Songling County is under the jurisdiction of Huaide County, one of the four counties in Linzhou.
This is something Qi Jingzhi has known since he was a child. However, it was not until he followed the bustling flow of people for the first time in his life that he passed through the majestic city gate in the north of the county and stepped into Linde, which was more than ten times more prosperous than Songling County. In the back streets, I can really feel the difference between counties in the first half of the sentence.
In front of this county town, the plainly dressed young man was inconspicuous. Even though he was carrying a long knife, the gate guard just glanced at him casually and let him go. This made him ask Magistrate Xiong for a certificate before going out. The "Qi Dutou" who wrote official documents was quite surprised.
In fact, this is not surprising. All the counties and cities in Daqi are commanded by county troops, and the number of soldiers under their command ranges from several thousand to ten thousand. Except for those who are stationed at key points in the county, most of them are deployed inside and outside the county city. , Anyone who wants to cause trouble must first consider whether his neck can withstand the sword of the county army's soldiers.
When the young man from the mountain walked on the back street of Linde and looked up at the towering tower in the middle of the street, he could hardly suppress the wonder in his heart.
According to Jiao Yulang, this pavilion that is higher than the city wall of the county is called Linde Pavilion. It not only cuts Linde Street into two sections, but also unceremoniously occupies the most central position of the county. Both the Shoufu and the Dutongfu will be on both sides.
Xiaowazi also said that there are many similar pavilions and high platforms in various parts of Daqi, with different shapes and locations, and various names, but they are all under the jurisdiction of the Huntian Supervision Department of the Demon Suppressing Academy.
As for the official office of Captain Zhenmo of Huaide County, it is in the front yard of Linde Pavilion. The front yard and the back pavilion are not subordinate to each other. It can be regarded as a joint office, but there is a vague distinction between priorities.
The closer you get, the more depressing the Linde Pavilion gives people. The locals in the county are even more confident. They all say that Linde Pavilion is built so high to suppress the demons in the underground palace below. Therefore, pedestrians on the street Cars and horses often diverted to the left and right after a long distance, unwilling to cause bad luck, which made the area around Linde Pavilion even more deserted.
Qi Jingzhi walked around to the main entrance of Zhenmo Duwei's office. As expected, the entrance was also deserted.
The door was open, and not even the soldier guarding the door could be seen. There was only a hunchbacked old servant sweeping the front steps.
Qi Jingzhi walked closer, cupped his fists and saluted: "Old man, I am the patrol chief of Songling County, and I am here to resolve the tiger infestation in Zhongnangang in the county."
The hunchbacked old servant raised his head and glanced at the young man, and spoke very politely: "This man is looking at the stranger, so he must be coming back for the first time. Mr. Duwei has not been in the office these days, and Liu Gongcao is on duty in the office. Come in. Turn right and you will see the place where the East Check-in is written."
After saying this, the old servant lowered his head, glancing at the young man's left hand seemingly inadvertently.
Seeing this, Qi Jingzhi remained calm, bowed and thanked him again, then entered the gate with his head held high, and then turned right along the road, completely blocking the sight of the old servant behind him.
When he came, he had already inquired with Jiao Yulang and Jindao Wei that the Demon Suppressing Academy would set up a demon-suppressing captain in the county. The small counties were ranked fifth and the large counties were fourth. The people are all seventh or sixth grade, and there are also some police officers. Most of them are without rank, and the highest they can reach is eighth grade.
Qi Jingzhi quickly found the east duty room and saw a young official with a fair face, bright eyes and sparse eyebrows sitting behind the desk.
He immediately went in to explain his intention to the other party and submitted the documents to Songling County Government.
This young official is exactly what the hunchbacked old servant calls Liu Gongcao. At this age, he is on the same level as the county magistrate. He is also an errand boy in the Demon Suppressing Academy. His future future is definitely not comparable to that of Xiong and Hou.
Liu Gongcao read the document carefully, raised his head and chuckled: "I heard a few days ago that a young tiger fighting general came out of Songling County. The captain told us at that time, we can't remember Lu Ao. This We can’t let anyone go, we don’t want Magistrate Xiong to act too quickly!”
Qi Jingzhi had already known the attitude of the Demon Suppressing Academy towards Yehu Chan, so he naturally didn't believe it, but he also had a smile on his face: "Qi's skills are low, and I'm afraid he won't be able to get into the eyes of the captain. Even Magistrate Xiong, he just hangs his hat on me." Just a name to save you some trouble when you go out."
Liu Gongcao nodded and asked about the process of killing the tiger spirit. As he listened, he wrote as fast as he could, describing the foxes in Xiaosong Mountain, the ancient temple of the evil god, the peeling skin of the tiger monk, the colorful clothes of the tiger king, the ghost boy and the servants of the mountain god, etc. The key points were recorded one by one and handed over to Qi Jingzhi for review and signature.
As for the county god's night trial of tiger spirits and demon spirits, because Yin and Yang are different, they are not under the jurisdiction of the Demon-Suppressing Captain, and it also involves the relationship between Songling County Yin Division, Fuya Temple and Demon-Suppressing Academy, so Qi Jingzhi did not mention it.
He read Liu Gongcao's records carefully and said solemnly: "What you have remembered is correct. The two demon boys escaped without a trace. The tiger king behind them is even more mysterious and has never shown up. Please add more, sir." Pay attention and be careful to prevent these monsters and bandits from coming to cause trouble in the county again!"
Liu Gongcao nodded and said solemnly: "Don't worry, Qidu. This tiger king allowed evil spirits to cause trouble, turned into a human tiger, and harmed countless people. A monk from Fuya Temple was also involved, which is already considered a major case. I will definitely report it to Lord Commander Ming, and submit a special document to the state office. I will strictly investigate this case and give an explanation to the people who died!"
Seeing that this meritorious officer attached such great importance to his work, Qi Jingzhi felt relieved. He cupped his fists and saluted, and then signed his name on the file.
After completing the formalities, Liu Gongcao asked with some surprise: "Qi Dutou is a good talker and good at handwriting, but he is actually a person who has read a book?"
As soon as the words came out, the young meritorious officer seemed to feel that something was wrong, and explained with a smile: "Nothing else, I have been in the captain's office for several years, and I have never seen a young talent like Qi Dutou again. Second, this is the question."
It was normal for the subordinate officers of the Demon-Suppressing Captain to be a little arrogant when facing the young man from the mountains. Qi Jingzhi was too lazy to care and nodded and replied: "I have studied with Master Meng in this county for several years."
"I see!"
Liu Gongcao looked astonished, and his tone became a little warmer: "The next step is to settle the reward. Originally, we had to inspect the body of the tiger spirit, but since Qidu has the secretary of Xiong County Magistrate, and he is the disciple of Chief Meng, This step is eliminated."
Qi Jingzhi knew that the other party saw that he was empty-handed, so he offered him a favor and immediately handed over his hand as a token of appreciation.
The young meritorious officer waved his hands indifferently and continued: "Eradicating the man-eating tiger spirit and reopening the trade route is not a small achievement. I didn't know that this monster escaped from Lord Dong's hands before. In fact, I have not promulgated it here. Reward..."
"It's just that the Demon Suppressing Academy has rules for this situation. The bounty can be replenished at a later date. It will definitely not cause Qi Dutou to suffer. And because it is a later replenishment, there is room for maneuver... I wonder what Qi Dutou wants. What?"
This was a real benefit. Qi Jingzhi's heart moved and he immediately asked attentively: "Does Mr. Liu have any skills here?"
Hearing this, Liu Gongcao raised his eyebrows: "Does Qi Dutou want to find a way to practice this book, or..."
There was a hint of curvature at the corner of his mouth, and he looked at the young man's left hand with a half-smile: "A miscellany of magic techniques to eliminate demons and protect the Tao?"
Even though Qi Jingzhi had a calm temperament, he was looked at with strange eyes several times, which made him feel a little annoyed, but he had no way to vent his anger.
He took a deep breath and followed the other person's words and said: "It is best to have a strong life state to nourish the mind and bones. If there is no suitable one, miscellaneous studies are also acceptable."
Seeing that what the young man asked for was just as he expected, Liu Gongcao's young face showed a bit of pride: "I have two methods of nourishing the heart and bones. One is that the heart is a fertile field, everything can be cultivated, and Zhongzheng is peaceful. It is like an old farmer; the second is that the heart is like a flat lake, and those who wish to take the bait, the transcendental things are like a fisherman. With the merits of Qi Dutou, you can choose one of the two."
Qi Jingzhi was silent when he heard the words. Most of the magicians in the world were extreme and surly. The Demon Suppressing Institute came up with such a technique, which can be said to be well-intentioned.
It's a pity that these two techniques are very different from the "heart shakes like a dancing crane, and the bones rise like a flying dragon" in the "Immortal Feather Sutra". If I put it in my own hands, I'm afraid it will have limited effect.
The young man did not hesitate and said straightforwardly: "These two sects are not compatible with me. I heard that sacrificing a sword with blood is an evil skill, but I wonder if Liu Gongcao can change it here?"
Hearing this, Liu Gongcao did not look surprised, but just smiled faintly: "It's not necessarily true that it is an evil act. As long as you don't kill innocent people indiscriminately, sacrificing the sword with blood is not wrong. The mistake is that there is no way to hide the edge, you can't control it, and you are even drunk. The blood-stained ferocious blades are mainly used to turn against the guests. The imperial court and the Demon Suppressing Academy will include methods such as blood sacrificial knives in another book. In fact, it is the same as prohibiting the evil gods from obscene sacrifices. "
Qi Jingzhi nodded thoughtfully, with anticipation in his heart: "What Liu Gongcao means...can I change?"
"Of course not!"
Unexpectedly, the young hero immediately shook his head: "The most important thing in the country is to sacrifice and fight! The method of sacrifice is not trivial and cannot be touched by ordinary people!"
"Sacrificing knives is like offering sacrifices to gods, and offering sacrifices to gods is like being alive. If you are not careful, you may turn into evil gods! Especially those sacrificed by blood, even if they are not evil gods, they are 90% monsters. Otherwise, Qi Dutou would think that those of the charlatan sorcerers Where did all these evil tricks come from?”
He raised his eyes and looked at the young man, half-smiling but not smiling: "By the way, when I say no, I mean that I don't have such a method here. Even if there is, you can't afford to replace it. It's better to find another way."
The other party had already spoken to this extent. Qi Jingzhi, who was very thoughtful, naturally understood and said helplessly: "Well, if there is no sacrificial sword technique, there is always the hidden edge technique, right?"
Liu Gongcao suddenly smiled knowingly: "Don't tell me yet, this is true!"
