Chapter 12: Discussion

Gu Xu first went to the warehouse to collect the "Spirit Gathering Pill".

The hunchbacked old man guarding the warehouse had stayed up late reading "The Oil Peddler's Exclusive Courtesan" and was now extremely tired, slumped on a bamboo chair with his eyes closed.

Gu Xu called out several times before waking him up from his slumber.

"You... Didn't you come here just last night?" the hunchbacked old man yawned and said, "Why are you here again?"

Gu Xu smiled but didn't say a word. Instead, he handed him a note with the words "Spirit Gathering Pill" written on it.

When the hunchbacked old man saw the words "Spirit Gathering Pill" his eyes widened, and his drowsiness disappeared in an instant.

He rubbed his eyes, scratched his sparsely-haired head, and confirmed that he wasn't seeing things.

"You... Are you about to break through?"

"It's coming soon."

"Really fast."

"Well, not bad."

Gu Xu accepted the pill from the old man and thanked him politely before leaving without turning back.

The hunchbacked old man sat on the bamboo chair, silently watching Gu Xu's figure recede.

He had been a menial worker in the Exorcism Bureau for over twenty years.

During these years, he had spent his days guarding this simple and unadorned warehouse, drinking tea, sleeping, taking walks with his pet bird, and reading comics. He had seen too many cultivators coming and going.

Some had extraordinary talents, while others were ordinary. Some shone brightly, while others achieved nothing.

However, he had never seen anyone like Gu Xu, who would break through within a year of cultivating. It was truly unprecedented.

Chen Jisheng took eight years to reach the first stage.

Shi Xiaohan took four years.

Even the previous governor of Yishui County's Exorcism Bureau, Zheng Yuzheng, known as the "Martial Fanatic" took more than three years in this stage.

Time passes quickly.

Unbeknownst to him, Zheng Yuzheng had passed away, Chen Jisheng had grown old, and a new generation of young people had become the new protagonists of the Exorcism Bureau.

But none of this mattered to the old man.

He only needed to do his own thing, spend some time fishing, and try to live a little longer.

With that thought in mind, the hunchbacked old man's eyelids drooped, and he resumed his meditation.

He heard that a new theatre troupe had come to Yishui County.

He had a day off tomorrow, so he might as well go and listen.

...

After bidding a temporary farewell to Shi Xiaohan, Gu Xu headed for the bureau's public kitchen for lunch.

A plate of snow lotus root, a serving of lamb horn onion stir-fried with walnut meat, and a small bowl of almond tofu, the whole meal amounted to twenty wen^1.

In the Great Qi Dynasty, one copper coin was equivalent to one wen, and one thousand wen was one guan^2.

One guan was equal in value to one liang^3 of silver.

The purchasing power of one liang of silver was roughly equivalent to 500 yuan^4.

Thus, twenty wen was about the same as ten yuan^5 in Gu Xu's previous life.

Furthermore, the bureau provided a meal subsidy to the officials for every meal.

Compared to the expensive restaurants outside...

The public servants' cafeteria was truly a marvel of high quality and low price.

After the meal, Gu Xu didn't rest. Instead, he went straight to the Exorcism Bureau's library.

He didn't come here to read, of course—after all, he had already absorbed all the knowledge in the entire library into his mind.

He just wanted to find a quiet corner where no one would disturb him and cultivate in peace.

He sat down, closed his eyes, and calmed his mind.

Then he took out a "Tranquil Heart Pill" and popped it into his mouth.

As he silently recited the incantation, the surrounding Yin energy turned into surging rivers, pouring into his meridians and refining into True Qi.

Gu Xu's cultivation technique was called the "Returning to the Origin Technique," which he had exchanged for five hundred merits a few months ago.

In the Great Qi Dynasty, cultivation techniques were divided into three grades: upper, middle, and lower.

Middle-grade techniques possessed special attributes.

Upper-grade techniques even contained profound truths of the Great Dao.

As an ordinary lower-grade technique, the "Returning to the Origin Technique" had... no unique attributes.

But since most high-grade techniques were closely guarded secrets of major clans and sects, for someone like Gu Xu, a grassroots member of the Exorcism Bureau, to have a lower-grade technique like the "Returning to the Origin Technique" available for mass distribution and exchange with five hundred merits was already a stroke of great luck.

At least it gave him a chance to seek longevity.

However, Gu Xu had plans to find a better technique once he advanced to the second stage.

He had heard that high-grade techniques could greatly accelerate cultivation speed.

Time was limited.

He had to find any possible way to advance to the Seventh Stage quickly.

...

When the sun began to set, Gu Xu finished his afternoon cultivation.

His small porcelain bottle was now three "Tranquil Heart Pill" emptier, and his meridians were filled with more pure and solid True Qi.

Now it was time for the dinner appointment he had made with Shi Xiaohan.

It was his first time going to Fragrant Pavilion for a meal, and Gu Xu couldn't help but feel a little excited.

However, as he walked past the corridor of the government office, he heard his colleagues whispering and laughing about him.

"Look, the thinnest man in the Exorcism Bureau has arrived!"

Gu Xu furrowed his brows slightly: "You're thin, your whole family is thin!"

Someone else said, "Look at his face, he looks so good. No wonder even the ghosts are interested in him."

Gu Xu thought, 'Hah, you guys don't understand at all. Those ghosts are face blind. They're just greedy for my 'Spirit-summoning Body'.'

Gu Xu was usually busy and had a small social circle.

Among this group of teasing people, he only knew one named Wang Yang.

Dark-skinned, short stature, and an ordinary appearance, Wang Yang was the kind of person who had no presence in a crowd.

Gu Xu remembered him because they had recently done a mission together.

At that time, Wang Yang had been cornered by a ghost and was terrified, thinking he would die in the line of duty.

Just as he was in a desperate situation, Gu Xu suddenly appeared and effortlessly killed the ghost, saving Wang Yang from danger.

Since then, Wang Yang has become Gu Xu's number-one fan.

"Wang Yang, did you secretly give me a nickname again behind my back?"

"Brother Gu, I'm sorry!" Wang Yang immediately raised his hands, his face showing a desperate desire to survive.

He knew very well that although Gu Xu appeared weak, his combat power was undoubtedly among the top five in the Yishui County Exorcism Bureau. If he angered him, his fate might be worse than those ghosts.

"I heard you guys were discussing something just now?"

"This afternoon, Governor Chen showed us the footage of you dealing with the Painted Skin Ghost at the Wang family mansion," Wang Yang smirked and replied, "All of us greatly admire your profound talisman techniques, extensive knowledge, and meticulous thoughts, Brother Gu."

"I dare say that Brother Gu must be the most detail-oriented person in the Exorcism Bureau."

"If it were us, we would have died a thousand times at the hands of those cunning evil spirits."

"You make it sound so good."

"Brother Gu, I'm your most loyal admirer!"

Gu Xu neither affirmed nor denied.

"Alright, I won't talk to you anymore. I have something to do tonight."

"Are you meeting Inspector Shi Xiaohan?" Wang Yang's eyes sparkled with the curiosity of a starstruck fan. "I've noticed you two doing missions together all the time."

Gu Xu couldn't be bothered to respond.

He turned and walked through the corridor, heading straight for the exit.

His time was too precious to be wasted on such meaningless gossip.

Eating was the main business.

Wang Yang stood still, silently watching Gu Xu's retreating figure, sighing with emotion: "Truly worthy of Brother Gu, even his indifferent appearance is so handsome."

...

Shi Xiaohan was already waiting outside the government office.

She had changed out of her black official uniform of the Exorcism Bureau and into a pale purple pleated skirt. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and she wore a jade hairpin with a pearl flower and a pair of sheep-fat jade willow leaf earrings.

At this moment, the moon rose above the willow branches.

The myriad lights in front of a thousand doors turned night into day.

Gu Xu gazed at her standing quietly under the moonlight and couldn't help but recall a line he had read in a book in his previous life:

"The crescent moon shines brightly, and flowers and trees are laden with snow."

It was rare to see Shi Xiaohan so demure.

So he stood there and quietly took a few more glances.

"Gu Xu, you finally made it! I can't wait to go to Fragrant Pavilion and eat crispy roast chicken!" Shi Xiaohan spotted Gu Xu at that moment and instantly broke into a happy smile, her slightly chubby face brimming with joy.

The image of the gentle goddess collapsed in an instant.

The lively and energetic "Miss Shi" was back in front of Gu Xu.

"Let's go!" Gu Xu smiled faintly.

Then he looked up at the sky.

The bright moon was like frost, the gentle breeze like water, and the scenery was boundless.

PS: The prices and salaries in this book are based on the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

The food and drink are referenced from "Dream of the Red Chamber," "The Plum in the Golden Vase," and "A Comprehensive Collection of Household Necessities."

(End of this chapter)

^1 Wen: A unit of currency in ancient China.

^2 Guan: A monetary unit in ancient China, equivalent to one thousand wen.

^3 Liang: An ancient Chinese unit of weight, often used as a currency unit.

^4 Yuan: The modern Chinese currency.

^5 Ten yuan: In the context of Gu Xu's previous life (presumably the early 21st century), this would be approximately 1.5 US dollars, giving a sense of the affordability of the meal.