By the time Qin Mu woke up, it was already afternoon. The young man was about to go to the courtyard to fetch some water and wash up, but the moment he stepped out the door, he saw over 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.
Qin Mu was puzzled. He heard a voice from outside the door, smiling apologetically: "Is that Miss Hu Ling'er? I'm here to redeem my young miss's belongings. As you can see..."
Hu Ling'er's voice came back: "The money's not enough. Your young miss's sword case, her hairpin, and her bracelet — none of them are ordinary items. These few Dafeng coins won't cut it."
"What is Ling'er up to?"
Qin Mu was bewildered. He was still groggy from sleep and hadn't washed up yet, so it wouldn't be proper to go out. He fetched water to wash his face. The voice outside the door continued cautiously and apologetically: "My young miss only gave me this pouch of money. There's truly no more. I beg Miss Hu Ling'er to do me a favor. The sword case belongs to the Academy, and the hairpin and bracelet were both gifts from the young miss's elders..."
"Fine. Wait a moment."
The door opened, and Qin Mu watched Hu Ling'er dart inside in a flash, a pouch of money floating behind her. The little white fox performed a technique, conjuring a whirlwind that scooped up a sword case and several ornaments. She dashed out excitedly and handed them to the person at the door.
The person expressed profuse gratitude, thanked her, and left.
Qin Mu washed his face and brushed his teeth with a chewing stick. Just then, the little white fox came running back and finally noticed him. She was both startled and delighted: "Young master, you're awake! Young master, we're rich!" With that, she opened the door to the west room. Qin Mu looked inside and saw over twenty money pouches piled on the floor.
Hu Ling'er opened the pouches, and Dafeng coins spilled out, covering the entire floor.
Qin Mu was struck dumb, unable to speak for a long while.
Hu Ling'er looked immensely pleased with herself: "Young master, you defeated those scholars, and they were too ashamed to come redeem their belongings in person, so they had to send their servants instead. We've made a fortune!"
Qin Mu rinsed his mouth and spat out the rinse water, shaking his head: "Ling'er, this isn't very honorable. I've already beaten them up twice, and now you're looting them on top of it and demanding ransom. That's going too far. If they pay ransom, how will I have the face to beat them up again next time?"
Hu Ling'er stuck out her tongue, looking somewhat vexed: "You already beat them once? Last time you beat them, you didn't loot them? What a loss! You know the rules of the Great Ruins better than anyone, young master! You yourself once said that taking something by your own ability doesn't count as robbery."
Qin Mu shook his head: "If you rob them and then take their money, I'm afraid my hands will go soft from collecting payment. I'll develop feelings for them, and it'll be hard to raise my hand next time. Fine. Our money is almost spent, and with this we can hold out for a while. No more looting next time — wait until the money runs out before looting again. A steady stream can flow a long way."
Hu Ling'er nodded repeatedly: "Young master, now that you're awake, I'll go prepare something to eat."
"Prepare what? We're rich now! Let's go into the city and have something good — delicacies of mountain and sea, dragon liver and phoenix gall, whatever you want."
The pair headed out excitedly, the fox carrying the money pouch on her back. The Scholar's Residence housed many scholars, and when they saw Qin Mu and the fox passing by, they all quickly shut their doors, not daring to show their faces.
Qin Mu was puzzled. These scholars said he had beaten them, and the whole Academy knew about it. He certainly hadn't told anyone — so who had leaked it?
Next to the Scholar's Residence was the Imperial Princes' Court, where the princes, princesses, and the daughters of dukes and marquesses resided. The State Preceptor of Yankang had decreed that the imperial offspring needed not take any examination — any who reached the age of fifteen could enter the Imperial Academy. However, being of imperial blood, the princes naturally could not live among ordinary scholars, so a separate court had been established for them.
Wei Yong was saying to several princes with a grin: "You have no idea how lively our Scholar's Residence has been. That Qin Mu fellow beat up those scholars again — absolutely miserable. Just don't tell anyone I said this..."
A prince asked in surprise: "This fellow from the Great Ruins is actually that strong?"
"Decent enough."
Wei Yong boasted: "His skill is about the same as mine, but his techniques are bizarre. I think it's just that the scholars in the Residence are too useless."
Another prince laughed: "The scholars in the Residence have always been arrogant, thinking they earned their place through real talent. They've always looked down on us princes. Now they've finally met their match."
As Qin Mu walked out of the Scholar's Residence, a young man approached from the opposite direction. He looked road-worn, carrying an enormous pack on his back — taller than a man, perfectly rectangular, with several weapons protruding from it. Though dusty from travel, he was strikingly heroic, carrying an aura of martial killing intent that gave off an overwhelming sense of aggression.
When the two met face to face, Qin Mu was assaulted by the aggressive aura emanating from the young man. His body involuntarily shifted into a defensive and counterattacking stance. Under the pull of their competing qi, the young man also had to stop in his tracks.
Though this young man carried a killing aura, his manners were thoroughly courteous. He bowed respectfully and said with a smile: "Are you a new junior brother?"
Qin Mu returned the bow: "I've just enrolled. Is senior brother returning from somewhere far?"
"Taking advantage of the break, I went with the border army to the front lines."
The young man smiled: "My name is Shen Wanyun. If the new junior brother needs anything, don't hesitate to come find me."
Qin Mu gave his own name. The two parted ways, each walking forward. Only when their entangled qi finally dissipated did each relax and stride away.
"This new junior brother is quite strong..." Shen Wanyun turned his head and watched Qin Mu descending the mountain, lost in thought.
"The senior brother has returned!"
The Scholar's Residence erupted in celebration. Scholars poured out of their quarters, greeting Shen Wanyun. He laughed: "Everyone, we've only been apart for a little over a month — there's no need to be this eager to see me. Wait, why are all of you injured? Senior Sister Qu, you've been hurt too? What happened?"
The scholars in the Residence all wore expressions of shame.
The senior sister named Qu Ting said humbly: "Senior brother, you don't understand. Recently, an outcast from the Great Ruins came to the Academy. His strength is extraordinary. During the entrance examination, he wounded Daoist Lingyun with a wooden sword and made quite a spectacle in front of the Emperor. The Emperor permitted him to enter our Imperial Academy. We were incensed, so we tried to force him to leave. How can an outcast study alongside us..."
Shen Wanyun said: "Daoist Lingyun is no ordinary person. The fact that he could wound Lingyun shows his ability is remarkable. You went to provoke him, and naturally you got beaten. At the same realm, how could any of you be a match for Lingyun?"
Qu Ting argued: "What is our status? In the State of Yankang, outcasts are slaves, and slaves are priced the same as livestock. If we study alongside livestock, wouldn't we become livestock in others' eyes? Imperial scholars are at least eighth-rank officials — are outcasts even worthy? Where would the Academy's dignity stand? And besides, senior brother, we were beaten by this outcast — it wasn't us beating him, but him beating us twice!"
Shen Wanyun was surprised: "You went to beat him, and he knocked you down — that's only natural. You can't blame him. You lost, and he pressed on and beat you a second time — that would be his fault."
The scholars' faces grew even more ashamed, and they stammered in silence.
Shen Wanyun looked at them and said suspiciously: "It wasn't that he deliberately sought trouble with you. You lost but refused to accept it, so you went looking for trouble again, and he taught you another lesson — isn't that right?"
Qu Ting quickly said: "This isn't about personal grudges anymore. It's about the dignity of our Scholar's Residence! How can the scholars of Yankang be surpassed by a barbarian from beyond civilization? This matter has already spread across the entire mountain! It was this outcast who leaked the information, leaving us with no way to back down! And he robbed us — looted our possessions and made us ransom them back, humiliating us!"
Shen Wanyun's expression darkened: "Give people a break when you can. For him to act this way is rather too presumptuous, isn't it? Rest assured, I'll handle this. And furthermore — you're all too incompetent. To be beaten into a wretched state by a scholar who just enrolled. Incompetent!"
The scholars bowed their heads. Qu Ting stammered: "If he hadn't used a sneak attack, we wouldn't have..."
Shen Wanyun sneered: "I just encountered a junior brother outside named Qin Mu, and he is truly formidable. I still carried the killing aura from the battlefield, yet before I even reached him, he had already sensed it. His qi locked onto me, forcing me into a defensive and counterattacking stance. I had to stop and exchange bows, introduce ourselves, and release our hostility. This is the state that Imperial scholars should be in!"
He continued in a low voice: "I once traveled with Teacher Bashan, and in a treacherous place we encountered the Heavenly Banner Sect Master. As Teacher Bashan and the Heavenly Banner Sect Master walked closer and closer, they eventually stopped, bowed to each other, and passed by. I never understood why such a scene would occur. Just now, when I met that junior brother Qin Mu and we crossed paths, I finally understood what Teacher Bashan and the Heavenly Banner Sect Master experienced when they met."
"In the martial world, the etiquette you encounter may not be what you think at all — it may hide a silent battle. If you never go out and gain experience, if you just huddle here, you'll never grasp that feeling. You won't be able to see that hidden battle, and you'll be doomed to lose!"
The scholars' faces grew ever more ashamed. Qu Ting stammered: "Senior brother... the outcast who beat us... his name is Qin Mu..."
"So it was him!"
Shen Wanyun paused briefly, then said thoughtfully: "No wonder... you lost, but it wasn't unjust. For him to defeat you, why would he need a sneak attack?"
Suddenly, an excited voice came from outside: "Senior Sister Qinghong has arrived!"