On this day, many people are looking up to the sky.
There is one less cloud in the sky in Xijing.
That cloud shrouded Xijing for eight months. It grew from nothing and grew bigger and bigger. It became a dark cloud in everyone's heart and it was difficult to clear up.
When Yun Lai came, there was an earthquake in the Xijing officialdom. The chief minister of the cabinet resigned, the eunuch who held the seal resigned, the three princes resigned, the Taibao Taishi resigned, the five military commanders resigned, the civil and military commanders resigned, and the left and right censors resigned. Less than half of the six ministers resigned!
After the cloud arrived, many people in Xijing did die. Some people could not escape even if they resigned from their positions, and became guests in the cloud, hanging lifelike in the sky dozens of miles away.
People in Xijing were panicked, and everyone wanted to find the culprit and hand them over so as not to implicate themselves. But they didn't know much about what happened eleven years ago. Under such pressure, they spent eight months.
Now, this cloud has finally gone. Many people are relieved.
The Chief Supervisor and Deputy Superintendent of Si Tianjian hurriedly ordered Si Chenguan and a group of doctors and junior officials under him to get busy searching for the whereabouts of the cloud.
Many Heavenly Listeners have also become busier. Whenever you look up, you can always see several Heavenly Listeners with big ears flying around in the sky. Outside Xijing City, there are many ears growing on some trees and grass. , even large and small ears sprouted on the cliffs, and the king and lord among the heavenly listeners also came out.
There are also some magnificent souls that go deep into the underworld and patrol around, searching to see if the cloud is hidden in the underworld.
When the cloud was there, they were frightened, fearing that they would be found.
After the cloud left, they were worried about gains and losses. They felt that it was always dangerous if they were not under their control, and they always wanted to find the cloud again. This busyness did not affect Chen Shi.
He came to the Xinxiang Guild Hall and found Hu Feifei and other scholars from Xinxiang. He also found Tian Yue'e, Huang Fengnian, Fu Xiu and other Juren who were traveling with him on the way to Beijing to take the exam, and invited them to enter Xiaozhutian to practice together.
These days, Tian Yue'e, Huang Fengnian and others are staying in Xijing, and they have to spend money on food and clothing. They are from the countryside, and they can barely scrape together enough travel expenses before rushing to take the exam. To get rid of evil spirits and come to beg for food.
When they arrived in Xijing, Hu Feifei took them to the Hongshan Hall and asked them to join the Hongshan Hall as talisman masters. These days, they help the people around Xijing to eliminate evil spirits and make a living. A lot of improvement.
Xiaozhutian is hidden in the Fox Grape Mirror. It looks like just a mirror, but the internal space is extremely vast, larger than Xijing City. The righteousness of the heaven and earth inside is extremely abundant. Practicing inside is dozens of times better than outside.
Everyone entered Xiaozhutian, looked around, and marveled again and again.
"The sun, moon, and stars here are all wrong. When you cultivate to the realm of returning to the void, don't practice according to them." Chen Shi ordered.
Hu Guanghan said with a smile: "Returning to the Void Realm? Chen Jieyuan, you think too highly of us. In this life, we will never reach the Returning to the Void Realm. Being able to become a god and descend from a god is already amazing. Even if we follow the right person, At most, it’s just practice.”
As soon as this statement came out, Fang had no idea. Pan Ga and others nodded and Chen Shi was confused and asked: "Why is this?"
Tian Yue'e smiled heartily and said: "Those of us who have cultivated to the realm of transformation into gods should have reached the top. But the next two realms, the realm of divine descent and the realm of refining the void, are realms given by the true god outside the sky and have nothing to do with cultivation. Therefore,
You can cultivate to the Void Refining Realm at most. To go further, you will need skills, money, Taoist companions, resources and other things. Without money, no one can go up.
Chen Shi suddenly realized: "I see. No wonder Master Sun Yisheng has been trapped in the Void Refining Realm and has never been able to break through."
Sun Yisheng is the ambassador of Guanghui Ku, and he has cultivated to the peak of the Void Realm. He probably lacks three of them: wealth, love, land, and law, and he has never been able to break through.
Chen Shi also thought that many officials in Xijing, such as Sun Yisheng, seemed to be trapped in the Void Refining Realm and could not go any further. For example, several of the Shenji Camp soldiers who chased them on the road were in this realm.
It can be seen that the blessing of the true God and the two realms have narrowed the gap between ordinary monks and children of aristocratic families.
Although Chen Shi taught them according to their aptitude and taught them various exercises from the True King's Tomb, they still couldn't succeed with the method. They also needed wealth, a wife, and land.
The so-called wealth is naturally not difficult to understand. During practice, money is needed to consolidate and break through the realm. Refining elixirs to treat injuries, and creating talismans, weapons, talismans, and even magic weapons also require a huge amount of wealth.
The earth is a precious land like the Xiaozhutian and the Dongtian Blessed Land. Even Chen Shi found it very inconvenient when practicing at home or in Guangjiku. He has such blessed places as the Xiaozhutian and the Xiaomiao. Even so, other people
There is not even a treasure place for cultivation.
Companions do not simply refer to partners, but to Taoist companions. The so-called Taoist companions are people in the same Taoist tradition. They can be seniors in the sect or brothers. Partners who practice together can be able to express themselves when their Yuanshen Yuanying leaves the body.
, recalling the Yuanshen Yuanying can save one's life when one goes crazy, and can also fight side by side when encountering an enemy. Moreover, the greatest role of a Taoist companion is to help one break through the realm during critical periods.
Wealth and earthly law, these four are crucial to spiritual practice.
If one or two things are lacking, there is still a possibility of breakthrough, but most monks are often lacking in all four.
Chen Shi smiled and said, "If you can't cultivate, just come to me. I'll help you cultivate!"
There are only three days left before the examination. During these three days, two to three hundred people have gathered in Xiao Zhutian, all of whom are practicing hard. It is rare for everyone to encounter a blessed place, and they practice in Xiao Zhutian, forgetting to sleep and eat.
Chen Shi is also cultivating in Xiaozhutian. The Nascent Soul is gradually getting bigger, and now it is like a four or five-year-old child. The Nascent Soul body is the limit of his cultivation. Only then can he be compatible with the soul and become the soul.
He didn't go home these days, and Chen Tang didn't take it seriously. He continued to go to and from court every day, go to the Ministry of Household Affairs for official business, and didn't return until evening.
On the afternoon of the third day, Chen Shi invited everyone out of Xiaozhutian and said: "Everyone, you are studying hard in the cold window, practicing for thirty-nine in the winter, and practicing for three summers in the summer, all for the sake of fame. Tomorrow, in the examination room, prepare
I wish you all the best to be named to the gold list!"
More than two hundred candidates bowed in return and said with a smile: "If it weren't for Chen Jieyuan's cultivation, we would have lost our reputation. I don't know when we would have a chance to stand out."
"I dare not forget the kindness of cultivation in this life!"
Chen Shi separated from them and walked towards Chen Mansion.
When he was passing by Chengdu Street, he suddenly heard a voice laughing: "Chen Jieyuan, stay." When Chen Shi heard this voice, his mind was slightly shaken, he stopped and looked at the sound.
He saw a young man in his twenties standing across the street in Chengdu, facing him across a two-foot-wide road. Between them was a bustling city.
There were several people following behind the young master. Two of them were familiar faces. They were Fang Tan and Wei Xize, the meritorious officers of the Fu Zheng Pavilion. The young master was handsome, tall and well-proportioned. There was no trace of excess on his body. muscle.
His skin is fair, his facial features are just right, his nose is straight, neither big nor small, his eyes are bright, his upper and lower lips are neither thick nor thin, his earlobes are plump, and his beard is cleanly shaven.
There is a red mole between his eyebrows, whether it is a cinnabar dot or a natural one. He wears a purple gold crown on his head, ties up his hair, and decorates it with a red ball. When he walks, the red ball dangles, which is really eye-catching.
He was wearing a long white coat and trousers, a red jacket on the outside, a green jade belt around his waist, and a pair of climbing boots with white soles and black tops, with gold threads embroidered on the dragon and silver threads on the clouds, which should be A treasure that has been tempered thousands of times.
When Chen Shi saw this pair of boots, he knew that there must be six Ding Liujia inside the boots. "Master?"
Chen Shi continued to walk forward and said calmly, "I was on Fenghuang Ridge, after killing everyone in the Taiping Gate, I heard your voice through the Thousand Miles Sound Talisman.
The young master was walking on the road across the street, separated from the crowd, and said with a smile: "I have been practicing in seclusion these days since I entered Beijing, and I came out today. Many people in Fuzheng Pavilion knew that I was coming to see you, so they all He tried to dissuade me, saying that you are a lawless person and it is not appropriate for me to come to see you. But I came anyway. I must personally meet the prestigious child scholar and have a heart-to-heart talk with you."
Their voices were not loud, but they reached each other's ears clearly. Chen Shi said: "You have seen it now. You can go back."
The young master looked at the road ahead and said sincerely: "I think there must be a misunderstanding between you and me. Chen Jieyuan, I firmly believe that you are a man with great ambitions. You were born in the countryside and have seen evil spirits causing harm to the countryside. The struggle of all living beings under the changes also shows that the officials are more evil than evil spirits. This world is like a cage, trapping you and me. I thought you also had the intention to change the world."
There is a convincing power in his voice, and his eloquent talk always attracts the attention of others.
"However, this is not the case in the era of the true king. In the era of the true king, demons are given the leadership, the people live and work in peace and contentment, the old age is fulfilled, the strong are useful, the young are prosperous, and the diseases are cured."
The young master said, "At that time, there were few evil spirits and could not form a climate. But all this changed with the death of the true king. Over the years, the people have become increasingly miserable, the evil spirits have become more and more rampant, and demons have bloomed like flowers, everywhere. The government and the public have been accusing evil. For a long time, officials did not make decisions for the people, but thought about maintaining their own dominance and making their descendants prosperous. The big families controlled the court, the small families controlled the local areas, and the scholars became the clear stream, only talking and boasting. "
He sighed sadly: "I believe that you, like me, are heartbroken when you see this scene, and feel the same when you see the people suffering. Before the people have time to grow old, they die from evil spirits, and finally under the harsh government, young and ambitious people are useless In the land of martial arts, the court halls are full of clear water. Children are sold and girls are sold, and children have nothing to do. Plague is rampant, and diseases have no cure. The Ming Dynasty has decayed!"
The young master turned to look at Chen Shi with intense eyes: "I think you, like me, want to change everything! You want to get rid of corruption, you want to suppress the demons, you want to overthrow everything that causes suffering in the world! You want to recreate the glory of the true king’s era! Likewise, this is what I want too!”
He said excitedly: "They told me not to come to see you. They said you were a stubborn person, an evil person, and a heinous gangster. But I know you are not! You and I are the same kind of people!"
"You have great intentions, but you have been misunderstood. You have a desire to change the world but have nowhere to use it. You have ambitions and skills but have no place to use them! Chen Jieyuan, you and I are the same kind of people. You and I are not enemies!"
The young master said loudly: "You and I should join forces, we should influence the current situation, we should bring order to chaos, we should win from chaos, we should change the world, and work together to build an ideal era of true kings!"
He stretched out his hand to Chen Shi and said earnestly: "Chen Jieyuan, not many people in this world understand you. You and I are not strangers. Come, come over here and help me!"
Fang Tan and Wei Xize were so moved by his words that they couldn't help but have red eyes. The young master's heartfelt words also aroused their resonance.
Chen Shi looked forward and said calmly: "Are you done?" The sincere expression on the young master's face solidified.
Chen Shi ignored his hand and continued to walk forward, saying, "When you're done, go back and wash your neck, and I'll kill you like a chicken during the big exam."
The young master's face darkened, he stopped and watched him walking further and further away.
In the early morning of the next day, Chen Shi woke up early. Chen Tang did not go to court, but took him to wash up, burn incense, and burn incense on the memorial tablet of his grandfather Chen Yindu. He also asked Chen Shi to pay homage to his mother-in-law and said, "I can't do it in the examination." Carry talismans, talismans and magic weapons with you. If you have any, take them off to avoid the embarrassment of being found out and the risk of losing them."
Chen Shi took out the Youquan Dragon Sword and some treasures on his body and gave them to him.
"The clothes must be changed into ordinary clothes. You cannot wear talisman-type clothes, and you cannot draw talismans on your body." Chen Tang thought for a while and said, "Firearms are not allowed either."
Chen Shi muttered and took out some caltrops from the small temple.
Chen Tang looked at these caltrops that were taller than himself, and the corners of his eyes twitched, and he said: "Artillery can't do it either, and there are also dragon-headed rockets, which can't be brought over."
Chen Shi was dejected and took out two general cannons and a dozen rockets.
Chen Tang couldn't help but have a headache when he looked at these behemoths that were two feet long. Is the small temple behind this child's head so big? Why are there so many things stuffed inside. "If there is a big general cannon, there must be projectiles. Take out the projectiles."
Chen Shi took out the projectile again and said, "There is nothing left this time."
Chen Tang didn't believe it, so he entered his small temple, rummaged around, invited Fushen Tianji and Empress Shiji out, and said: "You planted these elixirs in Xiaozhutian. You can't bring these with you." Don't worry, you can keep these things in Xiaozhutian, I will help you keep them, and you won't lose them."
After Chen Shi finished handling the matter, Chen Tang said, "You can't bring dogs with you either." The black pot barked a few times in protest, but Chen Tang firmly refused.
He checked several more times to confirm that Chen Shi was not involved, and then personally sent Chen Shi to the Yamen of the Ministry of Rites. The examination was conducted by the Ministry of Rites, the literary examination was held in the Ministry of Rites, and the martial arts examination was held in the Shenji camp.
The Yamen of the Ministry of Rites had begun to free up many Yamen mansions a few days ago to allow candidates from all over the country to have a place to take exams. The literary test is divided into three sessions, the first is a test of theory, the second is a theory test, and the third is a test of martial arts. The test is divided into three sessions, the first session is a skill test, the second session is an art test, and the third session is a fighting test.
You will take the literary test in the morning and the martial arts test in the afternoon for three consecutive days. You will not know the results until the results are released one month later.
After that comes the imperial examination.
When Chen Shi arrived at the yamen of the Ministry of Rites, he saw that the place was full of masters from the Ministry of Rites and the Shenji Camp. The soldiers of the Shenji Camp carried swords on their waists, carried bird uniforms on their backs, and hung medicine pots. There were lead bullets in cloth bags and hanging on the back of their buttocks. Tribulus.
In the sky, there stood a yellow scarf warrior who was more than ten feet tall. He bent down and scanned the candidates who entered the examination room one by one. The officials of the Ministry of Etiquette worshiped the soul and inspected each candidate's body to see if there were any prohibited items.
In addition, there are huge stone statues of mythical beasts in each examination room. They are two kinds of mythical beasts. One is like a dragon and has four legs. Its body is shorter than a dragon, and its appearance is festive and smiling. The other is shaped like a tiger with dragon horns and dragon scales on its back. He has a mane, a majestic appearance, and suspicious eyes.
When Chen Shi arrived, several officials from the Ministry of Rites were offering incense to the stone statue and offering sacrifices such as cattle and sheep.
Suddenly, the stone statues began to move with sonorous sounds, transformed from stone into flesh and blood, jumped down from the altar, and began to examine each candidate. "Those are Biyan and Negative. Any cheater, even if you ask Even ghosts and gods cannot escape their ears and eyes."
Chen Tang said, "Go in, take the exam well, and don't feel too much pressure."
Chen Shi said yes and stepped forward to tell his name. An examiner heard his name and ushered him into the examination room.
Chen Shi sat on the futon, and saw that the examination room he was in was a large hall. Besides him, there were more than a dozen tables and futons. Most of them were empty. There were only two tables with people in front of them. One was the young master. The other was a strange young man.
There were only three of them in the entire examination room. "I'm Zhang You, I've met Chen Jieyuan."
The strange young man sat on the futon, bowed slightly to Chen Shi, and said with a smile, "I don't live in Qixiaguan, I am staying at my uncle's house." "No whispering!" shouted an examiner.
Then, the two divine beasts Bi Fan and Nian Zhi stepped in, walked around majestically, and looked at the three of them.
With the sound of a bell, an examiner came to the front of the three people, with a majestic look on his face, and said loudly: "The first question in today's exam is divided into Four Books of Meaning, Yi Yi, Poetry Meaning, and Spring and Autumn Meaning. There are six questions in the Four Books of Meaning, There are three questions each from Yi, Poetry, and Spring and Autumn Period. Each candidate will choose one question, explain the answer, and give it one hour.
limit."
Then, some petty officials came from the opposite side and entered the palace pushing signs. One of the signs read: "The meaning of the Four Letters: 1. When traveling to Xia, ride on the chariot of Yin, wear the crown of Zhou, and have fun with Shao dance. 2. Kiss Be kind to the people and be kind to the people, be kind to the people and love things. Three..."
Chen Shi checked them one by one, and there was a small official who handed over a pen, ink, paper and inkstone. The paper was rice paper, the ink had been polished, and the pens were ready. The topic Chen Shi chose was, thunder in the sky, big and strong. A gentleman cannot act with disrespect.
"Zhu Xiucai once talked about this question!"
He was quite excited and immediately wrote down his name, place of origin and topic before starting to write.
At this time, a small official came and took away the rice paper from his hand, carefully studied his handwriting, and carefully thought about his topic. The other two small officials also came and took away the paper from Zhang You and the young master. Just study the handwriting and topics nearby.
After a while, the three clerks sat down and scrawled the meaning of their topic on the paper with pens like the wind! Chen Shi was stunned and hurriedly said to Bi Yan and Qian Qi: "Fraud! We cheated. !」
Chapter completed!