Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 859 Reorganizing the Justice Squad
A night breeze swept through the woods, swirling up a few golden ginkgo leaves that drifted down between Xiaoqing's taut fingers.

“But I know you won’t.” Xu Xuan’s voice was soft, but every word was like a nail, “Because you and Bai Suzhen are best friends, and me!”

"I believe you are a good demon."

"..."

Xiaoqing tried several times to summon her demonic power, the blue light in her palm flickering, but she ultimately failed to make a move. Her sharp gaze swept back and forth between Xu Xuan and Xiaobai, her chest heaving violently.

That man is awful; what nonsense is he spouting?

I hate humans the most.

"Aren't you afraid of dying?" she practically spat out the words through gritted teeth.

"I'm afraid!" Xu Xuan answered crisply, but his face was full of invincible aura and his head was held high. There was not a trace of fear on his face.
Xiaoqing was so angry that her snake scales bristled: "So you're betting that I won't dare to kill you?!"

“No.” Xu Xuan shook his head. “The feeling of entrusting your life and death to someone else’s decision… is painful and cruel.”

The lights of Yongzhou City in the distance were reflected in his eyes, turning into dancing points of light:

“But we don’t have much time left…” He looked directly into Xiaoqing’s vertical pupils.

The flames in those eyes were so intense that Xiaoqing instinctively took a half-step back.

After regaining her senses, Xiaoqing gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing with a fierce light.

He raised and lowered his arm several times, finally clenching his fist and slamming it hard against the ancient tree beside him.

"boom--!"

The thick tree trunk snapped in two, sending splinters flying. She turned and glared at Xiaobai: "Aren't you going to stop him? Aren't you afraid I'll really kill him with one blow?"

Xiao Bai nodded honestly: "I'm scared."

She paused, then added softly, "But Xu Xuan must have his reasons for doing this."

That tone! That word choice!
Xiaoqing almost fainted from anger!

My dear sister, when did you learn to speak in the exact same way as that bastard?!

Her chest heaved violently, and her demonic aura leaked out uncontrollably.

But deep down he knew better than anyone that if he really struck her, he would lose his sister forever.

It's not because of amnesia, but because that's just Xiaobai's nature.

"..."

In the end, she could only unleash a burst of violent demonic energy in anger, shattering all the ginkgo trees within a ten-zhang radius.

Amidst the swirling rain of falling leaves, she panted heavily like a defeated wild dog, perfectly embodying the phrase "helpless."

"Wang!"

The dog, hiding behind a tree, peeked out and, after confirming it was safe, happily wagged its tail.

Xiaoqing: "..."

He turned to leave, his back view resolute.

I won't tell my sister about the Blazing Sun Scale...

At worst, I can go back and apologize to my master; at most, I'll suffer some hardship...

But she had only taken two steps when she heard Xu Xuan's voice coming from behind her:
"Xiaobai, go and hug her."

Before she could react, a warm embrace wrapped around her from behind. Xiao Bai's chin rested gently on her shoulder, and the familiar warmth made Xiao Qing stiffen.

"You...you are despicable!" she struggled to curse, but her voice lacked its previous ferocity, and her lithe figure remained frozen in place.

Xu Xuan shook his head: "Don't rush to scold me, let me finish."

Xiaoqing wouldn't listen. Just as she was about to lash out, Xiaobai's hand touched the top of her head and gently rubbed it.

Who can stand this!

Xiaoqing's momentum instantly crumbled by half.

"Alright, we've already had our fight, so I'll just get straight to the point." Xu Xuan crouched down, looking her straight in the eye. "Are there... any restrictions on you?"

The old man is ruthless. He failed with Xiaobai, and the Rattlesnake he sent also died. He should have a backup plan if he sends someone else.

Xiaoqing's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to remain calm: "No!"

Xu Xuan raised an eyebrow and looked at Xiao Bai.

"Xiaoqing..." Xiaobai understood, and gently touched her brow with his fingertip, a wisp of gentle demonic power probing in.

"Wait! No—" Xiaoqing tried to dodge in a panic, but it was too late.

Three crimson scales appeared on the back of her neck, gleaming darkly like branding irons.

"...Yes." She finally lowered her head, her voice barely audible, "Master planted the Fiery Sun Scale in me..."

After hearing this, Xiaobai stood there stunned, not reacting for a moment. She just blinked and tilted her head in confusion.

Xu Xuan, however, had an "I knew it" expression on his face and shrugged, saying, "Is it the kind of thing that will die if you don't obey?"

Xiaoqing: "..."

It's one thing that my sister has amnesia and doesn't understand, but how come this human guessed it so easily?!

What a freak! No wonder he could fool his older sister so easily!

She explained impatiently, "The Blazing Sun Scale is also called the Blazing Sun Soul-Severing Scale. If I don't bring you back to the cave to report within three days..." She paused, her voice lowering, "the scales will flare up, your skin will crack, and your soul will be scattered."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Bai's eyes immediately showed a hint of hesitation.

She subconsciously looked at Xu Xuan. Although her memory was incomplete, her interactions with him over the past few days made her instinctively feel that this man might have a solution.

"As expected," Xu Xuan chuckled.

“Your master could send Xiaobai to assassinate the Imperial Advisor on her own, and then immediately send you to intercept her after the failure…” He gave Xiaoqing a meaningful look, “Using some control methods is very much in line with her style.”

These words are clearly a sarcastic jab at that "old woman"!

The power of Yin and Yang is also returning.

Xiao Qing grinned.

"Showing your teeth won't help. Think about it, what good will come of Little White going back? We killed that ugly, gray rattlesnake."

Xiaoqing stopped baring her teeth, and her shoulders slumped visibly; she knew her master's methods all too well.

To kill one's own fellow disciples is an absolutely serious crime.

Every year, the master would execute a group of clansmen who had made mistakes.

His dejected appearance made him look even more like a defeated dog.

Dudou: ...Woof.

“Then I’ll go back with Xiaoqing too.” Xiaobai suddenly stood beside her sister, her tone firm. “Otherwise, she’ll die.”

Xu Xuan hesitated for less than a fraction of a second before nodding. Then he gestured with his chin towards Xiao Qing: "Hey, what do you think?" Xiao Qing sensed something was wrong and immediately panicked: "Sister, are you crazy?! Master, she..."

"I can explain!"

"Explain what? Explain that you have amnesia? Explain that you killed Tokiwa?" Xiaoqing became more and more agitated as she spoke. "Master won't listen to any of this!"

The two sisters argued fiercely, and in the end, Xiaoqing even looked to Xu Xuan for help: "Quickly persuade Xiaobai! Tell her not to be so stubborn!"

Xu Xuan: "..."

Why do I suddenly feel like a villain?

Or is he the kind of villain who manipulates the Green Snake like a puppet?
Shaking his head, he quickly banished the terrible thought and reaffirmed his belief that he was a good person.

Then he gave a suggestion: perhaps you could ask the owner of Baoqing Workshop. The old monster is very knowledgeable and might have a solution that satisfies both sides.

This is the only feasible solution at present.

Xiaoqing didn't particularly want to die, and Xiaobai followed Xu Xuan's lead. Soon, the Justice Team was fully integrated.

Team leader Xu Xuan won with an absolute advantage of two votes.

The first step, of course, is to excavate the Huilong Pagoda.

“They are business people; it would be inappropriate for them to go empty-handed.”

"Why don't we first explore this place where Buddhism and Taoism jointly established to suppress demons, see what good treasures it contains, and then go and exchange them?"

The three immediately went to the pagoda, but the two snakes circled seven levels in an instant without finding anything.

Between Buddhism and Taoism, only Buddhism is represented by the seven-story pagoda. So where are the traces of Taoism?
The three searched again, but found nothing.

Xiaoqing was already impatient, her demonic aura surging around her: "What a waste of time!"

Xu Xuan suddenly laughed: "Angry? Then give me a punch on the ground."

"what?"

"We can just destroy it if necessary." He spoke casually, as if discussing what to have for dinner. "We're on the verge of death, why bother with being polite?"

Looking at the solemn Buddha statue, Xiaobai nervously twisted her sleeve with her fingertips: "Isn't this... not a good idea?"

Before he finished speaking——

"Boom!"

Xiao Qing has already smashed the offering table in front of the Buddha with a single punch!

Amidst the flying pebbles, she shook her aching wrist and raised an eyebrow at Xu Xuan: "Like this?"

Xu Xuan nodded in satisfaction. As expected, Xiao Qing was the most reliable.

The ground cracked open, revealing a deep tunnel.

On both sides of the passageway, Taoist talismans and star charts glowed faintly in the darkness. Beneath the Buddhist facade lay a complete Taoist underground palace!

There's treasure! There's definitely treasure!
Xu Xuan rubbed his hands excitedly: "As the saying goes, to find the dragon and divide the gold, look at the winding mountain..." He suddenly stopped, "Uh... no, we're here to break the formation."

The three of them rushed into the passageway like a whirlwind.

Xiao Bai subconsciously took Xu Xuan's wrist to lead the way, a move so natural that it annoyed Xiao Qing once again.

"Wang!"

The dog in the bib happily chased after them, its paws pattering on the millennia-old dust.

Xiaoqing: "..."

The subsequent challenges went surprisingly smoothly.

The combined power of the green and white snakes actually gave them a certain air of being "blessed by heaven".

The white jade hairpin transformed into a rainbow, breaking through layers of restrictions; Xiaoqing's demonic power swept across, clearing a path.

Until the core area was suddenly blocked by the Bagua formation gate.

"Click."

The ground suddenly sank, and the dragon in the middle spewed out three-colored divine fire to suppress the demon race.

Xu Xuan narrowed his eyes, and after testing the waters and finding it ineffective against the human race, he decisively stepped forward, saying, "It's my turn."

With barely enough skill, he saved two snakes, activated the mechanism, and rushed out.

Finally, we arrived at the core area.

The air was filled with the shimmering light of gold, and Buddhist and Taoist scriptures echoed through the air.

An inverted star map hangs on the dome, the twenty-eight constellations shining brightly; the ground is engraved with the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, subtly corresponding to the art of divination and escape. At the very center stands a towering demon-suppressing pillar, its shaft bound by nine chains of black iron, each piercing through the massive skeleton of a demon.

Xu Xuan stared intently at the golden divine incantation on the pillar.

"Heaven and Earth are the origin of all things, the root of all energy. Through countless eons of cultivation, I will attain divine power."

"Within and beyond the Three Realms, only the Dao is supreme. My body is bathed in golden light."

"It cannot be seen or heard. It encompasses heaven and earth and nurtures all living things."

"Ghosts and demons are terrified, and spirits and monsters lose their forms. Thunder roars within, and the thunder god's voice is faint."

The scriptures I recited in my past life are surprisingly useful in this life!

If I had known this would happen, I should have memorized the entire Daoist Canon before I time-traveled!
But for now, the gains are enough.

The method of operating the divine incantation has been deeply engraved in his mind, and Xiaobai has also regained all his memories under the golden light.

The melodramatic scenario I had imagined did not unfold. The entanglement about the "human-demon divide" had long been worn away by Xu Xuan's twisted logic and heresies over the past few days.

Xiao Bai's gaze towards him grew increasingly gentle, even carrying a hint of a smile as gentle as spring water.

This completely thwarted Xiaoqing's little plan that "her sister will realize the truth once she regains her memory."

"What are you waiting for?" Xu Xuan had already rolled up his sleeves. "These dragon bones and chains are all good stuff!"

He declared righteously, "Rather than stay here and gather dust, I, Xu, would rather take it and use it to uphold justice!"

Xiao Bai immediately and dutifully helped tidy up, and even directed Xiao Qing to do the work so she wouldn't slack off.

In the dead of night, the gates of Baoqingfang were being pounded on loudly in the ginkgo forest.

"Distinguished guests have arrived..." The shopkeeper opened the door, his fox-like eyes widening instantly. "What, it's you again?!"

Under the moonlight, the image of the three people and the dog is truly stunning.

Xu Xuan carried the dragon bone fragments on his shoulder and wore a demon-suppressing chain around his waist. Little White, no longer in her fairy form, had transformed into her true form, carrying a bundle the size of a small mountain. Little Green, though reluctant, followed behind, dragging a pile of treasures. Even her bib had a glittering scale stuck to it…

The shopkeeper's pipe fell to the ground with a "clatter": "You... you demolished the Huilong Pagoda?!"

"Hahahaha, the shop owner has a good eye."

Xu Xuan's smile was exceptionally bright.

(End of this chapter)