Longevity begins with slaying demons and eliminating demons

Chapter 267 Heroes of the World
Shi Xiaohan is a careless girl.

After leaving this room, she quickly walked towards the dining hall at the northernmost end of the academy with light steps.

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

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

"Hey, Fellow Daoist Tao, how was your talisman class this morning? Is your teaching fierce?"

The introverted Tao Xi had been walking in the crowd with his head down.

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

The "Mr. Du" she was talking about was undoubtedly Du Yuan, the tall and thin talisman teacher who asked Gu Xu for advice in the academy cafeteria a few days ago.

In fact, what Tao Xi thought was that the tone of our lectures was calm and drowsy, and we didn't care whether the students were paying attention to the class at all.

But with her personality, it is impossible to speak ill of others behind their backs.

So I changed to a euphemistic way of expression.

"Then you guys are really good at teaching!" Shi Xiaohan said enviously, "I was scolded terribly this morning."

Then she paused, and then asked again: "How is your level of teaching talismans? Did he show the talisman seals he designed in public in class?"

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

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

"'Fire characters'?" Shi Xiaohan opened his eyes wide, "Isn't this something Gu Xu made?"

Tao Xi explained softly: "I... we, Mr. Du, respect Mr. Gu so much...Mr. Du told us that Mr. Gu's understanding of the art of talismans made him look up. Especially this 'fire' Characters', may be enough to lead a revolution in the field of talismans, and will have far-reaching influence and significance."

Shi Xiaohan was stunned for two seconds, then exclaimed, "Gu Xu is so powerful in the field of Talisman?"

In her memory, Gu Xu probably only started to learn Talisman last summer.

This means that in just a few months, he has reached a level where even the long-established masters of the Tao of Talisman respect him in terms of Talisman.

Although Shi Xiaohan knew that Gu Xu had a great talent for drawing talisman seals, but when she heard Du Jiaoxi's evaluation, she was still deeply incredulous.

I only heard Tao Xi continue to say: "Mr. Du also said that Mr. Gu had taught him and helped him to re-understand the art of talismans. To a certain extent, he was equivalent to a teacher who pointed out the maze for him. He has the duty of teaching students, otherwise he would like to worship under Mr. Gu and learn from him the new idea of ​​drawing talisman seals."

Shi Xiaohan lowered his head and remained silent.

While feeling happy for Gu Xu, her heart suddenly became more stressed.

Inadvertently, she remembered the conversation she had 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, wouldn't I be an idler?"

"You are responsible for staying here every day and making cookies for me!"

At that time, she was determined and confident.

But looking back now, she felt a little ridiculous.

Gu Xu walked far ahead, shining brightly on the vast stage of Luojing City.It was difficult for her to keep up with him, let alone protect him.

The common topic between the two seems to be becoming less and less.

In the past, they would talk about the ghosts in Yishui, the trivial matters in the yamen, the food in Piaoxianglou, meritorious deeds and magic weapons, and then they would talk about each other's business, so they were very happy.

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

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

Talismans, formations, feng shui, voodoo, fortune-telling and divination, the struggle between saints and fierce gods... These are all too obscure, too distant and strange to her.

She felt that her appearance and talent were not as good as Princess Zhaoning, nor was she as outstanding and understanding as Shangguan Jin, and her family background was not as good as many students in the academy... She used to be the most dazzling little princess in Yishui County. , Arrived in the city of Luojing, where the dragon is hidden and the tiger is crouching, it seems that he fell into the dust and became one of the most inconspicuous living beings.

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

Although the "No. [-] Pill Workshop" in Qingzhou Mansion was her birthday present to Gu Xu...but to a certain extent, it was not a bond, a bond that kept him from leaving him?
"Fellow Daoist Tao, do you know of any way to quickly become stronger?" After a brief silence, Shi Xiaohan asked Tao Xi beside him.

Tao Xi thought for a while: "Hmm...study hard, listen to the class?"

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

The two stopped talking.

They followed the crowd, walked across the stone bridge, through the corridor and the hanging flower door.

Along the way, the words of others drifted into their ears along with the biting cold wind.

"..."

"The audition for the 'Luoshui Conference' has started today. Has any of you signed up for it?"

"No. I heard that only fifty places are selected in the entire Luojing City. An ordinary monk like me who just entered the third realm this year must have no chance."

"Hehe, Senior Brother Qian, I've seen through you for a long time. Usually you always say that you don't practice and don't pay attention to the lectures, but you can rank among the best in every assessment. This time, you must have signed up secretly without telling us. On the surface, he said 'no confidence' and 'no chance', but in private he wanted to make a big splash at the 'Luoshui Conference' and give us a surprise."

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

"It's hypocrisy."

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

"Recently, I heard some rumors that this year's 'Luoshui Conference' will change the format of the competition, and no longer decide the winner through the group arena like before."

"Don't fight in the ring anymore? What will it be changed to?"

"Maybe it's a big melee with hundreds of people? Whoever survives to the end is the winner?"

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

"By the way, I also heard that Gu Xu from the Exorcist Department will go to the audition site of the 'Luoshui Conference' tomorrow morning to comment."

"Now he is also a teacher of our Longmen Academy. You still have to treat him with a little respect and call him 'Mr. Gu'."

"A guy younger than us, teaching us from a podium...it's an unbelievable picture."

"That's right, and this morning, Mr. Du repeatedly praised his talisman attainments. With such an exaggerated talent, I doubt that he has ever been empowered by the gods and enlightened by Wenchang Xingjun."

"..."

When Shi Xiaohan heard these words, he felt complicated.

She couldn't help asking Tao Xi beside her, "Do you want to participate in this year's 'Luoshui Conference'?"

Tao Xi was silent for a moment, then replied, "Maybe I will try it!"

However, at this moment, the surrounding voices were suddenly suppressed a lot.

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

"What? Where is he?"

"Looks like it's over there in the warehouse."

"..."

No matter what the academy students thought of Gu Xu in the past, he is now a famous figure in Luojing City. Many people are full of curiosity about him and want to have a closer look at him.

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

Shi Xiaohan and Tao Xi unconsciously followed the crowd.

Then everyone 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 strutting his head high. His appearance was handsome and his temperament was beyond dust, just like a fairy descended from the world.

Half a step behind him was a tall, thin, middle-aged man with thinning hair and wearing a gray robe.He bowed slightly and nodded, looking quite humble, as if he was asking the young man in green shirt in front of him a question.

Because the environment was too noisy, the students couldn't hear what they were talking about.

But looking at their focused expressions, it is obvious that they are discussing some unfathomable Taoism theories.

And around them, there were many servants from the academy, driving away the crowds of onlookers from all directions for them.

"That gentleman... is Du Jiaoxi, who taught us about Fu Dao this morning." Tao Xi stretched out his hand, pointed at the tall, thin middle-aged man, and introduced to Shi Xiaohan.

Shi Xiaohan didn't respond.

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

As if in this world, apart from him, there is no other thing.

The cool wind ruffled her hair at the temples.

A few sparrows were chirping on the eaves.

Someone pushed her from behind, but she didn't realize it.

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

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

Although there are still many people standing beside Shi Xiaohan.

But she knew that he must be looking at herself.

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

She thought to herself: "If only I could grow taller and be as tall as Tao Xi!"

The young man in green shirt made a lip gesture to her.

He was moving quickly, but she still sensed that he meant "little idiot."

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

Shi Xiaohan blushed slightly with anger, clenched his small fists, and 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 from the academy not far away say to her companion passionately: "Really! He was definitely looking at me just now! He looks so pretty when he smiles!"

"Bilan, you really feel good about yourself! He's clearly staring at me," her female partner covered her mouth and snickered, "He even mouthed 'see you on the fifth day'."

"Oh, stop talking nonsense!"

"..."

Shi Xiaohan's fist clenched even tighter.

It wasn't until Tao Xi who was beside her carefully poked her arm that she came back to her senses, and then they walked towards the dining hall together.

Under such circumstances, only food can calm her mood.

…………

"What's your last question?" Gu Xu turned around and said politely to Du Yuan, who was beside him.

"Master Gu, you said just now that 'the media will affect our understanding of the Great Way of Heaven and Earth' to a certain extent," Du Jiaoxi asked humbly, "I'm stupid and I don't quite understand this sentence, you can Tell me in detail?"

Gu Xu said: "Let me give you the simplest example. What is the unit we use to measure time?"

"Time?" Du Jiaoxi thought for a while and responded.

"Then if we don't have bell and drum towers, watchmen, sundials, hourglasses and other timekeeping tools, will we still have the concept of 'time'?"

"It should be... there won't be any."

"However, even without these timing tools, the passage of time is eternal," Gu Xu said, "In this world, the sun will still rise and set, and the seasons will still change.

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

"However, these timekeeping tools changed the way we perceive time, convincing us that time can be separated from activity and 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 and intangible.

"Tales, karma, swordsmanship...these are all the media used to describe it. And these media will also affect the monk's perception of the Dao of Heaven and Earth to a certain extent.

"For example, if a sword cultivator practiced the sword to the extreme, he would say 'everything in the world can be a sword'; if a talisman cultivator used the technique of talisman to the extreme, he would also think that 'talisman is the language to describe the Dao'.

"However, their cognition of Dao will eventually have some deviations due to the respective characteristics of these media.

"Because of this, the Master of the National Normal University will say that if you want to achieve perfection in a certain field, you need to integrate different Taoism 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 me, Mr. Du."

Du Jiaoxi stopped and meditated quietly.

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

But if you think about it carefully, it makes sense.

It seems that Gu Xu is not a human race born and raised in the wilderness, but a god in the sky, bringing some otherworldly thoughts that do not belong to this world to the human world, and Du Jiaoxi can be inspired every time he meets.

After a while, Du Jiaoxi finally digested Gu Xu's point of view, then put his hands together in front of his chest, and bowed to Gu Xu: "Thank you, Mr. Gu, for your guidance! I'm really sorry for taking you so long!"

Gu Xu immediately supported him, and said to him: "Mr. Du is too polite! Since we work together in the academy, helping each other and exploring the world together is what I should do."

After saying a few polite words to Du Jiaoxi, Gu Xu bid farewell to him, then walked 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 treasury.

In his "Xianyunju", a few more bottles of "Du Erdan" were produced, which was enough to support his practice for the next half month.

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

"I don't know how Shi Xiaohan's girl spent her first day at Longmen Academy."

While thinking this way, he boarded a black carriage waiting outside the door, preparing to return home.

In his dense schedule, the rest of the day had to be spent practicing and researching spells.

After all, he still needs to spend some time tomorrow to watch and comment on the "Luoshui Conference" audition.

So today, he will strive to climb a few more steps on the "Sixiang Ridge".

…………

The second day of February.

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

At dawn, the sky was still dark, and the residents of Yanqingfang by the river were still awake.

The lights in only two rooms were kept on all night.

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

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

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

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

Today's "audition" in Luojing City was not held on the high platform in the middle of Luoshui—it was only used for grand events of national carnival.

Instead, a temporary arena was set up under the Nancheng Gate.

"Guest 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, monks from many neighboring counties have flocked to the capital recently, so 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 got off the carriage, a red glow appeared on the horizon, like the faint blush on the face of a shy girl.

The cold wind rustled the flags on the city gate.

The area around the city gate was already overcrowded.

The ones at the front were naturally the monks participating in the competition—some of them held knives, some held swords, some wore cloth shirts, some wore brocade robes, some were gearing up, some encouraged each other, some Full of confidence, some uneasy.

More people came to watch the fun.

If a certain monk who entered the ring today wins the leader of the "Luoshui Conference" in the future, they will have new talking points, and they can brag to everyone, "When a certain monk participated in the audition, I concluded that this son It must not be a thing in the pool... You see, my vision is not vicious."

Guided by the servants, Gu Xu climbed up the towering city gate.

He noticed that Luo Jing's city walls, including the city towers, were made of huge stone bricks, with a flat surface and a tight structure, with almost no gaps in them.There are zigzag crenels on the top of the city wall, which can be used for scouting and shooting bows and arrows.Looking out from the top of the city gate, you can see the wide moat and the suspension bridge facing the gate.

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

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

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

It was a bloated middle-aged man with a big belly and a long beard, wearing a black gauze hat and a bright red official robe with cloud and goose patch on it—this is the fourth rank of the Qi Dynasty. Civilian logo.

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

Gu Xu was very worried about whether the chair could bear his weight.

The other two chairs were still empty.

"Master Yang, Gu Xu, the Exorcist Division, is here to watch the battle under the order of Division Luo." Gu Xu cupped his hands to the fat man sitting on the chair.

The fat man's name is Yang Jiong, and he holds the post of "Luojing Governor", that is, the secular chief executive of the Gyeonggi area, equivalent to the mayor of Luojing City.Today's audition will be hosted by him.

Hearing Gu Xu's words, Yang Jiong immediately stood up tremblingly, leaning on the armrest of the chair, with a smile on his chubby face, and a pair of small eyes squeezed into a slit.

He also cupped his hands towards Gu Xu and said, "It turns out that it's Mr. Gu's business. He has admired his name for a long time, please sit down, please sit down!"

As a fourth-rank official, Yang Jiong was supposed to be above Gu Xu in rank, so he didn't need to stand up and return the salute.

But in the Daqi Dynasty, practitioners had a detached status, and they could not be treated with worldly etiquette.In addition, Gu Xu has recently been in the limelight in Luojing City. Not only is he highly valued by the saints, but he also has a title of honor.

As a mortal with no cultivation, Yang Jiong dared not neglect Gu Xu in the slightest.

Gu Xu greeted him with a smile, and then sat down on the teacher's chair on the left.

At the same time, he pointed to the empty seat on the right: "Who is the other one?"

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

According to the arrangement of the Daqi court, the reviewers for the "Luoshui Conference" audition usually have one from an official organization and one from a folk sect.As long as the Taoist attainments meet the requirements, there is a chance to be invited.

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

So the imperial court wanted to use this opportunity to win over some unofficial sects and make them feel that "we are valued by the imperial court."

Gu Xu once knew about this "Crazy Sword Sect" in books——

Its mountain gate is located on the outskirts of Luojing.The monks of this sect are all good at using knives, and their major "Blaster Sword Technique" has always been famous for its wildness and unruliness.

More than ten years ago, it reached an agreement with the Exorcist Department to help the court sweep up ghosts in many villages south of Luojing and protect the lives of local people.The imperial court provided it with some resources to help it train disciples.

But today, this Elder Sun's style of doing things is obviously 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.

Elder Sun didn't arrive until the bell rang and the two participating monks stepped onto the ring.

"Sorry, the old man is late."

He said "sorry" with his mouth, but he didn't feel apologetic in his actions.Before Gu Xu and Yang Jiong could speak, he sat down 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, not paying much attention to his actions.

After all, this old man is a Fifth Realm monk.It's normal for an expert to have a weird temper.

Yang Jiong's face was somewhat gloomy.

In his opinion, Elder Sun's behavior is flouting the rules of the court.

However, Elder Sun's more "crazy" actions are yet to come.

After a while, he glanced at Gu Xu, frowned and muttered: "Why is the Daqi court getting more and more absurd? They actually let a third-level kid who has not yet been crowned come to comment with me? Can he recognize it?" Is it the move of the monks in the whole ring?"

Then he looked at Yang Jiong again: "Master Yang, you have to be careful, don't crush the stool under your butt... Its price doesn't look cheap."

Hearing Elder Sun's words, Gu Xu couldn't help complaining in his heart: "Are all the people from the Crazy Saber Sect talking so openly?"

It is indeed recorded in the book that "Crazy Saber monks tend to be unrestrained and informal".

Seeing it with his own eyes today really opened his eyes.

But Gu Xu remained silent, without any disturbance in his heart.

Word of mouth is useless.

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

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

Seeing the fat on his face trembling with anger, he retorted: "I take care of my chair, you don't need to worry about it!"

Of course, on an occasion like today, of course they would not argue at the city gate, 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 their gazes were fixed on the two young monks who were fighting in the arena.

One of them was wearing a black "Qiyao uniform" and holding a long sword. He was obviously an official of the Exorcism Division—Gu Xu remembered seeing his face in the yamen, but he was far away and didn't say hello.

The other was wearing big pants and no shirt, showing his bronzed skin and strong muscles on 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 named Yao Xiao.

The two fought together, sword light and fist shadow mixed together, making the onlookers dazzled and exclaiming from time to time.

Gu Xu's gaze was like still water.

Elder Sun frowned, his face a little gloomy.

Yang Jiong, on the other hand, stared intently at the battle situation in the arena—as a mortal, he couldn't recognize the moves, and he didn't understand the subtle details, but he seemed to be infected by the atmosphere on the field, and his emotions became tense. When he mentioned his throat, he almost shouted and cheered along with the onlookers.

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

Li Zixuan, an officer of the Exorcist Department, fell outside the ring, his clothes were covered with dust, and his face was bruised, looking extremely distressed.

Yao Xiao stood in the middle of the ring with the attitude of a winner.

Both of them are quietly waiting for the comments from the "guests".

PS: The chapters are merged, with a total of 7k words, one of which is the November monthly ticket plus update, and there are still two chapters owed.

(End of this chapter)