Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 849 Love?

The young man asked his friend for help in a very familiar tone.

But... Ah Xuan is a bit lost right now.

He did indeed see the snake the other person had mentioned; it was swaggering around right in front of him, incredibly arrogant.

But as the old saying goes, we should work together to build a harmonious society between humanity and nature, for humans are just one part of the Earth.

Are there other gentler ways to coexist peacefully with small animals?

For example, this small snake with black skin and white stripes, leaving withered and dead vegetation wherever it goes... What kind of venomous snake is this?!
You want me to arrest him?!
What am I supposed to grab with? My head?
I can't believe Ah Xuan's muscle memory right now, can I?

After a few seconds of confrontation with the venomous snake, Xu Xuan's mind was filled with images of countless heroes cheering him on.

"Da Niu!" He took two steps back, his voice incredibly firm. "The tax collectors are here, I have to go help the village chief!"

After saying that, he turned and left, his steps getting faster and faster until he was almost a blur, and he really did have some of the style of "Brother Xuan" who used to fly over walls.

Da Niu stared in disbelief from behind: "Huh? Didn't you used to love catching snakes the most..."

As Xu Xuan hurried toward the village entrance, he secretly observed this world that was both familiar and strange.

The maple forest on the cliff was still breathtakingly beautiful, but when he finally saw the details of the village, that dreamlike feeling shattered instantly.

Time travel is not actually a happy experience.

The bamboo baskets piled in the corner were already broken, with dried bloodstains on the edges; the walls of the thatched hut were crisscrossed with cracks, hastily patched up with mud.

The villagers were thin and bony, their hemp clothes patched upon patched, yet they were still engrossed in weaving baskets, drying herbs, and sharpening knives...

Poverty, exhaustion, but... they're still considered "happy"?
I recall that a few years ago, before the imperial court began collecting venomous snakes, the villagers lived ten times worse lives than they do now.

Some fell off cliffs while collecting herbs; some were killed by wild beasts in the mountains; some scavenged for food in the soil and starved to death.

A sentence suddenly came to mind: "The misfortune of this service is not as great as the misfortune of being burdened with taxes. If I had not taken this service, I would have been ill long ago."

This is reality.

Xu Xuan felt that he might need to do something in this new time and space.

"Brother Xuan!"

"Ah Xuan, have you eaten yet?"

Along the way, people kept greeting him warmly. The original owner of this body was clearly a popular character, but for Xu Xuan now, it was quite troublesome.

He nodded reluctantly, inwardly groaning.

Fortunately, the village was only steep and difficult to traverse; its actual area was not very large, and we soon approached the village entrance.

Just then, a tax collector wearing a blue round-necked robe stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the old village chief kneeling on the ground.

"The previous tax on snakes was enough to cover the land tax," the tax collector said calmly, as if discussing the weather. "But now the water mill tax and firewood tax must also be collected. There's also the additional tax, the bird and rat tax, the bridge and road tax..."

The villagers looked at each other, most of them not understanding the terms, but the words "tax increase" weighed on them like a boulder, making it hard to breathe.

"Sir! You can't increase the tax!" The old village chief suddenly rushed forward, his withered hand grabbing the tax collector's hem. "If you increase the tax again... people in the village will starve to death!"

The tax collector didn't even flinch.

He calmly brushed the village chief's hand away: "This is the amount for the entire Jiangnan West Road; it must be paid in full next month."

There was no anger, no pity—along the way, which village hadn't been filled with wailing and lamentation? People starving to death? It was all too common.

Your village has only survived to this day because you have the honor of serving the Imperial Preceptor, so why are you trying to bargain now?

As expected, the villagers in the mountains were uneducated and unreasonable.

The old village chief, a ruthless character who had spent his entire life navigating treacherous waters, saw that pleading was useless, and his inherent stubbornness suddenly surfaced.

"Sir! You're forcing our entire village to die!"

The tax collector's eyes suddenly turned cold.

"Ten lashes," he said casually, waving his hand. "To wake this old man up."

"Yes!"

Two constables immediately rushed forward and kicked the villager who was blocking their way to the ground.

The leather whip cracked in the air, the iron hook at the tip gleaming coldly. If the old village chief didn't die on the spot after ten lashes, he would die from the open wounds.

"We'll pay! We'll pay the increased taxes!" the villagers cried, kneeling down in a chorus of sobs. "Please, Your Excellency, have mercy!"

The officials were determined to make an example of them, and the whip had to be used today, otherwise the rebellious spirit in these lowly people would not be quelled.

He was educated and knew what it meant for a petty person to be shameless.

The constables drew their swords, pointing them at the lowly people below, forcing them to watch helplessly, so that they wouldn't have to drag them down again if they came back later.

Xu Xuan stood at the back of the crowd, feeling a surge of heat rush to his head.

These corrupt officials are going too far!
Having just arrived in this old world from the new era, any educated young person with a steadfast spirit would not stand idly by, let alone a stubborn young man.

But he was just an ordinary person, unarmed, and had no way to stop the execution.

He instinctively clenched his fists and glared angrily.

When his gaze fell upon the mountain of bamboo baskets piled up beside him, a sudden inspiration struck him!
By trading space for time, we can accumulate small victories into a major triumph!
"Quick!" He grabbed a villager beside him and whispered, "Go and call the whole village to the village entrance!"

Before the other party could react, Xu Xuan, his adrenaline surging, used the crowd as cover to walk to the bamboo basket.

You should know that the original owner was a snake catcher, and carried the aura of a superior predator, so she shouldn't have been afraid of snakes.

With lightning speed, his hands instinctively and precisely pinched the vital points of the two venomous snakes, then turned and flung them at the constables.

"Whoosh—whoosh—" Two dark figures flew through the air toward the tax collector's face!

"Be careful, sir!!"

The constables were thrown into chaos. Knives were effective against people, but what about a venomous snake that suddenly flew right up to their face?
Running away is the best option!

Taking advantage of this lull, Xu Xuan led the villagers to rush forward and, with a flurry of activity, caught the venomous snake again.

The scene instantly descended into chaos, turning the originally solemn tax collection site into a chaotic snake-catching frenzy.

The tax collector, his face ashen, scrambled behind a tree: "Rebellion! Are you plotting a rebellion?!"

Although we don't know what happened, it must be the fault of the untouchables.

When the villagers finally managed to catch the venomous snake back into the bamboo basket, the scene fell silent for a moment.

Xu Xuan took a deep breath, and slowly walked towards the tax collector, carrying the still writhing snake. The constables immediately drew their swords, the blades gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

“My lord,” Xu Xuan bowed respectfully, the venomous snake in his hand twitching intentionally or unintentionally, “we will pay the taxes in full and will not cause you any trouble. We hope you will have mercy and spare Old Man Jiang this time.”

The clerk, still shaken, was furious. "How dare you?!"
Ok?
Seeing the venomous snake so close at hand, Xu Xuan felt a pang of anxiety.

His anger changed from great anger to moderate anger.

"The mountains are high and the roads are long. We are just lowly lives and dare not delay the important affairs of the court," Xu Xuan added, his voice neither humble nor arrogant.

Meanwhile, the villagers who had come because of the riot were gradually gathering behind them, and there were also a few men that Xu Xuan had called over, carrying snake-catching tools in their hands.

The tax collector was indeed good at arithmetic. He secretly calculated that there were only ten people on his side, including the yamen runners, while twenty or thirty able-bodied villagers had already gathered around on the other side.

Although they had knives in hand, if a real conflict were to break out...
People say the people in the mountains are tough, but it seems they've calmed down now.

Thus, his anger turned into mild anger. He felt a fire burning inside, but dared not express it.

"My lord, the snake is a concern, but the affairs of the court are of utmost importance," Xu Xuan reminded him at the opportune moment, the snake in his hand wriggling in response.

The tax collector's eyes twitched.

Indeed, the task assigned by the Imperial Advisor is more important; why bother getting entangled with these troublemakers?

“In that case,” the tax collector straightened his clothes and gracefully stepped down, “considering this is his first offense, I’ll let him off this time. But this is a one-time exception!”

He turned to the constables and shouted, "What are you all standing there for? Count the numbers and prepare to return!"

After the convoy drove away...
The personal attendant whispered in the tax collector's ear: "Sir, that boy is clearly doing it on purpose."

"Snapped!"

A loud slap interrupted him.

"You think I can't see through it?" the tax collector said grimly. "You killed him, and then you went to catch the snake?"

He grabbed his follower by the collar: "Don't forget—you're just a worthless life too!"

The reason why the snake-catching village can continue to exist is because this is a deadly business, so the villagers are all desperate people who live for a living and have no future.

Getting angry with these people is like throwing jade against a rock.
Once the Grand Preceptor no longer needs to catch snakes, watch how I deal with that brat.

That being said, bringing more people next month could actually help us get back at them.

But now... all the anger I've been holding in all this way has finally found an outlet.

What followed was a brutal beating.

In the village...

"Brother Xuan is amazing!"

"Thanks to you!"

Xu Xuan was surrounded by villagers, cheers rising and falling. The old village chief was in tears, holding Xu Xuan's hand and thanking him repeatedly, for this was a life-saving grace.

No matter how tough next month may be, at least I've survived for now.

But after the crowd dispersed and they returned to their dilapidated hut...

"hiss……"

Xu Xuan slumped onto the wooden bed, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Catching a venomous snake with bare hands, facing a blade head-on... these are thrills that modern people can't handle!
He stared at his palms, which still bore the scratches left by snake scales.

Being forced to this extent by taxes today can be considered a testament to the truth of the saying, "Who knows that the poison of taxation is even more venomous than a snake?"

But... don't be so impulsive next time.

"This was just an adrenaline rush..."

"Peace can be achieved through struggle...that makes sense. As for the potential backlash afterward...perhaps we should develop a few more contingency plans."

"In short, my journey through time has only just begun, and I must survive."

Xu Xuan unconsciously fell into self-analysis and began to gather intelligence.

This isn't memory; it's instinct.

Meanwhile, in a swift-flowing river... a white figure drifted downstream.

Xiao Bai, pale-faced, floated in the water, his assassination attempt on the Imperial Advisor failing, and he instead fell into an ambush.

The icy river water washed over her wounds, and she barely managed to stay conscious as she drifted in the intended direction.

She just didn't know that although they arrived on the same day,...
The beginning of this love story seems to have encountered a "minor setback".

(End of this chapter)