Chapter 15 The Scholar’s Obsession
“Master Zhou,” seeing this strange situation, Gu Xu smiled and explained, “These students of yours did pass away eight years ago. Just because they are obsessed with the provincial examination, they forget the fact that they are dead and think that they are still alive."
Zhou Jiaoyu stood there, stunned and speechless.
Eight years ago, these scholars were all students taught by him personally——
Jiang Wenyuan was born in a scholarly family and was very talented. He was known as a "child prodigy" since he was a child. He once passed the Yishui entrance examination County trial case head.
However, Jiaodong Province is rich in talents. Jiang Wenyuan, a "prodigy" from a small and remote county, could not be ranked in Qiuwei and could not catch the eye of the examiners.
So he failed three exams.
The once high-spirited young man, ravaged by repeated setbacks, became a decadent young man who drank to drown his sorrows.
......
Wei Ming is a silly boy from a poor family. He is not very bright, but he is diligent and hardworking. He only thinks about Qiuwei High School and makes his mother look good in the hospital bed.
It's a pity that the imperial examination is comparable to thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge... Some people are not only more talented than him, but also have better family backgrounds than him. The most important thing is that they work harder than him.
Therefore, Wei Ming failed despite repeated attempts.
After taking the exam for fifteen years, I am still a poor scholar.
......
He Xiaoliang is even more interesting.
He was originally a young master from a landlord's family. He grew up eating delicious food and drinking spicy food. He even had a baby engagement with the county magistrate's daughter.
The favorable environment made him a second-generation ancestor who was greedy for pleasure.
But then his father died and the family fell into decline.
The acquaintances who used to be polite and smiling all treated him with indifference and even cynicism.
The county magistrate’s daughter also came to him with an engagement contract and asked to break off the engagement.
He Xiaoliang was very angry.
He roared in public, "Don't bully young people into poverty." At the same time, he vowed to show his talents in the imperial examination and impress those who looked down upon him.
But things backfired.
"Don't bully young people who are poor" has become "Don't bully young people who are poor", it has become "Don't bully middle-aged people who are poor", it has become...
Became the top of a mountain An inconspicuous grave.
…………
It’s just that all of this disappeared in the disaster eight years ago.
These students, along with their dreams, turned into dust.
No one will remember their hard study in the cold window.
Their names left in the annals of history will only be the victims of the "Nine Infants' Disaster"——
"Nine Infants" was the "fierce god" level snake monster that ate many people back then. Every resident in Yishui County wanted to kill him with a thousand knives.
Because it is difficult to kill completely, it is currently sealed underground with a spell by the Grand Master of Qi.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jiaoyu's mood became more complicated.
"Gu Shaoxia, what should we do?" He turned to look at Gu Xu, looking a little dazed.
“Let me save them,” Gu Xu pondered for a moment and replied, “Master Zhou, the figures you see now are no longer the students you taught back then, but their The ghosts and ghosts born from the yin energy of residual thoughts
"Maybe they are not hostile to you for the time being, but if they are allowed to continue to absorb Yin Qi, their remaining rationality will be swallowed up by evil thoughts, and they will eventually grow into fierce and terrifying ghosts, endangering the lives of the county students.
< br>“Letting them reincarnate and be reborn as adults is the most appropriate choice. "
Zhou Jiaoyu sighed and nodded solemnly.
However, at this moment, a change occurred.
If Gu Xu guessed correctly, The remnant souls of these scholars must have suddenly smelled the breath of his [Spirit Summoning Body]
Although their sanity still remains, it is obviously not enough to resist this strong temptation.
The respect and confusion in their eyes suddenly disappeared, turning into greed and madness - like jackals who had been hungry for several days and saw the prey that suddenly came to their door.
Black mist rises.
The surrounding Yin energy poured into their bodies like a flood.
Their bodies distorted and changed rapidly.
His face turned blue and black, and fangs sprouted from his mouth.
Then with a fierce look in his eyes, a deep roar, he rushed towards Gu Xu and Zhou Jiaoyu. Zhou Jiaoyu was so frightened that he could no longer stand still.
“Ahhhhh——”
He screamed, his legs softened, and he fell to the ground, his mind went blank.
"Gu Gu Gu... Gu Shaoxia, help, help, help... help!"
"Master Zhou, don't panic," Gu Xu still looked calm, "I am here."
At the same time He reminded himself in his mind: next time he sees Mr. Zhou who likes to scream, he must remember to wear earplugs.
At this moment, Gu Xu has roughly estimated the strength of these scholars' remnant souls -
A little stronger than the ghosts, but far inferior to the painted skins.
It is considered a relatively advanced "wandering soul", but has not yet reached the level of "wild ghost".
All in all, they are the kind of ghosts that Gu Xu can easily kill in seconds.
“Are you so arrogant because you can’t wait to sunbathe?”
The corners of Gu Xu’s mouth turned up slightly, and then he took out a few pictures of “Tai Shang Arctic Suppresses Demons and Kills Demons” from his pocket Talisman", recite the incantation, and gently throw it forward.
The room is filled with light.
Just like the morning light carrying the sun, all things can be seen.
The haze was swept away in an instant.
The ferocious remnant souls of these scholars also dissipated without a trace, leaving no trace.
As if it had never existed.
The light faded.
Zhou Jiaoyu sat motionless on the spot, his face as white as a corpse, and he never came back to his senses.
"Mr. Zhou, are you okay?"
"I...I, I, I, I, I'm okay."
Gu Xu smiled faintly, stretched out his hand and held the hand that looked dazed. Zhou Jiaoyu helped him up from the ground.
I have to say that what happened tonight is still a bit difficult for a mortal like Zhou Jiaoyu to accept.
A student who had been dead for many years suddenly appeared in front of him, and then turned into a vicious ghost-
Such a scene was enough to leave a deep shadow in his heart.
Gu Xu sighed lightly.
Then close your eyes and recite the "Rebirth Mantra" silently:
"The Supreme Order, transcend your ghosts, ghosts and all ghosts, and be blessed by the four lives..."
Poor scholars, I hope you won’t have to suffer from repeated failures in your next life.
…………
After a while, the two returned to the gate of the county school.
At this time, the night was hazy and the autumn wind was biting.
The moving clouds swallowed the moon from time to time and spit it out again.
Since the effective time of the spell has passed, the red lantern in Zhou Jiaoyu's hand turned back into a piece of waste paper and was thrown into the trash by Gu Xu.
“Thanks to Mr. Gu’s help this time,” Zhou Jiaoyu finally managed to regain his composure, clasped his hands in his fists, and bowed deeply to Gu Xu, “If it weren’t for Mr. Gu’s great powers and superb abilities, I’m afraid that I He has died in the hands of those...those ghosts."
Unknowingly, Zhou Jiaoyu's title of Gu Xu changed from "young hero" to "sir".
In the Daqi Dynasty, "Sir" was not a bad title.
It is a respectful title for teachers, respected elders, or people with knowledge and status.
Of course, it can also be used to address practitioners with extraordinary abilities.
It can be seen that Zhou Jiaoyu has forgotten Gu Xu's age before he was crowned, and began to discuss friendship with his peers.
…………
Notes:
(1) "The morning light carries the rays, and all things are visible." - Wang Shaozhi of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, "Twenty Songs of the Four Chambers of the Song Dynasty" The Eleventh Food Song》
(2) "The Supreme Lord's decree transcends your lonely soul, all ghosts and ghosts, and is blessed by you in all four lives." - Taoist Rebirth Mantra.
(End of this chapter)