Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 941 Eating a Peach
"Oh~~~ you mean this."

Xu Xuan waved his hand, his tone as relaxed as if he were talking about the weather.

"We humans also have a saying: 'No fight, no friendship; heroes cherish heroes.' A fight can bring relationships closer, which makes perfect sense."

Why do you humans have so many proverbs?! And how come there's a proverb for every single situation?!

The usually taciturn stone spirit could no longer contain its inner turmoil and rant.

It sadly discovered that it had indeed been assimilated by the eerie atmosphere of Baoan Hall without realizing it, and had even begun to care about these inexplicable human logics.

What it didn't know was that while the White Lotus Saint Father's cultivation and abilities might have varying degrees, his most indestructible defensive power was never any protective divine skill.

Rather, it is a skin as thick as the corner of a city wall, impervious to water and fire, and impossible to break through by any means!

If Venerable Kasyapa of Mount Ling had delivered a powerful Vajra strike to his face, imbued with supreme Buddhist power, the later epic "Holy Father's Journey to Hell" might not have happened.

The only thing that troubled Xu Xuan at the moment was how to accurately point to the white-haired monkey during the sacrificial ceremony.

Although Wuzhiqi was awe-inspiring, he used his absolute martial prowess to subdue all the demons and monsters in the Huai River system and forcefully ascended to the position of the Huai River Lord.

However, it still falls under the category of "immoral worship" in essence, and has never had a formal and widely recognized name or title for the worshipped deity.

Throughout history, neither the emperors nor the officials in charge of state sacrifices ever included this infamous ancient demon in the official sacrificial system.

The main reason is that Wuzhiqi was personally suppressed under Turtle Mountain by the sage emperor Yu in ancient times, and his deeds were recorded in history more as a "famous water monster that was conquered" to highlight Yu's achievements.

Its image is more like that of a "failed challenger" and a "subdued evil god," rather than a guardian deity worthy of veneration and worship by human dynasties.

Of course, things are not even worse now.

Rather, it is later generations.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, Wuzhiqi's title and influence as the "Water God of Huai River" were stolen and claimed by a monk named Sengqia.

The legend of "Master Sengqie subduing the water monster Wuzhiqi" has been widely circulated among the people, and he has been portrayed as a deity who protects the Huai River. This has further blurred or even replaced the original traces of faith in Wuzhiqi, making him a villainous background character who is trampled underfoot by the high monk in the story.

"Therefore, it is not without reason that the Huai River system is gradually declining and losing its charm."

As Xu Xuan fiddled with the incense burner, he sighed, "Externally, the Yellow River diverts the Huai River and flows into the sea, wantonly encroaching on its water transport; internally, eminent Buddhist monks 'borrow' its reputation to steal the incense offerings of faith. Thinking about it this way, this monkey is quite a pitiful monkey..."

Thinking of this, Xu Xuan suddenly felt his back straighten up.

Fortunately! There is still this holy father who upholds the idea of ​​"a pure land where a white lotus descends to earth" to break the laws of history.

If I round it up, I'm practically this unfortunate monkey's second parent, his guiding light!
Now that something strange has happened at the child's doorstep, isn't it only natural and reasonable for me, as the "godfather," to come over and check on things and ask about the situation?
cough cough.

Xu Xuan quietly suppressed his feelings of wanting to be a "second parent".

With fingers held together like a brush, he gathered a barely perceptible amount of magical power and carved four ancient seal characters on a prepared wooden tablet: "Huaiwo Water God".

Although this title is far less imposing and grand than "the calamity of the Huai River," and it is not the style that the white-haired monkey himself prefers.

Unfortunately, this is the most widely circulated and accepted name in folk legends.

When it comes to offering sacrifices and praying for blessings, it is ultimately about people and ensuring that the rituals are performed properly so that the incense can be delivered accurately.

A wisp of fragrant smoke rose from the top of the incense stick, but instead of dissipating into the air, it seemed to be guided by some invisible force, drifting and sinking directly into the ever-flowing waters of the Huai River below.

Deep underwater, the monkey's true form, which was bound and suppressed in the ancient ruins by countless phantom chains, suddenly opened its eyes, which shone like molten gold!

The innate supernatural power to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune is activated.

What the hell? !
This sudden incense offering... feels extremely strange!

It was not the pure wish of ordinary people for good weather and a bountiful harvest; it was mixed with an indescribable heaviness and eeriness, and even carried a hint of ominousness!

Could it be some blind enemy trying to scheme against me with this evil incense?!
Wuzhiqi instantly bared his fangs, his body surging with violent energy, and his eyes shot out two golden beams of light that seemed to solidify. Following the source of that strange incense, he pierced through the layers of water and immediately saw Xu Xuan standing by the river, fiddling with an incense burner!
"Xu Xuan!"

A roar filled with boundless rage exploded from the water like thunder, shaking the entire Huai River basin!
In an instant, towering waves surged up in the river, and a white figure burst through the wall of water, shooting out at lightning speed!

It was the white-haired monkey that was transformed from the hair's clone. Holding a water stick, it charged forward with an overwhelming momentum that it wanted to smash that bastard on the shore into mincemeat!

"What?! The agreed-upon one-year period hasn't even ended, and you're already going to start the war?!"

"Great! That's exactly what I wanted! I couldn't wait!"

The monkey roared wildly, and its violent demonic aura swept across both banks, frightening the stone king beside it into trembling. Its hard stone body creaked and groaned, almost falling apart.

Xu Xuan, however, remained completely calm. He even had the leisure to turn his head and say to the trembling Stone King, "Look, we humans have a saying, 'It's never wrong to be too polite.' It's always right to be polite first and then resort to force."

As he spoke, he slowly took something out of the jade pot magic treasure at his waist.

That was a... peach.

This peach is no ordinary fruit; it is extremely large, with a diameter of about 20 centimeters, and its round and full shape is like a meticulously sculpted perfect sphere.

The surface is smooth and flat, with a lustrous color, and without any blemishes or spots.

The fruit peel is extremely bright and eye-catching, with a deep red at the top like the most magnificent sunset, gradually transitioning naturally and evenly to a delicate pink at the bottom, as if it has gathered all the sweet essence of heaven and earth.

A strange and alluring fruity aroma, mixed with an incomparably pure spiritual aura, instantly spread, even temporarily overpowering the monkey's soaring demonic energy.

This peach is so delicious that you can tell at a glance that it's the kind of incredibly good peach that's hard to find anywhere else in the world!

Even an ancient demon like Wuzhiqi paused in his frenzied charge upon seeing the peach.

A hint of surprise and joy, almost imperceptible, flashed unconsciously in his golden pupils.

From ancient times to the present, after being imprisoned for so many years, it seems like it has been a long time since I have tasted such fresh and delicious fruit.

Your choice of human tribute is quite good. Xu Xuan never fights a battle unprepared.

After making a one-year agreement with the white-haired monkey at the Yuwang Palace, he immediately sent a message back to the Qiantang headquarters through the special channels of Baoan Hall.

There's only one request: immediately, right now, gather a batch of the best-looking and most spiritually potent peaches and send them over!

Although early spring is not the normal time for peach trees to bear fruit, how could a cultivator not have some heaven-defying methods to ripen them?
Let alone off-season fruits, even getting a cycad to bloom on the spot is a piece of cake.

Xu Xuan knew very well that even within his seemingly secluded Pure Land sect's main mountain, there was a specially established "Four Seasons Spiritual Fruit Garden" blessed by Buddhist teachings.

The melons, fruits, pears, and peaches planted there ripen in turn throughout the year, and the best-looking and most spiritually potent ones are specially selected as tributes to the Buddha of the Western Paradise for him to enjoy.

Getting some out-of-season peaches is not a difficult task for the large and well-off Baoantang.

Furthermore, the letter also emphasized that any cultivators in the hall who are skilled in wood-based magic or have connections should immediately set off for the more southern regions to find a way to transplant some bananas over!
It's important to understand that in this era, bananas were not yet widely cultivated in the Kyushu region. They were mainly grown in the Sindhu area, with the closest region to the Central Plains being the Nanyue region.

According to records, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the King of Nanyue presented bananas to the court as a rare tribute, which were then called "sweet bananas".

Its unique shape, "resembling a tree from a distance, with the largest specimens having a circumference of more than one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters), leaves up to one or seven or eight chi (approximately 3.3-4.3 meters) long and about one to two chi (approximately 3.3-4.3 meters) wide, and flowers as large as wine cups, with shapes and colors like hibiscus," made it a truly rare and precious thing in the eyes of the people of the Central Plains.

Xu Xuan's actions were meticulously planned and deeply thoughtful.

He knew that the monkey had been imprisoned under the Huai River for thousands of years, and its mouth must have long been so bland that it would have no resistance to these sweet, juicy, and especially rare temperate fruits.

He intended to use these sugar-coated bullets—no, I mean, delicious food and "sincerity"—to build a closer relationship with the monkeys, laying the foundation for subsequent "inquiries" and even longer-term "geographical cooperation."

The white-haired monkey was incredibly clever; it could naturally see that Xu Xuan's "good intentions" were not without hidden ulterior motives.

However, the ancient demons acted according to their own set of tyrannical logic.

Eat what you want, grab what you want, and fight without hesitation when necessary. You will never compromise your appetite for the sake of so-called social niceties.

Whatever your motives, let's eat first! This is a freebie delivered right to our doorstep, why not take it?
And so, a rather bizarre scene unfolded on the banks of the Huai River: the monkey that had just been shouting and threatening with demonic energy was now holding a top-quality spiritual peach that was bigger than its face, and was eating it with great relish.

"Click, click, click..."

The crisp sounds of munching filled the air, and the rich aroma of peaches mingled with the fragrance of nature.

As soon as the monkey finished eating one peach and casually tossed the pit aside, Xu Xuan, as if he had been expecting it, immediately took out another large peach from the jade pot, which was of equally excellent quality and even more spiritually potent, and handed it over with a smile.

The monkey didn't hold back, grabbing it and continuing to "snap, snap..."

The stone king standing nearby stared in disbelief. Was this a massive feeding frenzy?

"Speak, what do you want?" The monkey finished its third peach and licked its fingers with a lingering sense of satisfaction.

Although it doesn't have complex human thoughts like "owing favors," it's happy to do something if it's enjoying its meal.

This is the straightforward logic of ancient demons, or rather, their greater animalistic nature.

Xu Xuan then recounted in detail the strange phenomenon of the poppy field at the ancient battlefield of Gaixia.

Upon hearing this, the monkey's golden pupils flickered slightly, and it used its supernatural powers to casually glance in the direction of Xiaoxian County.

Ok?
It seemed to have discovered something interesting, and after taking a closer look, it appeared quite surprised.

"Huh? That's interesting."

He raised his hand and made a grasping motion toward the rushing Huai River, as if seizing a wisp of water vapor containing information about the local changes over thousands of years from the invisible river of history, and put it directly into his mouth, smacking his lips a few times.

Soon, the long-forgotten past of that land came to light.

"I see." The monkey suddenly realized, his tone carrying a hint of amusement. "It's the revival of the human spirit, using the body of that poppy to gain spiritual form."

Xu Xuan was even more puzzled upon hearing this: "If the essence of the soul is taking form through the demonic flower, why can't I sense any signs of the gathering of spiritual energy in the world?"

Such a heaven-defying act must require a massive amount of spiritual energy, and it is impossible for it to be completely unaffected.

"Who told you that you have to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to transform into human form?" The monkey curled its lip, looking at him with an expression that said, "You human brat, you're so ignorant."

"What it absorbs is not spiritual energy at all, but the accumulated murderous aura of hundreds of thousands of elite human soldiers who have been buried underground for thousands of years, as well as endless death energy, resentment, and malevolence! There is as much of that stuff as there is in that area!"

Xu Xuan frowned again: "Even if it is baleful energy and death energy that is being absorbed, I should not be completely unaware of such a massive accumulation of energy."

"Because this 'little flower' has quietly absorbed all the nutrients over hundreds of years!"

The monkey explained, his tone even carrying a barely perceptible hint of "appreciation."

"It is very clever, acting slowly and steadily, like a gentle stream nourishing the earth. Its manifestation now is merely the final, natural step, with its energy contained within, making it difficult to detect using ordinary methods."

Wuzhiqi had seen all sorts of spirits and monsters take human form and demons emerge in ancient times, but this kind of thing, which relied on the evil energy of the ancient battlefield and took hundreds of years to quietly brew, was rare.

"Interesting... People in the human world these days are even taking transformation to such a fancy level?"

"I wonder if it can withstand one of my blows."

It scratched the fur on its chin, feeling that this era seemed to have something special about it compared to when it was suppressed, though it couldn't tell whether it was good or bad yet.

Xu Xuan's heart sank.

Those who rely on the malevolent energy and resentment of ancient battlefields to take human form are definitely not righteous demons.

The process will inevitably be extremely dangerous, and when it succeeds, it will trigger far more than just extraordinary celestial phenomena.

At that time, Xiaoxian County and even the surrounding areas will likely be affected.

"We must make plans early."

(End of this chapter)