Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 992 is no easy task
"Father, how skilled is this Xu doctor? Uncle Li's apprentice... if he can't cure him, then he's just all talk and no action..."

A glint of resentment flashed in his eyes, as if he could already see the scene of revenge:
"If that doesn't work, then I'll teach him a lesson! I'll make sure it's done cleanly and efficiently, so he knows who's in charge here in Liang Kingdom!"

He had barely finished speaking—

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
Three crisp, loud slaps rang out in the study like firecrackers!

This time, the Prince of Liang personally struck, and the force was so great that the Crown Prince saw stars, staggered back several steps, and fell to the ground with a thud. Half of his cheek swelled up at a visible speed, and a trace of blood even seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"This is the good fruit you deserve!"

After those three resounding slaps, the resentment in his chest did not dissipate; instead, it burned even more intensely.

Staring at her son, who was slumped on the ground, covering his face and wailing, she felt a surge of powerlessness.

Where's your brain?!
He spoke to the eminent monks of Linji Temple on equal terms with them right in front of you, openly acknowledging his status as a Pure Land monk!

With such a conspicuous sign, you still think about revenge? And you don't even have any plan for revenge?

This isn't just stupid, it's downright suicide!

How could Buddhism, a foreign religion, have taken root and spread in this land of China, and even have such a prominent position today, if it was all due to hype?

That was earned step by step through countless dynastic changes, collisions and integrations with local traditions, and solid foundations, supernatural powers and influence!
The intricate network of relationships behind it is so powerful that a single move could have far-reaching consequences. How could a mere prince like you easily provoke such a thing?
Thinking of this, King Liang's last bit of patience was exhausted.

He stopped looking at his good-for-nothing son on the ground and shouted in a deep voice towards the door, "Someone come here!"

Two trusted guards immediately responded and entered.

"Take the Crown Prince away," the Prince of Liang's voice was as cold and hard as iron. "Lock him in a quiet room in the back garden. Without my order, no one is allowed to visit him, and he is not permitted to take a single step out!"

The so-called "Quiet Room in the Back Garden" was actually a small, dark room in the Prince's Mansion, located in a remote area and simply furnished, used specifically to punish the sons who had committed serious offenses.

The Prince of Liang, who was still wailing and struggling, was dragged away without any mercy.

King Liang then issued another strict order: as long as Xu Xuan remains in Liang, this fool will not be released.

He figured that the other party also had to participate in the imperial examination, and with such a tight schedule, they wouldn't be able to stay in Liang for more than a few days.

Let's just hope that nothing else goes wrong in this short period of time. Let's all get through these few days in this tacit understanding, and keep things peaceful. That's the best we can do.

However, King Liang's good intentions clearly could not be conveyed to the "brave warrior" in the dark room.

In that dark, damp room, where only a small window let in a sliver of light, Prince Liang curled up on the cold bed, the pain on his face and the humiliation in his heart intertwined, turning into a burning resentment.

He couldn't understand his father's "far-sighted plans" at all, and only felt that he had suffered a great injustice.

"Xu Xuan! It's all your fault! I will never let you get away with this!"

Within his understanding, the root of all this, all the humiliation and solitary confinement, was because of Xu Xuan's appearance.

If it weren't for Xu Xuan, how could he have been beaten? If it weren't for Xu Xuan, how could he have been locked up in this godforsaken place?
The logic is simple and direct: every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor!
The many arrangements in the Prince's Mansion can block evil spirits and suppress the earth's veins, but the calamity energy is formless and invisible, and even those with great supernatural powers cannot resist it.

Therefore, the Crown Prince of Liang will never admit defeat!
While undercurrents were swirling in the Liang Kingdom, Xu Xuan was staying at the Linji Temple, and the Liang Crown Prince was writhing in a dark room in a fit of impotence and rage. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away at West Lake, a completely different scene was unfolding.

Amidst the misty rain, one can listen to the rain from a painted boat.

Xiaoqing has returned to this familiar water town in Jiangnan.

The first thing she did was to find her sister, Bai Suzhen, and apologize.

After dismissing the guards, only the two sisters remained in the large inner room. The once imposing and domineering Little Green King had instantly transformed into a completely different person.

Clutching at Bai Suzhen's sleeve and shaking her, her bright eyes instantly welled up with tears. She used all sorts of tricks, such as "Sister, I was wrong," "I'll never do it again," and "Sister, please don't be angry."

Completely forgetting that he was already a dominant force, he truly threw all sense of shame to the winds.

From liking to put on a serious face and act like a mature adult in the past, to now shamelessly acting childish and pitiful, I wonder which scoundrel he learned this transformation from.

But... the effect is indeed good.

Bai Suzhen sat upright on the cloud bed, originally determined to give her a good scolding to her audacious younger sister, but seeing her like this, her usually cold and aloof face finally couldn't hold back anymore.

A hint of helplessness flashed deep in his eyes, mixed with a touch of indulgence.

Her true nature was gentle and affectionate, and despite Xiaoqing's persistent pleading, she still softened and sighed softly: "Alright, let's let this go this time. In the future, you must think twice before acting. As the Water Lord, you must not rashly draw water from the Three Lakes' veins and cause turmoil again."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoqing immediately stopped crying and started laughing.

Then Bai Suzhen changed the subject and asked, "What kind of enemies did you encounter when you went to the north to assist Hanwen this time?"

Faced with this question, Xiaoqing's eyes darted around, a mixture of nervousness and a hint of pride, as if she were showing off a treasure.

He retrieved the most "precious" find from his personal storage treasure.

As soon as it appeared, the surrounding air began to distort. If Bai Suzhen hadn't immediately set up a barrier, the entire inner chamber would probably have been set ablaze.

"Sunfire Divine Light?!"

Bai Suzhen recognized the object at a glance and exclaimed in disbelief. With a wave of her hand, the golden-red light fell into her palm, and she felt the violent power contained within it, enough to burn mountains and boil seas.

Then, his expression suddenly turned stern, his gaze shooting like lightning towards Xiaoqing, and he demanded, "Where did you come from?!"

Xiaoqing shrank her neck and whispered her origins.

When Bai Suzhen heard that this wisp of divine sunlight did not come from any blessed land or grotto, but was a remnant of a terrifying attack that had been forcefully withstood deep within the underworld, she was overjoyed.
Her expression instantly became extremely subtle. Her usually calm and beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, flashing with a cold light, as if piercing through endless space to see the figure of a shameless man.

Her delicate hand clenched into a fist, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force. The surrounding void seemed to distort slightly from the invisible rage, emitting a faint, strained sound.

So that's where the sudden and violent upheaval of the Three Lakes' water system originated!
Bai Suzhen looked at her younger sister, who was still trying to deceive her, and sighed softly, her tone tinged with helplessness:

"Xiao Qing, you are already a five-hundred-year-old adult snake."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the faint divine light emanating from Xiaoqing, a light belonging to the Water Lord of Jiangnan.

"Moreover, now that I am the Water Lord of Jiangnan and in charge of the water veins of three regions, I should also shoulder more responsibility."

Xiaoqing had been following Xu Xuan for a long time and had already figured things out. Upon hearing this opening line, she immediately sensed something was wrong and turned to transform into a blue rainbow and escape.

However, a massive white hand formed from pure magical power descended, blotting out the sky!

Despite her greatly improved cultivation as the Water Goddess of Jiangnan, and the fact that her supernatural abilities were now far beyond what they used to be, she was still like a small snake being held by its vital spot by that giant hand containing her sister's supreme magical power, unable to move.

Then, white clouds sped across the sky, tearing through the heavens and heading straight for Poyang Lake.

Amidst the white clouds, a faint blue snake could be seen struggling, but it was as futile as an ant trying to shake a tree.

Only Xiaoqing's exasperated voice echoed in the clouds:

"Sister! I was wrong! I was really wrong... wrong...!"

"I'm someone of importance, after all. With so many aquatic creatures watching, can't I at least fly over myself...?"

No matter how eloquent or charming she usually was, it all proved ineffective in the face of Bai Suzhen's absolute cultivation suppression and elder sister's authority.

And so we were carried along, traversing a small part of Jiangnan, until the vast and misty Poyang Lake appeared below.

On Songmen Mountain, the stars shine brightly tonight, as if the Milky Way has fallen from the heavens and gathered here.

Bai Suzhen set up a mysterious magic array here, drawing upon the celestial power and the vast water vapor of Poyang Lake.

He then unceremoniously tossed the green snake he was carrying into the core of the formation, his voice cold and unyielding:
"Stay here on the island and cultivate diligently, calmly managing the water veins. When you have completely smoothed out the water veins of the three lakes that you have stirred up, you can break free from the seal."

After saying that, she turned and glanced to the north.

Tired.

One or two of them are both a cause for concern.

A thought even popped into his mind: he really wanted to lock that Xu guy up in Leifeng Pagoda as well and set up a restriction on him.

When Leifeng Pagoda collapses and West Lake dries up, then we'll release that jinx.

Presumably, accomplishing such a great task would be enough for her to instantly become a Golden Immortal of Merit, right?
Shaking her head to dismiss this somewhat unrealistic idea, Bai Suzhen transformed into a beam of pure white light and returned to West Lake.

That day, the Fire God's Light was no ordinary spiritual object; the power of its annihilation and afterglow following the fall of the great sun was difficult to grasp.

She dared not act rashly and could only go back and carefully peruse her sect's classic texts to find clues.

I vaguely remember that in an ancient jade slip, there was a method that specifically described how to collect and refine the core essence left behind after a star falls, in order to refine an unparalleled magic weapon.

The essence of that day's fire god's light was also a convergence of the power of stars and the sun; perhaps we can find some lessons to learn from it.

As Songmenshan watched her sister turn into white light and disappear into the horizon, Xiaoqing nimbly flipped over and stood up, nonchalantly brushing off the grass clippings and dust that clung to her dress.

Her pitiful expression vanished instantly. She raised her chin slightly, a sly smile playing on her lips, and muttered to herself:
"Hmph! Everything is exactly as I expected."

It was as if being dragged over and locked up by her sister was part of the plan all along.

Immediately, a wisp of azure divine light condensed at his fingertips, outlining a simple communication talisman in mid-air, which he then flicked lightly.

A moment later, Yu Bai rode the waves and brought the slightly tired Li to this place.

Xiaoqing put on a bright and cheerful smile.

"Li, I'm counting on you to provide the hydrological map of Poyang Lake and the geothermal data for the surrounding water systems!"

Li is exhausted.

Although I genuinely love exploring mountains and rivers and consider recording these patterns of nature my lifelong pursuit, isn't this workload a bit too much?

The water system of Dongting Lake that was sorted out before the New Year still has many, many subtle waterways that have not been sorted out. The finishing work has not yet been completed, and the pile of drawings on his desk is almost burying him.

Do we need to deal with the even more vast and complex Poyang Lake right now?
Even cattle and horses need to catch their breath!

(End of this chapter)