Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 784: Borrowing Strength
After all, these test takers are so crazy about cheating that even if they were allowed to bring cheat sheets into the exam room, they probably wouldn't cause any trouble.

"Master, this is the most troublesome thing right now," Qi Jinchan reported with a worried look on his face. "We seized seven such wooden carvings during the special operation, and each one is treasured by the scholars and kept in their homes."

Xu Xuan took the list and glanced at it, discovering that the people requesting the statues were a diverse bunch: there were spoiled brats who thought of crooked ways all day long, as well as poor students who studied hard for years, and even an old scholar in his sixties—the statues seemed to accept all comers without being picky at all.

What's more troublesome is that so far, none of the worshippers have shown any abnormalities.

There was no depletion of vital energy, no mental confusion, and not even the most common side effects such as "nightmares" or "seeing ghosts".

"When my subordinates were conducting their investigation, they were even chased away by several scholars," Qi Jinchan said, feeling wronged. "They said that my sister was meddling in other people's business... Some even told me to go aside and eat some candy, and that children shouldn't meddle in adults' affairs."

Xu Xuan almost burst out laughing when he saw Qi Jinchan's embarrassed expression.

That's true. Although this little guy is precocious due to his cultivation, his body hasn't fully developed yet.

It was already embarrassing enough to have to run around with the county government.

"So all you've got so far is... a feeling that something's not right?" Xu Xuan asked, raising an eyebrow.

Qi Jinchan nodded emphatically.

"Very good, leave this to me." Xu Xuan gently patted the young hero on the shoulder, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

"Trusting your feelings is never wrong. You will encounter various dangers on your future spiritual path, so it is important to trust your intuition."

"Huh?" Qi Jinchan was stunned. He didn't expect the hall master to be so certain of his guess.

After all, these statues have not shown any harm so far.

Seeing the boy's confused expression, Xu Xuan chose to encourage and support him.

He knew all too well that something that could be noticed by a chosen one like "Three Heroes and Two Clouds" and eventually be delivered to him could not be a simple thing.
"I want to see who dares to make such a fuss during the most prosperous period of humanity and culture."

Xu Xuan's reason for getting involved in this matter was certainly not because of some absurd speculation that "the Wenquxing might be his son"—just kidding, he hasn't even settled things with the child's mother yet, how could he have time to think about such things so far ahead.

The main problem is that this conspiracy has already involved himself.

The God of Literature is a dignified and upright deity. Even though the immortals and gods have vanished without a trace, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry would dare to impersonate him.

The cycle of Heaven is inescapable; retribution is inevitable. Anyone who dares to impersonate a true god will surely be punished by Heaven.

The person behind this is either an ignorant and fearless fool or a ruthless character with something to rely on.

More importantly, this comes at a time when the imperial examinations are being held. To stage this "literary star" trick at such a crucial juncture is clearly aimed at disrupting the examinations.

If the other party succeeds, it will definitely ruin his plans.

Upon thinking of this, Xu Xuan flew into a rage.

It was only with great difficulty that the three major cultural traditions of Jiangnan were fully integrated and brought together into their own strength.

Just as the grand plan of "future Dean Xu" is about to get on track, if the cultural heritage of Jiangnan is damaged as a result, wouldn't all his plans over the years be in vain?

"Why are these evil heretics so restless?" He still gritted his teeth in anger.

"All you ever do is cause trouble! Cause trouble!"

He paced back and forth in his study, growing increasingly irritated: "Doesn't he know I have exams? My students have exams too! The plan to cultivate a proxy in the court has only just begun!"

Xu Xuan even suspected that this might be some old rival deliberately trying to make things difficult for him.

Long eyebrows?

It's unlikely that they would intentionally oppose the will of humanity.

Lord of the Clouds?
They were still squatting in the Yunmeng Marsh, doing who knows what.

Montenegro?

He doesn't have the brains or the means.

White Lotus Sect?
There are some possibilities, but I haven't heard anything about it.

"No matter who it is, they must accept our righteous punishment!" Little did they know that those "evil heretics" whom Xu Xuan had vehemently denounced were also feeling quite aggrieved at that moment.

It's not that they want to cause trouble, but rather that it's their turn to cause trouble when the righteous are declining and the demons are rising.

Logically, this is the time of the cycle of Heaven's will, a time of rising demons and falling righteousness. It should be their golden age to wreak havoc on the world, kill, and refine treasures. Keeping their prey, disrupting order, creating chaos—the demonic path is the mainstream, isn't it?

At this moment, most righteous sects in the world are in seclusion, quietly reciting the Yellow Court Classic to resist the danger brought about by the reversal of the world's fortunes.

But they just happened to encounter the Baoan Hall, a force that was both righteous and evil, fighting on the front lines to maintain order in the human world.

They will suppress any trouble that arises.

That's what's unreasonable.

Xu Xuan quickly calmed his emotions, a shrewd calculation flashing through his mind.

He tapped the table lightly and instantly cleared his mind—to deal with an enemy lurking in the shadows, instead of wasting time and effort investigating, it was better to use their strength against them.

"Jin Chan, you continue your journey back to the Dongting front." He waved his hand. "I have my own arrangements for this."

After Qi Jinchan left, Xu Xuan's lips curled into a sly smile.

The imperial examinations weren't just a matter for the Baoan Hall; they were the lifeblood of those old Confucian scholars. How could they not make good use of such a useful "henchman"?
He immediately spread out the finest Xuan paper, dipped his brush in ink, and his calligraphy flowed like dragons and phoenixes:
"Shen Shanchangtai Jian: "

I have recently received solid intelligence that some treacherous individuals intend to undermine the fairness of the imperial examinations and fundamentally undermine the system of selecting officials. This matter is likely related to certain powerful families in the north…”

Who in this world most wants to destroy the imperial examination system?
Besides those aristocratic families who entered officialdom through family connections, who else could it be?
In any case, since the birth of the imperial examination system, the open and covert struggles between Confucianism and aristocratic families have never stopped.

Xu Xuan knew that only by smearing these old enemies could he make the Confucian bigwigs take it seriously—after all, the aristocratic families had too many "criminal records," making them the most credible.

Qi Jinchan was young after all, and even when she had doubts, she wasn't firm in her convictions.

Master Xu is different; he's more flexible and has a good mental fortitude.

When they start writing, it's as if they're divinely inspired; they write with absolute certainty, as if they've witnessed it firsthand, even without any substantial evidence.

"The statue of Wenquxingjun (God of Literature) is suspected to have been made from wood from a peach forest in the north..."

He deliberately left several vague blanks at crucial points, letting the recipient fill in the blanks themselves.

After finishing the letter, I blew on the ink to dry it and admired my masterpiece with satisfaction.

This letter is piercing and incisive, yet it leaves much to the imagination.

The ending even hints: "This matter may involve court intrigue, and is probably not just a simple case of cheating in the imperial examinations..."

"Someone!" Xu Xuan summoned a servant from the academy. "Deliver this letter to Headmaster Shen of Bailu Academy as fast as possible. Tell him... it concerns the long-term plan of Confucianism."

All channels used are official and legitimate.

Let's use the power of Confucianism to break the deadlock directly and forcefully. If there are any problems, let's talk to Lao Shen about it with his big cleaver.

As for Yangzhou, there's an even more formidable spear.

However, since Yu Gong is unable to leave Wu County due to some minor misunderstandings, we will have to rely on me, the new pillar of Confucianism.

I went straight down the mountain to Jintian Academy, found the old man and told him about it, hoping he could share some high-level information.

"You've spent your whole life battling demons and monsters, I wonder if you have any guesses about this."

"There's something wrong with this statue, but what is it?"

Yu Gong held the statue and pondered it carefully. At this moment, he noticed that the face and eyebrows of the Wenquxingjun statue were particularly clear, making it significantly different from traditional statues.

She seemed to remember something, but was still somewhat uncertain.

"Could it be... the White Lotus stealing Maitreya's thunder?"

(End of this chapter)