The Exorcism Department does not have too strict restrictions on practitioners.
They can freely choose their commuting time, fish as they please, and even lie at home for several days in a row without coming to the office. As long as they can ensure that they complete their monthly minimum tasks, they will never be held accountable for it.
Of course, for Gu Xu, this "flexible work system" is to allow him to work overtime better.
As usual, Gu Xu was still the first to arrive at the Yamen today.
But he was in no rush to get the assignment.
Instead, he went straight to the library on the second floor, sat down at the desk by the window, took out the yellow paper and ink from the drawer, and began to draw symbols.
Sharpening the knife will not make you a chopping wood.
As a "fragile" boy, spells are his most effective means of dealing with ghosts.
Since the talismans are consumables, he must prepare a sufficient number of talismans before the battle - if the runes are exhausted and the ghost is not dead, and he is killed in the end, he will have to meet the Lord of Hell in advance.
He held the writing brush in his hand, closed his eyes and recited a mantra: "The sky is round and the earth is round, and there are nine chapters of laws and regulations. I am writing now, and all ghosts are hiding in them. The urgency is like the laws and regulations!"
Then he opened his eyes.
At this time, the brush in his hand was shining with golden light, like solidified golden sunlight, containing majestic power.
The pen falls.
Fu Cheng.
The golden light of the brush dissipated and returned to its original state.
Gu Xu stuffed the drawn talisman into his pocket and felt a little more confident.
At this moment, a familiar voice came from behind him:
"Hey, Gu Xu, are we going to team up for a mission today? Hey... Why did you break through again without saying anything?"
Gu Xu turned his head.
Then I saw a girl wearing a black uniform of the Exorcist Department.
Petite figure, oval face, black hair like clouds, and clear almond eyes.
It is often said that women in ancient times were reserved in character and smiled without showing their teeth.
But this girl smiled unrestrainedly, showing two small white tiger teeth without any scruples.
The girl's name is Shi Xiaohan.
Although he is the same age as Gu Xu, he has surpassed many senior seniors to become the eighth-level inspector of the Exorcism Department.
On the one hand, her cultivation level is indeed high and her combat power is astonishing - she has occupied the first place in Yishui County's merit list for a whole year, and has single-handedly killed "mandrills", "human snakes" and other troublesome ghosts. The machete chopped down all kinds of demons and caused unspeakable pain.
A "Liver Emperor" like Gu Xu, who worked from dawn to dusk and worked hard to take on tasks, could only rank second on the merit list.
On the other hand, Shi Xiaohan's father held the position of "Thousand Households" in the Exorcism Department of nearby Laizhou Prefecture. He had an official rank of fifth rank and was considered a big shot that the entire Yishui County had to look up to.
If you have strength and background, you will naturally be a winner in life.
"This small improvement is not worth mentioning in front of Shi Nuxia, who ranks first on the list." Gu Xu responded with a smile.
"That's true." Shi Xiaohan raised his chin and accepted Gu Xu's compliment calmly.
Recently, she likes to team up with Gu Xu to do tasks - one of the reasons is that Gu Xu is a good-looking guy, he looks pleasing to the eye, and he talks nicely, which always makes her feel happy.
And Gu Xu is also happy to go with her: If you can say a few nice words and you can hug your thighs and lie down easily, then why risk your life and go it alone?
In this way, the two got what they needed and reached a short-term cooperative relationship - or to put it another way, they became each other's "tool men".
"Shi Nuxia, what new tasks do you have today?" Gu Xu asked next.
Shi Xiaohan clasped his hands on his chest and explained in concise words: "There is a large house in the northeastern suburbs of Yishui County, where a rich man named Wang lives. The rich man Wang recently died at home inexplicably. His family members thought it was a ghost. do.
"The family members believe that the ghost that killed Rich Man Wang may still be hiding in the mansion - they hope that the exorcist department can help find out the situation, kill the evil ghost, and avenge the death of Rich Man Wang."
"Is it dangerous?"
"With this heroine taking you, what are you afraid of?"
"How much is the reward?"
"Two hundred and forty meritorious deeds. Each of us will get half of it, and each of us can get one hundred and twenty. Gu Xu, are you going?"
One hundred and twenty meritorious deeds are equivalent to killing twelve demons. This is indeed a generous reward for Gu Xu - enough for him to exchange for a "Spirit Gathering Pill" to break through to the second level.
However, the more rewards, the more difficult the task is.
This kind of mission, with a reward of over 100, has a high probability of encountering an evil spirit that is intelligent, capable of magic, difficult to kill, and can even conspire with humans. The level of danger is extraordinary.
"Please allow me to do some fortune-telling first." Gu Xu pondered for a moment and then replied.
After that, he took out three copper coins from his pocket and used the "copper coin hexagram" divination method to toss six times in a row.
"What's the result?" Shi Xiaohan asked.
"The hexagram of Xun on the top and the bottom on the bottom is the hexagram of 'Feng Shui Huan', which is considered auspicious," Gu Xu replied, "'Huan' means Huan dispersion, which means that bad things will leave the body and troubles will disappear. Those who get this hexagram will have troubles at the beginning. But you can eventually get out of trouble, and everything will go well if you are cautious.”
"Does this mean...you agree to go with me?"
Gu Xu nodded: "But we must be careful and not be careless."
"That's for sure," Shi Xiaohan stood at the desk and glanced at him condescendingly, "Gu Xu, I really didn't expect that you could learn such an unpopular knowledge as divination!"
"It's just a side sect, and it can't compare to the Heroine Shi who broke through ten guilds at once."
"I really don't know how your brain has grown, but you can remember the sixty-four hexagrams clearly! That thing gives me a headache when I see it."
"I learned divination because I'm afraid of death and encountering evil ghosts that I can't deal with," Gu Xu chuckled, "Shi Nuxia is known as 'Yishui County ghosts see sorrow', cutting ghosts is like cutting vegetables, why waste time and effort to learn These boring things?”
The two looked at each other, then laughed out loud.
As a duo that dominates the charts and is a good partner in exorcizing demons, exchanging business blows is their daily routine.
"Okay," Shi Xiaohan patted Gu Xu on the shoulder, "I'll see you outside the Yamen in a quarter of an hour. Let's go and come back early."
"No problem." Gu Xu nodded.
As a person who cherishes time, he admired Shi Xiaohan's resolute and do-it-yourself style.
…………
Rich Man Wang's mansion is located in the northeastern suburbs of Yishui County - according to the Bagua map, it is the "Gen position".
Gen, the gate of ghosts.
According to the classics, it is not suitable to bury the dead or build tombs or monuments in the Gen position, because the Yin energy is very strong, which can easily cause weird things and make the deceased uneasy.
But when Gu Xu came to the outskirts of Yishui County, he noticed that there was a cemetery on the nearby hillside.
Large and small tombs stand on the hillside, deserted and with sparse vegetation - even if the sun is shining brightly at this time, they look a bit eerie.
Eight years ago, ghosts were rampant in Yishui County, causing heavy casualties.
The original owner of the body once set up a tomb with tears in his ancestral grave for his parents who were devoured by ghosts.
The corpses that had not been collected back then were buried haphazardly in this barren grave with no one taking care of them or worshiping them.
Thinking of this, Gu Xu couldn't help but pause.
"Are you scared?" Shi Xiaohan beside him said calmly.
She carried a large knife that was one meter long and weighed nearly ten kilograms, but she walked as light as a swallow. In order to keep up with her pace, Gu Xu already felt that he had some difficulty breathing.
"I'm just a little tired." Gu Xu replied. His heart was pounding and his chest began to ache.
Shi Xiaohan slowed down and said, "You are so weak, can you beat ghosts later? If they touch you, you will die suddenly on the spot, right?"
"Don't worry," a calm smile appeared on Gu Xu's pale face, "I won't fight hand-to-hand with ghosts - besides, sometimes the heroine protects me, how can they get close to me?"
"Humph, of course." Shi Xiaohan liked hearing this kind of words, and the corners of his mouth could not help but raise slightly, revealing two small dimples on his slightly baby-fat face.
…………
Note:
(1) "The sky is round and the earth is round, and there are nine chapters of laws and regulations. I am writing now, and all ghosts are hidden. The urgency is like the laws and regulations!" - Taoist writing curse, used when drawing talismans.
