Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 572 How Innocent the Common People Are
Jiang Le County.

An atmosphere of solemnity pervaded the area in front of the City God Temple.

This is the third day of the standoff.

Even before the snake demon appeared, the atmosphere here was already tense.

Three hundred soldiers stood in formation, their armor gleaming, their swords and spears like a forest, exuding an undeniable aura of authority in their solemnity.

Prefect Zhou stood at the front of the battle, wearing an official robe, his brows furrowed with a cold and stern expression.

He was furious that the people of Yangzhou had no sense of propriety or morality, and even disregarded the law.

If he compromises today, is there any reason left in this world?
His gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over the gathered crowd before him; his voice was low yet resolute.

"From this day forward, anyone who sacrifices a young girl to a snake demon shall be punished for treason! Anyone who disobeys shall be killed without exception!"

The people looked at each other in bewilderment, and whispers and grumbles of discontent rose from the crowd.

"It wasn't you who died, so of course you can say that."

Before the snake demon received sacrifices, it would devour many people and livestock every time it came out.

Even if no one was eaten, the fact that the evil wind overturned the houses was a huge disaster.

Ordinary people live like roadside weeds—fragile in some ways, yet resilient in others.

It seems this Zhou fellow is even worse than the previous skin-peeling prefect. He's incompetent at his job, but he's good at spouting slogans.

Several elderly local gentry exchanged glances. They had lived here for generations. They stepped forward, trying to persuade them: "Sir, if the snake demon is not appeased, it will surely bring disaster upon us! Why don't we..."

Prefect Zhou waved his hand to interrupt: "Absurd! The snake demon theory is nothing but the foolish self-deception of the people! I am here by order of the court to govern Dongye. How can I allow you to treat human lives as a game? If you do not comply today, do not blame me for being ruthless!"

Before he finished speaking, the soldiers behind him shouted in unison, "Yes, sir!" Their voices were like thunder, making everyone's hearts tremble.

Some people among the crowd were indignant and cursed under their breath, but no one dared to step forward and provoke them.

Several hot-blooded young men gripped their farm tools tightly, but under the stern gaze of the prefect and the intimidating presence of the soldiers, they ultimately dared not make any rash moves.

The snake demon has eaten a few people, but the prefect has eaten countless people.

Seeing the silence of the crowd, Prefect Zhou softened his tone slightly, but remained firm: "I know you are troubled by past events, but human life is of paramount importance, how can it be treated lightly? From now on, anyone who performs sacrifices again, regardless of whether they are the master or the servant, will be severely punished without exception! Anyone who dares to incite trouble will be executed without mercy!"

He left after saying that, leaving the soldiers to guard the place.

Anyone who dares to act rebelliously will be apprehended on the spot; he's not joking, and he has that resolve.

As long as Zhou Ju remains the prefect, he will not compromise.

Upon returning to the Jiang Le County government office and seeing the county magistrate sitting there drinking tea, he was immediately enraged. How could the county magistrate be hiding here instead of addressing the people's grievances?
"You're a scholar too, don't you know that evil cannot prevail over good, and that wickedness cannot triumph over righteousness?"

"Your merits and demerits will be recorded in the official annals!"

The magistrate smiled wryly; he didn't want to slack off either.

But you are a student of the Imperial Academy, while the snake demon is a wild spirit from the mountains and fields. This matter is also of concern to many high-ranking officials in the imperial court.

What's so great about a mere county magistrate? The waters run too deep behind the scenes.

Anyway, this official position is its last. If he can be transferred, he can be transferred; if he can't be transferred, he'll just be dismissed from his post and go back to his hometown to live as a wealthy old man.

So he stood up and said something ambiguous:
"Then please use virtue and righteousness to exorcise the demon."

"Instead of reasoning with soldiers and civilians."

Although the magistrate didn't know what to do, he knew what not to do, and his stabbing was very accurate.

Prefect Zhou's face immediately turned red!
He couldn't refute it, since all the hunters and guards he had arranged had disappeared after entering the mountains, and might have been fed to the giant snake.

Notices are currently being posted inviting extraordinary folk experts to Jiang Le County to resolve the demonic problem.

If all else fails, write a letter to the teacher, but that's a last resort.

"Sir, someone from Qiantang has arrived."

No sooner had he finished speaking than his subordinates reported that Young Master Xu from Qiantang had arrived.

Zhou Ju was somewhat puzzled. He had just arrived in Yangzhou and did not know who this charming and shrewd young master Xu was.

I only learned about this kind of influential figure after my subordinates explained it to me, and I instinctively felt a bit dislike for him.

Besides, how could a teacher possibly become fast friends with a young person at first sight?

Even if you're talented, you can still get punched if you don't get along with someone's personality.

He worked diligently and endured hardship as an official in the border regions, and he couldn't stand these slick and cunning people.

The feeling of rejection reached its peak, especially the moment they met.

What a handsome and refined scholar! With elegant features, bright and clear eyes, and an extraordinary temperament.

There were even three students following behind him, which made him seem even more like a master.

The conclusion is that this is a very unusual pretty boy.

After a brief greeting, I was somewhat surprised to receive the letter. It really was from my teacher!
In his letter, Yu Gong first inquired about the student's recent situation, which moved Zhou Ju.

I had struggled and stumbled in my previous work in the southern border region, and I was ashamed to face my teacher.

The matter of the snake demon had already caused a great stir, attracting attention from all levels of the court.

Zhou Ju felt a little ashamed. When people are not doing well, they don't want the people they care about to know.

The letter ended with him saying that Xu Xuan had brought him reinforcements, which immediately upset him.

The scholar-knight speaks very directly, especially when writing letters to his disciples, he is very blunt.

In short, you're too incompetent, so the teacher had to do you a favor and clean up your mess.

Learn a thing or two from Xu Xuan's methods; even a glimpse will be of great benefit. It's clear that Yu Gong has great faith in someone's ability to scheme, especially in making friends and building connections.

In just three years, he was able to maintain a very friendly relationship with the other two major academies in Jiangnan, which laid an indestructible foundation for himself.

Allies have spread throughout the various counties within Yangzhou, with Wu County becoming their own private territory.

Furthermore, this network of relationships continues to radiate outwards, spreading through the connections of senior professors and through the college's graduates from previous years.

The young man from the Lu family is about to go to the capital to take up his post, and it seems that Magistrate Ximen of Tonglu is also working on something.

With the autumn imperial examinations just around the corner, it's estimated that another group of students will be traveling across the country with their friends.

Sometimes, even the public feels apprehensive about it.

This guy didn't use blood ties or exchanges of benefits to achieve this spread; if that were all, he wouldn't be worth his attention at all.

Throughout Kyushu's history, countless people have been able to do this; it's nothing special.

What's frightening is the collusion achieved through emotions, thoughts, and culture.

It is a very special bond, possessing magical power.

Such a person, if he harbors rebellious intentions, can easily sweep across the world.

Fortunately, Xu Xuan was a monk from the most powerful righteous sect. Although his actions were somewhat unorthodox, he was still kind at heart. Otherwise, we really would have had to find a way to keep an eye on this monster.

Yu Gong wanted Zhou Ju to learn only a few superficial aspects of it, hoping to make his future life smoother.

After all, he had been tricked into staying in Wu County by someone and was unable to leave, so he could no longer protect his disciples.

Sometimes I even wonder if that bastard designed this on purpose.

Unfortunately, Yu Gong's life after his experience on the northwestern border was ultimately too glorious and too dazzling.

The changes in people's hearts were ignored.

After reading the letter, Zhou Ju felt moved, as well as ashamed and annoyed, and even a little resentful.

This letter was a slap in the face, didn't it prove that this middle-aged prefect was less useful than this young scholar?!
Suppress the pain of being rejected by your idol deep in your heart, and force out a smile.

"The teacher may not be familiar with the situation here since he is not in Dongye County."

"I can handle it, it's not a big problem."

Xu Xuan wasn't surprised by the other party's choice at all. After all, he was a prefect of a prefecture, and he was no ordinary person in the whole country. How could he be swayed by a letter?

Moreover, he is known for his stubbornness, which has been difficult to change over the decades.

At the same time, he also realized why Yu Gong had asked him to help the other party. It turned out that it wasn't just a problem with the snake demon; the real problem was with the people themselves.

"Brother Zhou."

Is it alright if I address you like that?

It was obvious that Brother Zhou was unwilling; he even wanted someone else to take on a title.

I could only reluctantly accept it out of respect for the teacher, but my opinion of this pretty boy worsened.

Xu Xuan didn't care what the other person thought, and immediately told a short story.

The story is called: Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, braved the heavens to stop the rain in Fengxian County and persuaded people to do good and bring rain.

Beyond the borders of India, there lies a city. The chickens have eaten all their rice, the dogs have eaten all their noodles, the lamplight has burned through the locks—and just then, rain fell! The fields, long parched, received a welcome rain, and the rivers flowed freely for trade. Deeply grateful for the divine monk's arrival in the city, and thanks to the Great Sage's ascent to the Heavenly Palace, three past evils were averted, and with a single thought of refuge, good fortune abounds. From now on, may our lives be like the time of Yao and Shun, with five winds and ten rains, a bountiful harvest for ten thousand years.

After he finished speaking, he asked Zhou Ju.

"Brother Zhou, do you think that Lord Shangguan was wronged?"

Although Zhou Ju did not understand what he meant, he still said that it was neither a wrong nor a wrong.

Although there were reasons for the incident, disrespecting Heaven certainly deserves punishment.

Sun Wukong cleared up the misunderstanding, and the prefect led the crowd in offering incense and worshipping, thanking Heaven and Earth, and admitting their sins.

This was a reasonable way to relieve the drought in Fengxian County.

Reasonable?

“What have the people of Fengxian County done to deserve this?” Xu Xuan’s words pierced Zhou Ju’s heart like a sharp blade.

"When a thought arises in a person's heart, Heaven and Earth know it all. If good and evil go unpunished, then Heaven and Earth must be biased."

You should think about this story carefully.

After saying this, Xu Xuan led his students away from the county government office.

Back at the inn, Zao asked in confusion, "Was that prefect hiding something? Otherwise, why would you tell this story to enlighten him?"

Ning Caichen was also puzzled. Although the other party was very stubborn, he was still quite upright in his heart.

Only Ji Rui said that he felt uncomfortable with the other person, like he had his own ancestor.

Of the three disciples, Zao Tongxue's righteous energy didn't detect anything wrong, Ning Caichen's demonic power didn't sense anything unusual, and only Ji Rui, that oddball, guessed correctly.

Xu Xuan sensed something was wrong as soon as he entered the county government office.

Braving the backlash of humanity's fortune, he opened his spiritual senses and saw a massive amount of resentment and grievances hidden beneath the human fortune.

As a senior figure in the Three Realms, he is considered a genuine Zen master in Buddhism.

That one glance was enough to gather a lot of information.

Then, considering the other party's background, the favors he received from the government, and the fact that he still hadn't figured things out despite studying for so many years, I roughly deduced some of the truth.

The saying "If good and evil go unpunished, then Heaven and Earth must be biased" is not just a casual, pretentious remark, but a description of Zhou Ju's current situation.

(End of this chapter)