"Master Zhou," Gu Xu smiled when he saw this strange situation and explained, "These students of yours did pass away eight years ago. It's just that because they were obsessed with the provincial examination, they forgot that they were dead. The fact that he is still alive."
Zhou Jiaoyu stood there, stunned and speechless.
Eight years ago, these scholars were all students he taught personally——
Jiang Wenyuan came from a scholarly family and was very talented. He was known as a "child prodigy" since he was a child. He once passed the Yishui County Examination for the first time.
However, Jiaodong Province is rich in talents. Jiang Wenyuan, a "prodigy" from a small and remote county, could not be ranked in Qiuwei and could not catch the eye of the examiners.
So he failed three exams.
The once high-spirited young man was ravaged by setbacks and turned into a decadent young man who drank to drown his sorrows.
…
Wei Ming is a silly boy from a poor family. He is not very bright, but he is diligent and hardworking. He only thinks about Qiuwei High School and makes his mother look good in the hospital bed.
It's a pity that the imperial examination is comparable to thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge... Some people are not only more talented than him, but also have better family backgrounds than him. The most important thing is that they work harder than him.
Therefore, Wei Ming failed despite repeated attempts.
After taking the exam for fifteen years, I am still a poor scholar.
…
He Xiaoliang is even more interesting.
He was originally a young master from a landlord's family. He grew up eating delicious food and drinking spicy food. He even had a baby engagement with the county magistrate's daughter.
The favorable environment made him a second-generation ancestor who was greedy for pleasure.
But then his father died and the family fell into decline.
Those acquaintances who were once polite and smiling all treated him with indifference and even cynicism.
The county magistrate's daughter also came to him with the engagement contract and asked to break off the engagement.
He Xiaoliang was very angry.
He roared in public, "Don't bully young people into poverty." At the same time, he vowed to show his talents in the imperial examination and impress those who looked down on him.
However, things went counterproductive.
"Don't bully young people into being poor" became "Don't bully young people into being poor", became "Don't bully middle-aged people into being poor", became...
It became an inconspicuous tomb on the hilltop.
…………
But all this disappeared in the disaster eight years ago.
These students, along with their dreams, turned to dust.
No one will remember their hard study.
Their names left in the annals of history will only be the victims of the "Nine Infants' Disaster"——
"Nine Infants" was the "fierce god" level snake monster that ate many people back then. Every resident in Yishui County wanted to kill him with a thousand knives.
Because it is difficult to kill completely, it is currently sealed underground with a spell by the Grand Master of Qi.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jiaoyu's mood became increasingly complicated.
"Gu Shaoxia, what should we do?" He turned to look at Gu Xu, looking a little dazed.
"Let me save them," Gu Xu pondered for a moment and replied, "Master Zhou, the figures you see now are no longer the students you taught back then, but their residual thoughts nurtured by Yin Qi. The ghosts produced.
"Maybe they are not hostile to you for the time being, but if they are allowed to continue to absorb Yin Qi, their remaining rationality will be swallowed up by evil thoughts, and they will eventually grow into fierce and terrifying ghosts, endangering the lives of the county students.
"Letting them reincarnate and be reborn as adults is the most appropriate choice."
Zhou Jiaoyu sighed and nodded solemnly.
However, at this moment, a change occurred.
If Gu Xu guessed correctly, the remnant souls of these scholars should have suddenly smelled the breath of his [Spirit Summoning Body].
Although their sanity still remains, it is obviously not enough to resist this strong temptation.
The respect and confusion in their eyes suddenly disappeared and turned into greed and madness - like jackals who had been hungry for several days and saw the prey that suddenly came to their door.
Black mist rose.
The surrounding Yin energy poured into their bodies like a flood.
Their bodies distorted and changed rapidly.
His face turned blue and black, and fangs sprouted from his mouth.
Then he showed a fierce look, let out a deep roar, and rushed towards Gu Xu and Zhou Jiaoyu.
Zhou Jiaoyu was so frightened that he could no longer stand still.
"Ahhhh——"
He screamed, his legs gave way, and he fell to the ground, his mind went blank.
"Gu Gu Gu Gu...Gu Shaoxia, help, help, help...help!"
"Master Zhou, don't panic," Gu Xu still looked calm, "I am here."
At the same time, he reminded himself in his mind: next time he sees Mr. Zhou who likes to scream, he must remember to wear earplugs.
At this moment, Gu Xu has roughly estimated the strength of these remaining souls of scholars——
A little stronger than the evil spirit, but far inferior to the painted skin.
It can be regarded as a relatively advanced "wandering soul", but it has not yet reached the level of "wild ghost".
All in all, it belongs to the kind of ghosts that Gu Xu can easily kill in seconds.
"Are you so arrogant because you can't wait to sunbathe?"
The corners of Gu Xu's mouth turned up slightly, and then he took out a few "Tai Shang Arctic Demon Suppression and Ghost Killing Talismans" from his pocket, recited the incantation, and gently threw them forward.
The house is filled with light.
Just like the morning light carrying the sun, all things can be seen.
The gloom was swept away in an instant.
The ferocious remnant souls of these scholars also disappeared without a trace, leaving no trace.
It's like it never existed.
The light faded.
Zhou Jiaoyu sat motionless on the spot, his face as white as a corpse, and he never came back to his senses.
"Master Zhou, are you okay?"
"I...I, I, I'm okay."
Gu Xu smiled faintly and reached out to help Zhou Jiaoyu, who was in a daze, from the ground.
I have to say that what happened tonight is still a bit difficult for a mortal like Zhou Jiaoyu to accept.
A student who had been dead for many years suddenly appeared in front of him, and then turned into a vicious ghost——
Such a scene was enough to leave a deep shadow in his heart.
Gu Xu sighed lightly.
Then close your eyes and recite the "Rebirth Mantra" silently:
"Your Majesty's decree, transcend your ghosts, all ghosts and demons, and be blessed by the four living beings..."
Poor scholars, I hope you won’t have to suffer from repeated failures in your next life.
…………
After a while, the two returned to the gate of the county school.
At this time, the night was hazy and the autumn wind was biting.
The moving clouds swallowed the moon from time to time and spit it out again.
Since the effective time of the spell has passed, the red lantern in Zhou Jiaoyu's hand turned back into a piece of waste paper and was thrown into the trash by Gu Xu.
"Thanks to Mr. Gu's help this time," Zhou Jiaoyu finally managed to regain his composure, clasped his hands in his fists, and bowed deeply to Gu Xu, "If it weren't for Mr. Gu's great powers and superb skills, I might have died in those... …in the hands of those ghosts.”
Unknowingly, Zhou Jiaoyu's address to Gu Xu changed from "young hero" to "sir".
In the Daqi Dynasty, "Sir" was not a bad title.
It is a respectful title for teachers, respected elders, or people with knowledge and status.
Of course, it can also be used to address practitioners with extraordinary abilities.
It can be seen that Zhou Jiaoyu has forgotten Gu Xu's age before he was crowned, and began to discuss friendship with him as his equal.
…………
Note:
(1) "The morning light carries the rays, and all things are seen." - Wang Shaozhi of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, "Twenty Songs of the Four Chambers of the Song Dynasty, Part 11, Food and Lift Songs"
(2) "The Supreme Lord's decree transcends your lonely soul, all ghosts and ghosts, and is blessed by you in all four lives." - Taoist Rebirth Mantra.
