Chapter 126: Etiquette

When Qin Mu awoke, it was already afternoon. The young man was about to go to the courtyard to fetch water and wash up. Just as he stepped out of his room, he saw more than a dozen sword cases standing neatly arranged in the courtyard. Besides the sword cases, there was also a pile of jade pendants, hairpins, jewelry, and other trinkets.

Puzzled, Qin Mu heard a voice from outside the door, chuckling apologetically, "Is that Sister Fox Immortal? I'm here to redeem my young lady's belongings. You see..."

Fox Ling'er's voice replied, "There isn't enough money. Your young lady's sword case, hairpin, and bracelet are not ordinary items. This amount of Dafeng currency isn't sufficient."

"What is Ling'er up to?" Qin Mu wondered. Still half-asleep and unwashed, he didn't want to go out. So, he fetched water to wash his face. The voice from outside the door cautiously chuckled again, "My young lady only gave this bag of money; there's truly no more. Please, Sister Fox Immortal, do us a favor. This sword case is the academy's ceremonial sword, and the hairpin and bracelet were given by her elders..."

"Alright then, wait a moment."

The door opened, and Qin Mu saw Fox Ling'er dash in, with a bag of money floating behind her. The white fox then used her magic, a whirlwind swirling up a sword case and several ornaments, which she excitedly carried out to the person waiting outside.

The person was very grateful, thanked her, and then left.

After Qin Mu washed his face and brushed his teeth with a tooth-stick, the little white fox ran back in, noticing him with surprise and delight. "Young Master, you're awake! Young Master, we have money now!" She said, then opened the door to the west room. Qin Mu looked inside to see more than twenty money bags piled on the floor.

Fox Ling'er opened the money bags, and Dafeng currency spilled out, covering the floor.

Qin Mu was speechless, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Fox Ling'er proudly announced, "Young Master defeated those scholars, and they were too ashamed to come redeem their items themselves, so they had to send their servants. We've made a fortune!"

Qin Mu rinsed his mouth, exhaled deeply, and shook his head. "Ling'er, this isn't very honorable. I've already beaten them twice. For you to then rob them and demand ransom is a bit much. If they pay ransom, how can I comfortably beat them again in the future?"

Fox Ling'er stuck out her tongue, somewhat annoyed. "You've already beaten them once? When you beat them last time, Young Master, you didn't rob them? Wasn't that a huge loss? Young Master knows the rules of the Great Ruins better than anyone! You even said before that taking something by skill isn't called stealing."

Qin Mu shook his head. "You robbed them and then collected money from them. I'm afraid if I take their money, I'll go easy on them, or even develop some sympathy, making it hard to strike them next time. Oh well, we were running low on money, so this amount can sustain us for a while. No more robbing next time. Only when the money runs out again can we resume. That way, the stream will flow long."

Fox Ling'er nodded repeatedly. "Now that Young Master is awake, I'll go make some food."

"Make what? We have money now, let's go into the city and eat something good! Delicacies from land and sea, dragon liver and phoenix gall, you can choose whatever you like."

The man and the fox excitedly headed out, the fox carrying the money bag. The scholars' residence, which housed many students, saw Qin Mu and the fox passing by and quickly closed their doors, avoiding eye contact with him.

Qin Mu wondered how the news of him beating the scholars had spread throughout the Imperial College, as he certainly hadn't told anyone. So, who could have leaked it?

Next to the scholars' residence was the Imperial Garden, home to princes, princesses, and county princesses from noble families. The Imperial Preceptor of Yankang had established a rule: imperial descendants did not need to pass an examination; any royal family member aged fifteen or older could enter the Imperial College. However, given their noble status, princes naturally couldn't live with ordinary scholars, so a separate compound was created for them.

Wei Yong was laughing with several princes, saying, "You wouldn't believe it, our scholars' residence is quite lively. That Qin Mu beat those scholars again; it was really miserable. Don't tell anyone I told you this..."

A prince asked in surprise, "That person from the Great Ruins is actually that strong?"

"He's alright," Wei Yong boasted. "His skills are similar to mine, but his techniques are peculiar. I just think those guys in the scholars' residence are too useless."

Another prince chuckled, "Those guys in the scholars' residence have always been arrogant, believing they got in by their true abilities, and have always looked down on us royal descendants. Now they've met their match."

Qin Mu walked out of the scholars' residence and encountered a young man approaching him. The youth appeared travel-worn, carrying a huge, square-shaped backpack as tall as himself, with several weapons tucked inside. Despite his weary appearance, he was very heroic, exuding an aura of battle-hardened aggression that felt intimidating.

As they met, Qin Mu felt the aggressive aura emanating from the young man, and his body instinctively adopted a defensive-counterattacking posture. Under the influence of their intertwined vital energies, the young man also had no choice but to stop.

Although the young man possessed a fierce aura, his demeanor was courteous. He bowed in greeting and smiled, "Are you the new junior brother?"

Qin Mu returned the bow, saying, "I just enrolled. Has senior brother returned from out of town?"

"I took advantage of the holiday to go to the front lines with the border army," the young man replied.

The young man smiled, "My name is Shen Wanyun. Since you're new, junior brother, feel free to come to me if you need anything."

Qin Mu stated his name, and they passed each other, continuing forward. Only after their entangled vital energies dissipated did they both feel relieved and stride away.

"This new junior brother is very strong..." Shen Wanyun looked back at Qin Mu, who was descending the mountain, and fell into thought.

"Senior Brother is back!"

A cheer went up in the scholars' residence, and many scholars emerged from their quarters to greet Shen Wanyun. Shen Wanyun chuckled, "Gentlemen, we've only been apart for just over a month. Why such a strong longing? And, why are you all injured? Qu Ting, are you also hurt? What happened?"

The scholars in the residence all looked ashamed.

The senior student, Qu Ting, said apologetically, "Senior Brother, you don't know, but recently an outcast from the Great Ruins joined the academy. He's very strong. During the entrance exam, he injured Daoist Lingyun with a wooden sword, causing a stir in front of the Emperor, who then permitted him to enter our Imperial College. We were indignant and wanted to force him to leave; how can a slave study with us...?"

Shen Wanyun said, "Daoist Lingyun is extraordinary. If he could injure Lingyun, it shows his astonishing skill! If you provoked him, of course, you would be beaten. At the same cultivation level, how could you be a match for Lingyun?"

Qu Ting retorted, "What is our status? In Yankang, outcasts are slaves, and slaves are valued the same as livestock. If we study with livestock, won't we become livestock in others' eyes? Imperial College scholars are at least eighth-rank officials. Are outcasts worthy? Where does the Imperial College's reputation stand then? And Senior Brother, this outcast beat us, not the other way around. He beat us twice!"

Shen Wanyun was surprised. "You went to fight him, and he defeated you; that's natural, and you can't blame him. But if you lost, and he then relentlessly beat you again, that's his fault."

The scholars looked even more ashamed, muttering nothing.

Shen Wanyun saw this and said suspiciously, "He didn't intentionally look for trouble, did he? It's that you lost and weren't convinced, so you went to provoke him again, and as a result, he taught you another lesson, right?"

Qu Ting quickly said, "This isn't about personal grudges anymore, it's about the reputation of our scholars' residence! How can Yankang scholars be outshone by barbarians from outside civilization? This matter has become known throughout the mountain! It was that outcast who spread the news, putting us in an impossible situation! He even robbed us, stripped us of our belongings, and made us pay to redeem them, humiliating us!"

Shen Wanyun's expression darkened. "One should know when to forgive and forget. He is acting too presumptuously, isn't he? Rest assured, I will handle this. Also, you are all too incompetent, to be so badly beaten by a newly enrolled scholar! Incompetent!"

The scholars lowered their heads. Qu Ting stammered, "If he hadn't ambushed us, we wouldn't have..."

Shen Wanyun scoffed, "I just met a junior brother outside named Qin Mu, and he is truly remarkable. I had the killing aura from just returning from the battlefield, and he sensed it before I even reached him. His vital energy locked onto me, forcing me to adopt a defensive-counterattacking stance, stop, exchange greetings, announce our names, and ease the hostility. That is the state an Imperial College scholar should be in!"

He said gravely, "I once traveled with Teacher Bashan and encountered the Sect Master of the Heavenly Flag Gate in a dangerous place. Teacher Bashan and the Sect Master drew closer, eventually stopped, exchanged greetings, and passed each other. I never understood why that scene unfolded until just now, when I met Junior Brother Qin Mu. Only then did I realize what Teacher Bashan and the Heavenly Flag Sect Master experienced when they met."

"In the jianghu, the etiquette you encounter might not be what you think at all. It often conceals a hidden struggle. If you don't go out and gain experience, merely staying confined here, you'll never comprehend that feeling. If you can't perceive such struggles, you are guaranteed to lose!"

The scholars' faces grew even more ashamed. Qu Ting stammered, "Senior Brother, the outcast who beat us... he's named Qin Mu..."

"So, it was him!"

Shen Wanyun paused slightly, then said thoughtfully, "No wonder... your defeat was not unjust. If he defeated you, why would he need to ambush you?"

Suddenly, a surprised voice came from outside, "Senior Sister Qinghong has arrived!"