Soon, Princess Zhaoning rode a small sedan chair with a blue curtain carried by two people, crossed the bustling Tianjie, and returned to the princess's mansion located on the edge of Luoshui.

The scenery here is unique, quiet and serene.

The princess stepped out of the palanquin, through the door, down the long corridor, into her study.

On the way, she saw Xiao Shangzhen, the fourth prince, and several children from servants' families climbing on top of the rockery, playing and playing.

She smiled and didn't bother them.

As the saying goes, "there are gains and losses in life".

While Xiao Shangzhen lost his cultivation, he also lived the happy life he had always longed for.

It's just that Princess Zhaoning can't predict how long his simple and simple happiness can last.

She followed the steps and entered the study.

It is an open, bright house with no partition in between; Rows of bookshelves against the wall display hundreds of half-worn books, pages slightly yellowed and corners rolled up.

In the center of the house is a marble table with pen, ink, paper, and inkstones, as well as several pen holders, filled with brushes.

On the west wall of the study, there are several simple and freehand black and white landscape paintings.

There is a couplet hanging on the left and right, which is written by Princess Zhaoning herself, and the handwriting is tall and strong, quite imposing.

It reads as follows:

Shanglian: For learning, I know that books are tasteful;

Downlink: The contemplation of the mind and the clarity of the room are light.

Under the service of the maids, she took off her thick crane and the heavy hair ornament on the top of her head.

Then he sat down on the wooden chair behind the desk and began to flip through the notes that had been delivered to the princess's mansion today.

She had long known what had happened in Qingzhou Mansion, and she had already guessed that the fold sent today must have something to do with it.

However, when she saw the contents of the fold, she was still extremely surprised.

The first note: "Luo Chuan, the head of the Exorcism Division, hopes to promote Gu Xu, who has experienced Yishui County, to the head of the six products......"

The second recital: "The national teacher wants Gu Xu to serve as a 'guest teacher' in Longmen Academy, and teach the students of the academy to draw talisman ...... in his spare time"

The third recital: "The Ministry of Rites proposes to confer a knighthood on Gu Xu......"

“……”

Princess Zhaoning quietly looked at the pieces in her hand, and only felt that the frequency of the word "Gu Xu" between the lines seemed to be too high today.

To be precise, since she saw Gu Xu's perfect theoretical exam paper in the promotion assessment three months ago, she has often seen or heard the name "Gu Xu" in the official documents on the desk and in the words of others.

At first, she just felt some appreciation for this well-read teenager.

But as time passed, when Gu Xu solved the Lu family's murder house case that had plagued Qingzhou Mansion for many years, and then climbed to the top of Laoshan Mountain to obtain the inheritance of the Kongxuansan people, she had a faint premonition that this young man would become a rising star of the Great Qi Dynasty.

Now, it seems that her original hunch has really come true.

Gu Xu actually survived in front of the "Fierce God" level ghosts, and also prevented the "Fierce God" from planning a promotion plan for decades.

This made Princess Zhaoning feel very unbelievable.

Under normal circumstances, even the monks of the fifth and sixth realms may not be able to escape with their whole body when they collide with the "fierce god" level ghosts.

Not to mention that Gu Xu even destroyed an altar in front of the "fierce god".

Moreover, according to Luo Chuan, the head of the Exorcism Division, the "fierce god" level ghost was transformed by a special spell after the failure of the Kong Xuansan people to ascend.

It must be much more powerful and cunning than the ordinary "fierce gods".

Princess Zhaoning racked her brains, exhausted her knowledge and imagination, and couldn't imagine how Gu Xu could solve this mortal situation at that critical moment.

According to the statement in this fold, after Gu Xu destroyed the altar in the depths of Yishan, he was brought to Luojing City by Luo Sitou. He should have been at the Exorcism Division headquarters for the last few days......"

"I really want to see him......"

Not long ago, Princess Zhaoning very much hoped to recruit a young genius like Gu Xu to the command of the fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen, as Xiao Shangzhen's follower, to help Xiao Shangzhen compete for the "Tai'a Sword".

However, Xiao Shangzhen was assassinated by Du Jingjing, a companion of the "Shenji Battalion", in the process of climbing Laoshan Mountain, and lost his cultivation and the possibility of competing for the right to inherit the throne.

So now, Princess Zhaoning wants to get to know Gu Xu, just because she is curious.

"It's just that after Gu Xu came to the capital, I haven't gotten any news of his public appearances, and it is estimated that he has been staying at the headquarters of the Exorcism Division to cultivate silently. In this way, it is inconvenient for me to come to the door to disturb him......

"However, the Lantern Festival is coming soon.

"Because the 'Luoshui Conference' is about to be held in Luojing City, this year's Lantern Festival night will be very lively. In addition to traditional activities such as guessing lantern riddles and lion dances in previous years, young Tianjiao under the age of 25 in the territory of the Great Qi Dynasty would gather on the banks of Luoshui and compete in the ring.

"I don't know if Gu Xu will also go to the ring to show his skills at that time.

"Perhaps, I can go to Luoshui on this Lantern Festival night, go to the edge of the ring to join in the fun, maybe I can meet him......"

Thinking of this, Princess Zhaoning silently made up her mind.

She stood up, walked over to the bookshelf in front of the wall, took a delicate wooden box from the drawer, and opened it.

Inside the wooden box is a delicate white jade bracelet that glows in the sun.

…………

Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, it is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which everyone is looking forward to.

It is the day of rejuvenation of the earth and the first full moon night of the year.

In Luojing City, Shangyuan Festival seems to be much grander than Chinese New Year's Eve.

Not only are every household making colorful lanterns, but even the Daqi government has recruited a lot of people to make lanterns and prepare for the lantern festival.

It is said that last year, 50,000 lamps were lit in Luojing City, the lanterns were varied, the emperor ordered people to make a huge lantern tower, 20 rooms wide, 150 feet high, the golden light was brilliant, extremely magnificent.

During the festival, the citizens of the capital gather on the streets, singing and dancing, hundred operas, and thaumaturgical abilities under the two corridors, and the music is melodious. There are shot kickers, puppet shows, magic tricks, miscellaneous plays, history telling, monkey plays, fish jumping over the knife door, bees and butterflies, etc., in short, there are so many activities that make you sleepless at night.

Under Shangguan Jin's care, Shi Xiaohan's injuries recovered quickly.

On the morning of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, she climbed out of bed excitedly and jumped around the house like a little rabbit.

I have to say that the life of lying in bed without moving for the past few days has really suffocated her, so that she has no way to release her exuberant energy.

"By the way, where is Gu Xu now?" Of course, Shi Xiaohan did not forget to ask Shangguan Jin this very important question.

"In the past few days, he has been staying in the 'Qingxiang Pavilion' in the yamen of the headquarters and has not gone out," Shangguan Jin smiled and replied, "Three meals a day are all sent directly to his house by the officials." I guess he's busy cultivating!

"Actually, I really admire him. Luojing City was so lively during the Chinese New Year, but he was able to ignore all temptations and cultivate diligently. This level of self-discipline has only been seen in the ascetics of Lin San Temple. ”

"He's really cultivating, ......" Shi Xiaohan was not surprised by this answer.

When he was in Yishui County, Gu Xu was basically either cultivating or accumulating meritorious deeds every day. She wanted to ask him to go to Piaoxianglou for a meal, but it was not easy.

At that time, she thought that Gu Xu was purely loving cultivation and wanting to become stronger.

But now, she finally understood Gu Xu's distress.

If he does not become a saint, he will only live to be thirty years old.

Therefore, in order to prolong his lifespan, he will race against time to cultivate.

Whenever he thought of this, Shi Xiaohan's nose would be sour.

Gu Xu, a nasty guy, has been hiding this matter from her.

If he had told her earlier, then she would have given him all the pills at home - so that he would no longer have to get up early and work late to do ghost slaying missions to earn merit.

"I don't know if he will go with me to Luoshui to watch the lanterns today as agreed before," Shi Xiaohan thought silently in his mind, "Of course, if he eats, I won't blame him...... He really needs to seize all the time to cultivate now......"

With such thoughts, Shi Xiaohan did not go to the "Qingxiang Pavilion" to disturb Gu Xu.

For the next period of time, she stayed quietly in this room where she was recuperating from her injuries, and Shangguan Jin combed her hair and put on makeup.

Shi Xiaohan rarely applied fat powder before.

On the one hand, because she is already pretty, her skin is white and red, and her eyes are big and bright, she doesn't need fat powder to decorate herself;

On the other hand, she has always called herself a "hero", she has always been very arrogant in doing things, and she also gobbles up when she eats, and rarely pays attention to her image.

So today, when Shangguan Jin dressed her up seriously, she almost didn't recognize herself in the mirror.

"Where did this fairy come from?" Shangguan Jin pointed to her reflection in the mirror and joked with a smile.

At this time, Shi Xiaohan, after dressing up, faded a little childishness and became a little more graceful and extravagant.

is no longer the swaggering heroine, more like a real daughter.

"Sister Shangguan, don't make fun of me......"

"Where did I make fun of you, I'm telling the truth," Shangguan Jian said seriously, "According to the previous custom, on the day of the Shangyuan Festival, all the girls in Luojing City would dress up beautifully and go to Luoshui to watch the lanterns. From a distance, it is a beautiful scenery.

"But I believe that with Sister Xiaohan's appearance at this time, even among them, she is the most outstanding."

"But I'm going to the ring today, so there's no need to dress like this......"

"With Sister Xiaohan's current beauty, she looks like a fairy. The moment your opponent sees you, he may drop his arms and surrender. ”

“……”

…………

At the same time, the Fragrance Pavilion.

Gu Xu opened his eyes, slowly stood up from the bamboo mat, took a deep breath, and ended his cultivation.

He had to admit that the 4,999 steps of climbing the "Homesick Ridge" were completely different from his previous cultivation process in the first and second realms.

It went very well at first.

Under the medicinal effect of "Duerdan", he climbed more than two hundred steps almost effortlessly.

However, as he climbed the twenty-hundred-and-forty steps, his pace began to slow down incredibly.

The howls of ghosts and wolves around them became more harsh and more dizzying than before.

The fog on the mountain was thicker, making it difficult for him to see the road in front of him; The temperature gradually became colder, and it seemed that even his divine consciousness could freeze.

Sometimes, visions appear in front of him, affecting his judgment of the path in front of him.

Under such circumstances, Gu Xu felt that if he was not careful, he would fall into the terrifying abyss next to the mountain road.

Out of an abundance of caution, he temporarily halted his progress.

At this time, Gu Xu remembered what Chen Jisheng had said to him before: Cultivators who climb the "Wangxiang Platform" need to find their mortal heart and use it as an anchor point in order to avoid losing their way on the path of cultivation in the future.

"Where the heart is ......" Gu Xu repeated the word silently.

The path of cultivation is indeed more and more difficult the further you go.

To this day, with his far beyond ordinary understanding, he still has not grasped the true meaning of the word "mortal heart".

Like Chen Jisheng, his cultivation has also stagnated at the peak of the Third Realm for many years.

It wasn't until he risked his life to climb Yishan Mountain and enter the territory of the Snow Maiden to pick snow ginseng that he suddenly had an epiphany and found his "mortal heart".

"Perhaps, I should take a break for a while and go out to find inspiration," Gu Xu thought silently in his heart, "It's not a good idea to keep practicing in the room all the time.

"If you only practice and don't play, smart children will become stupid.

"This sentence is absolutely a wise name for monks who want to break through the 'Wangxiang Tower'!

At this time, he remembered that today was the Lantern Festival.

"Shi Xiaohan, that girl, should still be waiting for me to see the lanterns!"

Thinking of this, he smiled, then pushed open the door and walked out of the Qingxiang Pavilion.

Then walk along the corridor towards the house where Shi Xiaohan was recuperating.

When the officials at the headquarters of the Exorcism Division saw him, they all talked about it.

"This Lord Gu is finally willing to walk out of the 'Qingxiang Pavilion'......"

"I thought Master Gu was so strong, but he was talented, but I didn't expect him to work so hard."

"People who are more talented than me also work harder than me. An ordinary person like me simply doesn't have to live......"

"I don't know if I have a chance to see this Lord Gu in the ring by Luoshui tonight, it must be very exciting......"

(change first, then change)

PS: A new monthly pass has been released! The title is called "Married Life", which you can find in the catalog, and you can unlock it by voting a monthly pass! At the end of the month, ask for a wave of monthly passes~

…………

Exegesis:

(1) "For learning, I know that books are tasteful, and the heart clarity room is light." "——Set Ouyang rate to change the book Liquan inscription into a couplet