Heavenly Dao Formula Chapter 1: Small town

　　 Qingshan Town was originally an ordinary town located on the hillside. Usually, there are few outsiders, but at this moment, it has become a lot of people because of Qiguo’s exam.

　　 "Next, Fenghua County examinee, Xia Fan." The invigilator read with the list.

　　 Xia Fan, who was named by his name, walked out of the team and handed his wooden sword and package.

　　 Two assistants immediately took the package and unzipped it, carefully inspecting the contents.

　　"Clothes, two sets, compliant."

　　"Drug pack, one bag, compliance."

　　 "Pick up paper, stack, compliance."

　　"Money..." When the money bag was found, one person put it in his hand and turned it upside down, showing a look of surprise, "less than five taels."

　　 A few chuckles suddenly came from behind Xia Fan. Although his voice was suppressed very low, he still vaguely heard words such as poor ghosts and soil buns.

　　 "As long as you don't exceed the limit, you can bring as many as you want." The invigilator didn't respond much, as if he had seen many similar scenes, "Press your fingerprints here and cross the bridge."

　　 Xia Fan arched his hands and crossed the small suspension bridge connecting the inside and outside of the town.

　　 Only then did he really enter the "examination room".

　　 And the candidates in the front line have already ran all over the street.

　　 It seemed that they had the same idea as themselves, Xia Fan secretly said that when he came to an unfamiliar place, the first thing to do is to get acquainted with the situation in this place first, so as to deal with the content of the next assessment.

　　Half an hour later, he finally got a general understanding of the "examination room" after visiting the town.

　　 This town is much smaller than he thought. It is more appropriate than a town rather than a village.

　　 It is located in a remote location, backed by mountains, and surrounded by rift valleys. The access to the outside world is only a suspension bridge made of hemp rope and wooden planks.

　　 The surrounding vegetation is lush and lush, there are big trees in the sky, and you can smell the fragrance of the moist soil when you walk on the road. If you change the time, this isolated residence is undoubtedly a superb view in the eyes of some people. It is no problem to be regarded as a tourist attraction close to nature, but at this moment, isolation means poverty and backwardness.

　　Four criss-crossing mud roads roughly divide the town into a tic-tac-toe. The houses are less than 30 buildings, most of which are bungalows with thatched roofs, and some have been abandoned for many years. Obviously, its scale is shrinking with the years.

　　 is a bit like a town in the center of the Tic Tac Toe. There are at least two floors of blue brick houses on the side of the road, as well as a hotel and a tea house.

　　 Here, naturally, it has become the most lively area in Qingshan Town.

　　"Xiongtai, bother," Suddenly someone patted Xia Fan on the shoulder, "Are you from Fenghua County, too?"

　　 Xia Fan turned and looked around, only to see a man who was slightly fat and his age was looking at him with a smile on his face, even with some expectation in his eyes.

　　 "Yes, I wonder if you are..."

　　 "Hi, fellow." The other party seemed to be relieved, "My name is Wei Wushuang, I was two or three behind you before, and I just heard the examiner's question."

　　 "That's it."

　　 Seeing Xia Fan raised his eyebrows, Wei Wushuang quickly waved his hands, "I didn’t think there was any problem with only half a bag of money. . To be honest, I hate them too much."

　　 "By the way, should we go in and have a drink and talk?" He glanced at the teahouse, "I'll be pleased for this meal."

　　 Is this self-acquaintance or is it casual and diligent? Thinking that there was nothing wrong, Xia Fan agreed, and he was also a little curious about what the other party was doing.

　　 sat down at an empty table on the second floor. Wei Wushuang skillfully placed a pot of green tea, added a plate of boiled peanuts and a plate of raw pork ears. Obviously, he is also a frequent visitor to restaurants.

　　 It seems ordinary to speak, but Xia Fan knows that this is definitely not the normal life of ordinary people. Those who can go to restaurants in this era have some spare money at home.

　　 At least he has never played.

　　 This can be regarded as experiencing life from another angle.

　　 "You are welcome," Wei Wushuang gestured to please, "If you want to eat anything, just tell me."

　　"This is enough." Xia Fan poured himself a cup of tea, "The money is limited, it's better to save some money, I don't know how long this exam will last."

　　"Yes." When it comes to exams, Wei Wushuang's expression is obviously wilted. "I heard that although the admission rate of Shikao is not low, the advantages and differences are different. If you are judged as inferior, it is better not to be selected. Come on, after all, it’s a desperate job. It’s just...hey, you and I come from retail investors, how can you compare to those noble disciples."

　　Every time I hear Shikao, there is always an unspeakable feeling in Xia Fan's heart. Although he has long accepted that this is reality, he still cannot ignore the strangeness caused by the collision of two common senses.

　　 Yes, in this world, the various anomalies that were only active in ghost stories and legends have become a common phenomenon; it does not exist in a col, tomb, or remote wasteland, but is real Affected all aspects of people's lives. In order to deal with these evil events, each dynasty set up a Privy Council to select relevant talents to protect one party's safety.

　　 The method of selection is a public examination. All those who are admitted are alchemists. Not only do they have official status, their treatment is the same as that of ordinary officials. Therefore, over time, Shikao gradually became the third largest national unified examination after the scientific and martial arts examinations, and because the Privy Council was not among the six departments and was under the direct control of the emperor, its momentum in recent years has been gaining ground. Above Wu Kao.

　　Like the scientific examination, the scholar examination is held once every three years, but the format is not divided into autumn and spring selections. Anyone who wishes can apply for registration before the summer examination. Passing the identity review is equivalent to Have the qualifications for admission. The exam usually lasts for a few days, after which the level can be determined.

　　According to Xia Fan’s previous information, the admission rate for the Shikao is halfway, which seems to be much more relaxed than the scientific test. However, considering the duties of the alchemist, this is also reasonable. After all, the number of people participating in the examination is much lower than the scientific examination. At the same time, it is a three-year examination. If the requirements are increased, the Privy Council will inevitably lead to a shortage of personnel in the Privy Council, which will affect the safety of various places.

　　 It’s just that the exam always scores high and low. Even if the alchemist who barely passes the test has official status, the place he is assigned will not be much better. The problem is that even if the local government is poor, the civilian officials who take up their posts will live a little bit poorer, and they will always have the chance to turn over if they gradually become more senior. But unlike the Privy Council, it is inevitable for anyone to deal with all kinds of visions, and it is not surprising that he accidentally died on duty.

　　With this difference, it is no wonder that Wei Wushuang is worried about his ranking.

　　 "The scholarship test is an active registration and voluntary participation. If you don't come, won't you be free from these troubles." Xia Fan said disapprovingly. The other party is obviously not the kind of person who needs to take a fight. He has some spare money in his pocket at any time, and he can go out of the restaurant on weekdays. This kind of person can live quite well even if he is not an official, and there is no need to take risks at all.

　　 "I'm not afraid of Xiongtai's jokes, I was driven by my father." Wei Wushuang grinned helplessly. "He said that he is only a businessman when he does business, compared to a serious official. , That’s almost a thousand miles away! Even if I don’t come, I’m ashamed of the ancestors, ashamed of the talent bestowed by God, and sorry for the rice I ate. Of course, the main reason is his hands. That whip..."

　　 Xia Fan couldn't help but twitched his mouth, "You shouldn't be the eldest son of the family?"

　　"Do you also know this?" Wei Wushuang drank a sullen tea, "Father has three sons and two daughters, and I am the second child."

　　 seems to be his own.

　　 But he himself is not much better. During his stay in Fenghua County, his master not only lost his entanglement, but because he wanted to recover the loss quickly, he lost a sum of money in the gambling, which was almost even worse. All lost. Now that the master is being held by the casino, waiting for him to get the alchemist and redeem him with the salary. It is as shameful as it is.

　　 If it wasn't for the fact that the cheap master picked him up as an orphan and took care of him for more than ten years, Xia Fan really wanted to leave him behind.

　　 He shook his head, set aside this unbearable memory for the time being, and decided to get to the point, "What do you want to talk about when you ask me to drink tea?"

　　 "Huh? No, it's nothing..." Wei Wushuang was taken aback for a moment, then scratched his head, "I think since Xiongtai are both from Fenghua County~IndoMTL.com~ maybe we can be a company. Take care of each other. If Xiongtai is in trouble, I can help one or two."

　　 "That's it?" Xia Fan asked calmly.

　　 "Of course, I have no other meaning." After being looked directly at for a moment, Wei Wushuang coughed dryly, "Well, if you and I can help each other in the next taxi exam, it would be better. Naturally, As long as I don’t violate the rules, I never have the idea of ​​bribing Xiongtai with a bowl of tea!"

　　 "Do you mean... cooperation?"

　　 "Yes, cooperation." Wei Wushuang nodded again and again, "I think this Shikao is very different from the other two major tests. Collaboration may not be considered cheating."

　　"Why do you see?" Xia Fan slowly took a sip of tea.

　　"Take Qiuwei as an example. When you go to the examination center, you have to search your body before sending it in. There are compartments in the courtyard. Once you enter, you must not make noise at will, let alone talk to others. In fact, it is even connected. The toilet must be accompanied by an invigilator. But look here—"Wei Wushuang looked around the teahouse, "We are already in the examination room, but we can’t help whispering, and we can even talk while eating!"

　　 "There are those in the same robe," he snarled at a big table in the center, "I noticed that they have been together since they were in line. Those are the children of the family, we should know some news that we don't know. If it’s like the scientific examination, everyone is a competitor. They shouldn’t be unwarranted against their peers, but it doesn’t seem to be the case now. I think the examination may allow everyone to help pass the examination, and one The advantage of a partner is greater than that of a single person."

　　 Xia Fan couldn't help raising her eyebrows.

　　 This guy seems a little stupid, but he didn't expect his observation ability to be unexpectedly good.

　　 For a teenager who has not yet reached the championship, this is already a rare thing.