Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 200 Xu Hanwen is here!

“If Young Master Xu is willing to come, this little alligator dragon, no matter how great its abilities, can be destroyed with a flick of the wrist.”

That's all I have to say. Go back and think about it again.

This was Xu Xuan's first step. The alligator dragon itself was powerful and had deep roots in this place, making it particularly difficult to deal with.

However, Magistrate Ximen is incompetent and cannot control Tonglu. In the end, he will not only fail to eliminate demons and protect the righteous, but will also easily fall into the enemy's lair.

It is an ironclad rule that practitioners should not easily harm mortals; those who do not believe this have been entangled in the chains of karmic fire and have suffered divine retribution.

To avoid everyone in Baoan Hall being chained up, some external force was still needed.

To eradicate them from the root, along with the demon race.

Of course, this needs a starting point.

After all, seniority is the norm, and as a young person, you need to use some harmless methods to present yourself in order to gain the upper hand.

And so this opening scene came about.

After Magistrate Ximen left, he began to ask people to learn about Instructor Xu, whom the Taoist priest greatly admired.

Exorcising demons is a serious matter and must be handled with utmost care.

First, a letter was sent to Bailu Academy. In his reply, Headmaster Shen expressed his satisfaction with Xu Xuan, praising not only his assistance in Chongqi's reforms but also his contributions in organizing the Jiangnan Literary Society. He hoped that the students would learn from Xu Xuan.

It even subtly mentioned that the other party had many tricks up their sleeve, acted decisively, and was a truly ruthless person.

"The dean's evaluation is so high that even the highly talented junior brother Lu Nan has never received such praise."

Then he wrote a letter to Magistrate Song.

Song Youde was also very enthusiastic about helping his younger brother gain fame, and his words were almost identical to those of Shen Shanzhang. He even embellished Yu Gong's evaluation of Xu Xuan.

The two brothers really made the most of the banquet that Yu Gong hosted; I wonder if the old man will regret inviting them.

Of course, Magistrate Song also mentioned Xu Xuan's worth, saying that if there were important matters, more money would be needed.

"A remarkable person, an absolute remarkable person."

"So this is how dangerous it is to kill demons; it's not something an ordinary person can do."

After several verifications, Magistrate Ximen saw Xu Xuan as a man of extraordinary wisdom, almost supernatural, with unfathomable military strategy and connections.

With this person's help, and combined with the Taoist priest's abilities, the demonic threat can be eliminated.

So they formally sent a letter to Chongqi Academy, inviting Young Master Xu to give lectures in Tonglu.

The academy's actions were truly baffling. Madam Yin read the letter several times; it was indeed an invitation from the magistrate of Tonglu County to Xu Xuan to give lectures and teach.
Teaching and educating are the privileges reserved for senior professors; it's unexpected that Xu Hanwen, at such a young age, has already gained such renown.

And isn't the small gift in this letter a bit too much?

"Oh, it must be something that Headmaster Shen said."

“Then Magistrate Ximen is a graduate of Bailu Academy, so he may have encountered some difficulties that he can’t talk about.”

The explanation was very reasonable, and Madam Yin also felt that Tonglu was not far from the academy, and since it was introduced by Headmaster Shen, a lecture of one to two weeks should not be a problem, so she agreed.

Making full use of the information gap to request leave and complete the task, Xu Xuan immediately went back to pack his equipment.

After waiting for two whole weeks, it seems that Magistrate Ximen is prepared to burn his bridges.

Unlike Master Mao, Instructor Xu dressed very simply this time and arrived in Tonglu by oxcart.

On the way, he received a message from a butterfly, the contents of which made him seem completely unsurprised.

"This group of people always uses the 30/70 split method."

"They're bolder than demons."

They then got off the bus and entered the county town where war was about to break out.

This unassuming hermit-like attire not only didn't disappoint Magistrate Ximen, but actually made him even more convinced.

The three people at the banquet were Magistrate Ximen, Taoist Priest Mao, and Xu Xuan.

The county magistrate personally guarded the gate, which was quite a precaution.

During the banquet, Mr. Xu acted very high and mighty, maintaining his status.

When they occasionally mentioned Yu Gong, they always acted as if they knew the old man well. Who would believe that they had only eaten together once?

When mentioning Dean Shen, they even brought up amusing anecdotes about him playing the piano, and talked about some historical stories about chariots and spears, showing how familiar they were with each other.

What does it mean to have no uncultured people among your acquaintances? It means that all your acquaintances are great scholars.

Magistrate Ximen was even more excited upon seeing this, thinking, "It's all settled now."

So he earnestly stated his request, and Master Mao also pretended to persuade Young Master Xu to save the people of Tonglu.

"If you had told me earlier that it was for this reason, I wouldn't have come."

"Lord Ximen, you are a scholar yourself. What scholar would want to associate with such demons and monsters?"

"I'm someone who doesn't like to cause trouble, so this... isn't this harming me?" Xu Xuan's fingers trembled slightly, as if he was angry.

Fortunately, Master Mao reassured everyone in time, constantly talking about the common people and the mission of scholars.

Magistrate Ximen followed suit, thinking that if even the passing Taoist priests were so humble, what did he have to be reserved about?

The sage said that the highest good is like water. Water benefits all things without striving, and dwells in places that others disdain, thus it is close to the Way.

I must follow reason. Perhaps this is somewhat unfair to Young Master Xu, but for the sake of the people...
After much persuasion and repeated requests, Xu Xuan finally agreed.

He put down his wine glass, let out a long sigh, and then launched into a tirade.

"It is not difficult to exorcise demons, but it is difficult to exorcise demons from one's own heart."

"The same is true for Qiantang, and the same is true for Tonglu."

The pitch was set extremely high, it was absolutely terrifying.

"The rampant demons in Tonglu are only part of the problem. We will eliminate them step by step, but what if another monster comes along?"
Whether it was the demons who transformed humans, or the humans who attracted the demons, have you ever figured it out?

Magistrate Ximen was somewhat bewildered by this question. Could it be that demons and monsters had come on their own initiative?
"Demons only eat people, or perhaps the more refined ones eat children, and the most refined ones eat boys and girls born on specific dates."

“It’s normal to enjoy the offerings, and it’s even more common to compete for the offerings of the righteous path.”

"But what about gold and silver?"

"Is it also something the demons want?"

"The water in here is very deep."

"How many times have they used the names of gods and Buddhas to amass wealth, commit adultery, murder, and rebel?"

“We cannot ignore these things just because there is a real demon.”

Magistrate Ximen turned pale. So this trouble in Tonglu is actually a problem between humans and demons.

No wonder it seemed like he was the only one who cared in the whole county; suddenly, he felt dizzy.

The scholar's values ​​were once again shattered, as if he had been completely ruined.

Xu is a poisoner.

But she's also soft-hearted.

"There is no need to be so desperate. What can be learned and accomplished by people is called artificial. This is the distinction between nature and artificiality."

Magistrate Song of Qiantang has set a good example by using education and the rule of law to eliminate petty people and bring forth virtuous people.

If you trust me, let me act decisively. Within half a month, I will restore a clean and tidy Tonglu to you.

Magistrate Ximen was somewhat alarmed when he first heard this theory. "Human nature is inherently evil," he said, referring to Xunzi's philosophy.

Moreover, what does it mean to "let go and do things freely"? This is a blatant power grab.

Just thinking about the county seat where he had been stuck for years without any progress, and the demons, the water god temple, and the people behind them...
If we don't rely on pragmatists recognized by these bigwigs, are we supposed to rely on an old Confucian scholar like myself?

"In that case, as long as it doesn't cross the line, I'll leave it to you, Young Master Xu."

Only a county magistrate who is bookish, virtuous, and in dire straits, beaten down by society, would be willing to do such a thing.

After all, power is the hardest thing to transfer.

Xu Xuan chose this much more troublesome method because of the other party's character; otherwise, he could have simply lured out the alligator dragon and killed it directly.

Ultimately, it's because he has great love in his heart.

Having said this, the group had essentially formed an alliance.

Master Mao went into seclusion under the pretext of preparing to subdue demons, while Xu Xuan came as a temporary guest to help Magistrate Ximen reorganize Tonglu City.

They immediately took the county magistrate and county lieutenant to the armory.

Opening the long-sealed door, a cloud of dust fell to the ground.

"Take inventory of all the weapons. They need some maintenance, otherwise we won't be able to kill anyone."

The first sentence is about killing people, not killing demons.

All the yamen runners were brought over and severely reprimanded. Several leaders who colluded with powerful families to exploit the local people were dismissed, while the others were given demerits but retained their positions.

The reward of being promoted directly to class leader as long as you perform well is right in front of you.

Their masterful skills quickly brought order to the county government office.

Then they began preparing a banquet to entertain the many prominent families in the city, striving to unify their forces as soon as possible.

A county magistrate who ruins a family, a prefect who exterminates an entire clan.

If you don't use the power of life and death that you hold, it will naturally fall into the hands of others.

(End of this chapter)