Chapter 256 The man behind the scenes
Although the barbecue restaurant where Gu Xu and Shi Xiaohan came is small and the environment is relatively simple, it is very famous in Luojing City. It is often overcrowded and requires a long queue. Wait for a table.
"Queue" can be said to be one of Gu Xu's least favorite things in his life.
For this reason, he made a divination on the way here and made sure that there would be space in the barbecue restaurant at this time, so he brought Shi Xiaohan here.
After sitting on both sides of a table in the corner of the dining table, Shi Xiaohan couldn't wait to order three large plates of roasted lamb legs. At the same time, he smelled the meaty aroma that filled the store and couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
"The food in the canteen of Longmen Academy is quite rich," Gu Xu said with a smile, "When you go there, you'll be in for a treat."
"What's delicious there?"< br>
Hearing his words, Shi Xiaohan held his chin with his hands and looked at him with wide eyes, like a little chick waiting to be fed in its nest.
"Dragon beard noodles, salted duck, tiger skin meat, Langya crisp candy..." Gu Xu said slowly while recalling.
Every time he said the name of a food, Xiaohan's eyes would become brighter. After he said more than ten kinds of words, Shi Xiaohan almost couldn't help but stand up from his seat and murmured: "It would be great if tomorrow was the first day of February..."
At this time, Gu Xu smiled and poured a basin of cold water on her head: "You go to Longmen Academy to study not only to taste the delicious food, but also to listen to lectures, read books, and write summary reports on time..."
< br>The smile on Shi Xiaohan's face suddenly disappeared.
"In my impression, it seems that you can choose courses in the academy according to personal preferences," she said with a slight frown, "I think I can just go there to learn sword skills-"
"——As far as I know, even if you learn swordsmanship and swordsmanship in the academy, they will relatively focus on the theoretical level," Gu Xu said lightly, "For example, the instructors will ask students to analyze "The King of Swordsmanship" The differences between it and "Nian Hua Dao Technique" and their respective important significance in the history of martial arts, calculate their efficiency in killing different types of ghosts and the amount of real energy used, and let students write an article of thousands of words based on this. ”
“Really?”
Shi Xiaohan was stunned for two seconds. Her smart eyes suddenly froze, and her expression looked like she was in the process of eating when a "fierce god" level ghost suddenly jumped out of the bowl.
“I heard it from hearsay.”
Gu Xu smiled slightly and thought it was really fun to bully this girl.
Her mind is as pure as a piece of white paper. She never knows how to hide her emotions. All the joys, sorrows and joys are clearly written on her face. Maybe a minute ago, she was still frowning because she couldn't memorize the knowledge in the book; a minute later, she would be jumping up and down like a bunny because she saw tempting food.
It seems to be to confirm Gu Xu’s evaluation.
At this moment, the waiter brought the dishes they ordered to the table.
Shi Xiaohan's eyebrows immediately stretched out, as if all the worries in his heart were swept away in an instant. She reached out and grabbed a roasted leg of lamb, biting off a piece of meat with a pair of sharp little tiger teeth, like a little tiger that had finally caught its prey after being hungry for three days. Soon, the edges of her mouth, the skirt of her clothes, and her sleeves were covered with oil stains.
“It’s so delicious!”
…………
Gu Xu’s description may be a bit exaggerated.
But he knew that Longmen Academy, as a place that engaged in "elite education", was keen on studying the theoretical basis of various Taoisms, and would require students to "know what it is" and "know why it is the case", which was similar to the exorcist department. Places that believe in "pragmatism" are very different.
Take the "Overlord Sword Technique" that Shi Xiaohan is best at as an example -
In the Exorcism Department, as long as she can successfully kill the ghosts, even if she swings the knife, There are all flaws and loopholes in the operation of her true energy. If she is excellent, she will receive the corresponding merit reward without any dispute.
But in Longmen Academy, her movements cannot go wrong, and her true energy must run on the correct trajectory; in addition, she also needs to know the birth background, uniqueness and Applicable situation... Otherwise, even if she kills a hundred ghosts with a big knife, she will not be able to successfully pass the monthly assessment.
Perhaps Shi Xiaohan, who is used to the "reckless style of play", will not like the atmosphere of the academy.
However, in Dahuang's practice system, as the realm gradually improves, in addition to more and more expensive elixir resources, it is also necessary to have a strong ability to comprehend Taoism.
The first and second realms only require taking drugs and practicing hard, and your cultivation will gradually improve.
Even after arriving at "Homesickness Ridge", there are still monks who rely on their own life experiences to make mistakes and accidentally skip the process of "enlightenment in the world of mortals"——
For example, Luojing City a few years ago In just a few days, a monk's house first caught fire, and then he was demoted because he offended his superiors. But then his mother, who had been ill in bed for a long time, suddenly recovered from her illness, and the girl she had always admired suddenly came to her house to talk about matchmaking...
In this ups and downs of life, he was like a rocket under his feet, running fast on the stairs of "Homesickness Ridge". He covered more distance in one month than he had in the past few years combined. In the blink of an eye, he In the meantime, we arrived at "Wangxiang Terrace".
However, once you reach the fifth or sixth realm, it will be difficult for you to take advantage of any loopholes.
Enlightenment will become a necessary condition for improvement in cultivation and breakthrough in realm.
Those who know nothing about the secrets of Taoism will find it difficult to walk on the "Road to the Netherworld".
Therefore, among the exorcism monks who believe in "whatever works," "don't ask for deep explanations," and "just be reckless," very few can cultivate to the fourth realm or above - anyway, the magic in their hands The cultivation resources are not enough for them to cultivate to such a state. They are satisfied if they can earn meritorious service, have enough food and clothing, and support their families.
But the powerful disciples of Longmen Academy are different.
They never need to worry about insufficient resources, and can naturally set higher goals for themselves and consider longer-term things.
For a young lady from an official family like Shi Xiaohan, her cultivation qualifications are not bad, so her surroundings will undoubtedly have high expectations for her.
However, due to her personality, she is only obsessed with killing ghosts with a machete and has no interest in studying the secrets of the great road. If this state continues, her future practice may be very difficult.
Gu Xu felt that Luo Chuan, the head of the Exorcism Department, might have anticipated such a problem and came up with the idea of sending Shi Xiaohan to Longmen Academy for further study.
I have to say that in the recent period, Luo Chuan has been too considerate of him - not only trying every means to send meritorious deeds, magic weapons, magic books and training to him for various reasons resources to help him think about a plan to climb the "Soul-Broken Cliff", and even arranged Shi Xiaohan's future.
"This is probably the kind of treatment that is reserved for cultivating successors!" He shook his head and sighed secretly in his heart.
Shi Xiaohan quickly swept away the food on the table, and a dim shadow of Taotie faintly appeared behind her.
But she still looked like she was not full. She waved to the waiter and ordered a few more plates of barbecue.
At the same time, she suddenly remembered an important thing and said to Gu Xu: "By the way, have you used the token to contact the elixir workshop in Qingzhou Prefecture recently?"
"Not yet." Gu Xu shook his head and replied.
In the past two days, he had been concentrating on preparing for this battle of talismans and had not had time to carefully study the birthday gift Shi Xiaohan gave him.
If Xiaohan hadn't suddenly mentioned it now, he wouldn't have known that the token representing the ownership of the workshop also had the function of remote communication. Immediately, with a thought in his mind, Gu Xu took out the Danfang's token from "Xianyun Residence".
On the front is the number "Lu" in capital letters, representing the sixth workshop under the Shi family's name; on the back is Gu Xu's name engraved in small seal script.
"Gu Xu, you only need to hold the token and recite a specific spell to get in touch with Manager Yang of Workshop No. 6." Shi Xiaohan introduced to Gu Xu while eating barbecue. road.
After eating a few meat skewers and a plate of grilled tofu, Gu Xu was basically full.
So while waiting for Shi Xiaohan to charge up the "Taotie Seal", he followed her instructions, held the token and recited a brief spell.
Soon a golden light shone on the token, and then a hoarse man's voice came from it: "Miss Shi...oh no, Mr. Gu, do you have any orders?"< br>
Is this thing actually a voice communication? I thought it was a text chat like "Shenji Token"!
Gu Xu complained silently.
At the same time, he took out a piece of talisman paper from his pocket, threw it on the ground, and casually arranged a barrier to block the sound.
Although what he was talking about was not some ulterior secret, being cautious and cautious has always been Gu Xu's style of doing things. In his opinion, in a place like Luojing City where good and bad people are mixed, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a little more careful.
Soon, he learned from Manager Yang that after the disaster in Qingzhou Prefecture, the elixir workshop was in a very bad situation.
Although the "Three Fierce Gods" are no longer causing trouble - the "Nine Infant Snake Demon" has been sealed underground by the Imperial Master, the "Yishan Snow Girl" has fallen into a deep sleep due to injuries, and Kong Xuan Sanren has disappeared.
Although the Exorcism Department has sent many monks to help Qingzhou Prefecture rebuild after the disaster.
But this incident left a deep psychological shadow on the people of Qingzhou.
Many monks who were able to move took their whole families and left the land where they had lived for many years.
Among them are many major customers of elixir workshops.
In addition, it is much more difficult than before to purchase materials for refining elixirs.
Gu Xu listened silently to Manager Yang's narration.
He could still understand the choices of these monks.
Although the National Preceptor has used the announcement to inform the residents of Qingzhou Prefecture that the seal of the "Nine Infant Snake Demon" has been strengthened and it will no longer be able to escape from the underground.
But people still inevitably have this thought: Since this snake demon can break through the seal for the first time, why can't it come out for the second time?
Of course, understanding is understanding, Gu Xu still inevitably feels a little headache about this.
Because he knows that as his realm improves, the consumption of resources in the future will be a bottomless pit.
Especially after advancing to the fifth and sixth realms, you need to use a kind of elixir called "Xuanhuang Dan". The materials are precious and the workmanship is complicated, so it is often expensive but not marketable.
He originally regarded this elixir workshop as an unexpected treasure. He felt that after owning it, he no longer needed to worry about the source of the elixir.
Unexpectedly, after opening the lid of the treasure chest, in addition to treasures, there were also a lot of troubles inside.
Gu Xu sighed silently.
Although he has "wisdom" authority, his talent is more used in cultivation, and he does not have much experience in dealing with this kind of thing.
But at this moment, he thought that he had just recruited a client today - Shen Qiu, the Jinling Shen family from the richest world, once managed the family business for his brother behind the scenes, claiming that "the ability to make money in business and manage connections is the best in Luoyang." There are few people in the capital who can compare with him."
For Shen Qiu, solving such problems must be what he is good at.
"Perhaps you can consult him." Gu Xu thought secretly.
At present, he does not completely trust Shen Qiu, and it is impossible to leave all important things to him. But he could take this opportunity to test whether this guest had real talent or knowledge, or whether he came to his home to cheat and get free accommodation.
"Let me think of a way," before cutting off communication, he said to Manager Yang of the elixir workshop through the token, "We will contact you again in two days."
.........
After eating the barbecue, Gu Xu and Shi Xiaohan did not stay in the city for too long, and took a carriage back to the Exorcism Department Yamen.
Gu Xu has made an appointment with the Imperial Master to go to Chiyangzi’s grave tomorrow during the day.
In order to avoid delaying the progress of his practice, he must seize the time tonight and climb a few more stairs on "Homesickness Ridge" while the effect of "Baijia Tea" is still there.
However, just when they arrived at the Yamen, Shangguan Jin suddenly walked towards them and said to them solemnly: "Gu Daoyou, Sister Xiaohan, do you still remember that day when you went to Zhengpingfang Siheyuan, you met The 'Pi Luo Sha', 'Yin Feng Sha', and the 'Heart Gu' in Yang Changfu's mind? ”
"Of course I remember." Gu Xu nodded.
He still remembered that day when he went to buy a house with Shi Xiaohan and Shangguan Jin. He originally wanted to buy the courtyard house in Zhengpingfang for a cheap price, but he found that not only was there a feng shui problem in the yard, but the landlord Yang Changfu's consciousness The world has actually been planted with "heart poison".
The mysterious mastermind could even use the "heart poison" to engage in a spiritual duel with them in the air. Even Shangguan Jin was once addicted to negative emotions and could not extricate himself.
Later, Gu Xu suddenly realized the "Xingyuan" spell and cooperated with Shangguan Jin to completely eliminate the "Gu insect".
“Now, under the guidance of Tianjishu, the Exorcist Department has caught the mastermind behind that incident,” Shangguan Jin said while pointing to the end of the corridor, “That woman is from Nanjiang The man is good at voodoo; the man is from Nanyang and is a Feng Shui master. It was the cooperation between the two of them that caused this incident."
Gu Xu looked in the direction she pointed.
On the ground at the end of the corridor, there is a magic circle painted on it - Gu Xu knows that this formation is called "Painting the Ground as a Prison", and the movement of people trapped in the formation will be restricted and they will not be able to get out of the formation. .
Two people stood in the middle of the formation.
One is an old man in his sixties, short in stature and unshaven, looking around with a frown.
One is a young woman in her twenties who is thin and pale. Her eyes can’t help but dodge, and she looks frightened.
(End of this chapter)