On the desolate land, a young man carrying a bag stopped an old man carrying a pole and asked respectfully.
"Yes, walk about ten miles further and you will reach Chang'an, but you'd better go around five miles from the southeast first."
Hearing this, doubt appeared on the young man's face, "Why?"
"There is an abyss ahead of us. If we don't detour in advance, we will have to wait and walk along the edge of the abyss in the ravine, which will be even more difficult." The old man waved his hand, said no more, and walked straight into the distance.
"Tianyuan..." the young man murmured, "I have never heard of any Tianyuan near Chang'an before?"
Although he was puzzled, he still followed the old man's instructions and started to circle to the southeast.
This young man looks to be about twenty-four or five years old. He is wearing a dark cyan coat covered with dust. From a distance, he looks like a distinguished scholar. But if you look closely, you will find that his cuffs and the hem of his clothes are all covered with stains.
There are traces of sewing. Although the sewing skills are considered superb, there are still some slight color differences.
He carried his heavy luggage higher, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and walked forward step by step in the scorching sun.
I don't know how long it took, but he walked up a small slope and turned around to see a huge abyss in the distance. The inner wall was extremely smooth, like an endless deep hole, and it was impossible to see the bottom at a glance.
"There is such a miracle near Chang'an..." Shock appeared in the young man's eyes. He could not imagine how such a huge and deep abyss was formed.
He rested for a moment and started walking towards Chang'an again. After a few hours, he finally arrived at the foot of Chang'an.
What surprised him was that for some unknown reason, a large section of Chang'an's city wall collapsed. Many workers were busy rebuilding the city wall, and a group of soldiers in armor were standing at the original city gate, checking people entering the city one by one.
"Brother, what happened in Chang'an?" The young man was standing in the queue and couldn't help but ask the man in front of him.
"I don't know either, but I heard on the way here that Chang'an was attacked by some powerful evil spirit. It was the champion who took action to avoid a catastrophic disaster." The man looked around and whispered,
"Have you seen Tian Yuan outside the city? It is said that it was also the handiwork of the Marquis!"
"That abyss is actually man-made?!" Shock appeared in the young man's eyes.
"Huh, that's Lord Marquis! Is there anything you can't do?"
"The Champion..." The young man muttered this name, with a look of longing in his eyes.
When the man saw that the young man was interested in the champion, the corners of his mouth raised slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he mysteriously leaned into the young man's ear and said with some pride, "Brother, to tell you the truth, I came to Chang'an this time just to seek refuge.
The Marquis’s!”
"Going to the Marquis?" The young man was stunned, "You also went to take the examination for the Evil Suppression Department?"
"?The same to you??"
After knowing that they were fellow travelers, the two immediately became enthusiastic and began to call each other brothers according to their age.
"Brother Hu, since you are here to take the exam for the Suppression of Evil Division, why are you here now? If I remember correctly, this is already the last day, right?" the man asked in confusion.
"My home is quite far from here, so it took me a while to walk all the way."
"Oh? Where is your home?"
"Chonglin County."
"Hey, that's really not close... You came all the way? Why don't you buy a horse?"
The young man smiled and said nothing.
Seeing that the young man was unwilling to say anything more, the man was too sensible to ask any more questions. After the two chatted for a few words, it was the soldier's turn to question him.
"Who are you? Why do you want to enter the city?" the soldier asked with a serious expression.
The man opened his mouth and was about to say something. He looked around furtively, and finally leaned next to the soldier and answered in a low voice:
"I'm going to the Evil Suppression Department..."
The soldier looked at him with a strange expression, "If you go to the Zhenxie Division, go to the Zhenxie Division. Why are you so quiet? Let's go... What about you, that kid behind me?"
"Like him, I also go..."
"Hey, let's go. Go straight after entering the door and turn right. There are signs along the way to guide you. Remember to take a number and queue up."
The soldier waved his hands impatiently, as if he was too lazy to ask any more questions. The two of them passed the city gate inexplicably. Faintly, they heard the soldier's impatient voice again:
"What? You are also going to the Zhenxie Division? Why don't you tell us together? Tsk, let's go, let's go... There are people going to the Zhenxie Division behind us, so there's no need to queue up. Just go in and don't block other people's way."
youth:……
"There...are there so many strangers in this world?" The young man scratched his head in confusion.
"I don't know if there are that many foreigners, but there are definitely many people who respect the Marquis."
"By the way, Brother Zhao, I haven't asked you yet, since you are also a stranger, what are your abilities?"
"Me, hehe..." The man looked around and saw no one around, then he leaned into the young man's ear and said proudly, "I can kill a cow with three punches!"
"..." The corners of the young man's mouth twitched slightly, and finally he forced out a smile and politely praised, "Brother Zhao is really powerful..."
"Hahaha, okay, by the way, where are you, Brother Hu?"
"I...I'm not as good as Brother Zhao. I can't even kill a cow."
The man looked at the young man with pity, patted his shoulder, showed an "I understand" expression, and spoke meaningfully,
"Brother Hu, it doesn't matter whether you are a foreigner or not, as long as you have this heart..."
"Brother Zhao, let's hurry over. I see that the people queuing up to take the exam have already reached the street."
"What?!"
The two of them walked along as the soldier said, and they saw many eye-catching slogans on the road:
——For foreigners to take the exam, start two miles ahead.
——Turn right ahead.
——This place is still one mile away from the test site. There are about 200 people in line. It is expected to wait for two hours.
——Every inch of time is worth an inch of gold. Don’t waste your own time and the time of others. If you are not a foreigner, please go to the opposite street to get a bowl of mung bean soup, and then return the same way.
The two of them were far away at the back of the queue. Seeing the dense crowd of figures in front of them, the man sighed helplessly, turned to the young man and said:
"Brother Hu, there are too many people here. Why don't you go back... Practice more and come back next year when you can kill a cow."
"..." The young man shook his head, "It's okay, I can wait."
The man stopped trying to persuade them, and the two of them just lined up in the queue, moving forward little by little. The bright sunlight gradually set towards the west, and the distance between them and the house was getting closer and closer.
"Brother Hu, this doesn't seem to be that slow... There were people in front who kept turning around and going back. They must have given up." Seeing that it was his turn, Mr. Zhao's face showed joy!
Just as the young man was about to say something, a young man walked over from the front with a cold face and a jade plaque tied around his waist, with the words "Suppress Evil" written on it.
"What is your ability?" Wu Quan walked up to Mr. Zhao and said expressionlessly.
"Are you from the Zhenxie Department?" Mr. Zhao approached his ear mysteriously, "I can kill a cow with three punches!"
Wu Quan glanced at him, silently stretched out his hand and pointed to the street opposite:
"Go and drink the mung bean soup, then get out of here!"