Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 201: Give a Correct Answer

Mr. Xu dislikes being restrained and instead wants to bind everyone to his chariot.

Whether the other party will agree or not depends on Xiaoqing.

First create chaos, then bring order; how can you take drastic measures if things are chaotic first?

For example, a while ago a newcomer came to the Water God Temple. He was ruthless and ambitious, and he was extremely vicious when dealing with his colleagues.

He quickly rose to power through his capable methods and even presented the temple keeper with an enticing plan.

"May the Water God bless us! Why do the Zhang and Li families dare to accept so much gold and silver?"

"So what if things get out of hand? As long as it doesn't escalate, it's not a loss to just rob one or two places and then stop."

"If we want to continue along the Fuchun River, we still can't bypass us."

"Wouldn't it be better to gather more high-quality blood offerings to supply the Water God?"

The water god cultist, dressed in blue, spoke with fanatical eyes.

The temple keeper was clearly tempted.

Few of these scoundrels have any education; they're just simple-minded rascals and hooligans.

Although he had previously allied himself with the Water God, he was still afraid of the gentlemen on the shore.

But if someone gives you a push at this point, things will be different.

Once ambition takes hold, reason is lost. In times of chaos, countless people seek to become kings and tyrants; even a small mountain village can produce several emperors.

It's unrealistic to expect them to control their desires.

Apart from a few sorceresses who objected, the others were already itching to get started.

Soon, the local landlords and powerful families suffered a blow from the Water God Temple, and the previous profit-sharing model was abandoned.

They had been secretly working together for quite some time, and this moment broke the balance.

While the alligator dragon in the river was completely unaware, the human forces under its control used its name to launch a dangerous operation.

Xiaoqing executed Xu Xuan's instructions perfectly, even finding it easy.

They then continued digging into the secret room, throwing in quite a few interesting things.

A week later, just as Xu Xuan was hosting a banquet for the city's important figures, trouble broke out.

The banquet was filled with clinking glasses and lively conversation, but the topics of conversation were not very harmonious.

"Lord Ximen, have you misunderstood something? Everything outside the city is peaceful; there's no sign of any disturbance at the Water God Temple."

"That's right. How could we not know the laws of the court? If there are any evil gods or licentious worship, we will definitely report it to you, sir."

"The Fuchun River connects to the Qiantang River, where the winds are strong and the waves are high, so it is inevitable that several boats will capsize."

"We swear by the Luo River that we truly knew nothing about it."

Magistrate Ximen was trembling with anger; it was always like this.

This group of people is clearly just going through the motions. The water god temple is almost inside the county town, but they are still taking their time.

Just as Mr. Xu said, there must be some vested interests involved.

At this moment, a servant from a wealthy family came to report that the people from the Water God Temple were killing and robbing people. They had already broken into the Li family and were now heading towards the Zhang family.

A series of loud clattering sounds startled the crowd, and the wine spilled all over the floor.

"These peasants are truly ungrateful; if it weren't for us..."

"What a despicable person, what a despicable person!"

"Sir, I report it!"

A chorus of accusations immediately arose, including the one who was willing to swear an oath on the Luo River.

The head of the county's only official armed force is here, directly taking charge in one step.

Magistrate Ximen was also greatly alarmed. If they really rebelled, he would be finished. Losing his head was not the worst thing; the glory of his ancestors would be completely ruined.

Xu Xuan also sighed in a feigned manner.

"Too late, too late."

"This is why I wanted to eradicate those wild gods and their licentious worship as soon as possible. Have you all forgotten the calamity in the north?"

At this point, Magistrate Ximen, ultimately driven by a sense of justice, decided to report the matter.

Then they were stopped.

It wasn't Xu Xuan, but rather this group of angry nobles.

They knew the composition of the Water God Temple, so it was definitely doomed to fail.

They knew even better that if the imperial army came, they would suffer heavy losses.

Xu Xuan also stepped forward.

"It hasn't gotten that bad."

"There is still hope. The Water God Temple is made up of a bunch of shady old women who are equally unpopular. As long as we avoid their sharp edge, they will fall into chaos on their own. Then we can lead the yamen runners to quell the situation."

"It is certainly not enough to rely solely on the soldiers of the county government. We would like to ask each of you to contribute a few men."

And so, Magistrate Ximen soon rode out of the city, bewildered.

Then they stopped and remained still, and no matter who asked, they would only say "wait".

"In war, courage is paramount. One must strike with full force at the first drumbeat, for the second will be weaker, and the third will be exhausted. When the enemy is exhausted and we are still strong, we can defeat them."

"So we'll wait until the resentment of the Water God Temple's inhabitants dissipates and they become embroiled in internal strife over the gold and silver before taking them down together. From then on, the situation on the shore will be settled," Xu Xuan explained calmly.

With Xiaoqing's guidance and help, killing two or three landlords' families can effectively dispel the evil energy.

This will also ensure that the local people can recover somewhat within a few years after these people leave.

They just waited, watching the fireworks light up the mansion, ignoring the obese patriarch who came over and started flailing about.

They were stopped by a group of guests when they tried to take their servants with them.

"This is wartime. Anyone who undermines morale will be executed!"

"Master Li, don't make things difficult for the magistrate."

At this moment, if this guy dares to make a single move, several more holes will appear. Everyone knows that his family is gone, and naturally, his status is gone too.

Those who could run rampant outside Tonglu County were mostly small, powerful clans, and naturally, they didn't have any powerful families backing them up.

When the third fire was lit, Xu Xuan knew that Xiao Qing's mission was complete, so he announced the dispatch of troops.

As expected, after the three houses were breached, the greed of the Water God Temple's followers intensified. Some calmed down and began to feel fear, while others began to fight over the valuables.

Magistrate Ximen and his men quelled the chaos in just one round.

The moment they saw the official robes, everyone except the leading temple keeper, who wanted to resist, knelt down.

The Water God Temple doesn't know how to disguise its desires and usually acts arrogantly, so it lacks popular support.

They are not even as good as local powerful families; they can only live a short time.

Faced with armed officers and soldiers, they naturally sobered up and surrendered immediately.

Magistrate Ximen was somewhat puzzled as he watched group after group of Water God Temple followers being led away by ropes.

Why do you think they're causing trouble?

“If we hadn’t caused trouble, I would have helped Master Mao eliminate the demons, and Tonglu wouldn’t be in this state.”

"If Young Master Xu does not wish to be implicated, he should leave this place as soon as possible."

If this matter were suppressed, nothing would happen, but with so many people dead, someone has to take responsibility.

Since Xu Xuan has taken this action, he must have been prepared.

Under a special mark, a very new secret room was opened, inside which a white lotus was prominently displayed.

This is the standard answer!
This shows that Xu Xuan was a good person, which is why he was willing to tarnish his own reputation.

Magistrate Ximen is a good person and easy to control, so he should be protected.

"Yu Gong said that recently the White Lotus Sect's Karmapa crossed the Yangtze River to the south, and perhaps the people here want to cooperate with him."

“It’s normal for demons and evil spirits to have connections.”

"Such a great achievement!"

Xu Xuan didn't hear what Magistrate Ximen said afterward; his head was buzzing.

The sudden and abrupt shift from a major demerit to a major merit was so unexpected and abrupt that it was hard to accept.

Of course, I managed to hear the last sentence, albeit with some difficulty.

"Suppressing the White Lotus Sect in advance and cleaning up the local tyrants and Water God Temple followers who were causing trouble in the countryside would bring him fame. If he could also eliminate the demons in the river, he could even be called Ximen Qingtian."

This is what Xu, a wholesaler at Qingtian, said.

Soon after, all the followers of the water temples along the coast were arrested, and all the statues were gathered together in one place.

With that, the finishing touches on the shore were all completed.

Master Mao, with his otherworldly air, emerged from seclusion and arrived. Magistrate Ximen could only see the chaotic swordplay from a distance, but getting too close could be life-threatening.

The crowd naturally followed suit and withdrew.

Xu Xuan also retreated, but after a while, he took advantage of the chaos and circled back.

Only two people remained by the riverbank; no, a third person arrived to join them.

"Well done, steady, accurate and ruthless."

"Oh, not at all, you've picked such a beautiful white lotus."

Xu and Qing engaged in shameless mutual flattery, and this coordinated attack fully implemented various tactics, clearing out the area outside Tonglu City in just one night.

After a small trial, confidence naturally grows.

As for shifting the blame to the White Lotus sect, it's not something that can be done arbitrarily. Just because someone agrees doesn't mean the White Lotus sect agrees. Unfortunately, they have been represented.

Master Mao did not join this time, and even seemed somewhat nervous.

This was his first time participating in a high-level game; Guo Bei, not counting, spent the entire time running around and being a spectator.

"Don't worry, this little devil can't cause any trouble."

"Follow the plan."

As they spoke, a butterfly flew out and ignited the water god statue on the spot, making it stand out like a torch on the riverbank.

That's called provocation!

In the blink of an eye, only Master Mao remained standing alone on the riverbank.

No wonder you were nervous.

(End of this chapter)