Controlling the Five Thunders and the Two Worlds

Chapter 291 The Bewildered Simmons

"A modern-day sorcerer? And exuding a chilling aura?" Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow. "A foreigner?"

Gu Zhao was naturally aware that foreign cultivators had entered Tianxia, ​​but he never expected to encounter one himself, let alone witness the other party casting a spell.

"Wait!" Gu Zhao called out, stepping over.

To everyone's surprise, upon seeing Gu Zhao approach, the young man immediately gave Gu Zhao the middle finger, preemptively saying, "Wait till you get what's coming to you!"

After hurling his insults, he opened the car door, got in with his girlfriend, and drove off.

Gu Zhao, “…”

Gu Zhao stopped in his tracks and watched the other person leave with a detached expression.

Oh well, I won't die anyway. There's not much yin energy, it's just a minor thing that I'll be weak for a few months. And it just won't last long, it won't affect my normal life.

Thinking of this, Gu Zhao looked at the foreigner again. He was an elderly foreigner who looked to be over sixty years old. He was broad-shouldered and had a friendly smile, but he was also cultivating Yin energy.

Given Gu Zhao's current cultivation level, even though the other party only cast a slight spell, he could still discern the nature of the spell, even if he didn't know the specific details of the other party's cultivation.

The foreign old man smiled and nodded at Gu Zhao, then glanced at Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi who followed behind him, giving Gu Zhao a thumbs-up and an approving look.

Gu Zhao nodded, and then he saw the foreigner look up at the gate of Yuanfa Palace before walking in without hesitation.

With great interest, Gu Zhao led Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi into the Yuanfa Palace. They saw the man visiting the palace very seriously and cautiously probing.

Unfortunately, although Yuanfa Palace was an important stronghold of the Longmen Sect in Yangcheng, there was no true Taoist priest in charge. There were no Taoist priests in the entire temple who had cultivated internal energy, so he searched for a long time but did not find any Taoist priests with magical powers.

Then he sought an audience with the Taoist priests of Yuanfa Palace, hoping to visit the palace's scripture library, relying on his status as a foreigner.

"Greetings, Daoist Master! My name is Bernhard Simmons. I greatly admire the culture of Tianxia and also like Daoist culture. May I visit the Sutra Repository of Yuanfa Palace and admire the Daoist classics of Tianxia?"

"I'm sorry," the Taoist priest from Yuanfa Palace politely declined. "Our scripture library is not open to the public. We also sell Taoist scriptures in our artifacts department, which are no different from those in the scripture library."

Yuanfa Palace is, after all, an important stronghold of the Longmen Sect in Guangzhou. It has a history of three hundred years, which is longer than the lifespan of the United States. Master Yihong once came to Yuanfa Palace to collect Longmen classics, and there are indeed genuine items in its library.

Therefore, they also need to abide by the "Management Measures for the Inheritance, Preservation and Transmission of Ancient Taoist Scriptures" issued by the Taoist Affairs Office through the Taoist Association, which prohibits foreigners from secretly keeping classics.

Although the various Taoist temples didn't quite understand, considering the current international situation, they had no objections.

Those ancient books and classic texts are obscure and difficult to understand. They cannot be practiced in modern society, and even those who do not understand Taoist culture cannot understand them. Generally speaking, normal people would not even glance at them.

Even if there are foreigners who admire the Taoist culture of Tianxia, ​​the copies of "Tao Te Ching", "Laozi Xiang'er Commentary", "Zhouyi Cantongqi", and "Taishang Ganying Pian" sold at the Taoist artifacts store are enough for them to read.

These classic texts are the foundation of Taoist culture. If foreigners really want to read cultivation methods like "Dongzhen Shangqing Qingyao Zishu Jin Gen Zhong Jing" or "Zhu Zhen Neidan Jiyao", it does seem like they have ulterior motives.

It's like in martial arts novels where someone insists on going to the Shaolin Temple's library to copy the Lankavatara Sutra.

In the past, people might not have cared, since it's impossible to practice it in modern society. Some abridged versions have even been included in various editions of the Daoist Canon and are already shared nationwide.

However, as more and more rumors of dubious veracity circulated online, and given that the system had previously compiled statistics on the true path and issued "Management Measures," everyone became somewhat uneasy and began to pay attention.

Therefore, upon hearing the request from this foreign friend Simmons, the Taoist priest of Yuanfa Palace decisively declined, and even gave the other party a thoughtful look.

Simmons' heart skipped a beat, but he shook his head innocently. "I don't like superficial things. As Tianxia's martial arts novels say, the real treasures are in the library!"

The Taoist priest shook his head and chuckled, "That's all made up in martial arts novels. If you want to practice martial arts, the artifacts department also has Tai Chi manuals. Of course, you can also go to Zhenwu Mountain, where martial arts are taught." Simmons smiled and shook his head, "I just entered the country from Hong Kong and haven't been to Zhenwu Mountain yet."

After noticing the numerous newly installed security cameras in the Taoist temple, Simmons didn't act impulsively. Instead, he said goodbye to the Taoist priest, bought some souvenirs at the ritual items shop, and then left.

Curious, Gu Zhao flicked his finger, and a wisp of true qi was placed on Simmons, turning into a mark that quietly disappeared.

Gu Zhao didn't follow him, but continued to tour the Taoist temple with Xiao Ya and the other two women. They went out to shop and eat, bought some fruit and went home, spending an ordinary but pleasant day.

……

At night, the moon was high in the sky.

Simmons quietly appeared outside the gates of the Yuanfa Palace, silently watching the palace's main gate and the various halls hidden in the darkness. His eyes gleamed with a restless desire, but also with some hesitation.

After standing outside for a full hour, Simmons finally sighed and turned to leave.

Meanwhile, a black sedan not far away started silently, then turned a corner, passed Simmons, and slowly drove away.

Gu Zhao's divine sense had been monitoring this area, and upon seeing this, he couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. Even if he hadn't happened to run into them, Simmons wouldn't have been able to cause any trouble in the country.

Just then, Simmons' phone rang.

"Hello? Nancy?" Simmons answered the phone. "Why are you calling me at this hour? What happened?"

“Dear Simmons, it’s 10 a.m. here,” the woman’s voice said on the phone.

“Okay, I forgot about the time difference.” Simmons shrugged.

“Here’s the thing, the FBI called me and invited us to join the newly established National Security Agency,” Nancy said briefly.

Simmons blinked. "Is it to deal with those Taoist priests flying in the sky in the Berkeley video?"

“You’re so smart, you got it right!” Nancy teased. “The compensation they offered was very attractive, and they promised a lot of benefits.”

“But I don’t want to die yet.” Simmons shook his head. “We went to Berkeley and saw that collapsed building. You should know the difference between you and those people.”

“Of course I know. If that lightning bolt had been aimed at me, I might not even be left with ashes,” Nancy replied.

"So you still care about the reward?" Simmons asked.

Nancy replied matter-of-factly, "I'll accept the reward and enjoy the benefits, but if there really is a mission, who says I have to carry it out?"

"Huh?" The old-school Simmons was a little confused.

"Ninety thousand for the bushings, six million for the goats, forty million for the gas stations," Nancy laughed. "We'll take the money, but when it comes to actually doing the work, we can easily come up with any excuse."

"Huh?" Simmons remained bewildered.

“I know some people in Tianxia. As long as you don’t have any ill intentions towards them, they are actually very friendly. At worst, you can just treat it as a tourist trip to Tianxia.” Nancy was very aware of this. “Or you can just abandon the darkness and join the one who got the five-star card at Zhenwu Mountain.”

"Huh?" Simmons was completely dumbfounded.

(End of this chapter)