A silent mountain village, bodies strewn across the ground, a dazed Gu Zhao with a peculiar smile...
A gentle breeze blew, crows cawed mournfully. It lifted a corner of the green robe on the ground, sending black ash drifting like willow catkins over the dozens of scattered blades and spears...
Gu Zhao looked around. The eyes peeking through the cracks in doors and windows vanished instantly. An occasional cry rang out, only to be immediately muffled. All that remained were faint, directionless whimpers.
Gu Zhao: "..."
Gu Zhao was speechless. 'Am I so terrifying that I can stop children from crying at night?'
CREAK—
The one to break the silence was the oldest-looking elder.
The elder, supported by a young girl, shuffled out unsteadily. He looked at Gu Zhao with a cautious and wary expression. "This old man greets you, Lord Mage. Thank you for slaying the Ghost and saving our lives!"
In contrast to the elder's caution, the young girl at his side gazed at Gu Zhao with unrestrained adoration and excitement. Her bright, clear eyes seemed to sparkle.
Gu Zhao glanced at the pile of black ash, then looked up at the sun.
'This world actually has Ghosts... and they can even appear during the day?'
Gu Zhao's eyes shifted as he formulated a reply. "I did not intend to come here, but since I happened upon a Ghost causing harm, eliminating it was no trouble at all. There's no need for such formalities, Elder."
The elder's gaze flickered to Gu Zhao's bare feet before he acted as if he'd seen nothing. He nodded repeatedly and bowed, extending an invitation. "You must be weary after the Exorcism, Lord Mage. If you wouldn't mind, please come inside and rest for a while. Allow this old man to serve you some tea."
'I was just thinking about how to learn more about this world,' Gu Zhao thought. 'This elder seems quite knowledgeable, and since I just saved their lives, isn't he the perfect source of information?'
And so, Gu Zhao accepted the elder's invitation and went inside to rest, striking up a casual conversation with him.
The elder's surname was He. He was the oldest and most respected person in the village.
The young girl at his side was called Silk Embroideress He. She was Elder He's granddaughter; her parents had both died, and she had lived with Elder He ever since.
Seeing Gu Zhao and Elder He getting along well, the other villagers began to emerge. The braver ones paid their respects to Gu Zhao before starting to clear away the bandits' corpses, while the more timid ones simply watched the proceedings from the sidelines.
"This place is called Cui Mountain Village, and the mountain behind us is Cuiluo Mountain," Elder He explained. "Beyond it is a range of mountains, hiding many bandit strongholds and brigands."
"However, those brigands are usually reasonable enough. They have a rule about not preying on their neighbors, and it's not like we have anything worth taking. I have no idea why this happened..."
"Not far from the village is the main road. Thirty li east along the road is Xiuyue County, and over a hundred li west is Wuhe County. If you're headed to Changping Prefecture, Lord Mage, you'll need to go Northwest," said Elder He.
Gu Zhao nodded. His minimap function activated, and in addition to his starting location of Cui Mountain Village, three other towns lit up: Changping Prefecture, Wuhe County, and Xiuyue County.
Gu Zhao continued to converse with Elder He, mostly listening and saying little as he sorted through the information.
Elder He, for his part, didn't seem to find this strange and did his best to explain everything he knew in detail.
"Lord Mage!"
A man dressed like a farmer entered the house cautiously. He first bowed to Gu Zhao, then greeted Elder He, before gently placing a bundle he was carrying onto the table between them.
"Lord Mage, this is the gold and silver we took from the bandits. We haven't touched any of it," the man said respectfully.
Gu Zhao was taken aback. He reached out and opened the bundle. Inside was a scattered pile of copper coins, two standard-form silver ingots, and five or seven crudely made pieces of brass and silver jewelry.
'Hmm... this wouldn't be worth much even in the modern world.'
'I'll probably need this later,' he thought. So Gu Zhao took the two silver ingots and a handful of copper coins, then pushed the rest toward Elder He. "I'll leave the rest for you to distribute, Elder."
Elder He knew Gu Zhao had no interest in such trifles, so he didn't refuse. He handed the bundle back to the farmer and instructed, "See which families were hit the hardest and give them a little extra."
"Right!" the farmer agreed happily. He bowed to Gu Zhao once more before running out the door with the bundle.
Silk Embroideress He passed the farmer on her way in, carrying a pair of leather boots in her hands. They looked freshly washed, with droplets of water still clinging to them.
"Lord Mage!" Silk Embroideress He said expectantly, blinking her large, sparkling eyes. "I found a pair that should fit you. I've already cleaned them..."
"Silence!" Elder He jumped, scolding Silk Embroideress He. "The Lord Mage's attire is not for you to comment on!"
Silk Embroideress He was also taken aback, looking timid and bewildered.
Gu Zhao was a little baffled himself, unsure why Elder He had suddenly gotten so angry.
Elder He quickly turned to apologize. "The Silk Embroideress is still young and speaks without thinking. Please, Lord Mage, don't be angry!"
"It's nothing, really," Gu Zhao said, waving his hand dismissively.
Seeing Gu Zhao's easygoing nature, and seeing Silk Embroideress He's misty, tear-filled eyes, Elder He's heart softened. He explained to her, "The Lord Mage can perform Exorcism at such a young age. He killed the Female Ghost in a single move. In time, even more powerful ghosts won't be a match for him."
Silk Embroideress He seemed to only half-understand, but for Gu Zhao, it was a moment of sudden realization.
'So that's it,' Gu Zhao realized. 'Elder He thinks I ran into some powerful Ghost, got thrashed so badly that I fled for my life, losing everything down to my underwear and even running out of my shoes.'
'Hmm... he's looking down on me that much, huh? Should I give the old man a round of electroshock therapy?'
But at least now Gu Zhao understood why Elder He hadn't asked him any questions and had instead tried his best to explain the local situation.
Gu Zhao chuckled. He didn't bother to explain, instead taking the boots from Silk Embroideress He's hands with a gentle smile. "Thank you, Silk Embroideress. You're right, wearing shoes is much more comfortable than being barefoot."
The Silk Embroideress immediately beamed, revealing two small dimples. "I'm glad you like them, Lord Mage!"
"Oh, right, there's this too!" the Silk Embroideress said. She reached into her robes and pulled out a Wood Carving about twenty centimeters tall, handing it to Gu Zhao. "This was the only thing on the Female Ghost. Perhaps you can use it, Lord Mage!"
Gu Zhao took it and saw that the Wood Carving depicted a handsome man. He wore ornate armor and a cape, with a Treasure Pearl on his head and a cloud beneath his feet. One hand was raised, the other was pressed down, and he held two swords, looking majestic and imposing.
The Wood Carving was red with golden patterns. As Gu Zhao turned it over in his hands, he saw two words carved on the base: "Golden Wind." And what's more...
Gu Zhao sensed that there was more to this Wood Carving than met the eye. A faint layer of energy seemed to envelop it.
"'This energy seems to be leaking out, but the inside is suffused with it. It feels like it has some kind of Spiritual Attribute,' Gu Zhao mused as his Sea of Consciousness, where the Five Thunders Order resided, pulsed.
Gu Zhao tried probing it with his senses and discovered that this spiritual energy wasn't pure. It carried a sinister, cold power, much like the energy the green-robed Female Ghost had wielded.
'Could this have been her Magical Treasure?'
'She didn't even have time to use her Magical Treasure before I blasted her to death with a Palm Thunder?'
Gu Zhao: (◔◡◔)