Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 858 He's Different

It was unrealistic to expect the two sisters, who had just reunited, to start fighting right away. In addition, Xiaobai was gentle by nature, so the three of them decided to find a place to have a proper talk first.

Xiao Bai looked at the ancient tower in the distance, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.

After all, that place holds "warm" memories of her and Xu Xuan together.

"Wait." Xu Xuan suddenly raised his hand to stop them. "That tower... is called the Returning Dragon Tower."

"When I was gathering information in the city, I heard that it was built jointly by Buddhism and Taoism, specifically to suppress demons. Its exterior is a seven-story pagoda, and it also contains Taoist formations."

It's one thing if they didn't know before, but now that they do, they still brought two fairies along, which seems a bit like they were deliberately creating a dramatic scene.

Besides, if the mechanism is triggered, you two monsters might be able to hold on, but I, a mere mortal, would probably die on the spot!
But we definitely have to conquer this tower.

We should wait until Xiaoqing joins the team before exploring; perhaps we can find some treasures then.

If you ask Xu Xuan why he thinks that way... well, that's how it is in the Legend of Sword and Fairy series; there are so many treasures in the Demon Locking Tower.

From the first Legend of Sword and Fairy game to the third Legend of Sword and Fairy 3 prequel, these are all important locations, and the storylines are quite heart-wrenching.

And our Xiaobai on the left and Xiaoqing on the right are also the standard protagonist pairing, so we can give it a try.

So, under Xu Xuan's encouragement, they ultimately did not enter the tower, but sat down in an open area of ​​ginkgo forest outside the city.

The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the ground covered with golden fallen leaves, making it a suitable place for a heart-to-heart talk.

Xiao Bai hopes to fill in the gaps in her memories through Xiao Qing.

Xu Xuan also listened to it for reference.

Xiaoqing was sent by the old woman hiding in the cave, and can only represent one perspective.

The subsequent development of the story did not differ from Xu Xuan's expectations.

“Master is a good person! He is the leader of our snake clan!” Xiaoqing sat cross-legged on a blue stone, her tone firm. “The Imperial Preceptor, the True Man of Taiyin, is the evil one! We are of the same lineage and origin; cultivating the Taiyin True Scripture requires extracting the essence of snake demons’ souls…”

Xu Xuan squatted to the side and casually picked up a twig to write and draw on the ground.

Yes, classic villain trope.

Clans kill each other, opposing stances, and intense hatred.

Xiaoqing became more and more agitated as she spoke: "Master hates the Imperial Advisor to the core, and she hates people even more!" She suddenly pointed at Xu Xuan, "Master is right, people's hearts are treacherous, as long as they are human, they are treacherous!"

Xu Xuan was not intimidated by Xiao Qing's murderous aura; instead, he returned a bright smile.

Great, confirmed. This Xiao Qing is indeed a complete idiot!
Seeing this, Xiaoqing's anger intensified, her snake eyes shrinking to slits: "You...you dare to look down on me?!"

But what truly ignited her anger was Xiaobai's softly uttered words:
"He's different."

Those four simple words struck the younger sister like a thunderbolt. She looked at her older sister in disbelief, only to see Xiaobai's eyes were firm, and she was even subtly standing in front of Xu Xuan.

Xu Xuan felt much more at ease.

It seems this fight is inevitable!

In this situation, how am I any different from that blond-haired guy who deceived other people's daughters, especially since this blond-haired guy used to be a snake catcher?

Sure enough, the two sisters immediately started arguing.

"Sister! You've been tricked by this person!" Xiaoqing was so angry that her snake scales bristled. "There isn't a single good human!"

Although Xiaobai's memory is incomplete, under Xu Xuan's "influence" these past few days, she has actually learned to analyze things calmly: "Xiaoqing, don't panic..."

"How could I not be anxious!" Xiaoqing suddenly sprang up, a flash of green light from her sleeve, and her short sword went straight for Xu Xuan's throat!

"clang!"

Xiao Bai had anticipated this, and her jade hairpin transformed into a white light to block the attack. The two sisters' weapons clashed, sparks flying everywhere.

Xiaoqing completely lost her temper and broke down, yelling at Xu Xuan through Xiaobai, "Why are you, a snake catcher, following my sister all the way?!"

Xu Xuan replied matter-of-factly, "Because I want to kill the Imperial Advisor."

"Release!" Xiaoqing's angry curse stopped abruptly, her snake eyes widening in disbelief. "...Huh?"

What did this human say?
Kill the Imperial Advisor?!
You're just a mortal?

Xu Xuan recounted what had happened outside the village, concluding, "The Imperial Advisor will destroy my village sooner or later, so I have to kill him first." He shrugged. "That makes perfect sense, doesn't it?"

Reasonable?

You're just an ordinary young man from a village, and you want to kill the Imperial Advisor just because it might affect the village? Are you crazy?

"There's a conspiracy! There must be a conspiracy!" Xiaoqing's snake eyes narrowed into slits with rage, and her demonic aura surged like boiling ink. "This is definitely a human trick!"

Upon hearing this, Xiaobai frowned, disagreeing with the statement.

Ah Xuan went down this path because of himself, how can you say that about him?

Although her memories are fragmented, the moments she shared with Xu Xuan are crystal clear.

His taut back as he waded through the stream amidst the maple trees… His arms trembled with cold in the ancient pagoda, yet he still clung tightly to himself… The sincerity in his eyes as he uttered, “You are my best friend”…

Memories are supplemented by language, and emotions are blurred from fragments of past memories, but the feelings between her and Xu Xuan were truly built up in the past few days.

The two left countless footprints under the starry sky, on the boat, in the mountains, and in the forest.

These things cannot be easily erased.
"I believe in him."

These four short words are like a sharp blade being drawn from its sheath.

Xiaoqing was struck as if by lightning, staggering back two steps. The demonic energy around her twisted into a ferocious serpent shape, and her fingernails grew three inches longer.

Centuries of sisterly affection couldn't compare to a few days of companionship from this human?!

The poisonous flames of jealousy completely consumed her reason. "Then I'll kill him!" Xiao Qing roared, her scales bristling. "Sister will naturally come to her senses!"

"boom--!"

A burst of violent demonic power exploded, instantly snapping a ginkgo tree within a ten-zhang radius in half. Xiaoqing transformed into a streak of azure light, aiming straight for Xu Xuan's heart; wherever she passed, even the air hissed and steamed!
But Xiaobai was even faster than her!
The jade hairpin emitted an unprecedentedly brilliant white light, forming an impenetrable barrier in front of Xu Xuan.

The clash of the sisters' demonic powers created a shockwave that shaved the ground down by three feet!
Two figures, one in green and one in white, clashed fiercely in the air, their demonic energy swirling and sending up a flurry of ginkgo leaves.

Although Xiao Bai has not regained her memories, she has been able to accept her demon form with the help of Xu Xuan these past few days. At this moment, she is unleashing her full power, and the jade hairpin transforms into a white light that surrounds her like a swimming dragon.

Xiaoqing, mindful of her sister's condition, repeatedly held back her killing moves, resulting in a stalemate for a time.

So seeing the man standing aside as if it were none of his business made her even angrier.

Xu Xuan, after watching for a quarter of an hour, felt that the time was right and thus activated his greatest supernatural power.

He is never afraid of anything once he starts speaking.

"Xiaobai is a monster, and you are a monster too, so why are you fighting each other?"

"Because of differing ideologies."

Xiaoqing was furious, it's all because of you!
“I am a human being, and those in the court are also human beings. Why would I want to kill them?”

"Because of conflicting philosophies."

Xiao Qing scoffed, "Humans just love killing each other."

"You are a demon, I am a human, why wouldn't I want to kill you?"

"Because you are not a bad demon."

Xiaoqing... what are you talking about?

"Good and bad, right and wrong, are the key to distinguishing stances, not race."

These words struck straight to the soul.

Even Bai Suzhen, hidden within the hairpin, found it quite reasonable. Regardless of whether Xu Hanwen had his memories or not, he was inherently upright. If everyone in the world were like him, it would truly be... a world of great harmony.

Xiaoqing, upon hearing this, was also somewhat affected, her offensive noticeably slowed down, and her demonic aura receded as if the tide were receding.

Although she was still wielding her sword, the blade had lost its killing intent.

Those words were like a wedge driven deep into her stubborn mindset.

Xiao Bai, on the other hand, was completely different. Having been influenced by Xu Xuan's "fallacies and heresies" day and night, she was now fighting with increasing ferocity. The white light transformed from her jade hairpin poured down like a silver river, forcing her younger sister to retreat step by step.

Only after making a strong first impression can the blade truly shine.

“I want to kill the Imperial Advisor, I want to kill Xiaobai, I want to kill you, and I want to kill your master.” Xu Xuan stood outside the battle circle, his voice clear as the sound of a sword. “Putting aside our positions, we are allies with shared interests.”

The first sword strike severs the defensive stance!
Xiaoqing's swordplay weakened further.

“You are sincere to Xiaobai, I am sincere to Xiaobai, and Xiaobai is the same to us.” Xu Xuan took a step forward, his clothes sweeping across the golden ginkgo leaves scattered on the ground. “If you hurt me, she will be heartbroken.”

The second strike: piercing the heart!

Xiaoqing's short sword suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

"As her best friend..." Xu Xuan finally revealed her trump card, "Can you really bear to see her suffer?"

The third sword strike: Sever all emotions!

Xu Xuan pressed his advantage, appealing to his stance, interests, and emotions.

After unleashing her three consecutive attacks, Xiaoqing became less decisive and more hesitant.

Those demonic voices echoed in my mind, and it seemed...it seemed...it seemed to make sense.

Xiaoqing's initial murderous intent, sharpness, and anger had long been worn away by her entanglement with Xiaobai.

And that last bit of stubbornness was completely shattered by Xu Xuan's "great supernatural powers".

At this moment, she was less focused on continuing the fight and more simply swinging her sword mechanically out of habit.

The moves were still sharp, but they had lost their soul.

Xiao Bai, however, was in an exceptionally bright mood. She was by nature gentle, and seeing her sister's fighting spirit subside, she immediately withdrew her demonic power, and the jade hairpin transformed into a stream of light and returned to her hair.

The atmosphere between the sisters returned to a friendly one, and even their moves became much more stable.

They chased each other, their clothes fluttering, looking like ordinary sisters playing under the moon.

This completely extinguished Xiaoqing's murderous intent.

A gentle strike can kill Xu Xuan, and naturally it can also kill Xiao Qing.

The Xu-Bai duo is an invincible force for Xiaoqing.

Seeing that the time was right, Xu Xuan gave a shout.

"Little White, come back."

Xiao Bai stopped and landed behind.

One of them walked forward, and now it was time to switch opponents.

Next up is Xu Xuan, a folk doctor from Bao'antang, a snake catcher from Yongzhou, and a good friend of the White Snake!

One step, two steps, and under Xiaobai's worried gaze, he walked straight to within three feet of Xiaoqing and stopped. For a snake demon who had achieved mastery of cultivation, this distance meant that taking a human life was merely a matter of a snap of the fingers.

But this distance is also someone's comfort zone... no, their territory!
“Now,” he said, opening his arms wide, “you could kill me with one blow.”

(End of this chapter)