Chapter 125 Qingluan, Snow Girl and the Prince

"Qingluan..."

Gu Xu was still impressed by this code name.

He remembered that "Qingluan" was also a Talisman Master who was once defeated by him in the "Realm of Discussing the Tao" and was now ranked fourth in the ranking of monks in the second realm.

To be honest, looking at the young talents of the entire Da Qi Dynasty, "Qingluan" can be regarded as one of the best - she has accurately mastered the painting methods of dozens of different types of talisman seals, and can Replicating the complex runes in the book accurately is enough to help her deal with most situations she encounters in battle.

Unfortunately, she bumped into Gu Xu in the "Realm of Taoism" and was defeated by Gu Xu using almost the same method.

This undoubtedly deeply affected her self-confidence and filled her heart with frustration.

Seemingly seeing that Gu Xu did not respond immediately, "Qingluan" continued to send a message using the "divine machine token"——

[Qingluan: Of course, neither do I. Will ask for help from Taoist friends for no reason. I know some latest information about the Laoshan ruins and the Yishan Snow Girl, which I can share with fellow Taoists. ]

[Suzaku: No problem. I stayed in the first room on the left hand side of the stairs on the second floor of Tongfu Inn. If it is convenient for you now, you can come to me directly. ]

Because of the crisis that Yishui County is about to face, and also to make better preparations for the next trip to Laoshan.

Gu Xu really wants to know the information in the hands of "Qingluan".

At the same time, Gu Xu also began to be a little curious about the identity of "Qingluan".

…………

Dong dong dong!

A few minutes later, Gu Xu heard a knock on the door.

"Fellow Taoist Suzaku, I am Qingluan!" A girl's voice came from outside the door, sounding a little reserved.

"Please come in, fellow Taoist Qingluan!" Gu Xu said calmly.

At the same time, he waved his hand, and the door lock of the room automatically opened.

Then, a young girl walked in cautiously from the door.

She is slightly chubby, with a round face, small eyes and faint freckles. She wears the black robe of the Exorcist Department.

Perhaps to make things easier, she tied the wide sleeves of her robe with a rope.

She did not wear a hairpin on her head, but simply wrapped her hair with a scarf like a man.

It can be seen that this "Qingluan" is a girl who is obsessed with spiritual practice and doesn't like to dress up.

Gu Xu is observing "Qingluan", and "Qingluan" is also sizing up Gu Xu.

Although in "Qingluan's" concept, she has always believed that "men in the world are superficial and boring creatures" and "pursuing the inscrutable knowledge of talismans is the true meaning of life."

But when she saw clearly the appearance of the young man in the room, she was inevitably stunned for a moment, and her steps couldn't help but stop in place.

"Qingluan" once thought that similarPoems like "A gentleman is unique in the world" and "Bright as a jade tree in front of the wind" are all exaggerated.

All living beings in the world have grown up eating whole grains in the fireworks of the world.

How could there be such a handsome man?

However, at this moment, she had to admit that there was nothing exaggerated in these poems, it was just that she had not seen enough before.

"I...I am Du Jingjing, the director of the Exorcism Department of Qingzhou Prefecture," she nodded slightly and introduced herself to Gu Xu, "My teacher is Tao Qian, the guest minister of Qingzhou Prefecture. Dare you ask? What’s your surname?”

“Dian Bo” is an eighth-grade official, a civilian official responsible for managing official documents and files in the exorcism department.

"Experienced by Gu Xu in the Exorcism Department of Xia Yishui County." Gu Xu also introduced with a smile.

"Yishui County Gu Xu..."

"Qingluan" Du Jingjing remembered that she had heard this name from her teacher Tao Qian.

The teacher's expression at that time was one of admiration and envy, and he repeatedly sighed, "The younger generation is to be feared, the younger generation is to be feared." Du Jingjing was deeply impressed.

"It turns out that fellow Taoist is Gu Xingcheng, the heir of 'Jinghongbi'!" She opened her eyes wide and exclaimed, "I really admire this famous name for a long time!"

"I don't dare to take it seriously, no. Dare to do it," Gu Xu smiled and shook his head, "Fellow Daoist Du praises me too much."

"Fellow Daoist Gu, I was extremely impressed by your attainments in Talisman Dao during my previous battle in the 'Realm of Taoism'. "It's profound," Du Jingjing continued, "Even my teacher can't draw such a powerful talisman.

"So, I am very curious, in the process of drawing the talisman. Are there any unknown techniques? "

"Qingluan" Du Jingjing is, after all, a person who loves Fu Tao and is obsessed with learning.

Gu Xu's handsome and refined appearance only made her dazed for a few seconds.

After a brief greeting, she couldn’t wait to ask her questions directly.

And with her outspoken personality, she usually asked whatever came to her mind. What, never go back and consider whether your wording is tactful or not, and whether it will offend the other party.

"Fellow Daoist Du, if I guess correctly, all your seals are drawn exactly as they are in the book. Bar? "Gu Xu smiled slightly and asked.

Hearing his words, Du Jingjing nodded and replied: "That's right. My teacher has always taught me that drawing talisman is a very rigorous matter, and there can be no mistakes - just one wrong stroke, and it may be wasted and turned into a useless piece of paper.

"As for improving the talisman and seal script, that is something that only a master of talismans can do. The teacher said that beginners like me should not think about this aspect yet."

At this point, she paused for a moment and then continued: "Of course, Taoist friend Gu is not an ordinary person. Just pretend that I didn't say this."

Gu Xu did not stand upThat's the answer.

Because he knew that the reason why he was able to improve the talisman and seal script was mostly due to his extraordinary talent and understanding.

This allows him to often see the essence through phenomena and find better solutions based on intuition.

But for others, especially novices like "Qingluan" Du Jingjing, copying the gourd may be the most correct choice.

Just like learning calligraphy or painting, you have to start by copying - blindly innovating and looking for the so-called "own style", but the gain outweighs the loss.

At present, most of the rune masters in the Daqi Dynasty can basically only be regarded as "rune carriers."

He thought for a while and said, "Your teacher is right."

Du Jingjing was stunned for two seconds.

Are today’s geniuses not modest at all?

I heard Gu Xu continue to say: "For beginners, meticulous imitation is indeed the best way to learn.

"But Fellow Daoist Du should also understand that Fu Zhuan Be it magic or spells, they are only means to achieve an end after all.

"When drawing a talisman, you might as well think more about 'Why should this talisman be drawn like this' and 'Is there a better way to achieve it'... This may be of great help in exploring your own 'Tao' in the future. A big help.

“As for the talisman seals I drew, they are all slightly improved on the original basis... It can be regarded as my own little exploration of the essence of talismans! ”

Shouldn’t things like “Tao” be something that should be considered when becoming a saint?

Although the young man in front of him has far more talent than ordinary people, in the final analysis he is just a human being. How could a monk in the second realm start thinking about "his own way"?

Is he thinking too far-sighted, or am I too short-sighted?

"Qing Luan?" "Du Jingjing was stunned again.

After Gu Xu finished speaking, he took out a "Ghost Killing Talisman" from his pocket and handed it to Du Jingjing's hand.

"This is me The improved 'Tai Shang Arctic Demon Suppressing and Ghost Killing Talisman' can be used to deal with ghosts of the 'Wandering Soul' and 'Wild Ghost' level. It is slightly more powerful than the original version," he continued, "Maybe it will be useful to you. It has some reference value. ”

What Gu Xu gave Du Jingjing was only the second generation “Ghost Killing Talisman”.

Although he had already developed the fifth generation “Ghost Killing Talisman”.< /p>

But he was afraid that the talisman would be too complicated for the other party to understand.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, thank you so much! "Qingluan" Du Jingjing took over the "Ghost Killing Talisman" and expressed her sincere thanks.

After all, Du Jingjing is also a talented person who can be selected into the reserve force of the "Shenji Camp".

She Just taking a brief glance at the "Ghost-killing Talisman" drawn by Gu Xu, I felt that it was different from the one in the book - there were endless mysteries hidden in those subtle changes, and it was worth spending a lot of time studying and understanding. explore.

"You're welcome," Gu Xu smiled faintly and continued,"Now, can you tell me the information you know about the 'Yishan Snow Girl' and the Laoshan ruins?"

Du Jingjing cleared her throat and replied: "My teacher once told me I have two important pieces of information.

"First, since the villages near Laoshan were mysteriously massacred in the first year of Tianxing, there has always been a species called 'tapir (mu)? (hui)'. of ghosts. They wear tattered clothes and have sharp claws like tiger claws -"

"-and they can also suck human brains? Do you also like to attack lone passers-by? "Gu Xu chuckled and interrupted her.

"Fellow Taoist, you also know? "Qingluan" Du Jingjing was confused for a moment.

"Although this kind of ghost is somewhat rare, it is still recorded in some books," Gu Xu replied, "But to deal with them, it is also difficult to deal with them." Not particularly difficult. You only need to prepare hot rocks in advance to kill them. ”

Du Jingjing stood there, looking at the handsome young man in front of her, and was silent for a long time.

She was originally here to share some information with the other party.

Why? Is the other party trying to spread knowledge about ghosts to me?

How can there be such a person in this world?

Not only is he handsome and talented, but he also knows so much knowledge? ?

Du Jingjing’s self-confidence was once again hit hard.

You know, she is also a highly anticipated genius among her peers. ——Otherwise, Tao Qian, the official guest of the Yamen, would not have asked her to be his apprentice by name.

Unfortunately, after entering the reserve force of the "Shenji Camp", she deeply realized that, There may be a huge gap between geniuses.

"What about the second news? "At this time, Gu Xu smiled and said, breaking the brief silence, "The one about the 'Yishan Snow Girl'? "

Actually, Gu Xu is more concerned about this news than the "tapir?" next to the Laoshan ruins.

Because Chen Jisheng once told him that the evil spirit in the Yishan area The gas is spreading outwards and is likely to reach Yishui County in a month.

But Chen Jisheng and Shi Xiaohan, as well as some officials and handymen who were on duty during the New Year, are still here. Within the scope of Yishui County.

The recent movements of "Snow Girl" are undoubtedly related to their lives.

"Oh, the second news," after hearing his words. "Qingluan" Du Jingjing finally came to her senses and said with an awkward smile, "'Yishan Snow Girl' now probably has the strength of a saint.

"Moreover, a mysterious black altar has appeared within the scope of Yishan, which is probably the source of the recent evil spirit."

"Why do you know this? "Gu Xu narrowed his eyes slightly and grasped the key to the problem.

Logically speaking, with Du Jingjing's identity and cultivation, it should be difficult to access such information directly related to the "Yishan Snow Girl".

"Sorry, Fellow Daoist Gu, I can't tell you the source of the news at the moment." "Qingluan" Du Jingjing shook her head and refused to answer his question.

Saint-level cultivation...

The mysterious black altar...

Gu Xu fell into deep thought.

He knew that since the remnant soul of Lu Shiyao returned to her true body, the strength of "Snow Girl" has been greatly improved - it is not beyond his expectation that she now has the strength of a saint.

But he didn’t understand what the function of the black altar was.

Is it possible that for ghosts to advance to higher levels, they need to use the altar to perform some kind of special ritual?

Why is there no relevant information mentioned in any of the books he has read?

As for the source of Du Jingjing's news...

Gu Xu suddenly remembered that not long ago, He Yiqun, the junior fellow of Da Qi Imperial Master, came to his home and gave him a copy of "Seven Styles of Burning Heaven". At that time, I once said something to him -

"There was a junior who tried to deal with Snow Girl, but because of Snow Girl's strength suddenly increased significantly, he was seriously injured and was trapped on Mount Yi."

Could the source of this information be the daring "junior" in He Yiqun's words?

Gu Xu is currently unknown.

…………

After a brief conversation, "Qingluan" Du Jingjing took Gu Xu's "Ghost Killing Talisman" and left the room.

In fact, Gu Xu’s guess was not wrong.

The news about the "Snow Girl" was indeed told to her teacher Tao Qian by the "junior" trapped in Yishan Mountain - Xiao Shangyuan, the eldest son of the Daqi Dynasty.

The emperor's eldest son Xiao Shangyuan once hid his identity and secretly climbed to Yishan Mountain to deal with the "Snow Girl" with the royal family's envoy Fan Cheng.

However, they did not expect that the snow girl's strength suddenly increased, causing them to stumble.

If He Yiqun had not arrived at Yishan Mountain in time with the magical power of "shrinking the ground into an inch" and rescued the two of them, I am afraid they would have died on Yishan Mountain.

For a period of time after being rescued, the eldest son of the emperor, Xiao Shangyuan, was recuperating in the Yamen of the Exorcist Department of Qingzhou Prefecture.

During this period, Xiao Shangyuan once proposed extremely favorable conditions in an attempt to recruit Du Jingjing's teacher Tao Qian.

Tao Qian has always been self-aware - he knows that his attainments in Talisman Dao can only be considered mediocre within the scope of the entire Da Qi Dynasty. There are too many Talisman Masters who are younger and better than him. I don’t even know why the majestic Prince Qi wants to recruit him by name.

In addition, as Tao Qian got older, his character gradually became content with the status quo, and he no longer had the hard work of his youth - as long as he could stay in Qingzhou Mansion for the rest of his life, He would be satisfied if he taught his apprentice well, and did not want to participate in such a high-risk matter as the prince's succession.

He originally wanted to reject the emperor's eldest son's solicitation without hesitation.

It’s a pity that the other party gave me too muchMuch more.

So, although Tao Qian still had many doubts and worries, he still agreed to cooperate with the eldest son of the emperor and help him fight for the "Tai'a Sword".

It was at that time that Xiao Shangyuan told Tao Qian about the recent changes on Yishan Mountain.

Tao Qian told his apprentice Du Jingjing the news.

…………

In the following time, Gu Xu stayed quietly in his room, closing his eyes and practicing.

He had three meals a day delivered directly to his door by the boys at Tongfu Inn.

Whether it is the Snow Maiden’s sanctification or the mysterious black altar, it is still difficult for him to deal with it at his level.

The only thing he can do now is to practice hard and become stronger.

Other than that, we can only pray that the saints of the Daqi Dynasty will be prepared for this.

Two days later.

Three bottles of "Eternal Brightness Pill" have been consumed.

Gu Xu successfully broke through to the realm of "The Seventh Song of Underworld".

…………

On the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, everyone was preparing to officially set off for Laoshan.

According to Qianhu Shilei's request, they gathered at the Exorcism Department of Laizhou Prefecture early in the morning.

This is the first collective meeting of reserve members of the "Shenji Battalion" in reality.

Before dawn, "Bi Fang" Chu Wei was the first to arrive at the Yamen lobby.

Afterwards, he stood at the door of the lobby, staring intently at the young monks from the "Shenji Camp" who arrived one after another.

As long as a female monk passes by him, he will step forward and ask for her code name.

In recent days, he has used the "Magic Token" to send countless messages to "Qilin Girl", but "Qilin" ignored him.

This made Chu Wei unconsciously wonder if he had said something wrong and annoyed the other party.

So he wanted to take advantage of today to apologize to "Qilin Girl" in person.

However, until Shi Lei announced that "everyone has arrived", Chu Wei still could not find any trace of the "Qilin Girl".

At this time, he couldn't help but ask the people around him: "Did 'Qilin Girl' temporarily withdraw? Why didn't she come here today according to the instructions of Mr. Qianhu?"

Hearing what he said, "Zhulong" Chen Yanping coughed dryly and his expression became a little weird.

He was obviously trying not to laugh.

The fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen next to him walked up to him with a serious face and said: "Why do you care so much about 'Miss Qilin'? Do you have any undue thoughts about her?"

"If I guess correctly, you and she bumped into each other in the 'Realm of Taoism'?" Xiao Shangzhen took a step forward, her tone becoming more aggressive.

“Well...That's right..." Chu Wei lowered his head.

He himself is a person with low self-esteem and restraint.

When he was questioned in such an arrogant manner by the fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen, he was even more... Too humble to hold up her head.

"Then you should have guessed that her status is very noble, and you can't reach it. "Xiao Shangzhen raised her chin and continued with a arrogant attitude.

At this moment, Xiao Shangzhen has already figured out - in order to prevent his identity from being exposed, in order to prevent himself from becoming a laughing stock in the eyes of everyone, he We must act first and eliminate all hidden dangers in advance.

PS: I am giving you a 5,200-word chapter for the Chinese Valentine’s Day. Please give me your monthly pass! (Sorry, I went to the hospital during the day, so the update is a little late).

…………

Notes:

(1) “Bright as a jade tree before the wind. ——Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty, "Song of the Eight Immortals in Drinking"

(2) "There is a man in the Western Wilderness. He is as long and short as a human being. He wears a hundred knotted clothes and has tiger claws on his hands. His name is a tapir." He follows people alone and eats their brains at will. Or if the tongue is more than ten feet out of the pan, someone hears the sound first and burns a big stone to throw it at the tongue, causing the person to die. Otherwise, they will eat human brains. ”——Han Dynasty Dongfang Shuo’s "Shenyi Jing Xihuang Jing"