The housekeeper known as "Uncle Shao" has long been accustomed to his young master's harsh way of speaking.
Shen Qiu was the son of the head of the Shen family in Jinling who had a drunken relationship with a maid. The head of the house and his wife often quarreled over his presence. In addition, Shen Qiu was short and ugly, so the family owner never looked down upon him.
Naturally, Shen Qiu scolded his family without mercy.
"Uncle Shao, don't look at the Shen family's prosperity and wealth, but its status is not stable. There is no future for living comfortably at home like my brothers did," Shen Qiu continued to use The sharp voice said, "Have you noticed that since the current emperor ascended the throne, he has been targeting various powerful families.
"First, the Lu family of Qingzhou was executed by the nine clans for committing treason, and then Zhao Changying, the Duke of Yan, had part of his military power taken away. The cultivation of the fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen was abolished, and the emperor did not pursue it at all. Recently, I also heard There are rumors that the emperor wants to depose the queen... If the queen is really deposed, it must be a very heavy blow to the Chen family in Xiangyang.
"Although the Shen family has not been affected yet, as a child of the Shen family, especially someone like my father who does not love my mother, I have to be prepared for danger in times of peace and find a way out for myself.
"If the big ship of the Shen family really sinks one day, I can sit on the shore and quietly drink tea and eat melon seeds, watching my brothers who can't swim splashing in the waves and shouting 'Help' ...Such a scene must be very interesting.”
Butler Shao frowned slightly.
"Actually, Master, even if you don't stay in Aurous Hill, you can still have some other places to go," he pondered for a moment and then said, "I remember not long ago, the head of Penglai Island took a fancy to your talent and hoped that you would join His sect, be his disciple——"
"——Penglai Island? That's a joke," Shen Qiu sneered, interrupting Butler Shao, "Penglai Island, Lingshan Temple and Shudi Jiange are known as the 'three major sects of the Daqi Dynasty', Lingshan Temple and Jiange are both there. Saint-level powerhouses are in charge, but Penglai Island has not produced a new saint for more than a hundred years. Finally, there was a Kongxuan Sanren, but he turned out to be an abandoned disciple, and he turned into a ghost not long ago... Even Zhao Zhao Yan from the family could beat up all the disciples on Penglai Island with just one spear...
"If I go to such a sect, wouldn't I be looked down upon by those in the family even more?"
When Butler Shao saw that his young master had made up his mind, he stopped talking.
He knew that Shen Qiu appeared to be sharp-tongued and even dared to flirt with members of the three major sects and the royal family, but deep down he actually had a strong self-esteem and cared about what others thought of him.
Due to his appearance, Shen Qiu rarely appeared in public before, preferring to work behind the scenes.
But if you want to go to Longmen Academy to teach, you are destined to face the eyes of the teachers and students of the school, and even the entire capital.
At this time, Shen Qiu continued: "In my opinion, the selection of new teachers in Longmen Academy this time is different from every time before. It is said that the Imperial Master, the Chief of the Exorcism Department and Princess Zhaoning are very concerned about this, It must be of extraordinary significance.
"If I can stand out from the candidates, from an unknown bastard who is despised by my own father, to a master of Fu Tao certified by the saint himself, I will skyrocket to the top. If I fail in the competition, I can also get acquainted with the powerful people in the capital. Mission... After all, anyone who can defeat me in the art of Talisman and Seal Script must be a genius with a bright future - making friends with such a person is definitely more enjoyable than being a dog to my stupid brother."
Shen Qiu's words sounded bitter and mean, but Butler Shao knew that he was telling the truth.
Shen Qiu's brother-in-law is named Shen Hua.
He was born to the main wife of the head of the Shen family, and he grew up with a golden key in his mouth. Everyone in the clan, old and young, from the old grandmother to the little maid serving tea and water, from the sixth realm worshipper to the errand boy, are all surrounding him.
The treatment he received was naturally completely different from that of the bastard Shen Qiu.
But Shen Qiu always felt that Shen Hua's stupid brain was not worthy of such treatment.
Not long ago, the head of the Shen family had tentative discussions with the royal family, hoping that Shen Hua could marry Princess Zhaoning Xiao Wanjun and become the new consort of the Da Qi Dynasty.
However, before the elders could calculate their birth dates, Shen Hua was discovered by the censor from the capital when he was visiting a brothel. Later, it was revealed that Shen Hua had kept many men in his house. Favor.
When the royal family chooses their consort, they not only focus on family status, but also on virtue.
After these things were exposed, it was naturally impossible for Princess Zhaoning to marry Shen Hua again.
The marriage plan fell through.
So in the following period, the entire Jinling Shen family was wiping Shen Hua's butt.
"Sometimes, I really suspect that my brother has been filled with shit," Shen Qiu continued to criticize his brother, "He was only a little bit away from having the chance to marry 'the most beautiful woman in Luo Jing'. Sleeping with the de facto leader of Daqi - that is something that almost all men in Daqi have secretly fantasized about. But he chose to go to a brothel at this critical moment and hang out with a group of men... ... ruined his own reputation and ruined the reputation of his family.
"Hey, who told him to have a noble mother?
"No matter how many things he does wrong, he will be forgiven and someone will help him wipe his butt..."
While Shen Qiu was talking to himself, he took out white paper and charcoal pens from his pocket and scribbled on them casually. Hundreds of ways to draw talisman and seals passed through his mind.
Butler Shao sat opposite him, looked at the tired look on his face, and sighed silently.
At this point, he only hopes that his young master can show his talents in Longmen Academy by virtue of his amazing talent in Talismans.
…………
In the next few days, Gu Xu kept himself locked in the "Qingxiang Pavilion", practicing and reviewing the skills of talisman and seal script. Occasionally, when he had free time, he would try to practice the newly learned spells.
Unknowingly, he made some minor improvements to commonly used talismans such as the "Binding Talisman", "Xuanbing Talisman", and "Fire Flame True Talisman", and advanced another hundred and twenty meters on "Homesickness Ridge" Ten steps.
During this process, the array master from the exorcism department's headquarters came to the "Qingxiang Pavilion" once to maintain the damaged array.
——In fact, Gu Xu felt that if he was given some time, he might be able to study the principles of this formation clearly and fix it by himself without asking for help.
But for him now, time is the most precious thing.
Especially now that he is about to go to Longmen Academy and compete head-on with several well-known Talisman Masters.
So he chose to ask for help.
No need to spend money anyway.
So, after Gu Xu made a request, a middle-aged formation master with a beard and slovenly clothes came to the "Qingxiang Pavilion" - his appearance reminded Gu Xu of those people in the university in his previous life who stayed in the laboratory all night, A scientific dog who is obsessed with research, never cares about his personal appearance, and wears the same outfit every day.
The middle-aged formation master stood in front of the wooden screen on the second floor. He stared at the scorched marks on the screen for a long time, took a deep breath, and showed a surprised look on his face.
"Master Gu, are these marks...really caused by you while practicing your spells?"
"That's right." Gu Xu nodded and admitted, smiling sheepishly.
The middle-aged formation master took a deep breath.
He felt that the flaws in this formation did not exist on the surface, but on the level of rules. To cause such damage to the formation requires a very deep understanding of the Tao.
This middle-aged formation master usually likes to shut himself in his room to study formations and rarely pays attention to external affairs. He is a person who "has no ears to hear what is happening outside the window".
He had heard Gu Xu's name mentioned by others.
But when the young monks in the Yamen showed exaggerated admiration for Gu Xu, he was somewhat skeptical, feeling that these young monks might have exaggerated too much.
Breaking through three realms in one year, cultivating the art of talisman and seal script to master level in one year, comprehending the "Seven Styles of Burning Heaven", and defeating opponents across borders in the Lantern Festival Arena...
How could these incredible things exist in the same person at the same time?
until today--
When he saw with his own eyes that the formation he participated in was destroyed and disintegrated from the rule level, he deeply felt the terror of the young man next to him - his understanding of "Tao" seemed to be better than that of some in the fifth and sixth realms. The monks are stronger.
The middle-aged formation master suddenly felt that the young monks in the yamen were not bragging, but stating the facts.
There may really be such a genius in the world - the things he does are more outrageous than what others say.
"Master Gu, it may be beyond my ability to repair this formation." The middle-aged formation master was silent for a long time, and finally reluctantly admitted his lack of ability. "You may need to go to the Chief of Staff to repair it." The flaws in the rules...the core of the rules was designed by the Chief of Staff, and we just assisted in completing some side work under the command of the Chief of Staff..."
Gu Xu also fell silent.
He began to hesitate whether to trouble the Chief of Staff for such a trivial matter... or to repair the formation by himself after settling the matter at Longmen Academy.
…………
Of course, this incident was just an inconspicuous episode in Gu Xu's cultivation process.
He was immersed in the pleasure of drawing symbols and climbing "Homesickness Ridge", and two days passed before he knew it.
…………
The twenty-fourth day of the first lunar month.
There is one day left before the teaching selection of Longmen Academy.
Gu Xu finished his all-night practice, changed his clothes, and went to the Yamen kitchen to have breakfast.
On the way, a mortal servant in a coarse shirt took a letter and ran to Gu Xu as fast as he could. He said breathlessly: "Gu... Mr. Gu, this is your letter."
Gu Xu took the letter, smiled and thanked him.
Then he opened the envelope as he walked.
This letter was sent by Chen Jisheng from Yishui County.
The first sentence in the letter was: "Gu Xu, today is your eighteenth birthday. I hope everything goes well for you in the capital."
"Eighteen years old..." Gu Xu sighed softly.
When a person celebrates his birthday, people will happily say "Happy birthday to you" to him.
But Gu Xu was not happy.
Because every birthday of his is a countdown alarm clock, telling him in a harsh voice: You have lost another year.
"Twelve years to go."
"It should be...it's too late..."
While he was thinking this, he continued to read Chen Jisheng's letter.
Chen Jisheng said in the letter that the situation in Yishui County was very good and that Gu Xu should focus on his practice without worrying.
The Grand Master of Qi personally took action and sealed the "Nine Infant Snake Demon" underground again, causing the fire to extinguish and the flood to recede. The Exorcism Department headquarters sent many monks to help the Qingzhou Prefecture disaster area rebuild, and Yishui County soon returned to what it was in Gu Xu's memory.
In this disaster, a total of eighteen people died in Yishui County and twenty-nine people were missing. They were all ordinary people without cultivation.
The exorcism department provided pensions to their families.
In addition, the monks in the disaster-stricken area of Qingzhou Prefecture have received support from some spiritual resources.
Wang Yang got a lot of pills, and in the short term, he didn't have to work hard to get merit as he did in the past.
Although his talent was limited, he was so stimulated after this disaster that he almost gave up all entertainment and rest time and devoted all his energy to practice. Chen Jisheng said that Wang Yang's behavior of forgetting sleep and food made him I remembered what Gu Xu looked like when he was in Yishui County.
Ma Qin, who participated in the promotion assessment with Gu Xu, also luckily escaped the disaster and now returns to Yishui County Yamen to continue working.
Because Ma Qin will be thirty-six years old soon, but still has not married a wife, he has been feeling very anxious recently. Chen Jisheng helped him introduce several girls out of good intentions, but due to various reasons, he was never able to negotiate a marriage.
Sometimes the woman dislikes that Ma Qin's job is precarious and he doesn't even have real estate in Yishui County; sometimes Ma Qin dislikes the woman because she is too old, has mediocre looks, or her family members are difficult to get along with; sometimes it is just a simple incompatibility...
Therefore, Chen Jisheng hoped that Gu Xu could help him find out if he had time to find out whether Ma Qin was destined to be the lone star of the evil spirits, but he had not been able to find a suitable partner for so many years.
"Oh, Brother Ma..." Gu Xu smiled and shook his head, not knowing how to evaluate it for a moment.
Chen Jisheng also mentioned in the letter the hunchbacked old man guarding the warehouse - he never thought that in a small place like Yishui Yamen, there would be a clone of a "fierce god" level ghost hidden, and that no one would find it after hiding for so many years. .
Looking back now, it almost gives me goosebumps.
Finally, Chen Jisheng said that he had learned about what Gu Xu had done in the capital from the recent Di newspaper, and that he had won the first place in the Lantern Festival Tournament.
"Fortunately, you didn't embarrass our monks in Yishui County." These were the original words in the letter.
………
After reading the letter, Gu Xu stood there in silence for a long time, feeling a warm current in his heart.
At this moment, someone suddenly pulled off his clothes from behind and said to him with a smile:
"Gu Xu, guess what birthday gift this heroine has prepared for you?"
PS: Please vote for the 4K-word chapter! (Sorry, the scheduled update failed for some reason and is a little late)
