Before heading to Cyan Hill Mountain, Gu Zhao still needed to use the Thunder Seed condensed by the Five Thunders Order.
The threat of the Demon Ancestor was drawing ever closer. Aside from improving his own Cultivation, he naturally needed to continue calling for backup.
By now, the Dao Practice of the first-tier old Daoists in the Daluo Palace was profoundly deep. Every single one possessed a thousand years of Dao Practice. If another Demon Cultivator on the level of the Netherfire Sect Leader were to appear, just two or three of them working together could easily take him down.
Although the trip to Cyan Hill Mountain and back would likely only take ten days to half a month, Gu Zhao still decided to bring people back as soon as possible.
Ten days was enough for the newcomers to recover the Dao Practice brought by the Innate Qi, familiarize themselves with basic Magic within the Daluo Palace, select their Magical Treasures, and head down the mountain for Exorcising Demons and Evil Spirits.
Thus, Gu Zhao returned to his small courtyard, right on time to run into Zhuo Qingyan, who had just gotten out of bed.
Sunlight filtered through the window screens, softening into a gentle glow that fell upon the lightly draped Female Ghost. She stretched her back, arching her body with the lazy grace of a cat, exuding an enchanting and tantalizing charm.
Gu Zhao thought for a moment and decided to wait until the afternoon to cross back over and get to work.
***
"Martial Uncle Xu Ning, any news lately?"
Gu Zhao had returned to the Taoist Research Institute and greeted Taoist Xu Ning of the Pure Sect, who was stationed there on a business trip.
"Nothing much. The most popular topic is still the Mountain of Gold and Sea of Silver," Taoist Xu Ning said with a smiling shake of his head. "Some aerospace exhibition halls have also started displaying Moon Rock and Moon Soil, and people post about it online from time to time."
Gu Zhao shook his head with a sigh. "All those times of publicly manifesting divinity, yet none of it shocked the public as much as a Golden Mountain."
Taoist Xu Ning chuckled. "But subtly, the social climate has actually improved a lot."
Ever since the old Daoists publicly manifested their divine power, major Taoist Temples across the country had been flourishing with Incense.
Yet despite the surging crowds, these tourist sites hadn’t seen an explosion of negative news. The tourists climbing the mountains to offer Incense and pay respects to the deities all had incredibly good tempers.
"Gods watch from three feet above!"
This ancient saying had once again been picked up by the nation’s people.
The various deeds of the old Daoists—resolving the torrential rain crisis, saving people from mine collapses and plane crashes, bringing back the Sakura Divine Tower, and gifting the Golden Mountain landscape—had practically materialized this ancient proverb.
Even many tourist attractions entirely unrelated to Daoism had started building new Land God Temples and the like within their premises.
This trend gradually spread, allowing the culture of Daoism to circulate widely among the populace.
At the same time, both domestic and overseas malicious incidents targeting the country’s citizens were drastically decreasing.
Gu Zhao nodded. "Not bad. It seems the deterrence was effective."
Taoist Xu Ning shook his head with a smile. "More than just effective. Many of our citizens traveling abroad have started stepping up for justice."
"Good heavens! Are they that brave?" Gu Zhao was startled. "But we aren’t true Immortals, after all. If they face real danger while acting courageously, we don’t have the ability to save them."
"There’s no need for us to do so," Taoist Xu Ning said, his kindly face breaking into a warm smile. "When such things happen, the local authorities step in and handle it for them."
"Huh?" Gu Zhao didn’t understand.
Taoist Xu Ning said mildly, "If local criminals persecute our citizens and the news blows up, don’t you think the local authorities would be terrified of us paying them a visit for a little chat?
"The Grand Commander of Kabia was burned to a crisp by Senior Brother Yan Song. Do those local authorities have ties to the gangs? Do they bear any responsibility for the harm our people suffer there?"
Gu Zhao blinked. "Are you saying that if our people run into danger abroad, the foreign authorities will actually help?"
"With utmost dedication and a profound sense of duty," Taoist Xu Ning smiled.
"Ever since we wiped out that telecom fraud compound in Southeast Asia, crimes targeting Celestial Xia People worldwide have dropped significantly.
"Now, when our citizens travel abroad, if their wallets are pickpocketed or their phones snatched, as long as they call the police, their belongings are almost always recovered within half a day."
"Oh boy!" Gu Zhao clicked his tongue in amazement. "So our people basically have super-citizen treatment overseas now?"
Taoist Xu Ning nodded. "Because of this, many locals who encounter danger have started seeking help from nearby Celestial Xia tourists, and many of our citizens have begun stepping up.
"But what’s even more surprising is that when those criminals see our citizens stepping in to intervene, most of them immediately abandon the crime and flee the scene."
Helplessly, Taoist Xu Ning held up his phone. "Some influencers have even taken it a step further, actively traveling around the world to help locals catch thieves and muggers."
Gu Zhao was speechless.
Weird things happened every year, but this year had an exceptional amount.
"Aren’t they afraid of running into someone stubbornly reckless?" Gu Zhao asked.
"Who knows? At least they haven’t encountered one so far," Taoist Xu Ning shook his head. "Perhaps those thieves and muggers are just after money."
Gu Zhao was at a loss for words, but thinking about it, it made sense.
Decades ago in Celestial Xia, domestic criminals only dared to target their own people and wouldn’t dare lay a finger on foreigners.
It was just that back then, their national strength was inferior. Now, Celestial Xia had Extraordinary Beings.
"Fair enough." Gu Zhao nodded and smiled as well. "There’s a benefit to this too. Letting our citizens bestow favors upon ordinary foreigners abroad will help build a strong moral image for Celestial Xia."
Taoist Xu Ning nodded. "Exactly. Lately, Celestial Xia’s reputation overseas has improved considerably."
Gu Zhao couldn’t help but laugh. "That’s truly a rare sight."
***
West Mountain Temple.
The last time Gu Zhao visited, he had met those Daoists at the West Mountain scenic area.
This time, however, those Daoists weren’t on West Mountain itself but were cultivating in seclusion at the West Mountain Temple at the foot of the mountain.
Last time, Gu Zhao had left with Taoist Xi Ning and Taoist Miao Zhen. The remaining ones—Taoist Xian Yuan of the Quanzhen Huashan Sect, and Taoist Fa Ran and Little Taoist Tong Hui of the Chen Ancestor Huashan Sect—had then learned that the Extraordinary existed in this world.
The public manifestation of divine power by Taoist Xu Ning and the others to resolve the rainstorm crisis happened after that.
Since then, Taoist Xian Yuan, Taoist Fa Ran, and Little Taoist Tong Hui had been cultivating quietly in the West Mountain Temple. Of course, they would occasionally make an appearance and had even made the news a few times because of the West Mountain rescue incident.
As Gu Zhao walked into the West Mountain Temple, he saw that the temple was flourishing with Incense, the air wreathed in fragrant smoke.
The West Mountain Temple wasn’t strictly a Taoism Temple in the truest sense. It was dedicated to the West Mountain Golden Celestial King, but since it had mostly been managed and officiated by Daoist abbots in later generations, it could be considered a Daoism establishment.
Gu Zhao walked through the Haoling Gate, the Lingxing Gate, and the Jincheng Gate, first taking a tour of this grand temple originally built in the Han Dynasty.
The grand temple featured both ancient palaces and modern restorations. Tourists wove through the grounds like a loom, with Daoists occasionally walking among them.
Gu Zhao made his way to the side Three Holy Mothers Temple and offered an Incense stick to the Three Holy Mothers.
As he offered the Incense and bowed, Gu Zhao thought, "If only we could invite your second brother down during the next Grand Spring Jiao Festival, all our problems would be solved."
After offering the Incense, Gu Zhao went to pay his respects to the God of West Mountain before heading to the Taoist House in the backyard. There, he found Taoist Xian Yuan and Taoist Fa Ran taking a stroll to digest their recent lunch.