Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 886 Five Invitation Letters
Now, outside the Qingbo Gate of Qiantang, there stood a grand mansion, with flying eaves and bracket sets, golden nails and jade doors—truly a symbol of extraordinary wealth and power! And there it was:
The gate tower soars into the clouds, flanked by stone lions that ward off evil spirits.

Eight-treasure lanterns hang under the eaves, illuminating the night as if it were daytime.

A coral carpet was laid out in front of the courtyard, and an agate table was set up below the steps.

The artificial hill and flowing water make a tinkling sound, and golden carp leap over the dragon gate in the pond.

Even more exotic flowers bloom in all four seasons, and rare herbs remain evergreen year-round. It is truly a fairyland, unlike any ordinary household!
Looking at the guests coming and going, they were all extraordinary:
From the east came the Taihu Scholar, wearing a tall crown and an academic gown, followed by shrimp soldiers and crab generals, carrying a basket of aquatic treasures as a congratulatory gift;

Seated to the west is the King of the Underworld, with a blue face and fangs, yet he holds Buddhist treasures, speaks with elegance, and plays chess with a scholar. When the chess pieces fall to the ground, they turn into fireflies and fly away.

In the south wing, the Taoist priest and the monk were discussing Taoism. One's sleeves emitted clouds of blue light, while the other's words flowed like lotus blossoms, drawing cheers from the entire audience.

Under the north corridor, a swordsman in white leaned against a pillar and drank alone. Suddenly, he flicked his sword and let out a long cry. The sword energy soared into the sky, startling the cranes on the eaves into taking flight!

And look at the delicacies on the banquet table:
A crystal plate piled high with celestial fruits, jujubes and pears filling the courtyard with fragrance. An amber cup holds jade-like liquor, a thousand-year-old vintage permeating the heavens.

It is:

Outside Qingbo Gate, heroes gathered for a banquet; demons, ghosts, humans, and immortals alike raised their cups in celebration.

If you ask what this gathering resembles? It clearly resembles the Peach Pavilion once again!
Xu Xuan stood with his hands behind his back under the corridor, looking at the brightly lit courtyard and the throngs of guests coming and going, and a sense of pride rose in his heart.

Having attended countless banquets, large and small, I still find my own home the most satisfying. This scene of humans, ghosts, demons, and immortals gathering together truly evokes a sense of "universal harmony."

A great deal of effort was indeed put into organizing this grand event. After all, among the guests were Taoist priests who practiced asceticism, swordsmen who exorcised demons, and quite a few otherworldly cultivators who harbored reservations.

Gatherings that cross religious or racial boundaries inevitably lead to estrangement.

Baoan Hall has accomplished too many major things this year, and has gained some prestige in the cultivation world. It has also attracted many people with a sense of justice, and even people from orthodox sects have come to join them.

Some people's views don't change so quickly, so a gradual approach is needed.

Fortunately, Xu Tang was quick-witted and carefully divided the mansion into several areas:

The "Pine Breeze Pavilion" in the East Garden is dedicated to quiet conversation: Master Mao is enjoying tea and discussing Taoism with several independent Taoist practitioners. Amidst the fragrant tea aroma, they begin to deduce the "Book of Divine Taoism." This technique was originally not valued in Baoan Hall, but since the development of Jiangnan has reached a certain level... it is extremely easy to learn.

Many independent practitioners even place it on the same level as the "Nine Heavens Mysterious Scripture," believing that one only needs to do good deeds and accumulate merit to aid in cultivation. How interesting!

However, if this continues, the standards for recognizing good deeds will be raised again and again, which is why everyone is making these calculations together. We can't interfere too much with humane practices, can we?

In the "Linlang Garden" of the West Wing, a gambling game is set up: Qilicha leads a group of monsters to play cards. Although it has the innate supernatural power to fulfill its wishes, it dares not win at all. Master Xu's task for it is to lose more.

As the Ghost King, it plays a role in creating an entertaining atmosphere tonight. After all, it's an annual party, and someone always needs to be the straight man.

In the South Hall, the "Golden Valley Hall" was set up with a continuous banquet: Li Yingqi led his newly joined disciples to feast, with toasts and laughter filling the air, creating a lively atmosphere.

The youthful spirit was almost tangible in this courtyard, where people would occasionally recite poems and compose couplets, displaying their clumsy literary talent.

In the end, Yu Yingnan won the first Youth Poetry Competition and suppressed Li Xianfeng.

In the "Listening to the Tide Pavilion" in Beixuan, a few solitary sword cultivators or practitioners sat by the water, enjoying their own company without speaking to anyone.

Sometimes, you don't necessarily have to participate in the excitement; just feeling the enthusiasm is a kind of enjoyment.

For example, Xiahou the swordsman learned a new sword technique from it and planned to test it on Yan Chixia later.

In short, Xu Xuan's arrangement was neither forceful nor deliberately aloof, allowing each guest to feel at ease. Compared to those literary gatherings that emphasized etiquette, it had a greater sense of freedom and spontaneity.

The sounds of demons mingled with human voices, and Buddhist chants intertwined with Taoist verses, creating a wondrous symphony in the night of Qiantang.

As the Holy Father leaned against the railing and listened, he suddenly felt that perhaps this absurd scene was what the cultivation world should really look like.

"Master, the people have arrived."

Turtle came running over to show its face. It wasn't its place to do this, but it wanted to make an appearance before heading north so that it wouldn't be replaced by a few scoundrels.

Xu Xuan, unaware of his subordinate's ulterior motives, led Gui Da to the main gate to greet them.

Today, in addition to the staff of Baoantang, a group of "unofficial allies" were specially invited. They are all old friends who have fought side by side with Baoantang over the years and know the ins and outs of Baoantang well.

The first invitation was sent to Mr. Yu.

This old man, who was forcibly "tied to the chariot" since the Jianye period, fought alongside Xu Xuan against the White Lotus Rebellion, the Blood Demon Invasion, and dealt with many demons and monsters.

Xu Xuan reciprocated by helping someone prune a crooked tree.

In terms of friendship, they should have been bosom friends long ago. But the old man was too reserved and only sent over a piece of calligraphy and painting.

Xu Xuan personally delivered the second invitation to Dean Shen of Bailu Academy.

The old abbot was never particular about details and had no prejudice against demons and monsters.

He also has a great deal of knowledge about Baoan Hall and has done a lot of work behind the scenes, making him a truly meritorious figure.

They secretly donated several sacrificial artifacts from Bailu Academy; they are definitely the best of the best.

When Old Shen received the invitation, he laughed heartily, clearly very excited, as the old man loved excitement more than anything in his life.

Unfortunately, with the year-end approaching, Bailu Academy is busy with many things, such as the winter solstice ceremony to Confucius, the twelfth lunar month worship ceremony to ancestors, and the year-end examinations. The headmaster is needed to oversee all of them.

Old Shen stroked the invitation and sighed, "If only I had known this would happen, I should have trained more vice deans back then..."

Xu Xuan smiled upon hearing this.

Interestingly, among the three major academies in the south, the headmasters of Bailu and Jintian academies are well aware of Baoantang's true nature, but Chongqi Academy, which is affiliated with the same academy, is still pretending to be deaf and dumb, which is quite a strange thing.

The third letter was sent to the banks of the Yangtze River. Regardless of whether the recipient came or not, it was a matter of courtesy to send the letter.

The Dragon King's response was a message, roughly saying that he would give you a gift when he passed the Yangtze River on his way north.

The fourth letter was sent to Wu County by fast horse.

When Song Youde received the letter, he was in the yamen, frantically dealing with year-end government affairs.

As an important town in Jiangnan, Wu County was grueling at the end of the year, with its canal transport inspections, tax calculations, and public security rectifications.

“How could I refuse my brother’s invitation?” Prefect Song immediately slammed his hand on the table, arranged his official business overnight, and set off with two jars of “Songlaochun” liquor.

In his view, being invited to the annual meeting of Baoantang meant that he was finally recognized as "one of our own," and this joy overcame the fatigue of the past few months.

When Song Youde saw the blue-faced, fanged ghost king and the demonic overlord at the banquet, he was only slightly taken aback.

During his time in Suzhou, he had already witnessed the true forms of the Taihu Lake demons, so these guests who had fully transformed into human form seemed rather endearing.

What pleased him even more was that when Xu Xuan took him around, he always addressed him as "my virtuous brother".

He would praise to everyone he met: "The administration of Wu County is largely thanks to Brother Song's management" and "The suppression of bandits in Taihu Lake is entirely due to the support of the Prefect." He even brought up a small story about how his virtuous brother had provided a lot of help when Baoan Hall was first built.

Such high praise prompted several demon kings to offer them a toast, saying they would visit Suzhou to bother them in the future.

Holding a glass cup, Song Youde surprisingly found an old friend in the crowd.

Yu Bai was drinking with several aquatic generals when he saw Song Bai arrive. He immediately raised his cup and invited Song Bai to join him, saying, "Lord Song! I owe you a drink from last year when we were suppressing bandits. Today, I'm finally making up for it!"

It turns out that when the bandits were suppressed in Taihu Lake, it was Yu Bai who led the aquatic tribes to cooperate with the government.

The two, one in the open and the other in the shadows, cooperated flawlessly. Now, reunited, they naturally embraced and reminisced about the past.

After several rounds of drinks, Song Youde, slightly tipsy, gazed at the spectacular sight before him.

"What a chaotic scene of demons dancing..." Prefect Song muttered to himself, only to find Xu Xuan sitting beside him at some point, handing him a cup of tea to help him sober up.

"What do you think, my dear brother?"

Song Youde took the teacup and suddenly burst into laughter: "If I hadn't started cultivating so late, I would have followed my brother to slay demons and monsters long ago!"

After saying this, the two of them burst into laughter.

The fifth invitation was solemnly delivered by Xu Xuan's messenger to Jinshan Temple.

If we're talking about being one of their own, these monks are undoubtedly the best.

Monk Guangliang was forced to follow Baoan Hall in battles across the country, from the Blood Demon's attack on the mountain to the suppression of the demon in Dongting Lake. Every time, he was fighting desperately.

However, after the monk Qingyou grew up, he gradually withdrew from the front line and began to focus on managing the temple affairs.

To be honest, this fat monk is really good at training disciples. Those monks who survived the Blood Demon Tribulation and still stayed in Buddhism were already resolute. Now that they have a new place of practice and resources, their cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds.

However, the path of practice at Jinshan Temple has become somewhat complicated these days...

(End of this chapter)