Bone Painting Coroner

Before the scholars entered the pavilion, they were stopped by the guards who were wearing raincoats and hats. The guards were not being heartless but were just naturally more cautious than most. 

The five scholars looked into the pavilion and gestured. "There are still vacant seats. Why are we not allowed to enter?" 

One of the guards replied, "Who are you?"

"What? Do I have to provide my background when I merely want to take shelter in the pavilion?" 

"We're in the midst of the woods. Who knows where you've come from?"

"Our backgrounds have nothing to do with you - you don't own the pavilion. Besides, it's raining cats and dogs right now, and this is the only shelter around. You are being barbaric and unreasonable." 

The guards did not reply. 

"We're scholars from Mingshan Academy. This pavilion was built for the scholars of our academy. You have no right to monopolize it!"

"Do you think that we're afraid of you just because you're carrying swords?" 

"Let us in!" 

The guards remained silent. 

The group got louder as the argument continued. Despite the thundering sound of rain that drowned out the commotion, Jing Rong and the group heard it nonetheless. They gazed over in synchrony and saw the argument between the guards and the five who were dressed in scholar's robes. 

Jing Rong promptly stood up and flung his sleeves as he said sternly, "Let them in." 

The guards immediately moved to the side upon Jing Rong's order. 

The scholars quickly entered the pavilion and began to wring out their drenched clothes. They used their already wet sleeves to wipe the books in their hands. Furious, one of the scholars questioned the ones who had been sitting inside the pavilion, "Who are you? Why do you not allow us to take shelter in the pavilion in this heavy rain?"

Nonchalantly, Jing Rong responded, "My subordinates are ignorant. Please don't mind them." 

"You want to dismiss the matter just by saying this?" The scholar was assertive. 

"As this is not where we come from, it's inevitable for my guards to act with extra caution." 

"That's absurd. One shall rely on one's parents at home, and rely on friends when one's away from home. As you're now away from your home, you should see everyone as your kin. The world is full of strangers. You can't see everyone as a bad person," he said as he tightened his fist. His look no longer matched his scholar attire. 

At this moment, another scholar came forward and gently pulled him, "Lin Shu, let it go." 

The man, who was addressed as Lin Shu, flung his arm, "No way. They were resting inside the pavilion peacefully despite knowing about the heavy rain out there. Yet, they refused to let us in. That is unreasonable. Everyone in Bingjing knows that the Observation Pavilion was built by Mingshan Academy!" 

In actual fact, it was not unusual for Lin Shu to be furious. He had always been impulsive and short-tempered. However, he usually fooled around in the academy and was never a wicked person. Besides, he was more or less a compassionate person. Hence, the scholars in the academy thought well of him and enjoyed befriending him. This time, they made a trip down the mountain to purchase the books. Unfortunately, they were trapped in the heavy rain. Besides being entirely drenched, they were halted outside the pavilion, and his irritation was doubled. Overwhelmed by annoyance, it was only natural for him to fail to suppress his anger. 

Jing Rong was unexpectedly patient as he faced Lin Shu. He maintained an expressionless face and calmly stared at Lin Shu. 'This boy is somewhat adorable!' 

Failing to hold back his anger, Lin Shu was prepared to launch into a good argument. He barely took a step forward before Lang Po appeared and blocked his way. Lang Po pressed the handle of the sword against his chest while glaring at him with a pair of cold eyes that were filled with ruthlessness. "You should mind your manners. My sword knows no mercy." 

Without a trace of fear, Lin Shu replied, "Try me." 

You asked for it! Lang Po had always been a straightforward person. He exerted force on his thumb that was pressing against the handle, and the next second, a small part of the silver blade was exposed. 

"Don't be rude. Dismissed," Jing Rong ordered. 

Lang Po threw a side glimpse at Jing Rong before he gently lowered his head, kept his sword and returned to his place obediently. 

The atmosphere was filled with awkwardness due to the incident. Jing Rong scanned the scholars with his gaze and mumbled, "Mingshan Academy?" After some pondering, he nodded and said with a grin, "You're right. We've arrived at the border of Bingjing. We're not far away from Mingshan Academy." 

The audience exchanged a look in silence! 

"From my calculation, Teacher Yu has founded Mingshan Academy for more than forty years, am I right? Mingshan Academy successfully gained popularity during the first few years of its foundation. Children of many noble families and wealthy businessmen opted to forfeit their entrance to the National Academy and continued their studies at Mingshan Academy, which was located far away. Some of them even offered gold in exchange for a year of enrolment in Mingshan Academy, hoping to learn from Teacher Yu," Jing Rong spoke, appearing to be a cultured person. 

Listening to what he said, Lin Shu studied Jing Rong. 'This man seems decent and is well-dressed. From his language and action, he definitely does not come from a common family. With the people who are guarding the pavilion with swords, he comes from either a noble or a wealthy family.' 

Lin Shu asked, "You know our teacher?" 

"I might or might not know him." Jing Rong smiled faintly. "Approximately forty years ago, he became the top scholar in the imperial exam and gained a superior post at the Hanlin Academy. However, he was born to be a loner, as he offended a number of people. Maybe, he was never meant for Hanlin Academy. Hence, he resigned from his official position and proceeded to build Mingshan Academy. Teacher Yu is always well-known for being a stubborn yet childish old man. His way of teaching is very different from the others. Rumour says that he released a set of books that talk about punishments for students. All the teachers from all academy or private teachers own this book. But, many people are skeptical about the contents of the book. However, Teacher Yu has always been an arrogant man. He refused to amend the contents, and instead, he intensified it. Eventually, he grew notorious." 

Jing Rong said the word "notorious" firmly and confidently! It was as though Teacher Yu from Mingshan Academy was absolutely disreputable. The five scholars reckoned that Jing Rong's statement was unjust. One of them immediately defended Teacher Yu, "Our teacher is a sage. How can you, a common yet uneducated man, insult our teacher? He received eulogy from the late emperor and his life was documented in biography, all to say that he was the wisest person. His students are either highly intelligent or very talented people. Where did the hearsay come from? Stop spreading false rumors. From what I see, you are extremely narrow-minded!" He made his stand clear to side with Teacher Yu.

Another scholar spoke unexpectedly, "But, I don't completely disagree with this young master. Indeed, the teacher has a bad temper. His approach to education is rather conservative. Besides confining one's mindset and behavior, the strict education system practices precision. However, Confucian ideology has always been flexible. It emphasizes for students to act and learn following their wills. Contrary to that, teacher's orthodox approach to education forbids any personal opinions. Eventually, students fail to utilize their knowledge."

The audience turned to look at the man as they heard the voice. The man, with the surname Shang and name Zhuo, was a scholar from Mingshan Academy. He seemed decent and honest. His eyes beamed of intelligence. However, he did not come from a wealthy family like the other scholars. He grew up in poverty and had always lived frugally. He was able to enroll in Mingshan Academy solely with his ability. As he was more knowledgeable than the other scholars, he was given the nickname of "Confucius Reincarnate".