Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 1029 Heading North

The workings of the world are naturally not just Xu Xuan's story.

While he was stirring up trouble in the Liang Kingdom, others did not stop either, each acting on their own path.

There are quite a few experts from Chongqi Academy who have gone north.

For example, after the three outstanding students of the academy passed through Shangyu and informed their teacher Xu, they immediately set off for the capital of Pei State.

Along the way, we naturally resolved many minor local troubles and experienced some "plot twists".

An interesting incident occurred during a banquet hosted by a local official.

During the gathering, a Taoist priest named Wang, who claimed to have returned from cultivating in Laoshan, appeared somewhat eccentric. He wanted to perform a magic trick for Qian Zhongyu and the other two academy disciples, who were obviously nobles, in exchange for a life of wealth and honor.

Political brokers who can conjure snakes out of thin air or retrieve objects from a basin have existed in every era.

But the first step is definitely to become famous before you can qualify.

He boasted eloquently that he had witnessed many magical and dreamlike spells in Laoshan, such as "cutting paper into the moon," "endless wine in a pot," "chopsticks turning into Chang'e," and "a banquet in the moon."

Meanwhile, he devoted himself to studying a "wall-penetrating technique" on the mountain.

After saying that, he immediately began to perform a ritual, chanting incantations and making hand gestures. After a series of elaborate displays, he shouted at the wall, "Enter!"

He immediately buried his head and rammed into it!

As a result... with a "bang," he crashed solidly into the hard wall, instantly causing his forehead to swell and swell with several large bumps, which drew a burst of laughter from everyone at the table.

Although Qian Zhongyu himself did not practice Qimen magic, he and Ji Rui argued, practiced, and bickered for three whole years.

Through constant exposure, he naturally learned a great deal about the various practices, taboos, and even scams in the cultivation world.

He watched coldly, observing the other party's clumsy and inept magic and their eagerness for quick success, and couldn't help but sneer:

"Without ridding oneself of pride and being preoccupied with fame and fortune, how can one attain enlightenment?"

This sharp shout was like a thunderclap, not directed at the technique itself, but at the very essence of its cultivation.

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest was struck dumb, his face flushing red and then turning pale. He then revealed a look of sudden realization and deep shame.

He bowed deeply to Qian Zhongyu, then actually packed his things and disappeared into the nearby mountains, never to appear in the world again.

The other knowledgeable guests at the table also understood the profound meaning of "cultivating the mind" from Qian Zhongyu's sharp rebuke.

They couldn't help but nod in agreement, praising, "The students of Chongqi Academy truly live up to their reputation. Not only are they knowledgeable, but they have also learned the great principles of self-cultivation and moral character!"

On another occasion, in a bustling market town in Pei State.

The three saw a group of agitated scholars surrounding a blind old monk, arguing and shouting, creating a rather chaotic scene.

Upon inquiring, it was learned that the old monk was quite famous in the area, and was said to have a unique ability—"to discern talent by smelling words."

This means that he would burn the written articles on the spot and judge their quality by smelling the odor produced by the burning paper.

Over the years, this method has been quite accurate, and it has never made any major mistakes.

As for the fairness of this method...

After all, monks are blind, but the scholars watching are not. They generally have their own judgment on whether an article is well-written or not.

Having the blind monk "smell" the food to determine its quality is more of a "performance art" by talented individuals seeking fame or novelty and interest. Most people just laugh it off and don't take it seriously.

Today I was surrounded by people, but the reason was related to the results of last year's autumn imperial examination.

Before the autumn imperial examinations, a scholar once asked this blind monk to "smell the texts".

After the monk smelled Wang Shusheng's article, he praised it, saying, "You are just beginning to imitate the masters. Although you are not quite right in the mark, you are close."

When another scholar, Yu, presented his essay, the monk sniffed it and coughed several times as if he had choked. He hurriedly waved his hand, saying, "Don't submit any more! Don't submit any more!"

However, the final results of the autumn imperial examination were completely opposite: Yu Shusheng, who was "choked" by the monk, passed the exam, while Wang Shusheng, who was praised as "almost a master," failed.

The key to this is quite intriguing.

For example, Yu Shusheng's mentor happened to be one of the examiners for the education administration back then...

Normally, the injustice under such unspoken rules would be tacitly acknowledged by everyone, and no one would bother to investigate further.

However, this scholar Yu was arrogant and cunning, and relying on his family background and academic achievements, he was already unpopular. This time, after passing the imperial examination, he became even more haughty, which aroused resentment among many people, so they took the opportunity to cause trouble.

Today, some people deliberately used the blind monk's "smell of talent to judge ability" result as a starting point to publicly ridicule Yu Shusheng, saying that "only with pungent writing can one pass the imperial examination."

How could Yu Shusheng save face?

He immediately led a group of servants to cause trouble for the blind monk, trying to coerce or bribe him into changing his story, or simply to prove that the monk was a fraud and incapable of eloquence, in order to save face.

After learning the whole story, the three heroes looked at each other and sighed.

Everyone understands what's going on; it's nothing more than the old tricks of cheating in the imperial examinations and the abuse of power.

However, it's not appropriate to directly expose the "examiner's favoritism" in broad daylight and under the watchful eyes of everyone, as that would be tantamount to directly challenging the entire officialdom system.

Although the recommendation system of aristocratic families is still in operation, obtaining official rank through the imperial examination is now widely recognized as having higher "value" and legitimacy.

Given this prevailing trend, there will always be people who can't resist using their power and connections to try and grab a piece of this "fat meat." Human nature is like that, and it's hard to eradicate.

"That is, our Yangzhou," Xie Yu said in a low voice, "is home to two top-tier academies, Chongqi and Jintian, which check and balance each other, resulting in a clean and upright atmosphere. Moreover, with Lord Yu in charge, many petty people have been suppressed, which is why such blatant corruption is rarely seen. I heard that in Jingzhou, Headmaster Shen of Bailudong Academy has really taken action this time to clean up the examination hall, arresting people without any mercy."

Qian echoed, "The rumor is that Headmaster Shen drew his sword on the spot."

Now that I've arrived in the North and witnessed this chaotic scene of rampant evil, I understand why the three great academies dared to claim to be the cultural lineage.

The three exchanged glances. Since they had stumbled upon this today, they felt that if they ignored it, they would not be able to quell their anger. They also felt that they would be letting down their teacher Xu's teachings that "scholars should have integrity and stand up for justice."

While the overall trend is beyond our control, we can still intervene to manage this "minor" situation!

Therefore, Qiao Feng was the first to step forward.

As a traveling scholar from out of town, he immediately picked up his brush and wrote an article, asking the blind monk to "discern talent by smelling the writing."

As soon as the article was burned, the blind monk smelled the aroma, his whole body trembled, and his face showed an expression of extreme shock. He repeatedly shouted, "A magnificent article! A truly magnificent article! Its momentum is as powerful as a great river!" This was tantamount to slapping Yu the scholar in the face in front of everyone.

Didn't you say monks can't be eloquent? How come an article by someone from out of town is praised as a masterpiece?
Yu Shusheng's face turned ashen. Unconvinced, he proposed a literary duel on the spot. Many servants appeared behind him, either threatening or pressuring him.

As a result, under Qiao Feng's rigorous and logical rebuttal, Yu Shusheng was rendered speechless, utterly defeated, and his ugly side was fully exposed.

Then Xie Yu appeared, revealing himself as a core disciple of Chongqi Academy and the Xie family behind him. He used his family background and reputation to endorse the blind monk's "sniffing" results and Qiao Feng's article, thus increasing credibility.

Finally, Qian Zhongyu took charge of the cleanup, personally comforting the frightened blind monk and arranging for reliable people to secretly send the old monk away from Pei State that very night to settle him in the south, so as to avoid retaliation from Yu Shusheng and others later.

Although this matter ultimately failed to change Yu Shusheng's status as a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the provincial level), and the ending seemed somewhat "muddled," the other party's reputation was completely ruined in the local area.

Meanwhile, the three outstanding students of Chongqi Academy stood up for justice and spoke out against injustice, which further enhanced their reputation for literary talent and elegance.

After the matter was settled, the three of them left the capital of Pei State without hesitation.

They knew perfectly well that this time they had offended not just a scholar named Yu, but the entire local education administration system.

Even with Xie Yu's background, if he stays here, he might still face all sorts of open and covert attacks. It would be better to leave.

On the journey that followed, even more bizarre and wonderful things happened.

I've encountered gray wolves that speak human language and debate cause and effect. I've seen eerie scholars who claim to be from overseas, curled up in a goose cage reading. I've received fox demons who knock on my door late at night, bowing respectfully as disciples to inquire about scriptures. I've even run into that painted-skin ghost once or twice.

Despite not having mastered many esoteric arts or Buddhist supernatural powers under Xu Xuan's unconventional "tutelage," Xie, Qian, and Qiao's will remained steadfast and unwavering.

With the help of the "Holiday Handbook" issued by the academy, combined with their own knowledge and quick wit, they can often see through the true nature of evil.

They either used classical texts to righteously confront the problem, or cleverly exploited the weaknesses in its rules to navigate the situation, thus easily resolving many crises.

The group did not treat these experiences merely as topics of conversation.

He meticulously recorded and organized all the ghosts and monsters he encountered on the road, their characteristics and habits, as well as the effective coping methods he had figured out and verified. He planned to publish them under a pseudonym in the future and circulate them.

They knew that although such miscellaneous books with ghost and monster elements were looked down upon by orthodox literati who considered them unworthy of high regard, they might be a life-saving guide for ordinary people struggling in a chaotic world.

Moreover, these records also contain a great deal of content that uses the voices and stories of ghosts and monsters to criticize current affairs, satirize the incompetence of the government, and the corruption of officials.

The three subtly incorporated the injustices they witnessed into their story.

What is the title of the book?

"Let's call it '****'."

In our youth, a fire always burns in our hearts, and we believe that the pen in our hands and the principles in our minds can illuminate the world and change this imperfect world.

They were young.

On the other hand, the "Three Wonders" team also has an equally fascinating and exciting experience.

First, a solemn ceremony was held on the banks of the Yangtze River to worship the Dragon King and pray for safe passage by water. Then, they crossed the river and headed north, arriving at the Wuwei region.

This team, mainly composed of students from the back row of the classroom, now enjoys a reputation and strength that is in no way inferior to the "three heroes" in the front row.

Moreover, the presence of Fu Tianchou, a former Imperial Censor who joined the team temporarily, further strengthened their position.

The operation after crossing the river was described as "sparkling and lightning-fast." Based on internal intelligence provided by Meng Longtan, they swiftly and decisively dismantled several secret strongholds of the "Painted Wall" organization.

Although the enemy was somewhat stunned by this sudden attack, they were well-trained and quickly organized a counterattack.

Unfortunately, they were facing the "Three Wonders," whose strength was already somewhat "excessive."

Even when the "Dragon Pool Monk" personally set up the illusionary mural, these three people worked together to break through it. So the resistance of the "Little Karami" in these strongholds was naturally meaningless.

All resistance fighters were completely suppressed, and even more valuable intelligence was extracted from the captured leaders through torture.

What followed was a series of thorough cleansing efforts, following the clues to uncover the truth.

During this cleaning process, traces of the "Tongshan Society" activities were discovered.

As mentioned earlier, this "Tongshan Society" is one of the branches established by the Karmapa during his lifetime, and it now seems that there are probably many connections between it and the "Painted Wall Demon Monk".

It cannot be ruled out that this newly appointed "Karmapa" was actually promoted by that old man.

After clarifying this clue, the group continued north.

The northern lands have been a place teeming with demons and monsters since ancient times, a place where the human heart is filled with ghosts.

In this chaotic place, they happened to run into these three guys who were "protagonists" and caused unrest wherever they went.

The effect was like Mars colliding with Earth every day; wherever it went, there was a storm of wind and thunder.

Although the "Three Wonders" and the "Three Heroes" all possessed chivalrous hearts, their styles of action were completely different, and their methods of expression were infinitely more unrestrained.

Having broken free of his own debuff, Ji Rui was now like a wild dog, exceptionally excited and restless.

They'd kick even a small clod of dirt on the road to test its hardness, let alone encountering real injustice.

The solution can be summed up in one word: "Do it!"
Relying on his unique destiny of "fortune and misfortune being intertwined", he was not afraid of causing trouble at all, and even took the initiative to start many groups, giving full play to his characteristic of "becoming stronger when facing the strong and more capable when facing trouble".

Ning Caichen is a typical introverted and reserved person. On the surface, he appears gentle and quiet, but once he joins a group, he becomes incredibly decisive and ruthless.

They've mastered the art of manipulating emotions and desires, employing various methods to incite inner demons and control emotions, achieving effects that make them even more demonic than many real demons.

The string on his wrist had turned as black as ink.

After all, the Demon of the Qin is still a demon.

Of course, when it was his turn to play the magnificent hymns that cleansed evil spirits and displayed the aura of a holy emperor, he was equally unambiguous, and the sound waves basically swept away all obstacles.

Early is the most composed and rarely makes a move, adhering to the Confucian principle of "do not do anything improper".

But once he decides to take action, it will inevitably be a big event.

After activating the "Loyal Heart and Loyal Blood" state, his Confucian body-training techniques became incredibly fierce and domineering. The surging masculine energy was enough to kill any weak demons or monsters within a radius of several miles simply by releasing it.

(End of this chapter)