Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 874 Pollution
The blockade of the Purple Bamboo Forest was finally lifted, and Bai Suzhen transformed into a beam of white light and soared into the sky, heading straight for West Lake.

She needed silence.

Xu Xuan gazed at the streak of light disappearing into the horizon, a gentle smile on his face, his kindness almost overflowing.

He wouldn't dare use the tired "Who is Jingjing?" joke at this time.

After all, nobody wants their brain to turn into a rotten tomato.

Only when the white light completely disappeared from my spiritual perception did the faint sense of danger finally dissipate.

In the mountains, the two brothers looked at each other and sighed in unison.

"Junior brother, please don't take such risks again in the future," Ruoxu said earnestly.

"Senior brother, that's not right." Xu Xuan rubbed his still sore neck. "This time it was clearly 'almost getting me into trouble'."

Ruoxu was taken aback, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed that it really was true!
The junior brother was on the defensive the whole time, and was almost strangled to death in the end...

Tragic, too tragic.

“But your methods of dealing with danger…” Ruoxu hesitated, “could you… be a little gentler?”

Isn't living a good life wonderful?
Xu Xuan was unhappy, feeling that at this time it was necessary to unite with his senior brother in thought and to be firm in their beliefs.

We're family, you're my half-brother.

He carefully removed the glistening teardrop and handed it to his senior brother: "Look..."

"If it were you, would you shed tears for the love in your dreams?"

Tears glistened faintly in the moonlight, and the story in my dream unfolded slowly like a scroll:

The fleeting glance at their first meeting, the smiles exchanged during shared hardships, the resolute decision when faced with life-or-death situations...

The final image freezes on two tiny figures nestled together, sleeping peacefully amidst teardrops, as if time itself has stood still.

Ruoxu remained silent for a long time.

He looked up at Xu Xuan and suddenly understood his junior brother's choice.

“If it were this humble monk…” he sighed softly, patting Xu Xuan’s shoulder, “I would probably act impulsively too.”

Xu Xuan was still rambling on and on.

What's wrong with the Dreamy Illusory Flower?

"The greatest tragedy is that people in their dreams cannot even have a free ending, and are dragged by external forces toward a predetermined fate!"

“They are clearly connected by mountains and seas, yet they insist on…”

He suddenly stopped talking.

Because at this moment, Ruoxu was as silent as a clay sculpture.

Perhaps it was because he had just experienced a dangerous confrontation and was still unsettled; or perhaps the dream in that tear was too real and touched something.
Or perhaps it was Xu Xuan's unrecovered "verbal persuasion" that inadvertently opened a long-sealed door.

Ruoxu's gaze drifted far away, seemingly piercing through time through his junior brother's shadow.

Although my heart was still outside the door, I did take a few steps inside.

Xu Xuan belatedly shut his mouth, cold sweat pouring down his face.

Finished!

He cautiously observed his senior's expression, which seemed to say, "When the threads of memory become entangled with the fragmented past," and his heart pounded: Wasn't he usually quite easygoing and able to take a joke?

Why have I become increasingly restless these past two years?

After a long pause, Ruoxu finally spoke: "Let's go."

His voice remained calm, his expression gentle, and his demeanor serene and radiant, as if he had already cast aside all his troubles.

He truly is a revered monk.

On the way back, Xu Xuan felt dizzy and nauseous when crossing the void.

With his current cultivation level, he shouldn't be experiencing such physiological reactions that only mortals would have...

unless
Looking up, I saw my senior brother still looking the same, quite composed.

Yes, that's it. His heart is still outside the gate. After returning to Qiantang, Ruoxu threw Xu Xuan out of the mountain gate and turned to leave.

"Seclude yourself for meditation and do not disturb unless necessary."

Inside the thatched hut, a dim lamp flickers and ancient scrolls are read.

He sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, holding the Infinite Life Sutra in his hand, and recited it word by word: "If I attain Buddhahood, may all sentient beings in the ten directions sincerely believe and rejoice..."

The scattered thoughts gradually subsided, but one question grew wildly like weeds:

"Will there really be pollution?"

Xu Xuan obediently returned to the academy to attend classes and take the opportunity to recuperate.

It must be said that the rare and precious materials Bai Suzhen prepared for this "tribulation of love" were indeed remarkably effective.

When one's essence is full, one does not crave lust; when one's energy is full, one does not crave food; when one's spirit is full, one does not crave sleep.

At this moment, he was full of energy and vigor, and even his walk was brisk.

Since things are going so well, it's time to clean up the mess in Jiangnan properly.

Things that were previously left unresolved are now being addressed one by one. I hope that when I head north after the New Year, there will be no hidden dangers in the rear and everything will proceed smoothly.

Thus, the undercurrents that had been brewing before the new year were stirred up.

First, I went to Suzhou and toured the experimental fields. The rice ears were so heavy that they bent over, and the growth was very promising.

He also cleaned up all the miscellaneous affairs at the Baoantang branch and even took down a few wealthy people.

The reputation of being 'unpredictable' has been established, and the more valuable a person is, the more mundane items they need to display to prove their worth.

I drank a few more cups of wine with my esteemed friend to build a rapport.

He was also warned not to get too close to the governor of Yangzhou, and not to eat anything indiscriminately, especially pills or similar substances.

I don't know how that old man solved the problem of the Golden Core, but there must have been some particularly evil exchange of interests behind it.

Xu Xuan was worried that since he was not in the south, his good brother would be eaten by the giant centipede.

"By the way, do you have any relatives or friends up north that you'd like me to look after?"

Xu Xuan's question was brilliant; it wasn't about asking for help, but about taking care of someone.

Song Youde's eyes lit up, and he almost burst out laughing.

He did have some connections in the north; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to buy his way into an official position so easily.

The reason you're asking this is because you want to take care of the other person.

Whether out of a sense of loyalty to share hardships or a tacit understanding to share happiness, Song Youde immediately perked up and started counting on his fingers:

"As for the relatives..."

With a wave of his hand, he sold out all his relatives without hesitation.

"Brother, you don't need to give me face!"

"Anyone found to be morally corrupt should be dealt with directly!"

He took a swig of his drink and chuckled:
“I was never well-liked in the Song family, my status was not high, and I received very little care. I have experienced a lot of the dirty things in the clan.”

"It was only after becoming the prefect last year that I suddenly became the 'family's pride'..."

Some of Youde's relatives couldn't make it in the north and planned to come to the south to give him some pointers on how to be a good prefect.

These people were basically all killed by Song Qingtian in a show of righteousness, which greatly enhanced his reputation and made him famous far and wide.

Everyone knows that this person wants to be a truly upright official.

As for other social connections, there aren't many that I can still contact. Most of them can be roughly categorized as swindlers, lackeys, or bad people.

Anyway, I got to the position of magistrate of Qiantang County mostly by being able to wait, spend money, flatter, and by luck.

Just a few days ago, someone came over trying to extort money from him by bringing up his past controversies, and Song Qingtian immediately threw him into Taihu Lake.

He was only docile in front of his younger brother; it would be laughable for anyone else to try to manipulate him.

(End of this chapter)