Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 988 Straight to the Bottom
With a creak, the wooden door opened.

The scene inside the room came into view; the light was dim, and the air was filled with a faint smell of medicine and an indescribable stench of decay.

There are two people inside the house.

One was sitting, and the other was probably lying down.

What first attracted Xu Xuanling's attention was not the person sitting there, but the aura emanating from behind the screen deep inside the room.

The screen in the middle, which blocks the view, is densely covered with various talismans drawn in cinnabar, layer upon layer.

Even with the Father's level of spiritual perception, he could only vaguely sense an "existence" behind the screen. Its specific form and aura were extremely blurry, as if separated by a thick fog.

However, the unsettling atmosphere that could be felt outside the door had become extremely strong inside the room, enveloping the entire space.

To describe this feeling, it's like being in a room with some extremely distorted object, instinctively making you feel repulsed and wanting to get away from this place of trouble immediately.

Instinctively warning you, if you stay in this place for too long without special protection, you will either feel restless and uneasy, or even lose your mind. It is definitely a sign of impending doom.

After quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Xu Xuan turned his gaze to another person in the room.

The old man sitting there.

This person is by no means an ordinary individual.

Seated firmly in a heavy rosewood armchair, with his back straight and not leaning back completely, he exudes an air of profound composure and dignified presence simply by sitting like this.

He was dressed in a black robe with a bat pattern, made of expensive fabric and with exquisite workmanship, but it did not appear overly ostentatious.

Her silver hair was combed meticulously and secured with a simple jade hairpin, simple yet dignified.

His face was ruddy, showing little sign of age, and his long beard was well-trimmed, flowing down his chest.

His eyes still faintly revealed the sharpness of his youth, carrying a hint of the fierceness of someone who had experienced battles. However, the slightly upturned corners of his mouth and his deep, ancient eyes contained more of the imposing and dignified demeanor cultivated from long years in a position of power.

His appearance and demeanor were already extraordinary, but in Xu Xuan's spiritual perception, this person's fortune was even more remarkable.

A pure and thick purple beam of light shot into the sky, its nobility beyond description. It was also faintly connected to the energy veins of the Liang Kingdom beneath its feet, clearly indicating that it was deeply favored by the people of this place.

Xu Xuan tried to see more deeply, but found that much of the information was obscured by a gentle yet resilient force, making it difficult to discern.

Clearly, they possess powerful spiritual objects or secret techniques to shield themselves from divine secrets and protect themselves.

However, the fact that one can effectively shield key information from this Holy Father speaks volumes in itself.

Either the treasure is extraordinary, or the person's cultivation level or destiny is special, making them anything but ordinary.

Could it be... the Prince of Liang himself?
It doesn't seem like it, but he must have been a key figure in the Prince's mansion, second only to the Prince of Liang.

The thought flashed through Xu Xuan's mind, but then he felt it was somewhat absurd.

Why did the boss in the Liang Kingdom instance appear right at the start? That's incredibly impatient!
Moreover, they directly led me to a secluded place that clearly harbored a great secret and was likely the site of some kind of conspiracy.
Even if you really want to recruit me, shouldn't you first hold a banquet, discuss the terms, and test my stance and capabilities?
Who reveals their hand right away like that?
Based on Xu Xuan's current understanding, the only possibility he could think of was that the other party wanted to recruit him.

After all, his public identities as "Zen Master Fahai" and "Divine Physician" are indeed worth winning over.

Therefore, Xu Xuan's assessment of the Liang Prince's Mansion's actions was: "Overwhelmingly domineering... no, overwhelmingly domineering!"

It was completely chaotic, revealing a restless eagerness to achieve quick results.

However, he felt that something was not quite right, as if he had missed some crucial information.

At that moment, the old man sitting upright in the room also suddenly became serious, his heart filled with doubt and uncertainty.

He looked at the unfamiliar young man in front of him, slowly stood up from the armchair, and didn't say anything for a moment.

It was completely unexpected that an outsider could bypass the layers of guards in the Prince's mansion and be brought directly to this secluded courtyard that even many of his confidants did not know about!
According to the prince's strict orders, no one is allowed to approach this place without his personal permission.

So, at that moment, I was a little at a loss.

He quickly pondered: Could it be... that some extraordinary person that the prince had secretly recruited was invited here by chance?
But... I haven't heard anyone below report that there is such a young expert.

Furthermore, even a newly recruited expert would never be allowed to immediately contact "that being" behind the screen!
This matter is of great importance, and may even involve...

In a flash, their eyes met in mid-air, and they both saw a hint of surprise, scrutiny, and a sudden rise of vigilance in each other's eyes.

broken!

wrong!

Xu Xuan and the other man felt a sudden jolt in their hearts almost simultaneously. They both realized that this unexpected meeting was probably not the intention or arrangement of either party, but rather stemmed from a serious misunderstanding or...

The situation instantly became delicate and dangerous.

Following behind, Prince Liang, who was a step late in entering the house due to tension and fear, was startled to see that the person sitting inside was not the one he expected. However, upon recognizing the other person's face, he relaxed, his face instantly plastered with an eager, even somewhat obsequious, smile, and he called out loudly:

"Uncle Li! What are you doing here? It's so wonderful!"

It turned out that the distinguished old man in front of them was not the King of Liang, but a high-ranking retainer in the royal palace, and a confidant of the King of Liang, known as Li Gongfeng.

The reason why Prince Liang went to great lengths to invite Xu Xuan over was not primarily because of the person behind the screen, but rather because he wanted to take the opportunity to befriend Uncle Li, who held considerable influence in front of his father.

Before the New Year, he learned by chance that Li Gongfeng's disciple, whom he regarded as his own son and who was extremely talented, was seriously injured and it seemed that even the most famous doctors could not cure him.

He then had an idea, thinking that this was a perfect opportunity to please the other party and gain favor with his father.

However, if the King wanted to invite any physician with a bit of reputation in the Central Plains, he could easily do so; there was no need for him to curry favor.

We can only rely on luck to see if we can intercept those renowned doctors from other places who haven't yet received any attention from our father.

Xu Xuan, this "miracle doctor" from Jiangnan, just happened to run into his line of fire.

"Uncle, you've come at the perfect time!" The prince stepped forward excitedly and began to recount his "achievements" and "difficulties."

How did they discover the extraordinary doctor Xu with their discerning eye? How did they humbly and personally invite him? How did they overcome the difficulties to bring him here?

He hoped to use this opportunity to subtly convey his filial piety and abilities to his father.

He even shamelessly added, "I'm doing all this mainly to share the burdens of Father and Uncle!"

However, faced with this "heartfelt" praise, Li Gongfeng's face was gloomy and he remained silent. His hands, hidden in his sleeves, unconsciously clenched into fists, and his knuckles turned white.

My heart was already in turmoil, a tempest of thunder and lightning.

In fact, from the moment Liang Wang's foolish son appeared at the door, he knew where the trouble had gone wrong.

It's probably because this fool saw his disciple's miserable state a while ago and thought he was clever enough to invite a famous doctor to curry favor and show off.

To be honest, the prince in front of us is the son of the prince's legal wife, and his maternal family has a powerful background. As long as he doesn't make any major mistakes, there's no need to worry about any competition for the heirship.

I don't know where I read the story, but I started to work hard.

As a result, he made a series of foolish mistakes, and this time he even brought it to his own doorstep.

...To be honest, at this moment, Li Gongfeng genuinely wanted King Liang to consider changing his son.

How could a person be so outrageously stupid?!

They actually led outsiders directly to this top-secret place that concerns the Prince's Mansion and even greater secrets!
The shady dealings that the Prince and I did in this backyard... how could we be so blatant about them?!
Are they still out there making a big show of searching for a miracle doctor?
Moreover... it's only because you, idiot, are the prince's own son that you can move freely without any obstacles! If it were anyone else in the prince's mansion, let alone bringing anyone in, they would be captured by the guards as soon as they got within a hundred paces of this courtyard!

I fucking... fucking...

A deep sense of powerlessness welled up in Li Gongfeng's heart. He even began to wonder if he had taken the wrong medicine when he helped the princess with her pregnancy.

Otherwise, how could such a useless and utterly incompetent thing have been born?!
Now that things have come to this point, and the person is right in front of us, what should we do next?
Should we immediately eliminate this young doctor... to prevent future problems? Or...?

Just as Li Gongfeng was in a state of confusion and harboring murderous intent, Xu Xuan, who was standing to the side, was also somewhat bewildered, but then suddenly realized what was going on.

So... all that going around in circles and making such a big fuss was really just this kid acting on his own?!

It wasn't a scheme by the King of Liang or any mastermind behind the scenes at all.

Recalling the seemingly respectful but actually arrogant words this guy uttered when he stopped him at the city gate:

"My father, the Prince of Liang, requests that you come to his residence for a chat."

Xu Xuan finally realized what was going on, and a feeling of utter absurdity washed over him.

That short sentence should have a period in the middle!
"My father is the King of Liang." — That's correct; it's a statement of fact.

"Please come to my residence for a chat." — That's correct; it was his request.

However, these two sentences together do not mean "King Liang invites you to his residence for a chat" at all!
Excellent, excellent, what a fine Prince Liang!

(End of this chapter)