Chapter 116: Miscellaneous Notes on Sales

Since ancient times, when a gentleman reached adulthood, he would be given a courtesy name during the capping ceremony. In the Wen Dynasty, this standard had evolved to incorporate the measurement of one's cultivation level.

The bestowal of a courtesy name was typically handled by one's elders. Now that Song Mu had performed the formal rite of apprenticeship to Tao Fengming, the process unfolded naturally. The name "Jingzhao" held a profound meaning, connecting seamlessly to Song Mu's own name and personal history, which left him immensely pleased. Furthermore, it drew him even closer to his master.

However, since Prefect Fan had arrived to see Tao Fengming first and likely had matters to discuss, Song Mu tactfully bowed and took his leave. The questions he had intended to ask regarding mental energy would simply have to wait for another time.

Returning to the main entrance, he found Kong Zong and the others still waiting. Upon seeing Song Mu, they bowed one by one. Song Mu smiled and explained, "I was just chatting with Prefect Fan and Master Fengming. The Master has bestowed a courtesy name upon me."

"Oh?" Kong Zong and Zhang Yiqi’s eyes lit up immediately.

"Brother Song, might we know what name you were given?" Zhang Yiqi asked. Song Mu told them, and they nodded in approval.

"A truly fine meaning. From this day forward, I shall address you as Jingzhao," Kong Zong said with a smile. The group then shared their own courtesy names: Kong Zong’s was "Zuhai," given by his father, and Zhang Yiqi’s was "Hemi," bestowed by his clan elder.

They shared in the joy of the moment, but Zhang Yiqi suddenly caught a detail and asked, "Brother Song, you said Master Fengming gave you this name? Does that mean...?" His face showed a look of sudden realization. Song Mu nodded silently, while Kong Zong looked on, bewildered.

Zhang Yiqi explained, "It means you have taken Master Fengming as your teacher!"

Kong Zong looked astonished. He had only just learned who Master Fengming was, and he had never expected such an esteemed scholar-official to take Song Mu as a disciple.

"It was a matter of serendipity," Song Mu explained. "I met Master Fengming, and we found a mutual affinity, so he accepted me as his disciple."

As he spoke, Song Mu felt a wave of emotion. From the day he became a disciple, Master Fengming had become like an elder in his own family. Kong Zong and Zhang Yiqi were envious, praising Song Mu’s talent and ability to win such favor, jokingly asking him to introduce them to the Master as well.

After chatting happily for a while, the three left the prefectural academy at Song Mu’s invitation to celebrate at a local teahouse. Over the meal, they discussed the current situation at the academy.

"I’ve been staying in the prefectural city and heard from some senior students that the academy is organizing an expedition of forty scholars and ten licentiates for a large-scale hunt. It seems it won't be in the Jiangnan West Circuit, but further south."

"The south? Isn't that hunting in the territory of the barbarians?" Kong Zong asked, curious.

Zhang Yiqi nodded. "It seems that after our great victory in the west, the demon race felt humiliated and their morale waned. Now, the East Sea demons have contacted the South Sea demons, intending to consolidate their alliance of monsters and barbarians in the south. According to public reports, a large number of civilians have already been relocated. It looks like a major war is brewing."

This was the first time Song Mu had heard this news. He had spent the last month in such a whirl of activity that he had missed much of what was happening. Although the world was currently stable and the human race was strong enough to resist the demons and barbarians, the recent years of peace seemed to be shifting toward turbulence.

"Speaking of which, we should also concern ourselves with the expedition two months from now," Kong Zong added. "That's when we set out."

"In the dead of winter? That won't be easy," the three agreed. It was a rule of the academy: after the literary examinations, the martial examinations would follow. The only difference was that they would not be required to travel as far as the seasoned scholars and licentiates.

As they continued to eat, the sound of a storyteller drifted up from the tea house below. An old man with a goatee, full of vigor, slammed his gavel down with a crisp, echoing sound.

The group listened intently. "The nine-tailed fox demon harbored a trace of love and kindness. When the Tree Demon Granny approached, the fox pointed a finger, and the scholar fell lifeless, tumbling down the cliff into the stream. When the fox turned back, she saw the Tree Demon had slaughtered all the men. Just as the Tree Demon prepared to wreak more havoc, it suddenly exploded from within—the result of a demon-suppressing essay the scholar had written earlier."

...

"When the scholar awoke, he found himself with a merchant caravan. They had rescued him, and he was now near the capital. Feeling a strange sorrow, he rose and found something in his bed. He pulled back the quilt to reveal a white creature—white head, white ears, white body, and white tail. It was the nine-tailed white fox."

"After this, a poem was written: 'A fallen scholar wanders the wild, a beautiful fox serves in the mountain shrine. Warn the world to be cautious, do not let illusions cloud the eye. The Tree Demon rose to plague the world, the scholar drew his sword to fight the heavens. Alas, he was weak and alone, but fortunate that all ended well.'"

The storyteller swayed as he spoke, and the audience erupted in applause. Kong Zong and Zhang Yiqi were captivated.

"What story is this? A tale of human and demon—it sounds rather good, doesn't it?"

Zhang Yiqi laughed. "I don't know when this folk literature started appearing. Only Yingxue Workshop sells these books. It’s called something like *A Miscellany of a Hundred Demons*. It’s quite compelling, though only the first volume is out."

Song Mu narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. This story was clearly an adaptation of his own *The Fox Who Devours Men*. Before he had adapted it, the original had indeed been a love story between human and demon, but when he wrote it, he had intentionally downplayed the romance and turned it into a bloody, cruel tale. There was no happy ending in his version; it ended in the destruction of an entire village and the death of the scholar.

He was stunned that his story had been adapted so quickly into a serialized performance, and yet the content had been altered so drastically to include a harmonious ending. Feeling that the story had strayed far from his original intent, he decided to visit the Yingxue Workshop later to ask the manager, Zhang, what was going on.

After the meal, Song Mu excused himself and headed to the workshop. What he saw there left him even more speechless.

In front of the bookstore, another storyteller was holding court, narrating Song Mu’s *The White Jade Snake*. A crowd of a dozen people stood mesmerized. Outside the shop, a section had been cordoned off to sell these folk books, with his *Miscellany of a Hundred Demons* being the most prominent.

Taking a deep breath, Song Mu composed himself and walked inside.