Longevity begins with slaying demons and eliminating demons

Chapter 207 Qing Ming
Even though he had expected it in his heart, when Gu Xu heard the words of Chief Luo, he still felt a little unbelievable - because it didn't sound like a dialogue between a boss and a subordinate at all.

But the mind of a sage is unfathomable, and it is difficult for Gu Xu to figure it out.

He paused, and continued: "Master Chief, Shi Xiaohan really wants to stay in the capital as an official, but in the current establishment of the headquarters of the Exorcism Division, there is only one position of 'master book' that matches her level. But I She felt that she had little chance of winning in the promotion assessment, and this kind of clerical work was not suitable for her.

"So I really want to ask, is there any other opportunity in the headquarters of the Exorcist Division to allow her to stay in the capital?"

Gu Xu knew that in front of a sage who mastered the art of deduction of secrets, explaining the truth is undoubtedly the best choice.

At the same time, he also knew that many of the so-called "rules" in the Exorcist Division were actually not as good as a word from the boss.

"So it's just such a small thing!" After Gu Xu finished speaking, Luo Sishou responded with a light smile, "Gu Xiaoyou, you really care about your little girlfriend... Last night, you went to the arena to stand up for her, and today you are doing it again." Ask me for help for her. All the beautiful girls in the capital are looking at you with admiration, trying to get your attention, but you turn a blind eye to them."

Gu Xu smiled: "Xiaohan helped me a lot before. Now that she is in trouble, I have to find a way to help her."

"It's easy to handle," Luo Chuan said bluntly, "The headquarters of the Exorcist Division sends two young people to study at Longmen Academy every year. This year's candidate is still short of one, so I'll add Shi Xiaohan to it.

"She is not bad at talent, but the moves she has mastered are a bit monotonous. Going to Longmen Academy to study for a period of time should help her effectively make up for her shortcomings.

"You are going to teach there too, so you can take care of each other."

This matter that caused Shi Xiaohan a headache was solved so easily.

Gu Xu was in a daze for a moment, and then sincerely thanked Chief Luo.

"You're welcome," Luo Chuan shook his head with a smile, "Gu Xiaoyou, you just need to understand that when you have enough power and strength in the future, you can easily get whatever you want."

Speaking of this, he paused for a while, and then said earnestly to Gu Xuyu: "Of course, young people's feelings are beautiful, but they are also easy to be impulsive. I hope you can stay awake at all times in the future, and don't be easily carried away. Don't always break the rules because of personal affairs. At critical times, our great cause should be the most important thing."

Gu Xu nodded in agreement.

Same as last time, Luo Chuan got up from the futon and sent Gu Xu to the side of the stairs himself.

While walking down the stairs, Gu Xu silently thought about Luo Chuan's entrustment to him, and his mood became more and more complicated.

Because he felt that Chief Luo's tone didn't sound like the leader of the Exorcist Division giving a lecture to his subordinates, but more like the old housekeeper of the chaebol trying to persuade his young master.

…………

After leaving the observatory, Gu Xu returned to the "Qingxiang Pavilion", closed the door, took the elixir, and then practiced with his eyes closed.

The situation in Luojing City is indeed complicated and confusing, with undercurrents surging.

But Gu Xu didn't spend too much energy thinking about what he saw and heard on the observatory today.

Prophecy, powerful family, power and strength, the chief's expectations of him... These are either too far away or too complicated for him.

His level is too low now, and his time is too short, he is not even qualified to sit on the poker table.

The top priority is to improve your cultivation as soon as possible.

Only when one is strong enough can one gain a firm foothold in the turbulent vortex.

…………

The city of Luojing is shaped like a chessboard.

The criss-crossing streets divide the city into several areas, commonly known as "squares".

Among them, Xiushanfang is one of the most prosperous areas.

There are a large number of restaurants and wine shops here, as well as tea shops and dance pavilions.

At this moment, after Yan Guogong Zhao Changying left the Yamen of the Exorcist Department, he did not immediately return to his residence, but appeared in Xiushanfang.

He restrained his breath and adjusted his appearance slightly. His robe was loose and he smelled of alcohol. He didn't look like a saint from the Daqi Dynasty at all, but a drunkard wandering the streets.

Soon, he came to the Goulan located in the center of Xiushanfang.

In the Daqi Dynasty, Goulan was a performance place for opera, singing and dancing, acrobatics, etc., which was equivalent to a simple theater. (1)

It is shaped like a square wooden box, surrounded by wooden boards as walls; there is a door on one side for the audience to enter and exit.

At this time, the sun is shining brightly, which is the most noisy time in Goulan.

There are huge crowds of people rubbing shoulders and backs.

The noisy human voices poured into his ears like waves.

Even on the lintel of the hook rail, the sign "full house" has already been hung.

But there are still many people queuing outside the door, waiting to see the next show.

As a seventh-level cultivator, Yan Guogong Zhao Changying had many ways to enter this Goulan, and naturally he didn't need to spend time queuing up like ordinary people.

He picked up the jug on his waist, took a big sip of wine, and then disappeared in place.

In the next second, he appeared in the hook bar.

There is a stage and auditorium inside the Goulan.

The stage is higher than the ground, and the mouth of the stage is surrounded by railings—the front part is the performance area, and the rear part is a place for actors to dress up and rest, which is called "theatre room".

The front and back are separated by screens.

The passage connecting the theater room and the front desk is called "the way of ghosts".

——Ghosts, it is said that the people they pretend to be are all people from the past.

It was the break time between two scenes, and the stage was empty.

Zhao Changying looked around, then stepped onto the stage, followed the "ghost way" and walked straight towards the theater.

On the wall of "Ghost Gate", there are dozens of old opera masks in different colors and varieties.

Zhao Changying took off a red facial mask and put it on her face.

Then he went into the theater.

A young woman in a cyan robe is sitting in front of a bronze mirror and quietly putting on makeup.

Her face was covered with a thick layer of powder, and she wore an extremely complicated hairstyle, making it difficult to see her true appearance clearly.

Seeing Zhao Changying's arrival, the woman in Tsing Yi immediately stood up and said to him, "Who do you want to find, Your Excellency?"

"I want to see 'Wenchang Xingjun'." Zhao Changying replied lightly.

Under the effect of the spell attached to the mask, his voice became hoarse and deep, completely different from the original appearance.

…………

Every city has its shadow side.

The city of Luojing under the sun looks dazzling at first glance.

But in those narrow and winding alleys, in the dim canals, in the crowded wharves, in the casinos that smell of copper, in the restaurants where the cups and cups are intertwined, in the bars where people sing and dance day and night... Filled with surging undercurrents, countless rivers and lakes struggle.

There is an organization called "Qing Ming" hidden in the hook bar of this repairing workshop.

"Qingming" means sky, fairyland.

Although the name sounds lofty, what he does is assassination, lending, intelligence, private sales of pills and other shady activities.

Members of "Qingming" often appear in teahouses, Goulan, brothels and other places.

They use the names of stars such as "Greedy Wolf" and "Pojun" as code names, and they wear special masks or special makeup, making it impossible to identify their true identities.

The "Wenchang Xingjun" that Zhao Changying mentioned just now is their leader.

They claim that as long as they give enough silver, they can know everything in the world and kill anyone under the realm of saints.

Zhao Changying scoffed at this at first.

Because "Qing Ming" can completely refuse a deal that they can't do by asking a sky-high price.

But later, out of curiosity, many children of the Zhao family asked "Qing Ming" some boring questions - such as what color is the bellyband of the secretary of the Luojing City Jiaofang, such as how many lovers does Dean Li of Longmen Academy have in private? And illegitimate children, such as what is Princess Zhaoning's measurements, such as how many maids the second prince has had relationships with...

For these questions, "Qing Ming" gave answers, and most of them were proved to be correct not long after.

This made Zhao Changying feel a chilling feeling in her heart, as if the secrets of the entire capital were clearly exposed in front of "Qing Ming", and there was nowhere to hide.

The information it possesses in Luojing City even surpasses the Zhao family's own intelligence system.

Logically speaking, under the noses of emperors and saints, there should be no such illegal organization at all.

But in recent decades, "Qingming" has been firmly rooted in the underground world of Luojing City, and has never been eradicated by the court.

This undoubtedly means that "Qing Ming" either has a strong person in charge, or a strong background-of course, it may be both.

However, until now, Zhao Changying still doesn't know who "Wenchang Xingjun" is, nor who is behind the scenes of "Qingming".

…………

"Sorry, Master 'Wenchang' is not here today," the woman in Tsing Yi responded politely, "If you need anything, you can tell me directly. Or I can also pass on your words to him."

"What's your code name?"

"'Ring Xing'." The woman in Tsing Yi replied.

In astrology, "Ling Xing" is an evil star, and the five elements belong to fire.

"Ring Xing" people in the Fate Palace are often decisive, gloomy, and staunch, and they are killer-like characters who "do nothing if they don't move, and thunder when they move."

"Okay, then I'll tell you directly," Zhao Changying said, "I want you to kill a few people for me, can you tell me the price?"

The woman in Tsing Yi chuckled: "Isn't it your first time here? According to our rules, even if you just ask about the assassination price, you need to spend a certain amount of money."

"I know." Zhao Changying nodded, and at the same time put a few banknotes into the hands of the woman in Tsing Yi.

He is very clear that the assassination price given by "Qing Ming" represents the difficulty of a person's assassination, and it often contains a huge amount of information, which is equivalent to a piece of very valuable information.

Many assassination targets may only show the strength of the tip of the iceberg in front of the public.

But from this price figure, we can get a glimpse of their true power hidden under the water.

The reason why Zhao Changying came to "Qing Ming" today was not because he really wanted to kill someone, but because he just wanted to ask about the price.

"Then who do you want to kill?" The woman in Tsing Yi smiled and asked.

…………

Notes:

(1) Goulan was originally the main performance place of Song and Yuan operas in the city, which is equivalent to a theater.However, because the official prostitutes in the Song Dynasty were scattered in the city, they often entertained guests in Goulan. After the Ming Dynasty, the brothel was called Goulan again.

　Thanks to Xiaoyu 1115 for the 1500 tip, and thanks to layman Ruoxi for the 100 tip!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)