novelraw Chapter 674: Winners Reign, Losers Submit — A Man Shouldn’t Be So Petty
Chapter 674: Winners Reign, Losers Submit — A Man Shouldn’t Be So Petty
A woman with scholarly air, wearing a long gown, her hair tied back, took steps covering a hundred meters, then a thousand miles, ripples spreading under her feet with each step.
In the blink of an eye, she walked from the horizon and stood before Lu Ding.
She first clasped her hands in a level salute.
"I am Shu Mochou. I humbly request Special Envoy Lu to temporarily spare my student's life, give him a moment's reprieve, let me feed him a last meal, give him a sip of Drunken Immortal Wine to ease his pain. After that, you may proceed. Is that acceptable?"
Hearing this, Lu Ding smiled helplessly. He had thought she was here to snatch the person away.
But looking at Shu Mochou's expression, she was probably nervous too, doing something like this for the first time.
Shu Mochou.
The teacher at the Shushan Academy in the new city's Shushan District. Her status there was basically equivalent to a school's dean of students. Her moral character was noble, her teaching and nurturing of students were beyond reproach.
In her actions and conduct, she simply did good deeds without asking about the future.
Her principle was teaching without discrimination, persuading people toward goodness.For anyone who wanted to study, if you truly had the talent and you were fated to meet her, she would help you.
Once upon a time, when the Great Han was promoting nine-year compulsory education in the new city, Shushan Academy helped almost without reservation.
At that time, the implementation of nine-year compulsory education shook the foundations of traditional feudal society academies.
Even though nine-year compulsory education achieved literacy for everyone.
But some, not all, some scholars felt that if just anyone could read, they would be affected.
So at that time, the Xuehai Academy in the district next to Shushan Academy was the faction opposing the implementation of nine-year compulsory education in the new city.
Back then, the conflict between Shushan Academy and Xuehai Academy was huge.
Only after the cooperation between Shushan Academy and the Great Han did they succeed in making Xuehai Academy 'compromise'.
This teacher, Shu Mochou, also after this event, verified her own thoughts and successfully cultivated to the God Ascension realm.
For many years after, her cultivation did not advance an inch, instead showing signs of regression, because she spent all her energy promoting nine-year compulsory education and literacy campaigns.
At first, many Confucian cultivators helped, but as the situation changed later and time passed, many could not persist.
Now, those still contributing to the new city's education were few and far between.
Shu Mochou was one of them.
The current educational environment maintaining its level without dropping too much was already good enough. Wanting to advance it was difficult...
Especially regarding girls' education. One must know the new city was a place where modern thinking and feudal thinking collided.
Women studying was as difficult as climbing to heaven under feudal society.
To let girls also have equal opportunities to study, this teacher Shu Mochou did not know how much effort she expended.
All of this was what Lu Ding knew.
Such a person deserved respect.
So Lu Ding returned the salute, his movements perfectly standard.
"Teacher Shu."
A respectful address came first.
Shu Mochou landed: "I dare not accept this. If Special Envoy Lu does not mind, you may call me by my given name directly."
From her deeds, one could see she was not a pedantic person.
'Teacher' was a sacred term in her heart.
Although she did a teacher's work, she had not taught Lu Ding as a student. Not just Lu Ding, if it were any student she had not taught, she would not dare accept being called 'teacher'.
On this point, their concepts were somewhat different.
Shu Mochou watched Lu Ding with an anxious heart.
Afraid Lu Ding would reject this unreasonable request.
After all, this 'lord' before her had a fierce reputation.
He did not look like someone who would be that 'accommodating'.
And Shu Mochou herself, except for today breaking her rule of never asking for favors by asking Lu Ding, had never asked any 749 Bureau member for anything.
Before speaking, she had already prepared herself to be refused.
Although the outcome was predetermined, as a teacher, coming to see her student off on his final journey, she felt this was what she should do. After all, there had been a teacher-student bond between them, and Pan Fusheng was the last class she had taught.
Her nervous emotions eased as Lu Ding smiled and stepped aside.
"Please, go ahead."
Lu Ding could understand her compassion, because Shu Mochou's compassion had truly helped many people in need.
How many people, when fallen into difficulty and hardship, would consider themselves incredibly lucky to encounter such a teacher.
So Lu Ding's criteria for judging people could be flexibly adjusted for Shu Mochou.
If anyone else had come, Lu Ding would have scolded her at the very least: when he was committing crimes you didn't care, now that I've caught him you want to intervene?
What kind of act is this?
But this teacher was different.
Lu Ding always had special ways of treating special people.
Shu Mochou paused for a moment. She had been thinking in her mind about how to apologize after being refused, then walk to the side to 'watch' Pan Fusheng on his final journey, and later collect and bury his body.
She never expected.
Lu Ding actually agreed.
This...
Seemed a bit different from what was rumored outside...
It was she who had judged by reputation.
She was also straightforward. She clasped her hands in salute again, openly admitting: "Although Shu Mochou never listened to rumors and gossip, I also, because of rumors and gossip, mistakenly imagined Special Envoy Lu in my heart."
As she spoke, she bowed down: "Shu Mochou offers my apology."
Lu Ding grabbed her and pulled her up: "That's about enough, Teacher Shu. If you perform any more salutes, he's going to breathe his last."
The severely wounded Pan Fusheng was frothing blood from his mouth.
Shu Mochou hurried over, raised her hand and made a gesture. A small wooden table with wine and dishes appeared.
Picking up the wine bottle, she poured fine wine, sighing as she helped Pan Fusheng up and fed him the wine.
Her snow-white long gown was stained with blood.
Shu Mochou spoke in a regretful tone: "Among that batch of students from your year, you were the smartest, and I had the highest hopes for you. But your intelligence was never used on the right path."
"Sigh..."
There was a bit of light lecturing.
These words seemed like something every teacher would say.
Lu Ding found them familiar.
In this lifetime, he hadn't heard them.
But in his previous life, these words accompanied him from elementary school to high school.
Many teachers told him: You're very smart, but you just don't use it on your studies.
The alcohol eased Pan Fusheng's injury pain and the cost of the forbidden technique.
Giving him a chance for a final rally, he spoke a few broken sentences: "Tea... Teacher Shu... I'm sorry..."
"It's... it's me who failed your teachings... and made you beg for mercy from... from this kind of person!!!!"
Saying this, Pan Fusheng regurgitated mouthfuls of blood.
His body hurt terribly, but his eyes remained fixed on Lu Ding, filled with hatred.
Shu Mochou, just like when Pan Fusheng made mistakes as a child, slapped his palm.
"You call me teacher, so I will teach you one more time. Studying, learning principles, is to let you see your current self clearly, standing on the shoulders of predecessors, seeing in a moment what sages spent their whole lives comprehending."
She touched the wound at Pan Fusheng's temple, channeling Spiritual Energy to ease his pain, but not treating the injury.
Many things, she distinguished clearly.
"You are a demon. In the demon world, the strong prey on the weak, survival of the fittest, everything is the call of instinct."
"But in the human world, there are laws and regulations. When you, with a demon's mentality, perform demon and monster deeds in the human world, you should have been psychologically prepared."
"If you feel wronged because of your parents' deaths, then think of the children of those killed by your parents. They are wronged too."
"If you are unwilling because you lost now and will lose your life, then you should think about what it means that the victor becomes king, the loser becomes an outlaw. You chose to gamble. Since it's a gamble, there is losing. You must accept it. A man cannot be so lacking in magnanimity."
Pan Fusheng laughed bitterly: "Teacher Shu, you... still love saying these principles of sages and saints. The sages and masters talk big without feeling the strain."