Chapter 124: Handling

As Lu Ying approached the group of youths, they surrounded her with malice, three or four hands reaching out simultaneously to drag her away.

Just then, a thunderous, furious roar shattered the air: "You animals, stop!"

Accompanying the shout was the sound of ragged, heavy breathing. The youths were startled and turned around in unison, their eyes widening in shock. Twenty paces away, emerging from a grove of dwarf bamboo, was a large group of people led by Huo Chengying, a renowned scholar recently invited to the Huadian Academy.

Only then did the youths realize they had been so focused on tormenting their prey that they hadn't noticed the crowd approaching. Almost instinctively, they turned back to Lu Ying, and the youth who had spoken earlier barked, "You bitch, you have some nerve! How dare you report us?"

They immediately understood that these people had been brought here by Lu Yun’s sister. They sneered at her lack of shame—unable to handle them herself, she had resorted to snitching, blowing the situation completely out of proportion.

As the youth hurled insults, a trace of mockery flickered across Lu Ying’s face. She replied coldly, "You are allowed to bully my younger brother, but I am not allowed to expose your deeds?"

Another youth immediately retorted, "Of course not!"

Yes, of course not. Was this woman truly naive, or just pretending? Their bullying might have been a mere whim; if they were in a good mood, they might even have let Lu Yun go. How dare this woman escalate things so far? By dragging a distinguished scholar from another region into this, she wasn't just ruining their futures and staining their families' reputations—she had taken a small, trivial matter and shattered the sky, turning it into a disaster that could destroy the futures of several noble houses! If today’s events were made public, not only would their own prospects be obliterated, but their entire families and kin would suffer. It would become nearly impossible for their relatives to be nominated for civil service.

Though these wealthy scions were dissolute, they were well-versed in the ways of the world. In an instant, they grasped the gravity of the situation. The way they looked at Lu Ying was filled with bone-deep hatred and bitter regret. How could they be so unlucky as to cross paths with such an ignorant and reckless star of misfortune? What were the two lowly lives of these siblings worth? How could two small, commoner lives drag down the fates of four great families?

As the youths wallowed in their fury, hatred, and regret, the great scholar Huo Chengying finally regained his composure from his boundless rage. His white beard trembled as he suppressed his utter disgust and roared, "Such arrogance! Such gall! Good, very good, truly excellent!"

With a flick of his sleeve, he commanded, "Seize these four beasts. I shall take them to see the headmaster of your Huadian Academy. I want him to see exactly what kind of people his academy has produced!"

"Yes!"

A dozen students responded in a chaotic chorus and rushed toward the four youths. The servants accompanying the young masters finally snapped out of their stupor, shouting, "Let them go!" "Young Master, what shall we do?" "Quick, go back and inform the masters!"

Amidst the clamor and shouting, the servants dared not lay a hand on the students, and within moments, the four youths were subdued.

Looking at the captured boys, Master Huo wore an expression of deep repulsion, as if merely glancing at them was a stain upon his eyes. He turned to Lu Ying and asked, "You are a woman?"

Lu Ying lowered her head and replied respectfully, "Yes."

The moment the word left her lips, everyone’s attention shifted to her. Eyes went wide with astonishment, and some even whispered, "How can that be?" "What a pity!"

Master Huo looked at her and comforted her, "I will take charge of today's matter for you."

Lu Ying bowed deeply, yet sighed, "I fear Master Huo cannot handle this fully... By exposing their crimes and ruining their prospects, I doubt their families will let this go easily." She gave a bitter smile and added, "Given their conduct, they were never fit to enter Huadian Academy, yet they were admitted. I fear that after this, my brother will have no standing left in the academy."

Hearing this, Master Huo flared with rage. "Absurd! Truly absurd! I have lived this long, and I never knew that the noble Huadian Academy could be controlled by a few beasts!"

Panting, he beckoned to Lu Yun. "Your name is Lu Yun?"

Lu Yun stepped forward, bowed deeply, and replied respectfully, "Yes, student is named Lu Yun. I have long heard of Master Huo’s great reputation; it is an honor to meet you today." His tone was calm, his demeanor refined, possessing all the poise of a true Confucian scholar.

Master Huo was taken aback and scrutinized him from head to toe. He had just heard with his own ears how these boys had insulted Lu Yun and his sister, and had seen with his own eyes how furious the boy had been. Yet, this young man had managed to suppress his rage in an instant and speak with such civility. This Lu Yun was a talent worth cultivating.

Master Huo glanced at Lu Ying again, thinking: These siblings are truly extraordinary.

Moved by a desire to nurture talent and a sense of justice, Master Huo stroked his long beard and said, "Lu Yun, would you be willing to become my personal disciple?"

What?

Lu Yun jerked his head up, and in an instant, he beamed with joy and bowed deeply. "This disciple would be honored." Among the great scholars of the world, Master Huo stood at the very top; it was said that when he was in Luoyang, he had even been granted an audience with the Emperor. His status was far beyond that of Master Huang, whom Lu Yun had once failed to apprentice under.

Seeing Lu Yun accept happily, Master Huo laughed. "Then come with me now. I would like to see if this city of Chengdu is truly the playground of these four beasts!"

"Yes!"

Lu Yun responded clearly and fell in behind Master Huo. As he passed his sister, he gave her a subtle wink, thinking: My sister is as clever as ever; her words just now were clearly intended to provoke Master Huo into taking me as his disciple.

After descending the mountain with the group, Lu Ying ignored the hateful glares of the four youths and their servants, bowed deeply to Master Huo, and prepared to take her leave.

Master Huo nodded at her and said sternly, "I have truly taken this matter upon myself. Do not worry, young lady; none of those four families will be able to touch a hair on your head. If any harm comes to you, I will stake my life to report them to His Majesty."

"Thank you, Master Huo!" Lu Ying said with profound gratitude.

She withdrew slowly.

Not long after returning home, Lu Yun finished his studies. After their meal, he spoke in a low voice about taking the four youths to see the headmaster. The incident had caused such a stir with so many witnesses that the four were taken home by their families on the spot. Their reputations among the students were completely ruined; though there were many academies in the world, there would be no place for them anywhere. Furthermore, the headmaster and Master Huo had issued a joint order to those families, forbidding any retaliation against the siblings.

After recounting the events from beginning to end, Lu Yun stole a glance at his sister, who had remained silent.

After a long while, Lu Ying asked slowly, "A-Yun, do you know where you went wrong?"

Lu Yun bit his lip and pondered for a moment before replying, "I... I shouldn't have followed them to such a secluded place."

"Yes, you shouldn't have!" Lu Ying stood up, looked at her brother, and said, word for word, "In this world, if you retreat one step before evil men, they will advance ten."

Lu Yun’s lips moved as if to defend himself. Lu Ying sneered, "Are you going to say they had servants and influence, that they were powerful, and you had no choice when they insisted on bullying you?"

Lu Yun lowered his head. "Yes."

"There is a saying: there are three types of people in this world who are the most terrifying—those who have no shame, those who have no regard for their own lives, and those who have no regard for money. There is another saying: those who go barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes. If, when those wealthy scions first bullied you, you had acted fierce and reckless, acting as if you would trade your life for theirs—acting as if you were the barefoot one—do you think you would have faced today’s calamity?"

Lu Yun bit his lip and thought: My sister is right.

Lu Ying continued, "Even if some wealthy scions are accustomed to lawlessness and decided to fight you, do you think you and I have no backers? Have I not told you of how I helped the daughters of the Shang, Xiao, Zhao, Wang, and Wen families? With such backing, why fear them? Why fear a total fallout?"

Hearing this, Lu Yun finally responded with shame, "Sister, I did not think it through."

"It is not that you didn't think it through! You were too timid, always harboring a glimmer of hope, thinking you didn't need to offend anyone until the very last step, and never daring to be forceful until you were backed into a corner."

Lu Ying stepped forward, gently stroked his hair, and whispered, "A-Yun, you are my brother. You must understand that in this world, influence is meant to be borrowed. Sometimes, offense is the best defense. When I returned home, I saw over a dozen calling cards from the Shang and Wen families on the table. Tell me, if yesterday you had shown those cards to those few who wanted to bully you, letting them see the weight of your connections, would today’s events have even happened?"

Lu Yun was truly ashamed. He whispered, "Sister, it is my incompetence."

"No, my brother is very clever. You were just too accustomed to the small-town life of Hanyang, never realizing that you could use the power of others to protect yourself, nor that there are such dirty and shameless people in this world."

These words struck a chord in Lu Yun. His eyes turned red, and he whispered, "Sister... I will remember."

"As long as you remember. Do not make the same mistake twice."

"Yes."

Lu Ying’s mood softened. She asked gently, "My brother still has a great virtue, one that can overshadow all his flaws."

Hearing this, Lu Yun looked up at his sister in confusion.

Lu Ying smiled at him. "This greatest virtue is that you are willing to listen to the advice of others. Do not underestimate this; even for an emperor, the ability to accept counsel is a great virtue."

"Yes!" Praised by his sister, Lu Yun’s handsome face flushed, and his eyes regained their luster.

Then, Lu Ying asked with a touch of guilt, "A-Yun, when I suddenly disappeared this time, what did you do?"

Lu Yun looked up. "Sister, didn't you say you were going to that noble's estate? When you didn't return, I went to find the manor. The guards there told me you had gone out with their master and told me not to worry."

Lu Ying smiled and nodded. "So that is how it was."