Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 657 The Wind Rises over Taihu Lake
The great Taihu Lake Water God has returned to the Yuwang Temple in Xishan.

Although it no longer possesses divine authority, the spiritual recognition it receives from the land is still of great significance.

Xiaoqing could feel every drop of Taihu Lake cheering for her return; it was a power purer than the power of incense and prayer.

The gathered moisture was a good medicine for her to restore her vitality, gently nourishing her demonic body that had been damaged by the attacks of human fortune and the five poisonous energies.

"Finally back." Xiaoqing stroked the sword at her waist, looking at the mottled temple gate with some dissatisfaction.

An ancient and profound atmosphere lingers here. The thousand-year-old cypress tree in front of the temple is still vigorous, but it is too simple.

It doesn't give you that sparkly, dazzling feeling.

Pushing open the creaking door startled three nests of swallows under the eaves. As Xu Xuan dusted off the ash on the offering table, he discovered that the bottom of the incense burner was covered with crystalline water essence, a sign that the spiritual energy of the water veins had materialized.

"Although it is small, it has a deep foundation." Touching the water crystal with his fingertips, he felt the surging spiritual power within. "Yu the Great once stayed here to control the floods, and the temple built by later generations is in line with the spirit of the Water Palace."

The Taihu Hydrological Map written by Li, after being enshrined for half a year, had already begun to transform into a spiritual artifact. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that I invited out my cheerful friend during the New Year.

I have a feeling that this place has been included in the traces of Yu the Great, but unfortunately I have no chance to verify it.

Xiao Qing pouted and kicked away half of a raised stone slab. Ancient water-suppressing runes remained on the bluestone slab: "I originally wanted to build a crystal palace at the bottom of the lake!"

"My sister has her own cave dwelling at the bottom of West Lake, so it's not too much for me to build one too."

With a mix of pride and joy, he pulled a scroll of silk from his robes, which unfurled with a whoosh, releasing a refreshing mist.

The moment the scroll was unfurled, the entire Yuwang Temple seemed to be transported into an underwater fantasy world.

The pavilions in the painting are all made of coral pillars and tridacna shells for roof tiles, with luminous pearls adorning the roofs like a galaxy. There is also a poem that reads: "Golden palaces and silver halls, purple palaces, rare flowers and jade herbs, and precious blossoms," and the characters are specially drawn with the juice of fluorescent jellyfish, making them shine brightly in the dim temple.

King Xiaoqing has always wanted to choose a place at the bottom of Taihu Lake or among the seventy-two peaks to build another water palace.

The idea of ​​breaking away from my sister and starting my own household is similar to how a child, after reaching adulthood, might particularly want to live separately from their parents—it's a very satisfying thought.

Moreover, the magnificent building in the picture doesn't require much funding at all; there's no shortage of materials in Taihu Lake.

According to calculations, it can be completed in just a few days, but the later modifications and deployment will take hundreds of years.

Meanwhile, a certain Li Xianfeng who wished to remain anonymous was also planning to open a Xianfeng Mansion, and had even chosen a location.

Xu Xuan immediately recognized that this was not Xiao Qing's work—the handwriting was neat and tidy, and the painting was exquisite and meticulous, clearly the work of a student from the academy.

In the entire Qiantang region, the only person with such painting skills who was willing to play along with Xiaoqing's antics was probably Liang Shanbo, whom Zhu Yingtai had asked to paint on her behalf.

"Nonsense!" He snatched the scroll and smacked her on the forehead. The crisp, jade-like sound startled a flock of egrets on the ancient cypress tree behind the temple, who all took flight. "Back then, Yu the Great guided the three rivers and connected the five lakes, beheading Fangfeng here, making a great achievement. Do you think later generations chose this place to build a temple in remembrance just randomly?"

Xiaoqing covered her forehead, protesting, "But this is too small! There isn't even a decent meeting room!"

The expanded Bao'an Hall is no longer the small, insignificant place it once was. If you were to bring out all the department leaders and cadres, this building simply wouldn't be able to hold them all.

In particular, many demons, even when they transform into human form, are over ten feet tall, as are guardians like Qilishi and Qilicha.

Xiaoqing's words make a lot of sense.

Xu Xuan shook his head helplessly and pointed to the mottled murals in the temple, explaining, "Just as Qiantang is so safe now because of your sister's Taoist temple and Yu Gong's academy, the safest headquarters in Taihu should be built here. The staff headquarters will also be moved here later." He paused, his tone softening, "If you think it's too small, you can expand the water palace on Xishan Mountain based on this. But the core area must be preserved."

He lowered his voice, "This is a sacred place where we can communicate with the sages of the past."

Xiaoqing's eyes lit up, and she suddenly leaned closer and whispered, "Do you think... King Yu might appear again?"

That's hard to say.

Although these seniors always said that this was their last bit of strength, someone simply didn't believe it.

We can always squeeze something out if we try. Our ancestors wouldn't mind. As good people, we should fully embrace the concept that everyone under heaven is family.

Living off one's parents? What do you mean by living off one's parents? This is called staying true to one's original aspirations; our ancestors would only be pleased.

"Now you understand why we established our residence here?" Xu Xuan stuffed three sticks of ambergris into her hand. "Offering incense to King Yu every day is better than building ten water palaces." When the incense sticks burned without a flame, the wisps of smoke formed the shape of a Kui dragon in the air and disappeared into the mottled murals in the blink of an eye.

This time, the wisps of smoke didn't bring anything, but that's okay. As long as the willpower is strong enough, a miracle might be created.

After completing her daily routine, Xiaoqing couldn't wait to show Xu Xuan what the majesty of the Lord of Taihu Lake was all about.

She leaped onto the highest Taihu rock, holding a twelve-foot-long banner with the characters "Qing" (青), the embroidered dragon-head pattern on the banner gleaming coldly in the sunlight. "Open!"

With a clear shout, the wind and clouds changed color in an instant.

Suddenly, a passage to the underworld opened up in the whirlpool in the center of the lake, and thirty-six huge bronze chariots emerged with a roar. Each chariot shaft was wrapped with a cold iron chain as thick as a bowl, and the chariots were pulled by six white dragon bones!
Pushing a wooden crate laden with weapons, one could see: Soul-Severing Blades engraved with Taotie motifs, Soul-Locking Forks with dragon tendons wrapped around their tips, the Shadow Wind Crossbow's trigger mechanism concealing chilling iron from the netherworld, and the Death Gate Hammer's head wrapped in mud and sand from the Yellow Springs.

"Hiss—" The one-eyed old turtle among the onlookers gasped, "This...this is the burial place of King Helü of Wu in the Sword Pool." Before he finished speaking, the wooden box in the center suddenly exploded, and a replica of the Fish Intestine Sword emitted a dragon-like tremor. The black energy rising from the sword condensed into a phantom of a fierce tiger in the air, which frightened the demons so much that they knelt down.

"Wrong!" A clear voice pierced the air. Yu Bai rode the waves and rushed over, the jade pendant and scale armor at his waist jingling. "The burial objects in the Sword Pool have long been corroded by the Yin energy of the earth veins, but these are..." It suddenly choked up, because it saw the newly carved Yin runes next to the Wu Kingdom totem on the chariot.

It's an advantage that demons live so long; anyone who pays attention to human affairs can act as an archaeologist.

The struggle for supremacy between Wu and Yue took place in this region countless times, and the human race, as the protagonists of heaven and earth, left behind countless legends.

The story of the hidden military base has been passed down for generations, so it's normal for the demons to have some misunderstandings.

However, Yu Bai was also somewhat doubtful this time.

"These are... ghost soldiers forged in the underworld? But why are they in the style of the Wu Kingdom?!"

(End of this chapter)