In the evening, Shi Xuan arrived at the entrance of the Provincial Governor's Mansion on time to wait. The sounds of chanting sutras, chanting of Buddha's names, and chanting of incantations rang out incessantly. It was only when the doors of the Provincial Governor's Mansion creaked open and the manager who was in charge of registering everyone in the plaza during the day walked out that everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards the entrance.
"Esteemed guests, the Provincial Governor has set up a banquet in the central hall to entertain everyone. Please follow me." The manager's voice was loud and clear. He bowed courteously and then turned to lead the way inside.
Upon entering, the main hall of the provincial governor's mansion appeared solemn and respectful. Those people of the pugilistic world and swindlers couldn't help but slow down their footsteps and walk carefully. Shi Xuan, on the other hand, had the attitude of admiring a historical relic. As he walked, he looked around. The few people of virtue and prestige around him all looked at Shi Xuan as if they were looking at someone with shallow knowledge.
Entering through the moon door guarded by the bailiffs at the side of the main hall, he walked along the corridor and passed through a few courtyards before arriving at the backyard of the provincial governor's office. This was also where the Provincial Governor and his family currently resided.
The central hall was very spacious and there were many bamboo mats placed inside. Outside the hall was a dark green and clear pond. Perhaps it was because it had stopped snowing these few days and the sun was high up in the sky, coupled with the fact that there were servants cleaning up the area, there was no layer of ice on the pond. The pond was about four to five times the size of the central hall. In the middle, there were a few artificial mountains and around the artificial mountains were withered lotus leaves that covered the pond. Thinking back to summer, it would definitely be a beautiful scene where the lotus leaves were boundless green and the lotus flowers reflected under the sun were exceptionally red.
The generations of Provincial Governors must have received guests here many times. The bamboo mats were placed along the central axis and there were seven to eight rows on each side. Shi Xuan walked to a secluded bamboo mat near the window and knelt on it, looking around. There were about two hundred bamboo mats and each bamboo mat had two to three people kneeling on it. There were also people like Shi Xuan who had their own mat.
Shi Xuan also saw that Dafo Temple's Monk Zhi Guang was sitting at the head of the first row. He must have some fame. His disciples and grand disciples sat in the second row behind him. When they saw Shi Xuan looking over, they all had an arrogant and disdainful look.
The dishes were served very quickly. They had probably been prepared a long time ago. Shi Xuan did not stand on ceremony and started to eat heartily. This made those who were conceited or putting on an act look even more disdainful. Occasionally, there would be mocking and disdainful looks. Shi Xuan did not mind at all. The chefs of the Provincial Governor's Residence were indeed not bad. Now that he was full, he would be able to last longer if he were to meet the Great Oracle or Divine Monarch later.
Just when Shi Xuan was half full, he heard a deliberate cough coming from the host's seat. He looked up and saw an old man with a white beard and a scholarly appearance. He was dressed in a butler's attire and was standing at the head of the table. When he saw everyone looking over, he cleared his throat and said, "I am the second butler of the Provincial Governor's Residence. I am here to entertain everyone on the orders of my Lord. Everyone should know that my Lord is not feeling well and has specially invited all of you to come and treat him. However, there were many swindlers and swindlers who managed to sneak in yesterday. Therefore, I would like to invite everyone here to show off their skills so as to not delay the Lord's treatment."
When he heard that it was the second butler of the Provincial Governor's Residence, Shi Xuan immediately used his Qi Observation Spell to take a look. The thin and aged white aura had traces of crimson divine light twined around it, making him appear to be full of vitality. However, there were no signs of his own cultivation. At most, he could only use the statue of a god to cast spells and use talismans.
Hearing that they needed to show off their abilities, most of the people in the hall started to make a ruckus. Someone said in a strange tone, "Could it be that the Provincial Governor still wants to find some patients for us to test our skills? You have to know that getting rid of an illness is as easy as spinning silk."
The second butler immediately followed up, "If it's just a normal doctor, then please leave." He was not polite at all. At this moment, a few strong men walked out and stood behind the second butler with their arms crossed.
The expressions of a dozen people immediately darkened. After weighing the pros and cons for a while, they finally stood up and bade farewell. The servants in the surroundings also sent them out politely.
Seeing the second butler's unyielding attitude, the remaining few hundred people discussed among themselves for a while before reluctantly agreeing to it. Shi Xuan had no relatives or friends here, so he played with his teacup and looked at these people playfully. From his Qi Observation Spell, he could tell that not many of them had the ability to cast spells. Of course, he did not rule out the possibility that some of them knew how to hide their aura.
The first to walk to the center was Dafo Temple's Monk Zhi Guang. He chanted the name of Buddha and flicked the prayer beads in his hand. One of the prayer beads flew out of the window and exploded in the air above the pond, causing sparks to fall.
After doing this, Monk Zhi Guang proudly performed a Buddhist greeting in all directions before looking at the second butler in the hall. The second butler frowned and looked outside the window, then looked at Monk Zhi Guang. Finally, he cupped his hands respectfully and said, "Master, please return to your seat to rest first. Once everything is done, we can go and meet my master together."
Shi Xuan laughed in his heart. This second butler might be knowledgeable in general, but his knowledge in spells was definitely lacking. This monk could only chant the Ignition Spell. Just now, he had obviously used the Ignition Spell to ignite the gunpowder in the prayer beads to create this effect. Even Shi Xuan, who was sitting by the window, could smell the faint smell of sulfur.
After Monk Zhi Guang returned to his seat, he was instantly surrounded by praises from all around. Although he tried his best to act like an otherworldly master, his almost glowing expression had already betrayed him.
After that, everyone walked to the center according to the order of their seats. Unfortunately, most of them were at the level of street performers and were seen through by the second butler. A small portion of them had martial arts and inner energy, but the second butler did not invite them to enter together. There were also a few traveling physicians who displayed prescriptions, but they did not satisfy the second butler.
In these two hours, only one Taoist and one Secular showed a spell each. One condensed a faint lightning in his palm, while the other froze the tea in the teacup into ice. Only then did the second butler nod in satisfaction and invite them to wait in their seats.
Perhaps it was because three masters had been selected, the second butler's mood was not too bad, so he did not chase everyone out. He only asked them to leave on their own after everything was done.
As Shi Xuan's seat was close to the window, when it was time for him to go on stage, there were only two or three people who had not gone on stage yet. And looking at their expressions, it seemed that they did not want to go on stage and were waiting to leave on their own.
Shi Xuan stood up, stretched his body, and slowly walked to the center of the central hall. He felt the gazes from both sides. Some were waiting to watch a good show, some were disdainful, some did not take it to heart, and there were also the mocking gazes from the group of people from Dafo Temple. He could even hear private whispers, "He came here at such a young age. Don't tell me he's just here to get a meal."
"When I was his age, I was still doing manual labor for Master."
"Tsk tsk, he has no hair on his mouth and is not reliable."
"I wonder what trick this little Taoist is going to perform. Haha."
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Before this, Shi Xuan had already made up his mind to put on a ferocious performance so that he could meet the provincial governor immediately. Therefore, when the first few people were performing, he had already made some preparations. He secretly placed a spell on the window, allowing the fresh air to enter faster.
Amidst the mocking and disdainful voices around him, Shi Xuan looked as if he was standing in his own room. He said to the second butler with a relaxed expression, "Let's see what I can do." He made a hand gesture as if there was no one else around and chanted a spell in a low voice. Then, he pointed to the air and activated the long-prepared large-scale spell, "Water Drop Turns to Ice."
"Haha, I didn't expect this kid to be so good at it. He must have performed a lot on the streets."
"Amitabha, this young almsgiver has really put in a lot of effort. It's a pity that the appearance is not the spirit."
"That's right, that's right. How can he be compared to you, Master? That move alone could take his life."
"Uh, I was wondering why it's a little cold."
"Could it be that your heart is cold because your trick was seen through just now? Aiya, it's indeed a little cold."
"Ah, ah! What's that? "
Everyone looked around in surprise and saw beautiful hexagonal snowflakes fluttering in the air. Some landed on their heads, some landed in their teacups, and some landed on their hands, bringing a wave of coolness.
In the air, snowflakes were still condensing. Then, they were blown away by the wind that blew into the central hall. The snow was getting heavier and heavier. Everyone stared at the scene in front of them with their mouths agape. They looked at the misty yet beautiful scenery of flying snow.
Someone stood up in surprise and knocked over the teacup in front of him. Someone suddenly looked out of the window and shouted, "It's not snowing outside!" Following his voice, everyone realized that the night sky outside was clear. Although it was winter, it was indeed not snowing.
Everyone was truly shocked, including the experienced and knowledgeable Second Housekeeper and the arrogant Dafo Temple's Zhi Guang Zen Master. In the snowy house, separated by the goose feather-like snow, they looked out the window and were speechless for a long time.
Shi Xuan was very satisfied with the effect that he had created. The Water Drop to Ice spell itself was not that powerful. However, it was winter. Although the sun had risen for a few days, the nights were still very cold. Therefore, he first brought in the cold air from outside. Then, after nearly two hours of preparation, he achieved this wonderful scene of snowflakes in one fell swoop.
When the falling snow in the hall gradually stopped, everyone came back to their senses. However, they did not say a word and carefully controlled their breathing. They were afraid that if they were slightly louder, they would anger the little Taoist in plain clothes in the middle of the hall.
After all, the Second Housekeeper had seen Immortal Chi Xia before. After he came back to his senses, he went forward and bowed respectfully, "Immortal elder, please return to your seat and wait for a while. After I send the rest away, I will immediately bring you to see my master."
After the remaining two to three people saw such a magical spell, they naturally did not dare to show anything else. They immediately stood up and bid farewell. They hurriedly followed the majority of the people out of the residence. Even the three cultivators who had spells with them also showed signs of wanting to leave.
However, Shi Xuan walked forward and stopped them, "Everyone, I have some matters that I would like to ask in private. I wonder if it is convenient." His tone was very tactful and his attitude was very firm.
Among them, Zhi Guang Zen Master thought about offending this little Taoist in front of him and his face turned pale. The little novice monks behind him were all trembling. Zhi Guang Zen Master suppressed his fear with great difficulty and answered, "Of course I will tell you everything I know." The other two also agreed with a pale face.
