Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 740 Liang Shanbo 2.0
Back in his dormitory, Liang Shanbo invited Zhu Yingtai to eat in the cafeteria. His eyes were crystal clear.

"What did Master Xu say to you?" Zhu Yingtai asked curiously.

"Let me study hard." That's a very powerful response.

In fact, Liang Shanbo's sudden enlightenment came from his mother—the seemingly ordinary Liang's mother who enlightened him at a crucial moment.

Liang Shanbo's mother was delighted when he brought Zhu Yingtai home for a short stay that day.

The students of Chongqi Academy were all from wealthy and noble families, and being able to make friends with such classmates would undoubtedly be a boost to his son's future, given his humble background.

Moreover, this young master of the Zhu family was generous in his manners and spoke with great eloquence. He treated Liang Shanbo as an equal and showed no arrogance typical of scions of noble families.

This should have been a good thing.

But Liang's mother felt a vague unease in her heart.

She knew all too well how difficult it was for people from humble backgrounds to gain a foothold in aristocratic circles.

She experienced all of it: the disdain hidden beneath the surface of politeness, the unintentional exclusion at banquets, and even the "unintentional" isolation.

Although Liang Shanbo was cheerful and sincere, he possessed an inherent pride that refused to yield. She feared he would suffer losses, and even more so, she feared he would get hurt.

"Now it seems I was overthinking it." In the first few days, she watched her two children go in and out together, discuss poetry and books, and even help out in the fields together, and she felt secretly gratified.

But... after only two days, I realized I really should have thought about it more.

No one knows a child better than their mother. Liang Shanbo's gaze towards Zhu Yingtai was somewhat... somewhat... complicated and lingering.

"Impossible... I must be overthinking it." She forced herself to suppress this absurd thought. How could her son be like those spoiled brats?
But a few days later, my heart sank completely.

This is hardly the friendship between classmates.

In the dead of night, Liang's mother knelt before her deceased husband's memorial tablet, her fingertips gripping the hem of her clothes tightly, tears falling silently to the ground.

"My family is unfortunate..."

She couldn't blame Zhu Yingtai. That child had clear eyes and an open demeanor, clearly without any ulterior motives.

It's all about his own son... a one-sided enthusiasm.

But this matter absolutely cannot be left unattended.

A few days later, Liang's mother finally found an opportunity to stop Liang Shanbo.

"Shanbo, I have something to ask you." She closed the door, her voice soft, yet like a dull knife, slowly cutting through the silence.

Liang Shanbo was taken aback: "Mother?"

Liang's mother took a deep breath and looked directly into his eyes:
"What...what are your true feelings for the young master of the Zhu family?"

Before she could finish speaking, tears were already streaming down her face, and she added in a trembling voice:
"My son... no matter what, I respect your choice..."

But as soon as she finished speaking, Madam Liang burst into tears, clutching her handkerchief tightly in her hand.

This decision almost emptied her of half a lifetime of perseverance.

The Liang family had been poor for generations, and they finally had a promising scholar who would bring honor to the family and make their ancestral graves shrouded in good fortune. But now…

"As your mother, I only hope that you can marry another woman to carry on the family line."

Liang Shanbo was struck dumb as if by lightning.

His face turned pale instantly, his fingers unconsciously dug into his palms, and he even stopped breathing.

Mother...knows?

What about Zhu Yingtai? Did she realize it too?
Society is dead!!!

At that moment, he suddenly felt that the little river in front of his house looked beautiful.

Is it too late to jump in and lie down for a while?

But when he looked up and saw his mother crying so hard she could barely stand, his own tears also streamed down his face.

I am so useless. How could I give up my ideals and be so weak just because of a romantic relationship with another man?

At this moment, I suddenly remembered what Master Xu once said: "A true hero dares to face the bleakness of life and the dripping blood."

And what am I doing?
Escaping? Cowardice? Self-pity?
He knelt down in the ancestral hall with a thud and kowtowed three times.

"Mother, your son is unfilial... but please give me three days."

He secluded himself for three days, and when he emerged, he had been completely transformed.

His eyes were calm as a deep pool, his back was ramrod straight, and even his tone of voice had a touch of firmness:

"If I pass the high school entrance exam and achieve success, I will be qualified to withstand the storms and pursue everything I want."

"If I waste half my life and accomplish nothing—"

He smiled bitterly and shook his head.

If you can't even protect yourself, how can you protect others?

How could a family of Zhu's social standing possibly agree to that?

Therefore, there is only one answer now: Study hard! Pass the imperial examinations! — This is Liang Shanbo 2.0!

Xu Xuan can sense people's hearts, but the depths of people's hearts are beyond the comprehension of even immortals, gods, and Buddhas.

Although he noticed that Liang Shanbo had been acting strangely lately, he failed to see through the undercurrents churning in the young man's heart—after all, at this moment, his mind was entirely focused on planning the trip to hell.

Let bygones be bygones; troubles in the underworld are far more pressing.

There are three purposes for going to the underworld:

First, find the "ghost couple".

Since the female ghost was able to escape from the Yin-Yang realm with Wang Sheng's soul, she must know the loopholes in the realm. What's even more intriguing is that they were following a "traditional love story."

The man is a lovestruck scholar, and the woman is a lovestruck ghost. They love each other to the point of life and death, their love so moving that even the King of Hell would sigh.

This combination has always been a "villain's nemesis".

And luckily, they encountered the intervention of a righteous and powerful person.

Therefore, the subsequent development of the story will be very unfavorable for the Yin-Yang Dharma King BOSS.

Think of the tree demon grandmother who broke up a loving couple; her ashes were scattered. And look at the Black Mountain Demon, who was clearly a ruler of the underworld, yet he was tormented to the point of exhaustion...

Love is such a terrifying thing.

Xu Xuan's second purpose for this trip was to lay the groundwork for the return of the Black Mountain Demon.

Over the years, the Black Mountain King has been gone overseas and has disappeared without a trace. The ghosts in the underworld are restless, and some have even begun to question whether his prestige is still intact.

This is not okay.

Xu Xuan went to great lengths to maintain the prestige of Black Mountain.

The suppression of the Sixth Great Hell, the conquest of Luo Feng Six Heavens, and even the turmoil of the Eighteen Levels of Hell... In recent years, whenever there has been any major disturbance in the underworld, the words "Black Mountain" have always appeared behind it, seemingly out of nowhere.

Ghosts have wiped out the enemy nation?

No, what we want is for ghosts to be intimidated by the mere mention of their name before the battle even begins!
Now that Montenegro is about to return, this groundwork needs to be laid with another spark.

"The Eastern Ghost Emperor's Dojo and the Southern Ghost Emperor's Dojo haven't caused any trouble in Black Mountain yet..." Xu Xuan narrowed his eyes and tapped the table lightly with his fingertips.

The problem is not scarcity but inequality; treating everyone equally is the right way.

We can't just let the ghost emperors of the West and North have a headache while the old ghosts of the East and South live carefree lives, can we?
The Black Mountain Demon's infamy must spread throughout the entire underworld!

Of course, Xu Xuan also had his own plans.

"When the protagonist returns, he always has to go through more hardships." He smiled slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

Hopefully Montenegro can hold on...

Let Xu see what exactly the Netherworld Cult Master's legacy is all about!

Thinking about this makes me a little unhappy. I'm clearly the one that all the big shots have the most faith in!

So what if there are a lot of causes and effects? The benefits are real and tangible!

How could a big black mountain have managed to snatch it away?
Black Mountain, you've truly found a way to die!
Xu Xuan's third objective concerns the Avici Hell.

Senior brother is chasing the Fire God of the Outer Realm, why hasn't he come out yet?
Is the Avici Hell really that terrifying? Could it even trap a ruthless character like my senior brother?
If my senior brother doesn't come back soon, we really won't be able to hold on much longer.

Bai Suzhen's gaze towards him has become increasingly subtle lately, the mess in the underworld is piling up higher and higher, the return of the Black Mountain Demon is imminent, and the Yin-Yang Dharma King is also eyeing him covetously... He desperately needs a capable teammate to share the pressure!
Xu Xuan looked down at his densely written "underworld operation plan" on the paper and sighed deeply.

"It's all because of the world..."

But the next second, he raised his head with great enthusiasm, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

The underworld is a place where you can "use your methods freely" without having to worry about human laws, karma, or even harming innocent people... You can only have high hopes for it!

But now there's a problem: how do we get down?

Ordinary spirit communication spells have failed him—the underworld seems to have blacklisted him and refuses to open the door for him.

In that case, we have no choice but to go through the "regular nodes".

For example, borrowing someone's door during their "seventh day after death" (the seventh day after someone's death).

Just then, a "tragic" message arrived: Xun Ji, the magistrate of Qiantang County, was attacked on his way to take up his post and was seriously injured and on the verge of death. He was currently in Suzhou City summoning renowned doctors for a consultation.

Xu Xuan's eyes lit up. Here it comes!

It seems the other party really appreciated the script I wrote.

You refuse to walk the path to heaven, but you barge into the gates of hell!
"Xiaoqing!" he called out loudly, "Pack your things, we're going to Suzhou!"

"Huh? What are we going there for? Aren't we going to the underworld?" the little monster asked curiously.

"To save people," Xu Xuan said with a smile, "and incidentally... to give Lord Xun a ride."

A moment later, the head and deputy head of Baoan Hall embarked on their journey to Suzhou.

(End of this chapter)