Chapter 267 The man of the hour (monthly ticket plus more updates)
Shi Xiaohan is a heartless girl.
After leaving this room, she quickly jumped towards the dining hall at the northernmost end of the academy with light steps.
The words of the one-armed old man were forgotten by her.
On the way, she bumped into Tao Xi, who had just finished the Fu Tao course, and stood on tiptoes, waving to her to say hello.
"Hey, fellow Daoist Tao, how was your Talisman class this morning? Is your teaching good?"
Tao Xi, who has an introverted personality, had been walking among the crowd with his head lowered.
Hearing Shi Xiaohan's voice, she was startled, and then whispered hurriedly: "Very good...very good! Mr. Du is not fierce at all. He speaks very gently and treats students She is also very patient..."
The "Mr. Du" she refers to is undoubtedly the tall and lanky Talisman Master Du Yuan who asked Gu Xu for advice in the academy canteen a few days ago.
Actually, what Tao Xi is thinking is that the tone of our lectures is calm and drowsy, and we don't care whether the students are paying attention to the lectures.
But with her personality, it is impossible to speak ill of others behind their backs.
So I changed it to a euphemistic way of expressing it.
"Then you are really good at teaching!" Shi Xiaohan said enviously, "I was scolded so badly this morning."
Then she paused and then asked : "How is your level of teaching talisman drawing? Has he shown the talisman seals he designed in public in class?"
The purpose of her question was naturally to secretly distinguish Gu Xu from other students in the academy. Learn to make some comparisons.
"No," Tao Xi shook his head, "This morning, Mr. Du has been teaching us how to draw 'fire characters'."
"'Fire characters'?" Shi Xiaohan opened his eyes wide, "This is not Gu "Is it something that Xu made?"
Tao Xi explained softly: "I... We, Mr. Du, admire Master Gu very much... Mr. Du told us that Master Gu is very good at the art of talisman and seal script. Understanding, he could only look up. Especially this 'Fire Character' may be enough to lead a revolution in the field of Talisman, which will have far-reaching impact and significance."
Shi Xiaohan was stunned for two seconds. , exclaimed: "Gu Xu is so good in the field of Fu Dao?"
In her memory, Gu Xu probably only started learning Fu Dao from last summer.
This means that it only took him a few short months to reach a level in Fu Dao that even the long-famous Fu Dao masters highly praised.
Although Shi Xiaohan knew that Gu Xu had great talent in drawing talismans and seals, she was still incredulous when she heard Du Jiaoxi's comments.
I only heard Tao Xi continue to say: "Mr. Du also said that Mr. Gu once taught him and helped him re-understand the art of talisman and seal script. To a certain extent, it was equivalent to giving him guidance. Teacher. If he didn't have the responsibility of teaching students, he would be willing to work under Master Gu and learn new ideas about drawing talisman and seals from him."
Shi Xiaohan lowered his head and remained silent.
While she was happy for Gu Xu, her heart suddenly doubled in pressure.
Inadvertently, she remembered the conversation she had with Gu Xu on her birthday -
"I will become strong enough to kill all the ghosts and monsters, protect the people of Yishui, protect my family, and protect you."
“If you kill all the ghosts, wouldn’t I become an idler?”
“You will be responsible for staying here every day and making cookies for me!”
At that time, she was determined and confident.
But looking back now, she found it a bit ridiculous.
Gu Xu walked far ahead, shining brightly on the vast stage of Luojing City. She had trouble keeping up with him, let alone protecting him.
The common topics between the two people seem to be becoming less and less.
In the past, they would talk about the ghosts in Yishui, the trivial matters of the yamen, the delicacies of Piaoxianglou, their achievements and magic weapons, and then they would talk about each other's business, which was so happy.
Now, although Gu Xu will deliberately take care of her on the topic, try to understand her preferences, and talk to her about delicacies from all over the country.
But Shi Xiaohan found that it was difficult for him to truly enter his world.
Tao, formations, Feng Shui, Gu magic, fate and divination, the struggle between saints and evil gods... these are all too obscure, too distant and unfamiliar for her.
She felt that her appearance and talents were not comparable to Princess Zhaoning, nor was she as outstanding and considerate as Shangguan Jin. In terms of family background, she was not comparable to many students in the academy... Once in Yishui County The most dazzling little princess seemed to have fallen into the dust when she arrived in Luojing City, where dragons and crouching tigers were hidden, and became an extremely inconspicuous member of all living beings.
She began to be afraid, what if one day Gu Xu got tired of such superficial topics as "eating, drinking and having fun", how would they get along? Will he find a partner who is more sympathetic and has similar interests?
Although the "Elixir Workshop No. 6" in Qingzhou Prefecture was her birthday gift to Gu Xu... but to a certain extent, it was not a bond, a way to keep him from leaving. Your own bond?
"Fellow Daoist Tao, do you know of any way to become stronger quickly?" After a brief silence, Shi Xiaohan asked Tao Xi beside him.
Tao Xi thought for a while: "Well... study hard and listen to the lectures well?"
Shi Xiaohan thought to himself, isn't this nonsense.
The two stopped talking.
They followed the crowd, walked across the stone bridge, passed through the corridor and the hanging flower door.
Along the way, the words of others drifted to their ears along with the biting cold wind.
"..."
"The auditions for the 'Luoshui Conference' have started today. Have any of you signed up to participate?"
"No. I heard that the entire Luoshui Conference There are only fifty places in the capital. An ordinary monk like me who only entered the third level this year will definitely have no chance."
"Haha, Senior Brother Qian, I have seen through it long ago. You are such a person. You usually keep saying that you don't practice and don't pay attention to the lectures, but you always come out on top in every exam. This time you must have secretly signed up without telling us - on the surface, you said, "You don't have confidence." ', 'No chance', secretly thinking about making a splash at the 'Luoshui Conference' and giving us a surprise."
"You have to believe me. I really have no confidence at all."
"How hypocritical."
"After being deceived by you so many times, only a fool will continue to believe you "
"Recently I have heard some rumors that this year's 'Luoshui Conference' will change the format of the competition, and the winner will no longer be determined through the arena competition as before."
"No more fighting in the ring? What will it be like?"
"Maybe it's a big melee between hundreds of people? Whoever survives to the end is the winner?"
"In this case, do people with lower cultivation levels have a chance to defeat the weak? For example Let’s unite together and kill the strongest people first?”
“By the way, I also heard that Gu Xu from the Exorcist Division will go to the audition site of the ‘Luoshui Conference’ tomorrow morning to commentate. . ”
“Now he is also a teacher at our Longmen Academy. You should treat him with a little more respect and call him ‘Mr. Gu’.” We are still young, teaching us on the podium... This is really an unimaginable sight.”
"Yes, and this morning, Mr. Du repeatedly praised his attainments in Talismans. For such an exaggerated talent, I simply doubt that he has ever been empowered by God and blessed by Lord Wenchang Xingjun."
"..."
When Shi Xiaohan listened to these words, he felt mixed emotions.
She couldn't help but ask Tao Xi beside her: "Do you want to attend this year's 'Luoshui Conference'?"
Tao Xi was silent for a moment and replied: "Maybe. Try it! ”
However, at this moment, the voices around him suddenly became much lowered.
I only heard someone shouting to my companion: "I seemed to have seen Gu Xu just now."
"What? Where is he?"
"It seemed like he was here. Over there in the warehouse.”
“……”
Regardless of what the academy students thought of Gu Xu in the past, he is now a man of the hour in Luo Jing City. Many people are curious about him and want to see him up close.
As a result, the crowd suddenly changed its flow direction, pouring from the canteen in the northwest to the warehouse in the north.
Shi Xiaohan and Tao Xi also walked unconsciously with the crowd.
Then everyone saw from a distance that two people were walking and talking in the northernmost corridor.
The person walking in front was a young man wearing a green shirt and strutting his head high. He had a handsome appearance and an extraordinary temperament, just like an immortal descended from the earth.
Half a step behind him was a tall, thin, middle-aged man with thin hair, wearing a gray robe. He bowed slightly and nodded, looking quite humble, as if he was asking a question from the young man in green shirt in front.
Because the environment was too noisy, the students could not hear clearly what they were talking about.
But looking at their focused expressions, it was obvious that they were discussing some inscrutable Taoist theories.
Around them, there were many servants from the academy, helping them drive away the crowds of onlookers from all directions.
"That gentleman... is Du Jiaoxi, who taught us the Tao of Talisman this morning." Tao Xi extended his hand, pointed at the tall and thin middle-aged man, and introduced Shi Xiaohan.
Shi Xiaohan didn't respond.
She looked across the crowd, past the middle-aged man, and landed on the young man in blue shirt.
It seems that there is nothing else in this world except him.
The cool breeze ruffled her hair at the temples.
A few sparrows were chirping on the eaves.
Someone pushed her from behind, but she didn't even notice.
At the same time, the young man in green shirt suddenly turned around and glanced into the crowd.
The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, and his eyes were full of smiles.
Although there were still many people standing around Shi Xiaohan.
But she knew that he must be looking at her.
So she stood up on tiptoes and waved desperately at him.
She thought to herself: "If I could grow a little taller, it would be great to be as tall as Tao Xi!"
The young man in green shirt gestured to her.
He moved quickly, but she still sensed that what he wanted to express was "little fool".
Then he turned back and continued to answer the question Du Jiaoxi had just asked.
Shi Xiaohan's face turned red with anger, he clenched his fists, and said angrily: "Gu Xu, you big bad guy, don't think I can't understand what you are talking about."
At this time, she listened again A female college student not far away said to her companions in an excited tone: "Really! He was definitely looking at me just now! He looked so pretty when he smiled!"
"Bilan, you are so arrogant. It feels good! He was clearly staring at me," her female companion covered her mouth and snickered, "He even said 'see you on the fifth day of the new year' to me."
"Haha. , stop talking nonsense!”
“…”
Shi Xiaohan clenched his fists tighter.
It wasn't until Tao Xi beside her carefully poked her arm that she came back to her senses, and then the two of them walked towards the dining hall together.
In such a situation, only delicious food can calm her mood.
…………
“What’s your last question?” Gu Xu turned around and said politely to Fu Taoist Xi Duyuan beside him.
"Master Gu, you just said, 'The media will affect our understanding of the great ways of heaven and earth to a certain extent'," Du Jiaoxi asked humbly, "I am stupid and don't quite understand this sentence. You can Can you explain it in detail?”
Gu Xu said: “Let me give you the simplest example. What is the unit we use to measure time?”
“Hour?” Du Jiaoxi thought for a while and responded. .
“Then if we don’t have bell and drum towers, no watchmen, no sundial, hourglass and other timekeeping tools, will we still have the concept of ‘hour’?”
“Should... Not anymore. " "But even without these timekeeping tools, the passage of time will always exist," Gu Xu said, "The sun will still rise and set, and the seasons will still change.
“However, we may not be aware of the existence of time. We will only feel the beginning, passage and end of our own activities.
“However, these timing tools have changed our perception of time. They make us believe that time can be separated from activities and can exist independently as a measurable unit in the form of 'hour'.
“The avenue of heaven and earth is like time.
“Its existence is abstract, invisible and intangible.
"Fu seals, cause and effect, swordsmanship...these are all media used to describe it. And these media will also affect the monk's understanding of the avenue of heaven and earth to a certain extent.
"For example, sword repair If you practice swordsmanship to the extreme, you will say, "Everything in the world can be a sword." If you practice the art of talisman and seal script to the extreme, you will also feel that "talisman seal script is a language that describes the great road."
“However, their understanding of the avenue will eventually have some deviations due to the respective characteristics of these media.
“For this reason, the National Master would say, if If you want to achieve enlightenment in a certain field, you need to integrate different Taoisms and understand the Taoism of Heaven and Earth from a more comprehensive perspective.
"Of course, this is just my own understanding. If there is anything wrong, please forgive me, Mr. Du."
Du Jiaoxi stopped and meditated quietly.
In his opinion, Gu Xu’s thinking is always eclectic and transcendent of books, which is incredible.
But if you think about it carefully, it makes sense.
It seems that Gu Xu is not a native human race in the wilderness, but a god in the sky, bringing some otherworldly thoughts that do not belong to this world to the human world. Every time they meet, Du Jiaoxi will be inspired by something new. .
After a while, Du Jiaoxi finally digested Gu Xu’s point of view, then clasped his hands on his chest and bowed his head to Gu Xu: "Thank you, Mr. Gu, for your guidance! It took you so long. , I’m so sorry!”
Gu Xu immediately supported him and said to him: "Mr. Du is so polite! Since we work together in the academy, it is what I should do to help each other and explore the avenue of heaven and earth together."
In After saying a few polite words to Du Jiaoxi, Gu Xu said goodbye to him, then continued along the corridor and left the academy through the back door.
At this time, he had already received this month’s benefits from the academy’s warehouse.
In his "Xianyun Residence", there were a few more bottles of "Du Erdan", which were enough to support his practice for more than half a month.
In addition, he also got some additional materials for drawing formations, which can help him do some formation experiments at home.
"I wonder how that girl Shi Xiaohan spent her first day at Longmen Academy."
While thinking this, he boarded a black carriage waiting outside the door and prepared to return home.
In his dense schedule, the rest of the day had to be spent practicing and studying spells.
After all, he still needs to spend some time watching the audition for the "Luoshui Conference" tomorrow.
So today, he will try to climb a few more steps on "Homesickness Ridge".
…………
The second day of February.
The temperature is still cold, but new green leaves have sprouted on the willow trees by the Luo River.
At dawn, the sky is still dark, and the residents of Yanqingfang by the river have not yet woken up.
The lights in only two rooms stayed on all night.
One of them is the study room of Princess Zhaoning's mansion.
The other room is naturally the main room of Gu Xu’s courtyard.
After Gu Xu finished his all-night practice, he put on the official uniform of the Exorcist Department, then blew out the candles around him and walked out of the gate of the house.
A black carriage was already waiting for him outside the door.
Today's "audition" in Luo Jing City was not held on a high platform in the middle of Luoshui River - that was a place only used for grand events where the whole people carnival.
Instead, a temporary arena was set up under the South City Gate.
"Commentary guests" like Gu Xu will watch the game on the city gate tower.
Because there are so many talents in Luo Jing City, even monks from many nearby counties have poured into the capital in recent times, so the "audition" in the capital will be held at the south and north gates respectively. conduct.
A quarter of an hour later, Gu Xu arrived at his destination.
When he stepped out of the carriage, a red glow appeared on the horizon, like a faint blush on the face of a shy girl.
The cold wind rustled the flags on the city gate.
The area near the city gate is already overcrowded.
Squeezing in the front are naturally the monks participating in the competition - some of them hold knives, some hold swords, some wear cloth shirts, some wear brocade robes, some are gearing up, some are Some encouraged each other, some were confident, and some were uneasy.
More people came to watch the fun.
If a certain monk who stepped on the stage today wins the first place in the "Luoshui Conference" in the future, they will have new talking points, and they can brag to everyone that "such and such a monk was participating in the audition." , I concluded that this child must not be from the pool... Look, my eyes are not vicious."
Gu Xu, led by the servants, climbed to the towering city gate.
He noticed that the city walls of Luojing, including the city towers, were made of huge stone bricks, with a flat surface and a tight structure, with almost no gaps visible. There are jagged crenellations on the top of the city wall, which can be used for reconnaissance and bow shooting. Looking out from the top of the city gate, you can see the wide moat and the suspension bridge opposite the gate.
Three mahogany chairs were placed at the city gate in advance.
Beside each chair, there is a small table with teapots, teacups, desserts, etc. on the table.
At this moment, there is already a person sitting on the chair in the center.
It was a bloated middle-aged man with a big belly and a long beard. He was wearing a black gauze hat and a bright red official robe with Yunyan patches on his clothes - this was the fourth rank of the Daqi Dynasty. Civil service symbol.
From a distance, it looks like a huge mountain of meat piled on the chairs.
Gu Xu was worried about whether the chair could bear his weight.
The other two chairs are still empty.
"Master Yang, I am here to watch the battle on the orders of Chief Luo, the Exorcist Division, Gu Xu." Gu Xu said to the fat man sitting on the chair.
The fat man's name is Yang Jiong, and he serves as the "Luojing Prefect", that is, the secular chief executive of the Gyeonggi region, equivalent to the mayor of Luojing City. Today's audition will be hosted by him.
Hearing Gu Xu’s words, Yang Jiong immediately held on to the armrests of the chair and stood up shakily. His round, fat face was filled with smiles, and his small eyes were squeezed into A crack.
He also raised his hands to Gu Xu and said: "It turns out to be the boss of Gu. I have admired my name for a long time. Please have a seat!"
As a fourth-grade official, Yang Jiong is logically in charge of Gu. Asahi above, there is no need to stand up and return the courtesy.
But in the Daqi Dynasty, the status of practitioners was aloof, and they could not be treated completely with secular etiquette. In addition, Gu Xu has been in the limelight in Luojing City recently. He is not only highly valued by the saints, but also has a title.
As a mortal without cultivation, Yang Jiong did not dare to show any slightness in front of Gu Xu.
Gu Xu smiled and said a few polite words to him, and then sat down on the Taishi chair on the left.
At the same time, he pointed to the empty seat on the right: "Who is the other person?"
"It is Sun Mao, the elder of the 'Crazy Blade Sect'." Yang Jiong replied.
According to the arrangements of the Da Qi court, the reviewers for the "Luoshui Conference" auditions usually have to have one from an official organization and one from a folk sect. As long as your Taoist attainments meet the requirements, you will have the opportunity to be invited.
After all, the "review guests" are not referees, and their words will not affect the outcome of the competition.
So the court wanted to use this opportunity to win over some unofficial sects and make them feel that "we are valued by the court."
Gu Xu once learned about this "Crazy Sword Sect" in books -
Its mountain gate is located on the outskirts of Luojing. The monks of this sect are all good at using swords, and their main specialty, "Gust Sword Technique", has always been famous for their wild and uninhibited style.
More than ten years ago, it reached an agreement with the Exorcism Department to help the imperial court eliminate ghosts in many villages south of Luojing and protect the lives of local people. The imperial court provided it with some resources to help it train disciples.
Today, Elder Sun's work style is obviously in line with the name of the sect.
Gu Xu and Yang Jiong waited for a long time, but he never showed up at the city gate.
It was not until the bell rang and the two competing monks stepped onto the ring that Elder Sun arrived late.
"I'm sorry, I'm late."
He said "I'm sorry", but there was no apology in his actions. Before Gu Xu could speak to Yang Jiong, he sat down on the empty chair, grabbed a piece of peach cake from the small table and stuffed it into his mouth.
Gu Xu glanced at him and didn't pay much attention to his actions.
After all, this old man is a fifth-level monk. It is normal for a worldly master to have a bit of a weird temper.
Yang Jiong's face was a little gloomy.
In his opinion, Elder Sun's behavior was in contempt of the court's rules.
But Elder Sun’s more “crazy” behavior is yet to come.
After a moment, he glanced at Gu Xu, frowned and muttered: "Why is the Da Qi court getting more and more ridiculous? They actually let a third-level kid who has not yet been crowned come with me to comment? Can he recognize it? Are they the moves of all the monks in the arena?"
Then he looked at Yang Jiong: "Master Yang, you have to be careful, don't crush the stool under your butt...it's The price doesn’t look cheap.”
Hearing Elder Sun’s words, Gu Xu couldn’t help but complain: “Are the people from the Crazy Blade Sect so open-minded?”
The book has indeed recorded that "the monks of the Crazy Blade Sect tend to be wild and unruly".
Seeing it with his own eyes today really opened his eyes.
However, Gu Xu remained silent, without any disturbance in his heart.
Words are unfounded.
His talent, knowledge, and knowledge will be proven later by relying on facts. There is no need to argue with Elder Sun.
But Yang Jiong does not have such a good attitude as Gu Xu.
I saw his fat face trembling with anger, and retorted: "I take care of my chair myself, you don't need to worry about it!"
Of course, on an occasion like today, they would not argue at the city gate, otherwise they would become a laughing stock in front of the people of Luojing.
Yang Jiong finally restrained his temper.
The three of them looked down and looked at the two young monks who were fighting on the ring.
One of them was wearing a black "Qiyao suit" and holding a long sword. He was obviously an official of the Exorcism Department - Gu Xu remembered that he had seen his face in the yamen, but he was far away at that time. No hello.
The other man was wearing big pants and no shirt, revealing the bronze skin and strong muscles of his upper body, and went into battle with bare hands.
According to the roster, Gu Xu knew that the former's name was Li Zixuan and the latter's name was Yao Xiao.
The two of them fought together, and the sword light and fist shadows were mixed together, which made the onlookers dizzy and exclaimed from time to time.
Gu Xu’s eyes were like still water.
Elder Sun frowned, his face a little gloomy.
Yang Jiong stared intently at the battle situation in the ring - as a mortal, he could not recognize the moves and did not understand the subtle details, but he seemed to be infected by the atmosphere on the field, and his emotions became I became nervous, my heart was in my throat, and I almost even cheered along with the onlookers.
After a long time, the winner was finally decided on the stage.
Li Zixuan, an official from the Exorcism Department, fell outside the ring. His clothes were covered in dust and there was a bruise on his face. He looked particularly embarrassed.
Yao Xiao stood in the center of the ring with a victor's attitude.
Both of them were quietly waiting for the comments from the "guests".
PS: The chapters are merged, with a total of 7k words. One of the chapters is an additional update for the November monthly ticket. Currently, two chapters are owed.
(End of this chapter)