Gao Lishi came to visit the field in person, accompanied by the Minister of Rites, the Minister of Rites, and two scholars from Wenyuan Pavilion and Hongwen Pavilion. As soon as everyone arrived, the examiners hurriedly gathered in the center of the examination room to listen to the teachings. When they were chatting and laughing, a voice suddenly came from outside.
"Idlers are not allowed to enter the imperial examination room!"
"The Exorcist Division is on business, and everyone who has nothing to do with it, stay away!"
Gao Lishi: "..."
There was a sudden commotion among the examiners, and they all walked out of the corridor and looked out of the gate. At this time, Qiu Yongsi shouted, "Li Jinglong, the exorcist of Dali Temple, has arrived—"
Li Jinglong: "..."
Gao Lishi said: "Li Jinglong! What are you doing?!"
The guard wanted to step forward to stop him, but Hong Jun behind Li Jinglong cast a five-color divine light, how could a mortal stop him? Immediately, he was pushed straight out. There was an explosion in front of the examination room in an instant, and the guards drew out their weapons one after another, pointing at Li Jinglong and the four people behind him.
The examiners only felt a blur in front of them. They didn't know what method Li Jinglong's entourage used to bring people down, but Gao Lishi knew that trouble was coming. If what he said that night was true, this group of people was the exorcist that Li Jinglong said! Regardless of whether the trick just now was a cover-up or not, I'm afraid there will be a commotion, and the guard at the door may not be able to deal with it, so he must first find a way to stabilize him.
"Let him in!" Gao Lishi snapped.
When a group of people entered the examination room, Li Jinglong first saluted Gao Lishi in a neither humble nor overbearing way.
Gao Lishi said: "Li Jinglong, your exorcism department has been officially disbanded, and the time left is for you to go back and move. Why are you still making trouble here?"
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites snorted coldly, and looked at Li Jinglong with a smile on his face.
Only then did the members of the Exorcism Department know and went in, they were extremely surprised and looked at Li Jinglong.
But Li Jinglong said: "Today, I came here under the order of His Majesty to supervise the imperial examinations and eliminate the evil spirits in the examination room."
The examiners looked at each other, and some laughed. The Minister of Rites said, "Li Jinglong, are you crazy? I need to find a doctor for you..."
Li Jinglong said: "Your Majesty is on his way back from Mount Li, we won't wait for him, just please, my lords, be a witness on the spot, please."
After finishing speaking, regardless of the crowd, Gao Lishi walked up the corridor, Gao Lishi shouted: "Li Jinglong! What are you doing?!"
Hong Jun and the others followed, followed by Gao Lishi quickly, and everyone gave way to the officials. The scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion said angrily: "Li Jinglong! The imperial examination room is a place related to the destiny of the country. Let you be presumptuous here!"
In each wing room, the examinees heard the dispute outside, and one after another leaned over to the window and looked out curiously.
Seeing Li Jinglong walking quickly, Gao Lishi roared: "Li Jinglong! You are crazy! Come on! Take him down for me—"
"Who dares to do it?!" Hong Jun said, and the guards didn't dare to step forward. It was too late and then soon, Li Jinglong came to a room and kicked his foot.
With that kick, the door lock was broken immediately.
"doing what!"
One of the candidates inside suddenly yelled, still in shock, and looked at Li Jinglong. At that moment, Hong Jun's heart thumped, as if cold water had been poured from head to toe all over his body, and there was no sound around him. Everyone has the same thought in their minds—it's over.
"I kicked the wrong door, sorry." Li Jinglong closed the door,
Everyone: "..."
Li Jinglong kicked the door again, Gao Lishi finally couldn't bear it anymore, and roared: "Li Jinglong!"
Li Jinglong stepped aside, and Gao Lishi fell silent for a moment.
One room, one case, clothes scattered in front of the case, and a gray fox lying in the scholar's uniform.
Hong Jun almost cheered, and everyone else breathed a sigh of relief.
"What's going on?" Gao Lishi seemed to have seen the big joke, looked at the examiners, and the Minister of Rites came over to take a look, took half a step back, and fell to the ground in shock.
"This... this..." Minister of Rites trembled, "What does this mean?"
"Where are people?!" The examiner exclaimed.
Li Jinglong glanced at the crowd, and at the same time, everyone in the Exorcism Department was quickly looking at the people present, trying to find clues.
Mo Zhigen shook his head imperceptibly, which meant that there was no mastermind here. The examinee next door looked with his head, and Qiu Yongsi stuffed the person back, and Hong Jun turned the lock on the door again.
"Catch the fox." Li Jinglong said coldly, "Pick up the waist badge and clothes. Go to the next room."
"Anything else?!" the examiner said in shock.
Li Jinglong kicked open the next door, before Gao Lishi recovered, he hurriedly said: "Wait!"
"What are you waiting for?" Li Jinglong said, "General Gao, those who participated in the imperial examination of the Tang Dynasty were actually a group of foxes. In the future, the officialdom will be full of monsters. Are you not afraid at all?"
That sentence revealed the essence of the problem in an instant. The examiner, the bachelor, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, the minister... a chill rose behind the officials present, and they finally realized the seriousness.
"Look at it." Li Jinglong kicked open several doors one after another, let everyone look at them one by one, and then let Mo Zhigen catch the fox out. Qiu Yongsi pasted talismans in the school grounds, made a magic circle with talisman paper, and threw all the sleeping foxes into it.
"Wait!"
There are more and more foxes, and Gao Lishi is completely confused, shouting: "Li Jinglong! Please explain to me clearly, what is this..."
Hong Jun: "Give me a kick too."
Li Jinglong: "Kick it, Artest, you and the others catch the rest."
"Stop, stop." The scholar couldn't help panting, as if every time Li Jinglong kicked open a door, the candidates inside would turn into foxes, Gao Lishi shouted, "Li Jinglong! What kind of magic are you using?!"
Hong Jun kicked twice to satisfy his desire to destroy. After kicking open the door, Li Jinglong pulled out the fox. After connecting two or three doors, the Minister of Rites said, "Go inside before the matter is clarified! Li Jinglong! Please explain to me!" Be clear! Otherwise, you are not allowed to kick the door!"
Li Jinglong: "The Department of Exorcism is not under the jurisdiction of your Ministry of Rites. Go and invite the Minister of Punishment."
Gao Lishi roared: "Li Jinglong! This is your sorcery! You... you want revenge!"
Li Jinglong stopped, glanced at Gao Lishi, turned around and walked towards him, Gao Lishi and others were suddenly terrified, and couldn't help backing away, fearing that under his kick, he would also be kicked into a fox.
However, at this moment, the sound of communication resounded through the examination room.
"His Majesty is here!"
The entire examination room was boiling, and candidates who didn't know what happened rushed to the window one after another, vying to see Li Longji's true face. At that time, I saw Li Longji in casual clothes, striding ahead, and Feng Changqing, leaning on crutches, following behind Li Longji.
Li Longji stood still when he passed the open space, glanced at the fox in the talisman array, his eyes were full of shock, and turned to look at Feng Changqing, but Feng Changqing made a "please" gesture.
"His Majesty."
When Li Longji came, everyone hurriedly bowed and saluted.
Li Jinglong clasped his fists and said: "Report to Your Majesty, General Gao and others are assisting the minister in arresting these fox demons."
Li Longji turned his head to glance at Gao Lishi, and said in a deep voice, "Is that true?"
Gao Lishi couldn't help trembling, Li Jinglong played this hand extremely beautifully, he had to nod if he didn't nod, so he could only say: "Yes... yes... but I don't know why..."
"Open the door and let me see." Li Longji stood in front of another door.
The examiner took the key, but his hands were trembling, and he still couldn't unlock it. Hong Jun rushed forward and kicked Li Longji, and the wooden door was kicked open.
Li Longji walked into the room quickly, but Li Jinglong wanted to stop him, but Feng Changqing signaled that it was okay. The majesty of the emperor was still there, Li Longji personally entered the wing room, picked up the fox ears, and took a look.
"There are many?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, there are a total of two hundred and sixty-six." Li Jinglong replied.
Li Longji's eyes were full of anger, and when he reached the door of the next room, he kicked the door open without waiting for others to open it.
Sure enough, they are all foxes!
A full hour later, the open area of the examination room was full of foxes like hills. Hong Jun's medicine was so heavy that the fox monsters didn't wake up for a while.
Li Longji sat on the chair panting, looking at Li Jinglong with a certain tacit fear in his eyes.
"This one is for you." Li Jinglong carried a little fox and handed it to Hong Jun, with a jade Buddha tied on its front leg.
Hong Jun was relieved, and when he was about to thank him, Li Jinglong said, "You have to do me a favor, Hong Jun."
At dusk, in the imperial study room, the little fox locked in the cage woke up, trembled suddenly, opened his eyes wide, caught a glimpse of the talisman on the cage, and looked left and right.
"Don't worry." Hong Jun's voice sounded from the side of the study, and said, "It's safe to hide here, they won't be able to find you."
The little fox's hair stood on end in an instant, staring at Hongjun in disbelief. Hong Jun sat on the window sill, with one foot on the window frame and one foot hanging down, forming a beautiful silhouette.
"I'm sorry." Hong Jun said, "The purpose of entering the Imperial College that day was to find out your identities."
"You... you..." the fox said, "who are you?"
"Exorcist." Hong Jun replied in a low voice.
"You lied to me!" The little fox screamed.
Hong Jun said: "But I also saved your life, otherwise you would be dead now."
"What about them?" The little fox trembled.
"It's all revealed." Hong Jun replied, "Who asked you to come?"
The little fox immediately became vigilant, Hong Jun turned his head, smiled at it, and said, "Tell me who is the master, and I will let you go."
The little fox fell silent, with tears in his eyes, trembling uncontrollably.
"I don't know." The little fox cried, "Please, let me go."
"You have killed so many scholars." Hong Jun said: "I'm afraid it's not true if you say innocent."
The little fox screamed: "I didn't kill anyone! I really didn't!"
Hong Jun said: "What about your other clansmen?"
The little fox stopped talking.
Hong Jun said: "You partnered and killed two hundred and sixty-six scholars. There may be officials from Datang in the future."
The little fox said: "But I really didn't. They have always been unwilling to let me absorb the essence of mortals. When I arrived, the child had already been sucked dry by other members of the same race."
Hong Jun couldn't help shivering, the hair on his back stood on end.
"They asked me to replace the scholar, so I did, please! Please! Hongjun!"
Hong Jun jumped off the window sill, sighed, and squatted down to observe the little fox with a little guilt in his eyes.
"I'm sorry." Hong Jun finally said.
He stretched out his hand, trying to sprinkle the powder in, but the little fox bit his finger and said "Ai". In an instant, the little fox fell asleep again, and Li Jinglong quickly rushed out from behind the bookshelf.
"Injured?" Li Jinglong hurriedly said, "Let me see."
Hong Jun's index finger was bitten, Li Jinglong squeezed his hand hurriedly, Hong Jun said: "It's okay, I was often bitten by animals when I was on the mountain."
Li Longji walked out from behind the bookshelf, and he has seen and heard the whole process.
Hong Jun stood up, and Li Jinglong said for him: "Your Majesty, I beg for this fox demon on behalf of Hong Jun, it has not harmed anyone..."
"That's all." Li Longji said with a flick of his sleeves, "You make up your mind."
At that moment, Li Longji seemed to have aged a lot under the setting sun, and his steps were somewhat decadent, and he slowly walked out of the imperial study. Hong Jun breathed a sigh of relief, and followed Li Longji with Li Jinglong.
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." Li Longji walked forward and said, "I'm afraid I would never believe that such absurd things would happen."
At dusk, Yang Yuhuan stood on the steps of the back hall of Xingqing Palace, looking at the sleeping foxes piled up in the middle of the open space, his eyes filled with shock. Mrs. Guo Guo and Yang Guozhong instantly turned pale. Feng Changqing and Gao Lishi stood to the left and right, and the eunuch moved out several chairs from the palace, inviting the royal relatives and relatives who had just returned from Huaqing Palace to sit down.
"This is what General Feng said..." Yang Yuhuan couldn't believe his eyes.
"Exactly." Feng Changqing replied, "It's the fox demon who pretended to be an imperial examination candidate and wanted to mess with my Tang Dynasty."
In front of the group of foxes, Qiu Yongsi, Artest and Mo Zhigen were guarding each other with weapons, preparing for the fox demon to wake up suddenly.
Li Longji walked past the fox demons without even looking at them. He sighed and sat on the chair at the top of the steps. Yang Yuhuan looked at the fox demons and then at Li Longji. Li Longji put one hand on the back of Yang Yuhuan's hand, and said to Li Jinglong who was following up, "Jinglong, tell everyone."
Li Jinglong said seriously: "Your Majesty, noble concubines, everyone, this matter must start with Hong Jun's entry into Chang'an City..."
Li Jinglong stood under the steps and started to narrate. From the day when Hongjun arrived in Chang'an and found the flying mastiff, when he mentioned Pingkangli, Yang Yuhuan frowned and said: "So that's the case, you were in Pingkangli that day to investigate the case." ?”
Li Jinglong: "..."
Li Jinglong bit the bullet and replied: "Yes, I have already discovered... There is a monster in Pingkang."
This is the crime of deceiving the emperor... All the subordinates thought at the same time, but forget it, I will give you a chance to restore your good reputation, anyway, the disaster is also caused by Hongjun.
Hong Jun almost said "No", but was stopped by Li Jinglong's eyes.
Then, Li Jinglong mentioned the process of entering Pingkangli for the second time, finding the fox demon, and then followed the vines to find out the flying mastiff, except that he didn't mention the throwing knife that Hong Jun lost. At that time, Hu Sheng and Chengmen Jun were summoned to testify again to prove that it was absolutely true.
During the whole process, Li Longji and Concubine Yang were all terrified, Madam Guoguo tremblingly said: "You guys also went to Daming Palace to fight?"
Yang Guozhong frowned and said, "How can you confirm that these foxes are really candidates, not just blindfolded..."
Li Longji raised his hand and interrupted: "I have confirmed it myself, so there is no need to doubt it, Li Jinglong, go on."
Li Jinglong told what happened in the Daming Palace together, and said: "The monster was extremely difficult to subdue, and it destroyed the gold and jewelry in the Daming Palace while struggling. Jinglong was really terrified..."
"You made a contribution today." Li Longji said slowly, "It has already been paid, so don't worry about it, the account will be settled on my head."
Everyone was relieved that they finally didn't have to lose money anymore.
In fact, Li Longji had heard Feng Changqing narrate the details of the whole case once, but it was even more thrilling to hear it from Li Jinglong.
In the end, Li Jinglong said: "These fox demons are causing trouble to the court, and their crimes are extremely heinous. I implore Your Majesty to remove them here."
"It's up to you." Li Longji said coldly, "For the candidates who died, the Ministry of Rites will issue a pension and notify the family."
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites hurriedly bowed to promise, Yang Yuhuan's eyes were full of unbearable, and he sighed.
"Among the four subordinates of the minister, one is named Tigra Isai." Li Jinglong said, "He is a former Persian..."
"Yisai?" When Li Longji heard this, his expression changed, and he asked, "What's the relationship with the Nirvana Master?"
"It's my father." Artest stepped forward and bowed to Li Longji.
Li Longji looked at Artest, and said in a deep voice, "Are you back?"
Artest breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and said, "Yes, I am willing to do my best for Datang."
Li Longji frowned and looked at Artest, as if lost in memory. Li Jinglong said again: "Tigera studied Zoroastrianism and is proficient in the art of fire. Let him burn the fox demon, and he will be able to do it all."
Hearing that Yang Yuhuan, Yang Guozhong, and Mrs. Guoguo showed unbearable expressions at the same time, Li Longji said bitterly: "Burn!"
The fox deceived the world and replaced the examinee. If the news got out, the prestige of the Tang Dynasty and the face of the emperor would be wiped out, and the imperial examination would become a joke. How could it be tolerated
So Li Jinglong stepped back and gestured to Artest, indicating that it was time to burn.
"Leave for a while if you don't want to see you." Li Jinglong whispered to Hongjun.
Hong Jun said, "It's okay."
Artest muttered the mantra, and in the bloody dusk in the square, the ring in his hand suddenly burst out with thousands of red lights, turning into a raging fire, and then he shook the folding fan in his hand, the flame combined with the strong wind, turning into a tornado , suddenly rolled into the fox demon pile.
The fire was burning, and the more than two hundred foxes howled miserably and woke up one after another, but they could not escape. In just a few breaths, the howling quickly calmed down, and the school grounds returned to dead silence. Flames soared into the sky, carrying a pungent smell, crackling, and after all the foxes died, it seemed that a terrifying force rushed straight into the sky!
Li Longji couldn't help trembling, and everyone on the school field turned pale at the same time!
That power is like the resentment and hostility released by the fox demon when it was about to die. It evaporated endlessly and turned into black flames and rushed to the sky. Li Jinglong never expected this change, and immediately shouted: "Protect Your Majesty!"
At that moment, Hong Jun felt a strong resentment, as if to burst his heart. A lot of emotions such as sadness and anger gushed out, Li Jinglong immediately pulled him aside and protected him behind him.
As soon as Li Jinglong stood in front of Hongjun, the strong resentment continued to subside. After the black flame rose into the sky, it turned into a meteor-like trajectory, shot into the sky, and disappeared completely.
Yang Yuhuan frowned and said, "What is this?"
"Reporting to the noble concubine." Mo Zhigen replied, "This is the resentment carried by the evil spirits who absorbed the blood of mortals. Now that the evil spirits are slaying them, the souls of the examinees who died under their hands have returned to heaven, so there is no need to worry."
Under the darkness of night, the heap of fox demon corpses had been completely burned, and there was a sound of peeling and cracking. There was a dead silence in the school grounds, no one dared to speak, and everyone was making their own plans.