Heaven's Formula

"Isn't this obvious!" Li said in a good mood, "I thought it was strange before. Fox can say that you don't understand. The difference between wolves and dogs is so big that you humans regard the latter as derogatory. Categorize them into one category? I don't know from whom you learned such absurd knowledge!"

A book called "The Origin of Species" says so...

Xia Fan decided to put aside the controversy first, "By the way, since you are free now, teach me the knowledge of spells. You can tell me everything your master told you."

"No." The fox demon said decisively.

"Hey, what we said at the beginning—"

"A demon is an innate sense of Qi, and it has been formed at birth. No matter how much you practice later, it will not affect itself, but human beings can't." Li seriously explained, "Although the master didn't say much, I still remember the human body. The practice of the technique is very important to the mind, and learning one thing from the other and practicing it on the other will not only get twice the result with half the effort, but also easily affect one's own entraining qi."

"This is also the reason why disciples from aristocratic families are generally superior to Sanmen. Your master is obviously incapable of pointing you in the right direction, and the start is much slower than those people. Afterwards, the Privy Council will make up for this for new alchemists. Instead of asking me to teach you You, why not wait for half a month to learn alchemy systematically."

"Is there still such a saying... I have never heard Master mention it." Xia Fan said unexpectedly.

"If he also came from Sanmen, it's not surprising that he doesn't know. It's not easy to test his xinxing, and the supplementary materials are at least third-grade or above, and even the aristocratic family may not be satisfied." Li Dun paused. The control is extremely strict, and it is not easy for ordinary people to get in touch."

This Xia Fan is deeply touched, evil spirits are not a rare thing, but what are their specific types, and how to save themselves or avoid danger when encountering them, few people can clearly explain such basic problems.Even his master relied more on experience when dealing with evil spirits, and retreated immediately if the experience was not effective, and seldom knew what he knew in advance.

When he passed through several big cities, he asked the bookstore for relevant information, and the answer he got was that there were neither books teaching people how to identify evil spirits, nor popular books explaining qi and spells.This must be because someone has restricted the circulation of relevant information. Considering the functions and status of the Privy Council, it is the only one that can do this.

"That evil thing...do you know much?"

"Master has said a lot one after another, so it's okay to tell you." Li Tanran said, "But the Privy Council will definitely teach this in the future, are you sure you want to listen to me?"

Xia Fan nodded immediately, not to mention that he has been curious for a long time, listening to the fox demon in front of him is better than listening to the old man with white beard in the government.

"Then let's start with classification—"

Li Gang started, but a knock on the door suddenly interrupted her narration.

"Guest officer, guest officer! Are you there? There is an old lady outside who wants to see you... We persuaded her, but she said that life is at stake, and she won't go back if she doesn't see you today!"

Xia Fan couldn't help looking towards the door. In theory, he was the only person living in this room, so the "guest officer" in the other party's mouth must be referring to himself.

The problem is that he doesn't know any old lady at all...

Looking back with doubts, there was nothing in front of him - as early as the moment the door rang, the fox demon had quietly retreated into the darkness.

Xia Fan wanted to refuse, but he hesitated when he thought that his life was at stake.

After thinking for a while, he decided to ask the other party why he wanted to see him first.

Xiao Er ran away, and returned to the front of the room after a while, "Guest officer, the old lady said that Daoist Zhao asked her to come to you!"

Daoist Zhao... Could it be that she was referring to her master, Zhao Dahai?

"Let her come in and talk." Xia Fan winked at the dark place, and then ordered.

Soon Xiaoer led the old lady into the house, "I'll go down first, call me again if you need anything."

Before the old lady could sit down, she fell down at Xia Fan's feet, "Please save my daughter-in-law and my grandson!"

Xia Fan's mind buzzed for a while—although he knew that the etiquette was different in ancient times, the first time he saw someone salute him like this with his own eyes, it still gave him a great shock.

He stretched out his hand almost subconsciously, wanting to pull him up, "What are you doing... Get up!"

"I won't get up if you don't agree... Please, only you can save them in Fenghua County!"

"You have to tell me what's going on first." Xia Fan quickly regained his composure, "The sooner I know, the sooner I can come up with a solution."

After he said this, the old lady stopped crying and let him help herself to the chair.

After spending about seven or eight minutes, Xia Fan finally understood the ins and outs of the matter.

In the simplest terms, there are "ghosts" in the old lady's house!

Chapter 39 Commissioned

The old lady, surnamed Tian, ​​lived near the market in Fenghua County. Her husband died young, leaving only a small house and a son.

His son Tian Sangen served as a soldier in Anshen City and could only return home every two months.Apart from her, there is also a daughter-in-law, Ru Qiu, living in the family.Ruqiu has been pregnant for seven months. Due to her poor health, she spends most of the time in bed for recuperation, and her source of income is entirely supported by Tian Sangen's monthly money.Although the family background is mediocre, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law get along well, and they live a pretty good life as a child.

Seeing that she will soon have her grandson in her arms, Granny Tian naturally cares more about her daughter-in-law. In her spare time, she will do some handicrafts and sell them in the market, hoping to make Ruqiu eat better.But what she didn't expect was that something happened suddenly at home half a month ago.

First of all, it’s just a sound——when the night is quiet, there will be strange noises in the house, sometimes it seems to be on the beams of the house, and sometimes it seems to be in front of the window sill, and occasionally it will sound from the two of them, making mother-in-law and daughter-in-law A cold sweat broke out in shock.

Afterwards, the situation gradually became more serious. Crock pots and rice bowls would break for no reason, holes would be drilled in the window paper, and the sound began to affect reality little by little.

Even if the two of them lit candles all over the room, they couldn't stop the vision from appearing.

Tian's wife needed to be taken care of, but after such a toss, she became emaciated. Not only did she lose a lot of weight, but her mental state became more unstable.

It's not that Mrs. Tian hasn't thought of a way, such as moving out for a while.However, the family is not well-off at all, and neither the rented house nor the inn can last for too long.

She also went to a nearby temple to buy magic water and exorcism charms, but the strange noise was still there, and it seemed to be getting closer and closer to people.

In desperation, she begged Zhao Dahai.

When he first arrived in Fenghua County, Zhao Dahai had dealt with "spiritual problems" several times under the banner of Jiang Mo Daoist, and he had gained a bit of fame. Illusion or heart disease, and the so-called fame, at most, is the level that neighbors in the street will mention when chatting.Unexpectedly, Mrs. Tian not only heard about it, but also memorized it, so that she found Zhao Dahai when she was at a loss.

At that time, Master had already gotten rid of the predicament of owed money, so he agreed immediately.It's a pity that he failed to fool him this time, and after several times of "surrendering the devil", he couldn't make the strange noise disappear, so he could only thank the guests behind closed doors.But Mrs. Tian obviously didn't give up. She just thought that Daoist Zhao didn't try his best, so she came to beg every other day or two. It wasn't until Xia Fan returned to Fenghua County that the opening scene started.

"Zhao Daochang said that if even his apprentice can't solve it, there will be no second person in Fenghua County who can solve it." The old lady looked at Xia Fan eagerly, "Little Daoist...Little Immortal Master, please Save my family!"

I really found a good master.Xia Fan rolled his eyes silently, he was not looking for something to do for himself, but purely shirking responsibility.I don't even think about it, all the things my apprentice learns come from the master, and if the master can't handle the evil spirits, can his apprentice still become a master?

Wait...it seems to be possible.If there is a thunderstorm from the shock technique directly in the house, no matter what evil things are hidden, they will probably be wiped out.The problem is that if such a thunderbolt strikes, half of the old man's house will be destroyed. Doesn't it mean that if you help, you won't help?

This method will not work.

But refuse... To be honest, Xia Fan couldn't bear it.

The old lady Tian in front of me was about fifty years old, her hair was already gray, and from her wrinkled and sunburned face, it was clear that she had suffered a lot in her life.For her, being able to see her children and grandchildren landed is probably the greatest comfort in her life, so she did not hesitate to lay down in front of a young man who was less than a third of her age.

If there is a miscarriage, the frail and sick Tian's wife is probably in danger. Even if the family is still there, it must be fragmented and no longer the same.

Xia Fan has been educated since he was a child to help others, but his ability in the past was limited, and his ability to help others was at most at the level of collecting money and giving directions to strangers. Now that he has the ability to save lives, it is difficult for him to pretend to turn a blind eye.

While thinking, Xia Fan's eyes suddenly stopped in the shadow of the back room.

By the way, isn't there a direct disciple of the Privy Council Qingjian here?

If you let her go to the scene to take a look, maybe you can find some clues!

The fox demon is injured and can't do anything, but that's not the point. The key is to find a countermeasure, and he can do it for him.

Xia Fan thought about it for a while, and found that this idea was unexpectedly feasible.

First of all, from the information heard from Mrs. Tian, ​​it is known that the "weirdness" in her family is not a vicious monster, otherwise the master will not go to the second or third time if the opponent is a little bit more dangerous. Already ran far away.

Secondly, the control of the county seat is not as strict as that of a big city. There is neither a curfew nor a night patrol, and the risk of fox demon exposure is very low.

The only question is whether Li is willing to intervene in this matter.

But when it comes to the ability of persuasion, Xia Fan thinks he has full confidence.

"I can give it a try, but there are a few conditions that must be stated in advance."

"The little Daoist said, as long as I can do it—"

"You can do what I mentioned." He interrupted, "First, you can't keep anyone in the house when I practice the method, you can only wait outside; second, don't publicize this matter, I don't want others to know about it It has something to do with me; third, there is no guarantee of results, Xie Chong is full of strange things, I can only say that I will do my best."

"I understand, I understand..." The old lady nodded repeatedly.

"And the fourth point... I need a set of your wife's clothes, which are looser." Xia Fan said slowly, "There are also a pair of bamboo hats and coir raincoats, and I will pay for it."

"There's no need for money! But... why does the Taoist chief want these?"

"Just in case the sky changes in the middle of the night."

……

After Mrs. Tian left, Li poked his head out from the back room, "Who told you that I agreed to help her? I am a demon, and she is a human. I have no reason to help an irrelevant human being, just as humans cannot help Like a demon."

As expected of a fox demon, he didn't say anything, but the other party already knew his intentions.

Li's tone was quite unpleasant, as if he was very dissatisfied with Xia Fan's self-assertive behavior, "Let's say it first, I agree to cooperate with you, but it doesn't mean that I will listen to you in everything. We are not in an affiliation relationship, and cooperation should be fully Let's discuss and make a decision—”

"You're right, but this is a matter of life after all, and I didn't have the chance to discuss it with you just now." Xia Fan comforted him with a gentle tone, "As for the first point you said, I think it's biased."

"Bias? It's fine if people don't yell at monsters."

"Did I help you?" Xia Fan asked back.

"Have."

"Am I human?"

Li Yi was stuck, "This, you are different..."

"Then if you don't help her, you can help me, right?" He took advantage of the situation and said, "The other party is not an alchemist from the Privy Council, and has no direct interest with the demon, so there will be no bad consequences if you help me. It wasn't just right before Talking about the classification of evil? You can treat it as a live teaching."

Chapter 40 虚魉

……

"Xiao Daoist, it's here."

The old lady brought Xia Fan to her house.

Xia Fan glanced at Ru Qiu who was hiding behind Mrs. Tian by the light of the oil lamp in the house, and there was indeed a clear look of fear and weakness on his face.

"Don't enter until you are notified." He ordered, then walked into the house and bolted the door.

This house is considered to be the most common residential style in the county. The largest hall is about ten square meters. There is a door on the left and right, with the kitchen on one side and the bedroom on the other.There is also a narrow door in the kitchen, which leads directly to the toilet and the backyard.

Xia Fan spent a minute looking around the house, and after confirming that there was no one else, he opened the window of the bedroom.

Li Quiet, who had already taken his seat, crept into the house silently.

At this time, she is like a person from the Jianghu. Although she is wearing ordinary commoner clothes, she looks full of chivalrous spirit under the blessing of bamboo hat and rain cape. If she wears a long sword around her waist, she is a true martial arts swordsman It's windy.

As for the characteristics of the fox demon, it is completely concealed by clothing, and its behavior is basically the same as that of a human.

"How, does it still fit?"

"The chest is a bit tight, but it doesn't affect the movement." Li replied.

Clothes that fit your body shape perfectly... can be hard to find.Xia Fan cleared his throat, "What should we do next?"

"Wait." She went to the bed and sat down, "Only by seeing the vision with your own eyes can you make an accurate judgment."

"Don't turn off the lights?"

"No need." Li's eyes seemed to be looking at a fool, "How can you observe them when they are turned off?"

"I thought... ghosts are afraid of light." Xia Fan replied awkwardly, he is used to hurting people...

"If they are afraid of light, then they don't need alchemists to deal with evil spirits." The fox demon sneered, "Even the charms that are most affected by light will not run away when they see light, let alone other things. Besides, I don't I think what the old lady encountered was a ghost."

"Why?"

"Ghosts are the most difficult type of evil spirits to deal with. Most of them appear in the form of corpses. It's not their style to hide their heads and show their tails. And once they appear, they will probably cause a bloodbath. It is unlikely that the two people in the house will be allowed to live until now."

Xia Fan found that he had vaguely grasped the temper of the fox demon—even though she would not let go of every opportunity to laugh at humans, she would still do what she promised seriously, even if it was an explanation, she would take the trouble to start from the basics, And not in one word.

"How are these evil beings classified?"

"According to my master, it should have been passed down by word of mouth for thousands of years. The Privy Council just made a further subdivision and added four categories before demons and ghosts-the two correspond one to one, but the former is used to refer to The weaker evil spirits. Of course, folks have all kinds of strange names, and it's normal to use any name."

"That's why you said that there is no essential difference between Mei and Mo in Shaye..." Xia Fan was stunned.

"But this classification is not without loopholes," Li snorted. "First of all, it makes no sense to classify demons into evil spirits. It is purely human's selfish desire. If we really want to classify according to categories, you should also belong to it. Secondly, it There is no way to include all abnormal things, such as some spirits..."

Having said that, she suddenly stopped and looked up at the roof.

"what happened?"

"Shh—" She made a silent gesture, "Listen."

Xia Fan couldn't help holding his breath, and followed her gaze upwards - under the reflection of the oil lamp, only one side of the beam above his head gave off a dim reflection, and the rest was hidden in the darkness, plus the large shadow on the tiled roof , the details he can see are extremely limited.

In this silence, he heard a slight "da, da" sound.

At first, Xia Fan needed to concentrate on listening, but after hearing it, the voice gradually became clearer, as if it was far away and near at times, and sometimes it seemed to come from around him.

He realized that what Mrs. Tian said was true. This was neither a psychological effect nor an illusion. There was indeed something extra in the room!

It sometimes walks along the beams of the roof, and sometimes passes by the wardrobe, as evidenced by the small and clear footsteps.

Even after the baptism of the wild night, Xia Fan still felt the pimples on his back.

Because no matter how he looked, he couldn't find the source of the sound.

No wonder Tian's wife was tossed so hard that she couldn't sleep all night - she was able to fall asleep peacefully in the face of such a weird situation, and her psychological quality was by no means ordinary.

But if it's just invisible, he might not be able to deal with it!