Gu Xu, the head of the Exorcism Department, Jin Yangzi, Master Fu Dao, guest teacher at Longmen Academy, and leader of this "Luoshui Conference", secretly colludes with ghosts and plots rebellion!
As soon as the Daqi court announced the wanted order for Gu Xu, it caused a strong sensation in Luojing City.
Regarding this matter, the practitioners and ordinary people in Luojing were in disbelief at first.
After all, in the past few months, they had heard too many legendary stories about Gu Xu - such as his face-to-face confrontation with "fierce god" level ghosts on Yishan Mountain and saving Qingzhou Prefecture from danger; With his power, he killed all the ghosts and monsters near Dagu Pass, bringing peace to the villagers in the suburbs of Luojing; another example is that he created the "Fire Character", which enabled monks who did not understand the Tao of Talisman to also have the ability to draw talismans to kill ghosts...
It can be said that in the eyes of everyone, Gu Xu is already a hero who fights against ghosts, and he is also the most dazzling star among the young generation of the Daqi Dynasty.
But now, this legendary hero has transformed into a traitor who conspired to treason.
Such news shocked everyone no less than when Lu Huan, the chief minister of the cabinet, committed treason.
However, as the Da Qi court posted notices to the public, people quickly learned about the entire incident——
Gu Xu secretly colluded with the ghost king of Mangshan and the Zhao family of Youzhou, intending to break into the royal treasury through the "Luoshui Conference" and seize the "Jingshan Bi", the seal of the Chu Kingdom, in order to control the evil spirit and destroy the "Tianlong Formation" .
As long as the "Tianlong Formation" is destroyed, the ghosts outside the city will break through the city wall and hunt and kill the people in the city wantonly.
After that, the Ghost King of Mangshan and Duke Zhao Changying broke into the palace and tried to kill the emperor.
In order to stop them, Da Qi's Imperial Master and Exorcist Division Chief Luo Chuan were both seriously injured in the battle and fell into a coma.
Fortunately, when Luojing City was in the most critical moment, His Majesty the wise and mighty Emperor broke through and fought one against two. With his strong strength and God's blessing, he killed the Ghost King of Mangshan, severely injured Zhao Changying, and repaired the "Tianlong Formation". ", saving the people of Luojing from dire straits.
"Kill the traitor Gu Xu" was the first order the emperor personally issued after leaving confinement.
If it weren't for the Emperor's keen eyesight and clear-sightedness to expose this traitor's identity, I'm afraid this traitor would still be lurking in Luojing City and continue to harm the people of Daqi.
…………
For His Majesty the Emperor, the citizens of Daqi generally have a kind of worship that is almost like a god.
In addition, three people can become tigers, and everyone can win gold.
People quickly accepted the court's statement.
The previous praise, praise, and admiration for Gu Xu have all turned into belittlement, rejection, and contempt.
For example, Longmen Academy, when it saw this notice, immediately crossed out Gu Xu's name from the teaching roster to disassociate itself from Gu Xu.
For example, the Chen family in Xiangyang, after learning the news, immediately burned the wedding gift they were going to give to Gu Xu to ashes to show that they were incompatible with the national thieves...or, in other words, to express their loyalty to the emperor.
There were also many people who made up many different versions of stories around Gu Xu's identity as a "rebel" and talked about it after dinner.
Some people say that the reason why Gu Xu possesses the shocking speed of breaking through realms is because he practices the "ghost cultivation method" of gaining true energy by devouring other people's souls.
Some people say that the reason why Gu Xu is knowledgeable and knows all kinds of Taoist moves in the world is because his true identity is a thousand-year-old ghost disguised as a human, with a long lifespan and rich experience.
Some people say that the reason why Gu Xu was able to escape death on Yishan Mountain is because he was originally a lackey and accomplice of Kongxuan Sanren - the fact that he defeated many talented people and won the inheritance of the Laoshan relics is the evidence. If the saint hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid the entire Qingzhou Prefecture would have been harmed by him.
…
Each of these stories is more outrageous than the last, but many people are willing to believe it and listen to it with gusto.
After all, for these monks with mediocre qualifications and mediocrity, they are more willing to accept a monk who practices evil methods and has a bad character than a young prodigy who is brilliant, wise and courageous.
It seems that putting a stain on Gu Xu's glorious image can make them feel psychologically balanced.
…………
At this moment, Shi Lei from Qianhu House in Laizhou Prefecture was pacing back and forth in the house, feeling restless.
After finally finding an ideal son-in-law, he was already preparing for the wedding with great fanfare, so that his daughter could get married in a dignified and glorious manner.
Unexpectedly, in one day, the talented and promising son-in-law turned into a treasonous traitor.
Shi Lei only found it difficult to accept.
He believed from the bottom of his heart that Gu Xu was a man of good character and could not do such a despicable thing.
If he were twenty years younger, he would have risked being beheaded and went to the Zichen Palace to meet the emperor and ask for evidence of Gu Xu's treason in order to clear Gu Xu's innocence.
But now, Shi Lei is older, and he is no longer the passionate young man who would fall out with his fellow tribesmen for love and report to the supervisory agency for accepting bribes from superior officials.
He has been eroded by his many years of official life, and his edge has been sharpened by the complex conflicts of interests and interpersonal relationships.
The character in my heart has also unconsciously changed from "cultivate oneself, manage one's family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world" to "be careful to sail a ship that lasts for thousands of years."
Now that he is an official, he no longer seeks to be promoted to a higher position or to make achievements in his career. He only wants everything to be safe, not to make mistakes, not to offend others, and to work safely until he reaches his official career.
For the sake of his daughter's future, he even considered bringing a gift to say hello to the examiner of the promotion examination in private - such behavior was undoubtedly something he despised when he was young.
Such a smoothed-out middle-aged man would naturally not take the risk of offending the emperor in order to clear Gu Xu's grievances.
The emperor only ordered Gu Xu to be killed without implicating his relatives and friends, which was already a great mercy.
If the emperor is offended by this matter and is regarded as Gu Xu's accomplice, then the lives of Shi Lei and his daughter Shi Xiaohan will be in danger.
Of course Shi Lei admired Gu Xu very much.
But appreciation is just appreciation after all, and it cannot compare to his heartfelt love for his daughter.
As a father, he is not afraid of sacrificing himself, nor does he mind sacrificing anyone else, as long as he can protect his daughter from life-threatening danger.
Therefore, after pondering for a long time, Shi Lei invited the matchmaker who had previously set up the matchmaker to his home, and in front of them, took out the marriage certificate between Gu Xu and Shi Xiaohan.
In the Daqi Dynasty, marriage focused on "the orders of the parents and the matchmaker." Whether it was an engagement or an annulment, the parents and the matchmaker were required to be present.
When getting engaged, the matchmaker is responsible for writing the marriage letter. After it is written, it will be made into two copies, which will be fingerprinted by both men and women and kept separately.
A private verbal engagement between a man and a woman has no legal effect.
When breaking off the engagement, if the two families reach an agreement, the matchmaker will write a document contacting the marriage contract. Both men and women will press their fingerprints, then destroy the original marriage document and return their respective engagement tokens.
Of course, if you encounter special circumstances, special handling is required.
For example, today, Gu Xu was not present, and Shi Xiaohan was still lying in bed recovering from his injuries, unconscious from taking the soul-repairing elixir.
Shi Lei took the marriage certificate, walked to the fireplace, took a deep breath, and threw it into the blazing fire.
I could only hear him say in a slightly trembling voice: "Gu... Gu Xu is a monstrous and rebellious beast. He has no father, a dog with a wolf's heart, and collaborates with the enemy and treason. I... my whole family, young and old, swear to sever all ties with him and never sever any ties with him." We live together.
"This marriage contract was signed by my daughter and I without knowing its true identity after being deceived by his sweet talk. Now... just pretend it never existed."
In the stove, the blazing flames greedily licked the bright red wedding letter, and the black writing and the two finger prints that were close together were instantly turned into ashes.
Later, Shi Lei ordered his servants to take out the betrothal gifts that Gu Xu had sent earlier, including betrothal cakes, seafood, tea, sesame seeds, cloth, etc., and pile them in the courtyard.
Gu Xu was now a prisoner of the imperial court, so it was naturally impossible for the betrothal gift to be returned the way it came.
So Shi Lei used the true fire to burn them all into ashes to show that the Shi family and Gu Xu were done with each other and had nothing to do with each other from now on.
As for the "nacai gift" sent by Gu Xu - the two wild geese, Shi Lei opened the cage and released them into the sky. From now on, they can go wherever they like.
While Shi Lei was busy burning the betrothal gift, Shi Xiaohan, who was lying in bed recovering from his injuries, had a nightmare.
In her dream, she saw Gu Xu walking toward the distance along a long, narrow and rugged road.
She ran with all her strength, trying to catch up with him, but found that she had been standing still and could only watch him go further and further away, and finally disappeared from sight.
She shuddered and woke up from her nightmare.
Then she climbed out of the bed, wearing a white singlet with her delicate white feet bare, and stumbled out of her room.
There were many questions in her stomach - such as where Gu Xu was now, whether he was injured in the battle, when he would come here to visit her... She was ready to ask her father one by one.
However, as soon as she walked into the courtyard, she saw her father, witnessed by the matchmakers, using the fire of true energy to burn all the betrothal gifts that Gu Xu had sent previously.
The father looked tired, his eyes were red, and he was chanting words over and over again in a hoarse voice, such as "severing ties with national traitors" and "not recognizing this son-in-law who has committed the crime of treason."
Watching each betrothal gift turn into ashes in the raging fire, Shi Xiaohan's mind suddenly went blank.
She ran forward with weak legs and shouted over and over again: "Gu Xu is not a national traitor! He saved my life! Don't cancel the engagement!"
But after just a few steps, her legs gave out and she fell to the ground, causing pain in her knees.
Seeing his precious daughter who fell down, Shi Lei immediately frowned in distress.
He hurried forward, stretched out his hand to help Shi Xiaohan up from the ground, and asked with concern: "Where did you fall? Does it hurt badly? Do you need me to give you some medicine?"
But Shi Xiaohan ignored him at all.
She struggled, trying to pull away Shi Lei's hands that were supporting her, and rescue Gu Xu's pile of betrothal gifts from the raging fire.
But Shi Lei's arms were like steel, tightly holding her, making it impossible for her to break free.
"Xiaohan, don't do anything stupid," Shi Lei said to her earnestly, "I did this for your own good. Gu Xu's current status is a prisoner of the imperial court. I can't let you marry him again.
"My baby daughter is the most beautiful and outstanding girl in the world. She will definitely meet someone better in the future——
"——I won't marry anyone except Gu Xu!" Shi Xiaohan shouted in a crying voice.
Shi Lei sighed silently.
He felt that this was because his silly daughter could not accept Gu Xu's change of identity, so she was so excited.
But he believes that time can dilute everything and make ignorant young people mature.
When Xiaohan grows older, she will understand her good intentions, gradually forget about this young relationship, and step into a new life.
So, he took out a bottle of sleeping potion from the storage magic weapon and poured it into Shi Xiaohan's mouth.
The petite girl quickly fell asleep and stopped struggling.
Then, Shi Lei took his daughter back to the room, put her on the bed, and covered her with a quilt.
"Sorry, Xiaohan."
Looking at his daughter's sweet and peaceful sleeping face, Shi Lei said softly, with complicated emotions in his eyes.
After staying for a while, he returned to the courtyard and said to the matchmakers around him: "This little girl has a simple personality and has never done anything. She was deceived by the traitor Gu Xu, and she still misses her... It makes everyone laugh."
The matchmakers all said that Gu Xu was good at disguise, and even the saints could not see through his true face, let alone a little girl who was not familiar with the world.
At the same time, they did not forget to do business: if Mr. Shi wants to choose another husband for his daughter in the future, or wants to marry a second wife for himself, he must remember to contact them.
Shi Lei said polite words, but in his heart he just wanted to drive them out as soon as possible.
After Gu Xu and the bride price were burned cleanly, Shi Lei stood in the yard, looking at the clear blue sky above his head, and was silent for a long time.
Suddenly, he remembered Luo Sishou's prediction - "Gu Xu will be able to cultivate to a state above that of a saint in the future."
Shi Lei thought: If Gu Xu is protected by God and successfully escapes this disaster, will one day in the future he return to Luojing City with a powerful and dazzling appearance to settle the current debt?
But he quickly shook his head and drove this ridiculous idea out of his mind.
There are many powerful people in the Daqi Dynasty and the security is tight. There is no chance for Gu Xu to escape safely.
Even if he really ran out of the country and cultivated to a state above that of a saint, he might not be able to fight against Emperor Tianxing.
Like Zhao Changying, Duke of Yan State, isn't he a powerful eighth level true king?
But he was still defeated miserably at the hands of Emperor Tianxing.
"The Emperor is invincible," Shi Lei told himself in his heart, "Xiaohan...she will still have to work hard to adapt to a new life without Gu Xu."
…………
Luojing City, Shouchangfang.
As the saying goes, "When a tree falls, the hozen will scatter."
When Gu Xu went from being the proud son of heaven to being a treasonous traitor that everyone wanted to beat, the elixir workshop under his name no longer had the bustling business and bustling crowds of the past, but became a shabby and desolate place. Deserted.
Many monks in the workshop who came because they admired Gu Xu's reputation also took their luggage and went their separate ways.
Logically speaking, if Gu Xu committed treason, all his property would be taken back by the imperial court.
However, considering that "Shuchangfang" was originally the property of the Shi family, in order to appease the emotions of Shi Lei and his family, Princess Zhaoning, who presided over political affairs, returned it to the Shi family.
However, the "Shuchangfang" plaque written by Gu Xu himself was roughly removed from the top of the gate by the imperial officers and soldiers, and was thrown into the furnace and burned to ashes.
At this moment, in front of the bare door, Yang Shuo, the steward of the Shi family, was grabbing Shen Qiu's sleeve and patiently persuading him: "Master Shen, please stay! This elixir workshop is Can you bear to watch your hard work decay day by day?
"Mr. Shen, the Shi family is extremely wealthy and has a strong foundation. The treatment it can give you will definitely not be worse than that given to you by that treasonous traitor Gu Xu.
"Stay here, you can realize your ideals and ambitions without any scruples, without worrying about being implicated——"
"——Shi Qianhu taught you these words!" Shen Qiu, carrying a light bag, interrupted him in his usual sharp tone.
Manager Yang was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and nodded: "You still guessed it."
He knew that the reason why "Shuchangfang" was able to develop and grow in a short period of time was partly because of Gu Xu's reputation, and partly because of Shen Qiu's proper management.
But now Gu Xu has become a wanted criminal.
If his disciple Shen Qiu leaves just like this, then this elixir workshop will be restored to its original shape in an instant.
Therefore, both Shi Lei and Manager Yang very much hope that Shen Qiu can stay and continue to run this elixir workshop.
Manager Yang paused for a moment and then said: "But Mr. Shen, you have to know that Mr. Shi is very sincere to you. If you are willing to stay, he is willing to pay double your salary——"
"I reject."
Shen Qiu said calmly, taking out his sleeve from Manager Yang's hand, then turned and walked towards the street with few people.
He is very short, but the sunlight shining on him makes his shadow very long.
Manager Yang used his skills and hurriedly caught up with him: "Mr. Shen, do you really not think about it anymore? You should know that your current identity is somewhat sensitive. If you leave here, you may not be able to find a better one in the future. ——”
"——Tell me, Mr. Shi," Shen Qiu interrupted him again, "I, Shen Qiu, will only recognize one Dong Weng in my life."...
As soon as he finished speaking, he walked as fast as the wind and quickly disappeared at the end of the street. _&
