That night, at the unanimous request of his colleagues in the Yishui Exorcism Department, Gu Xu was forced to follow the yamen's past practice and treat everyone to a meal at the restaurant.
Because Shi Xiaohan's father, an official in Laizhou Prefecture, was on vacation today and came to Yishui County incognito to visit her, so Shi Xiaohan had to go home early and was unable to attend Gu Xu's celebration banquet.
Gu Xu has always considered himself a calm and dignified person - even when faced with vicious evil spirits, he can deal with them calmly and calmly.
However, when he saw the plates of expensive dishes on the dining table, he couldn't smile at all, he only felt that his heart was bleeding——
That's all free money!
At the same time, colleagues held wine glasses and came to toast Gu Xu with smiles on their faces, saying things like "Congratulations to Mr. Gu on your promotion," "I wish you great success in the future," and "Don't forget your brothers when you get rich." Discourse.
Gu Xu thanked him perfunctorily and said, "Brothers won't come home until they're drunk tonight," but in fact his glass was filled with tea.
As a sickly and beautiful man who cherished his life very much, he always kept in mind the essentials of health care and never drank alcohol.
And because Gu Xu's identity is different from what it used to be, and he can be regarded as the immediate boss of everyone present in the future, so everyone did not dare to expose his clumsy lie. Instead, they all told lies with their eyes open, and kept complimenting "Master Gu has a good drinking capacity." .
In addition, every time a dish is served, everyone's eyes will be focused on Gu Xu's chopsticks - only Gu Xu moves his chopsticks first, and others dare to follow suit.
Even the person who used to be carefree and never talked out of his mind was now acting a little reserved——
Every time he talked to Gu Xu, he would struggle for a long time whether he should call the other person "Brother Gu" like before, or follow the example of other people present and call him "Master Gu".
The change in the attitude of his colleagues made Gu Xu feel a subtle feeling in his heart.
On the one hand, he was inevitably a little arrogant - after all, most of the people around the table were veterans who had been in the officialdom for many years, and they were proficient in flattery, which was much better than the awkward exchanges between him and Shi Xiaohan;
On the other hand, he also noticed that there was a clear sense of distance between himself and his colleagues - even if he was willing to lower his profile, it would be difficult to return to the unrestrained way of getting along with each other before.
But Gu Xu didn't dwell on this issue for too long.
His goal is to become a seventh-level practitioner.
To achieve this goal, he must climb as high as possible.
If his companions cannot keep up with his pace, they are destined to be left behind by him.
He couldn't stop and wait.
…………
So, as soon as Haishi arrived, Gu Xu stood up to pay the bill with tears in his eyes, then left the banquet and returned to his home.
Even though today is a happy day for being promoted to a higher official position, his nightly practice plan remains unshakable.
He sat quietly at the old desk.
The whole room was filled with candlelight, emitting a dim yellow halo.
The little book boy in a gray shirt came to him with a cup of hot tea, lowered his head and said, "Master, please have some tea."
This little book boy was originally a painting on the screen.
Gu Xu once used the art of talisman and seal script to imbue it with spirituality, so that the little book boy could step out of the painting and do some chores such as serving tea and pouring water.
"It's time to call 'Sir' now." Gu Xu glanced at the little book boy and corrected him pretending to be serious.
"Yes, Master." The little book boy responded respectfully.
Gu Xu shook his head helplessly, and couldn't help complaining in his heart: This guy is really a veritable "artificial retard", he can't even understand what he's saying.
Then, Gu Xu took out the booklet he carried with him from his pocket and summarized his recent experimental research:
"Experiment time: the seventh day of October in the twenty-third year of Tianxing;
"Experimental content: Evaluate the effect of the third generation "Ghost Killing Talisman" (semi-finished product);
"Improvement direction: first, increase the damage value; second, make the 'ghost-killing talisman' get rid of dependence on talisman paper and pen and ink; third, use the 'god-seeking spell' to borrow other people's true energy to increase the 'ghost-killing talisman''s power;
“Experimental subjects: Taoyuan Suppresses the Soul of the Dead, Dream-Eating Tapir;
“Experimental results: devastating and remarkable effect;
"Experimental conclusion: It has been verified that the above improvement directions are feasible, and the 'Ghost Killing Talisman' can continue to be improved according to the original plan;
"Remarks: I got a promotion and a salary increase today. I'm very happy."
After finishing writing, his eyes stayed on these words for a long time.
Since he traveled to the past, he has filled two entire pamphlets like this.
Every page records his understanding and insights into talismans, mantras, divination, and every bit of his practice.
Others will only be amazed by his outstanding performance today.
But Gu Xu understands that freezing three feet is not a day's cold.
Only through thick accumulation can we achieve thin hair.
"It's time." He said softly after a long silence.
Then he took out the small porcelain bottle containing the elixir, took out the "Spirit Gathering Pill" that he had redeemed more than half a month ago, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it.
The function of the "Spirit Gathering Pill" is to refine the true energy, strengthen the soul, and assist monks who have perfected the first realm to advance to the second realm.
After a long period of suppressing his realm and consolidating his foundation, Gu Xu has now reached the pinnacle of the first realm.
If you want to go further, you can only break through.
He slowly closed his eyes and recited the practice mantra silently.
Under the influence of the technique, the surrounding Yin Qi turned into huge tidal waves and poured into his body.
At this moment, in Gu Xu's conscious world, an ancient archway vaguely emerged.
It is the legendary pass that separates the worlds of Yin and Yang - "Ghost Pass".
Beyond the "Gate of Hell" is vast darkness.
Can't see the way forward, can't find the direction.
If you take one wrong step, you will fall off a cliff and die.
In this darkness, there were still faint sounds of whispering, crying, and wailing.
According to legend, this sound comes from the lonely ghosts outside the gate of hell - they were once cultivators who failed to break through the realm and died unfortunately. They lost their minds under the erosion of Yin Qi, and constantly tempted the subsequent cultivators to embrace darkness and fall into depravity.
But Gu Xu looked calm and unmoved.
In his hand, a lantern suddenly appeared out of thin air - it glowed with dazzling light, illuminating the winding road ahead.
There are nine meanders on this road, named "Yellow Spring".
Gu Xu strode forward along this bumpy road.
The ancient and dangerous "Ghost Gate" was left far behind him, and eventually disappeared into the boundless darkness.
His aura was rising steadily.
His limited true energy also turned into an endless river at this moment.
Then he opened his eyes and looked out the window.
The sleeping Yishui County came into view.
The streets and alleys were dark and silent.
The lights of thousands of houses have been extinguished.
Seeing such a scene, he tapped his right hand twice on the armrest of the chair.
"Ta", "Ta".
Then, a lantern on the roadside suddenly lit up.
Then came the second, third, fourth...
A few minutes later, the lights in the entire county came on, like a sea of bright stars, all bright.
The corners of Gu Xu's mouth turned up slightly, and the joy could no longer be hidden in his calm eyes.
After months of accumulation, it suddenly exploded.
The matter of spiritual practice is actually very simple.
