Chapter 2 Merit
“You are born with deficiencies, and your bones are defective,” Gu Xu’s immediate boss once said to him, “Only when you reach the seventh realm can you shed your mortal body, reshape your body, and fundamentally change your body.” "Sir, is this difficult?"
"In the four hundred years since the founding of Da Qi, no one has ever been able to reach the seventh level before the age of thirty."
“Just because there is no one before, it doesn’t mean there will be no one after,” Gu Xu’s eyes were bright and his smile was as bright as the morning sun when he spoke, “I want to give it a try.”
"Boy, I know you have a good understanding. But things like cultivation are ultimately built on time and resources. Look, the strongest people in the Daqi Dynasty now, His Majesty the Emperor, the Saints of the Five Directions... are all I have been cultivating for decades with the support of a large sect.”
“I know there is little hope, but I don’t want to die young. Anyway… I will make money if I succeed, but I won’t lose if I fail, right? "
The boss sighed and looked at Gu Xu with pity in his eyes.
Since then, Gu Xu has devoted almost all his time and energy to practice.
He is practicing while others are eating, he is practicing when others are sleeping, and he is also practicing when others are going on picnics.
In addition, he takes on missions to kill ghosts more frequently than others, just to gain as much merit as possible in exchange for elixirs, magic weapons and other cultivation resources.
Thirteen years is too short, and the seventh realm is too far away.
He must seize the day.
…………
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The midnight bell rang leisurely.
At this time, the entire Yishui County has fallen into a deep sleep. Only the watchmen on night watch carry lanterns, gongs and bangs, knocking "bang bang" while shouting repeatedly in a hoarse voice, " Close the doors and windows and don’t go out.”
Gu Xu walked on the uneven bluestone road and walked dozens of steps along the narrow alley. After turning a few turns, he came to the broad street.
This street is called "Zhengqi Street", which is a main road running through the north-south axis of Yishui County.
Two solemn buildings stand on both sides, facing each other across the street.
On the east side is the county government office that handles secular affairs.
On the west side is the Yamen of the Exorcism Department.
There are two stone statues of Haezhi placed outside the county government office, symbolizing integrity and impartiality in law enforcement.
There are two stone lions placed outside the exorcism department's yamen - to be precise, they should be called "Suanni", which represents "might and fearlessness" and also has the function of warding off evil spirits in Feng Shui.
It can be seen from this that in the Daqi Dynasty, the "Exorcism Division" composed of practitioners had a high status and was considered equal to the secular agencies.
It is directly responsible to the emperor, and the six ministries, cabinet, and army are not allowed to interfere.
Gu Xu passed by the two Suan Ni statues, climbed the stone steps, and entered the gate of the Exorcism Department.
The oil lamp inside the door is dim.
A man was working at his desk under an oil lamp.
The man was thin, wearing a black gauze hat and a black robe embroidered with patterns of the sun, moon and stars——
It was Gu Xu's immediate boss, Chen Jisheng, the governor of the Exorcism Department of Yishui County.
The "Governor" is a seventh-grade official who oversees all matters related to exterminating demons and monsters in a county. It can be understood as the director of the Exorcism Department's office in Yishui County.
The clothes Chen Jisheng is wearing are the uniforms of the Exorcist Department.
In the Daqi Dynasty, civil servants embroidered birds, such as cranes and golden pheasants, on their robes to show civilization; military officers embroidered animals, such as lions, tigers and leopards, to show their ferocity.
The reason why the exorcist department’s uniform is embroidered with the sun, moon and stars is because many ghosts are afraid of light.
Therefore, it is also called "Qiyao Suit".
Of course, a lowly official like Gu Xu is not qualified to wear it.
Although he is a leader, Chen Jisheng rarely puts on airs. To Gu Xu, he is more like a close and strict teacher, often imparting knowledge on spiritual practice to him.
Gu Xu walked to Chen Jisheng's desk, nodded slightly and said:
"Master Chen, I am back."
"Have all the ghosts been solved?"
"Yes."
As Gu Xu spoke, he took off the jade pendant from his waist and placed it on the desk.
He stretched out his index finger and tapped twice on the jade pendant.
The jade pendant shines brightly.
The entire process of Gu Xu's battle with the monster was reproduced in front of Chen Jisheng in the form of a projection.
——This jade pendant is a magical weapon specially made by the Exorcist Department, and each person has one.
It functions like a camera and can record images of the entire task execution process.
These images have two functions:
First, to calculate merits and avoid false claims or false claims;
Second, it serves as important information for the exorcism department to study ghosts.
Chen Jisheng glanced at the projection from the corner of his eye. He still held the brush in his hand and did not stop reviewing official documents.
After a few seconds, the image ends.
But Chen Jisheng seems not to have fully seen it yet.
"It's gone?"
"It's gone." Gu Xu replied.
“It’s so short.”
“There’s no way, those ghosts and monsters are too weak. Before I even exerted 20% of my strength, they were all gone.”
“ You kid, you are really not humble at all.”
"I'm just stating the facts."
"Oh, then play it again for me to see."
Gu Xu tapped the jade pendant twice more.
This time, Chen Jisheng put down his brush, sat up straight, and stared at the image intently.
He looked calm at first, then narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What talisman are you using?"
"The Taishang Arctic Demon Suppressing and Ghost Killing Talisman," Gu Xu replied, "Master Chen, you taught me to use this two months ago."
"Oh, I have never taught you such a powerful ghost-killing talisman."
"I just made a few changes based on the original one."
"A little bit?" Chen Jisheng snorted coldly.
Gu Xu smiled and said nothing.
In the Great Wilderness, talismans are known as the "language of gods" and are the medium through which monks communicate between heaven and earth. It has always been famous for its high threshold and difficulty in mastering it - it is complex, unpredictable and requires extremely high understanding and understanding. A smart mind and years of practice.
Because the learning process of Fu Dao is boring and the results are slow, thousands of practitioners have been discouraged - they claim that a real man should hold a machete and a sledgehammer and bravely rush to the front. If you don't accept it, do it; only cowards who are afraid of death dare to hide behind and throw the talismans from a distance.
Of course, this is just an excuse for losers.
The national master of the Daqi Dynasty was an outstanding Fu Tao master.
He once used heaven and earth as paper and true energy as ink, and drew a cage with a radius of hundreds of miles out of thin air, and sealed a "fierce god" level evil ghost in an understatement.
No one dares to call him a coward.
Because Gu Xu was weak and unable to dance with a spear or a sword, Chen Jisheng once taught him step by step how to draw some simple talismans, hoping that he would have the means to protect himself in front of evil spirits.
But in less than two months, this kid has already become better than his master - after all, Chen Jisheng is a swordsman, and he only knows a little bit about Talismans, so there is no way to teach him more.
Gu Xu’s terrifying progress speed and unbridled creative thinking often surprised Chen Jisheng.
"This is so jealous of talents..."
Every time he sees Gu Xu's outstanding performance and thinks of his short lifespan, Chen Jisheng will feel extremely regretful.
If this kid could be stronger and live thirty more years, he might be able to break through to the seventh realm and become the future head of the Exorcism Department... or even survive the catastrophe, ascend to immortality, and escape Boundless sea of misery...
Oh, it's a pity, it's a pity...
"Okay, let's get down to business first. You killed four 'monsters' this time, and you can get a total of forty meritorious deeds." Looking at Gu Xu's handsome face, Chen Jisheng sighed and said, "As of now, you have accumulated a total of three hundred and fifteen meritorious deeds.
"Is there anything you want to exchange? Or do you want to exchange three hundred meritorious deeds for a bottle of 'Jingxin Pill' like last time?"
"Yes." Gu Xu replied.
Chen Jisheng wrote the words "Jingxin Pill" on a piece of paper, then signed his name in a flourish and handed it to Gu Xu together with the jade pendant.
“Go to the warehouse and get it yourself!”
“Thank you, Mr. Chen!”
"In addition, Gu Xu, there is a box of white fungus, a basket of eggs, and a box of wolfberry in the cabinet over there. They were sent by my relatives recently. I don't need them. You are too weak, take them to replenish your body!"< br>
"Master Chen, this is unnecessary——"
"——I tell you to keep it, so you keep it for me!" Chen Jisheng interrupted him domineeringly.
Gu Xu nodded and reluctantly agreed.
"On what it is like to meet a domineering boss"
Gu Xu: You almost never have to spend money on breakfast. It’s great to be able to save a copper coin in two months.
(End of this chapter)