Free Web NovelChapter 320: Chapter 319: Gu Zhao: I Am the Mastermind
Gu Zhao first returned to the Taoist Research Institute in Yangcheng.
Although it was arguably the coldest month of winter, the daytime temperature in Yangcheng was still in the high fifties. Blending in with the crowd, Gu Zhao wore a thin windbreaker and sat in the institute’s courtyard scrolling through his phone.
By now, Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi had already gone abroad. His parents were enjoying their time alone and didn’t need him, and Zhang Hang had a new girlfriend and was similarly occupied. So, for once, Gu Zhao had some free time.
Perhaps the algorithm had him figured out, because the content that popped up on his feed was exactly what he had been interested in lately.
[National Spokesperson Responds to Incident of Deranged Sakura People]
"Question: Mr. Spokesperson, what is your comment on the incident a few days ago where two Sakura People suddenly went berserk in front of the Dragon Tiger Heavenly Mountain Heavenly Master Mansion, in connection with Unit 731? Does this involve false propaganda and hinder the friendly relations between our two nations?"
"Answer: History cannot be denied, and the truth cannot be altered. I do not understand what you mean by ’false propaganda.’ The historical evidence of the crimes committed by Unit 731 is ironclad.
Furthermore, we must learn from history to face the future. Remembering history is not about prolonging hatred, but about warning future generations. Celestial Xia has always been a practitioner of peaceful development.
On the contrary, it is the Sakura side that continually revises and glorifies its history of aggression. This is the real betrayal of history and the root cause obstructing friendly exchanges between our nations. We hope the relevant parties and countries will recognize history for what it is and walk with us on its correct path."
Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow. Neither the Mongolian Mine Disaster nor the Lao Mountain Rainbow had made the news. Yet this incident at the Celestial Master’s Mansion, which had been relatively quiet, had somehow escalated to a press conference Q&A.
He opened the comment section, which was, of course, overwhelmingly celebratory.
"To think they dared to cause trouble at the Celestial Master’s Mansion. They’re lucky they made it out alive."
"My friend was there. He said those two are descendants of those old devils. They were disrespectful at the Celestial Master’s Mansion and got taught a lesson by the current Celestial Master."
"Exactly! Their bloodlines carry sin. The Thunder Department Gods at the Celestial Master’s Mansion found them and sent down a Thunderbolt that shattered their Divine Souls. There was even a real lightning strike at the Mansion!"
"Dying laughing. I saw the video. Some people thought it was a performance and earnestly went up to argue with the hecklers, only to get their faces gnawed on by those two lunatics until they were covered in blood."
"Hahaha, and some people are still saying they were false flag trolls."
The mainstream comments were all pretty normal. Of course, there were some abnormal ones, but they were confined to their own little echo chambers, entertaining themselves. Gu Zhao knew these people existed, but he basically never saw their content.
Then he saw more content speculating about the supernatural.
If the earlier comments were still in the realm of normal people just memeing, these later, more serious discussions were genuine speculation about the supernatural.
"There are definitely Extraordinary beings in this world. Anyone who’s even vaguely aware of the recent string of major events wouldn’t deny it."
"The Dragon Vein incident was crystal clear, and the map from that summer event was perfectly plain. The people trying to brush it off are just playing dumb."
"Actually, the best proof of the Extraordinary is the Berkeley incident, but unfortunately, they suppressed that story over there too."
"Stop trying to link everything to the supernatural. What century are we in? Trust in science."
"Stop trying to link everything to science. The supernatural is just science that hasn’t been proven yet."
Gu Zhao chuckled as he watched the commotion, feeling like a mastermind admiring his own masterpiece. Then he heard a stir at the research institute’s main gate. Several old Daoists had packed their things and arrived in Yangcheng.
...
Just as they had welcomed the Lao Mountain Daoists, other Daoists from nearby who could spare the time also returned to Cuiluo Mountain to welcome seven new arrivals from the Celestial Master’s Mansion, Sanmao Mountain, and Zhenwu Mountain.
Taoist Zhi Qing and Taoist Han Zheng didn’t seem too surprised. Their seniors had already come here, so they already had a general idea of what to expect.
But it was a different story for Taoist Gao Yue and Taoist Xu Xing. Everything was new and exciting to them, especially...
"Zhong Qingwei!"
Seeing Taoist Qingwei, the two old Daoists pointed at him. "So this is where you’ve been! And to think we thought you were in poor health, wondering why you weren’t at Zhenwu Mountain. We even told our disciples you’d gone south to focus on your Cultivation."
"You call this ’south’?" Taoist Xu Xing scolded with a laugh. "You’ve crossed into another world!"
Taoist Qingwei roared with laughter, stepping forward to grab the two old Daoists by the arm. "This is an opportunity my junior brother earned for me by slaying demons! An opportunity you two senior brothers can only dream of being jealous of!"
Taoist Qingyuan quickly waved his hands. "I was just lucky enough to meet the Sect Leader first, that’s all."
Taoist Gao Yue looked at the two of them, thought about the three masters of their generation still back on Zhenwu Mountain, and joked, "The Sanfeng Sect is bursting with talent. You have more practitioners of the True Dao than the Celestial Master’s Mansion and Sanmao Mountain combined."
The Celestial Master’s Mansion had two of the Ming generation and two of the Zhi generation, while Sanmao Mountain had one of the Shen generation and two of the Han generation. In terms of numbers alone, they really couldn’t compare to Zhenwu Mountain’s Sanfeng Sect.
Changyi and Zhan Qing: ’Aren’t we people too?’
After Taoist Qingwei finished catching up with the two old Daoists, Taoist Ming Yu and Taoist Yi Hong went forward to greet Taoist Gao Yue and Taoist Xu Xing, respectively.
Taoist Gao Yue was an heir of the Qingwei Sect, belonging to the Zhengyi Lineage. Taoist Xu Xing was from the True Martial Dragon Gate Sect, thus naturally belonging to the Quanzhen Lineage.
Qingcheng Mountain had the ancient Qingcheng Technique and now has the Dragon Gate Dao. And while Taoist Yan Song was a cultivator of both Quanzhen and Zhengyi, his official Daoist registration still placed him within the Dragon Gate Sect.
Zhenwu Mountain, however, bridged the northern and southern traditions. It was a single mountain that housed both the Quanzhen Dragon Gate and the Zhengyi Qingwei sects. Later, it even added the Sanfeng Sect, which belonged to neither Quanzhen nor Zhengyi, making it a famous mountain where various Daoist sects convened.
Moreover, it wasn’t just the Sanfeng Sect that was full of talent. Taoist Gao Yue and Taoist Xu Xing each had a disciple who had successfully cultivated Taoist True Qi. They had been registered by the Taoist Office and added to Gu Zhao’s pool of candidates, just waiting for the next Daluo Palace recruitment drive.
Watching the lively group of old Daoists catching up in the courtyard, Gu Zhao didn’t disturb them. He just mentioned that he would host a welcome banquet for them that evening, then left the courtyard.
He hadn’t been back in a few days, but of course, nothing had changed at Daluo Palace. The disciples in the palace all attended to their duties, the Guardian Star Officials focused on their Cultivation, and the Silk Embroideress and Bai Ke were researching new recipes.
An incredibly profound aura, one that carried an ethereal chill even in broad daylight, permeated the courtyard. The moment Gu Zhao stepped inside, he saw Zhuo Qingyan sitting cross-legged in the middle of it, deep in her Cultivation.
She had switched to practicing the Fengyue Sect’s Beiyin Seven True Soul Refining Skill and had long ago converted her Ghost Qi into Beiyin True Qi. The grim aura of a Netherworld Ghost was gone from her, replaced by the serene tranquility of a Supreme Profound Nightlight Jade Maiden.
Her hair was like a cascade of black silk, her skin like flawless cream.
At some point, Zhuo Qingyan had opened her eyes and was gazing at Gu Zhao. Her usually cool and distant eyes now held a touch of tenderness, and their depths reflected not only his form but also a profound love.
