Free Web NovelChapter 345: Chapter 344: Encountering a Sandstorm, Casting a Technique to Absorb the Dust
The next few days passed without incident.
Xiao Ya refused Estelle’s invitation, much to the orchestra leader’s disappointment. Just as he was about to recommend other members of the group, he discovered Estelle had already returned to her home country early.
Erin, however, didn’t leave. Instead, she laid her cards on the table with the two women.
"My brother asked me to come to Celestial Xia and befriend you all."
"But there aren’t really any strict requirements. If I want, I can even live here permanently."
"The rise of the East and the decline of the West is the major trend right now. Plus, you have a powerful Superpower User. The Lawrence Clan is of Gaul Descent; we don’t want to sink along with the great ship that is Huaqi."
"I’m very comfortable in Celestial Xia and have decided to build my life here. I won’t keep trying to pry into your secrets. I just want to be friends with you."
Jiang Shishi looked at the same message on her phone and asked Gu Zhao, "Is she telling the truth?"
"It doesn’t matter whether she is or not." Gu Zhao waved his hand dismissively. "We don’t care."
"The authorities are keeping this secret because they’re worried that sudden exposure would cause mass panic," Gu Zhao said with a smile. "We don’t deliberately show off our abilities because our friends and family need to live normal lives."
Xiao Ya thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "But there are more and more discussions and speculations online about Extraordinary Beings. Are the authorities gradually leaking information?"
Jiang Shishi’s eyes lit up. "Right, like the passenger plane incident a few days ago. The platforms didn’t suppress the buzz, lots of rumors are circulating online, and that photo they took of you hasn’t been deleted either."
Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow. "You can tell it’s me?"
Jiang Shishi grinned. "I can recognize you with your clothes off, let alone with them on."
Gu Zhao was left speechless.
"Are you two packed? We’re getting ready to leave!" Gu Zhao said, changing the subject.
"All packed, all packed," Xiao Ya said with a smile, dragging a suitcase out from her room. She also had a small backpack on.
"I’ve been packed for a while," Jiang Shishi said, patting a large suitcase next to her.
"Then let’s go!" With a wave of Gu Zhao’s hand, Xiao Ya, Jiang Shishi, and all their luggage floated into the air. They followed him out through the window and soared into the sky.
Last year, for the New Year holiday, Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi had accompanied Gu Zhao on a trip to Zhenwu Mountain. While they had returned to Yandu once on a break in the middle of the year, they had spent very little time with their families. Because of that, they planned to return to Yandu to celebrate the New Year this time.
After Gu Zhao agreed to fly them back, they had promptly canceled their plane tickets and had been waiting for this day ever since.
"AAAAAH!"
Even though this was their second time flying, Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi were still incredibly excited. Gu Zhao deliberately controlled their altitude, not flying too high but keeping them at a height of around one to two thousand meters.
As a result, the scenery along the way was exceptionally beautiful.
From the overlapping peaks of the Five Ridges and the river-laced lands of the Three Xiang region to the Yunhan Industrial Special Zone along the surging Yangtze River, the views were breathtaking. Gu Zhao even took them downstream along the river to admire the scenery on both banks before finally turning north at Jinling.
Following the ancient path of the Grand Canal northward, the landscapes of Central and North China unfolded beneath them. It was their first time admiring the magnificent scenery of their homeland from such a perspective, and their hearts swelled with emotion.
Even with Gu Zhao deliberately controlling their speed, they still flew past East Mountain and approached Yandu in under two hours.
But the closer they got to Yandu, the stronger Gu Zhao felt the winds from the Northwest, and the scenery before them grew increasingly hazy and yellow.
"A sandstorm?" Gu Zhao ascended slightly, only to see a vast expanse of yellow-grey dust stretching from the Northwest all the way to the horizon.
"Yandu gets strong winds all year," Xiao Ya explained, knowing Gu Zhao had never been there before.
"But sandstorms usually happen in March or April, during the spring," Jiang Shishi added. "Why is it so early this year? Has the desertification up north gotten worse again?"
Xiao Ya sighed in frustration. "No matter how well the Three-North Shelterbelt is constructed, you can’t fix a useless neighbor!"
Decades ago, economic development had indeed led to environmental degradation in northern Celestial Xia, causing severe weather conditions like smog and sandstorms in the region.
But after decades of sustained restoration efforts, environmental improvement projects, including the Three-North Shelterbelt, had nearly eliminated some of the smaller northern deserts. The environment had improved dramatically.
Logically, while smog might be impossible to completely eradicate due to industrial factors, sandstorms should have been a thing of the past.
But just as Celestial Xia got its own house in order, its northern neighbor began to fall apart, undergoing desertification at rocket speed. Not only did they drive themselves to collapse, but they started dragging Celestial Xia down with them.
As Xiao Ya said, no matter how effective the Three-North Shelterbelt was, it could only change the environment on the ground; it couldn’t stop the dust and sand that swept in from the north, blanketing everything.
The might of heaven and earth is vast and unstoppable!
DING!
As they neared Yandu and flew closer to the ground, their phones received a mass text alert from the city.
"Sandstorm warning," Xiao Ya said with a bitter smile. "It says there will be strong winds and sandstorms for the next week, warning residents to be careful when they go out."
Jiang Shishi also shook her head, dejected. "And the next week is right during the New Year’s holiday!"
Today was the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve.
From what Gu Zhao could see, the sandstorm would likely be at its worst tomorrow, on New Year’s Eve.
A glint appeared in Gu Zhao’s eyes. He looked at the two women. "Let me show you a magic trick."
"What kind of trick?" they asked curiously.
Gu Zhao reached out his hand, and a porcelain vase materialized from thin air. It was a trophy he had acquired from the Stone King Cave years ago. After they all got their own Storage Gourds, it had just been left inside one to gather dust.
Now, it finally had a use.
They watched as Gu Zhao flew with them to an altitude of several thousand meters. He mobilized the water and fire within his body, using their power to influence the world around them, and a gentle breeze began to swirl around him.
Although Gu Zhao had never systematically studied the Taiyi Fire Mansion Secret Technique with Taoist Yan Song and couldn’t conjure the Taiyi Divine Wind, his own Cultivation was more than sufficient. He could command the Five Elements Five Qi, Wind, Thunder, Cloud, and Rain, and the Yin Yang Qi—just not with the same mastery as a dedicated specialist.
Thus, Gu Zhao activated a Wind Technique, and a whirlwind swiftly formed with him at its center.
But this wind didn’t fight the northern gales. Instead, it merged with them, sweeping up all the dust they carried. Then, from the outside in, like a Divine Dragon inhaling water, it began to suck in every speck of sand within its reach.
Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi were dumbfounded!
From their perspective, they could only watch as all the dust below swirled into the air and flew toward them, only to be completely absorbed by the seemingly bottomless porcelain vase in Gu Zhao’s hand.
The people in the city below were also stunned!
They could only see all the dust around them being swept up into the air, blanketing the entire sky. Then, the massive cloud of dust grew smaller and smaller, until it eventually vanished completely, as if it had never existed.
In a matter of moments, the sky over all of Yandu was completely clear!
