Heaven's Formula

"Didn't we all come here like this? If there is no progress, humans should still be drinking blood from trees."

"I hope you can still think like this in the future." Li shrugged disapprovingly.

"If I go to Gyeonggi..." Xia Fan paused, "Will you go with me?"

The fox demon was silent for a while, and then shook his ears, "Don't worry, I don't have the habit of reneging on debts. Although there is a lot of risk for the demon, the opportunity is also not small - if there is a place that is most suitable to detain a Qingjian, I'm afraid there is only the Privy Council in Dadu. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"Do you really think you can rank among the best in the scholar's examination?" Li rolled his eyes, "Forgive me, with your strength, I can knock you down with one tail before I get hurt, but being eloquent is not enough to destroy Sha Yezhong I told you not to force it before, and it’s okay to wait another three years, but in the end, you were lucky, not only did you not run away, but you also wanted to get a first name? Think about how to save your life in the wild night!"

……

By the time Xia Fan fell asleep, it was already half an hour.

But Li didn't fall asleep - this was the first time she spent the night in a small room with a human while awake.

The other party re-laid blankets and quilts on the floor, which can be regarded as non-interference, but considering that she is a demon, such a small distance is already considered inconceivable.

Li doesn't care about the red tape of human beings. It's all prudence whether a man and a woman give or take a kiss. The key lies in the difference in identity between her and the other party.Master didn't mind her approaching, it was based on the difference in strength between the two sides, but the person in front of him didn't have the strength to stabilize his head, yet he slept quite peacefully, it was a bit inconceivable.

But when it comes to unbelievable, why isn't she herself?Determined to avenge the Privy Council, but shared the same room with the alchemist who was determined to be admitted to the Privy Council, and accepted the other party's care openly.

What is going wrong?

She couldn't figure it out for a while.

When the moonlight outside the window shone on the empty porridge bowl, the fox demon's eyes also froze.

What emerged in my mind was the scene of Xia Fan blowing on the spoon.

Can anyone really do this to a demon?

No... No one would do that, unless the other party didn't treat her as a demon, or a different kind.

An answer suddenly appeared in Li's heart.

She was surprised to find that from the first time she saw Xia Fan until now, he didn't seem to show any sense of rejection, as if he was not fundamentally different from herself.

This is also the reason why she felt that the other party was "abnormal" at that time - even the master would not do this.At least she could feel that in Master's eyes, she was still a foreigner, a human being, and a world of difference from human beings, so she repeatedly taught herself not to get close to other people easily.

But Xia Fan didn't. His eyes were always ordinary. This "ordinary" even gave Li the illusion that he was being ignored, so that he briefly ignored its irrationality.When she thinks back, she realizes how rare it was.

It seems that the other party is not getting along with the demon for the first time, but has experienced similar scenes thousands of times.

But in his mouth, he was clearly the first monster he saw.

I have never been in contact with it, but I am used to it, which is somewhat similar to knowing it from birth.It's just...does such a thing really exist in the world?

……

Two days is not a long time. At [-]:[-] PM on the seventh day, the rest of the candidates had gathered in the center of Qingshan Town, ready to face the last hurdle of the doctoral examination.

Xia Fan climbed to the top floor of the hotel—the number one wing here was changed into a "defense command post" because of its excellent view. Standing by the window, he could have a panoramic view of the town.

It was about six o'clock at this time, just as the sun was setting, and its red-orange afterglow had dyed half of the sky red.The green hills stretching as far as the eye can see are no longer lush and green, and large shadows are scattered at the foot of the hills, as if reminding the arrival of night; with the birds returning to their nests in the distance and the chirping insects, everything seems to be no different from usual.

"Looking at this peaceful beauty, sometimes I really feel that my deduction is wrong." Luo Qingqing was the first to notice Xia Fan's arrival, put down the file in his hand and walked over and said.

He always felt that since the speech that day, the attitude of the Luo family genius towards him had become much more active.

"Isn't it better to be wrong? Holding the source of the spiritual fire in your hand is already equivalent to being qualified, so you can wait until tomorrow." Xia Fan pretended to be relaxed, "As for this town—with the power of the Privy Council, it should not Let us compensate for the demolition damage?"

The so-called ordinary does not include the town itself.

After some renovations, the inner circle of Qingshan Town has been integrated into one. Compared with ordinary fortresses, it doesn't even have a "city gate" - the only entrance and exit channel was completely sealed off after the hunting team finished the last hunt , theoretically put an end to the possibility of the enemy swarming in.Of course, from another aspect, it also cuts off the idea of ​​candidates fleeing the battle.

On the other hand, the houses in the outer ring were demolished to such an extent that it would not be an exaggeration to describe it as a mess.

Hearing the claim of compensation for the loss, Luo Qingqing couldn't help but smile.

"I have to admit, your plan is very good." Following Luo gently came Fei Nian. As the leader of the Fei family's children, his attitude towards the stay-at-home plan was completely different from the Fang family's - perhaps because of the other party's family. Dissatisfied with occupying the shaft first, or wanting to show the strength of the Fei family in front of the proctors, he not only actively participated in the defensive decision-making, but also took on many defensive tasks. "Although the well will restrict the evil spirits, it will also restrict us. Now that they are placed on the ground, everyone can not only commandeer and occupy the superior location, but also can rotate flexibly to attack the strong. No matter from any aspect, it is better than shrinking underground. many."

"You can wait until tomorrow to praise me," Xia Fan smiled. "I have some experience in arranging for everyone to repair things, but leading a team against the enemy is not what I am good at. The key to whether you can survive until tomorrow morning Look at the two conductors."

"Don't worry, this is what the Fei family is good at." When Fei Nian was about to say something more, a short exclamation interrupted the conversation of the three.

"Look in the direction of Qingshan!"

This reminder immediately drew the attention of everyone in the wing room to the window.

Xia Fan is no exception.

I saw layers of white mist rising in the mountains at some point, just like the water vapor rising from the woods after a heavy rain—but it doesn’t feel light at all, and it doesn’t reflect the afterglow of the evening, as if it has nothing to do with this world.

Under the spread of the fog, the outline of the green hills quickly became blurred, followed by the dense forests and mountain roads, thatched houses and streets in the distance.

In just a few quarters of an hour, the area around the center of the town was covered in whiteness, and even the dilapidated houses that were a hundred paces away became faintly visible.

Chapter 28 煞夜临

"This fog...is not normal!"

"Nonsense, fog can be divided into morning and night, how have you ever seen fog at dusk?"

"When things go wrong, there must be evil... Is it really a wild night?"

"Sure enough, it sounds like you have experienced it before."

"But in this way, we won't be able to see Mei's movements clearly!"

Compared with the people who were arguing, Luo Qingqing was obviously much calmer. She directly ordered a fellow disciple, "Go, ring the bronze bell, let the people below light the torches, and take their seats according to the previously arranged team."

"Yes."

As the warning bell sounded, the examinees who gathered in the small square moved slowly—although there was endless noise and no discipline at all, under the temptation of passing the examination, everyone was still Followed the arrangement and entered their respective defensive positions.

Xia Fan also left the command post and boarded the "city wall" to the west.

It is said to be a city wall, but it is actually a combination of two green brick houses and a section of earthen wall. Most of the roof of the house has been removed, and a crossbar is placed in the middle, and the slope for easy drainage has been transformed into a fairly flat platform.The entire west wall can accommodate more than 30 people, and the narrowest part can accommodate five people in parallel. This is already a "luxury configuration" that many small cities do not have.

Luo Weiwei once hinted that if he didn't want to face the evil spirits directly, he could be put in the support team, but Xia Fan declined the other party's kindness—aside from the idea that he should be responsible for his own proposal, he also wanted to observe the Great Wilderness up close. Shaye, and how the alchemist fought the evil spirits.

Candidates who climbed the western wall were mainly led by the Luo family. They were basically divided into groups of five, and there were five to six groups on the wall. Behind them were a substitute group and a logistics team. The former was responsible for replacing the injured or unable to fight candidates. The latter is responsible for moving supplies and taking care of the wounded, and the overall layout can be regarded as simple and clear.

The leader of Xia Fan's group is Luo Tang, who had met once before. She should be slightly older than Luo Weiwei, about eighteen or nineteen years old, and she looks upright, with long jet black hair Lay straight on the back, quite a ladylike temperament.It's just that for some reason, he always felt that the other party's eyes looking at him contained some precautions and vigilance.

Seeing that all the staff arrived, Luo Tang said, "Although Luo Qingqing has already explained it, in order to avoid omissions, I will repeat it here again. Apart from preventing evil spirits from attacking and climbing the city wall, your main task must be to keep this The torches are endless—" She pointed to the burning wooden poles beside her, and there are wooden torches like this almost every three or four meters, and it seems that there is a swaying flame fence around the "city head" , "Once the light of the fire is lost, the danger level of Mei will be greatly increased, so no matter what happens, you must ensure that the torch is not lost."

"What if it gets lost?" Someone asked.

"Then life and death are fate, each depends on its ability." "Brother Yan" who was leaning against the corner said the grass roots in his mouth.

After getting along with each other for two days, Xia Fan also got to know this person better—his real name is Zhang Yan, and the person who called him "Brother Yan" before was his elder brother Zhang Shi. The two brothers came from the Orion family. , who was originally a villager, was favored by the county magistrate because of his ability to perceive qi.

When he was wearing the Confucian green shirt before, this person's demeanor was a little awkward. It was not until he led the hunting team up the mountain to go wild, and changed back into a leather short jacket and boots, that the whole person seemed natural.Now with a short bow on the back, it looks like a seasoned hunter.

"Of course not!" Luo Tang said angrily, "If the torches go out, you should retreat to a place with light immediately, and regain your positions when the substitutes come up with new torches!"

"That's right... that's exactly what I mean." Zhang Yan whistled.

Luo Tang didn't bother to pay attention to him, and continued, "Mei is a "nocturnal creature", afraid of light and scorching heat. Li, dry, and shock all have good restraint effects, and the medicinal materials allocated are mostly these two types of spells." .It's just that everyone is proficient in different techniques. If you feel that you are not good at Lishu and Qianshu, don't waste medicinal materials, and leave it to your classmates who are good at it.The mahogany weapon also has a good effect of repelling the enemy, just hold your sword and guard the torch around it. "

Xia Fan glanced into the wooden basket where the medicinal materials were placed, and sure enough, he saw a lot of powder - that should be the sulfur and nitrate powder that Lishu often uses.

"What if the entire city wall is lost?" Zhang Shiweng asked in a low voice.Unlike Brother Yan, he is half a circle bigger than ordinary people, with thick hands and feet, and he doesn't seem to be able to climb mountains and mountains.Most of the time, he is taciturn, which is somewhat in line with the stone in his name.

"Back to the small square, the Luo family will launch the final alchemy to ignite the teahouse and hotel. The materials are the source of the spiritual fire collected earlier." Luo Tang replied slowly.

"The source of the spiritual fire?" Xia Fan frowned.

"That's right. Although spirit fire is Yin, it cannot drive away evil spirits, but a burning house can. In other words, this 'city wall' is our last torch."

That part was not part of his plan.

Obviously, this countermeasure was thought up by Luo Weiwei.

It will be troublesome if you really get to that step, Xia Fan thought to himself.

The fox demon is still recuperating in his own room. He can neither let her go, nor can he bring her in full view, so he must avoid the worst from happening.

Half an hour later, the sun had completely set below the mountain, and the purple-red sky had completely turned into jet black. The originally hazy vision further deteriorated, and it retreated to the foot of the "fortress".Xia Fan reckoned that even if a single torch on the wall was not extinguished, they could only see about 20 meters away from the street at most.Farther away, the flames seemed to be blocked by thick mist, unable to advance any further.

At the same time, there was a gust of evening wind blowing above people's heads - it was completely different from the normal air flow at the turn of day and night, with a hint of coolness in the warmth, but it came and went invisible, as if it could penetrate the human body, which made people feel uncomfortable Chills down the spine.

The torch flickered.

The crowd, which was still noisy before, fell into silence unknowingly. The candidates held their breath involuntarily, staring at the darkness in front of them, not even daring to breathe.

Everyone realized that tonight was never going to be an easy night.

Suddenly, Xia Fan saw a strange change on the flickering edge of the fire - only a part of the darkness seemed to escape from the night and the fog, and slipped onto the dark ground.

It didn't overlap the ground, but remained upright, which meant that it was neither a shadow nor an illusion, but something close to an entity!

Due to the distance, Xia Fan couldn't discern any details except that it was a human figure.

It's just that the movement speed of the black shadow is very slow, and there is even an unnatural sense of separation, as if the previous step to the next step is not a coherent movement, but a blink of an eye.

"They're here." Luo Tang whispered.

"Then... is Mei?" Zhang Yan took off the short bow and held it in her hand, completely losing the ease she had before.

"Mei is just a collective name... the evil spirits in the Great Desolate Night, and this is the first time I've seen them." She swallowed, trying to hide the tension in her words.

As more darkness peeled off, the wind seemed to grow a lot stronger, and the torches at the top of the city visibly shook.

Xia Fan keenly noticed that those places covered by night seemed to no longer light up—once the fire shrank, darkness would occupy it. He thought it was an illusion at first, but he could tell by comparing the visible width of the street. The area they can see is indeed shrinking!

The ink between the sky and the earth seems to be integrated at this moment, and this fortress is the only weak light in the darkness.

As the black shadow gradually approached, Xia Fan could see it more and more clearly.There are not too many of them at present, about eight or nine appeared in front of the west wall, and the first one was within ten meters of the city wall.When its appearance was fully presented under the firelight, Xia Fan couldn't help but gasped.

"Hold."

This evil appearance is far from what he expected!

He thought it was a zombie siege, but the thing in front of him completely deviated from the definition of a corpse.It only has a humanoid outline, with a big head and slender limbs. Most of its body is covered by a shell made of dirt, branches and other sundries. In the damaged parts, it can be seen that the interior is empty—it seems that there is a bottomless hole under the shell. It is empty, and it seems that there is a large amount of black mist surging.

Except for a pair of "concave holes" that sway back and forth on the top of the head, there are no other features on Mei Mei's body-no nose or mouth can be seen, and the head and torso are integrated, which reminds Xia Fan of those in Silent Hill. monster.Although they look different, they give people the same feeling: they are all manifestations of pure malice, and just looking at them makes people shudder.

"vomit……"

Vomiting sounded around me.

Xia Fan also felt his stomach churning, no matter how terrifying the monster was, he wouldn't be able to spit it out just by looking at it.This sickening discomfort has nothing to do with shape, but something deeper...

He has never had a similar experience, and it is difficult to describe it for a while. He just feels that the things in front of him are naturally opposed to the living. As long as they are living things, they will subconsciously hate and reject them.

The only fortunate thing is that their moving speed has never changed. It took almost five or six minutes for a short distance of ten meters. Even zombies with limbs are faster than them.

This at least allows everyone to have sufficient time to prepare alchemy.

"Everyone, don't be afraid, as long as the torches don't go out, Mei won't be able to threaten us!"

Suddenly someone shouted on the west wall.

Xia Fan followed the prestige and found that the other party was Fei Nian.

He held up a talisman, and then threw the white powder in his hand——

"Li Shu returns to you, Flying Flower Flame!"

The moment the talismans were reduced to ashes, a bright bridge of flames appeared between the wall and the charm.

Lie Yan (raging flames) is like a flying snake, rushing towards the target, engulfing the charm in an instant!

Chapter 29 Magic

Mei didn't seem to respond to this, and even though her whole body was set on fire, she still maintained her original rhythm of action, so that everyone had the illusion that alchemy had no effect on it.

But after a few breaths, the situation changed.

Wrapped in flames, it suddenly fell down, shattered into scattered sand on the ground, sparks flew in all directions, and the silhouette of the human figure no longer existed, as if one moment it was still a menacing evil, and the next moment it became a real empty shell.

"Is this... effective?"

"The enemy doesn't look too scary..."

"Let me try it!"

This immediate blow greatly boosted the morale of the candidates.

Feihuayan is not some advanced alchemy. As one of the introductory techniques of Lishu, many people can use it, but the distance and power are not as good as Fei Nian.

But everyone was standing on the "city wall" after all, even the shortest part was five or six meters long, and with Mei's extremely slow movements, it could be said that there was nothing they could do about them who were slowly performing spells.After taking the psychological advantage, everyone's action of picking out the medicinal materials became much smoother, and the tense atmosphere before was greatly relieved for a while.

And Fei Nian didn't stay long, and walked directly to the north wall - obviously his purpose was to break the deadlock and demonstrate to the candidates the method of eliminating evil spirits.