Thunder roared and rain poured down.
On this day, Hong Wei, the care officer responsible for sending and receiving management documents at the Exorcist Division headquarters, was much busier than usual.
Every few minutes, someone will come to him and ask him: "Is the latest Di newspaper here? Is there any news from Longmen Academy?"
In response to this, Hong Wei always responded with a straight face: "No, he's not here yet!"
However, despite Hong Wei's calm appearance on the surface, in fact he is more passionate than anyone else in his heart. Panic.
Because one night a few days ago, he got drunk, and then at the instigation of a group of bad friends, he staked two months of his salary in a gambling house.
Businessmen in Luojing City never miss any opportunity to make money.
They had already set odds on today’s much-anticipated Fu Dao battle, attracting spectators to place money and place bets.
It can be seen from the ever-changing odds that at the very beginning, the person Luojing residents were most optimistic about was the long-famous Fu Dao master Zhao Xinran, and the person they were least optimistic about was Gu Xu .
The reason is simple.
Although Gu Xu is in the limelight, he is still just a young man who has not yet been crowned.
In the eyes of outsiders, he is like an outstanding "other people's child" - maybe he has made some achievements in talismans, but there is still a long way between him and the real "authoritative people" big gap.
For someone as young as him, it is enough to go to Longmen Academy to be a student, but to be a teacher is a bit outrageous.
However, later, with the news such as "The Imperial Master highly recommended Gu Xu", "Luo Chuan, the head of the Exorcism Department, personally went to the academy to see Gu Xu draw the talisman", "Gu Xu had already made a call a few months ago" The news that he has improved the seal script gradually spread, and a group of exorcist officials who admired Gu Xu came to support him. Suddenly, the trend of the gambling house changed, and Gu Xu's odds began to gradually change. reduce.
Up to the closing time this morning, Gu Xu’s odds were only higher than Zhao Xinran, and much lower than Mo Li and Shen Qiu.
On this rainy day shrouded in dark clouds, Hong Wei has been paying close attention to this competition, and his mood may be much more nervous than Gu Xu himself.
After all, once Gu Xu wins, Hong Wei can also take this opportunity to get rich overnight - well, "getting rich overnight" sounds a bit exaggerated, but at least the money won can make He went to restaurants a few more times to buy his wife the rouge and powder that she had been dreaming about, and bought a few more kilograms of meat for his son.
But if Gu Xu loses...then he will have to live frugally and live frugally in the next two months.
"Master Gu, my future fate will be decided by you," Hong Wei muttered in his mind over and over again while sorting out the documents on his desk, "You must let Longmen The people in the academy should take a good look at your true abilities, and don’t show any mercy!”
…………
The atmosphere in the yamen is different from the past, naturally.However, Shi Xiaohan was also infected.
This morning, after watching Gu Xu's carriage drive into the distance, she planned to go back to her room to practice quietly and try to climb a few more stairs on "Homesickness Ridge".
As of now, Shi Xiaohan has stood on the 336th step - although her climbing speed is not small compared to that of a monster like Gu Xu, but in Daqi Among the monks of the same realm in the dynasty, he is already considered outstanding, almost reaching the top 20%.
Although she did not deliberately experience the smell of earthly fireworks and feel her own emotional fluctuations like Gu Xu did, her climbing process went smoothly beyond imagination and did not encounter much hindrance.
She once asked Shangguan Jin about this issue in a confused mood.
In response, Shangguan Jin smiled meaningfully and explained: "Because you are already in the mortal world, your heart has long been restless."
This The words sounded a bit mysterious.
Shi Xiaohan still can’t fully understand its meaning.
But today, amid the rumbling thunder and the pounding rain, her heart really couldn't calm down.
She sat cross-legged on the mat and swallowed a "Du Erdan", but she was still unable to enter the dark world of the netherworld.
As long as she closes her eyes, the scene of Gu Xu boarding the carriage with a calm expression will appear in her mind.
"The competition at Longmen Academy...is it almost over now?"
"How did that guy Gu Xu perform?"
"I heard His opponents are all very powerful."
"Although I believe in his level of talisman...but now the monks in the entire capital are paying attention to him, even the national master and the chief minister. He and that annoying princess all went to Longmen Academy to watch him. Wouldn't he be a little stressed?"
"..."
Shi Xiaohan's mind was filled with chaos. idea.
It was like countless little bugs flying around in her mind, making it impossible for her to relax her mind and enter a state of cultivation.
So she shook her head and chose to give up.
Then she walked out of the room and found that all the officials in the yamen were the same as her - whether it was "Jingxin Pill", "Changming Pill", "Du'er Pill", or in the retreat room No special magic circle can make them calm down and practice.
They all gathered in the corridor, discussing the talisman and Tao dispute far away in Longmen Academy.
"If Mr. Gu can win, I will go to Qianqian's house tomorrow to propose marriage!"
"I can't calm down to practice today. In order to prevent me from going crazy, I will reward myself for relaxing a little." Let's take a moment... If Mr. Gu can defeat those powerful opponents, then I will go into seclusion tonight and will not leave until I pass the second level!"
"You may not know that I am in Gu! Your Excellency has staked fifteen taels of silver... If he loses, my wifeYou will definitely kill me tonight! Until tomorrow, you may never see me alive again. "
"..."
.........
At the same time, Longmen Academy.
After Zhao Xinran left, The remaining three candidates were still sitting in the "Siqi Hall", silently thinking about the design of Fu Zhuan.
The sound of wind, rain, thunder and lightning, and people's discussions outside the house seemed to be all over the place. It had nothing to do with them.
Another quarter of an hour passed, and Shen Qiu started to write.
In the past period of time, more than ten words appeared in his mind. ideas, but he didn't feel satisfied.
However, as time passed by and Zhao Xinran's "handing in the paper in advance" gave him a strong stimulation, Shen Qiu became deeply moved. He took a deep breath and gave up on pursuing perfection, choosing a plan that had bright spots but also some flaws.
"Shen Qiu, Shen Qiu, if you don't start writing, I'm afraid it will be too late. " He laughed at himself and said to himself silently, "Anyway, you will definitely not be able to defeat a genius like Gu Xu who transcends common sense, and there is a high probability that you will not be able to defeat an experienced Fu Dao master like Zhao Xinran... Even if you try your best, there will be no chance. What is it for? ”
As a concubine of a wealthy family, Shen Qiu often feels like a superfluous person and that his life has no meaning.
The clan has high expectations for his brother Shen Hua He has high hopes and strict discipline, but has no requirements or expectations for him, allowing him to grow freely and fend for himself... Only when he encounters trouble will he be called in to put out the fire.
Whether it's cultivation, drawing talismans, reading, or doing business... in the beginning, it was just something he started doing, and it wasn't considered a career, because he found that no matter how good he was at it, it wouldn't be a career. It was difficult to gain recognition and attention from his clan members. Over time, he lost interest.
This time he traveled all the way from Jinling to Luojing City because he was trying to find a new life for himself after being completely disappointed with his family. He wanted to find a way out, looking for a stage where he could display his talents. However, when he first arrived, he found a high mountain in front of him, blocking the road ahead. His name is "Gu Xu"
Shen Qiu originally thought that he was quite talented in the art of talismans - within three years of his first experience in talismans, he was able to break away from books and create brand new talismans. .
But at the age of eighteen, Gu Xu was already able to sit down and talk with the Imperial Master; but he could only get an understatement of praise from the Imperial Master.
Such a situation. , which once made Shen Qiu very frustrated.
But after half an hour of rest, his mood had calmed down a lot.
"Fu" is not. His dream is not his most proud skill.
If one road doesn't work, there is another way.
He glanced at the rain outside the window and looked not far away. thin everywhereGu Xu, who was handsome and upright, then thought: Actually... isn't it a lucky thing to be able to meet such a person in my lifetime? If you look at it from another angle, maybe this majestic mountain is also a potential road?
Immediately, he sighed softly, and the tip of his pen fell on the white paper. The pen was full of ink, just like a dragon and a snake leaping, a group of crocodiles playing in the sea, and a dancing crane flying in the sky.
After his mind became clear, his brushwork became swift and free-spirited. Its shape, its color, its thickness, dryness and wetness, its disconnection and twisting, the thickness and thickness of the brushwork were all variable and varied.
…………
Some time passed, and Mo Li also started to write.
Compared to Shen Qiu, his speed of drawing symbols is much slower and his brushwork is much stiffer.
His mind contains thousands of talismans in books - these talismans seem to be engraved in his soul. As long as he lifts the pen, they will appear in his field of vision. , which he simply couldn't let go of.
There are many kinds of talismans in the book that can help the weak deal with ghosts.
But now, the Imperial Master asked him to get rid of books and design his own.
His mood at the moment was like a copycat who was suddenly asked to write an original work, or a painter who was accustomed to copying and was asked to put aside references and paint entirely based on imagination.
This made him at a loss.
"How about I make some slight modifications based on the previous ones?" Mo Li thought silently, "This should be regarded as a reference, not a copy... As long as I can incorporate some My own thoughts..."
Just now, in the second session, he had already handed in a blank paper.
If he turns in a blank test again, I'm afraid his cousin Dean Li will be so angry that he wants to expel him from the house.
The talisman Mo Li borrowed from was called the "Sneaky Talisman for Suppressing New Houses". The description of it in the book is "If there are ghosts in any newly built house, this talisman should be used to suppress them."
Of course, under normal circumstances, it can only suppress "wandering soul" level ghosts.
After Mo Li's modifications, this talisman became the "Evil Ghost Entering the House and Disturbing Talisman" - compared with before, it can not only deal with "wandering spirits", but also deal with stronger ones. Weak "wild ghosts"; no longer just "suppressing" ghosts, but directly destroying ghosts that invade people's houses.
As long as you stick it in the house, it can largely prevent the house from being attacked by ghosts - after all, even after the long night arrives, the most common ghosts in the wilderness are still "wandering spirits" and "wandering spirits" "Wild ghosts"; and higher-level "evil spirits" and "fierce gods" cannot be dealt with by just a single talisman.
However, after Mo Li made modifications to the "Zhenxinzhai Sneaky Talisman", the complexity of the talisman has greatly increased, and the amount of true energy required in the process of drawing the talisman has also increased significantly.
The original talisman seal only requires a first-level beginner to draw it easily.
After improvement, we need someone who is at least the second level and hasIt takes a certain experienced talisman practitioner to draw it.
Mo Li narrowed his eyes slightly.
He held the thinnest brush and carefully dipped it in ink. Every stroke he drew was extremely cautious.
It is like walking on thin ice. If you are not careful, you will step through the ice and fall into a bottomless lake.
But even so, his hand still shook and he drew a wrong line.
So he tore off the paper in his hand and started drawing the symbols again.
The second time, he dipped the pen tip into a little more ink, and accidentally dropped two drops on the paper.
So he tore it up again and painted again.
The third time, the arc he drew was half an inch away from what was expected, causing the rune to not take effect.
So he tore it up again and painted again.
......
After repeated drawings for a total of fifteen times, Mo Li finally successfully designed his "talisman to prevent evil spirits from entering the house".
The paper in front of him burst out with brilliant golden light.
At this moment, there are less than five minutes left before the time specified by the National Preceptor.
Mo Li’s right hand holding the pen has become stiff and numb, and his palm is full of sweat.
He put down the pen and shook his hand hard, trying to relieve the pain in his wrist.
At the same time, he raised his head and looked left and right, wanting to observe the performance of his competitors.
Shen Qiu's seat was already empty - the ugly dwarf had already drawn the talisman seal before him and left the "Siqitang"!
Gu Xuze was still sitting at the desk, pondering.
Mo Li stood up quietly, walked to Gu Xu and took a look, and found that the paper in front of him was still blank and the tip of the brush was dry.
This obviously proves that Gu Xu has not yet started writing.
"The time is coming soon, isn't he in a hurry?" Mo Li felt a little strange, "Didn't he think of a solution to the problem yet?"
Mo Li He looked calm on the surface, but deep down there was a little bit of joy.
Gu Xu’s performance in the first two sessions was too outstanding and incredible, like a god shrouded in a halo, which put great psychological pressure on Mo Li.
But now, the aura around Gu Xu seemed to be extinguished - he was like ordinary people, helpless when facing the talisman.
The thing that people like to hear most is the fall of genius from the altar.
"You hand in a blank paper, I hand in a blank paper, and the two of us stand on the same starting line again." Mo Li looked at the handsome young man in front of him, who was as still as a clock, and thought to himself , the mentality was instantly balanced.
However, at this moment, Gu Xu suddenly raised the brush.