Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 991 Developing Strongholds
They left the Prince's Palace.

The cries of vendors lining the streets, the laughter of children, the rumble of wheels rolling on the pavement… all these sounds of everyday life rushed towards Xu Xuan, pulling him out of the eerie and oppressive atmosphere of the Prince's mansion.

There was no anger in my heart, but rather a faint sense of peace, like a boulder being lifted to the ground.

He gently exhaled a breath of stale air, expelling the medicinal smell, the scent of talismans, and the faint, scorching, and decaying aura that clung to his body.

In the meantime, I also cleansed my entire body with Pure Land Buddhism, Zen Buddhist teachings, and the Ksitigarbha Dharma.

The white lotus Dharma form trembled 36,000 times, not even sparing the inner realm of the Divine Court.

Only after completing all these procedures can one feel at ease, lest one unknowingly be tainted by bad luck.

Tsk tsk, I knew it. We're almost at the heart of humanity, it can't just be some ghosts and monsters; man-made disasters are bound to happen eventually.

As expected, they've gotten entangled with the Sima family again.

It seems that this loyal King Liang is quite a character; what he does in private is definitely not a good thing.

The water was deeper than expected.

However, the way it was triggered was too dangerous, and I couldn't control it for a moment.

The almost absurd blunder nearly caused a major disaster for both Xu Xuan and the King of Liang.

Amidst the chaos, which bordered on irrationality, the "White Lotus Saint Father," accustomed to manipulating and bearing the consequences of cause and effect, suddenly had an epiphany.

"The retribution for good and evil follows like a shadow; the cause and effect of three lifetimes cycle without fail."

The meaning of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra flows gently through the soul, and the sparks of wisdom are burning fiercely after the resources have been gathered.

He could even sense that as he approached Luoyang, his causal blazing sun would eventually encounter a suitable opportunity to erupt, and the number of various forces and living beings involved would be unpredictable.

Did the Dragon Lord see this scene, which is why he sent me to burn my tail and leap over the Dragon Gate in the Yellow River first, and then find Wuzhiqi to temper myself?

Having come this far, I am no longer afraid.

We'll see then whether the turmoil in Luoyang proves dangerous, or whether my iron fist is more lethal.

However, to be fair, Prince Liang may look young, but he actually harbors the treacherous nature of mountains and rivers.

The chain reaction triggered by his casual "invitation" was something no one could have predicted. This was no longer foolishness, but rather an almost instinctive "talent."

Actively triggering the White Lotus karmic connection—this kind of boldness surpasses 99% of the ruthless people in the world.

Hopefully he'll eat well during this time.

Xu Xuan's lips curled into a faint smile. Given the Liang King's last gesture, which concealed his anger, this prince's "good fortune" was unlikely to be so easy to swallow.

Then he took Shi Wang straight to Linji Temple. Since they had already met, they decided to go and register him there.

Abbot Huiren's warm invitation was still ringing in my ears, so there was no reason not to accept such a place to stay, and it would save me some money on inn room rates.

Although he is now quite wealthy, he should still be frugal and spend money where appropriate.

Moreover, as a famous Zen Buddhist temple, Linji Temple is a perfect opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the movements of Buddhism in the north, and perhaps even hear some rumors about the Liang Prince's Mansion and Luoyang.

Of course, there are also reasons why it's inconvenient for me to just leave immediately.

Having just experienced such an incident at the Prince's residence, if he were to immediately flee after finishing his diagnosis, it would inevitably appear as if he were acting guilty, thus arousing suspicion within the Prince's residence.

It would be better to stay openly within the territory of Liang Kingdom and reside in Linji Temple, which has ties with the royal palace. This would make one appear upright, honest, and selfless.

The two remained silent and went straight out of Suiyang City.

"Young master, should I find a place outside the city...?"

At this moment, the Stone King spoke a sentence in a low voice.

He didn't enter the palace just now, but waited outside. Although he had concealed most of his demonic energy, he was still a true third-realm demon king in essence.

Entering the city is no problem, as long as you don't reveal your true form or release any magic, you can just act like an ordinary human.

However, no matter how well the immense demonic energy honed by time is concealed, it cannot completely escape the carefully arranged detection arrays within the Prince's Palace. Forcing a follow would only expose them prematurely and create unnecessary complications.

The same applies to Linji Temple.

Buddhist temples are pure and sacred places, with thriving incense offerings. They are blessed by Buddhist teachings and are therefore more sensitive to evil spirits.

With his presence, it would be difficult for him to go unnoticed.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan waved his hand dismissively.

“No need. As the former Demon King of Dongting, you have abandoned darkness and turned to the light. Now you are the guardian of Jinshan Temple. You are upright and honorable. Why should you hide anything?” His tone was calm, but it carried an undeniable certainty. “You can come with me and show off your power.”

Stone King was slightly taken aback, a flicker of emotion flashing in his stone-like eyes.

Xu Xuan's lips curled up slightly, and he said smugly, "Everyone says that our Zen Master Fahai is famous throughout the world, but when we come to someone else's territory, we can't just break down the mountain gate to prove that we are really powerful, can we?"

"Then, converting a demon king of the third realm to serve as a protector as proof will definitely be an outstanding effect."

It should be noted that even the abbot of Linji Temple, Master Huiren, was only at the peak of the second realm.

The Stone King is at the third realm against the second realm; this is a genuine suppression of realm power.

A Zen master who can make the demon kings of the three realms willingly follow him as a protector must have profound Buddhist cultivation and demon-subduing skills.

“In this way,” Xu Xuan said, walking forward with his hands behind his back, his voice returning to its usual calm, “our words carry much more weight without sounding aggressive, just right.”

He had a clear plan in mind: his primary task upon arriving at Linji Temple was to establish connections within the Buddhist community in the north, gauge the prevailing atmosphere, and understand the subtle relationships between different factions. The Liang Prince's residence was a murky place; having more internal information channels within Buddhism would always be beneficial.

Secondly, we need to take advantage of the Northern Buddhist sect's access to information to find out about the recent activities of the Illusionary Transformation Sect.

Incidentally, we should also find out if the White Lotus Sect has been causing trouble in the north recently. Knowing ourselves and our enemy is the key to dealing with them calmly.

“Of course,” Xu Xuan said, his tone becoming more relaxed as if he had remembered something. “If the opportunity is right, and there is time and place, we might as well preach the Dharma and spread the teachings. After all, Jinshan Temple is inclusive and has some unique aspects in the transmission of the three orthodox Dharmas. We can exchange and verify these with fellow practitioners in the North.”

Shi Wang nodded. Since Linji Temple dared to invite the young master over, they should be prepared to face the storms.

It's possible that the first Buddhist stronghold in the North will soon appear.

Meanwhile, in the Liang Prince's mansion, dusk was falling and the lanterns were being lit.

Inside the study, the fragrance of sandalwood wafted, yet it couldn't dispel the stagnant atmosphere. King Liang dismissed his attendants, leaving only his "good son," who stood with his hands at his sides, his face showing a mixture of pride and bewilderment.

The prince first "rewarded" him with a few fruits, which were strangely shaped fruits that were tributes from foreign lands.

Only after the prince had finished his meal happily did the Prince of Liang pick up his teacup, gently stirring the floating leaves with the lid, his tone unexpectedly gentle.

"Lian'er, now tell your father properly how you became entangled with that Scholar Xu... tell him the whole story, without omitting a single word."

He asked detailed questions, from their first encounter at the city gate, to traveling together in a carriage, and then to everything that happened in front of the Prince's mansion.

The prince dared not conceal anything and recounted the process haltingly, inevitably embellishing it to highlight his "discerning eye" and "respect for talent."

King Liang listened quietly, his face revealing neither joy nor anger. Only after the crown prince finished speaking did he put down his teacup, his gaze sharp and fixed on his son's face, as he asked the crucial question that had been lingering for so long:
"But what did someone say to you? What hint did they give you? Or... what guidance did they offer?"

The voice remained steady, yet carried a faint, almost imperceptible hint of hope.

He still felt that someone was secretly plotting against him, trying to use the child to carry out some underhanded tactics at such a crucial time.

As a father, a sliver of hope still lingered in my heart.

Hopefully, this kid isn't stupid enough to act on his own; even if he's being used, it's better than him being purely clever.

Emotions are a double-edged sword; no one can escape them.

No matter how heroic or ruthless you are, once your blood relatives are involved, it's hard for you to be as hard as iron.

Throughout history, both in China and abroad, countless great figures who could have left their mark on history have fallen because of their children, their illustrious reputations ruined in an instant.

Even in those film and television works, there are repeated melodramatic plots where the son of a cold-blooded villain causes trouble everywhere until he offends the protagonist and triggers the plot, or the daughter falls in love with a righteous young hero and then turns against him.

Were the villains not wise enough? Were they not resourceful enough?

No, many times, it's simply that we can't bring ourselves to kill our own bloodline, and we just hold onto a sliver of hope that "maybe he's not so bad."

Feelings are often just that irrational.

Even someone as powerful as Bai Suzhen, who had cultivated for a thousand years and possessed great supernatural abilities, still tried her best and used countless methods to sever that ties of love, but in the end, she still couldn't completely cut them off.
Even the King of Liang could not escape the common practice.

However, the Crown Prince's "excellence" always exceeded ordinary people's imagination.

Faced with his father's question, which held a hint of expectation, he was initially bewildered, but then a proud expression appeared on his face as he stiffened his neck and said, "Father! Who would tell me anything! Do I need anyone to remind me of such a trivial matter?"

The more he talked, the more convinced he became of his own reasoning, as if he had truly become an infallible strategist.

Looking at his eager-for-praise demeanor, completely unaware of the terrible trouble he had caused, King Liang was speechless for a moment, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness and absurdity welling up in his heart.

If this world didn't have various methods like blood kinship testing, bloodline tracing, and even observing aura and destiny to definitively confirm whether someone is a biological child... it would be hard not to doubt this child.

"Okay, good boy."

He slowly walked up to the prince and looked down at him: "Since my son is so 'intelligent,' then tell me, what did Master Huiren and Xu Xuan say to each other at the gate of the Prince's Palace? Recite it clearly to your father, word by word."

Although the prince felt that his father's tone was a bit strange, when he heard the words "good boy" and was asked about what he had witnessed, his spirits lifted, and he felt that another opportunity to show off had come.

He tried hard to recall how Master Huiren was shocked, how he addressed Xu Xuan as "Zen Master Fahai", how the two met with Buddhist etiquette, discussed Buddhist teachings, and how Master Huiren warmly invited Xu Xuan to Linji Temple. He managed to recount most of the details.

As the crown prince recounted his story, the last trace of warmth on King Liang's face gradually faded.

He learned of Xu Xuan's third identity.

He was not only a scholar, not only a divine physician, but also a monk of the Pure Land School.

Headache.

This news has further complicated the situation.

A renowned scholar and physician might offer some room for maneuver, but adding a Zen master with a powerful background...

This makes it even more difficult to take action against them or to win them over.

To provoke him would mean simultaneously provoking the literary world, the medical world, and the Buddhist world, especially the Pure Land School.

Even if we could forcibly take it over with the power of the Prince's Mansion, the price we would have to pay would be too high, and it would be a losing proposition.

King Liang knew that the Pure Land School had a very good reputation at the moment, especially its promotion of the method that "one can be reborn in the Pure Land by reciting the Buddha's name." This method was simple, easy to implement, and had a large market. It was very popular among the inner families of many powerful figures.

Of course, the Pure Land School itself is also very powerful. If it weren't for the White Lotus Sect incident, its reputation would be even higher.

Now it has gained a certain level of "fame," albeit a somewhat negative one.

Just as King Liang was weighing the pros and cons, the Crown Prince of Liang, seeing his father remain silent for so long, leaned closer again, his voice low and menacing, and said:
(End of this chapter)