Free Web NovelChapter 334: Chapter 333: Revealing a Little Secret
Of course it is!
To date, eight of the twenty-eight positions for Daluo Palace’s Guardian Star Officials have been filled. In order of their initiation, they are:
The Golden Dog of Bond Huang Yuan.
Golden Sheep of Ghost Yang Chi.
Zhang Yuelu Lu Yue.
Earth Badger of Di He Feng.
Sun Rabbit of Room Hu Yufei.
Jiaomu Flood Dragon Biyingying.
Niu Jinniu Liu Han.
Void Sun Rat Chu Yurong.
When they first joined the sect, Huang Yuan, He Feng, and Bi Yingying had the highest Dao Practice, each with over four hundred years. Yang Chi and Lu Yue had the lowest, with less than two hundred.
Now, a year later, after being taught Taoist Skills by the senior Daoists, Huang Yuan and Bi Yingying have solidified their foundations. After a period of steady accumulation, both have broken through the five-hundred-year mark in their Dao Practice. He Feng has also hit a bottleneck and is on the verge of a breakthrough, while the others have all made progress as well.
It wasn’t that Gu Zhao was unwilling to recruit experts directly. The problem was that in this world, once a cultivator surpassed five hundred years of Dao Practice, their lifespan would increase dramatically. They could fly through the heavens and tunnel through the earth. There was nothing to stop them from cultivating in solitude and roaming free, or from establishing their own sect and becoming a patriarch.
Therefore, such individuals are known as top experts or Sect Leader Level figures. Unless they were cultivated by a faction from the start, they rarely join one midway through their careers.
To say nothing of lone wolves like Lu Zhengtang of the Yongding River and Purple Cloud Monarch of Wuya Ridge, even Xu Jing and his wife, who had been rescued by Taoist Jing Feng in Qianshan Prefecture, only had their daughter Xu Sirou join Daluo Palace. The couple themselves returned home to their carefree lives.
So Gu Zhao was surprised that Ye Ruyan was willing to join Daluo Palace as a Guardian Star Official. Her power was only slightly less than Bi Jingjing’s, far surpassed that of Huang Yuan and Bi Yingying, and was even greater than most of the senior Daoists.
"We’re all friends here. I’m happy to help you when you’re in trouble, and I have no intention of demanding repayment for the favor," Gu Zhao said to Ye Ruyan. "You don’t have to join Daluo Palace."
Ye Ruyan shifted her position, accentuating her graceful curves. "Part of it is to repay your kindness, but I’m also looking for a powerful backer. Besides, my own training is incomplete. My cultivation has hit a bottleneck, and I can’t see the path forward."
Her posture was enchanting, but her words were sincere. "In my opinion, Bi Yingying’s aptitude is somewhat lacking, and Huang Yuan and He Feng are little demons who would likely never amount to anything on their own. But after joining Daluo Palace, they’re getting stronger and stronger."
"I want to increase my Dao Practice and extend my life, too." Ye Ruyan’s gaze was intense as she stared at Gu Zhao. She lightly licked the corner of her mouth, leaving a moist sheen. "I want to improve, too."
"AHEM!" Gu Zhao cleared his throat and addressed the crowd entering the main hall. "This is our Daluo Palace’s new Guardian Star Official, Winged Fire Serpent, Miss Ye Ruyan. Let’s make her feel welcome!"
"Welcome, welcome!"
"Congratulations on recruiting another powerful commander, Sect Leader!"
"We’re all family from now on. Just call me Ruyan," Ye Ruyan added with a smile.
Gu Zhao nodded and turned to Bi Yingying. "Prepare a small courtyard for Ruyan."
Then he looked at Zhuo Qingyan. "Qingyan, please coordinate with the kitchen. We’ll hold a welcoming banquet for Ruyan tonight."
Zhuo Qingyan stepped forward and took Ye Ruyan’s hand. Noticing her pale complexion, she asked with concern, "Ruyan is injured. Is it really appropriate to hold a banquet tonight?"
Ye Ruyan squeezed Zhuo Qingyan’s hand in return, adopting a humble tone. "The Sect Leader gave me a Spirit Pill. I’m already feeling much better."
"The Purple Cloud Ginseng Pill can treat your physical injuries, but it can’t dispel the Yin Qi in your Divine Soul," Gu Zhao said, shaking his head. He then turned to He Cailian. "Arrange for a quiet room. I will heal Ruyan."
He Cailian quickly replied, "The side chamber of the Alchemy Hall can be used for healing. It has a vent connecting it to the main hall, so the room is filled with Elixir Qi, which will aid in her treatment and recovery."
Gu Zhao nodded. "Let’s go there, then."
Old Ghost Lan had a thousand years of Dao Practice, after all, and this Divine Soul Mark technique of his was particularly troublesome. Even the most powerful senior Daoists would have had to expend considerable effort to deal with it.
Of course, Gu Zhao was another matter entirely. With a single Divine Soul Thunder Shock, he scattered the wisp of Yin Qi. Then, a surge of Taoist True Qi annihilated it completely.
With the additional aid of the Purple Cloud Ginseng Pill, by the time night fell, Ye Ruyan appeared at the welcoming banquet looking as radiant as ever. Although her internal injuries had not yet fully healed, it didn’t affect her outward appearance in the slightest.
...
’Phew—’
’This is too much!’
He had to admit, while Jiang Shishi and Xiao Ya could certainly let loose and have fun, when it came to sheer seductive allure, none of his women could hold a candle to Ye Ruyan.
And from the way Ye Ruyan acted, it was obvious she had set her sights on him.
And so, Gu Zhao earnestly advised her to perform more good deeds after she recovered to dispel her Evil Qi, then excused himself and went to Zhuo Qingyan’s room.
The next morning, after seeing that Ye Ruyan’s condition was stable, Gu Zhao crossed over to the modern world to meet Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi, who had already returned to the country. He then found out what had happened a few days ago.
Gu Zhao was surprised to learn that agents from the Taoist Office had already been secretly protecting the two women and had intervened directly when they ran into danger.
According to Jiang Shishi’s description, a few robbers had tried to take them hostage. But before they could even finish their threat, agents from the office burst in and neutralized them.
’But they should have known the girls were wearing the Golden Gang Bracelets. Were they worried the bracelets weren’t foolproof, or did they just not want the girls’ powers to be exposed?’
"Hubby! Are you part of some secret agency?" Jiang Shishi asked, her face alight with excitement. "You even got agents from that office to protect us!"
She and Xiao Ya had an unspoken agreement. Neither had any intention of officially marrying Gu Zhao, so Jiang Shishi had simply started calling him "Hubby."
"Even if he were, he wouldn’t be able to talk about it!" Xiao Ya pulled Jiang Shishi back, stopping her from asking any more questions.
"Oh, right, right. That makes sense," Jiang Shishi said, nodding repeatedly.
Seeing the two of them acting like excited schoolgirls, Gu Zhao couldn’t help but chuckle. He put an arm around each of them. "I may not be part of a secret agency, but I’m much more powerful than they are!"
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
Now that Daluo Palace had a firm foothold in the Otherworld and was cooperating with the authorities on Blue Star, it was a different situation. Celestial Spirit Talismans and Vajra Profound Talismans had been distributed to many front-line personnel, who occasionally had to reveal their powers in the modern world. Because of this, there was no longer a need to hide certain things from those closest to him.
"The people who saved you were carrying Vajra Profound Talismans, which aren’t as effective as your Golden Gang Bracelets. I suspect they were worried that you might be accidentally exposed, which would make it difficult for you to live a normal life."
"Have you seen that video from Berkeley going around? That was real. Taoist Ming Yu from the Celestial Master’s Mansion unleashed the Five Thunders Technique to save a junior Daoist, and he destroyed a building in the process."
"I’m considered a pretty important figure in the country’s supernatural circles, so it’s only normal for you to have protectors. I suspect there are people secretly watching over my parents, too."
"Honestly, you two should just live your lives as usual. With the Golden Gang Bracelets protecting you, no one with ill intentions can possibly harm you. And if anyone is foolish enough to try, they won’t get a second chance."
