Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds

The Otherworld’s Spring Festival Grand Rite had ended, and the New Year on Blue Star was about to arrive.

"It’s been a year! When on earth are you bringing them home?"

Gu Zhao had just returned when he got a call from his mother. "Your father finished making the guzheng and pipa a long time ago. They’re just sitting at home gathering dust!"

Gu Zhao blinked but said nothing.

"Your father and I have been to see those two young ladies perform several times. They’re so beautiful and talented!"

Li Man continued, "I even saw you picking them up a couple of times. And why was there a foreign girl getting into your car too? Don’t tell me you’ve gone and hooked another one?"

Gu Zhao: ???

Back in the country, Gu Zhao didn’t keep his senses constantly active. Unless he was within a certain distance, he wouldn’t be able to sense the aura from a Celestial Spirit Talisman or a Golden Gang Bracelet.

"I’m asking you a question!" Li Man demanded.

"The foreign girl isn’t one of them," Gu Zhao replied.

"Oh, good." Li Man sighed in relief. "With too many, I’m afraid you’ll wear yourself out too soon."

Gu Zhao was speechless. He wanted to defend himself, but he felt it was inappropriate to discuss such a topic with his own mother.

"You still haven’t answered my first question," Li Man said, pulling the conversation back on track.

Gu Zhao thought for a moment. "I’ll ask their opinion."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Gu Zhao looked down at Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi, who were on his left and right.

Xiao Ya bit her lip shyly, giving a noncommittal look, while Jiang Shishi retracted her tongue and nodded.

"Alright, I’m hanging up—"

"They agreed."

This time, it was Li Man’s turn to be speechless. After a moment’s pause, she finally asked, "When are you coming home?"

Jiang Shishi leaned over Gu Zhao’s shoulder, her tone light and cheerful. "Auntie, we’ll come over on New Year’s Eve to wish you and Uncle a happy new year."

"Oh! Wonderful, wonderful!" On the other end of the line, Li Man’s voice was full of laughter. She was nodding repeatedly; Gu Zhao could picture her beaming with joy.

After hanging up, Jiang Shishi wrapped herself around Gu Zhao like a snake. "So, Uncle made instruments for us?"

Xiao Ya looked at Gu Zhao, her eyes also filled with curiosity.

"I remember you two mentioning it when I went with you to your folk orchestra auditions." Gu Zhao squeezed the soft flesh in his hand. "Guzhengs and pipas can also be made from Purple Sandalwood—and very high-end ones at that."

"That’s because real Purple Sandalwood is expensive! And its density gives it a rich, full-bodied tone," Jiang Shishi said admiringly. "It might not necessarily sound better than rosewood, but it definitely looks more luxurious."

Xiao Ya nodded. "The same goes for the guzheng."

Gu Zhao smiled. "So, when my dad found out, he crafted an instrument for each of you from Small-leafed Purple Sandalwood as a first-meeting gift."

"Wow!" the two women exclaimed in unison.

"Small-leafed Purple Sandalwood is incredibly hard to find!" Jiang Shishi said. "I heard the annual yield is tiny. My old man wanted to buy a chair made from it once to flex, but the shop treated it as their prized possession and absolutely refused to sell."

Xiao Ya looked back at her. "Didn’t you say last New Year that your dad managed to buy one?"

Jiang Shishi nodded. "He said there’s a time-honored brand in Yangcheng that apparently opened up some international channels and suddenly got a huge supply of Small-leafed Purple Sandalwood to make furniture.

But that old brand prioritizes quality and limits its output, so it caused a huge stir in the domestic luxury furniture market. It wasn’t just the old money from traditional industries; even a lot of the nouveau riche from new sectors got involved.

He’s just a small-time businessman from Yandu, so he had to pull a lot of strings just to tag along with a big shot to get in on it. He managed to buy a Purple Sandalwood recliner, and now it sits on the balcony of his office."

Xiao Ya understood now and looked at Gu Zhao. "Did Uncle get the Purple Sandalwood from that same time-honored brand?"

Gu Zhao thought for a moment. "You could say that."

To be honest, he hadn’t expected his father to have made such a big name for himself over the past two years. No wonder he always seemed so busy; Gu Zhao rarely saw him or his mother whenever he came home.

However...

’What "time-honored brand"? He’s the one who opened that furniture factory, and it’s been around for thirty years at most!’

"That must have been really difficult," Jiang Shishi said admiringly.

Xiao Ya nodded repeatedly. "Uncle went to so much trouble."

Gu Zhao chuckled. "Then you’ll have to toast him a couple of times when you’re guests at our house."

"Of course!"

...

「Time quickly passed, and soon it was the New Year.」

Neither Xiao Ya nor Jiang Shishi returned to Yandu. Instead, they went with Gu Zhao to his family’s home in the suburbs.

"Welcome, welcome!"

Seeing the two young women arrive, Li Man’s face bloomed into a smile. She took the gifts they offered, personally placed them in the most conspicuous spot, and then pulled the two of them inside.

Gu Qi was already waiting in the living room, a gentle smile on his face as he looked at them, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

He knew his son was already a master within the small, modern circles of the Taoist Sect. After the Extraordinary had been revealed to the world, he also learned that Gu Zhao was an expert on par with those old Daoists.

This brought great comfort to Gu Qi and Li Man’s old hearts.

But even so, as traditional Celestial Xia People, their belief in the importance of carrying on the family line would never change.

Even if Gu Zhao could fly through the sky, escape through the earth, and perform Soaring Clouds and Mist, they still hoped he would find a kind, virtuous girl as a partner.

For one, to provide the Gu Family with an heir, and for another, they hoped it would make Gu Zhao more grounded in the human world, rather than cultivating his Daoism until he became an ethereal Immortal, detached from worldly affairs.

As for whether he would marry, or how many partners he had...

To be honest, Gu Qi had been a small business owner, and Li Man mingled in the circles of wealthy wives. Even if they themselves were morally upright, they had heard more than enough private gossip from their social circles.

Besides, Xiao Ya was gentle and elegant, while Jiang Shishi was bright and cheerful. They both studied classical instruments and were said to come from good families.

They were practically the perfect daughters-in-law. The parents couldn’t be more pleased.

Gu Qi and Li Man weren’t worried about Gu Zhao being unable to handle two women. After all, this was now the Extraordinary Era, and Gu Zhao was an Extraordinary Person. They had at least that much confidence in him.

Gu Qi presented the Purple Sandalwood guzheng and pipa he had prepared, and Li Man took out two sets of gold jewelry that she had spent a long time choosing.

"Thank you, Uncle!"

"Thank you, Auntie!"

"Come, let’s eat!"

"And then we’ll watch the New Year’s Gala together!"

The group then gathered happily. They first had dinner, then watched the gala together. When a performance piece came on, Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi even played along for a bit on their new instruments.

After asking for permission, Jiang Shishi took a selfie of the group and uploaded it to her social media.

[Celebrating the New Year in Yangcheng tonight!]

Not long after, she received a message from her old man: "You know President Gu!? You’re celebrating the New Year at President Gu’s house!?"

Jiang Shishi was dumbfounded. "Who’s President Gu?"

"Gu Qi! The owner of Qiming Pavilion! The inheritor of Yangcheng’s intangible cultural heritage of Ming and Qing hardwood furniture! The supplier of eighty percent of the country’s luxury Small-leafed Purple Sandalwood furniture!"

"Whether in cultural circles or business circles, President Gu is an honored guest everywhere!"

"How do you know President Gu?"

Looking at the string of exclamation points and question marks from her old man, Jiang Shishi pouted. "I’m friends with his son."

Then she received a rapid-fire reply from her old man: "Hurry up and have his son!"