That night, at the unanimous request of his colleagues in the Yishui Exorcism Department, Gu Xu was forced to follow the yamen's past practice and treat everyone to a meal at the restaurant.
Because Shi Xiaohan’s father, who was an official in Laizhou Prefecture, was on vacation today and came to Yishui County incognito to visit her, so Shi Xiaohan had to go home early and was unable to attend Gu Xu’s celebration banquet.
Gu Xu has always considered himself a calm and well-mannered person - even when faced with vicious evil spirits, he can deal with them calmly and calmly.
However, when he saw the plates of expensive dishes on the dining table, he couldn’t smile at all, he only felt that his heart was bleeding——
That’s all free money!
At the same time, colleagues held wine glasses and came to toast Gu Xu with smiles on their faces, saying, "Congratulations to Mr. Gu on your promotion," "I wish you great success in the future," and "Get rich." Don’t forget brother” and other words.
Gu Xu thanked him perfunctorily and said, "Brothers will not come home until they are drunk tonight", but in fact, his wine glass was filled with tea.
As a sickly and handsome man who cherishes his life very much, he always keeps in mind the essentials of health care and never drinks alcohol.
And because Gu Xu’s identity is different from what it used to be, and he can be regarded as the immediate boss of everyone present in the future, everyone did not dare to expose his clumsy lie. Instead, they all told lies with their eyes open and kept complimenting him. "Master Gu has a really good drinking capacity."
In addition, every time a dish is served, everyone's eyes will be focused on Gu Xu's chopsticks - only Gu Xu moves his chopsticks first, and others dare to follow suit.
Even the person who used to be carefree and never talked out of his mind now behaves a little reserved -
Every time he talks to Gu Xu, he has to struggle for a long time. Should he call the other person "Brother Gu" as before, or follow the example of others present and call him "Master Gu".
The change in attitude of his colleagues gave Gu Xu a subtle feeling in his heart.
On the one hand, he was inevitably a little arrogant - after all, most of the people around the table were veterans who had been in the officialdom for many years. It's much better to brag;
On the other hand, he also noticed that there was a clear sense of distance between himself and his colleagues - even if he was willing to lower his attitude, it would be difficult to return to the past. That kind of unrestrained way of getting along.
But Gu Xu did not dwell on this issue for too long.
His goal is to become a seventh-level practitioner.
To achieve this goal, he must climb as high as possible.
If his companions cannot keep up with his pace, they are destined to be left behind by him.
It was impossible for him to stop and wait.
…………
So, as soon as Haishi arrived, Gu Xu stood up and paid the bill with tears in his eyes, then left the banquet and returned to his home.
Even if today is a festive day for promotion and promotion, he practices every night.The plan remains intact.
He sat quietly at the old desk.
The whole room was filled with candlelight, emitting a dim yellow halo.
The little book boy in a gray shirt came to him with a cup of hot tea, lowered his head and said: "Master, please have some tea."
The little book boy It was originally a painting on a screen.
Gu Xu once used the art of talisman and seal script to give it spirituality, so that the little book boy could step out of the painting and do some chores such as serving tea and pouring water.
"It's time to call 'Sir'." Gu Xu glanced at the little book boy and corrected him pretending to be serious.
"Yes, Master." The little book boy responded respectfully.
Gu Xu shook his head helplessly, and couldn't help complaining in his heart: This guy is really a veritable "artificial retard", he can't even understand what he's saying.
Then, Gu Xu took out the booklet he carried with him from his pocket and summarized his recent experimental research:
"Experiment time: early October of the 23rd year of Tianxing Seven;
"Experimental content: Evaluate the effect of the third generation "Ghost Killing Talisman" (semi-finished product);
"Improvement direction: first, increase the damage value; second, Make the 'ghost-killing talisman' free from dependence on paper and pen and ink; third, use the 'god-seeking curse' to borrow other people's true energy to increase the power of the 'ghost-killing talisman';
"Experimental subject: Taoyuan Suppressing dead souls and dream-eating tapirs;
"Experimental results: The effect is remarkable;
"Experimental conclusion: It has been verified that the above improvement directions are feasible and can continue to be improved according to the original plan' Ghost Killing Talisman';
"Note: I am very happy for my promotion and salary increase today."
After finishing writing, his eyes stayed on these words for a long time.
Since he traveled to the past, he has filled two full pamphlets like this.
Every page records his understanding and insights into talismans, mantras, divination, and every bit of his practice.
Others will only be amazed by his outstanding performance today.
But Gu Xu understood that three feet of ice could not be frozen in one day.
Only by accumulating thickly can one achieve thin hair.
"It's time." He said softly after a long silence.
Then he took out the small porcelain bottle containing the elixir, took out the "Spirit Gathering Pill" that he had redeemed more than half a month ago, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it.
The function of "Spirit Gathering Pill" is to temper the true energy, strengthen the soul, and assist monks who have perfected the first realm to advance to the second realm.
After a long period of suppressing the realm and consolidating the foundation, Gu Xu has now stood at the pinnacle of the first realm.
The only way to go further is to break through.
He slowly closed his eyes and recited the practice mantra silently.
Under the influence of the technique, the surrounding Yin Qi turned into huge tidal waves and poured into his body.
At this moment, in Gu Xu’s conscious world, an ancient building vaguely emerged.of archway.
It is the legendary pass that separates the world of Yin and Yang - "Ghost Pass".
Beyond the "Gate of Hell" is vast darkness.
Can’t see the way forward, can’t find the direction.
If you take one wrong step, you will fall off a cliff and die.
In this darkness, there were still faint sounds of whispering, crying, and wailing.
According to legend, this sound comes from the lonely ghosts outside the gate of hell - they were once practitioners who failed to break through the realm and died unfortunately. They lost their minds under the erosion of Yin Qi and continued to confuse subsequent monks. Embrace darkness and move towards decadence.
But Gu Xu looked calm and unmoved.
In his hand, a lantern suddenly appeared out of thin air - it glowed with dazzling light, illuminating the winding road ahead.
This road has nine bends, named "Yellow Spring".
Gu Xu strode forward along this bumpy road.
The ancient and dangerous "Ghost Gate" was left far behind him and eventually disappeared into the boundless darkness.
His aura is rising steadily.
His limited true energy also turned into an endless river at this moment.
At this time he opened his eyes and looked out the window.
The sleeping Yishui County came into view.
The streets and alleys were dark and silent.
The lights of thousands of houses have been extinguished.
Seeing this scene, he tapped his right hand twice on the armrest of the chair.
"Ta", "Ta".
So, a lantern on the roadside suddenly lit up.
Then the second, the third, the fourth...
A few minutes later, the lights in the entire county lighted up, like a sea of bright stars, all bright.
The corners of Gu Xu's mouth turned up slightly, and his calm eyes could no longer hide the joy.
After months of accumulation, it suddenly exploded.
Practice is actually very simple.