In the evening, the magistrate vacated an entire inn for them to rest.
Looking at the table full of delicacies in the hall, Xia Fan couldn't bring up his appetite.
"Come here and exchange your information and see what you have discovered." Zhang Shenping clapped his hands and greeted, "Time waits for no one, so it doesn't matter if we talk while eating."
"Then, let me do it first." Yue Feng succinctly repeated the survivor's oral account, "In short, this person did not see the evil spirit clearly in his panic, but he confirmed that it could teleport from a container instantly. to another container no larger than a three-year-old child..."
After some exchanges, the six people basically reached an agreement.
The evil spirit is not afraid of light and has obvious hostility to living things. It is not too big in size. Its chaotic characteristics are manifested in air movement. Its attack method is to pull living creatures into narrow containers and squeeze them to death - from the perspective of harmfulness Judging from the degree of abnormality, it must be a ghost.
A similar record can be found in the Privy Council's book "Zhu Xie Lu".
"Abyss Ghost".
It moves erratically and looks like a ghost; the place it hides is like an abyss.
"This judgment will assume that you are qualified." Zhang Shenping nodded, "But if ten points are a perfect score, I can only give you five points at most."
"Why is this so?" Wang Renzhi asked unexpectedly, "Is there something missing during the survey?"
"It's very simple. The Abyss Ghost is not affected by sunlight. How do you know it won't still be lurking at the crime scene?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone shuddered.
Xia Fan suddenly remembered that Zhang Shenping stopped walking as soon as he entered the courtyard gate and had no intention of taking a look inside the house.
"I think you should have been close to cabinets or furniture that can hold things more than once, right? If it were still there, how many of you would have come back alive?" He showed a cold smile and pointed at Luo You'er, "And you, He’s the first one out.”
Luo Youer's face turned a little pale.
He had asked her to search... Xia Fan felt a little sour in his mouth.
He did not consider this possibility at all at the time.
No wonder Master would say that if you are not fully prepared, you should never get involved in evil incidents easily.
"Then what is the correct approach?" Wang Renzhi couldn't help but ask.
"Of course I'm asking others to go first." Judge Zhang picked up a date and threw it into his mouth. "Gaoshan County has government officials, police officers, and so many residents. You can call anyone. There really is no one to deceive the county magistrate." It’s not bad to go in.”
"Are you...serious?"
"Remember! This is the safest way to do it before you have the ability to protect yourself!" His voice suddenly became louder. "The alchemist only considers completing the mission of the Privy Council as his first priority. If others can't solve the evil evil, then you You must protect yourself and let those ordinary people who cannot sense Qi create opportunities for you to win!"
"What if everyone is an alchemist?" Shangguan Cai asked expressionlessly.
"You already know the answer, don't you?" Zhang Shenfan spread his hands, "In the battle with evil spirits, it is normal to have casualties."
This is really a drill that is close to the real situation... Xia Fan said silently in his heart, no, it should be said that this is actual combat. At least the leader Zhang Shenpan demonstrated what it means to protect oneself.
Seeing that everyone looked unhappy, the Divine Judge pressed his hand down and said, "Don't show such a solemn expression. I just want to deepen your memory. If the ghost is really hiding inside, I will naturally not sit idly by and ignore it. Since now We already have a goal, so let’s discuss tomorrow’s ghost-killing plan.”
"Tomorrow? What about tonight?"
"It doesn't matter. Didn't this innocent little girl confirm the approximate range of the ghost's activities based on the wind-seeking technique? Although it can move quickly between containers and cannot determine the exact location, the area where the smell spreads will never be That’s a lie. I’ve asked Mr. Hu to sprinkle spiritual fire powder nearby and evacuate the residents inside, which should ensure a safe night.”
The source of spiritual fire can not only serve as an introduction to some alchemy techniques, but can also weaken the aura of the living and interfere with the judgment of evil spirits. This is also what Xia Fan learned after joining the Privy Council.
It turned out that while they were investigating, the other party was not idle either.
"According to the records of "Zhu Xie Lu", the whereabouts of Yuan Gui are unpredictable. The container it is in must be smashed first to expose its true form before we can wait for an opportunity to kill it." Zhang Shenfan grabbed a handful of red dates and put them on the table. The dishes were pushed away, and then with a dozen dates, he quickly laid out the layout of the streets and houses where the crime occurred. "So instead of going to it, let's let it come to us."
In one afternoon, I memorized the map of half of the county in my mind. Sure enough, none of the alchemists who could rise to the top were ordinary people.
Xia Fan couldn't help but give him a high look.
The Divine Judge finally stretched out his finger and pressed hard on the center of the area - which happened to be a mansion in Gaoshan County. "Tomorrow night, we will set up an ambush here to lure it into the circle!"
Everyone rolled their throats in unison.
"Don't be so nervous." When he saw that no one responded, he shook his head and laughed, "If there is no intention, evil spirits are just prey. You will know in the future that days when there are evil spirits are good days!"
"How do you say this?" Wei Wushuang asked in surprise.
"Boy, you are not smart enough at first sight. Civilian promotion depends on political performance, what do we rely on? Isn't it the credit of these demon-killing and evil spirits? The greater the threat of evil spirits, the greater the reward. If the evil spirits in a place are swept away Kong, can’t the alchemist just sit in his mansion and waste his time?”
"Master Zhang said, we still need to go to the battlefield..."
"That was during the war. Are you nervous about dealing with evil spirits, let alone an alchemist? That was not a fight at the level of a scholar, but a game of life and death." Zhang Shenping closed his eyes as he said this, seeming to be trapped in Recalling it, he took a deep breath after a while, opened his eyes and looked around all the alchemists present, "Listen up, evil spirits are not terrible. They have weaknesses and have no consciousness at all. Even the most difficult ghosts can only be the most difficult to deal with." The basic instinct of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, but people are different—"
"Human beings are a hundred times scarier than them."
After he finished speaking, he laughed to himself.
After laughing, without waiting for anyone to react, he put the remaining dates into his arms, said "I like this", then waved and walked upstairs.
"Everyone, go have a good rest! By the end of tomorrow, you will have taken a solid step on the road to promotion."
…
Not long after returning to his room, Xia Fan heard a light knock from the window.
Pushing open the window, I saw a figure sneaking into the house nimbly.
His hanging heart was finally relieved.
"I was thinking about what to do if you got lost."
Li took off his bamboo hat and rolled his eyes at him, "A mere alchemist who has just started, wants to get rid of my tracking? Don't forget that my master is -"
"It's Qingjian, I know it." Xia Fan asked curiously, "How did you find this place? Was it based on the smell?"
"Do you think I'm a dog?" Li showed a look of disgust. "It doesn't take any effort to find you. I can just pick up someone on the street, give him two or three coppers, and ask him about the whereabouts of the alchemist from Jinxia City."
This... is indeed a simple and effective tracking method, Xia Fan was impressed.