Chapter 142: Xinxiang County, a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, Gongzhou Province

Chapter 142: Xinxiang County, a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, Gongzhou Province

Chapter 142: Xinxiang County, a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, Gongzhou Province

Li Tianqing wiped his hands, picked up the Sanren token placed aside, looked at it, and said, "The pattern on this token seems to be the legendary ancient Chinese gods named Fuxi and Nuwa. This kind of pattern is extremely rare. The legends about these two ancient gods have been lost. Even in the books in my Li family, there are only a few words recorded."

He turned over the token and said, "The ruler in their hands is called a ruler, also called a caliper. My family has a copper ruler with a movable cursor, which is used for fine surveying. Legend has it that Fuxi and Nuwa invented the ruler and the compass to determine the square and circle and to make various tools. Later, when people talked about the rules and regulations, they were referring to these two things. It is rare to use the ruler and the compass as tokens."

Chen Shi said: "This is a casual token."

Li Tianqing hurriedly put down the token, fearing that he was too slow to do so. His face was solemn: "If you keep this, you will be beheaded!"

Chen Shi didn't care. He put the token in his pocket and looked at the geographical map.

Seeing that he was nonchalant, Li Tianqing said, "Xiao Shi, you don't know how powerful this thing is! The Sanren are a group of lawless lunatics who have committed numerous crimes and have long been targeted by the government! These guys are disrespectful to the true gods, and the Tianting people are also at odds with them and often hunt the Sanren. If you carry this thing, you will be in danger!"

"My grandfather is a wanderer from all over the world." Chen Shi said.

Li Tianqing hesitated when he heard this.

He had heard of the name Wuhu Sanren, who was a famous figure among the Sanren. It was said that he was the founder of the Southern School of Talismans. His methods were extremely evil and were despised by the righteous people in the martial arts world.

However, he had met Chen Shi's grandfather, Chen Yindu, an old man who looked very serious and did not look like a big evil figure.

"Not all the scattered people are scum," said Li Tianqing.

Chen Shi said: "I am also a casual person."

Li Tianqing was silent for a moment, took out a token from his pocket and placed it in front of Chen Shi.

This token is also a token for individual players.

Chen Shi was slightly startled and looked at him in confusion.

Li Tianqing sighed and said, "When Xiao Wangsun was instructing me, he just gave it to me. He thought I had good talent and that I could learn better things by becoming a free man. I went back to the Li Mansion to look up the pattern on it, and only then did I know how clear it was. But..."

He smiled with a hint of pride, "I joined Sanren much earlier than you! Apparently Xiao Wangsun thinks I'm stronger!"

Chen Shi didn't argue with him about this.

When he joined Sanren ten years ago, his divine fetus had not yet been cut off, and he followed his grandfather to participate in Sanren gatherings, much earlier than Li Tianqing.

"This year's Autumn Examination will be held in August, while the Sanren Assembly will be held on the seventh day of June, a difference of more than a month."

Chen Shi suggested, "The gathering of scattered people will last for more than one day. It may take several days before and after. It is better to attend the gathering of scattered people first, and then attend the autumn examination."

Li Tianqing hesitated for a moment and said, "But I still need to go home. If I don't go back to the Li family, the Li family will think that I died outside and will not treat my mother well. Why don't you and I meet in Gongzhou Provincial Capital, and then go to Henggong Mountain Wuling together."

Chen Shi smiled and said, "You go home first. I also need to review my lessons."

Li Tianqing stood up and said with a smile: "This time in the Autumn Provincial Examination, you and I will definitely get the first and second place, and rank among the top three!"

He was quite excited and whispered, "If I pass the exam, I can go to Xijing to find Xiao Jin."

"Xiao Jin..." Chen Shi's eyes flashed.

Li Tianqing glanced at him, straightened his chest unconsciously, and said, "I am one year older than you. Xiao Jin will not like children."

Chen Shi sneered, "Counting the eight years I was dead, I would be twenty years old, a perfect match for Xiao Jin."

Their eyes met, and fire burst into them.

At this time, Hei Guo put his two front paws on their shoulders. The two men turned their heads and met Hei Guo's gaze. They read the intention of Hei Guo to persuade them to make peace in his eyes, and then they let go of their grudges.

Li Tianqing said: "There is no time to lose, I will go home first! Xiao Shi, see you in Gongzhou!"

He left in a hurry.

Chen Shi watched him go away and whispered, "I am definitely the top scholar. As for Xiao Jin... But then again, Tian Qing's ability is also extraordinary. If I don't work hard, I will definitely be surpassed by him."

A strong sense of urgency arose in his heart. He hurriedly washed his clothes, hung them up to dry, and took many ancient books to the old willow tree in Huangtugang to study hard. However, if there were anything he did not understand, he would ask Zhu Xiucai for help.

In a short time, Chen Xiucai's knowledge improved rapidly.

After six or seven days, Zhu Xiucai said with emotion: "Xiao Shi, I have taught you all my knowledge. Now there is nothing left to teach you. You can start your apprenticeship now."

Chen Shi was excited and a little scared, and said, "Teacher, I just feel that I still have many shortcomings and find it difficult to implement the teachings of the sages and masters..."

Zhu Xiucai shouted, "Hey! How can you say such a depressing thing? The words of the Master and the ancient sages should be reviewed three times a day and should not be neglected. Xunzi said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles. Only by practicing them one by one can you see the wisdom of the Master and the ancient sages."

Chen Shi said solemnly: "Students have learned a lesson!"

Zhu Xiucai's expression softened and he said, "You are a scholar now. I was also a scholar before I died. Your knowledge is not inferior to mine. Why do you feel inferior to me? The world is so big, you can go anywhere you want."

Chen Shi was filled with great enthusiasm. He immediately said goodbye to Mr. Zhu, burned three bundles of incense to his godmother, turned around, went down the loess hill, and returned to the village to pack his things.

When he had packed everything, the villagers came to see him off spontaneously, led by Old Lady Wuzhu, Grandma Yuzhu and others.

——Huangpo Village was originally torn into pieces, but after the Creator Xiaowu escaped, Hu Xiaoliang used his magic power to piece Huangpo Village back together. The villagers were all safe and sound, but just a little frightened.

Chen Shi was deeply moved and said, "I am ashamed that you, my fellow villagers, came to see me off. Please go back."

Old Lady Wuzhu said, "Scholar, if you pass the imperial examination and become an official, don't forget to take care of us villagers!"

The villagers said, "Be careful when you pass through Fei County. The people there are xenophobic."

"If you don't win, don't come back."

"Yes. Drink this glass of wine and get on your way."

"We're waiting to set off firecrackers!"

……

Chen Shi got on the wooden cart, and the cart rolled out of Huangpo Village. Chen Shi looked back and saw that the villagers' affection was beyond words. When he walked away, the sound of firecrackers came from the village. The villagers beat gongs and drums and were in high spirits, as if it was a festival.

"I will pass the imperial examination, and even get top three in the palace examination. When I come back as the number one scholar, I will make you eat my fill!" Chen Shi said viciously.

Hei Guo was running happily in front. Chen Shi held the compass and drove the wooden cart into the mountains. They moved along the mountain road until the afternoon when they walked out of the Qianyang Mountains. However, not long after they started walking, there were still mountains ahead. Chen Shi slowed down a lot and asked for directions along the way. He walked intermittently until the evening and arrived in Fei County.

Before the sun set, he finally arrived at Feixian County with a caravan.

The people of Fei County are simple and honest. There are human heads hung on wooden stakes outside the county town, and more than a dozen people hanged on trees. Before Chen Shi entered the county town, his purse was stolen. He hurriedly chased the thief, but saw someone running away with the blame.

When he turned around, the wooden cart disappeared!
Chen Shi was furious. He caught the thief who stole the purse, took the purse back, and dislocated the thief's arm.

On the other side, Hei Guo was dragging the knocked-out dog thief back. Chen Shi was holding a compass, and the wooden cart was roaring towards him, and it stopped steadily in front of him. More than ten people chased after him, shouting, "My cart, my cart! You stinky outsider, take my cart!"

There were quite a few people around, and some yamen runners squeezed into the crowd and shouted, "What's the noise?"

Chen Shi said quickly: "You gentlemen, you have come at the right time. This little thief stole my purse and was caught by me. And this man stole my dog ​​and was knocked unconscious by my dog. These dozen people stole my car..."

The yamen runners surrounded him, and one of them shouted, "This stinky outsider has come to Fei County to cause trouble! Catch him!"

The yamen runners rushed forward, but were knocked down by Chen Shi with three punches and two kicks.

He did not kill the person, but said unhappily, "I heard that you Fei County are xenophobic, and it is true."

The yamen runners stood up and shouted, "We in Fei County have never been xenophobic. Don't slander us! You stinky outsiders, just wait and don't leave!" After that, they left in anger.

Chen Shi planned to stay in an inn, but no inn dared to take him in. He was looking for an inn everywhere, but he saw a group of yamen runners and the county magistrate coming towards him aggressively. The county magistrate was behind them, supporting them and raising the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

Chen Shi hurriedly fled from Fei County with the blame.

The magistrate of Fei County led his men to the outside of the city, but failed to find Chen Shi, the stinky outsider, and returned home in hatred.

The magistrate of Fei County said: "If we catch him, make him sit on a stake and hang him on it!"

Sitting on a wooden stake means that one end of the stake is sharpened, and the person sits on it with his buttocks, and slowly sinks down with his own weight. The stake gradually penetrates into the human body, and the person being tortured cannot die for a while and is in unbearable pain, screaming in agony.

Chen Shi was unable to rest in the city, so he had to find a dilapidated temple outside the city and barely spent the night there. In the middle of the night, he heard some noise outside. He didn't know whether it was demons or evil spirits coming out to move around. Some of them were sucking human blood, some were sucking human souls, and some were eating flesh and refining bones.

But the strange thing was that these evil spirits just glanced at Chen Shi in the ruined temple from afar and did not come forward.

——There are many hanged people outside the city, and some people sitting on wooden stakes. They are enough to eat, so there is no need to provoke a living person.

"The customs of the people in Gongzhou are more simple than those in Xinxiang."

Chen Shi thought to himself, "No wonder such an evil spirit as Xiaozao could be raised in the countryside."

Xiaozao has now been named the Black Mountain King, and his evil spirit has been refined by Chen Shi, but before that it was a human-headed jujube tree, which was extremely strange.

The customs of the people in Gongzhou area were really scary. Chen Shi knew that something was wrong, so he rushed to Minxian the next day. He entered the city cautiously and went to the herbal medicine shop to buy some rare and strange medicinal herbs, such as blood charcoal, white lilac, and hanging rope ash.

Chen Shi ground it into powder, mixed it with cinnabar, and added black dog blood, and carefully painted talismans on the inside and outside of the wooden cart.

The talisman he drew was a fourth-grade talisman recorded in the Treasure Book of Creation, named the Tridacna, which was stronger than the brain worm and the silkworm drawn by the blue-clothed scholar Wei Yimin.

After Chen Shi finished the painting, he redrawn it several times.

In the middle of the night, many people wanted to attack him, but before they could get close, they suddenly saw smoke coming out of the wooden cart. In an instant, the surrounding was filled with smoke so thick that it was choking.

A red light was seen in the smoke. The thieves from Min County approached the red light cautiously, but saw a wooden cart with four wheels supporting the ground and moving quickly towards them. There were many arms growing around the wooden cart, which were extremely strong. A few punches knocked the thieves into the wall or into the ground.

The door of the car was wide open, and inside the door was a mouth full of sharp teeth. A long tongue flew out of the mouth, swinging around, wrapping around, and pulling a person into the big mouth of the door!

After a few whooshing sounds, the thieves were all eaten by the monster and disappeared without a trace.

In the second half of the night, the giant monster excreted several people, who were naked and smelled foul.

Along the way, Chen Shi witnessed a lot of the people's customs in Gongzhou. It took more than ten days before he arrived at the provincial capital of Gongzhou. The journey was quite difficult.

Chen Shi looked up and saw three or four Ten Thousand Souls Banners floating in the sky above Gongzhou, fluttering in the wind.

The might of those Ten Thousand Souls Banners made him feel uneasy and he felt the terrifying power.

"Gongzhou's Ten Thousand Souls Banner is so powerful!"

Chen Shi was in doubt and confusion. These Ten Thousand Souls Banners kept absorbing the souls of the people who died in Gongzhou, and their power had been refined to the level of a precious treasure!
At this time, there were already quite a few scholars who came to Gongzhou provincial capital to take the imperial examinations. Although scholars were scholars, they had no official positions and still had to make a living. When he arrived at Gongzhou provincial capital, he saw scholars looking for work everywhere and the place was overcrowded.

Especially since Xinxiang Province did not hold the autumn examination, the scholars from Xinxiang Province also ran to Gongzhou, resulting in more scholars here.

He was looking at the Ten Thousand Souls Banner when suddenly a few brokers came up to him and asked, "Scholar, are you also here in the provincial capital looking for work?"

Chen Shi hesitated. There were still more than ten days until the seventh day of June. He really wanted to find something to do so as not to just sit there and live off his savings.

But what kind of work can I do in the city?
Selling talismans?
At this time, a tall man pushed aside the brokers and came over. He looked Chen Shi up and down and said, "Brother, are you from Xinxiang County?"

Chen Shi said: "He is from Xinxiang County."

The tall man heard his accent and smiled, "From Qiaowan Town?"

He spoke with a Xinxiang accent, "I'm from Qiaowan Town too. Don't pay attention to these brokers, they are evil-hearted! If you go with them, they will sell you to a farm on the outskirts of the city and give you a bowl of rice first. If you eat it, you will be poisoned by corpse poison and be turned into a zombie. Then, you will be a walking corpse, working in the fields with dozens of people, not getting tired, eating pig food, sleeping on the floor, wearing the most tattered things, until you die of exhaustion. After you die of exhaustion, you will be exposed to the moonlight, turned into a corpse, and have to work for them."

Chen Shi was stunned and said, "Is there such a thing?"

The tall man smiled and said, "I saved you because you are my fellow villager. Otherwise, I would not bother to tell anyone else. Have you had dinner? If not, I will take you to eat!"

Chen Shi followed him, and the tall man said, "There is also a kind of evil magic in Gongzhou that can brainwash monks and make them work for you. They are fearless and tireless, and they don't ask for compensation. People who practice this magic have dozens or even hundreds of scholars under them. They are all godsons and worship him as their adoptive father. Working for the adoptive father is a matter of course, so why should you ask for compensation?"

Chen Shi was surprised and asked, "How can this be?"

The tall man took him to a restaurant, found a place facing the street and sat down, and said, "There is also a kind of magic called raising. Raising dozens of disciples who obey your orders, passing on the skills, and the disciples practice the skills, and half of the magic power they practice will flow to the teacher unconsciously to help the teacher practice. Similarly, disciples can also accept disciples and let their disciples raise themselves, but the prerequisite is that you must be able to modify the skills."

Chen Shi was dumbfounded.

The tall man said, "These are all means of harming people, and decent people would not bother to do them. I usually do the business of exorcising evil spirits and I have joined the Gongzhou Talisman Master Association. You sign on this piece of paper, and I will take you into the association and do business in Gongzhou Province. Although you won't become rich, you will still be able to have enough food and clothing."

He took out a piece of paper, and indeed, on it was the name of the Gongzhou Talisman Master Association.

Chen Shi signed the contract under his instruction. The tall man took the paper and said, "I have to go to the toilet first because I have to go to the toilet. You can order the food. I'll be back soon."

He stood up and walked to the shopkeeper, said a few words to him, then turned and walked towards the backyard.

The shopkeeper came forward with a few strong men and said with a smile: "Scholar, you have been sold to our restaurant by your eldest brother."

Chen Shi's eyes widened: "What? I was sold?"

The shopkeeper unfolded the piece of paper he had signed the pledge on. There were a few more lines on the paper, which turned out to be a contract of sale. He sneered and said, "You signed the pledge yourself, don't you acknowledge it?"

Chen Shi was so angry that he laughed: "There were no such words on the paper originally, but they were added later! Do you still have the law in Gongzhou?"

"Somebody come!"

The shopkeeper clapped his hands and sneered, "Let this poor scholar from the countryside see what the king's law is!"

(End of this chapter)