Chapter 454: I Will Teach You

The scissors and paper scraps on the stone table had all fallen to the ground. Ji Yuan looked at Hu Yun, sleeping soundly on the stone table, as if seeing the injured little fox from long ago.

Just like back then, Hu Yun was sleeping very deeply and peacefully, knowing well that he would not come to any harm in Juyan Study.

"He sleeps soundly, indeed."

Ji Yuan didn't bother to clean up the large amount of yellow paper scraps scattered on the courtyard ground. He intended to let Hu Yun see them when he woke up, and then have him clean them up himself. It wasn't that Ji Yuan disliked the chore; he knew it would give Hu Yun a strong sense of accomplishment.

This feeling was akin to the satisfaction of a student in a previous life, completing several difficult assignments or exam papers, and then looking at the scratch paper filled with calculations next to them.

To speak of the true hardship and difficulty of learning the Dao, Hu Yun's mere three days were nothing. Leaving others aside, Ji Yuan himself had once sat for years on a mountaintop island, striving to comprehend a single thread of true meaning.

However, the spirit of seeking the Dao that Hu Yun demonstrated during these three days was truly valuable. This was something Ji Yuan perceived with his discerning eyes. Given these three days, which were undoubtedly genuine, Ji Yuan believed that Hu Yun could achieve three hundred years or even more in the future.

Stretching his limbs and yawning, Ji Yuan prepared to leave. As he reached the courtyard gate, he turned back, surveying the various spots in the courtyard.

"Don't wake him up."

These words were, of course, directed at the various spirit-words. Although these words usually chattered and enjoyed teasing Hu Yun, they would never disrupt his cultivation at a crucial moment. They truly regarded the fox as one of their own.

"Don't worry, Master, we'll watch over him," came a soft reply.

It was the character "Yi" (meaning 'intention' or 'meaning') pasted on the small courtyard gate.

"Good."

Ji Yuan acknowledged, then opened the gate and left.

It was early morning, and a fair number of residents were moving about in Tianniu Lane. However, few faces were familiar. Most people who encountered Ji Yuan simply stared, while he would always respond earnestly if he met someone he knew who greeted him.

As he passed an alley outside Shuangjing Pond, he encountered an old man. The man paused in surprise upon seeing Ji Yuan, then quickly took a few steps closer to get a better look.

"Mr. Ji? Is that really you?"

Hearing the voice, which had changed slightly with age, Ji Yuan immediately identified the person in his memory.

"It's me, Brother Qian."

This was not someone Ji Yuan was particularly close to, but he used to greet Ji Yuan whenever they met. Back then, he was in his prime, with at least dark hair, but now his back was stooped.

"You still remember me, Mr. Ji? That's wonderful! I heard you were back, but I hadn't seen you. Then the scent of jujube blossoms, which hadn't been smelled in the lane for many years, suddenly reappeared, and I figured you must have returned. That floral scent makes me sleep so soundly at night."

"Heh heh, it does smell good."

Ji Yuan paused and chatted casually with him for a few moments before they bid farewell and parted ways.

Perhaps the timing was right, as he then encountered several more people who knew him. After leaving Tianniu Lane, Sun's noodle stall was packed, with not a single empty seat.

"Grandpa, Mr. Ji is here!"

Sun Yayun had sharp eyes; she spotted Ji Yuan emerging from the gate of Tianniu Lane from a distance and quickly alerted her grandfather, Sun Fu.

Sun Fu glanced at the tables at his stall, which were uncharacteristically full at that moment.

"What now? There's no room!"

At a table near the wooden food cart, one of four young men immediately turned to Sun Fu and said:

"Uncle Sun, we'll eat quickly and make room for Mr. Ji right away."

The young man speaking was the one who, when Ji Yuan had just returned, witnessed Sun Fu recognizing Ji Yuan. He was somewhat related to Sun Fu, and he and his friends had been deeply impressed by Ji Yuan, hoping to encounter him again.

"Oh, good, good, then hurry and eat!"

Two of them immediately began slurping their noodles, making noisy eating sounds. But even as they were stuffing their faces, Ji Yuan had already arrived at the stall.

Even though Sun Fu had seen Mr. Ji walking slowly, he had arrived so quickly. Just as Sun Fu was about to tell Ji Yuan to wait for a seat, Ji Yuan spoke with a smile.

"Can't the two of you just share a long bench? No need to eat so fast; what if you choke?"

The young man paused, then quickly pulled his bowl closer to his companion, who also swiftly shifted, making some room. Sharing a table with Mr. Ji was certainly better than standing to the side.

Sun Fu also hurried over to wipe down the table.

"Please sit, Mr. Ji. The usual?"

"Yes, the usual."

The other diners likely didn't recognize Ji Yuan; they just glanced over and continued eating their noodles. Ji Yuan sat down at the table, nodded to the curious young men, and then turned his attention to Sun Yayun by the food cart.

He recalled that the little girl had also been at the stall when he last returned, which was a day off from school. He hadn't thought much of it then, but today wasn't a day off. The girl should be at school.

Ji Yuan gently waved at Sun Yayun. She swished the branch she was using as a wooden sword, turned around, and with two cheerful "Hey-ho" sounds, bounded lightly and happily to Ji Yuan's side.

"Mr. Ji, did you call me?"

Ji Yuan looked at the straight, bark-stripped branch in the girl's hand, clearly well-played with. Then he looked at her chubby little face and lively big eyes; she would surely grow into a striking beauty.

'The Sun family certainly has good genes.'

"Yayun, why aren't you at school? Today isn't a holiday for the academy. Or has your family not sent you yet?"

Sun Yayun pouted, swayed her body, and shook her head.

"Grandpa already sent me to the academy, but I don't want to go anymore."

"Why not?"

Sun Yayun lowered her head, swinging the branch in her hand, and fidgeted, reluctant to answer. Sun Fu was about to speak from the side, but Ji Yuan, without raising his head, raised a hand to signal him to stay silent.

"Won't you tell Mr. Ji?"

Sun Yayun swayed back and forth, hesitating for a moment before speaking.

"I don't want to go to school anymore; they bully me!"

"How do they bully you? Doesn't the master intervene?"

Having already started, Sun Yayun poured out everything.

"The master does intervene, but he's not always there. And when he does, they just become more defiant. That's fine, but the most irritating thing is that there are only three girls in the whole academy, including me. They constantly laugh at us, calling us 'stupid girls' who don't understand anything. They laugh when we can't recite, or when the master asks us a question in class and we can't answer. They laugh when our writing isn't good, and they even sprinkle water on our seats... I stood up for the other two and hit the boy who was sprinkling water. But even though they were so grateful the day before, in the following days, they started to avoid me, just like the boys did..."

As Sun Yayun spoke, her voice grew softer, and her head remained bowed. Judging by the change in her tone, she was on the verge of tears.

Sun Fu, on the other side, felt a pang of heartache. He brought Ji Yuan's noodles to his table and quickly went to comfort his granddaughter.

"It's alright, it's alright. If Yayun doesn't want to go, then we won't go."

Ji Yuan shook his head and spoke.

"Yayun, put aside what the other students are like for a moment. Mr. Ji wants to ask you: is studying itself good or bad?"

Sun Yayun wiped her face with her sleeve and looked up at Ji Yuan.

"It's good..."

"Exactly. Studying is the right path. Not just girls, many boys don't even get this opportunity. You and your classmates are just not familiar with each other yet. Once you get to know each other, everyone will become good friends."

Sun Yayun fidgeted, remaining silent. She looked at the noodles on the table and offered a reminder.

"Mr. Ji, you should eat your noodles quickly. They won't taste good if they swell up."

"Haha!"

Ji Yuan smiled, ruffled Sun Yayun's head, then turned to pick up his chopsticks and stirred the noodles, mixing the sauce in. After two bites, he looked down at Sun Yayun and said:

"How about this: Yayun, you go to school, and after the academy lets out, you can come to Juyan Study. Mr. Ji will teach you calligraphy and reading too. Aren't those children laughing at you? If your studies are better than theirs and the master treats you like a treasure, let's see if they still dare to laugh!"

Ji Yuan added:

"Mr. Ji's calligraphy is excellent, certainly better than your master's!"

Since Yin Zhaoxian had once been the master of Ning'an County's academy, the learning atmosphere there was very strong, fostering a sense that children with good academic performance were highly respected.

Hearing Ji Yuan's words, Sun Yayun's eyes immediately lit up. Over by the pot, Sun Fu, who was serving cooked lamb offal, subconsciously trembled but pretended it was nothing, carefully picking out each piece of offal to place in the bowl, a task that would normally take just two or three scoops.

"What do you say?"

Ji Yuan swallowed his noodles and asked with a smile. Sun Yayun looked at her grandfather, who winked at her before immediately getting back to his work. Then the little girl looked at Ji Yuan, then in the direction of Tianniu Lane. Smelling the wafting floral fragrance, she finally broke into a smile.

"Mr. Ji, you can't trick me!"

"Hahaha, how could I ever trick you!"

Sun Fu, by the food cart, felt greatly relieved. He quickly finished preparing the bowl of offal and brought it over.

"Mr. Ji, your lamb offal is ready! Here you go, be careful, it's hot. Enjoy your meal!"

Sun Fu approached with a smiling face and placed the lamb offal in front of Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan nodded, then picked up some offal with his chopsticks and placed it into the bowls of the two young men.

"Thank you, young men, for making room."

"Oh, no problem at all!" "Thank you, Mr. Ji!"

The two young men were flattered. Due to Uncle Sun's previous attitude, they had discussed Mr. Ji from Juyan Study with their elders at home and learned that he was an extraordinary person, especially being close friends with Yin Wenqu. He was certainly considered a top figure in Ning'an County, though many people were now unaware of it.

Eating the lamb offal given by Ji Yuan, and seeing that Ji Yuan and Sun Yayun had finished their conversation, the two young men exchanged glances. One of them hesitantly asked:

"Mr. Ji, may I be so bold as to ask your age?"

Ji Yuan's chopsticks paused. This question truly stumped him. He didn't know the age of the beggar-like figure who originally inhabited the Mountain God Temple, and if it concerned himself, should he count his previous life?

After a moment's thought, he could only reply with a smile:

"In any case, I'm older than you think."

"Oh, oh!"

From his spot, Sun Fu jokingly scolded them:

"You two rascals, what foolish questions are you asking? Your noodles are on me today. Finish up and scram!"

"Oh no, Uncle Sun is kicking us out!" "Exactly, we only leave after we're done, and we're not done yet!"

The two chuckled, squeezed onto one bench, and continued their playful banter.