Bailang’s ice-blue eyes flashed with speechlessness before it finally said, “As long as you’re happy.”
Gu Zhaoyan gave a light snort. “Later on, you’ll see just how brilliant and far-sighted this idea of mine really is.” He turned and continued walking, adding, “Count yourself lucky. Following me is the greatest fortune of your life.” He planned to accumulate as much merit as possible so that he could travel to Senior Brother Yang Jian’s world sooner rather than later. With the senior brother so far away, he couldn’t even reach him to graze on the grass right beside his own burrow. Once they reached the senior brother’s world, let alone taking human form, Bailang might even ascend with a bit of hard work.
Although Bailang didn’t fully understand what he meant, it could still perceive the deep confidence in Gu Zhaoyan’s words. Recalling the mysterious aura that had vanished so suddenly the previous night, it reminded Gu Zhaoyan, “Last night, I suddenly sensed a powerful presence that vanished in an instant. We need to be extra careful these next two days. There’s no telling whether that presence was just passing by or scouting us out.”
Gu Zhaoyan’s eyes flickered slightly, knowing that this was just Yang Jian using his divine sense to observe Bailang last night, which the wolf had managed to perceive. “It’s fine. Maybe they were just passing by. Besides, you’re a wolf that hasn’t even taken human form yet, and I’m just a mortal who has barely entered the path. Why would anyone target us?”
Bailang had always been cautious by nature. Hearing the slight lack of conviction in Gu Zhaoyan’s tone, it raised its eyes to look at him, its phoenix-like eyes blinking slightly, filling Bailang with doubt. “Really?”
“Definitely.” Gu Zhaoyan’s clear, bright phoenix eyes looked right into its gaze as he nodded repeatedly with absolute certainty. “Let’s go. We need to hurry and make our way to the capital as soon as possible.”
Seeing this, Bailang didn’t press further. It seemed that this business partner of his knew who the owner of that powerful presence was. With such a backer standing behind him, perhaps its own intuition hadn’t been wrong after all.
After walking all morning, signs of human habitation finally came into view. Gu Zhaoyan stood at the village entrance, straightening his robes and smoothing down his hair. Only after confirming nothing was out of place did he slowly walk into the village.
“There is demonic aura here.” Bailang suddenly spoke up as it looked at the small village.
Gu Zhaoyan frowned and stopped in his tracks, looking around. “Demonic aura?” He gazed at the farming households not far ahead, a flash of light traversing his pupils. Sure enough, he saw wisps of black qi hovering above the village, twisting and turning continuously like wriggling longworms. Gu Zhaoyan’s expression grew grave. Where had this demonic aura come from?
“Let’s go inside and take a look.” With sharp eyes, Gu Zhaoyan soon spotted a crowd gathered tightly in one spot, and that very spot happened to be where the demonic aura was densest. He hurried forward first, with Bailang following closely behind.
“My child!” Before they even got close, a heartbroken, wailing cry rang out. “Child, open your eyes and look at your mother! Mother only has you as her child, and if you leave, Mother won’t live either!”
“Sigh, Aunt Zhou is so pitiful,” someone muttered with a shake of their head, full of pity. “Her husband died early on, and she managed to drag her son up with great difficulty. Just as he was about to get married, something like this had to happen! If Dashu really passes away, wouldn’t that just take Aunt Zhou’s life?”
“When you get right down to it, it’s all because the officials are useless! If they could find the murderer, Dashu wouldn’t have met with this disaster! In just seven days, seven people including the missing ones are gone from our village! And they died so miserably! I say the murderer isn’t even human!” a young man said indignantly.
Hearing this, Gu Zhaoyan paused his steps, his expression growing even more severe. Seven people died? He looked toward the village, faintly catching sight of a patch of white. What puzzled him, however, was why there was only demonic aura here, yet not the slightest trace of resentment or filthy yin energy?
“You’ve lost your mind! How dare you criticize the lords at the yamen? Do you have a death wish?” An elderly man with a white beard struck the young man’s back with his walking cane, frowning and scolding him.
Although the young man stopped talking, the indignant look on his face remained completely unhidden. The old man could only sigh helplessly when he saw it.
Gu Zhaoyan walked over and said gently, “Amitabha. Esteemed benefactors, has something happened here?”
His sudden voice drew the attention of everyone present. They were startled for a moment upon seeing Gu Zhaoyan’s full head of white hair, but when they noticed his palms pressed together in a Buddhist greeting, the prayer beads hanging around his neck, and the red lotus mark between his brows, all complementing his gentle and transcendent appearance, they couldn’t help praising him inwardly: What an eminent Buddhist monk!
“A wolf! Ah!” Someone caught sight of Bailang and let out a shriek of terror, retreating repeatedly with eyes full of panic. They had never seen such a huge wolf, let alone a silvery-white one.
The people present snapped back to their senses and scrambled backward in a flurry. This retreat exposed the elderly woman in the middle who was clutching a young man and weeping bitterly. Gu Zhaoyan strode forward quickly. “Everyone, do not be afraid. This is my guardian spirit beast. It was raised in a temple since it was small, possesses some spiritual intelligence, and has never harmed anyone.”
He walked up to the old woman and, before he could even speak, was grabbed by the hand. The woman looked at Gu Zhaoyan with red, swollen eyes and pleaded, “Master, Master, I beg you, I beg you to save my son, please save my son! I will kowtow to you, I will kowtow to you.”
With that, she dropped to her knees and began kowtowing heavily, the loud thuds echoing against the ground. Gu Zhaoyan hurried forward to help her up. “Benefactor, there is no need for this. Let me examine your son first.”
Gu Zhaoyan squatted down to look at the young man lying unconscious on the ground. The youth’s face was deathly pale, completely devoid of color, and a cluster of invisible black qi was surging across his forehead. Gu Zhaoyan’s eyes darkened deeply. He reached out, pressed two fingers against the youth’s brow, and a brilliant golden glow seeped from his fingertips into the young man’s forehead, scattering the mass of black qi.
Gu Zhaoyan took the young man’s pulse, fed him a medicinal pill, and then smiled at the hopeful old woman. “He is already fine. Later, I will write out a prescription so he can properly recover his health.” He retrieved two folded yellow paper talismans from his sleeve and handed them to the old woman. “Put this exorcism talisman and calming talisman under his pillow when you return. Just let him bask in the sun more often, and he will be completely well.”
The tears in the old woman’s eyes surged forth once more, this time tears of overwhelming relief. Watching her son’s breathing steady out, she couldn’t help pulling him into her arms and sobbing loudly. “My child! Sob, sob.”
Hearing Gu Zhaoyan say that Zhou Dashu was fine, the rest of the villagers scurried back over. The old man tested Zhou Dashu’s breathing and, finding that it was no longer the faint, barely-there flutter from moments ago but a genuine, strong breath, looked at Gu Zhaoyan in shock. “Master! Thank you, Master, for saving his life!” With that, he bowed deeply to Gu Zhaoyan.
Gu Zhaoyan quickly supported his arm. “Benefactor, there is no need for this. This benefactor’s life was simply not meant to end. Besides, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. How could this poor monk stand by and watch something happen to him?”
Hearing Gu Zhaoyan mention the exorcism talisman just now, someone asked, “Master, the exorcism talisman you gave Aunt Zhou just now, did Dashu really encounter evil spirits?”
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone turned to look at Gu Zhaoyan. Gu Zhaoyan nodded. “His affliction indeed differs from ordinary illnesses.” He looked toward the old man and asked, “May I ask, esteemed elder, is there something unusual about this place?”
Hearing this, the old man sighed. Instead of answering immediately, he looked out over the crowd. “Dacheng, Zhuzi, the two of you carry Dashu home.”
Two young men quickly stepped out from the crowd, found a wooden board, and carried Dashu away. Several middle-aged women helped Aunt Zhou to her feet, and after bowing in deep gratitude to Gu Zhaoyan multiple times, Aunt Zhou left with red-rimmed eyes.
The old man originally wanted to tell everyone else to go home, but not a single person budged. The old man looked helplessly at Gu Zhaoyan, who indicated that it was quite alright. Seeing this, the old man led Gu Zhaoyan and Bailang back to his home, followed closely by a large group of villagers.