Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 860 Dragging a Demon into the Water
Inside Baoqingfang, the old fox's tail fur stood on end.

She stared at the "ruthless bandits" in front of her, feeling numb from head to toe.

"This is a legitimate forging workshop! Not a place to sell stolen goods!"

"What kind of place is Huilong Tower?!"

"The Demon-Sealing Tower was jointly built by Buddhism and Taoism, and countless demons were suppressed and killed inside."

The little girl's face instantly turned into a fox's face in fright.

Although the spiritual veins were disrupted due to changes in the earth's veins, it was once a famous place of sealing off the land.

What if those major sects remember again? That would be a catastrophe for a small place like Yongzhou.

But you guys just shut it down?!

And you even carried all those bags to her door?!
Does a fox's life not count as a life?

"I've heard that Baoqingfang has been renowned throughout Yongzhou for three hundred years..." Xu Xuan, however, paid no heed to his master's feelings. While showering him with compliments, he gestured for his teammates in the Justice Squad to squeeze in, "This little business must be quite something..."

The shop owner stood in front of the door with a fake smile: "Young master, you're joking. We only accept custom orders..."

"Master~" Xu Xuan suddenly lowered his voice, "If someone sees us at your door..." He glanced meaningfully to the left and right, "Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

The shop owner hesitated for a moment, and the members of the Justice Squad squeezed in.

Xu Xuan was calm and composed, Xiao Bai was a little embarrassed, and Xiao Qing really barged in like a bandit, her undergarment... woof.

In the familiar hall, a loud clattering sound rang out as various "stolen goods" were scattered all over the floor.

Demon-suppressing chains, Bagua mirrors, dragon bone fragments... even half a pillar engraved with talismans, were laid out brazenly on the fine jade floor tiles of Baoqingfang.

The shopkeeper's eyelids twitched violently: "I'll pretend I didn't see anything, you guys hurry up..."

Is this an attempt to drag me into this mess? Or is it a forced sale?

I've lived for hundreds of years because of my extreme caution!

While I occasionally take on some shady dealings... this is just too much!
The bandit leader smiled broadly and said, "Why don't you check the goods first?" He patted the pile of "stolen goods" and said, "If the goods aren't good, I'll just turn around and leave."

Xu Xuan advised him to speak frankly.

The shop owner choked on his words. Was this a problem with the inspection?!
but……

The fox's ears twitched involuntarily, and its eyes glanced at the pile of things.

The treasures of Huilong Tower...

The unsolved mystery of Yongzhou's spiritual community for hundreds of years...

Just one look?
"I did it all, it has nothing to do with you." Xu Xuan added at the right time, "It's not that I'm going to take it after seeing it, I just wanted to ask you for some pointers... to broaden my horizons and increase my knowledge."

Xu Xuan persuaded him twice, with utmost sincerity.

The shop owner's tail wagged unconsciously.

Yeah! It's not like I dismantled the tower. I guess I'll just treat it as a lesson for the younger generation?
"Speaking of which, the one locked up at the very back is really something..." someone gestured casually, "Two big wings, a bird skull, I wonder what its origins are."

He casually picked up a chain: "Even Xiaobai and the others dare not touch the runes engraved on this..."

The chains rattled, and the ancient incantations on them gleamed faintly under the lamplight.

Xu Xuan urged him three times, and the steps were steadily ascended.

The shopkeeper's tail was completely out of control, the fluffy fox tail swinging wildly behind him, and he felt like he was being scratched by a hundred kittens.

These are all great things!
Besides, we can't just stand by and watch these spendthrifts ruin good stuff, can we?!

"Crack! Crack!"

She suddenly clapped her hands, and the vermilion gate slammed shut. Five-colored light curtains rose up all around, completely isolating the entire Baoqingfang from the outside world.

"Let me make this clear first..." The shopkeeper tried to appear calm, but his fox ears were trembling violently. "I'm just telling you something..."

"So that you won't waste such a precious resource!"

Xu Xuan immediately bowed and said, "Master, you are too kind! You can choose any item as your lecture fee!"

The old fox's lips curled up uncontrollably.

How come humans are so perceptive?!

The appraisal process has officially begun.

The shop owner unconsciously rubbed her hands together; she was in a very pleasant mood.

As the owner of a famous weapon-refining workshop, he had seen many good things, but this batch of goods was different.

She knew very well that if she wavered even slightly... everything would be hers.

I forcibly suppressed the drool that was about to spill out, and cheered in my heart: My little darlings, here I come!
With a lewd expression, the little girl opened the first cloth bag. Although it only contained some scattered bones, she instantly got into character:
"This is a fragment of the black tortoise's carapace...tsk tsk, look at the pattern, not bad, very good!"

"It's a pity there's no turtle blood. It's said that the blood of a sacred turtle is a divine ingredient used in medicine."

The second bag made her voice rise eight octaves: "At least the tailbone of a six-tailed fox?! They even dug this out?"

Upon seeing the remains of their kin, they felt no reverence, only a deeper greed.

By the time the third bag arrived, the shop owner had completely forgotten his composure, excitedly slapping the ground with his fox tail: "What powerful fangs! It's a pity the venom has dried up over time, otherwise it could be three levels higher!"

Psychological defenses?

What is that? Is it edible?
But when Xu Xuan lifted the last piece of red cloth, revealing the enormous skeleton suppressed by the Heavenly Pillar...

"A Birch bird?!" The shopkeeper fell silent for a moment. "It's actually a Birch bird?!"

Behind them, two sleazy-looking bald guys were lying face down on the ground, clutching their heads, seemingly terrified.

The shopkeeper circled the skeleton, his claws wanting to touch it but not daring to: "No wonder they used such a grand display... truly only it is worthy!" Xu Xuan and the two snake demons exchanged bewildered glances: "Boqi?"

"An ancient divine beast! One of the twelve Nuo gods!" The shopkeeper spoke rapidly, "It feeds on dreams and is a ruthless creature that can travel between reality and illusion!"

She stroked the lingering dreamlike glow on the skeleton with awe: "I wonder which powerful being was able to kill it..."

Suddenly his expression changed: "This is bad! These bones must be dealt with as soon as possible!"

"Burch is immortal and indestructible; as long as people dream, it will be reborn in dreams..."

The keeper's claw suddenly pierced through a bone, which then vanished like mist.

"Look, it's already starting to blur. If we don't deal with it soon, all these treasures will fall into the dream world."

Hairpin: ...Just how many things did Xu Xuan throw into the dream? Apart from the general direction of the story being acceptable, there are just too many of these little details.

Even though this might lead to deeper depravity, why bother...?

It is well known that Birch eating dreams is a recognized rule, and entering a dream within a dream is even more dangerous.

The process of severing ties with love is progressing well so far, let's hope nothing goes wrong...

Xu Xuan was unaware that his "love life" was being closely watched by a certain hairpin. At this moment, all he could see was the old fox's infatuated expression.

Victory is assured!
He was in a strange state.

The distracted self from my past life seemed to have vanished, replaced by a self that knew no fear.

Once you enter a confrontational state... whether it's a fight or a battle of wits... your brain will work at high speed like an overclocked CPU.

He believed this to be his magic touch and named it the flow state.

At this moment, the fangs were already silently aimed at the fox demon.

"Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Master."

His smile grew even more harmless, but his hands deftly repackaged the Birch bones.

Xiao Bai tacitly put away the Bagua mirror, Xiao Qing reluctantly pulled back the chain, and even picked up the smallest piece of the bib.

"What are you doing?" The shopkeeper's voice changed, filled with inexplicable heartache.

“These were all brought back from Huilong Pagoda.” Xu Xuan’s tone was sincere, but his hands moved quickly. “Xiao Qing’s bag is a reward for your explanation for us. We’ll throw the rest back.”

His hand was already on the bag, as if he was about to leave.

Xiao Bai followed suit, coiling her snake tail to gather the dragon bone fragments into her bundle. Xiao Qing, though usually impatient, was unusually silent this time.

Suddenly, a small hand pressed firmly on the bag, its fingertips trembling slightly.

Her gaze darted back and forth between Xu Xuan and the pile of treasures, a sense of resentment rising in her throat, yet she couldn't bear to let go.

"Hmm?" Xu Xuan raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion.

The shopkeeper's fox ears twitched, and his sharp canines bit his lower lip. After struggling for a while, he finally squeezed out a sentence through his teeth:
"Actually... our Baoqingfang is still... still..."

The sound grew fainter and fainter until it was almost a whisper.

Her bottom line was crumbling, and her so-called philosophy of self-preservation was now overwhelmed and completely collapsed.

Xu Xuan chuckled inwardly at the sight.

as expected.

Sometimes, even if you say, "I'll give you a million to break your principles," the other person might just scoff.

But when you actually lay out the cash, 100,000 yuan might be enough to make your principles collapse.

But if it's a hundred million... then my principle is my principle!

The fact that the shop owner has managed to hold out this long is already quite "cowardly." But ultimately... he will still succumb.

All sentient beings have desires.

As an outsider, Xiao Bai looked at Xu Xuan's profile and suddenly felt like he was seeing a Buddha statue inside a tower.

If I had to describe it, it would be that he possesses both wisdom and a broad perspective.

“Master, I, Old Xu, feel an instant connection with you.” The man ignored the girl’s gaze and launched an attack on the master with a gentle smile.

He patted his chest proudly, "We are all prominent figures in Yongzhou."

"Stop arguing." With a wave of his hand, he adopted a generous manner. "How about this, consider this something I picked up outside, and you were tricked into accepting it."

The shop owner was almost in tears.

This human...this human...this human is probably a demon descended from heaven!

That's amazing!

She was internally cursing, but her hands were moving quickly.

Its tail unfurled with a "whoosh," forming a mysterious magic seal. With a flash of azure light, all the treasures were sent into an unknown space.

"Speak, what do you want?"

The shopkeeper's tone was much gentler now than when they first met a few hours ago.

There was no mockery or teasing whatsoever. The way he looked at Xu Xuan now was like looking at an unknown creature in human skin.

This isn't human! This is clearly a demon, even more cunning than a monster!

Xu Xuan didn't stand on ceremony. Since he had accepted the gifts, he was now one of their own.

If things turn sour, my backup plan outside will make this news spread from Yongzhou all over Jiangnan West Road. As for the details, they'll definitely be... Baoqingfang hired the snake clan to excavate the Demon-Suppressing Tower.

(End of this chapter)