Chapter 4 Mission
The Exorcist Department does not have too strict restrictions on practitioners.
They can freely choose their commuting time, fish as they please, and even lie at home for several days in a row without coming to the Yamen. As long as they can ensure that they complete their monthly minimum tasks, they will never be held accountable for it.
Of course, for Gu Xu, this "flexible work system" is to allow him to work overtime better.
As usual, Gu Xu was the first to arrive at the Yamen today.
But he was in no rush to get the assignment.
Instead, he went straight to the library on the second floor, sat down at the desk by the window, took out the yellow paper and ink from the drawer, and began to draw symbols.
Sharpening the knife will keep you from chopping wood.
As a "fragile" boy, spells are his most effective means of dealing with ghosts.
Since talismans are consumables, he must prepare a sufficient number of talismans before fighting - in case the runes are exhausted and the ghost is not dead, and he is killed in the end, he must go early. Meet the Lord of Hell.
He held the writing brush in his hand, closed his eyes and recited a mantra: "The sky is round and the earth is round, and there are nine chapters of laws and regulations. I am writing now, and all ghosts are hidden. The urgency is like the laws and regulations!"
Then he opened his eyes.
At this time, the brush in his hand was shining with golden light, like solidified golden sunlight, containing majestic power.
The pen falls.
Fu Cheng.
The golden light of the brush dissipated and returned to its original state.
Gu Xu stuffed the drawn talisman into his pocket and felt a little more confident.
At this moment, a familiar voice came from behind him:
"Hey, Gu Xu, are we going to team up to do a mission today? Hey... you guy, Why did you break through again without saying a word?"
Gu Xu turned his head.
Then I saw a girl wearing a black uniform of the Exorcist Department.
Petite figure, oval face, black hair like clouds, and clear almond eyes.
It is often said that women in ancient times have a reserved personality and smile without showing their teeth.
But this girl smiled unrestrainedly, showing two small white tiger teeth without any scruples.
The girl’s name is Shi Xiaohan.
Although he is the same age as Gu Xu, he has surpassed many senior seniors to become the eighth-level inspector of the Exorcism Department.
On the one hand, her cultivation level is indeed high and her combat power is astonishing - she has occupied the first place in Yishui County's merit list for a whole year, and has single-handedly killed "mandrills", "human snakes", etc. The thorny ghost uses a machete to chop down all kinds of monsters and make them miserable.
A "Liver Emperor" like Gu Xu, who works from dawn to dusk to take on tasks, can only be ranked second on the merit list.
On the other hand, Shi Xiaohan's father held the position of "Thousand Households" in the Exorcism Department of nearby Laizhou Prefecture, with an official rank of fifth rank. He was considered a big shot that the entire Yishui County had to look up to.
If you have strength and background, you will naturally be a winner in life.
"This small improvement is not worth mentioning in front of Shi Nuxia, who ranks first on the list." Gu Xu responded with a smile.
"That's true." Shi Xiaohan raised his chin and accepted Gu Xu's compliment calmly.
She recently likes to team up with Gu Xu to do tasks - one of the reasons is that Gu Xu is a good-looking guy who looks pleasing to the eye and speaks nicely, which always makes her feel happy.
And Gu Xu is also happy to go with her: If you say a few nice words and you can hug your thighs and lie down easily, then why risk your life and go it alone?
In this way, the two got what they needed and reached a short-term cooperative relationship - or to put it another way, they became each other's "tools".
"Shi Nuxia, what new tasks do you have today?" Gu Xu asked next.
Shi Xiaohan clasped his hands on his chest and explained in concise words: "There is a mansion in the northeastern suburbs of Yishui County, where a rich man named Wang lives. This rich man Wang died at home inexplicably recently. His family members think it was the work of ghosts.
“The family members believe that the ghost that killed Rich Man Wang may still be hiding in the house - they hope that the exorcism department can help find out the situation and kill the evil ghost. , to avenge the dead rich man Wang. "
"Is it dangerous? "
"With this heroine taking you, what are you afraid of? ”
"How much is the reward?"
"Two hundred and forty meritorious deeds. Each of us will get half of it, and each of us can get one hundred and twenty. Gu Xu, are you going?" One hundred and twenty meritorious deeds are equivalent to killing Twelve demons died. This is indeed a generous reward for Gu Xu - enough for him to exchange for a "Spirit Gathering Pill" to break through to the second level.
However, the more rewards, the higher the difficulty of the task.
This kind of mission, with a reward of over 100, has a high probability of encountering an evil spirit that is intelligent, capable of magic, difficult to kill, and can even conspire with humans. The level of danger is extraordinary.
"Please allow me to do some fortune-telling first." Gu Xu pondered for a moment and then replied.
After that, he took out three copper coins from his pocket and used the "copper coin hexagram" divination method to toss them six times in a row.
"What's the result?" Shi Xiaohan asked.
"The hexagram of Xun on the top and the bottom on the bottom is the hexagram of 'Feng Shui Huan', which is considered auspicious," Gu Xu replied, "'Huan' means dispersion, which means that evil things will leave the body and troubles will disappear. Those who get this hexagram , There will be difficulties at first, but you can get out of trouble in the end. If you are careful, everything will be successful."
"This is... you agree to go with me?"
Gu Xu nodded: "But we must be careful and not be careless."
"That's for sure," Shi Xiaohan stood by the desk and glanced at him condescendingly, "Gu Xu, I didn’t expect you to be able to learn such an unpopular knowledge as divination!”
“It’s just a heresy, it’s not as good as the heroine who can break through ten circles at once.”
“I really don’t know. What kind of brain do you have, you can remember the sixty-four hexagrams clearly! I get a headache when I see that thing."
"I learned divination because I was afraid of death and encounters. The evil ghosts that cannot be solved," Gu Xu chuckled, "Shi Nuxia is known as 'Yishui County ghosts see sorrow', cutting ghosts is like cutting vegetables, why waste time and effort to learn these boring things?"
The two looked at each other, then laughed out loud.
As a duo that dominates the charts and good partners in exorcizing demons, exchanging business blows is their daily routine.
"Okay," Shi Xiaohan patted Gu Xu on the shoulder, "I'll see you outside the Yamen in a quarter of an hour. Let's go and come back early."
"No problem." Gu Xu nodded.
As a person who cherishes time, he admired Shi Xiaohan's resolute and do-it-yourself style.
.........
The mansion of the rich man Wang is located in the northeastern suburbs of Yishui County - according to the Bagua map, it is the "Gen position".
Gen, the gate of ghosts.
According to the classics, it is not suitable to bury the dead or build tombs or monuments in the Gen position, because the Yin energy is very strong, which can easily cause weird things and make the deceased restless.
But when Gu Xu came to the outskirts of Yishui County, he noticed that there was a cemetery on the nearby hillside.
Large and small tombs stand on the hillside, deserted and with sparse vegetation - even if the sun is shining brightly at this time, they look a bit eerie.
Eight years ago, ghosts were rampant in Yishui County, causing heavy casualties.
The original owner of the body once set up a cenotaph in the ancestral grave for his parents who were devoured by ghosts with tears in his eyes.
The corpses that had not been collected back then were buried haphazardly in this barren grave with no one taking care of them or worshiping them.
Thinking of this, Gu Xu couldn't help but pause.
"Are you afraid?" Shi Xiaohan beside him said calmly.
She carries a large knife that is one meter long and weighs nearly ten kilograms, but she walks as light as a swallow. In order to keep up with her pace, Gu Xu already felt that he had some difficulty breathing.
"I'm just a little tired." Gu Xu replied. His heart was pounding and his chest began to ache.
Shi Xiaohan slowed down: "You are so weak, can you beat ghosts later? If they touch you, you will die suddenly on the spot, right?"
" Don't worry," a calm smile appeared on Gu Xu's pale face, "I won't fight hand-to-hand with ghosts - besides, sometimes the heroine protects me, how can they get close to me? "
"Humph, of course." Shi Xiaohan liked hearing this kind of words, and the corners of his mouth could not help but raise slightly, revealing two small dimples on his slightly baby-fat face.
…………
Notes:
(1) "The sky is round and the place is round, and there are nine chapters of laws and regulations. I am writing now, and all ghosts are hiding in them. Urgency is like laws and regulations! "——Taoist writing curse, used when drawing talisman.
(End of this chapter)