Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

The truth has been buried by history, and all speculation remains just speculation, never to become reality. The old case of Mu Huai-ren is completely unrecoverable unless there is solid evidence.

So, she could only watch.

She had guesses, but they were all just guesses. These things were worthless, just like Mu Nandong's absurd and meaningless life if this guess were true.

The rotten tassel at the end of the scroll

Alchemy workshop.

At 5:30, not a second more, not a second less, Mu Nandong began packing his things.

He should go to the cafeteria for lunch, then return to the alchemy workshop to work until 9:30 before going back to his dormitory.

Mu Nandong packed his things and turned to leave the alchemy workshop.

Although it was summer vacation, there were still quite a few students at the Royal Academy.

As he walked along the roads of the Imperial College, many students looked uneasy and nervous when they saw him, and then stopped to greet him.

Mu Nandong maintained a cold expression throughout, only nodding slightly in response.

He walked on, and many people greeted him, but no one ever said a second word to him.

The students would smile when they saw him, then look nervous, greet him, and then smile again after passing him, as if Mu Nandong were immune to smiles.

In the Imperial Court, almost no one disliked Nocturne, almost no one was afraid of Jiu Yi, and almost no one was unafraid of Mu Nan Dong.

He is sharp-tongued, logically clear, highly talented, and well-read; anyone who argues with him is simply inviting humiliation.

Mu Nandong kept moving forward, kept moving forward.

He has been like this for the past twenty years and will continue to be like this in the future.

The ice of the Imperial House.

You can always see this person in the Royal Court. No matter the season, he always wears an inappropriate black robe, his silver hair is tied into a single ponytail in the middle and tied behind his back, and his expression gives people a cold and gloomy feeling.

Alchemy students jokingly say that no matter what expression you make when you face Munan Dong, it will always respond with the same expression, unaffected by any external factors. This is the most stable Munan Dong structure in the world.

He took a step forward, but suddenly a shameless shout came from behind him.

"Brave warrior, please wait!"

Mu Nandong sighed, turned his head, and saw Ying Qin Guan scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

This is outside the board game arcade. Ying Qin Guan must have seen him... after all, he passes by here every day at this time.

"What's the matter?"

"You're going to the cafeteria for lunch, right? You definitely are, you still need to go back to the alchemy workshop later!" Ying Qin Guan said with an expression that said, "Everything is going according to my plan," "Since it's on the way anyway, why don't you bring me and the Dean some food..."

".."

Before this semester, Mu Nandong never dreamed that he, who had never helped anyone bring lunch during his university years, would now be the head of the Alchemy Department and have to help people bring lunch.

He sighed and asked, "What would you like to eat?"

Ying Qin Guan was overjoyed upon hearing this and turned around to ask, "Jiu Yi, what would you like to eat?"

Jiu Yi peeked out from the board game shop and was genuinely surprised. He was very afraid of Mu Nandong, but he didn't expect Ying Qin Guan to have such a big reputation. After thinking for a while, he told him what he wanted to eat.

Ying Qin Guan also named what he wanted to eat, and then tossed his card to Mu Nan Dong.

Mu Nandong took the card and was about to leave when Ying Qin Guan called him back.

"Etc., etc!"

"What is it now...?"

Mu Nandong turned his head, only to suddenly see a fruit flying towards him. He instinctively took a step back. But the fruit seemed to have eyes and flew into Mu Nandong's hand.

"That thing the boss bought from outside... (turns to look at the boss)"

"Ah, you mean...fragrant tassels? The shop owner gave me two, and he said they're quite rare. I'll give you one."

Having said that, Ying Qin Guan, preoccupied with playing cards, didn't give Mu Nan Dong a chance to refuse and immediately closed the door.

Mu Nandong sighed again, put away the fruit, and walked forward.

The tassel...this fruit evoked ancient memories for him.

As a walking encyclopedia, he naturally knew about this; it was a specialty of Kongyou Island, and the taste was indeed quite good.

He remembered eating it once when he was a child.

Around the age of seven, a friend of his father's sent a bag of fragrant tassels. Although the family's income was not much at that time, Mu Huai-ren was well-liked. Even after being branded a deserter, many people still remembered their past friendship and helped the mother and son. This was reflected in all aspects of their lives, rather than simply giving them money and then ignoring them.

Mu Nandong heard that... that was his mother's favorite fruit before his family fell on hard times.

After the food was delivered, his mother told him to take it and eat it.

Mu Nandong ultimately didn't eat it, perhaps because he couldn't bear to part with it, or perhaps because he wanted to save it for his mother.

My mother would occasionally gaze at the bag of fragrant tassels, as if she were looking at a dream from the past.

No woman in this world wants to be a petty, calculating middle-aged woman, just as no man wants to be a submissive, balding corporate slave.

But in the end, they still became like that.

The tassels were left there until they started to rot.

The mother was eventually moved, and she used a knife to cut away the rotten part... Although Mu Nandong was still young at the time, he understood that the rotten part of the fruit was actually more than it appeared.

At that time, he thought he knew everything, but he forgot that his mother also came from a scholarly family.

His mother cut away the rotten part and gave him the better, more intact one, saying, "Eat it, or it will rot."

So Mu Nandong could only eat it.

As they ate, the mother inexplicably burst into tears. Many years later, Mu Nandong finally understood why she was crying. But back then, as a child, he saw his mother cry and, not knowing why, he started crying too.

He still remembered the taste of the tassel, which was supposed to be sweet and sour. But perhaps because it was rotten, and with some tears, when he took a bite, the sweet, sour, bitter, and salty flavors were all crushed, chewed up, and swallowed down without leaving a trace.

This is his memory of Xiang Liusu.

Years later, Mu Nandong saw this fruit again, and it was a little different from the fragrant tamarind he remembered... This was a high-end variety that the boss had someone airlift back, so it was naturally different.

He hesitated for a moment, then put it to his mouth and took a bite.

The mouth is filled with a delicate fragrance, and the intoxicating sweetness bursts forth, yet it is not cloying. Instead, it is refreshing and delicious, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

But Mu Nandong simply couldn't bring himself to take a second bite.

He stopped in his tracks.

There was a perpetually red maple forest in the royal palace, and the maple leaves were carried by the wind to his side.

Mu Nandong reached out, trying to grab the maple leaf, but a sudden gust of wind blew, causing the leaf to swirl and escape from his grasp.

As the sun sets, the afterglow is like blood.

An overwhelming sense of loneliness suddenly overwhelmed him; he felt as if he were standing in a vast black sea, his body sinking little by little.

But as he watched himself suffocate, he had no desire to struggle at all.

In a daze, a fragrant sweetness exploded in her mouth. Mu Nandong came back to her senses and realized that she had taken another bite.

He stood there, silent for a long time.

Much later, he finally took a step forward, just as he had done countless times before.

Chapter 1: The Rant Room

A person sat down at a mobile stall.

The owner immediately greeted him, "Would you like to have a drink, sir?"

The person said, "Ah... anything is fine, it doesn't matter. By the way, boss, what's the meaning of that 'Complaint Room' sign outside?"

The shopkeeper laughed and said, "Haha... that's a long story. There's a confessional over there at the church, right? I went there once when I was young. But it just didn't feel right. Men, how can you speak your mind without drinking? So I set up a mobile stall here, selling oden and alcohol... You see, this is outside the Imperial College, university students must have a lot of worries, right?"

The visitor nodded in deep agreement, but quickly retorted, "That's true... but how can you say something like that when there are people watching?"

"Oh... so there are rules in my rant room too, which is that even if you run into someone you know, you have to pretend you don't know them, and after you leave, you have to act like nothing happened here."

"Huh? But isn't this just fooling yourself?"

"Guest, this is what you don't understand. In life, it's good to be a little confused sometimes."

"Hmm... Boss, maybe you could get into the arts department at the Royal Academy?"

"Ah! I know that! The philosophy department of the Imperial Academy was merged into the literature department, right? I was confused when I first heard this joke... What kind of wine do you want?"

"Given my drinking capacity, if you want to speak the truth... humph. Anyway, I can't get drunk no matter what I drink, so bring on a bottle!"

"You have quite the capacity for alcohol, sir..." The owner said, speaking to people in a way that suited them perfectly. As he took out the bottles of liquor, he chuckled, "These are all skewered 'Three Ibu's'. Please help yourselves."

The person took the wine and took a small sip.

"But as for complaining... I don't really know what to say about that. After all, it's normal for someone like me to have no worries."

The middle-aged boss, who had been in this business for a long time, remained calm and laughed heartily, "That's truly enviable. If you don't have anything to say, why not take a look around here? My business is doing quite well... Everyone has their share of troubles."

The visitor nodded slightly and said, "Very well."

A short while later, someone lifted the curtain used to block the wind and obscure the view and came in, saying weakly, "Boss, give me two bottles... What are you doing here?!"

"I went outside and bought Nan Qin Wu—"

As the two were talking, the owner suddenly said, "Gentlemen... please don't forget the rules of our shop."

The newcomer suddenly became nervous and said, "Oh, I just remembered I have something to do, boss, I'll come back another day..."

A glint of light flashed in the boss's eyes. He stretched out Er Kang's hand and shouted, "Don't go! Guest! This is your perfect opportunity to overcome yourself. Think about it, every time you came to complain before, you were all alone. How could you say what was on your mind to this old man like me? Now that there are outsiders here, this is your perfect opportunity to overcome yourself!"

"Exactly," the first person to arrive chuckled sinisterly. "Perfect timing. Surely no one goes to the confessional and then has to keep switching locations after having bad luck there..."

The second person knew there was no escaping it, so he silently sat down in his seat.

He thought for a moment, then sighed with feigned distress, "Alas... Boss, my past troubles are gone, so let's not talk about them anymore."

"Is that so?" The boss smiled gently, and as he turned to get the wine, he suddenly seemed to be possessed by a magical spirit, speaking so fast that no one could interrupt him. "That's great. It seems that you've gotten rid of that card-playing friend who always tries to shift the blame when he loses."

The second person's hand was halfway outstretched when he didn't even have time to utter the words, "Damn it, didn't I tell you not to mention it again?"