Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 871 Wake up
"This precious mirror is worth a fortune; I won't sell it for a penny less." Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone on the street could hear it clearly.

The passersby gasped. Some scoffed, "What kind of mirror is worth a thousand taels? Does it reflect gold?"

The woman smiled slightly, her fingertips brushing across the mirror: "First, it reflects the good and evil in people's hearts; second, it reflects the past; third, it reflects..." She paused, "...her lifelong obsession."

The crowd immediately stirred.

One person, not believing it, asked, "Can I try out such a treasure?"

The woman said, "Of course, but you'll have to pay three coins to borrow my mirror once."

The man immediately took out three coins and handed them to the Bodhisattva.

The woman took out the magic mirror and told him, "When you look into the mirror, you must concentrate and not let your mind wander in order to see your true form."

The man nodded and focused intently on his reflection in the mirror. After about the time it takes to smoke a pipe, he indeed saw images in the mirror of his past actions.

He saw how, in his youth, he secretly poisoned and killed his neighbor's entire family in order to seize land; he saw how, during last year's famine, he deliberately raised rice prices and watched helplessly as disaster victims starved to death in front of grain shops.
Finally, the mirror suddenly darkened, revealing his soul falling into the underworld after death. Judge Judgment used a stroke of his pen to cast him into the animal realm, where he was reborn as a emaciated female dog, who was stoned to death by mischievous children on a cold winter street.

"Ah—!" he screamed, nearly smashing the mirror.

The man was horrified, but the onlookers saw nothing.

The woman took the mirror back from him and asked, "Is it worth three coins to look in this mirror once?"

The man turned ashen-faced with fright and kept saying, "It's worth it, it's worth it."

The news spread like wildfire throughout Yongzhou City, and three thousand people rushed to look in the mirror.

The thugs saw themselves reduced to maggots, wriggling in the cesspool; the corrupt officials saw themselves transformed into starving ghosts, gnawing on their own entrails; only a few old women distributing porridge saw themselves riding cranes straight up to the clouds in the mirror.

By sunset, the crowd had split into two groups:

The pale-faced villain huddled in the corner, trembling; while the good Samaritans were radiant, as if they had drunk nectar.

Before long, it was dark. The woman said to the crowd, "This precious mirror is not expensive at only one thousand taels of silver. It's a pity that everyone here has such shallow eyes and no one can appreciate its value."

"We have a Taoist priest named Xu here. If even he doesn't recognize the value, then we'll accept it," a wealthy merchant said unwillingly. He knew that in the mirror, he had been cast into the eighteenth level of hell.

If the woman in front of him hadn't looked somewhat unusual, he would have already had someone beat this show-off woman to death.

Xu Xuan strolled leisurely through the crowd, his Taoist robe sleeves still stained with clay left over from teaching the children to make clay figures at noon.

"Oh~~ What kind of magical mirror is this?" He casually flicked three copper coins over, which drew an arc in the air and landed with a clink at the woman's feet. "Let me take a look."

Everyone held their breath; this was the contest between the most legendary Taoist priest Xu and the mysterious mirror-selling woman in Yongzhou!
Xu Xuan took the bronze mirror and held it directly in front of his face. The mirror reflected his unshaven face.

After a cup of tea...

"Tsk tsk, my face—it's truly exceptionally handsome!" He stroked his chin, admiring himself from side to side with delight.

The onlookers stumbled.

The silk merchant nearly ground his teeth to dust; he had spent a fortune to persuade Master Xu to come.

The woman's pupils suddenly contracted.

The mirror should have reflected Xu Xuan's karmic obstacles from his past and present lives, but at this moment it only reflected his superficial appearance, just like an ordinary bronze mirror.

There is no good or evil, no attachment, and no self.

Her fingertips trembled slightly as she was about to perform some calculations, when she saw Xu Xuan suddenly pull out a crumpled silver note from his pocket and slap it onto the brocade box.

"One thousand taels, it's mine."

Before he could finish speaking, he casually threw the bronze mirror to the ground.

"Crack!"

The mirror shattered into eight pieces.

The Taoist turned and left, his robes fluttering like crane wings, not even bothering to look back.

The crowd was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into cheers.

"Brilliant! Master Xu has broken her sorcery!"

"I knew that mirror was up to no good!"

"Master Xu, you did a good job falling!"

The woman stood there, and the broken mirror in the brocade box suddenly turned into a wisp of green smoke. She watched Xu Xuan's departing figure, but the corners of her lips slightly turned up.

"Well done... Xu Hanwen."

As her clothes fluttered by, her figure vanished like ripples on water, leaving only three copper coins shimmering faintly in the setting sun.

The night was as dark as ink, and the candlelight inside the Huilong Pagoda flickered.

Xu Xuan was squatting in front of the incense table, offering three sticks of incense each to the Buddha and the Taoist Ancestor, muttering to himself:

"Please bear with me, gentlemen. I'm just using your names to make a living..."

Suddenly, the wooden door behind me creaked softly.

"Since the Taoist priest worships both the Taoist patriarch and the Buddha, where does his heart ultimately lie?"

The voice was clear and melodious, yet carried a hint of helplessness.

Xu Xuan didn't turn his head and continued to put incense into the incense burner: "They are all wise predecessors, why do they need to be worshipped by later generations? I'm making offerings to them—" He patted the incense ash off his hands, "It's purely a professional requirement."

He turned around and froze.

Moonlight shone through the crack in the door, illuminating the figure: eyebrows like a crescent moon, with seven-jeweled light flowing between the white hairs; eyes like drooping lotuses, with compassion in every glance; lips like rouge; face like Jambudvipa gold; a celestial robe fluttering without wind, as if ready to ride the wind and return at any moment.

“Wow…” Xu Xuan blinked, “He looks quite like a Bodhisattva.”

Bai Suzhen was helpless. Whether you are a Taoist or a Buddhist disciple, you should know that a master has come to enlighten you when you see such a pure Dharma image and Buddhist intent. Why is it that such a clever person is like a stubborn stone and cannot understand?

Unless you knew I was coming?

The night was still, and the candlelight flickered gently on the incense table.

Bai Suzhen's fingertips shimmered with Buddhist light, and her voice was as clear as a spring falling on jade.
"Master Xu, you have spent the past ten years building bridges and roads, helping the world and saving people. Your merits are complete. Today, I have come to help you ascend to heaven and enjoy the blessings of heaven and earth forever."

Xu Xuan scratched his head, his expression strange:
“How many people in this world do good deeds? Some have done good deeds for thirty years, some have helped the world for fifty years, not to mention,” he pointed to the Buddha and Taoist statues on the incense table, “I often use their names to swindle and deceive, how could I be worthy of becoming an immortal?”

Bai Suzhen was speechless for a moment.

Even in this dream, Xu Hanwen's self-awareness remained alarmingly clear.

She sighed softly and finally changed her mind:

"You were originally a celestial being from beyond the heavens, who descended to the mortal realm to undergo a tribulation of love. Now that the tribulation has ended, you should return to the upper realm."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan suddenly smiled, a smile that carried a hint of understanding and a touch of helplessness.

“I don’t know if you are a Bodhisattva…” He looked out the window at the myriad lights of Yongzhou, “but the word ‘love’ is indeed difficult to fathom.”

"Therefore, I have not relinquished my status as a Celestial Being from Beyond the Heavens."

Bai Suzhen's heart sank.

Ten years have passed, and he still hasn't severed his ties to her?

The light emanating from her fingertips gradually dimmed, and she finally gave a bitter smile: "Xu Hanwen, what exactly do you want for me to wake up?"

Xu Xuan respectfully offered one last stick of incense to the Buddha and the Taoist Ancestor.

As the incense smoke rose, he stood amidst the smoke, his expression calm, yet his tone resolute as if he were proclaiming some kind of truth.

Love is not a calamity.

"To do the wrong thing for the sake of love, that is a disaster."

His gaze seemed to pierce through ten years, landing on that final farewell in the torrential rain.

"Ten years ago, I admired her beauty, craved her gentleness, and fantasized about spending the rest of my life with her."

"But the moment she died by my sword, the instant that tear fell into the earth..."

His voice trembled slightly, yet carried a relieved smile: "I've only just begun to truly love her."

Bai Suzhen was stunned.

"What about ten years from now?" she asked instinctively.

Xu Xuan looked out the window at Yongzhou City, where lights twinkled like stars and people bustled about.

"Memories make the beautiful past even more beautiful, and guilt and remorse can ferment emotions..."

He pressed his hand gently to his chest, as if some unforgettable warmth still lingered there.

"To this day, I am so deeply in love that I cannot extricate myself."

"Do you understand?"

When Bai Suzhen met his eyes, she felt inexplicably guilty and even a little flustered.

"You...you know me?!"

Xu Xuan nodded, his gaze clear as a mirror:
"Even though it's a pre-arranged script, an abrupt stroke will always leave a mark."

Bai Suzhen was silent.

She finally realized that she had failed.

The entanglement of love hadn't been severed, but instead, it had deepened his understanding. Since that's the case… she closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, her gaze was devoid of emotion: “It's all just a dream, an illusion, why be so attached?”

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned to leave, her sleeves fluttering as if she were about to vanish into the dream.

Since enlightenment is impossible, let's overturn this world and start over.

But just then, Xu Xuan suddenly spoke:
"Female Bodhisattva".

She paused in her steps.

"If love is empty, then why are you so insistent on 'enlightening' me?"

"Besides, how do you know what my true nature is?"

The night wind swept through the hall, causing the candlelight to flicker violently.

The outside world had been sealed off by a dense array of talismans, a net-like formation completely isolating the entire area. Baoqing Fangzhu's figure flashed by in the distance, his fox tail sweeping across the array's core, completing the final contract.

It turns out that the ten years of calm and tranquility were nothing more than a carefully woven disguise.

She turned back sharply.

Xu Xuan behind him had completely changed his appearance.

His Taoist robe fluttered in the wind, and his eyes burned with intense golden flames, the firelight churning with guilt, repression, resentment, madness... and a deep-seated hatred.

“I’m really angry.” His voice was deep and thunderous. “I’ve been angry for ten years.”

The Golden Light Mantra erupted with a thunderous roar!
Every brick and tile of the seven-story Returning Dragon Pagoda was illuminated with dazzling incantations, the Taiyin True Scripture was frantically devouring the spiritual energy of Jiangnan West Road, and the roar of a sword echoed from the depths of the underground palace.

"Zheng——!"

The moment the demon-suppressing sword burst from the ground and fell into his palm, the entire world suddenly darkened.

The mood was forcibly pulled back to the day of torrential rain ten years ago.

But this time, the sword's edge carried not only magic and hatred—but also the resentment of the millions of souls who perished in Yongzhou City!

The cries of the flood, the groans beneath the ruins, the uncollected corpses in the mass graves... all the lives that were lightly erased by "Dreamy Illusory Flowers" are now roaring in this sword intent!
Bai Suzhen finally changed color.

"boom--!!!"

This sword strike is more ferocious, more decisive, and more invincible than it was ten years ago!

The sword light cleaved through the clouds, tore apart the dream, and even cleaved the river of time with a momentary rift.

"The so-called calamity should never be judged as right or wrong by others."

Bai Suzhen sighed softly, a hint of regret appearing in her eyes.

But this is her dream world—how could someone in a dream possibly harm the creator of the dream?

The moment Xu Xuan's sword touched her clothes, it was vanished into nothingness by an invisible force of the void.

"Discard the sword," she whispered.

Xu Xuan released his grip.

The moment the sword hit the ground.

"boom--!!!"

A deafening roar came from the depths of the underground palace, and the skeleton of the Burchi bird shot into the sky!

Baoqing Fangzhu stood at a distance, laughing wildly. She had secretly sent this thing back at the request of some bastard. What the hell did she care about losing money or not?

If this world is a dream, then let the power of the dream respond to your sincerity!
Birch transformed into a streak of light and crashed into Xu Xuan's body!
The power of the Golden Light Mantra began to rise rapidly.

"Recite this ten thousand times, and your body will be filled with light!" Xu Xuan's body radiated boundless light, illuminating the three realms;
"Guards of the Three Realms, Welcoming of the Five Emperors!" The sky opened wide, and illusory figures of immortals and gods lined up to welcome them;
"All gods pay homage, and thunder is at your command!" The thunder pool, hanging upside down, transformed into armor that draped over his body;
"Ghosts and demons are terrified, and spirits and monsters are carried away!" Bai Suzhen's Bodhisattva form began to become unstable!
With a single palm strike, it was as powerful as pushing down Mount Buzhou!
Bai Suzhen tried to dodge, but countless golden threads suddenly spread out from her palm.

Those are threads of affection!

It is the tear that fell into the soil ten years ago, it is Xu Xuan's heart that has been meditating every night for the past ten years, it is the obsession attached to every brick and stone that he built with his own hands in Yongzhou City...

There is no way to avoid it!

This palm strike contained anger and madness, wrapped in flames and ice, carrying the great power to subdue demons and monsters, yet it was as gentle as a farewell embrace.

"boom--!"

Bai Suzhen was pushed back step by step.

One step, two steps... a hundred miles, a thousand miles...

Finally, it shattered the barrier of the dream!

The Lord of the World was banished from the world not because of magic power or realm, but because he could not let go of his obsession.

It was completely unreasonable, and there was no logic to it, but that's how it was done.

The world began to crumble, and some people woke up from their dreams.

The smoke from the snake-catching village, the rubble of Yongzhou City, the bricks and stones of Huilong Pagoda... all dissipated like quicksand. Those villagers who once drank and laughed with Xu Xuan, those children who chased after him calling him "Master," all turned into specks of light and rose into nothingness.

Xu Xuan watched all of this quietly, without any regret in his eyes.

"So what if it's fake?"

Even illusory existences possess a real warmth.

Before the illusory image of the Burch bird completely disappeared, it shed a tear.

The reluctance, pain, resentment, love, and grievances surging in the tears... receded like the tide, leaving only a small figure curled up inside, sleeping peacefully.

That was Xiaobai's original appearance.

Xu Xuan gently touched the teardrop with her fingertip, then suddenly smiled: "Little Bai in my dream is really beautiful."

He looked up at the collapsing void, his voice so soft it was as if he were talking to himself:

"What love tribulations... I don't care."

Ten years of longing burned like fire, ten years of anger icy as ice. They forged what should have been an ordinary encounter into something unforgettable.

In the end, the entire dream vanished completely.

In the boundless darkness, only a single teardrop floats suspended.

In the glistening tears, two tiny figures nestled together in sleep.

One was a Taoist priest in green robes, and the other was a girl in white robes.

Bai Suzhen gazed at the teardrop floating in the void, her fingertips trembling slightly.

The embodiment of a love tribulation...

She thought this grand dream would be a chance to sever her emotional ties and attain enlightenment, but instead of severing them, it only deepened her feelings even further.

"This is wrong," she murmured to herself, raising her slender hand to erase the last trace.

Although I feel incredibly reluctant, a story is just a story.

Having already paid such a price, how can we possibly move further away from transcendence?

But just as her fingertips were about to touch the teardrop, a hand snatched it away first.

Xu Xuan's spiritual light had already awakened, and he was now standing quietly in the void, holding that crystal drop in his palm.

"Hanwen, give it to me."

Bai Suzhen's tone was calm, yet it sent tremors through the realm outside the dream.

Danger.

Extremely dangerous.

Faced with the friendly request from the person he had been through a love tribulation with, the awakened Xu Xuan gave a firm refusal.

"I do not."

His physical body snapped its eyes open, while his soul frantically issued a warning! Ruoxu reacted swiftly, grabbing his junior brother's shoulder: "Let's go!"

The space remains completely still.

"The Purple Bamboo Grove... is a world unto itself."

Bai Suzhen's voice came from all directions.

The overwhelming magical power engulfed the Pure Land masters and brothers like a tsunami.

"Hanwen, that's a dream, a dream that can create billions of reincarnations in a single thought, it's false."

“Benefactor Bai, you are attached to appearances.” Zen Master Fahai remained calm, his hands clasped together. “As the saying goes, when the real is made to appear false, even the false appears empty…”

Ruoxu nodded in agreement.

However, the junior brother's aura of tribulation had completely dissipated, but this senior white-haired man...

not good!

　Having finished the small dungeon, I wanted to try out some interesting paths, and it felt alright. Now, back to the main storyline.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)