Chapter 228: Chapter 227: Key Figure: Gu Zhao

"Gu Zhao, twenty-three years old, from Yangcheng, Yue Province. He graduated last year but hasn’t found a job and remains unemployed to this day."

"His father, Gu Qi, is the owner of a small, well-known local lumber and furniture factory. His mother, Li Man, is originally from Shu Province and is a full-time homemaker."

"However, Gu Zhao’s grandfather was an unaffiliated Daoist. Gu Zhao studied Martial Arts and Daoist Techniques under his grandfather from a young age. He also started a short-form video account to explain Daoist culture."

Information about Gu Zhao, along with some of his photos and videos, was being displayed on the large screen.

Then, the screen changed to show photos of one man and three women.

"These are Gu Zhao’s father, Gu Qi; his mother, Li Man; and his two girlfriends, Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi."

Everyone in the conference room noticed what the four had in common: they all wore a Purple Sandalwood Bracelet on their wrist, identical to the one in the center of the table.

"Hiss—" Someone drew in a sharp breath. "This magical artifact can be mass-produced?"

Another person chimed in, "At the very least, it’s not that rare."

"We have a few security camera videos here for everyone to see." The presenter switched the screen.

Three videos played in succession on the large screen.

The first video appeared to be set at a banquet in a Southeast Asian country. Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi were on screen, seemingly talking to other people, when a middle-aged man opposite them was suddenly sent flying backward.

The second video was likely filmed in a hotel lobby. Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi were following a middle-aged man toward the exit. As they passed a group of people, an elderly man seemed to reach for Xiao Ya’s hand and was also abruptly sent flying backward.

The third video was clearly from a parade or festival in Europe. Many people were singing and dancing when an explosion suddenly occurred, sending everyone scattering for cover. However, in an inconspicuous corner of the video, a car door blown off by the blast abruptly stopped and fell to the ground just as it was about to hit a man and a woman. The couple then fled amidst the chaos. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"The man sent flying in the first video is Bansha, a wealthy tycoon from Siam. Rumor has it he practices Black Magic."

The presenter pointed to the elderly man in the second video. "This is Bansha’s father, Mongkha, a famous Mage from Siam and a prominent religious figure who is a frequent visitor to the Siam Royal Palace. Based on our assessment, it’s likely these two were attempting to use an Evil Skill on Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi, and the Golden Gang Bracelet counterattacked."

The presenter glanced at another document in his hand. "According to intel from Siam, Bansha and Mongkha have not yet recovered from their injuries and have been living in seclusion."

An elderly man pointed to a screenshot from the last video. "Those are Gu Zhao’s parents, correct?"

"Yes. They went to Europe for a vacation a while ago and were caught in a terrorist attack. This video was recorded by a security camera outside a restaurant and was an accidental discovery made by our technical staff while tracking the whereabouts of Gu Zhao’s parents."

"In other words, the people around Gu Zhao also have Golden Gang Bracelets." An elder nodded and then asked, "But why do you say he is the key figure?"

The presenter picked up his documents while displaying screenshots from security footage on the large screen.

"Last June, Gu Zhao met Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi. The three of them went to Qingcheng Mountain together and met Taoist Yan Song. Not long after, Taoist Yan Song traveled to Yangcheng."

"Last August, Taoist Yi Hong invited Gu Zhao to Port City through Xiao Ya to attend the centennial grand ceremony of the Penglai Immortal Pavilion. In Port City, Gu Zhao met Taoist Yunyang. Afterward, Taoist Yi Hong also left a message in Yandu, saying he was going to Yangcheng for Cultivation."

"Last October, Gu Zhao invited Taoist Yunyang to visit the Dragon Tiger Heavenly Mountain Heavenly Master Mansion, where they met Taoist Ming Yu. Afterward, both of them left messages for their friends and family, stating they were going to Yangcheng for Cultivation."

"Last December, Gu Zhao accompanied Gu Qi on a trip to Mountain City and met Taoist Jing Feng of the Mountain City Fengdu Temple. The very next day, Taoist Jing Feng passed on his position as abbot of the Fengdu Temple and left for Yangcheng to pursue Cultivation."

"During the Spring Festival this year, Taoist Yan Ling of Qingcheng Mountain and Taoist Ming Chong of the Celestial Master’s Mansion both left messages for their friends and family and departed for Yangcheng for Cultivation after receiving calls from Taoist Yan Song and Taoist Ming Yu."

"During the Spring Festival holiday, Gu Zhao traveled to Zhenwu Mountain and met Taoist Qingyuan of the Zhenwu Mountain Sanfeng Sect. This Taoist Qingyuan also left a message before heading to Yangcheng for Cultivation."

"Not long after, Taoist Yi Hong and Taoist Ming Yu spearheaded the establishment of the Yangcheng Taoist Research Institute. Nominally, it is affiliated with the Taoist Association, but they are responsible for drafting the list of Daoist figures invited to the institute."

"Are all the people on the list the ones who went to Yangcheng for Cultivation?"

"Yes." The presenter nodded. "The list has recently grown to include Taoist Shen Hao from Sanmao Mountain, Taoist Yu Zhang from Feiyun Mountain, Taoist Jing Fa from the Eight Immortals Palace, and Taoist Jing Hong from Dragon Gate Cave."

"Security footage shows that during the Qingming holiday, Gu Zhao attended the Qingming ceremony at Sanmao Mountain and had a very pleasant conversation with Taoist Shen Hao and Taoist Yu Zhang. He then paid a visit to the Eight Immortals Palace. However, Taoist Jing Fa was not at the palace at the time; he was at Dragon Gate Cave. So, Gu Zhao went to Dragon Gate Cave and even toured Dragon Gate Mountain, accompanied by Taoist Jing Fa and Taoist Jing Hong."

"Then, within the next two or three days, all four of these Daoists set off for Yangcheng." The presenter put down the documents in his hand. "Immediately after, they vanished in Yangcheng."

The presenter stressed again, "During their time in Yangcheng, aside from occasionally calling or messaging their friends, family, or junior disciples, there is almost no trace of them having lived in the city."

"However, according to our investigation, when they reappear and return home to visit family, the complexions and health of their family members show significant improvement. Furthermore, their closest relatives all start wearing Golden Gang Bracelets."

"Although they’ve given instructions not to spread the matter around, they haven’t demanded strict secrecy either."

The presenter paused. "According to Li Chang’an’s description, this Golden Gang Bracelet is a magical artifact of the Taoist Sect. While it’s relatively rare, it’s not a secret among the upper echelons of the Taoist Sect; it’s just that ordinary people don’t know about it."

The conference room fell silent once again.

"Bullshit!" someone couldn’t help but curse. "If Daoists had this kind of power, how could we not know about it?"

"So, that confirms it. This Gu Zhao is indeed the key figure," an elder concluded. "Only Daoists who have crossed paths with him and been invited to Yangcheng are able to gain this power, or, should I say, receive this benefit."

The presenter nodded. "There’s also the matter of the Purple Sandalwood, the raw material for the Golden Gang Bracelets. Starting last year, Gu Qi’s factory began supplying a steady quantity of Purple Sandalwood furniture. Although he has complete customs declaration forms, our investigation shows that this Purple Sandalwood was not imported from abroad."

At this point, the presenter played another video on the large screen. "This was from last May. It’s also the last video he has posted to date."

The presenter was, of course, referring to the Palm Thunder video Gu Zhao had used to show off.

"That’s all Purple Sandalwood in the video!"

"Some people used the Purple Sandalwood to claim the video was made with special effects, but if that wood is the same Purple Sandalwood that appeared out of thin air at Gu Qi’s factory, then it actually serves as evidence."

"You could say he exposed himself right from the start, but no one believed him at the time."

"It’s all connected."

"It’s a world suitable for human life, suitable for Daoist Cultivation, and with no shortage of Purple Sandalwood."

Everyone’s eyes lit up. This was a world-shaking discovery!

However, "Why would he bring so many modern Daoists across?" another elder asked in confusion. "Isn’t he running a huge risk of exposure by doing this?"