Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 121 Guo Bei Has Changed
Every day is fulfilling and regular.

The calm and tranquility made someone feel uneasy.

"That's strange, a month has already passed?"

"No big shots appeared, no cases were reported, and no students ran into trouble."

Then one day, the atmosphere at the academy suddenly changed; it was a feeling of anticipation mixed with restlessness.

It's not a cause and effect, but rather because the winter solstice has arrived.

At this time, the existing calendar was the Santong Calendar, which was derived from the Taichu Calendar of the early Han Dynasty.

Sima Qian's two greatest honors were, one of which was his participation in the formulation of the calendar. The Twenty-Four Solar Terms were also formally incorporated into the calendar at this time, making the calendar more compatible with the agricultural seasons.

As a predominantly agricultural country, the role of the solar terms and calendar is truly invaluable.

The arrival of the winter solstice also signifies the coming to an end of a year of study and life.

The academy offers four main types of holidays.

Ten-day leave, field leave, clothing allowance leave, annual leave.

Chongqi takes one less day off from the fields, so the students here don't have a busy farming season.

The annual leave extends to the Lantern Festival (January 15th of the lunar calendar), allowing students to spend the festival with their families. It is the longest of all holidays.

Xu Xuan was slow to realize this; he was arguably the last person in the academy to know.

Since entering the Dao, I have become more sensitive to changes in temperature and remember time points more clearly, but these concepts have also become relatively vague.

As time goes by and the journey of cultivation continues, the realization of not knowing what day it is first came to mind.

Ordinary people have a limited lifespan, so to achieve their ideals within that limited time, they naturally need to work as fast as they can.

His lifespan had already begun to increase after he entered the Dao. If there were no external calamities, a human with the righteous Dharma in his body could easily live for several hundred years.

If one wishes to live a long and prosperous life, one must ascend to become an immortal. To achieve immortality, one must overcome various tribulations and obtain the essence of gold.

Even if you don't usually pay attention to it, there are still some subtle changes in your mindset.

The "Dongming Ji" records Dongfang Shuo's divine encounter with immortals, where "seven days in the cave were equivalent to a thousand years in the world."

Xu Xuan's lineage and opportunities are no less than this one's.

I was initially a little apprehensive and saddened, but as soon as I entered the classroom, I saw the son of the head of a chamber of commerce from the seven southern provinces loudly arguing.

"We must go down the mountain."

"Brothers, I'll charter a few pleasure boats, let's all go together."

Well, in the limited time of life, some people not only have a high starting point, but also choose a rather complicated path.

"Ji, please write an article for me about the Taichu Calendar."

Everyone fell silent, for Instructor Xu was a ruthless and fierce individual.

Ji Rui was also a little scared. Since Hanwen came to Chongqi, he had become even more brutal. He really missed the friendship he had with his friend on the painted boat.

Xu Xuan didn't even need to use his insights from studying the Heart Sutra; he could tell what that guy was thinking just by looking at his eyes.

He gave Ji a gentle smile.

"No less than three thousand words."

After being disciplined, the atmosphere in the classroom improved considerably; at least everyone suppressed their ulterior motives.

The professors were satisfied with everyone's attitude and turned a blind eye in class.

After all, the old men are getting restless. It's been a year, and it's time for them to step away from their lecturing and enjoy some family time.

During the break between classes, the gatekeeper came to distribute mail.

At this time, there were an unusually large number of letters sent from all over Jiangnan to this place.

They all asked when I would be returning home and if I had any other plans.

Zao also received the letter, and upon opening it, he immediately felt uneasy.

"My son, today is Guo Bei."

His worried expression naturally prompted the other two to come and offer their concern.

"It's nothing, it's just that my family wants me to come home for the Chinese New Year."

Oh~~~ Oh?
The two friends looked at each other, wondering why it sounded like they never went home for Chinese New Year. In this day and age, not going home is considered unfilial.

It feels wrong, but how can I persuade them?

Zao didn't shy away from telling them, after all, the friendship between the group was really good.

His family was a once-prosperous family that had fallen on hard times; they had moved back to their ancestral home in Guobei after their decline.

That's right, it's Guobei County. The place with the worst reputation in Jiangnan.

Xu Xuan asked him why he didn't go home during his ten-day holiday.

The reply was: The situation in my hometown is complicated, and it's not very convenient during the ten-day holiday.

The advice given to Ning Caichen not to go to Guo Bei was also based on the advice of the locals.

The words "human heart" and "ghost realm" are insufficient to describe that place. The events that occurred after he moved back there still haunt him.

Driven by profit, they deceive and betray each other. Demons rule, and humans and ghosts are indistinguishable.

That house didn't feel like a home at all; when his father sent him away, he hoped he would never come back.

Zao Tongxue's wish was to pass the imperial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations), then return to Guobei to serve as a county magistrate and use the power of the imperial court to reorganize the area.

So receiving today's letter felt somewhat unusual. It was indeed my father's handwriting, but the content was rather outrageous.

The letter said that things had changed in Guobei, people's hearts were at peace, and morality was rising again.

He naturally didn't believe it, and then received a second letter in the twelfth lunar month.

The letter added many details, such as the arrival of auspicious energy, the old man's longevity, and the goddess's generosity.
Thinking back, there aren't many elderly people still alive in Guobei, are there?

As for the goddess? With the morals of Guo Bei and his gang, they would only try to defile her.

It got more and more outrageous, and then came the third and fourth letters.

Your father is in poor health, and your family wants to see you. They keep giving you more and more reasons, and their demands are getting harsher and harsher.

He had no choice but to go back after the word "filial piety" was uttered.

"While your parents are alive, do not travel far; if you must travel, do so with a clear purpose."

"Of all things in the universe, humanity is the most precious; of all human conduct, none is greater than filial piety, and of all filial piety, none is greater than reverence for one's father."

"The greatest filial piety is to honor one's parents."

From Confucius to Mencius, the importance of filial piety was emphasized, and it was also the basic framework for maintaining the ruling class.

If one is unfilial, any official rank or title can be stripped away, and the meaning of studying disappears.

"If you're worried, I can lend you two guards. They're both skilled men my father hired from the martial arts world."

Student Ji directly provided a solution and even said that on the Lantern Festival, they would hold a small literary gathering under the name of the Three Wonders.

He will pick up Ning Caichen and Zao in advance.

The Jiangnan Literary Gathering spurred the emergence of various smaller literary gatherings, none of which were very successful.

The period after the Lunar New Year, especially around the Lantern Festival, will be a good time.

After the festival, the scholar, having nothing to do, wanted to go out and show off his talents. The ordinary people, having no work to do, could also join in the fun.

Ji's father planned to use his son's reputation to hold a small literary event during this period, with a generous prize for the winner.

This can also be considered a way to maintain the restaurant's reputation.

As for whether his son's academic abilities will be inferior to others, isn't that dragging his classmates into it?

They were extremely shrewd in their calculations.

On the last day, the academy prepared to officially begin its holiday.

Xu Xuan, as the person in charge of the twenty poor and commoner students, gathered them all together for a talk.

Or perhaps it was like opening a small class, a kind of ancient version of a college student's holiday safety education class.

"Be vigilant on your journey home, always pay attention to the safety of your belongings, keep valuables with you and prevent theft."

If you encounter danger, you can hand over your belongings or mention the name of Chongqi Academy.

(End of this chapter)