For the next period of time, the national teacher sat on a large stone next to the tomb, stared at the name engraved on the tombstone, and talked about many things.

Among them, there are the recent situation of the Great Qi Dynasty, his own latest research results on the art of Fu Seal, and his junior brother He Yiqun's recent experience of traveling in the mountains and rivers.

However, the one he mentioned the most was Gu Xu.

“…… Master, I don't know if you dare to believe that this young man next to me was able to convert the first form of the 'Burning Sky Seven Style', 'Glowing Flame', into the form of runes, and use it to crack the spell of the 'Fierce God' level ghost to shield the heavenly machine......"

“…… In addition, just yesterday, he also designed a talisman array that could quickly calculate the expenses of accounts based on the yin and yang gossip. It does not belong to the existing rune system of the Great Qi Dynasty at all, and it is not at all something that ordinary people can imagine......"

“…… Perhaps, compared to me, a stupid student, and He Yiqun's idle bastard, he is more worthy of being your heir......"

Gu Xu stayed aside, silently listening to the Great Qi National Master talking to himself in front of Chiyangzi's grave.

In other words, when he heard others praising himself like this, he would definitely feel a little embarrassed, and then go up and politely say a few polite words, saying "Thanks to the support of the national teacher", "This is the result of the teaching of the seniors".

But today, he stood still, motionless.

The hell that had been covered with iron nets and burned with fire just now lingered in his mind, and he couldn't recover from it for a long time.

Questions kept popping up in his mind—

If the Great Wilderness is really a terrible prison, and the Terrans are all prisoners in the prison, then what role do the ghosts and the emperor play in it?

Are those monks who try to ascend the same as prison escapees who have been killed?

And where did the layer of sheltered starlight on his body come from?

……

"Gu Xiaoyou, it's time for us to go back."

A quarter of an hour later, the national teacher turned his head to Gu Xu and said, ending his chaotic thoughts.

Gu Xu nodded, and then, as he came, grabbed the arm of the national teacher, passed through the spatial crack, and returned to the headquarters of the Exorcism Division.

After saying goodbye to the national teacher, he stepped over the threshold of the gate and walked along the crooked corridor towards the "Qingxiang Pavilion" where he lived.

On the way, he saw two girls practicing martial arts in the courtyard.

One of them was tall, wearing a light green stand-up collar cardigan, and wielding a wooden sword in his hand, like a wooden hairpin tied in a simple and elegant bun at the back of his head. Only a few strands of hair from her sideburns fell down her cheeks, stained with beads of sweat.

The other petite and delicate, pitch-black "Seven Yao Suit" tightly wrapped around her slender and energetic body, which contrasted sharply with her white face as tender as ice crystals. Although her weapon is a one-meter-long machete, she swings it with a light and easy gesture, as if dancing.

The sky is blue and breezy is blowing.

The fight between two beauties in the early morning sun is undoubtedly an extremely beautiful picture.

But Gu Xu couldn't help but wonder if they were also like the Great Qi National Teacher, wearing a pair of invisible shackles, standing on the scorching metal ground, suffering painful torture.

At this time, Shi Xiaohan suddenly noticed Gu Xu's arrival.

She stopped what she was doing, inserted the big knife into the scabbard behind her back, first opened her eyes in surprise, and the corners of her mouth turned upward, "You're finally back!" ”

However, after she noticed Gu Xu's eyes, she immediately withdrew her smile, frowned slightly, put her hands on her waist and said, "Gu Xu, why do you keep staring at my feet?" ”

Hearing her words, Gu Xu smiled awkwardly.

Of course, he couldn't tell the truth.

So he immediately made an excuse and explained: "These embroidered shoes of yours look good...... Is it new? ”

With his talent for memorization, he was pretty sure that Shi Xiaohan had never worn these shoes before - they were a pair of delicate black embroidered shoes with intricate patterns embroidered with silver filigree, and spotless white socks inside, which matched the uniform of the Exorcist Division very well.

"It was sent by my father from Laizhou Mansion yesterday," Shi Xiaohan replied lightly, and then she changed her words, and her big eyes narrowed slightly, "Then why are you still staring at Sister Shangguan?" She didn't have new shoes to wear! ”

Gu Xu sighed helplessly: This girl's eyes are too sharp!

He thought for a moment and replied, "My footwork was first taught to me by Shangguan Daoyou...... Now that I am fortunate to see her practicing martial arts, I naturally have to seize the opportunity to learn more from her. ”

Shangguan Jin himself didn't seem to care about this.

Hearing Gu Xu's words, she even smiled embarrassedly, stretched out her hand to comb the broken hair of her sideburns behind her ears, and said: "Gu Daoyou's 'popular moon walking' footwork has long been better than blue. On the contrary, I have encountered a lot of problems in my cultivation, and I will need more advice from Daoyou Gu in the future! ”

At this moment, Shangguan Jian suddenly keenly caught that Gu Xu's eyes were faintly revealing complex emotions, which seemed to be a little different from before.

"Gu Daoyou, you seem to have something on your mind right now," she asked cautiously, "Are you in trouble?" Need my help? ”

Gu Xu wanted to say, "I'm fine, don't worry."

But as soon as the words came to his lips, they became: "I have a question for you...... Between 'beautiful illusions' and 'cruel reality', which one would you prefer to choose? ”

"Of course, the choice is real! After all, I hate it when others lie to me and treat me as a fool," as soon as Gu Xu's words fell, Shi Xiaohan replied without thinking, "If the reality is really cruel, then it would be good to find a way to change it."

"As long as this woman becomes strong enough to cut down all those unpleasant things, won't the world become a better place?"

As she spoke, she raised her small fist, and her apricot eyes were clear and glowing.

Shangguan Jin lowered his head and pondered, as if he was speculating on Gu Xu's thoughts.

After a long pause, she slowly spoke: "Gu Daoyou, the reason why my generation of monks chose to embark on the path of the Netherworld and live towards death is not only because they want to obtain a powerful power that can compete with ghosts, but also because they are eager to explore the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth and understand the truth of this world.

"In my humble opinion, the moment we clear the clouds and see the truth, whether it is good or bad, we have no regrets in life.

"I believe that Gu Daoyou should also have such thoughts."

Gu Xu was silent.

For the answer given by the two, he actually expected it a long time ago.

He understood that only by seeing the horrific scene of hell could he truly understand the meaning behind his question.

Next, Gu Xu did not go to the dining hall with the two girls.

On the contrary, he didn't delay for a minute, and returned to the "Qingxiang Pavilion" alone and entered the state of cultivation.

If before that, his cultivation was only to seek immortality, and after getting rid of the shadow of death, he would be a rich and noble idler who was comfortable and free.

Then after today, he has a new reason to become stronger-

If one day, the camouflage of this world is torn apart and the true cruelty is exposed, then he hopes that he has enough strength to protect himself and the important people around him.

…………

After sending Gu Xu back to the Yamen of the Exorcism Division, the national teacher also returned to his home through the spatial crack.

He did not build luxurious courtyard houses in the neighborhoods on the south bank of Luoshui like other dignitaries and nobles of the Great Qi Dynasty.

Instead, in a sparsely populated place on the outskirts of the city, a remote and simple brick house was built, suitable for repair.

The vegetation is lush and the streams are babbling.

Especially in the summer, the air is filled with birds and cicadas.

Chi Yangzi, the former national teacher of Daqi, was a simple person who did not like extravagance.

His apprentices undoubtedly inherited such a temperament from him.

The national teacher took off his boots, changed into clothes, and sat down at the desk by the window.

In the center of the table is a blank piece of paper, on which is written the word "fire" in a dignified and thick manner.

Obviously, this is a "fire character".

It was drawn by the national teacher according to the method Gu Xu said, reciting a specific mantra.

Although the national teacher has long known the magic of the "fire character".

But when he really drew it himself, he still couldn't help but marvel at Gu Xu's kid's creative thinking.

He felt that the young man's soul was unrestrained - he dared to think about anything, dared to question anything, and dared to practice his ideas.

"If Master is still alive in the world, he will definitely have a common language with him!" The national teacher thought silently in his heart.

When Chiyoko was alive, he was also an eclectic person.

He would study the inscription of runes on the quyuan plough, so that the quyuan plough could replace people and livestock, and plough the land automatically; He would also try to design a formation on the loom so that it would rotate spontaneously.

He even tried to control the wind and rain and manipulate the weather to make the wind and rain smooth and avoid floods and droughts for the farmers.

Of course, many of his attempts failed.

After all, many of his ideas are difficult to practice on a national scale on his own; And the Great Qi Imperial Court also believed that the number of talismans was extremely scarce, and they should focus more on slaying demons and demons, rather than tossing these messy things, so they rarely provided enough support to Chiyangzi.

But Chiyangzi's actions left a very deep impression on the heart of the national teacher.

The national teacher clearly remembers that Chiyangzi called him "elm head" and He Yiqun "little piggy", and often felt that they were too brainless and never had surprising whimsical ideas.

The national teacher has always been deeply distressed by this.

After all, he was born poor and lacked cultivation resources since he was a child. To have his current achievements, the master has a great kindness to him.

He really wants to be a student who satisfies his master and makes him proud.

It wasn't until later that the master went mad and abandoned his cultivation.

For these changes in the master, the national teacher felt panicked.

He felt that there must be a great hidden truth behind it—with the ability of the Eighth Realm Cultivator, it would be difficult to deal with.

But he didn't dare to explore the truth.

He even felt that it might be a good choice to stay in the original world and continue to live according to the original trajectory.

Today next to Chiyangzi's grave, he believed that Gu Xu might have really sensed some key information.

But he didn't have an in-depth conversation with Gu Xu, but interrupted the other party in time.

On the one hand, it was because of the fear in his own heart - Chiyangzi's weak, helpless, and depressed appearance after he abandoned his cultivation, which left him a deep psychological shadow.

On the other hand, it can be regarded as the protection of Gu Xu - something that Chiyangzi can't solve as an Eighth Realm cultivator, Gu Xu will definitely be harmful if he touches it without permission.

"Knock knock!"

At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door of the house.

With the powerful perception ability of the Seventh Realm Sage, the National Teacher sat at his desk and knew the identity of this visitor.

However, out of respect for this guest, the national teacher still stood up, walked to the door, and opened the door himself.

The person who came was Princess Zhaoning.

She wore a crimson skirt embroidered with gold patterns, a snow-white fox fur, and her black hair was coiled high behind her head, held in place by a golden openwork wreath.

Since she was a mortal and couldn't resist the cold with her true yuan like a cultivator, at this moment, her fair cheeks were slightly red, and her long eyelashes couldn't stop fluttering slightly in the wind.

As the "first beauty of Luojing", Princess Zhaoning seems to have a different style in different environments.

When she stood in the splendid Zichen Hall in palace clothes, she was a graceful and luxurious ruling princess who controlled life and death; When she was wearing a simple and generous men's dress and standing in the drizzle of Longmen Academy, she had a bit of elegant bookishness; And at this moment, when she was standing in the cold wind wrapped in fox fur, she had the touching taste of an ordinary girl in the market.

Of course, with the current age and cultivation of the national teacher, he will no longer be tempted by beauty.

For Princess Zhaoning, he actually has more of an appreciative attitude of his predecessors to his juniors.

He remembered the experience of Princess Zhaoning going to Longmen Academy to study diligently, remembered that the princess came to him with charcoal and a small notebook to ask for knowledge about cultivation, and also remembered that she was dealing with government affairs late at night more than once, and the red blood in her eyes was clearly visible.

He felt that Her Royal Highness, who was a mortal princess, was far more hardworking than her brothers.

If it weren't for God's injustice and taking away her cultivation qualifications, he felt that she should be the most qualified and capable of inheriting the "Tai'a Sword" among all the princes and princesses.

At the same time, the national teacher also noticed that Princess Zhaoning's carriage was parked hundreds of meters away.

She left her attendant there and walked over alone.

This undoubtedly reflects her sincerity.

So the national teacher smiled and said to her, "Your Highness, please come in." ”

(change first, then change)

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