Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 900 The White Lotus is Here
A truly professional and good assassin should, in theory, be someone who knows nothing and has no other thoughts besides the order to kill.

But just like in TV dramas, the top assassins always seem very unprofessional.

He's incredibly loose-lipped and always secretly collects dirt on his clients' private lives.

What's even more terrifying is that they always fall in love with the wrong person at some special moment, and then are always ready to betray them.

Upon closer examination, this actually makes sense in a certain way.

As Xiahou Jianke sipped his wine, he remarked, "The world's top assassins must be martial arts masters. And those who can reach that level possess extraordinary willpower and quick wit."

"They may be ruthless or bloodthirsty, but they will never be content to be just a weapon without their own will."

"If one is without knowledge and awareness, how can one master superior martial arts?"

Xu Xuan encountered such a "master" assassin this time.

The opponent's swordsmanship was superb, his attacks were ruthless and decisive, and his mind was as cold as ice. He did not waste any words during the battle and could be described as swift and efficient.

However, his "unprofessionalism" is also on the rise; he has far too much stuff in his head.

If you don't properly hone your killing skills, where do you get all those quirks and extra thoughts?
Especially after being slightly "influenced" by Xu Xuan's "compassionate" White Lotus supernatural powers, the leader of the assassins became even more "open and honest," with an astonishingly strong urge to confide.

Although most of them are seemingly useless tidbits such as the privacy of a wealthy lady, the eccentricities of an official, or even romantic affairs between martial arts sects.

But amidst this massive and redundant torrent of information, the outline of the person behind the scenes eventually revealed a flaw.

From Yangzhou.

Moreover, the other party's target was extremely clear, and even a portrait of them was prepared in great detail.

The handsome face in the painting has distinct features and is extremely realistic, which is definitely not the freehand style commonly seen in ancient times.

The artist must have seen him in person, at close range, and observed him very carefully.

Tut tut...

There was no need for divination; the answer was practically written all over their faces.

Xu Xuan smiled.

It seems that my new friend has truly and completely broken free from the malicious control exerted by those in power.

It's even possible that they've already established new and stable cooperative relationships with certain entities.

Otherwise, how could they so easily discard their former "savior" after using him?
Xu Xuan gently raised his finger, and a spirit butterfly silently fluttered its wings and flew swiftly towards the south of the Yangtze River.

I'd rather betray the world than let the world betray me. You don't deserve that!
There aren't many people who can make the "Holy Father" take revenge and let it linger overnight.

Unfortunately, this governor was not among them.

Meanwhile, inside the Bao'an Hall in Jiangnan, Xiaoqing received a message from the spirit butterfly. After reading it carefully, her willow-leaf eyebrows instantly stood up straight, and her golden eyes almost spit fire.

"How brave!"

She slammed her hand on the table, making the teacups rattle. "I've only been in charge of Bao'an Hall for a few days, and someone dares to provoke me!"

They rushed into the secret room and, based on the thick files that Xu Xuan had prepared in advance, quickly identified the corresponding solution.

"That's it—execute Plan E immediately!"

It was night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

Xiaoqing, holding her good apprentice Li Yingqi's hand, disguised themselves as ordinary women from the martial arts world and quietly left Baoan Hall, heading straight for Shouchun.

On the way, Xiaoqing was not angry at all; on the contrary, she seemed very happy.

"Master, is this mission... very interesting?" Li Yingqi was infected by his master's unusually high spirits and couldn't help but jump for joy, asking in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Xiaoqing's face showed a look of nostalgia for the past.

He chuckled and said, "My dear disciple, you don't understand. In the past year or two, we've been fighting and killing, or exorcising demons and monsters. Although it's quite exhilarating to fight hand-to-hand..."

"But the days of hiding in the shadows, stirring up trouble, and using schemes to make your opponents cry for their mothers also had a unique kind of pleasure."

"My skills are getting rusty!"

As they spoke, the two had already arrived outside Shouchun City without making a sound.

The towering city walls and the patrolling guards could not stop these two big shots who were powerful enough to command the wind and rain in the cultivation world.

They crossed the defenses with ease, like ghosts, and soon stopped in a secluded, dark corner of the city.

Xiaoqing looked around to make sure it was safe before mysteriously taking out a large box from her storage artifact.

Upon opening it, I found a box full of printed flyers.

She lowered her voice and began to assign tasks: "Listen, our mission this time is to distribute these 'good things' to every corner of Shouchun without alerting anyone!"

Li Yingqi blinked as he looked at the box full of flyers.

This task sounds...not too difficult?

Xiaoqing seemed to see through her thoughts, and her expression turned serious: "Good apprentice, don't underestimate this job. It looks simple, but it is actually extremely difficult."

"Only a trusted confidant can shoulder such a heavy responsibility!"

"Moreover, we must never use any magic or supernatural powers to influence mortals. Once we clash with the human destiny, the backlash will be no joke."

At this point, Xiaoqing had a look on her face that said, "I have a story to tell."

Li Yingqi nodded in agreement; she was also one of the participants in what happened back then.

Knowing that he could only rely on his fists and feet to get things done tonight, it was indeed a bit difficult.

At that moment, Li Yingqi casually picked up a flyer from the box, glanced at it in the dim moonlight, and immediately gasped.

Then their voices dropped eight octaves, trembling with disbelief: "Master...Master! Is our Bao'an Hall...going to rebel?!"

No wonder she was so shocked. The flyer was printed with eight shocking characters: "White Lotus Descends to Save All Living Beings!"
Below is a lifelike white lotus, on which sits a woman with a graceful figure but an indistinct face.

The most deadly thing is that it is also surrounded by an extremely pure and inimitable aura unique to the White Lotus Sect.

It has a very high purity and looks just like the real thing.

It's practically an "inverted book" stamped with the official seal of certification!
Li Yingqi was also a proper practitioner, so how could he not know what the word "white lotus" meant in the eyes of the righteous path?

That was a notorious evil sect; getting involved with them would bring utter disaster. Xiaoqing, however, didn't care at all, and even looked down on her for making a fuss, waving her hand and saying, "Shh! Keep your voice down! It's just a disguise, don't be nervous."

She leaned closer to her disciple, a sly smile on her face as if sharing a dark history, and whispered, "You don't know, when our Baoan Hall was first established, we were short of resources and manpower. We often had to wear the White Lotus Sect's tiger skin to wave the flag and do things outside, which was very convenient!"

"Even a very upright person like Master Mao has played the role of 'White Lotus Hermit' to fool... uh, to 'enlighten' those bad guys."
"Hahaha, let me tell you, once..." On the eve of the operation, Master Qing enthusiastically shared his past "glorious deeds" with his disciple.

Li Yingqi's eyes widened in surprise, feeling both nervous and excited.

It turns out there were so many "interesting" little stories on the way from my own sect!
After sharing their thoughts, the master and apprentice exchanged a smile, their eyes gleaming with the excitement of doing something mischievous.

Then, like the most skilled night owls, the two silently blended into the night of Shouchun City and began their great work of "posting small advertisements" and "stuffing flyers under doors".

Without using any magic power, relying entirely on agility and stealth skills, the "reverse book" was delivered precisely to every household through manual delivery.

Shouchun City was not without defensive capabilities.

Not to mention the yamen runners and soldiers patrolling the city, there are also many practitioners in Buddhist temples and Taoist monasteries in the city, and the mansions of various powerful families enshrine some extraordinary people.

But they never imagined that such a big shot as the Water Lord of Taihu Lake and the leader of the Three Heroes and Two Clouds of New Shu Mountain, whose mere stomp would shake the Jiangnan region, would personally come to do such a boring thing as distributing leaflets!

Previous methods are simply ineffective against this kind of "dimensional reduction attack".

Moreover, when people are focused on doing bad things, their patience and wisdom are always boundless.

They have ways to evade patrols, using shadows and choosing the least noticeable paths and times.

With the power of the door gods now so weak as to be practically useless, and the human spirit no longer interfering with trivial matters like littering... the master and disciple were like fish in water.

For an entire night, the entire city of Shouchun, from the slums to the wealthy commercial districts, and even the area under the drum tower in front of the government office, was covered with posters.

As dawn broke, the master and apprentice, having accomplished their mission, made their way out. After meeting up, they exchanged a glance, couldn't help but let out a low, villainous "hehehe" laugh, and then made their escape, completely satisfied.

I reckon there'll be some pretty hilarious stuff to watch in Shouchun City tomorrow morning!
As dawn broke the next day, the first rays of sunlight appeared.

When Governor He woke up from his sleep, he drank a bowl of the qi-tonifying soup that Physician Xu had personally prepared for him, as was his custom, with the help of his servants.

As the warm medicinal liquid entered my stomach, a warm current slowly spread, nourishing my parched meridians. I felt much more relaxed, and even the fatigue and chest tightness I used to experience in the mornings were greatly reduced.

"Hey~~~"

He put down the medicine bowl, looked at the gradually brightening sky outside the window, and sighed deeply, his tone complex and difficult to decipher, "The medicine was good medicine. The person was also a good person... What a pity."

He understands the principle of choosing the lesser of two evils and the greater of two benefits.

Moreover, these "advantages" and "importances" are never static.

Looking back, when I was pulled back from the brink of death, I was filled with the chill of being betrayed, resentment, and uncontrollable anger.

All sorts of evil thoughts churned in his chest, wishing he could immediately make the person behind it pay a terrible price.

At that time, Xu Xuan, who could save his life and help him stabilize the situation, was of paramount importance to him and his value was irreplaceable.

Therefore, when Xu Xuan held a banquet in Shouchun, he personally attended, sparing no effort to support Xu Xuan as the governor, making a grand gesture.

However, as the threat to his life gradually subsided and his health improved day by day, calmness regained its advantage, and the boiling anger was gradually replaced by another emotion—fear.

After all, all land under heaven belongs to the king; all people within the borders are his subjects.

If you really want him to risk everything to do something...

At this age, I really can't afford to take any more risks.

Back in his youth, he conquered cities and territories on the battlefield, and even killed prisoners to establish his authority. He never hesitated to do all sorts of ruthless things.

But as people get older, they start to think more, and with more thinking, their sharpness and courage are like a flood that has been released from its dam.

The "Huangdi Neijing·Lingshu·Tiannian Chapter" states: "At the age of fifty, the liver qi begins to decline, the gallbladder lobes begin to thin, bile begins to decrease, and the eyes begin to become dim."

This is not only a change in mindset, but also, to some extent, a physiological issue.

Not everyone can be like Yu Gong, who becomes more shrewd and arrogant with age.

After being secretly "pacified" several times, and receiving those unspeakable and generous "rewards" in their hands...
Although the resentment in my heart has not completely disappeared, the deep-seated hatred has indeed faded considerably.

Given this, it seems logical and understandable to turn back to the side that can provide him with more security and allow him to continue enjoying wealth and luxury.

As for Xu Xuan, His Majesty the Emperor probably never even paid attention to such a trivial matter.

All of this is largely due to Governor He's own actions.

Although a doctor who can bring the dead back to life is extremely valuable to someone of his high position and power who cherishes his life and fears death.

But knowing things he shouldn't have known, even the weight of Doctor Xu, with his academy background, seemed insignificant.

When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs can ascend to heaven.

If Your Majesty can truly attain immortality, as a trusted and close advisor, why should I worry about not having the opportunity to follow Your Majesty and share in eternal life?

See, isn't it easy to distinguish the pros and cons here?

However, before any news could be sent back from the elite men he had dispatched to Jiangbei to settle the "trouble," a shocking piece of bad news struck his study like a thunderclap.

"What did you say?!"

Governor He suddenly stood up from his armchair, his shock evident in his expression, and smashed the teacup in his hand with a loud crash.

"My lord! It's true! Our...our Shouchun City is in turmoil...in turmoil caused by the White Lotus!"

The official in charge of governance rushed in, his face pale and his voice filled with terror, clutching several crumpled pieces of paper tightly in his hand.

Overnight, these misleading and deceptive leaflets were everywhere!
"Even...even the crack in the door to my bedroom at home has been stuffed with this! My lord, is the White Lotus Demon...is he going to start his rebellion in the south?!"

Governor He took the paper, glanced at it, and his expression instantly turned extremely serious, with fine beads of cold sweat even appearing on his forehead.

Compared to this, Xu Xuan's matter is utterly insignificant!
This is the true mortal enemy who can instantly shatter him to pieces and destroy his family!

Deploy troops! Send generals! Martial law throughout the city! Search for the sorcerer!
At the same time, urgent reports requesting assistance must be sent to the central government immediately.

The last time the White Lotus Sect was this rampant was the last time; they were even capable of breaching city walls and killing officials!
I cannot lose my head and my family's wealth here!

In an instant, the entire Yangzhou Prefectural Governor's Office and even the city of Shouchun were plunged into panic and chaos.

And this was precisely Xu Xuan's open scheme.

(End of this chapter)