"The Daluo Dual Spirits! The Starlight Sword Immortals!"

"The Starlight Sword Immortals raised hell at Feicui Building in Guangling County and killed two female ghosts who were draining men of their Yang Qi!"

"Young Hero Wang and Young Hero Lin were handsome and dashing, with extraordinary bearing. They were suffused with starlight, their Sword Qi soaring to the heavens! Who knows how many handkerchiefs and sachets they received, or how many young ladies in Guangling County now pine for them day and night!"

「Cuiluo Mountain, Daluo Palace.」

Gu Zhao had just woken up and done his morning exercises when he heard the excited chatter of Inner Sect Disciples who had just arrived up the mountain.

Gu Zhao: ???

’Handsome and dashing, with extraordinary bearing?’

’Suffused with starlight, Sword Qi soaring to the heavens?’

’Handkerchiefs and sachets, pining for them day and night?’

’Were they being that flashy?’

Gu Zhao couldn’t resist telepathically contacting Changyi to ask what had happened.

"Huh? We were just Exorcising Demons and Evil Spirits," Changyi said, confused. "We discovered that quite a few men in Guangling County had died suddenly. After investigating, we found they were all regulars at Feicui Building and had spent a lot of money on two girls named Qian Xue and Qing Xia.

"So we went to Feicui Building to investigate, requested those two girls, and discovered they were both Corpse Ghosts. Just as we suspected, their bodies were thick with Evil Qi, so we killed them."

"Then why did it cause such a huge commotion?" Gu Zhao asked.

Changyi was still confused. "We made our move in public at Feicui Building. There was a large crowd of onlookers, so a lot of people saw it. Of course it was going to cause a huge commotion, right?"

They had seen other members of Daluo Palace take action before. This was an Extraordinary World; there was no taboo against using their abilities in public.

Gu Zhao stroked his chin and asked Changyi to describe exactly how the fight went down. And then...

"You guys really know how to put on a show!" Gu Zhao lamented. "If you’re going to fight, then just fight. What was the point of reciting poetry?"

Changyi replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "To look cool, of course! You should have seen it. After we easily vanquished the Corpse Ghosts, all the young ladies were looking at us with stars in their eyes!"

Gu Zhao rolled his eyes. "I think you’re just itching to show off in the other world, aren’t you!"

"But wouldn’t that be inappropriate?" Changyi chuckled. "Sect Leader, when are you planning to reveal your miraculous abilities to the public over there?"

Gu Zhao snorted. "Martial Uncle Ming Yu has already done that."

Changyi smiled but said nothing. He knew it was only a matter of time.

"Bai Shi Prefecture borders Wuya Ridge to the south. The deep mountains and ancient forests are full of powerful cultivators, and we don’t know if they are friend or foe. They could enter Bai Shi Prefecture at any time, so you two need to be careful. If you run into a real expert, go find Martial Uncle Yan Ling," Gu Zhao warned.

"Rest assured, Sect Leader!" Changyi promised. "We won’t stray too far from the Prefecture City, and we won’t get too close to Wuya Ridge."

"Good." Gu Zhao nodded, ending the telepathic conversation with Changyi. He then strolled leisurely toward the back of the mountain to find Zhuo Qingyan and Li Qingshuang, who were enjoying the cool air.

...

Meanwhile, Taoist Ming Yu—the one just mentioned in Gu Zhao and Changyi’s telepathic conversation—had just finished handling some worldly affairs at the Celestial Master’s Mansion. He returned to the Yangcheng Taoist Research Institute, preparing to travel to the Otherworld and switch places with the person stationed there.

After establishing contact with the Taoist Cultural Exchange Support Office, the senior Daoists no longer had to remain in the modern world for extended periods. Aside from Gu Zhao, the senior Daoist typically stationed at Daluo Palace would also travel to the modern world from time to time.

Recently, some business had come up at the Celestial Master’s Mansion, so Taoist Ming Yu had returned for a few days. As a result, he missed both the Master of the Hall of Soul Forgetting’s stealthy ascent of the mountain and the expedition to Black Furnace Mountain in Qianshan Prefecture.

However, before Taoist Ming Yu could contact Gu Zhao, he received a phone call from Yandu.

"Taoist Ming Yu!"

"Director Zheng?" Taoist Ming Yu answered the call. "Is something wrong?"

Zheng Hongsheng on the other end of the line sounded as if he’d just breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately asked, "Taoist Ming Yu, please tell me, can you rescue people trapped several hundred meters underground?"

Taoist Ming Yu raised an eyebrow. "Did a mine collapse?"

"Yes!" Zheng Hongsheng confirmed at once. "Last night, an earthquake in the north caused a mine on the Mongolian Steppe to collapse. One hundred and thirty-two workers are trapped between one hundred and three hundred meters underground. The quake caused a massive shift in the support structures, making the rescue effort incredibly difficult!"

Mine collapses used to be common years ago, but after concerted efforts to improve safety, the accident rate had fallen dramatically.

However, when they did happen, they were major events that always made the news. The success rate for such rescues was also quite low, which meant the death toll was often tragically high.

Of course, the Taoist Research Institute was now a top-secret organization. Given their cooperative relationship, Zheng Hongsheng would never trouble them unless it was absolutely necessary.

To be honest, if it weren’t for the large number of people trapped this time, Zheng Hongsheng might not have made the call at all.

Even after dialing, Zheng Hongsheng was still hesitant, unsure if Taoist Ming Yu and his colleagues could actually rescue people from several hundred meters underground.

"Over a hundred people?" Taoist Ming Yu’s gaze sharpened. In the war-torn Otherworld, that number wouldn’t even be a mouthful for a Great Demon and Ghost, but in Celestial Xia, which had long known peace, this was a catastrophe of the highest order.

"Yes, the situation there is..."

Zheng Hongsheng started to explain further, but Taoist Ming Yu cut him off. "The location."

If they had encountered this situation before, their only option would have been to use brute force, blasting open the ground with their Magical Power. But now that they had Taoist Yan Qi, things were much simpler.

Zheng Hongsheng immediately gave him the address and added, "I’ll head over right away and arrange a secure, private room. Just call me when you get there."

Taoist Ming Yu immediately sent a telepathic message to Taoist Yan Qi, then said to Zheng Hongsheng, "Set up a small camp near the collapse site. Prepare enough tents, and pitch them directly on the bare earth. Do not lay down any flooring or carpets."

Zheng Hongsheng blinked, and then it suddenly clicked. "Earth Traveler Sun? The Earth Travel Skill?"

Taoist Ming Yu gave a faint smile, not bothering to hide it. "Precisely."

Zheng Hongsheng gasped. "I’ll make the arrangements immediately!"

After hanging up, Taoist Ming Yu contacted Gu Zhao, but Gu Zhao was already aware of the situation because Taoist Yan Song was in the process of bringing Taoist Yan Qi back to the palace.

After all, Taoist Yan Qi had only arrived recently. He had just finished compiling the *Primordial Yang Five False Disaster Avoidance Method* and placing it in the Scripture Pavilion at the Taoist Research Institute. The others had only just begun studying it and hadn’t come close to mastering it yet.

Therefore, this rescue mission up north required Taoist Yan Qi to handle it personally.

"That’s perfect. You two go together," Gu Zhao said. "Taoist Yan Qi will go down to rescue the miners, while you stay on the surface and recite the Calm Heart Curse and the Profound Essence Curse. That will help treat any physical injuries or psychological trauma they may have."

Taoist Ming Yu nodded with a smile. "Very well!"

Although Taoist Yan Song didn’t want to miss out on the action, as the one with the highest Magical Dao Practice in Daluo Palace besides Gu Zhao, he had to return to Qianshan Prefecture to hold the fort. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

So, he quickly escorted Taoist Yan Qi to Daluo Palace before flying back to Qianshan Prefecture.

Gu Zhao, meanwhile, took a moment to come down from the back of the mountain and send Taoist Yan Qi back to the modern world, not worried in the slightest.

Back at the Taoist Research Institute, Taoist Yan Qi rendezvoused with Taoist Ming Yu. Taoist Ming Yu then lifted him with a surge of True Qi, and they rose on the wind, flying straight toward the north. "Let’s go!"