Chapter 198: It Was You

Huiyuan Academy is located in the southeastern corner of Chunhui Prefecture. It occupies a quiet and sizable area, with buildings of varying heights arranged aesthetically. Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums are planted throughout the academy grounds.

Among the tutors, many were old scholars who had achieved good results in the provincial examinations. There were even two retired officials who found it hard to stay idle at home.

In Ji Yuan's words from his previous life, it boasted a beautiful learning environment and strong faculty, truly deserving its reputation as the top academy in Qizhou.

Although many students from prominent families studied at Huiyuan Academy, Yin Wenqu's son was, of course, a special case. The academy had long anticipated Yin Qing's arrival; they had learned from Yin Wenqu's previous letter that Yin Qing would arrive within a few days. Therefore, the gatehouse had been paying special attention to this matter recently.

Huiyuan Academy enforced a dormitory system for students. Even those whose families lived in Chunhui Prefecture were not allowed to reside at home. Entering or leaving the academy on non-holiday days required a tutor's permission slip, which reminded Ji Yuan of a boarding school from his past life.

However, the differences were also significant. Learning at the academy was primarily self-directed; students attended lectures together and then studied independently. Although academic essays and other assessments were given periodically, there wasn't a large amount of homework. Moreover, tutors mostly lived and ate with their students, not only imparting knowledge but also teaching them how to conduct themselves. The teacher-student relationships were much closer than what Ji Yuan had experienced in his previous life.

The gatekeepers at Huiyuan Academy naturally had sharp eyes. On non-holiday days recently, any scholar-like person arriving was likely to be Yin Qing.

So, upon seeing Ji Yuan and Yin Qing approach, they vaguely sensed that the First Scholar's son might have arrived. Especially from a distance, Yin Qing appeared handsome, refined, and upright, while Ji Yuan, though not looking like a traditional scholar, possessed an extraordinary bearing.

Indeed, once Yin Qing and Ji Yuan were close, Yin Qing, carrying his satchel, walked alone to the gatehouse, bowed, and then spoke.

"My name is Yin Qing. I am from Ningshui County, Desheng Prefecture, and I have come to Huiyuan Academy to study!"

"Do you have any letters?"

Upon the gatekeeper's inquiry, Yin Qing put down his satchel and took out two letters: one written by his father, Yin Zhaoxian, and the other by the current elderly tutor of Ningshui County Academy.

"These are letters from my father and Tutor Zhou. Please take a look."

Yin Qing handed over the letters, and one of the gatekeepers quickly received them with both hands. Saying, "Please wait a moment," he hurried towards the inner courtyard.

From a slight distance, Ji Yuan carefully observed Huiyuan Academy with his spiritual eye. The academy, said to have produced three *Tanhua* (third-rank scholars) and one *Bangyan* (second-rank scholar) in its forty years of existence, was indeed a place where scholarly aura flourished.

Soon, several tutors of various ages hurried over with the gatekeeper. As they reached the entrance, Yin Qing respectfully performed a long bow, the disciple's bow, towards them.

"Greetings, esteemed tutors!"

"Excellent, excellent! Master Yin's son is indeed a talented and exceptional young man!"

"Indeed! Young Master Yin's decision to study at Huiyuan Academy suggests that we will have another First Scholar in the future, ha ha ha..."

Yin Qing repeatedly replied, "I wouldn't dare."

Amidst the pleasantries, an elderly tutor cupped his hands in greeting towards Ji Yuan, who was standing to the side.

"May I ask who this gentleman is to Young Master Yin?"

The elderly tutor, being well-experienced in life, noticed that Ji Yuan's hair, though pinned with a black jade hairpin, was not entirely tied up. The long hair at the back and sides appeared somewhat loose, yet it looked very natural. He was certainly not dressed like a traditional scholar, more akin to some uninhibited Jianghu wanderers.

Ji Yuan also cupped his hands in return.

"My name is Ji Yuan. I am a neighbor of the Yin family and a friend of Tutor Yin. As this is Yin Qing's first time traveling far from home, I accompanied him."

"Oh, so it is Mister Ji. My apologies for not recognizing you!"

It was no secret nationwide that Yin Zhaoxian had previously taught at the county academy. However, in Qizhou and among some scholars throughout the Great Zhen dynasty, it was customary to refer to Yin Zhaoxian as "Yin Wenqu" or "Master Yin." Those who still called him "Tutor Yin" must simply have found it hard to change long-standing habits.

"Mister Ji, Young Master Yin, please come in!"

At the tutor's invitation, Ji Yuan and Yin Qing entered the academy together.

Showing family members around the academy was also a tradition at Huiyuan Academy. Since the other tutors were busy, ultimately, an elderly tutor named Chen guided them on the tour.

During this time, some well-informed academy students also came to see Yin Qing, curious to behold the legendary son of Yin Wenqu. Fortunately, Yin Qing's appearance did not disappoint his father; while not everyone judged by looks, a good appearance certainly provided a significant advantage.

Finally, they arrived at Yin Qing's dormitory. After completing the arrangements for his move-in, Ji Yuan bid farewell to Yin Qing, promising to return to Ningshui County only after the Huiyuan Academy's day off in two days.

As for Hu Yun, he naturally stayed at the inn with Ji Yuan.

That evening, at an inn in the prefecture city, Ji Yuan lay on the bed with his eyes closed, breathing evenly, appearing to be sound asleep.

Hu Yun, lying on the floor, twitched an ear and quietly opened his eyes. He stood up on his hind legs, peered at Ji Yuan from the bedside, and seeing that Mister Ji was fast asleep, he tiptoed towards the window.

He extended a fox paw, gripped the wooden bar by the bed, and carefully opened the window.

"Creak..."

The old wooden pivot turned with a faint sound. The red fox's paws sweated with anxiety. He slowly turned his head to look before sighing in relief, having feared turning around to find Mister Ji standing behind him.

Seeing that Mister Ji was still sound asleep, he quickly propped the window open with the wooden bar, then leaped out, floating lightly from the second floor to the ground in the inn's backyard. The entire process was completely silent; his fluffy tail was as effective as a squirrel's.

'Hehe!'

Secretly delighted, he quickly darted towards the outskirts of the city.

By Ji Yuan's bed, the Green Vine Sword, leaning against the bed, slowly floated up. However, Ji Yuan, still lying on the bed, didn't open his eyes, merely murmuring softly.

"I've already made arrangements. Let him go."

Hearing its master's words, the Green Vine Sword gently lowered itself, resting quietly by the bed once more.

After barely two more breaths, Ji Yuan suddenly sat up in bed.

"Such an interesting event, why shouldn't I go see it? I must go!"

So, Ji Yuan quickly put on his outer robe and shoes, took the Green Vine Sword, and likewise jumped out the window.

On the two nights following their boat journey to Chunhui Prefecture, Ji Yuan and Yin Qing had already arranged a meeting spot by the river with the giant green fish, making it easier for Yin Qing to find the fish on future days off.

Meanwhile, Hu Yun had secretly arranged to meet the giant green fish there that evening. He thought Mister Ji would likely take him back to Ningshui County by cloud-soaring on their return journey, so he wanted to spend more time and chat with his new friend now.

The excitement of meeting the giant green fish dispelled the nervousness of the unfamiliar environment. Hu Yun ran all the way to the city wall, scaled it like a gecko to the top, then descended along the wall again, before running and searching along the southward stretch of the river.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Hu Yun finally found the agreed-upon location: several particularly robust willow trees extending horizontally over the river, which was also where the Wei family had previously encountered the old turtle.

As soon as Hu Yun saw the large willows overhanging the river, his heart filled with joy. He quickly leaped forward, directly onto one of them.

Gazing at the dark river surface, Hu Yun softly called out into the water a few times.

"Big Green... Big Green... Are you there?"

"Splash..."

The water beneath the willow stirred, and a giant green fish surfaced.

"Blup... blup... blup..."

"Hahaha, you're here! Today, Mister Ji took me to a huge pastry shop, even grander than the Temple Outpost Restaurant in Ningshui County. The treats there were delicious! Come on, come on, don't say Brother Hu didn't think of you. Mister Ji won't let me go find Yin Qing, so I'm giving all of these to you."

Hu Yun swept his large tail forward, and his paws rummaged through the long fur of his tail, untying two small lotus leaf packages from within.

Seeing this scene, Ji Yuan, who had unknowingly arrived nearby and was hiding in a willow tree, was also startled. He knew Hu Yun had hidden some pastries and had turned a blind eye to it, but he hadn't expected him to hide so many. For Hu Yun, given his greedy nature, this was truly rare.

The red fox slowly untied the lotus leaf packages, dropping the pastries piece by piece into the water, which the giant green fish caught below.

"Hehehe... I wonder if I might also sample the taste of these pastries?"

The water surface nearby rippled extensively, and a slightly aged voice emanated from there. The giant green fish instinctively darted a considerable distance away, fleeing towards the riverbank but not daring to go too far, as Hu Yun was still in the willow tree.

"Splash..."

The black-backed old turtle floated to the surface. Since the willow tree extended horizontally over the water, its massive turtle eyes were less than a meter away from the fox's eyes.

'What a huge old turtle, even bigger than Lu Shanjun...'

Hu Yun somewhat regretted not fleeing immediately due to his curiosity; now, he was quite startled.

"You want pastries too?"

The red fox glanced at the lotus leaf packages spread out on the willow branch. He strongly doubted whether the old turtle meant these pastries or if he himself was the intended treat, but he instinctively grabbed a few cakes and tossed them down.

The old turtle stretched its neck and opened its mouth to catch the tiny morsels, which weren't even enough to stick in its teeth, and chewed for a moment.

"Hmm... The taste is acceptable."

The old turtle looked at the red fox and then at the giant green fish, who was clearly terrified but already poised for action about two or three *zhang* away.

"Today, Lord Red Yaksha had matters to attend to, so he asked me to patrol this stretch of the river. I didn't expect to encounter the two of you; what a fortunate coincidence. It's not surprising for aquatic creatures to swim here, but for you, a fox, to appear by Chunhui Prefecture city, are you not afraid of being seized by the Underworld constables?"

"I, I have this... I'm not afraid!"

Hu Yun used his paw to brush aside the fur on his chest, revealing a dark wooden tablet.

"Oh... I sensed your aura was special and hard to fathom just now. So that's it. However, while you may stay in Chunhui Prefecture, this giant green fish cannot remain in this stretch of the river."

The old turtle made a gesture with its foot, and the giant green fish felt the surrounding water instantly swirl like a whirlpool, making it impossible to swim away. It was then drawn closer to the old turtle.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Let Big Green go! Be careful, or I'll get Mister Ji to deal with you!"

The old turtle chuckled, finding it rare to see such good affection between an aquatic creature and a land demon.

"How about this? It's rare to encounter a land demon like you, and you've refined your horizontal bone and speak clearly, so you must have some experience. Chat with me for a while. If you have any interesting stories that can amuse me, I promise to intercede with Lord Yaksha and the River God, allowing this giant green fish to remain in this river section."

The old turtle's words also served to elevate his status, making it seem as if he was well-acquainted with the River God. In truth, he only dared to appeal to the Yaksha, but appealing to the Yaksha was sufficient for this matter.

"Uh, what should we talk about?"

"Stories from the land, of course!"

Hu Yun didn't think this request would be difficult. With the giant green fish beside him, he tentatively recounted some trivial matters from the mountains and Ningshui County. The old turtle occasionally chimed in, greatly boosting the red fox's enthusiasm, and once he started talking, he couldn't stop.

This feeling of chatting with other demons and gaining their approval was very different from talking with Yin Qing. Moreover, the old turtle was much gentler than Lu Shanjun. The red fox grew more excited, recounting his personal experiences one after another.

Thus, he eventually began talking about the time he had first descended the mountain and gotten injured. However, as he spoke, Hu Yun felt that something was off. The old turtle had been silent for quite a while, and the atmosphere seemed a bit strange.

He lowered his head and stared intently at the water surface, where a huge turtle mouth was coming directly towards him.

"CRACK!"

The old turtle bit off a large section of the willow tree's trunk, barely a foot away from the fox's frozen head.

Hu Yun creakily turned his head like a puppet to look at the adjacent tree trunk, which had a large bite mark from the turtle's mouth. If the turtle had bitten him instead of the tree trunk...

"Hoo... hoo..."

The old turtle made a chilling sound, chewing the wood chips and actually swallowing them.

"So... so that wretched fox was you...!"