Shi Xiaohan is a heartless girl.

After leaving the room, she quickly took a light step and jumped towards the canteen at the northernmost end of the academy.

The words of the one-armed old man were left behind by her.

On the way, she bumped into Tao Xi, who had just finished the rune course, so she stood on tiptoe and waved hello to her.

"Hey, Tao Daoyou, how was your Fu Dao class this morning? Are your teachings fierce? ”

Tao Xi, who is introverted, has been walking in the crowd with his head down.

Hearing Shi Xiaohan's voice, she was startled, and then hurriedly whispered, "Very good...... That's good! Mr. Du is not fierce at all, he speaks very softly and is very patient with his students......"

The "Mr. Du" in her mouth was undoubtedly Du Yuan, a slender and tall talisman who asked Gu Xu for advice in the academy cafeteria a few days ago.

In fact, what Tao Xi thought in his heart was that the tone of our teaching and lectures was unwavering, which made people drowsy, and they didn't care whether the students were listening carefully or not.

But with her personality, it's impossible to speak ill of others behind her back.

So I changed the way of euphemism.

"That's a great way for you to teach!" Shi Xiaohan said enviously, "I was scolded so badly this morning. ”

Then she paused, and then asked, "How good are you at teaching talismans?" Did he show off his own sigil in class in public? ”

The purpose of her question was naturally to secretly compare Gu Xu with other teachings in the academy.

"No," Tao Xi shook his head, "This morning, Mr. Du has been teaching us to draw 'fire characters'. ”

"'Fire Character'?" Shi Xiaohan's eyes widened, "Isn't this something Gu Xu made?" ”

Tao Xi explained softly: "I...... We, Mr. Du, have great respect for Mr. Gu...... Mr. Du told us that Master Gu's understanding of the art of talisman seals made him only look up. In particular, this 'fire character' may be enough to lead a revolution in the field of runes, and it will have far-reaching influence and significance. ”

Shi Xiaohan was stunned for two seconds and exclaimed, "Gu Xu is so powerful in the Fu Dao realm? ”

In her memory, Gu Xu had probably only started learning Fu Dao since last summer.

This means that it only took him a few short months to reach a level that even the long-famous rune masters respected in terms of runes.

Although Shi Xiaohan knew that Gu Xu had a great talent for drawing talismans, when she heard Du Jiaoxi's comment, she was still deeply incredible.

I only heard Tao Xi continue: "Mr. Du also said that Master Gu once taught him and helped him re-understand the art of Fu Seal, which is equivalent to a teacher who guides him to a certain extent. If it weren't for the fact that he still had the duty to teach students, he would be willing to worship under Master Gu and learn from him new ideas for drawing talismans. ”

Shi Xiaohan lowered his head and was silent.

While feeling happy for Gu Xu, the pressure in her heart suddenly doubled.

Inadvertently, she remembered the conversation with Gu Xu on her birthday-

"I will become strong enough to kill all the ghosts, protect the people of Yishui, protect my family, and protect you."

"If you kill all the ghosts, won't I be an idler?"

"You're in charge of staying here every day and making cookies for me!"

At that time, she was determined and confident.

But in retrospect, she felt a little ridiculous.

Gu Xu walked far ahead, shining on the vast stage of Luojing City. She had some difficulty even keeping up with him, let alone protecting him.

The common topics between the two seem to be becoming less and less.

In the past, they would talk about the ghosts of Yishui, the trivial affairs of the Yamen, the delicacies of Piaoxianglou, the merits and magic weapons, and then blow each other in business, so happy.

And now, although Gu Xu will deliberately take care of her on the topic, try to understand her preferences, and talk to her about food all over the country.

But Shi Xiaohan found it difficult for him to really enter his world.

Runes, formations, feng shui, Gu arts, life and divination, the struggle between saints and fierce gods...... These are too obscure and too distant and unfamiliar to her.

She felt that her appearance and talent were not as good as Princess Zhaoning, and she was not as outstanding and empathetic as Shangguan Jin, and her family background was even worse than many students in the academy...... Once the most dazzling little princess in Yishui County, when she arrived in Luojing City, where the dragon and the tiger were hidden, she seemed to have fallen into the dust and became one of the most inconspicuous beings.

She began to be afraid, if one day Gu Xu got tired of the superficial topics of "eating, drinking and having fun", how would they get along? Will he find a partner who is more connected and has similar interests?

The "No. 6 Pill Workshop" in Qingzhou Mansion was a birthday gift from her to Gu Xu...... But in a way, isn't it a kind of bond, a bond that keeps him from leaving himself?

"Tao Daoyou, do you know if there is any way to become stronger quickly?" After a short silence, Shi Xiaohan asked Tao Xi beside him.

Tao Xi thought for a while: "Hmm...... Study hard, listen to lectures? ”

Shi Xiaohan thought to himself, isn't this nonsense.

The two stopped talking.

They followed the crowd, across the stone bridge, through the hallway and through the weeping flower gate.

Along the way, the words of others drifted to their ears with the cold wind.

“……”

"The audition for the 'Luoshui Conference' has begun today. Do any of you have signed up? ”

"Nope. I heard that there are only fifty places in the entire city of Luojing. An ordinary monk like me, who has only advanced to the third realm this year, will definitely not have a chance. ”

"Hehe, Senior Brother Qian, I have long seen through people like you. Usually you talk all day long that you don't practice and don't pay attention to the lectures, but you can be at the top of every assessment. This time, you must have secretly signed up without us - on the surface, you said 'no confidence' and 'no chance', but in private you wanted to make a splash at the 'Luoshui Conference' and surprise us. ”

"You have to trust me. I'm really not sure. ”

"It's hypocritical."

"After being deceived by you so many times, only a fool will continue to believe you."

"Recently, I have heard some rumors, as if this year's 'Luoshui Conference' will change the format of the competition, and no longer determine the winner through the ring competition as before."

"Don't fight in the ring anymore? What would that change to? ”

"Maybe it's a big scuffle of hundreds of people? Who survives to the end and who is the winner? ”

"In this way, do people who have cultivated to a lower level have a chance to defeat the strong with the weak? For example, first unite together and kill the strongest people? ”

"By the way, I also heard that tomorrow morning, Gu Xu from the Exorcism Division will go to the 'Luoshui Conference' audition site to make comments."

"Now he is also a teacher at our Longmen Academy. You still have to be a little respectful of him, and you have to call him 'Mr. Gu'. ”

"A guy younger than us gave us a lecture from the podium...... It's an unimaginable picture. ”

"Yes, and this morning, Mr. Du repeatedly praised his talisman attainments. With this kind of exaggerated talent, I almost suspect that he has been enlightened by the heavens and opened by Wenchang Xingjun. ”

“……”

When Shi Xiaohan heard these words, he only felt that he was in a complicated mood.

She couldn't help but ask Tao Xi beside her: "Do you want to participate in this year's 'Luoshui Conference'?" ”

Tao Xi was silent for a moment and replied, "Maybe I'll try it!" ”

However, at this moment, the voices of the surrounding people were suddenly lowered a lot.

I only heard someone shouting to my companion: "I seem to have seen Gu Xu just now." ”

"What? Where is he? ”

"It looks like it's in the storeroom."

“……”

No matter what the students of the academy thought of Gu Xu before, he is now a popular figure in Luojing City after all, and many people are full of curiosity about him and want to see him up close.

As a result, the crowd suddenly changed the direction of its flow, pouring from the canteen in the northwest to the warehouse due north.

Shi Xiaohan and Tao Xi also unconsciously walked around with the crowd.

Then the crowd saw from a distance that in the northernmost corridor, two people were walking and talking.

Walking in front was a young man wearing a green shirt and struggling with his head held high, only to see his handsome appearance and dusty temperament, like an immortal who had descended to earth.

Half a step behind him was a tall, thin, thin-haired middle-aged man in a gray robe. He bowed his head slightly, looking quite polite, as if he was asking a question for the young man in green shirt in front of him.

The environment was so noisy that the students couldn't hear what they were talking about.

But looking at their attentive expressions, it was obvious that they were discussing some unfathomable Dao theory.

And around them, there were also many miscellaneous servants of the academy, driving away the crowds of onlookers crowded in all directions for them.

"The gentleman...... It was the Du Sect that taught us the Fu Dao this morning. Tao Xi stretched out his hand, pointed at the tall and thin middle-aged man, and introduced to Shi Xiaohan.

Shi Xiaohan did not respond.

Her gaze crossed the crowd, over the middle-aged man, and landed on the young man in green shirts.

It was as if in this world there was nothing else but him.

The cool breeze ruffled the strands of hair on her sideburns.

A few sparrows chirped on the eaves.

Someone pushed her from behind, and she didn't even notice it.

At the same time, the young man in the green shirt suddenly turned around and glanced at the crowd.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and his eyes were full of smiles.

Although there are still a lot of people standing next to Shi Xiaohan.

But she knew that he must be looking at herself.

So she tried to stand on her tiptoes and waved desperately at him.

She thought to herself, "If only I could grow a little taller, as tall as Tao Xi!" ”

The young man in the green shirt gestured to her.

He was fast, but she still sensed what he was trying to convey as "little fool".

Then he turned around and continued to answer the question that Du Jiaoxi had just asked.

Shi Xiaohan's face was slightly red with anger, his little fists were clenched, and he said angrily in his heart: "Gu Xu, you big villain, don't think I can't understand what you're talking about." ”

At this time, she heard a female student of the academy not far away say to her companion in an impassioned tone: "Really! He was definitely looking at me just now! He looks so good when he laughs! ”

"Bilan, you really feel good about yourself! He's clearly staring at me," her female companion snickered, covering her mouth, "and he said to me, 'See you on the fifth day.'" ”

"Heh, don't talk nonsense!"

“……”

Shi Xiaohan's fists clenched even tighter.

It wasn't until Tao Xi beside her carefully poked her arm that she came back to her senses, and then the two walked together in the direction of the dining hall.

In such a situation, only food can calm her mood.

…………

"What's your last question?" Gu Xu turned his head and said politely to Du Yuan, the Fu Daoist Sect beside him.

"Master Gu, you just said, 'The medium will affect our perception of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth to a certain extent,'" Du Jiaoxi asked with a humble attitude, "I am stupid and don't understand this sentence very well, can you elaborate on it?" ”

Gu Xu said: "Let me give you the simplest example, what is the unit of time we measure? ”

"Hours?" Du Jiaoxi thought about it and responded.

"Then if we don't have a bell and drum tower, no watchmen, no sundials, hourglasses and other timekeeping tools, then we still have the concept of 'hours'?"

"It should ...... It won't be. ”

"But even without these timekeeping tools, the passage of time is eternal," Gu Xu said, "The world will still have sunrise and sunset, and there will still be seasons."

"It's just that we may not be aware of the existence of time. We only feel the beginning, the passage and the end of our activities.

"However, these timekeeping tools have changed the way we perceive time, convincing us that time can be separated from activity and can exist independently as a measurable unit in the form of 'hours'.

"The Avenue of Heaven and Earth is like time.

"Its existence is abstract, invisible, intangible.

"Symbols, cause and effect, kendo...... These are the mediums used to describe it. And these media, to a certain extent, will also affect the monk's perception of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

"For example, if a sword cultivator practices his sword to the extreme, he will say, 'Everything in the world can be a sword', and if Fu Xiu uses the art of the talisman to the extreme, he will also feel that 'the talisman is the language that describes the Great Dao'.

However, their perception of the avenue will eventually have some deviations due to the characteristics of each of these media.

It is precisely for this reason that the National Teacher said that if you want to achieve perfection in a certain field, you need to integrate different Dao methods and understand the Dao of Heaven and Earth from a more comprehensive perspective.

"Of course, this is just my own understanding. If there is anything wrong, please forgive Mr. Du. ”

Du Jiaoxi stopped and pondered quietly.

In his opinion, Gu Xu's thinking is always eclectic and detached from books, which is incredible.

But if you think about it, it makes sense.

It seems that Gu Xu is not a native of the Great Wilderness, but an immortal in the sky, bringing some otherworldly thoughts that do not belong to this world to the world, and every time they meet, Du Jiaoxi can be inspired by it.

After a long while, Du Jiaoxi finally digested Gu Xu's point of view, then clasped his hands in front of his chest and looked at Gu Xu: "Thank you Lord Gu for your guidance!" I'm sorry to delay you for so long! ”

Gu Xu immediately supported him and said to him, "Mr. Du is too polite!" Since we work together in the College, it is my duty to help each other and explore the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth together. ”

After saying a few polite words to Du Jiaoxi, Gu Xu said goodbye to him, and 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 treasury.

In his "Idle Cloud Residence", there were a few more bottles of "Duerdan", which was enough to support his cultivation for most of the next half month.

In addition, he also got some additional materials for drawing formations, which could help him do some formation experiments at home.

"I don't know how Xiao Han's first day at Longmen Academy was."

As he thought so, 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 cultivating and studying spells.

After all, he still needs to spend some time tomorrow watching the audition for the "Luoshui Conference".

So today, he is going to try to climb a few more steps on the "Homesick Ridge".

…………

The second day of February.

The temperature is still cold, but the willow trees by the Luo River have sprouted new green leaves.

At dawn, it was still dark, and the residents of Yanqingfang by the river had not yet woken up.

Only two rooms had the lights on all night.

One of them is the study of Princess Zhaoning's mansion.

The other is naturally the main house of Gu Xu's courtyard.

After Gu Xu finished his all-night cultivation, he changed into the official uniform of the Exorcist Division, then blew out the candles beside him and walked out of the gate of the mansion.

A black carriage was already waiting for him outside the door.

Today's "audition" in Luojing City is not held on a high platform in the middle of Luoshui - it is a place that will only be used for grand events of national carnival.

Instead, a makeshift ring was set up under the South City Gate.

"Commentators" like Gu Xu will watch the battle from the city gate tower.

Due to the fact that there are too many talents in Luojing City, and even the monks from many nearby counties have poured into the capital in the recent period, the "audition" of the capital will be held at the south and north gates respectively.

A quarter of an hour later, Gu Xu arrived at his destination.

When he stepped out of the carriage, a red glow appeared in the sky, like a faint flush on the face of a shy girl.

The cold wind blew the flags on the city gates.

The vicinity of the city gate was already overcrowded.

At the forefront of the crowd were naturally the monks who participated in the competition—some with swords, some with swords, some in cloth shirts, some in brocade robes, some gearing up with each other, some encouraging each other, some full of confidence, some nervous.

More people came to see the excitement.

In the unlikely event that a certain monk who is in the ring today wins the first place in the "Luoshui Conference" in the future, they will have a new point of conversation and can boast that "when such and such a monk participates in the audition, I will conclude that this son must not be in the pool...... You see, my eyes are not vicious."

Gu Xu, under the guidance of the miscellaneous servants, ascended to the towering city gate.

He noticed that the walls of Luojing, including the towers, were made of massive stone bricks, with a flat surface and a tight structure, and the gaps in them were almost invisible. The walls are topped with zigzag battlements that can be used for reconnaissance and firing bows and arrows. From the top of the gate, you can see the wide moat and the drawbridge facing the gate.

Three mahogany Taishi chairs were placed at the city gate in advance.

Next to each chair is a small table with teapots, teacups, desserts, etc.

At this moment, a person was already sitting on the chair in the center.

It was a middle-aged man with a bloated figure, a big belly, a long beard, a black gauze hat, and a bright red official robe with a cloud goose complement on his clothes—a sign of a four-rank civil official of the Great Qi Dynasty.

From a distance, it looks like a huge mountain of meat piled on top of chairs.

Gu Xu was worried about whether this chair could withstand his weight.

The other two chairs were still empty.

"Lord Yang, under the exorcism division Gu Xu, I came to watch the battle on the order of the head of Luo." Gu Xu arched his hand towards the fat man sitting on the chair.

The fat man's name is Yang Jiong, and he holds the position of "Nakyong Province Yin", that is, the secular chief executive of the Gyeonggi region, which is equivalent to the mayor of Nakyong City. He will be in charge of presiding over today's audition.

Hearing Gu Xu's words, Yang Jiong immediately leaned on the armrest of the chair and stood up tremblingly, with a smile on his round fat face, and a pair of eyes that were already small were squeezed into a slit.

He also arched his hand at Gu Xu and said, "It turned out to be Master Gu, I have admired the name for a long time, please sit down!" ”

Yang Jiong, as a fourth-grade official, stands to reason that his rank is above Gu Xu, and he doesn't need to get up and return the salute.

But in the Great Qi Dynasty, the status of cultivators was transcendent, and they could not be treated completely with secular etiquette. In addition, Gu Xu has been in the limelight in Luojing City recently, and he is not only valued by the saints, but also has a knighthood.

As a mortal who has not cultivated, Yang Jiong did not dare to slack off in front of Gu Xu.

Gu Xu smiled and exchanged a few polite words with him, and then sat down on the Taishi chair on the left-hand side.

At the same time, he pointed to the empty seat on the right: "Who else is there?" ”

"It's Sun Mao, the elder of the 'Crazy Knife Sect'." Yang Jiong replied.

According to the arrangement of the Great Qi Imperial Court, the commentators of the "Luoshui Conference" audition usually have to be from official institutions and one from private sects. As long as the Dao attainments meet the requirements, they will have the opportunity to be invited.

After all, the "commentators" are not the referees, and their words will not affect the outcome of the competition.

Therefore, the imperial court wanted to use this opportunity to win over some unofficial sects, so that they felt that "we are valued by the imperial court".

Gu Xu once learned about this "Crazy Knife Sect" in books-

Its mountain gate is located on the outskirts of Luojing. The monks of this school are all good at using knives, and their major "Wind Knife Technique" has always been known for being wild and uninhibited.

More than a decade ago, it had made an agreement with the Exorcism Division to help the imperial court sweep away the ghosts and ghosts in many villages south of Luojing and protect the lives of the local people. The imperial court provided it with some resources to help it train disciples.

And today, this Elder Sun's style of doing things is obviously very much 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 wasn't until the bell rang and the two participating monks stepped into the ring that Elder Sun was late.

"I'm sorry, the old man is late."

He said "I'm sorry" on his lips, but he didn't apologize in action. Without waiting for Gu Xu and Yang Jiong to speak, he sat 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 Realm cultivator. It's normal for people outside the world to have a bit of a weird temper.

Yang Jiong's face was a little gloomy.

In his opinion, Elder Sun's actions were flouting the rules of the imperial court.

However, Elder Sun's more "crazy" actions were still to come.

After a moment, he glanced at Gu Xu, frowned and muttered, "Why is the Great Qi Imperial Court getting more and more ridiculous?" Actually let a little kid in the third realm, who has not yet been crowned, come with me to make a review? Can he recognize the moves of the monks in the ring? ”

Then he looked at Yang Jiong again: "Lord Yang, you have to be careful, don't crush the stool under your buttocks...... It doesn't look like it's going to be cheap. ”

Hearing Elder Sun's words, Gu Xu couldn't help but complain in his heart: "Are the people of the Crazy Sword Sect so open-mouthed? ”

It is indeed recorded in the book that "the monks of the Crazy Sword Sect tend to be profligate and informal".

Seeing it with his own eyes today was really an eye-opener for him.

However, Gu Xu remained silent, without any waves in his heart.

There is no basis for words.

His talents, his observations, and knowledge will be proved later by relying on facts, and there is no need to quarrel with Elder Sun.

But Yang Jiong doesn't have such a good attitude as Gu Xu.

I saw that his face was full of fat and trembled with anger, and he retorted: "My chair, I take care of it myself, you don't need to worry about it!" ”

Of course, on an occasion like today, of course, they would not quarrel over the city gates, 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 in the ring.

One of them was dressed in a black "Qiyao suit" and was holding a long sword, obviously an official of the Exorcism Division - Gu Xu remembered that he had seen his face in the yamen, but he was far away at the time and did not say hello.

The other man wore large pants and no top, revealing the bronzed skin and strong muscles of his upper body, and went into battle with his bare hands.

According to the roster, Gu Xu knew that the former was named Li Zixuan, and the latter was Yao Xiao.

The two fought, and the sword light and the shadow of the fist were mixed together, making the onlookers dizzy, and they let out exclamations from time to time.

Gu Xu's gaze was like stopping water.

Elder Sun frowned, his face a little gloomy.

Yang Jiong stared intently at the battle situation in the ring - as a mortal, he didn't recognize the moves, and he didn't understand the subtle details, but he seemed to be infected by the atmosphere on the field, his emotions became nervous, his heart rose to his throat, and he almost shouted and cheered with the onlookers.

After a long time, the winner was finally decided in the ring.

Li Zixuan, an official of the Exorcism Division, fell out of the ring, his clothes were covered with dust, and there was a bruise on his face, looking extremely embarrassed.

Yao Xiao stood in the center of the ring with a victorious attitude.

Both of them were quietly waiting for the comments of the "guests".

PS: The chapters are combined, a total of 7k words, one of which is a November monthly pass plus more, and there are still two chapters owed.

(End of chapter)