his tone smug and teasing. "You're a cultivator, you're supposed to be establishing your Dao Heart. If you can't get to a thousand followers in three days, you have to come make videos for me. Your bro will make you famous!"
"You'll make me famous? I'll blast you famous!" Gu Zhao hung up the phone, his eyes glinting as he stared at his account.
Right after he first returned, he had thought about revealing his powers. As the saying goes, being rich and successful without returning home to show off is like wearing silk robes in the dead of night. 'Now that I'm this powerful, wouldn't it be a waste not to flaunt it a little?'
But reason told him it wasn't time to be reckless yet.
He wasn't worried about being dissected by scientists. This wasn't several decades ago; he had at least that much faith in the authorities.
What he worried about was that if he were exposed, his freedom would be more or less affected. He would inevitably have to deal with the Government Office, which would lead to more trouble.
Not to mention, if he were exposed, the news could spread internationally.
While he could still trust the domestic Government Office, and local capitalists were all bark and no bite, Gu Zhao had zero confidence in foreign powers.
The illusion had been utterly shattered; their actions were constantly boomeranging back on them.
So, Gu Zhao didn't plan on revealing himself just yet. But... who said not revealing himself meant he couldn't show off?
'I blasted a car with Palm Thunder, and no one came looking for me, right?'
Gu Zhao: (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ
So he took his phone, went to the Otherworld to record a video, and after carefully checking it, crossed back to upload it.
Soon, users who followed "Light Shines on Sun and Moon" came across a new video. It was shot in a dense forest. The creator didn't show his face, only extending two hands in front of the camera. Of course, at the bottom of the screen was the standard disclaimer.
[Special effects, for entertainment purposes only]
The next moment, the creator began his demonstration.
"In previous videos, I've talked about various Daoist Skills and Magic Spells. Starting today, I'll be doing actual demonstrations."
"This Magic Spell is called Palm Thunder. It's a basic Thunder Technique of the Taoist Sect."
"Form the Celestial Thunder Seal with your left hand and pinch the Thunder Rune with your right. Draw upon the Heavenly Stem Yi, and the Earthly Branches Wu, Wei, and Shen. Simultaneously, chant the curse: 'Thunder and lightning pursue, Heaven and Earth are the witness. From eight directions comes righteous Qi, as electric light now flashes!'"
"At this point, the Thunderbolt will have gathered in your palm. Then, aim your palm at your target—for example, that tree up ahead—and release the lightning."
"Decree!"
BOOM!
In the video, a flash of purple light appeared and vanished. A tree as thick as a thigh was struck, instantly snapping in two and turning pitch-black. Then the screen went dark, and the video ended.
The audience: ???