Chapter 12 Discussion
Gu Xu went to the warehouse first to receive the "Spirit Gathering Pill".
The hunchbacked old man guarding the warehouse stayed up late yesterday reading "The Oil Seller Monopolizes the Oiran". He was so sleepy at this time that he was slumped on a bamboo chair with his eyes closed and taking a nap.
Gu Xu shouted several times before waking him up from his dream.
"You kid... didn't you just come here last night?" The hunchbacked man yawned and said, "Why are you here again?"
Gu Xu smiled, said nothing, and handed him the note with "Spirit Gathering Pill" written on it.
When he saw the words "Juling Dan", the hunchbacked old man opened his eyes wide and suddenly woke up from his drowsiness.
He rubbed his eyes and scratched his sparsely haired head to confirm that he had seen correctly.
"You...are you about to break through?"
"It's almost time."
"It's really fast."
"Well, it's not bad."
Gu Xu took the pill from the old man, thanked him politely, and left without looking back.
The hunchbacked old man was sitting on a bamboo chair, silently watching Gu Xu's back.
He has been working as a handyman in the Exorcism Department for more than twenty years.
Over the years, he has guarded this simple and unpretentious warehouse every day, drinking tea, sleeping, walking birds, reading storybooks, and has seen too many monks coming and going.
Some are gifted, some are mediocre, some shine, and some are mediocre.
It’s just that he has never seen someone like Gu Xu who will break through in less than a year of practice.
Chen Jisheng spent eight years cultivating in the first realm.
Shi Xiaohan practiced for four years.
Even the previous governor of the Yishui County Exorcism Department, Mr. Zheng Yuzheng, known as the "Martial Arts Madman", spent more than three years at this stage.
Time flies so fast.
Unconsciously, Mr. Zheng died, Mr. Chen grew old, and a new generation of young people are becoming the new protagonists of the Exorcism Department with high spirits.
But this has nothing to do with the old man.
He just needs to do his own thing well, find time to fish for a while, and live as long as possible, that's enough.
Thinking of this, the hunchbacked old man drooped his eyelids and began to continue to close his eyes to rest.
I heard that a new opera troupe has arrived in Yishui County.
He will be on vacation tomorrow, so he will go and listen.
…………
After Gu Xu and Shi Xiaohan parted temporarily, they went to the Yamen public kitchen for lunch.
A plate of snow lotus root, a portion of fried walnut meat with lamb horns, green onion and ginseng, and a small bowl of almond tofu, a total of twenty cents.
In the Daqi Dynasty, one copper coin was equal to one penny, and one thousand copper coins was equal to one penny.
One piece of money is equivalent to one tael of silver.
The purchasing power of one tael of silver is approximately 500 yuan.
Twenty Wen is equivalent to ten dollars from Gu Xu’s previous life.
In addition, the yamen will provide officials with a meal subsidy for every meal.
Compared with those expensive restaurants outside...
The civil servant canteen is really good quality and cheap.
After the meal, Gu Xu did not rest, so he plunged into the exorcism department's library.
Of course he didn't come here to read a book - after all, the entire library's knowledge had already been stored in his mind.
He just wanted to find a corner where no one would disturb him and practice quietly.
Sit still, close your eyes, and calm down.
Then he took out a "Jingxin Pill" and stuffed it into his mouth.
As he silently recited the mantra, the surrounding yin energy turned into surging river water, pouring into his meridians and tempering it into true essence.
Gu Xuxiu's skill is called "Guiyuan Jue", which he exchanged for five hundred meritorious deeds a few months ago.
In Daqi, the practice of Kung Fu is divided into three levels: upper, middle and lower.
Middle-grade skills have special attributes.
Shangpin Kung Fu even hides the true meaning of the Great Dao.
As an ordinary low-grade exercise, the characteristic of "Guiyuan Jue"... is that it has no characteristics.
However, most of the high-level exercises are secrets of big families and sects.
A grassroots cadre of the Exorcism Department like Gu Xu is very lucky to have a copy of "Guiyuan Jue" that is distributed in batches by the state and can be exchanged for five hundred meritorious deeds.
At least it gave him a chance to seek immortality.
But Gu Xu also planned to find a better technique after he advanced to the second realm.
I heard that high-level exercises can greatly speed up your practice.
Time is limited.
He must try every means to improve his cultivation to the seventh level as soon as possible. …………
When the sun went down, Gu Xu ended his practice this afternoon.
Three "Jingxin Pills" were missing from his small porcelain bottle, and there was more pure and solid essence in his meridians.
Now is the dinner time he and Shi Xiaohan agreed on.
It was the first time in his life that he went to Piaoxianglou to eat, and Gu Xu still had some small expectations in his heart.
However, when he passed by the Yamen corridor, he heard his colleagues pointing, talking and laughing at him.
“Look, the most petty man in our exorcism department is here!”
Gu Xu frowned slightly: You are the petty one, your whole family is the petty one!
Someone else said: "Look at his face, he looks handsome, no wonder even ghosts are interested in him."
Gu Xu retorted in his mind: Oh, you don't understand at all, those ghosts are face blind. They are just greedy for my [Spirit Summoning Body].
Gu Xu is busy on weekdays and has a very narrow social circle.
Among the group of booing people, he only knew one named Wang Yang.
Dark skin, short stature, and unremarkable appearance. He is the kind of popular face that has no sense of presence in a crowd.
The reason why Gu Xu remembered him was because he had done a mission with him not long ago.
At that time, Wang Yang was cornered by the ghost and was so frightened that he thought he was going to die in the line of duty.
At this critical moment, Gu Xu suddenly appeared and killed the ghost lightly, putting Wang Yang out of danger.
From then on, Wang Yang became Gu Xu’s number one fan.
"Wang Yang, secretly nicknamed me again?"
"Brother Gu, I was wrong!" Wang Yang immediately raised his hands, his face full of desire for survival. .
He knew very well that even though Brother Gu was thin, his combat prowess could definitely rank among the top five in the Yishui County Exorcism Department - if he was angered, the end might be worse than those ghosts.
"What were you discussing just now?"
"This afternoon, Mr. Chen showed us the video of you dealing with the Painted Skin Ghost in the Wang family mansion," Wang Yang replied with a smile, " All of us admire Brother Gu for your inscrutable talismans, extensive and profound knowledge, and meticulous thinking.
"I dare say that Brother Gu must be the most important person in the entire exorcism department. Details person.
“If it were us, we would have died ten thousand times in the hands of that cunning evil spirit.”
"What you said is really nice."
"Brother Gu, I am your most loyal admirer!"
Gu Xu was noncommittal.
"Okay, I won't tell you any more, I have something else to do tonight."
"Do you have an appointment with Mr. Shi Xiaohan, the inspector?" Wang Yang revealed the gossip of star-chasing fans The look in his eyes said, "I see you two doing tasks together every day."
Gu Xu was too lazy to pay attention to him.
He turned around and walked across the corridor, heading straight for the door.
His time is too precious to waste on such meaningless gossip.
Working is the serious business.
Wang Yang stood there, silently watching Gu Xu's leaving figure, sighing in his heart: As expected of Brother Gu, he is so handsome even with his cold and ruthless look.
…………
Shi Xiaohan was already waiting outside the Yamen.
She changed out of the black uniform of an exorcism department official and put on a lavender pleated skirt, her hair was combed into a Japanese bun, and she wore a bead-filled pear flower sapphire walking stick and a pair of suet Jade willow leaf earrings.
At this moment, the willow branches are above the moon.
Thousands of lights are like daylight at night.
Gu Xu looked at her standing quietly under the moonlight, and couldn't help but think of a sentence he saw in a book in his previous life - "The new moon shines brightly, and the flowers and trees pile up with snow."
It is rare to see Shi Xiaohan so quiet and quiet.
So he stood there and took a few more glances quietly.
"Gu Xu, you are finally here! I can't wait to go to Piaoxiang Tower to eat beggar's chicken!"
At this moment, Shi Xiaohan also saw Gu Xu, and a happy smile suddenly bloomed on his slightly baby-fat face.
The image of the quiet goddess collapsed instantly.
The carefree and lively "Nvxia" of the past returned to Gu Xu.
“Let’s go!” Gu Xu smiled slightly.
Then he looked up at the sky.
The bright moon is like frost, the wind is as good as water, and the scenery is infinite.
PS: Prices and wages in this book are based on the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty.
For dietary reference, "Dream of Red Mansions", "Jin Ping Mei" and "The Complete Works of Necessary Things for Home".
(End of this chapter)