Chapter 126: Etiquette
By the time Qin Mu woke up, it was already afternoon. The young man was about to go to the courtyard to draw water and wash up. As soon as he stepped out of his room, he saw a dozen sword cases standing neatly arranged in the yard. Besides the sword cases, there was also a pile of jade pendants, hairpins, jewelry, and other trinkets.
Qin Mu was puzzled when he heard a voice from outside the door, speaking apologetically: "Is this the Fox Immortal sister? I'm here on behalf of my young lady to redeem her belongings. You see..."
Fox Ling'er's voice came through: "Not enough money. Your young lady's sword case, hairpins, and bracelets are no ordinary items. This amount of Dafeng coins won't do."
"What is Ling'er up to?"
Qin Mu was confused. He was still groggy and hadn't washed up yet, so it wasn't convenient to go out. He fetched water to wash his face. The voice outside the door spoke cautiously and apologetically: "My young lady only gave me this bag of money. There really isn't any more. Please, Fox Immortal sister, be accommodating. The sword case is the academy's standard-issue sword, and the hairpins and bracelets were given by the young lady's elders..."
"Alright, wait a moment."
The door opened, and Qin Mu saw Fox Ling'er dart in, with a bag of money floating behind her. The white fox performed a spell, and a whirlwind swept up a sword case and a few ornaments, carrying them out excitedly to hand over to the person outside.
That person expressed gratitude, thanked her, and left.
Qin Mu finished washing his face and was brushing his teeth with a wooden toothbrush when he saw the little white fox run back in. She finally noticed him and said, both surprised and delighted: "Young master, you're awake! Young master, we have money now!" With that, she opened the door to the west room. Qin Mu looked inside and saw over twenty money bags piled on the floor.
Fox Ling'er opened the money bags, and Dafeng coins spilled out, covering the ground.
Qin Mu was dumbfounded, unable to speak for a long time.
Fox Ling'er said smugly: "Young master defeated those scholars. They didn't have the face to come and redeem their things themselves, so they had their servants come. We've made a tidy profit!"
Qin Mu rinsed his mouth and spat out a mouthful of stale air, shaking his head: "Ling'er, this isn't quite right. I've already beaten them twice, and then you loot them and demand ransom? That's going too far. If they pay the ransom, how can I have the nerve to beat them again in the future?"
Fox Ling'er stuck out her tongue, a bit annoyed: "You've already beaten them once? When you beat them last time, you didn't loot them? That's a huge loss! You know the rules of the Great Ruins better than anyone! You've said it yourself before—what you take by skill isn't stealing."
Qin Mu shook his head: "If you take their stuff and then charge them to get it back, I'm afraid I'll get soft-hearted from taking their money and won't be able to hit them properly next time. Oh well, our money is almost gone. With this, we can last a while. Don't rob them again next time. Wait until the money runs out before doing it again. Slow and steady wins the race."
Fox Ling'er nodded repeatedly: "Young master is awake. I'll go make some food."
"Forget cooking. We have money now. Let's go into the city and eat something good—mountain delicacies, sea treasures, dragon liver and phoenix gallbladder, whatever you want."
One human and one fox hurried out excitedly, the fox carrying the money bags. As they passed through the scholars' quarters, many scholars saw Qin Mu and the fox coming and quickly closed their doors, not daring to face him.
Qin Mu was puzzled. These scholars said that the matter of him beating them was known throughout the academy. He was certain he hadn't spread the news. So who had leaked it?
Next to the scholars' quarters was the Princes' Garden, where the princes, princesses, and noble ladies of the royal family lived. The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor had decreed that royal family members didn't need to take exams; as long as they were fifteen years old, they could enter the Grand Academy. However, since princes were of noble status, they naturally couldn't live with ordinary scholars, so a separate garden was set aside.
Wei Yong was saying to a few princes with a smile: "You don't know, but things are lively in the scholars' quarters. That Qin Mu beat up the scholars again. It was brutal. Don't tell anyone I told you..."
One prince asked in surprise: "This guy from the Great Ruins is really that strong?"
"Not bad."
Wei Yong boasted: "His skills are about the same as mine, just with strange techniques. I think those guys in the scholars' quarters are just too useless."
Another prince laughed: "Those scholars always think they're so talented because they got in on their own merit. They've always looked down on us royal children. Now they've met their match."
As Qin Mu walked out of the scholars' quarters, he came face to face with a young man. The newcomer was travel-worn, carrying a huge pack taller than a person, square and rectangular, with several weapons sticking out of it. Though dusty from the road, he was very heroic, exuding a killing aura that gave a sense of aggression.
As they met, Qin Mu was struck by the aggressive aura emanating from the young man. His body instinctively assumed a defensive and counterattacking posture. Under the pull of their auras, the young man had no choice but to stop.
Despite his killing aura, the young man's demeanor was very polite. He bowed in greeting and smiled: "Are you a new junior brother?"
Qin Mu returned the bow: "I just enrolled. Senior brother, have you returned from out of town?"
"I took advantage of the break to go to the front lines with the border troops."
The young man smiled: "My name is Shen Wanyun. Junior brother, if you need anything, feel free to come to me."
Qin Mu gave his name. They passed each other and continued on their way. Only when their entangled auras dissipated did they relax and stride away.
"This new junior brother is very strong..." Shen Wanyun turned back to glance at Qin Mu heading down the mountain, lost in thought.
"The senior brother is back!"
The scholars' quarters erupted in cheers. Many scholars came out of their rooms to greet Shen Wanyun. Shen Wanyun smiled: "Everyone, it's only been a little over a month. Why such longing? Huh, why is everyone injured? Sister Qu, you're hurt too? What happened?"
The scholars in the quarters all looked ashamed.
That Sister Qu, named Qu Ting, said shamefacedly: "Senior brother, you may not know. Recently, the academy took in a discarded citizen from the Great Ruins. He's very strong. During the entrance exam, he injured Lingyun Taoist with a wooden sword and made a big impression in front of the emperor. The emperor allowed him into the Grand Academy. We were indignant and wanted to force him to leave. How can a slave study alongside us..."
Shen Wanyun said: "Lingyun Taoist is no ordinary person. If he could injure Lingyun, it shows his skill is remarkable! You went to provoke him, so of course you got beaten. At the same cultivation level, are you a match for Lingyun?"
Qu Ting argued: "What status do we have? In Yan Kang, discarded citizens are slaves. Slaves and livestock are worth the same. Making us study with livestock—won't we become livestock in others' eyes? A Grand Academy scholar is at least an eighth-rank official. Does a discarded citizen deserve that? Where does the Grand Academy's dignity go? And junior brother, we weren't beaten by him just once—he beat us twice!"
Shen Wanyun was surprised: "You went to fight him, and he knocked you down. That's only natural. You can't blame him. But if you lost and he didn't let it go and beat you again, that's his fault."
The scholars looked even more ashamed and fell silent.
Shen Wanyun observed them and said suspiciously: "It wasn't him looking for trouble with you. You lost and weren't convinced, so you went to find trouble with him again, and he taught you another lesson, right?"
Qu Ting quickly said: "This isn't about personal grudges anymore. It's about the face of our scholars' quarters! How can the scholars of Yan Kang be outdone by a barbarian from beyond civilization? This matter has spread all over the mountain! That discarded citizen spread the news himself, putting us in a difficult position! He also robbed us, took our belongings, and made us pay to get them back, humiliating us!"
Shen Wanyun's face darkened: "One should be lenient when possible. Isn't he going too far? Don't worry, I'll handle this. And you all are too useless, getting beaten so badly by a newly enrolled scholar. Useless!"
The scholars hung their heads. Qu Ting muttered: "If he hadn't ambushed us, we wouldn't have..."
Shen Wanyun sneered: "I just met a junior brother outside named Qin Mu. He's very impressive. I had just come from the battlefield with killing intent, and before I even reached him, he sensed me. His aura locked onto me, forcing me to take a defensive and counterattacking stance, stop, exchange greetings, give our names, and ease the hostility. That's what a Grand Academy scholar should be like!"
He said solemnly: "I once traveled with Teacher Bashan. At a dangerous place, we met the leader of the Heavenly Banner Sect. Teacher Bashan and the sect leader walked closer and closer until they finally stopped, exchanged greetings, and passed each other. I never understood why that scene happened. Just now, when I met that junior brother Qin Mu, I finally understood what Teacher Bashan and the Heavenly Banner Sect leader encountered when they met."
"In the martial world, the etiquette you encounter may not be what you think. It often hides a secret struggle. If you don't go out and gain experience, staying cooped up here, you'll never grasp that feeling. If you can't see that struggle, you're bound to lose!"
The scholars grew even more ashamed. Qu Ting muttered: "Junior brother Shen, the discarded citizen who beat us is named Qin Mu..."
"So it's him!"
Shen Wanyun was momentarily stunned, then said thoughtfully: "No wonder... You didn't lose unfairly. Why would he need to ambush you to defeat you?"
Suddenly, a delighted voice came from outside: "Senior Sister Qinghong has arrived!"