Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 855 Human Body, Snake Tail
"Xiao Qing!"

At her command, a slender figure emerged from the shadows. It was a young girl clad in blue armor, her brows and eyes revealing a hint of arrogance, but her gaze was exceptionally cold.

The three blazing sun scales instantly disappeared into Xiao Qing's body.

The girl let out a muffled groan, knelt on one knee, and faint red lines could be seen moving beneath her skin.

"Go and bring the white snake back." The snake mother's voice carried an unquestionable command. "I want to see her alive or dead."

"Yes." Xiaoqing's voice was completely calm.

Then the snake mother summoned a rattlesnake that was entirely gray.

"You should go too."

Tokiwa excitedly flicked its tongue and silently slid into the underground river.

Both forces are operating in the shadows, and the threads of fate are quietly weaving an even larger web.
Xu Xuanzheng, at the eye of the storm, was traveling under the stars and moon.

On the turbulent river, a small boat cuts through the waves, splashing water from the bow and wetting the hem of his clothes.

I wanted to fly directly to Yongzhou, but firstly, I didn't know the exact location of Baoqingfang, and secondly, Xiaobai's condition was very unstable.

My memory is still recovering, and my magic is sometimes effective and sometimes not. She fell and it was fine, but if I fell, I'd be in for a feast.

In order to save time, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and spend all my savings to rent this small boat, which might not be the fastest, but it was definitely the cheapest.

At this moment, he stood at the bow of the ship, holding a staff in one hand and a rod in the other, facing the wind. His clothes fluttered as he stood there, and he really had the air of a sword immortal.

Once outside the village, the cautious Xu Xuan seemed to have drifted away with the mountains and rivers, and the chuunibyou spirit in his bones began to burn fiercely.

Usually, the main character will get a close-up at this point, and will say some random things to show their lofty ambitions.

"Even if I bear the burden..." He suddenly spat twice, "Bad luck! This line is unlucky."

He changed his posture and re-composed himself, declaring, "I should be the one to rule."

Crack! A bolt of lightning suddenly struck the mountaintop not far away, illuminating his face and turning it deathly pale, causing him to swallow his boastful words.

"..." Xu Xuan, who had been lively not long after transmigrating, shrank back and immediately lowered his voice sensibly: "The world of immortals and heroes is too dangerous to mess with."

Xiaobai was very envious of this chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur) attitude.

Tormented by fragmented memories, she always felt empty inside, as if something important was missing.

The man in front of us is clearly just an ordinary person, yet he never falters when facing a powerful enemy like the Imperial Advisor, and he manages to come up with all sorts of strange and wonderful things.

He immediately became depressed.

Xu Xuan, of course, wouldn't stand idly by, and shamelessly came over to continue the intensity.

"It's very simple."

"Human life is special."

The river water lapped against the gunwale, and his voice mingled with the splashing water: "Since the time of Yu the Great taming the floods, we have accomplished many incredible things in order to survive." The reed stalks swayed up and down between his lips. "Alright, let me tell you a few stories, from which you can find the power of inspiration."

"The power of being moved?" Xiaobai tilted her head slightly; this term was far too unfamiliar to her.

Xu Xuan immediately started talking.

We still have some time on the road, so we can take this opportunity to strengthen our revolutionary friendship.

There are countless stories to tell in human history, each evoking different emotions.

The timeline goes from ancient times to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, then from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods to the present, and then continues.

Anyway, all you need to do is blur the background; someone seems to be quite good at this.

The small boat glides through the green hills and clear waters, with the peaks and forests on both banks appearing and disappearing in the morning mist.

Xu Xuan sat cross-legged at the bow of the boat, his voice gently rippling with the waves:

Later, those Red Army soldiers crossed the snow-capped mountains and traversed the grasslands.

He became more and more engrossed in his storytelling, his eyes shining with an astonishing light.

I don't know when it started, but I began humming to myself.

This wasn't Xiaobai's request, but rather a feeling that was touched by the story in his memory.

"After seeing off the Red Army soldiers from Lige, this guy... went down the mountain."

His voice wasn't particularly outstanding, but it was especially moving amidst the mountains and rivers.

Fingers tapped lightly on the boat planks to keep time, and the melody of "Ten Red Army Soldiers Send Off" echoed through the canyon.

This is an adaptation by the Air Force Political Department; it lacks the rousing rhythm but adds a touch of tender affection.

"The autumn wind carries the fine rain, this is so tender and lingering."

Xiao Bai's gaze remained fixed on his profile. She couldn't understand the strange dialect lyrics, but she could feel the heavy weight in every note.

As Xu Xuan sang, her voice gradually lowered, and her eyes became unfocused.

"A greeting to my fellow Red Army soldiers~~~"

He suddenly stopped, gave a self-deprecating laugh, and said, "When I was a child, I just thought the tune was nice, but I only understood it when I grew up." He didn't finish his sentence, but just shook his head slightly.

Those stories about faith and sacrifice, those intense and passionate emotions, can only be understood by one person in this world of fantasy.

Xiao Bai watched him quietly.

At this moment, Xu Xuan was both as fragile as glass that could shatter at any moment, and as strong as if he could hold up the entire sky.

She reached out her hand involuntarily, but hesitated just before touching him.

The hairpin shimmered slightly in her hair, conveying a complex emotion: this child from the mountains knows too much.
Xu Xuan was completely unaware, only gazing at the gradually brightening sky in the distance, feeling the power accumulating within him growing ever stronger, and finally softly finished singing the last line:
"When will the people and horses return to the mountain?"

The singing faded into the morning mist.

Xiao Bai unconsciously leaned closer to him, and their shoulders touched lightly.

This created a subtle and complex atmosphere between the young people.

The boat passed through three peaks and nine bends, and went through two dark caves. The outline of Yongzhou City was already faintly visible.

However, danger lurked nearby – the snakes along the shore had already relayed their whereabouts.

"Watch out!" Xu Xuan suddenly grabbed Xiao Bai's shoulder.

At the bay ahead, the originally gentle current became strangely turbulent, while the central area remained as calm as a mirror.

This unusual phenomenon made the hairs on his body stand on end.

A bamboo raft drifted slowly through the thin mist opposite. A dim green fishing light was lit on the raft, illuminating a hunched figure wearing a straw raincoat.

The man lowered his head, and water droplets dripping from the edge of his straw hat created tiny ripples on the river's surface.

"Whoosh~~~~"

The calm water surface suddenly exploded, and several curtains of water shot into the sky, completely surrounding the small boat.

Dense, serpentine patterns appeared on the water curtain, gleaming with an eerie bluish light in the sunlight.

"What a classic villain look,"

Seeing this, Xu Xuan shielded Xiao Bai in front of him.

Since it's an encounter battle, I can't let my friends down.

Tokiwa was furious, extremely furious.

A twisted fire of jealousy burned in the snake's eyes.

As its master's most loyal disciple, it could never understand.

Why did that weak white snake win the master's favor?

The master entrusted such an important task as assassinating the imperial advisor to this soft-hearted good-for-nothing!
"As expected, they failed; as expected, they ran away." Tokiwa's voice trembled with anger. "And now they dare to parade around with humans!"

"Humans are all lowly ants!" it hissed, flicking its tongue.

Seeing Xiaobai protecting Xu Xuan, his anger intensified.

Then he suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, his scales gleaming with a sickly grayish-blue luster in the moonlight: "Fortunately, heaven has eyes, allowing me to find you first!"

"His!"

The sound of tearing fabric pierced the night sky.

Tokiwa's body swelled rapidly, transforming in the blink of an eye into a giant rattlesnake over ten meters long.

The keratinous rings of the snake's tail rubbed against each other, making a chilling "rustling" sound.

"I'll take your life!"

Without further ado, the giant snake opened its blood-red maw and lunged.

Xu Xuan made a quick decision, taking a step back to the stern of the ship to create space for Xiao Bai to fight.

The movements were clean and crisp, as if they had been rehearsed a thousand times.

"boom--"

Amidst a deafening crash, the giant snake's tail swept across, snapping the thick mast of the ship in two.

Amidst the flying sawdust, Xiaobai's figure transformed into a white rainbow, entangled in a fierce battle with the gray-blue snake shadow.

Xu Xuan immediately lay prone on the ground, narrowly avoiding the falling mast.

He quickly rolled over and got up, wiped the water off his face, and squinted at the battle.

The sight before him made his heart tighten.

Under the moonlight, a giant serpent, over ten meters long, coiled in mid-air, each flick of its tail whipping up a foul-smelling gust of wind. Little White's figure was like a white butterfly in a storm; though agile, she was clearly struggling. Her attacks were completely suppressed, and she could only barely parry.

"A snake demon. Interesting."

Xu Xuan muttered to himself, his voice carrying a hint of excitement.

His pupils contracted slightly, but instead of showing fear, he was rapidly analyzing the battle situation.

Xiao Bai's strength is severely limited by his confused memories; every second he delays increases the danger.
"That does not work."

"Little White, transform!"

Transform?

What will I become?
Xiao Bai's heart skipped a beat, as if Xu Xuan had revealed his most secret thoughts.

Aside from the reason of amnesia, she had actually been deliberately suppressing her instincts.

She was afraid, afraid to reveal her true self to Xu Xuan.

If those clear eyes reflected your true self, would you immediately feel disgust?

After all, she was intelligent and perceptive, and could see the prejudice of the people in the snake-catching village against those who were different from her.

"Sigh~~"

Distracted, the gray-blue snake tail struck again! Shiro hastily parried, but was still slammed heavily onto the deck. Amidst the flying sawdust, she heard Tokiwa let out a piercing hiss:

"Look at you! You don't even dare to reveal your true form as a snake, how dare you call yourself the Queen's disciple?"

"Swish"

The rattle on the snake's tail suddenly shook violently, and the eerie sound waves spread as if they were tangible, rendering Xiaobai's body unable to move.

Xu Xuan collapsed to his knees in agony amidst the sonic waves, blood seeping from his ears and nose.

Fortunately, he had an iron will and had previously received the buff of sending ten Red Army soldiers, so he managed to stand up.

One look at the battle and you know what happened.

Little White, don't go through any mental processes right now. Forget everything else, just kill this ugly bastard first, okay?

Having no other option, he could only resort to verbal attacks on the battlefield.

"Xiaobai, don't forget, you are my best friend."

"No matter what it becomes!"

Xu Xuan's voice was exceptionally clear amidst the wind and waves. He even took the time to give a firm look, regardless of whether Xiao Bai saw it or not.

The ugly snake that came by water could be seen clearly.

The blood-red snake eyes collided with the burning gaze of the human in mid-air.

To Tokiwa was shocked to discover that there was no fear in the eyes of this ant-like human; instead, there was a courage that infuriated it.

"court death!"

Xu Xuan decided to risk his life to attract the other party's attention.

The ace hasn't awakened yet, so I, as the "support," can only go up and sell some cards!

He raised his arm, pointing his index finger like a sword at the giant snake.

At that moment, he seemed to transform into a peerless master, even the hem of his clothes fluttering in the strong wind.

It seemed that nothing in the sky or on the ground could stop this move.

"I...you...$%...%*Mom!!!"

The beautiful Chinese language, carrying greetings from eighteen generations of relatives, comments on appearance, and rich philosophies of life, transforms into a sharp sword that pierces the most vulnerable part of Tokiwa's heart.

A culture more than a thousand years ahead of our time surges forth like a raging tide, heralding the arrival of an era belonging to time travelers.

"collapse!"

Tokiwa's last thread of reason snapped. The giant gray-blue serpent went completely mad, its twisted body creating towering waves, and its gaping maw lunged straight at Xu Xuan.

Xu Xuan remained calm, even having the leisure to silently count: "One, two."

Just as the snake's kiss was only three inches away from him, he suddenly waved his sleeve.

"boom!"

A packet of powder exploded in mid-air, releasing an intensely pungent, irritating odor of realgar.

This smell is a hundred times stronger to snakes than the smell of a rotting corpse to humans.

Tokiwa's ferocious snake face twisted instantly, and her vertical pupils contracted violently.

Its massive body convulsed painfully in mid-air, as if gripped by an invisible hand. The physiological fear bestowed upon it by the laws of nature and the struggle for survival overwhelmed everything, plunging it into a brief period of dizziness and weakness.

“Now.” Xu Xuan turned to look at Xiao Bai and made a clean and crisp gesture—his thumb made a sweeping motion across her neck.

Xiao Bai understood that there was no other choice at this moment.

She took a deep breath, and the demonic power that had been suppressed within her for so long was finally released completely.

The silvery-white light flowed like moonlight, and the long legs transformed into a crystal-clear snake tail. The radiance reflected from the scales made the entire river surface as bright as day.

This is hardly a terrifying demonic appearance; it's clearly the Milky Way falling from the heavens to the mortal realm!
Just as Tokiwa recovered from the dizziness caused by the realgar, a dazzling silver light came into view.

"Shh!"

There are no fancy supernatural powers, no complicated incantations.

With a mere flick of its tail, the sharp edges of its scales sliced ​​through like divine blades.

Tokiwa didn't even have time to scream before her massive body was broken into four or five pieces and fell into the river with a few "plop" sounds.

As the silver light faded, Xiaobai suddenly collapsed onto the wrecked deck.

Its body was tinged with an abnormal bluish-white color, and a thin layer of frost was spreading across its scales at a visible speed.

"Woof woof!" The dog in the bellyband was so frightened that it spun around on the spot, desperately pawing at Xiaobai's sleeves, but only got a few shards of ice in return.

Xu Xuan, however, remained surprisingly calm.

He crouched down and reached out to brush away the frost between Xiaobai's eyebrows, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a fragile piece of porcelain.

"It really isn't human," he muttered to himself, "but it's much better looking than that ugly, grayish monster."

Moreover, the human body with a snake tail setting is so cool.

The snake carcass floating on the river reminded him that time was of the essence.

He quickly took off his outer robe and wrapped it around Xiaobai, then picked her up in his arms: "Come on, let's find a place to thaw you out."

As dusk fell, a man and a dog carried a semi-conscious snake demon, stumbling and staggering into the dense forest by the river.

An ancient pagoda appeared in a clearing in the woods.

The tower was covered in vines, and half of a wooden door hung crookedly, which unexpectedly provided shelter from the wind and rain.

Xu Xuan kicked open the rotten tower door, and amidst the flying dust, he quickly cleared a space. Dudou brought over some dry branches, and soon a campfire was lit.

However, the flickering flames seemed to have no effect on Xiaobai; instead, the chill around her intensified, and even her breath condensed into ice crystals.

I boiled a pot of hot water and fed him a couple of sips, but it still didn't work.

“Cold-blooded animals are such a hassle,” Xu Xuan said, rubbing his frozen fingers, then suddenly froze.

Countless classic scenes from movies and TV dramas flashed through my mind: encountering danger in a snowy mountain, taking shelter from the rain in a cave, a lone man and woman taking off their clothes to keep warm?

Unravel my mystery of waiting... Jackie Chan's catchy song echoed in my mind.

"Isn't this development too outdated?"

Although usually, after this, the relationship between the male and female protagonists will break through to a new level.

So Xu Xuan started to wonder if the fire in the brazier wasn't hot enough. He was considering whether to set the pagoda on fire, which would be like having a barbecue.

Finally, out of respect for the Buddha who sat there motionless, I decided to let it go.

"Fine, fine, I'll just be the male lead this time."

Xu Xuan gritted his teeth and pulled the frozen-up little white into his arms.

"hiss--!"

The biting cold instantly penetrated his clothes, making his skull go numb.

Forget about soft, warm skin and alluring, ambiguous feelings—at this moment, he was holding a block of ice that had stood for millennia!
The cool touch of the snake scales seeped through the fabric, sending shivers down his spine.

"This...this is not what we agreed on," he said, his teeth chattering as if they were powered by an electric motor.

Brother Xiaoyao, you didn't say it felt like this.

Trembling, she reached out and grabbed the terrified undergarment, saying, "Take...take this dog skin for you to use."

Before the yellow dog could react, it was forcibly pressed between the two and turned into a "dog meat heater".

The dog in the bellyband stared wide-eyed in terror, but after meeting its owner's resigned gaze, it curled up into a ball.

"Sleep, sleep!" Xu Xuan closed his eyes in despair. "Tomorrow... things will be better."

The night wind whistled through the broken window frames of the ancient tower.

The moonlight slanted in, illuminating the bizarre scene on the ground: a scholar, his face pale with cold, a snake demon unconscious, and a dog that seemed utterly hopeless.

The jade hairpin in her white hair shimmered slightly, its light flickering as if silently sighing: It really wasn't easy.

(End of this chapter)