After everyone returned to Chang'an City early in the morning, they went straight to the Daming Palace.
According to the agreement, Jia Xingwen and Wang Cai first returned to the Delinquent Office to resume their duties, while Zhao Xun and Wu Quanyi went to Qintian Prison to request Yuan Tiangang's assistance.
At first, Zhao Xun thought that his mentor Wu Quanyi's access to the palace was a problem. After all, his mentor did not have a court staff, let alone the palace, even the imperial city would be difficult to enter.
But then Zhao Xun was slapped in the face. Qinglian Taoist Priest Wu Quanyi took out a golden waist badge, which was a one-word pass for entering and exiting the imperial city. With this thing, he could travel unimpeded in the palace.
Zhao Xun asked shamelessly: "Teacher, where did you get this badge?"
Wu Quanyi rolled his eyes at him and said: "My junior uncle is a powerful Imperial Supervisor, so asking for a badge is not too much, right?"
Zhao Xun murmured in his heart, it seemed that Yuan Tiangang's image was not as high-end as he imagined, and favoritism was unavoidable.
After the master and apprentice inspected their waistbands through the Jinwu Guards, they entered the Daming Palace one after another.
The location of Qintianjian is very good, adjacent to Yushitai and Zongzheng Temple.
Compared with the deserted Delinquency Office, the smoke and fire atmosphere here is very strong.
Wu Quanyi took the lead and walked in front. When the two Taoist boys on duty in front of the building saw him, they all saluted: "I have seen Taoist Qinglian."
"That's all, no need to be more polite. Where is the supervisor?"
Wu Quanyi looked very anxious.
"this..."
The two little Taoist boys looked troubled.
Wu Quanyi understood in his heart, said nothing more, and stepped into the Huntian Tower.
Zhao Xun didn't hesitate and followed him pacing.
This was his first time coming to Qintian Prison and his first time entering Huntian Tower.
Overall, this building gives people a very magical feeling.
Different from ordinary pavilions, Huntian Tower seems to emphasize the so-called unity of heaven and man.
The entire building is in the shape of a six-sided pagoda, with a total of seven floors and a spiral rising structure.
In later generations, the height of seven stories may not be a big deal, but in the Zhou Dynasty, it was a huge project that reached the sky.
You must know that even the Zichen Palace where Emperor Xianlong lived is not much higher than the Huntian Tower.
This is also one of the privileges of the Qin Tian Jian. Building tall yamen in the imperial city or even the palace city requires special approval from the emperor.
Qin Tian Jian has a reputation for observing the sky, so it is justified to build the Hun Tian Tower taller.
Wu Quanyi is a second-grade practitioner. He has a strong breath and can climb the stairs in one go.
Things didn't go so smoothly for Zhao Xun.
He could clearly feel the suppression from the outside world.
There are restrictions in the Huntian Tower.
This is normal if you think about it carefully. After all, this is the most mysterious place in the Zhou Empire. How can ordinary people easily set foot there.
Zhao Xun worked hard to use Haoran Qi to break through the blockade of the outside world. Although it was difficult, he was able to continue climbing the stairs.
Big beads of sweat dripped down from his neck, and his breathing became much faster.
But Zhao Xun did not stop.
He knew that this was an important test for him. If he could break through the blockade, he would definitely be able to take a step further.
only...
As he crawled, Zhao Xun's vision went dark, as if he had entered a void environment.
It was somewhat similar to the scene when he first saw Haoran Academy in the sea of consciousness, but it was not the same.
An old man with white beard and hair stood on a floating stone slab and stared at Zhao Xun silently.
After a long time, he finally spoke.
"What is your inner demon?"
Zhao Xun was slightly startled and didn't know how to answer.
My inner demon?
This question is really difficult to answer.
In his previous life, Zhao Xun's inner demon should have been making money.
As a liberal arts student, I stayed in a big city to work hard after graduation, and applied for a job as a copywriter in a cultural company. I worked 996 every day in order to get promoted and get a raise, win wealth, and reach the pinnacle of life.
But the ideal is beautiful, and the reality is backbone.
It has been almost ten years since graduation, and Zhao Xun's life has not changed much. Except for the fact that his salary has not increased, everything else has increased.
Prices and rent are like two big mountains pressing on Zhao Xun's shoulders, making him breathless.
Sunlight and moonlight all came to nothing all year round, and he couldn't save any money at all.
Zhao Xun was introduced by relatives and went on a date twice, but when the woman knew that Zhao Xun did not have a house, she immediately issued her a good person card.
From then on, Zhao Xun became disheartened and devoted himself to creation.
Literary creation is his last life-saving straw. He hopes that he can write a best-selling book, make money and change his destiny.
So making money must have been his inner demon in his previous life, right?
Before he could answer, the surrounding scene changed drastically.
This is the ICU ward of a hospital.
His father suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the ICU ward for rescue. When Zhao Xun arrived, he could only watch through the window as the doctors were busy operating the defibrillator and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on his father.
In the end, his father was rescued, but his body became very weak and needed someone to take care of him.
Zhao Xun couldn't afford a nanny, so he resigned from his job and stayed by his father's side to take care of him every day.
Writing became his only income...
Zhao Xun felt as if his head was going to explode, and then the scene changed again.
This time, he was in a funeral parlor.
His father had a car accident while out for a walk and was not rescued.
Zhao Xun lost his loved ones forever.
Zhao Xun did not have the money to hold a grand funeral, so he could only stare at the coffin in the funeral parlor in a daze.
After finishing simple arrangements for his father's funeral, Zhao Xun burst into tears.
After crying, he wiped away his tears and found a new job.
The salary of this job is lower than the previous one, but I can barely make ends meet by paying the rent.
Zhao Xun started his mechanical 996 life again day after day.
Why do you want me to see this?
Zhao Xun was puzzled.
Why should I recall these painful things?
"So what are your demons?"
The voice sounded again.
This time Zhao Xun shouted out without hesitation: "Money, I want to make money!"
The old man with white beard and hair shook his head and sighed: "No."
Then he waved his whisk, and the environment around Zhao Xun changed again.
This time Zhao Xun was at Zhangjing Temple, and four East Vietnamese swordsmen attacked him together, each move full of killing intent.
Zhao Xun burst out with astonishing power in the desperate situation. The aura of awe lingered around him, and he attached the fish knife with his breath, defeating the Dongyue swordsman.
Before Zhao Xun had time to react, he came to the main hall of the Taoist temple in Zhongnan Mountain again.
In the gloomy and cramped environment, several corpses and skeletons were rushing towards him, and he was dazzled by the ability to fly into the sky and escape from the earth.
Zhao Xun struggled to hold on until he was exhausted.
In the end, his mentor Wu Quanyi arrived in time and rescued him from danger.
"So, tell me, what are your inner demons?"
The old man with white beard and hair asked for the third time.