Heaven's Formula

Wei Wushuang belongs to Dui.

Wang Renzhi belongs to Kan.

Finally, it was Xia Fan's turn.

Xia Fan walked to the dark cabinet, and held the cup according to the posture of everyone - he could feel the Qi not climbing against the outer wall of the Lingtai, but spreading along the inner skeleton.This bronze vessel may only serve as a fixation function, and the gas guide is still something similar to wood inside.

At the same time, a close observation also allowed him to discover that there were all kinds of strange medicinal materials in the square boxes hanging on the roulette. It was probably the linkage between these materials and Qi that made the golden needles hanging on the roulette so effective. pointing effect.Those reliefs might not be pure decorations, but some kind of seals.

To put it simply, this Lingtai constitutes a simple "art".

A technique that transforms invisible "Qi" into real "force".

After a few breaths, the golden needle landed on the shock, and several flickering arcs even appeared between the needle tip and the square box.

Chapter 50 Q&A

It was rare for Mrs. Zhang not to draw a conclusion right away, but after pondering for a moment, he said, "Is it a shock...it looks like your style just now."

"Tsk tsk, it's such a rare character." Wang Renzhi, who didn't even bother to report his name before, seemed to be in high spirits at the moment, "Hey, I say you should change your career and stop being a alchemist. Materials are hard to come by, you can’t just rely on a wooden sword to defeat demons, can you? Being an escort or coach might be more suitable for you.”

"It's too much for you to say that, Qingshan Township's examination is thanks to Xia Fan—" Halfway through the speech, Luo Youer suddenly seemed to remember something, and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Excessive?" Wang Renzhi shrugged, "We are a team that is going to act together. It is a risk for everyone to have a slow-down in the team. As for the taxi test you mentioned, I don't think it can be used as a basis-first Regardless of the large number of examination rooms, how can it be considered as the credit of one person for the fact that hundreds of candidates participated together? Could it be that without him, there would not even be a single passer in the Qingshan Town Scholars Examination?"

"Woo..." Luo You'er couldn't refute for a while.

"However, if you insist, Yu'er, I don't have to kick him out of the team," Wang Renzhi sighed lightly, "After all, I'm a person who wants to do big things, and the most I can do is to work harder on myself."

"Then you have to work harder." Luo You'er replied almost without thinking.

This time it was Wang Renzhi's turn to be astonished.

Xia Fan, the person involved, couldn't help but feel a little moved. He thought that the little girl had been rejecting him all the time, but he didn't expect that one day she would speak for him, and she retorted in the face of a handsome guy.

There is nothing more satisfying than seeing someone who looks better than you.

At this moment, Luo You'er turned her head, and quietly made a gesture of baring her teeth and claws at him.

What does it mean?

Xia Fan thought about it for a while, and almost didn't spit out his mouth.

Could she be a mock crab, reminding herself to pay back with fried crab?

"Master," Yue Feng said suddenly, "Since you said that xinxing is acquired, wouldn't the hexagram attributes also be artificially changed?"

"Hehehe...good question." Mrs. Zhang stroked his pointed beard, "In fact, the Privy Council has conducted a detailed experiment to prove the plasticity of mind. To put it simply, ten people The children of the same hexagram are divided into two groups, one group has no worries about food and clothing, and the other group is freed on the street. In the end, the hexagrams of the three of them did change. It’s just that the price is extraordinary. It goes a step further in the law, in other words, the hexagram attributes can indeed be changed artificially, but the completely different xinxing also makes them become another person."

"According to the records of the Privy Council, there are indeed examples where a sudden change of hexagram attribute does not affect the practice, but they are all special circumstances and are difficult to replicate. For example, people who lost their memory after serious injuries, or people who are insane." He looked at Xia Fan, "You don't have to be discouraged. Although it is difficult to improve the Zhen Attribute, it is not an alchemist who has broken through. You can first consider other spells, even kung fu skills, and when you accumulate a certain amount of merit and rise to the sixth rank or above, you will be able to do so." Apply directly to the Privy Council for materials."

There is actually a control group experiment, the accumulation of the Privy Council's hundreds of years should not be underestimated.

"Thank you, Master Zhang, for reminding me." Xia Fan said with some reservations.He was already psychologically prepared for this outcome—he noticed when he was wandering with his master that some spells could be easily imitated by him, while others were much more difficult, and it often took a month or two to see signs of it .It's just that the master kept nagging that learning alchemy is a long-term process, and it's normal to spend three or four years to master it, so he didn't ask any more questions.

Only the shock technique that even the master didn't know, he just followed the other party's "dictation" and conceived it according to the gourd painting, and he could already feel the Qi in his body start to move around, faster than any other technique he had learned before. All kinds of surgery are fast.Because of this, he devoted most of his energy to trying and improving the shock technique.

Now, Xia Fan finally got a systematic answer.

As for the classification by heart nature, he thinks it is completely understandable - just like some people in the previous life were good at science and engineering, while others were good at art.As thoughts shape character, character in turn strengthens thoughts.

"You mentioned meritorious service just now," Luo You'er asked curiously, "What is the promotion method of the Privy Council? How many levels are there in total?"

"Little girl, have you started thinking about getting promoted now? That's right! This kind of thing needs to be planned early." Mrs. Zhang praised, "The Privy Council is different from the Six Ministries. The rank is the rank, and the position is the position. The two cannot be compared. Starting from the beginning, alchemists have a total of eight ranks, which are Chukai, Shouxin, Wendao, Trial Front, Hundred Blades, Guardian, Green Sword, Yuyi. When you eliminate evil spirits, create spells, improve materials and When you make talismans, or make other great achievements, you may be promoted. As for the position...for example, the instructor that the old man holds, no matter how long you work, it is only a part of the responsibility, and you cannot get meritorious service. "

"But you have also dealt with evil spirits before."

"Indeed, that's why I'm the sixth-rank Taoist, but it's only a sixth-rank." There was some regret in his tone. "As for the position, part of it is for the convenience of calling, and the other part is to connect with the six departments of the imperial court. Those fools who can't feel angry will never understand that it is not the square chair under the buttocks that determines the status, but what they own Strength."

"Okay, let's talk about grades here first. Now that you have completed the xinxing appraisal, you can go to the library of the Lubu by yourself and borrow the alchemy you want to learn with the seal of the alchemist." Master Zhang finally concluded.

"Excuse me...can any type of alchemy be used?" Wei Wushuang asked unexpectedly, "Do you need to spend extra money?"

"If you can learn one more alchemy with money, then the Privy Council will probably beg you to learn it." Master Zhang looked at him like he was looking at a fool, "The stronger the alchemist, the stronger the Privy Council. Is there any reason for the above to set up a card to enhance your strength? Apart from not being able to take out the books, and not to teach non-alchemists everything learned in the mansion, there are no other restrictions in the Ministry of Records."

"Heh, fat man, do you think that you can learn those alchemy techniques if you want?" Wang Renzhi probably regained his composure, and then aimed his ridicule at Wei Wushuang, "Alchemy is free, but it doesn't mean that medicinal materials and chips are also available. It's free, learn too much at once and be careful to die of poverty."

"Uh... If the materials are not too expensive, I should be able to afford them." Wei Wushuang retorted softly.

"Oh? That's why I underestimated you. But money can only solve the most basic problems, and it depends on how much you can learn." Those who scored the top ten in the exam."

"The top ten...why don't you go to Shangyuan City, Brother Wang?"

"You envy Shangyuan, but I don't. You can go there whenever you have money, but in terms of freedom, how can it compare to Jinxia City? Hey, only bumpkins will blindly yearn for big cities."

Xia Fan figured it out, this guy surnamed Wang is definitely either rich or noble, or both, and his family background should be ranked high in Jinxia City, otherwise it would be impossible to be so open-minded—especially In the Privy Council.At least when he was bragging about himself, Mrs. Zhang was just watching, without any intention of interfering.

He didn't seem to be targeting anyone deliberately, but he was used to talking like this.

"I also want to ask a question." Shangguancai stood up and said, "I have witnessed the battle between alchemists, to be honest...it is extremely clumsy, if it is against a seasoned Jianghu person or martial arts person, it is impossible Any power to fight back. Especially the point of calling out your own spells... Is it the same for top-rank alchemists?"

This angle of question immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Even Xia Fan wanted to know the answer.

"The first batch of new alchemists this year is really good, much smarter than the batch three years ago." Mrs. Zhang nodded with satisfaction, "Of course not! The technique comes from the heart, and it comes in a second, so why bother?" Speak it out with the help of the mouth? But even guards, and even Qingjian, will still read the spell aloud on some occasions, guess why?"

"Strengthen your consciousness?" Yue Feng tried to answer.

"Correct, expressing your thoughts can be regarded as the unity of mind and body. When the level is almost the same, the effect of reciting is definitely stronger than not reciting. If it has no effect on your situation, why not speak out? In addition, if you are conscious If it is clear enough, language can sometimes be used as a means of offense—for example, the spell that is spoken is the opposite of the spell that is thought.”

"So that's what happened..." Shangguan Cai showed a thoughtful expression.

"If the opponent is evil, it's always good to shout out?" Luo Youer clapped her hands suddenly, "Anyway, they don't understand human language!"

"Exactly." The master laughed.

After the laughter subsided, Xia Fan raised his hand again.

"Can I ask a question that has nothing to do with magic?"

"Oh? Ask."

"When I was in Fenghua County, I met an old woman." He explained in detail what happened three days ago, "The Privy Council is an imperial institution that deals with evil incidents, why is the asking price so high that an ordinary household cannot afford it?" How far? Shouldn't alchemists protect one side and protect others from evil spirits?"

This time Master Zhang didn't answer as he expected, but stared at him for a while before asking, "Who did you listen to?"

Chapter 51 Own Thoughts

Xia Fan was stunned, what Li Zeng said suddenly appeared in his mind.

"You don't think that the Privy Council is specially used to deal with evil spirits?"

"Hahahahaha——" Wang Renzhi laughed and said, "Xia, do you know that you are already an eighth-rank official? Are there more ordinary people in this world, or are there more officials? Are ordinary people more important, or are there more officials?" Is it important to be an official? If anyone is in trouble, we will go to rescue them, are you busy!"

"But I have clearly met a Privy Council alchemist who took the initiative to eliminate evil spirits before..."

"Could it be that you think they are all free?" Wang Renzhi spread his hands, "Think about it, can those ordinary people distinguish what is evil and what is their own imagination? Not setting a threshold will only let everyone Exhausted, but in the end they found that the snake lying on the beam of the house, or the wild cat hiding at the foot of the bed! Besides, is a few taels of silver very expensive for a life? Go through your mind before getting help from the government, instead of taking your imagination as reality!"

"What if someone can't even afford these dozens of taels of silver?" Xia Fan frowned.

"Then just die. People die every day in this world, dying of illness, starvation, exhaustion, suffering, poverty, and it doesn't make any difference if one more person is killed by evil spirits. Let me tell you what are you thinking—— Isn’t your purpose of joining the Privy Council just for money and to be superior to others? If you really want to help those people, you can travel around the world and become what people call ‘Daoist Xia’!”

"That's enough." Zhang Fuzi interrupted Wang Renzhi's sarcasm with a wave of his hand, turned to Xia Fan and said, "The duty of the Privy Council is to guard the world, not to be a tinkerer. If there are serious evil incidents in the local area, the Ministry of Command will naturally send The alchemists will ask the local officials to collect the necessary expenses. This is considered to protect the world. But we can’t keep everyone——Wang Renzhi’s words are not pleasant, but it is true. The number of alchemists is ultimately We should not focus on such small things as that.”

Is it just... a small matter?Xia Fan subconsciously said, "What's the big deal?"

Such a rhetorical question already has the meaning of questioning.

Mrs. Zhang's tone became obviously displeased. He stretched out his hand and arched towards the north, "What else can it be? Of course, it is to protect the Holy Majesty and protect me. It is because the world is peaceful that you are here. If war breaks out, you will be here." But they all have to shoulder the mission and serve Daqi."

"Hey, do we still have to go to the battlefield?" Wei Wushuang asked in surprise.

"Otherwise? You two don't know until you know it." Wang Renzhi sneered, "Alchemy can destroy evil spirits, and naturally it can also destroy people. If one side has alchemists and the other side doesn't, the latter must be defeated. You see, Alchemists are so important that they can even determine the rise and fall of a country, so those things you mentioned are of course trivial things that are not worth mentioning."

Zhang Fuzi continued his words, "Once you reach a high level, you will naturally understand that alchemists play an irreplaceable role in intelligence, diplomatic relations, governance, and strategy. This is why this institution is called the Privy Council—— It is the center through which the Holy One controls the world, and it is also the guardian of the world's mysteries. It's a pity that with your current thinking, I'm afraid it will be difficult to improve."

After speaking, he stopped visiting Xia Fan, as if he had lost the value of teaching, "If there are no other questions, I'll take you to the recording department."

……

It was around four or five o'clock in the afternoon that the people left the Privy Council one after another.

Walking on the bustling street, Xia Fan still hasn't recovered from that conversation.Afterwards, Mrs. Zhang did not make things difficult for him, nor did he encounter any obstacles in entering the recording department, but looking at the room full of books, it was still difficult for him to concentrate.

"Brother Xia, are you okay?" Wei Wushuang patted his shoulder and asked with concern.

"It's nothing... I was too reckless." Xia Fan let out a long breath, and he realized that he had made a basic mistake, which was to put the old stereotypes on the head of the Privy Council.

Thinking from a rational point of view, Wang Renzhi was not wrong. There were 180 people who passed the Qingshan township examination. Even if there were five examination rooms in one session, there were only 1000 people.In Shenzhou alone, there are three cities and sixteen counties with a population of over one million.With such a huge gap in numbers, coupled with the backward traffic environment, it is doomed that alchemists cannot handle every evil incident.

The so-called screening line of tens of taels of silver is actually just a cover-because the Privy Council does not require alchemists to respond to requests.Townships and counties that are relatively close to the big city may still be taken care of. For small villages and towns in remote places, it takes ten and a half months just to deliver the news. There are probably only a handful of alchemists who are willing to make a trip for this.

This is probably also the reason why the Privy Council turned a blind eye to those who were not in the establishment.

But from an emotional point of view, it was difficult for him to accept the privy council's attitude of taking it for granted.

"Hey, you two wait!" Luo Youer's voice suddenly came from behind.

The two turned their heads and saw Luo You'er trotting over with Shangguan Cai.

"Miss Luo, Miss Shangguan." Wei Wushuang said happily, "Do you also live in the compound on the east side?"

"Yeah, I live next door to her." Luo You'er nodded, "Although the house is a bit dilapidated, Senior Sister is right to save money."

The fellow could not help raising the corners of his mouth, "Then we can just go home together."

"I didn't expect you to come here." Xia Fan calmed down and said to Luo You'er.

"Why can't I come here? Laughing at my rank is tantamount to laughing at yourself!" Luo You'er made a grimace, "But this exam is indeed very strange. It was sent to the elder brother. To be honest, I was quite uneasy at first when I was allowed to come to Jinxia alone, but I feel more relieved when I see you here."

Wei Wushuang looked at Xia Fan with a strange look.

"But I remember when we first met, you called him a flower picker." Shangguancai glanced at him suspiciously.

"That's the truth, and it's mainly because my senior sister believes in him." Luo You'er pouted, "Senior sister's judgment is always right, if she thinks it's okay, then I think... this person shouldn't be bad where to go."

"Your senior sister is..."

"Youzhou's famous Luo Qingqing."

Wei Wushuang's expression was indescribably complicated.

No...Brother Wei, you will listen to my explanation later.Xia Fan felt a little bitter.

"By the way, why didn't you defend yourself in the end?" Luo Youer changed the subject and asked in a vibrating voice, "Senior Sister was angry for several days afterwards, and she felt that you were disrupting the order of the examination and promoting injustice by not standing up. The spread of it! If you say it in a small way, it will destroy your own future, and if you say it in a big way, it will shake the foundation of the country!" She paused for a while, and added, "——this is her original words."

Your senior sister is really... the light of righteousness.Xia Fan said with a little embarrassment, "The purpose of my joining the Privy Council is to study alchemy. It doesn't matter if I go to Gyeonggi or Jinxia, ​​so at that time—"

"Liar." The little girl interrupted his defense.

"What?"

"If you were just doing it for this purpose, why did you argue with Master just now?" Luo You'er said with a confident expression, "Whether other people can be saved has something to do with your study of alchemy? Xia Fan, you really know Do you have your own ideas?"

Xia Fan was stunned.

My heart was like thunder.

Chapter 52 Emergency cases

He wanted to say of course, but he couldn't say these two short words for a while.

Xia Fan asked himself, his original intention has not changed, but even today, some inexplicable things are still in front of the goal.

For some reason, a scene of the old lady thanking him with great joy suddenly appeared in his mind.

"I think it's better for you to think less about this kind of problem." Shangguan Cai came over out of the blue and said, "There is a reason for the Privy Council's arrangement. You may have your own ideas, but why does it listen to you? You can Let it take a straight look at you?"

"Sister Shangguan, what are you talking about?" Luo Youer asked suspiciously.

"It's nothing. I lived in Gyeonggi before, and I have met too many people who don't know the heights of the sky and the earth. I have an idea, but I don't have the power to realize it. In the end, it just adds to my troubles." She shrugged, "Actually, I am the same, so I just They will be assigned to Shenzhou."

"I don't understand what you mean..." Xia Fan shook his head.

"In fact, you understand, but you just don't want to admit it. In layman's terms, it's to recognize the reality and stop competing with the Privy Council." Shangguancai walked forward with his hands behind his back, "We alchemists, listen to the above It’s fine to help ordinary people when you have time, and earn some extra income. Maybe you’ll get tired of it after a few years.”

"Can he stay for a few more years?" Luo You'er was deeply suspicious, "I doubted that the master would drive him out on the spot in the atmosphere at that time."

"It's normal to drive him away, but since Mr. Zhang didn't do this, he probably wanted to give him another chance to see the effect?"

Shangguancai turned her head and raised the corner of her mouth, "However, no matter what the Privy Council looks like, you will not be willing to give up everything you have. Am I right, Young Master Xia?"

After being so excited by her, Xia Fan calmed down instead.

That's right, fantasies are meaningless. If he can't change now, it doesn't mean it will be the same in the future. Besides, researching alchemy and eliminating evil spirits are not in conflict, so he doesn't need to stick to it for a while.

"What I do has nothing to do with you, thank you for your concern."