"Mm, not bad. Yunyang didn’t steer wrong."
The Sun Family’s *paomo* was light and tender. Hui Min Street was packed with a surging tide of people. The pork knuckle was fragrant and gelatinous, and the cured at sandwich with green peppers wasn’t greasy at all.
Gu Zhao was quite satisfied, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that the locals were looking at him with pity.
What satisfied him even more was that, right as he was eating a potato slice sandwich, another Thunder Seed finished forming. You could just tell how hard those old Daoists in the Otherworld were working.
However, he ca up empty at the Eight Immortals Palace.
"Taoist Jing Fa isn’t here? He went to Dragon Gate Cave for secluded cultivation?" Gu Zhao scratched his head.
’Didn’t Yunyang say his master-uncle was a total hobody?’
’One minute he’s off to Qingcheng Mountain with no intention of returning, the next he can’t sit still and runs off to so other place for Cultivation.’
Taoist Jing Yan replied, "He said the Eight Immortals Palace is too noisy, and he can’t quiet his mind for Cultivation. The environnt at Dragon Gate Cave is harsh, which is better suited for it."
Gu Zhao was speechless.
’Okay, he really is a hobody, I guess.’
"Should I give him a call and ask him to co back?" Taoist Jing Yan asked.
Taoist Jing Yan was aware of Gu Zhao’s capabilities. With Gu Zhao’s help, Yunyang had even brought in over two million in extra inco for the palace. Afterward, Yunyang had specifically gone to Yangcheng for his Cultivation.
Although Taoist Jing Yan didn’t quite understand why Yunyang would go to Yangcheng, he stopped asking for details once he learned that Taoist Yi Hong was there as well. Furthermore, he later heard that Taoist Yi Hong and Taoist Ming Yu of the Celestial Master’s Mansion had established a Taoist Research Institute in Yangcheng.
Taoist Jing Yan guessed the institute must be full of Daoists who had cultivated Inner Breath True Qi, and that their research would surely benefit the Taoist Sect. It was Yunyang’s good fortune to be able to participate at such a young age.
So, seeing that Gu Zhao was looking for Yunyang’s master-uncle, Jing Fa, he was more than happy to help.
"That won’t be necessary." Gu Zhao shook his head. "I’ve never been to Dragon Gate Cave, and I hear it’s one of the three great Ancestral Courts of the Dragon Gate Sect. This is a perfect opportunity to go see it."
...
After saying goodbye to Taoist Jing Yan, Gu Zhao didn’t bother with the high-speed rail this ti. There was no line from the West Capital to Dragon Gate Cave anyway.
He glanced around, found a spot without any surveillance caras, and with a wave of his hand, turned invisible. Then he rose into the air and flew directly west.
It didn’t take him long to cover the two-hundred-odd kiloters.
Following the map and road signs, Gu Zhao soon located Dragon Gate Cave.
"It’s not so bad after all," Gu Zhao mused, flying in the sky and looking down on the whole of Dragon Gate Mountain. "Dragon Gate Cave has a Taoist School, and there are a fair number of people. But it’s still remote enough that there aren’t many tourists, so it’s definitely quieter."
Dragon Gate Mountain was located in the Northwest. Although the rain line had shifted north in recent years, the mountain’s rock was still predominantly yellow earth. At least now, a lush greenness finally covered its slopes.
Since he was already here, Gu Zhao didn’t go looking for Taoist Jing Fa directly. Instead, he landed, bought an entrance ticket, and began a leisurely stroll up Dragon Gate Mountain, heading toward the Primordial Cave at the peak.
Gu Zhao didn’t take the tourist shuttle. As he walked up, he saw various caves, statues, and buildings along the path, all of which had an air of antiquity about them.
The Daoists on the mountain were dressed rather plainly. And he wasn’t sure if it was just a trick of the environnt, but they definitely looked a bit more rustic than their southern counterparts.
Besides the Daoists, there weren’t many tourists. Most were people taking advantage of the short Qingming holiday for a road trip, wandering in twos and threes as if on a casual stroll. After all, it wasn’t a major tourist destination, nor was the area very large; one could easily see everything with a few short walks.
In addition to the tourists, there were two or three livestrears, drawn by the reputation of Dragon Gate Cave being one of China’s five great sites for suspended monastic architecture. Compared to the world-renowned Xuankong Temple in Jin Province, Dragon Gate Cave was far less famous.
"But that doesn’t make it any less perilous," a strear narrated into his selfie stick. "To get to the highest point, Primordial Peak, you have to climb a suspended ladder. It’s extrely dangerous."
"I heard there used to be just a single wooden ladder, with no safety asures at all. You even had to change direction halfway up. I have no idea how the ancients managed to build on these cliffs."
Most of the scenery on Dragon Gate Mountain was rather ordinary, with no breathtaking views, and the general environnt wasn’t exceptional. It truly couldn’t compare to more famous destinations. If it weren’t for the thrilling, suspended temple, it likely wouldn’t have the reputation it did.
But many of the tourists who ca specifically for the famous suspended Taoist Temple didn’t necessarily dare to proceed when faced with the cliffside plank road and suspended iron chains.
There were no safety harnesses for tourists in these dangerous sections—just an iron chain running alongside the path. Whether you were safe or not depended entirely on your own attentiveness.
Most tourists who were timid or afraid of heights would stop in their tracks near Taibai Hall.
The cliffside plank road? Better to just look at it!
The suspended Taoist Temple? Better to just look at it!
When Gu Zhao reached the base of the cliff, he saw many tourists who had climbed halfway up only to turn back. They were now resting, preparing to head back down the mountain.
"That was terrifying!"
"Holy shit! You just went up there?"
"I made it all the way to the top."
"Badass! What’s it like up there?"
"It is what it is. There’s a statue about half a person tall. I even paid my respects."
"Any Daoists up there?"
"Yeah, a few of them. But they just ignored ."
"What do you expect? They built their Taoist Temple on a cliff specifically to get away from people, and you still managed to follow them up there. You’re lucky they didn’t shoot you a dirty look. You actually expected them to talk to you?"
"The Daoists can’t win against the local administration. The authorities have to manage the tourist area to generate revenue."
"Still, those Daoists were incredible. They were rock-steady climbing the iron chains and walking the plank roads. There were a few spots that looked really dangerous, and they just crossed them in a single stride."
"They didn’t have iron chains like this back in the day. How did the ancients even get up there?"
"With Lightweight Skill, of course!"
"Hahaha!"
"You can laugh, but just look at the places people built things in ancient tis. I think the ancients were in much better shape than we are today."
"You don’t even have to go back that far. People from the sixties and seventies were in better shape than we are!"
Gu Zhao listened to their chatter as he quickly moved past them. He continued up the stone steps, making a show of holding onto the iron chain.
"Here cos another guy."
"Let’s see if he can make it to the top."
Then they watched as Gu Zhao ascended the rock face as if he were taking a leisurely stroll. He walked past Taibai Hall, crossed the cliffside plank road, entered the Jade Emperor Pavilion, and climbed two flights of iron-chain stairs to reach the Primordial Peak.
"Badass!"
"That guy’s definitely had training!"
Inside the pavilion on Primordial Peak were two Daoists. One was older, with graying hair and beard, and looked to be in his seventies. The other was younger but still appeared to be in his fifties or sixties. The two of them sat off to the side, enjoying the view and chatting casually.
Gu Zhao glanced at the statue of the Primordial Ancestor—also known as Taishang Laojun—in the shrine. Then, as if it were his own temple, he casually pulled out three incense sticks from a container, lit them, bowed three tis, and respectfully placed them in the burner.
After offering the incense, Gu Zhao walked over to the two Daoists. When they turned to look at him, he clasped his hands in a salute to the younger of the two. "Greetings, Taoist Jing Fa."
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