It took more than half a month to complete the crafting of the two magical artifacts. By then, Ning Caichen's injuries had almost healed. According to Lu Xuan's plan, it was time to part ways. He wasn't going to stay with Ning Caichen and act as his babysitter. He'd let the kid go off and have his fun.
“Brother Ning, this is not something you can interfere with. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything. If you really want to help, then go back to your studies. Take the imperial examination next year and become an official. Once you become an official, you will be able to help us.”
Ning Caichen also heard the whole story. However, he was not a cultivator, and despite his amazing luck, he couldn't be of much help in such matters. Therefore, Lu Xuan suggested that Ning Caichen participate in the imperial examination. If he could enter the court as an official, he could be of great help.
As for whether Ning Caichen could pass the exam, Lu Xuan didn't doubt his abilities. The real problem lay in the state of the world and the corrupt officialdom.
But it doesn't matter. Ning Caichen doesn't understand these things, but Lu Xuan is very familiar with them. He will help him pull strings and get a government position.
The three parted ways at Lanruo Temple, but Lu Xuan did not leave immediately. Instead, he went to Guobei County at the foot of Lanruo Temple Mountain.
"Xiahou, go to the other side of town." Xiahou paused for a moment, then said yes and quickly left.
"Xiaoqian, Xiaolan, you two each take turns guarding one side."
After saying that, Lu Xuan stepped into Guo Bei County...
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Chapter 356 Clear Mind
After leaving Guobei County, the group... well, they couldn't really be called human. In the entire group, there were only two people, two ghosts, and two demons!
Lu Xuan continued his pattern of traveling the world.
Along the way, Xiaolan and Xiaoqian, two stunning beauties, attracted countless admirers. However, Xiahou simply dealt with most of them.
Xiahou was already a top-tier human martial artist. After learning Lu Xuan's Qi cultivation techniques and refining a martial arts system that had been honed for hundreds of years, his strength had already improved by leaps and bounds. Now, in terms of swordsmanship alone, Yan Chixia was definitely no match for him.
On this day, the group arrived in Taiyuan. Incidentally, the dynasties in most of the Liaozhai stories are quite vague. The dynasty Lu Xuan is currently in is called the Great Jin Dynasty. Its history is completely different from what Lu Xuan has experienced. However, the names of various towns are basically the same.
Taiyuan Prefecture was completely different from the small towns we had visited before. It was only in such a central city that the last vestiges of this dynasty could still be seen.
At least here you won't see bounty hunters roaming the streets with knives, chasing people. And generally, there aren't people constantly engaging in street brawls, causing rivers of blood.
The people of Taiyuan can at least have enough to eat, have some smiles, and even have some entertainment.
On the street, Lu Xuan and his group were watching a spectacle. And it was a very famous spectacle from Liaozhai.
In the crowd, an old man was pestering a plow seller, demanding a plow to eat. But the plow seller was clearly a countryman who didn't earn money easily, so he wouldn't give it away for free. The old man stubbornly refused.
Xiaoqian and Xiaolan, standing to the left and right, hooked their arms around Lu Xuan's and asked him closely.
"Young master, Xiaoqian feels that this old man is a bit different."
"You can sense it?" Lu Xuan asked, somewhat surprised.
"Well, I can sense that he's different from others, but I don't know exactly what makes him different."
This already surprised Lu Xuan somewhat. He knew Nie Xiaoqian was talented, possessing a naturally pure Yin body. After all, to be betrothed to the Black Mountain Demon by Grandma, she must have some extraordinary qualities. A pure Yin body would also be extremely beneficial to demons like those in the Black Mountain Demon Sect. It's just that now it's benefited Lu Xuan.
"If I'm not mistaken, this old man should be a Taoist practitioner. However, his path is different from ours."
At this moment, a young man in the crowd couldn't bear to watch any longer. He took out his money, bought a plow, and gave it to the old man.
The old man took the pear and ate it in one go, quickly leaving only the seeds.
He cupped his hands in greeting to the surrounding crowd, then spoke loudly.
“I am a monk, and monks don’t know what stinginess is. Now that I have pears, please share them with everyone.”
He borrowed a pot of hot water from the restaurant next door. Then he dug a hole next to it, planted the pear seed, and poured boiling water over it.
A miraculous scene unfolded: a sapling visibly sprouted from the ground. Then, as everyone watched, it grew rapidly, blossomed, and bore fruit. In less than half an incense stick's time, the tree was laden with bright orange pears.
"Gentlemen, thank you all for coming. I'll treat you to pears from this tree today. Please help yourselves, it's free."
Everyone was overjoyed upon hearing this. After all, who doesn't like getting a good deal?
Dozens of people rushed forward to pick pears. But the first person to jump up and pick a pear missed, nearly falling headfirst to the ground.
"Old Taoist priest, you're lying! This is clearly a trick. There are no pears here."
The old man's smiling expression vanished. Others might not notice, but he could see through it. The man hadn't touched the pear tree at all; he had simply lunged towards the open space. He had clearly been fooled by some kind of illusion.
The surrounding crowd, having been turned away, accused him of lying.
The old Taoist priest, with a gloomy expression, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to those around him.
"Which fellow Daoist is joking with me? Why don't you come out and show yourself!"
Lu Xuan turned his head and glanced at the little fox in Xiaoqian's arms. The little guy was pretending to be asleep with its head tucked in. It was obvious that the illusion just now was its doing.
The old Taoist's technique wasn't particularly sophisticated; it was more of a combination of real and illusory magic.
The pears are real pears, but they don't grow on trees. They're from the pear cart belonging to the farmer selling pears nearby. The tree is only partially real; the wood is real, but the actual tree is the farmer's pear cart.
In other words, the old Taoist priest's ritual was intended to sacrifice all of the farmer's property. It was this part that made the little fox unable to resist.
It's a fox spirit, so it doesn't understand many principles. But it does know one thing: what's mine is mine. Unless its master wants it, it won't give it to anyone. They don't even know you, why should they give you a pear? If I were in its shoes, I wouldn't give it to them either.
So the little fox deliberately used illusion magic to hide the people who were grabbing the pears, making the old Taoist priest look very foolish.
He reached out and gently stroked the little fox. Ever since Xiaoqian and Xiaolan came, the little guy had refused to stay in Lu Xuan's arms.
"Don't be afraid, your master won't blame you." With that, he stepped out of the crowd and stood in front of the old Taoist priest.