Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 782 Powerful Unorthodox Remedies
"Next time, next time."

He appeared defiant, but actually felt somewhat embarrassed.

My father already believed in these things, and after going through a lot of supernatural activities recently, he became even more of a believer.

Anyway, there's been a lot of superstitious activity going on lately, with monks and Taoist priests coming and going in waves.

The ancestral graves no longer emit smoke; instead, smoke rises from the house.

After all, the Ji family only had this one promising student. He was originally just a layabout on a pleasure boat, but he ended up at Chongqi Academy and gradually developed real skills.

In fact, Ji's father originally wanted to set up an altar for Xu Shenxian and offer incense.

This is not one of those celestial beings that monks and Taoist priests talk about, but a true immortal wandering among mortals.

Ji Rui desperately blocked it.

Master Xu is still alive and well, so you can't worship him.

Furthermore, Master Xu had said that one should never offer incense to him unless it was a desperate situation, as it could potentially lead to serious karmic consequences and great terror.

He kept those words firmly in mind.

In short, the Ji family has money and connections, so they can get involved in these things.

If you have no money or connections, you can buy something like a lucky charm or a piece of handicraft with calligraphy by a top scholar.

Where there is demand, there is a market.

Even Zhu Yingtai joined in the fun and bought a relic of a high-ranking monk, which was said to be able to open wisdom, but Liang Shanbo threw it into the water.

Regardless of whether it's real or fake, how could you play with relics in front of Master Xu? Isn't that courting death?

Of course, the above are all conventional methods; there are also unconventional ones hidden in the background.

After all, folk remedies are often the most potent.

To acquire talent through underworld examination papers, one must find the ghost messengers of the Examination Bureau to buy "the talent of a failed scholar from the underworld"—it is said that by burning the ashes of the scholar's writings in life and swallowing them, one can inherit his literary inspiration.

Zhang Hua received many such requests, and then threw them all into the Naihe River.

Stealing technique: Secretly cut a lock of the top scholar's hair and sew it into the lining of his clothes.

The top scholar hasn't emerged yet, but he already has many talented men around him.

Chongqi Academy was alright; everyone there was someone of importance and influence. But quite a few other academies had experienced similar messy incidents involving haircuts.

The above are all harmless methods; there are even more potent folk remedies and techniques.

It's about worshipping evil gods.

For example, people worship the Five Witches God. This thing was killed by Yu Gong many years ago, but people still worship it now.

Although it was evil and involved the rape of women, it could bring unexpected wealth, so it had a wide following, especially in the south.

Even during the Republic of China era, there were grand Five Gods Festivals, which Xun Ge (Zhou Xun) specifically mentioned.

It appears frequently in evil rituals and illegal activities.

Even if the original form of this thing is killed, it will be reborn due to the desires and worship of the people.

There are also those who worship "hairy ghosts," local deities resembling raccoon dogs, who are fond of stealing. They determine a family's wealth and prosperity based on their own whims.

This item was brought from the Northwest region. It is placed in a secluded corner of the room, with a small altar set up for daily offerings.

Some people worship Yakshas, ​​who were originally fierce demons but were later transformed into guardian deities by Buddhism. However, in folk legends, Yakshas are still regarded as underworld ghosts, with an ugly and terrifying appearance.

This is the effort put into cultivating good karma.

With the imperial examinations approaching, many scholars of average learning actually pulled out all the stops.

I wonder what they've been learning all this time, that they can summon all sorts of spirits, monsters, and gods from all over the world.

Some were worried that hiring one wouldn't be enough, so they specifically hired four or five wild gods.

It is indeed of high quality and quantity, and incredibly audacious.

As superstition surrounding the imperial examinations intensified, evil spirits took advantage of the situation to cause chaos, leading to a significant increase in criminal cases.

The same atmosphere existed decades ago, but recently the trend has intensified, with demons becoming readily available and evil spells readily usable, which is why it has gained such influence.

In Lou County, a scholar had his heart ripped out, and the murderer left a note saying, "I'll borrow your talent for a while." In Yangxian, a mummified corpse was discovered, its blood drained, with a half-written policy essay lying beside it. In Kuaiji, a case of a "ghost examiner" claiming lives was reported, with each victim having a red dot between their eyebrows, as if they had been told they had failed the exam.

Local government offices were in a state of chaos, with clerks lamenting, "These days, even ghosts have to take the imperial examinations?"

Seeing the moral decay in Jiangnan, Xu Xuan slammed his fist on the table: "Bao'an Hall, listen to my command—anyone who uses the imperial examination as a pretext to harm others shall be executed!"

Jiangnan is my stronghold; how can I let these heretics eat and drink so freely?

The Qi siblings, who were conquering Dongting Lake, were recalled overnight and led elite cultivators to sweep through various prefectures and counties.

On this day, Qi Jinchan received a message from the hall master, saying that a scholar in Lou County was worshipping the White Lotus, and that he should go and eliminate him immediately.

"The Hall Master is truly unfathomable! He even knows about such obscure and hidden matters!" Qi Jinchan, as the Hall Master's biggest fan, spoke rather subjectively.

Although Qi Lingyun also admired the hall master, she still maintained a degree of rationality.

"It must be that the Baoan Hall's intelligence network has been upgraded; there are no secrets left in the Jiangnan region."

Little did they know that their younger brother's "blind worship" was actually closer to the truth.

Master Xu also played the role of a god or ghost for a time.

That day, while I was quietly studying in the academy, I suddenly heard a series of soft prayers:

"May the Holy Mother bless me and grant me success in the imperial examination..."

"I will certainly recite scriptures every day and spread the White Lotus Holy Teachings far and wide..."

Xu Bailian paused, and the ink splattered on the paper.

After sweeping around for half a day, the evil god turned out to be myself?
He immediately looked inward at the Dharma image and discovered that several strands of unfamiliar vow power were wrapped around the white lotus.

I don't know if it was because I spent too much time in contact with the Vacuum Homeland during the last purification of the Yin-Yang Dharma King that caused the Dharma form to change, or for some other reason, but I just happened to hear this.

This is not a good sign.

It's not a question of good versus evil, but rather...

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva once said: Vows must be fulfilled.

Even the Buddhist community couldn't repay the debt, so how could a mere schoolteacher repay it? Thus, he decisively ordered the destruction of these dens.

At the same time, I'm speechless at the mindset of these Protestants.

Please don't worship everything, okay?

The White Lotus Sect aims to lead everyone to a vacuum homeland, where they can live a carefree and happy life.

There were no imperial examinations or officials in my hometown.

So why are you worshipping me, bro? It's not my major.

I casually clicked on a batch of reports, which added to Song Youde's performance record.

The few passersby and scholars who were arrested were dumbfounded. How did you know that I was worshipping the White Lotus in my own home?
The Holy Father, hidden in the shadows, smiled but said nothing.

You ordinary people have no magic power or cultivation, you're not even a fruit, so why should you worship me?

Our White Lotus Sect doesn't need such worthless members.

At the same time, the Baoan Temple and the Prefect of Wu County cooperated to carry out a special campaign to crack down on evil gods and licentious temples.

Let's also find out who is spreading the White Lotus. This matter could be big or small, and it's best if another Dharma King doesn't come out.

Recently, he even attacked the Dharma King.

Just before they were about to depart for Shouchun, Qi Jinchan came to report on his work.

"Master, I've noticed that there are many more scholars in Yangzhou and Jingzhou worshipping this statue. I feel like something is not right."

After saying that, he took out a statue of a god.

The wooden carving, wearing a white crown, a red robe, holding a black tablet, and green shoes, has a particularly striking feature: a somewhat sinister look in its eyes, and fresh wishes swirling around it.

Xu Xuan wondered, "Who is this one?"
"A new statue of the God of Literature."

Ok?
Xu Xuan needs to take this more seriously.

(End of this chapter)