Chapter 126: Real Strength

  At the moment when Shang Ti fell to the ground, not only the students who were watching, but also Huo Gong and his invited friends turned their heads, looking at the legitimate sons and daughters of several big families with suspicion.

  As he looked, General Huo turned to Lu Yun who was standing not far away. This child, at this time, still had a gentle look on his small face, his eyes shining brightly, obviously in high spirits, but his attitude was very calm.

  Huo Gong thought to himself: Lu Yun, this child, when bullied by others, did not show any inferiority. Now that he has let everyone know that he has a powerful background, his demeanor is not arrogant at all. He can remain humble and composed, truly having the bearing of our generation. Unconsciously, he liked Lu Yun even more.

  Of course, Huo Gong can also make a name for himself in both Chengdu and Luoyang, and he is not a pedantic person who doesn't understand the ways of the world. In an era where the relationship between master and apprentice is second only to that between father and son, having a closed-door disciple with a powerful background is beneficial to him, so why shouldn't he be pleased? Originally, he wanted to make this ceremony more grand, but now it has exceeded his expectations and become an even more glorious event.

  Just as Shang Tie sat down, a loud voice came from outside: "The Qiao family of Jiangzhou has arrived to pay their respects!"

  "The Chen family from Chen Prefecture has arrived for the ceremony!"

  "The Zhao family from Chu Prefecture has arrived to pay their respects!"

  “……”

  One by one, the elegant and refined young masters and daughters of noble families, either beautiful or handsome, walked slowly under the escort of servants or stewards.

  After they came in, they didn't say much. One by one, they just smiled slightly at Lu Xuan and then turned to Lu Yun, nodded slightly to him, and then quietly found a place to sit down and wait for the ceremony.

  But in the blink of an eye, nine young masters from first-class families in Chengdu arrived, and they sat quietly at the back of the classroom like ordinary students. Their attitude towards Mr. Huo was humble and respectful, and when facing Lu Yun and Lu Ruo, they showed a mixture of closeness and respect, as if these two orphans were originally their equals.

  This is indeed an unthinkable matter.

  Lu Yun, what kind of person is he? His classmates must be aware of this recently. No matter what background he has, just looking at his family situation, there are only two siblings, brother and sister, who came from a small town like Hankou, with no parents or relatives.

  How can such a poor and humble person, who has only accidentally become acquainted with one or two members of a noble family, gain their respect? And in their interactions, how can they possibly be on an equal footing with them?

  A young master of a large family with nine generations of wealth and power, such influence can surely dominate wherever he goes.

  For a moment, the students who were watching couldn't help but whisper to each other. They exchanged whispers, and those few boys who had blocked Lu Yue and spoken harsh words to her looked even more unpleasant and uneasy.

  Especially that refined young man, he said that Lu Yue had offended four families, which means she had offended a quarter of the wealthy households in Chengdu... In fact, he knew that this was just their way of flattering themselves. For ordinary rich people like them who have wealth but no power, they can only be considered as fourth-rate in Chengdu. The second and third-rate families all look up to first-rate aristocratic families like Shang Xiao Wen's, and normally don't even have the opportunity to meet them!

  Now, in this small school, there are nine top-notch family heirs! Anyone here can cut off a certain family's business path with just one sentence, or make it difficult for them to take action.

  This matter can't be thought about, the more you think about it, the more frightening it becomes. Gradually, the students also stopped talking and discussing, they held their breath, only lowering their heads, carefully observing Lu Yun and Lu Xue siblings, secretly making up their minds that when they find an opportunity, they must apologize to the Lu siblings and try to get their forgiveness!

  When the nine young masters had all arrived and there was a good while without any movement outside, one of the Confucian scholars coughed and looked at the hourglass on his side, singing: "The time has come, play the music!"

  The sound fell, and the strings burst forth.

  The strings playing at this moment are calm and peaceful, with a majestic and solemn atmosphere.

  Among the music, a Confucian scholar lifted up the portrait of Huo Gong's teacher and placed it behind Zhongzheng. The mountain master of Hua Tian Academy bowed deeply to Huo Gong, who returned with a bow.

  Then, the mountain master of Huateng Academy welcomed Hu Gong with a two-step courtesy and three bows. Hu Gong returned with three bows. The mountain master stood on the east side, and Hu Gong stood on the west side. Lu Yun stepped forward and made four long bows to the portrait of Master Shi placed in the center.

  The portrait was withdrawn, and Shan Zhang invited Huo Gong to take his place in the central position, and he himself retreated to the east.

  Then, Shan Zhang led Lu Yun to pay respects to Huo Gong with a bow, and this time, Huo Gong returned the courtesy with a bow.

  Lu Xun presents a bundle of respect, humbly offering it up.

  Lu Yun stepped down and sat among the young masters of the aristocratic families, with Lang Junwen Qing and Zhao Yuan holding tea cups, handing them to Lu Yun.

  Lu Yun took it over and respectfully presented it in front of Mr. Huo, saying: "Sir, please have some tea."

  Huo Gong approached, took a small sip, and then looked at Lu Yun with a serious expression: "You have entered my school, from now on, you must cultivate your body and mind, be diligent in your studies, do not act rashly, do not deceive or betray your master and ancestors, do not engage in petty actions, do not harbor evil intentions, and do not commit treacherous acts!"

  Lu Yun bowed deeply and replied in a loud voice: "I obey the teacher's teachings."

  Huo Gong put the tea cups together and said, "It's done, you can withdraw." As soon as his voice fell, the string music gradually slowed down, slowly came to a stop. From then on, the ceremony of becoming a master was complete.

  After Lu Yun stepped aside, Shang Ti, representing the Jiang clan's Shang family, walked out. She took a basket from her maid and walked in front of Mr. Huo, curtsying slightly and saying: "Sir, you have worked hard, this humble gift is to express my sincerity." This basket contained the same six items as Lu Yun's basket: celery, lotus seeds, red beans, dates, longan, and dried meat strips, which symbolized propriety and etiquette.

  Shang Ti stepped down, and Xiao Yan came forward. She bowed to Duke Huo and said the same thing as Shang Ti, then presented a bundle of silk.

  When the two women went forward, the four of them remained silent.

  This is truly a quiet and peaceful place. The fact that they could come to pay their respects already showed great sincerity. The two women presented a bundle of incense, to be honest, this move was beyond everyone's expectations. Although the incense wasn't worth much money, the thought behind it was extremely precious. Their actions clearly put them in the same position as Lu Yue, treating Lu Yun like a younger brother and offering thanks to his teacher.

  This move would never be what their family meant. Lu Xuan looked at them with emotion, her eyes shining brightly, filled with joy and happiness.

  They two, really treat her as a friend!

  After Xiao Yan stepped down, Huo Gong called Lu Yun over and encouraged him a few more times before nodding his head and leaving the school.

  Huo Gong's departure marked the official dispersal of the crowd. But the students were in no hurry to disperse at this time.

  When Lu Yun was walking towards Lu Xue, the most active Shang Ti took one step and rushed to Lu Xue's side. She grasped Lu Xue's hand and shook it vigorously, complaining: "You're so good at disappearing for ten days or more! Quickly tell me, where have you been all these days?"

  She had just finished speaking when Xiao Yan also ran over. She sniffled and said in a bad mood, "Must have gone somewhere to play without even calling us."

  Wen Qing and others stood on one side, smiling as they watched the three women frolic.

  After a while, Xiao Yan turned to Lu Yun. She smiled and was about to say something when Wen Qing on the side said: "Ah Yue, is this your younger brother? He's quite handsome, and he looks just like you." Saying that, he pulled Lu Yun away, "Let's go outside and talk."

  As soon as he spoke, the crowd realized that many eyes were fixed on them. At this time, Lu Yue and others nodded, under the escort of the maidservants, they chatted and laughed, and walked out in a grand manner.

  Huazheng Academy is a well-known academy in Chengdu, but the truly first-class families in Chengdu do not send their children to study here. These young masters are also arrogant and proud, and although they are polite to Lu Yue's siblings, when they see other students, they still look down on them with disdain and ignore them completely.

  The students watched them leave with their eyes until they disappeared into the distance.

  It wasn't until their figures disappeared from view that a scholar spoke up in a low voice, saying: "Indeed, judging people by appearance is truly a loss for the son of Zhu."

  They all thought that Lu Yun had nothing and could be bullied at will, but it wasn't until now that they discovered he was actually hiding his true strength.

  That elegant young man had a pale face all along, and only now did he recover. After a while, he lowered his voice and said: "Shan Chang was also shocked, did you see the expression on Huo Gong's face when he left? That complacent look..."

  He said this with great difficulty.

  Another thin and weak young man sneered, "The Marquis's family is lawless and arrogant, with a belly full of nonsense. They committed crimes and got what they deserved, so why mention it? The main reason we're angry is that the young lady from the Lu family was too reckless and provoked Lord Huo, implicating several families in the process. That's why we're upset. However, you saw how those people treated the sister and brother - not with even a hint of condescension or disdain, but rather with familiarity and closeness. Their relationship is deep indeed. And then there are the two young ladies from the Shang and Xiao families, who treat Lu Yun like a younger brother. The Lu family has such great power that even if we're angry, we can only smile along... It's always been the law of the jungle, where might makes right. There's nothing more to say."

  Lü Yu's siblings led everyone in their new home for a while, letting everyone recognize the door, and then they made an appointment to run to Dujiangyan to visit the lake.

  Those young men and women accompanied each other on the way, feeling carefree. After returning to their families, they couldn't help but feel restricted. Finally getting the chance to go out and play, they all made the most of it and had a wild time.

  Among these people, Lu Yun was an outsider, fortunately, Xiao Yan's younger brother also arrived. Lu Yun had a gentle personality with a slight shyness, and he had some knowledge, while Xiao Yan's younger brother Xiao Hui had been bullied by his stepmother for a long time, so he was a bit depressed and guarded against others. People like him easily got along with someone as gentle and pure as Lu Yun, and before long, the two became inseparable. As for Wen Qing and the others, Lu Yun was two or three years younger, so they couldn't really talk to each other.