Chu Fengge, surrounded by his entourage, sat in a gorgeous six-carrying sedan and walked slowly towards the exorcism department's office.
"Xu San, how come there are nearly twice as many people gathered here today than yesterday?" He poked half of his head out of the sedan, looked at the bustling crowd not far away, and frowned slightly.
Xu San thought to himself: That is naturally because Gu Xu, a young official in Yishui, rose to fame yesterday and became the focus of everyone's attention.
But he didn't dare to say this.
Because he knew that Mr. Chu hated it when his subordinates praised others for their excellence in front of him.
So Xu San smiled and replied: "They all came here specifically to admire your style, Mr. Chu."
Chu Fengge nodded with satisfaction, his eyebrows suddenly stretched.
Those noisy voices seemed to become particularly beautiful at this moment.
…………
After Gu Xu finished his breakfast, he returned the food box to Shi Xiaohan, then turned and walked towards the Yamen lobby.
"Hey, wait!" Shi Xiaohan suddenly stopped him.
Gu Xu stopped and turned around.
"Your headscarf is crooked, let me straighten it for you." She hesitated for a moment and pointed at his head.
"Then it's time for you, Sir." Gu Xu smiled slightly and bent down.
Shi Xiaohan stood on tiptoes and stretched out his hand to arrange his scarf neatly.
Her movements were a little clumsy.
After all, as the eldest daughter of an official family, she doesn't often do this.
"Okay," after a moment, she smiled with satisfaction, revealing a pair of white teeth, "with a neat turban, that's what a Daqi official should look like."
…………
Ma Qin stood in the inner courtyard of the Yamen, using the accumulated water on the ground as a mirror, silently arranging his clothes.
He put the turban tightly on his head to cover his thin hair.
Thinking of the upcoming assessment today, he sighed involuntarily.
Daqi's future is too terrifying.
I don’t know if I will ever have the opportunity to take off this tattered headscarf and replace it with that magnificent black gauze hat in my lifetime.
…………
When the morning bell rang, Gu Xu and Ma Qin walked into the lobby of the Yamen together.
Chu Fengge was already waiting for them here.
He occupied the imperial chair that originally belonged to Chen Jisheng in the center of the lobby, crossed his legs and played with an exquisite white jade pot casually.
At first glance, he seemed distracted, as defiant as ever.
But in fact, the moment Gu Xu crossed the threshold, the corner of his eye had already firmly locked onto this talented young man.
This young man is thin and has a green face. He seems unable to even carry a knife or a gun.
But his eyes were calm beyond imagination——
Like a frozen lake, even on this important occasion concerning the future and destiny, there was no ripple at all.
"He's a strong enemy." Chu Fengge commented silently in his mind.
After a long silence, Chu Fengge picked up the white jade pot in his hand and introduced the two candidates in a calm tone:
"This jade pot is called 'Wen Gu Pot', and it is a precious magic weapon of Lord Si Shou.
“It can record the ghost cases in the history of the Exorcism Department in the form of illusions in the pot.
"As long as you recite specific mantras, your spiritual consciousness can enter a specific illusion in the pot and re-experience past cases.
“The monks at the Exorcism Division’s headquarters in Beijing often conduct actual combat training in the illusion of the pot.
"And your next assessment will also be conducted in this 'Review Pot'."
There are such magical treasures in this world!
Hearing this, Ma Qin stared at the small and exquisite white jade pot and marveled in his heart.
Gu Xuze raised the corners of his mouth slightly and complained in his heart: It seems that Master Chen was right. The so-called actual combat assessment is to go to the fantasy world to brush a copy.
Then, Chu Fengge waved his sleeves gently, and two jade talismans leaped up from the table and flew into the hands of Gu Xu and Ma Qin respectively.
"The requirements for this assessment are very simple," Chu Fengge continued, "As long as you kill all the ghosts in the illusion, you will pass the assessment.
"The formula for entering the 'Warming Pot' has been engraved on the jade talisman in your hands.
"If you find it too difficult during the test and want to give up, just crush the jade talisman - so that you can leave the illusion in advance.
"Do you have any more questions?"
Before Gu Xu and Ma Qin could speak, Chu Fengge said to himself: "Since you have no questions, I will announce that today's actual combat assessment has officially begun."
Gu Xu lowered his head and glanced at the jade talisman in his hand.
I saw a line of small golden seal characters engraved on it: "All appearances are false."
If Chu Fengge is right, this sentence is the key to entering the fantasy world of "Reviewing the Old Pot".
"Brother Gu Xian, are you ready?" Ma Qin held the jade talisman tightly in his hand and said to Gu Xu beside him.
Gu Xu nodded.
Then the two of them sat down cross-legged and softly recited the mantra on the jade talisman.
The exquisitely carved "warming pot" suddenly glowed with a milky white halo.
The faint sound of fairy music sounded in their ears.
Gu Xu slowly closed his eyes.
His consciousness gradually sank into darkness, as if entering a sweet dream.
…………
After a long time.
A little light appeared in the darkness.
Then the light spread, like ripples in the lake, occupying Gu Xu's entire field of vision.
He blinked and finally saw the scene in front of him clearly.
The mist of the river illuminates Qinglan, and the houses on both sides of the strait have painted eaves.
Painting boats are arriving from the horizon, wine flags are blowing in the wind.
Shaded by green willows and brilliant peach blossoms, it forms a fresh and beautiful Jiangnan landscape.
It's like a wonderful fairyland, it's hard to believe that it really exists.
This is completely different from the scene Gu Xu imagined.
He originally thought that the illusion of this practical assessment would be the same as that of the haunted Wang family mansion, with a gloomy atmosphere, ghosts and shadows, and a creepy atmosphere.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be Chun and Jingming!
When something goes wrong, there must be a monster.
Gu Xu did not relax his vigilance because of this, but became more cautious.
He instinctively reached for his pocket.
The various talismans and seals that I usually carry with me are gone.
The booklet used to record experiments anytime and anywhere is missing.
The small porcelain bottle containing the elixir was also missing.
The only thing left was the jade talisman Chu Fengge gave him.
"It seems that this illusion in the pot only allows spiritual consciousness to enter. Weapons and magic weapons cannot be brought in." He thought to himself secretly.
This undoubtedly means that many of his trump cards cannot be used in this illusion.
But fortunately he is a talisman cultivator.
As long as he has paper, pen, and enough time, he can continuously produce new talismans.
At the same time, Ma Qin beside him also said regretfully: "I couldn't bring my saber in either."
As a sword cultivator, he felt as if he had lost an arm and felt uncomfortable all over.
…………
Note:
(1) "All appearances are false." - "Diamond Sutra"
(2) "The mist of the river illuminates the clear mist. People on both sides of the bank have painted eaves, and the lotus bushes are covered with pale autumn light. Watch the sand gulls dance again and again, and roll the bead curtains ten miles away in the fragrant wind. The painted boats are coming to the horizon, and the wine flags are blowing in the wind. Love to kill Jiangnan!"——Yuan Zhang Yanghao's "Water Fairy: Ode to Jiangnan"
