Why do I have so many masters?

The scene was shrouded in deathly silence.

Even Wang Anfeng felt a chill on the back of his neck, and his heart immediately became full of vigilance. He hadn't sensed the slightest sign of the approaching longsword, and its speed was as fast as a gale. If it had been aimed at his vitals, he would have found it difficult to dodge. His body involuntarily tensed, and the inner strength he had been channeling was now somewhat reserved.

Who was the newcomer, friend or foe?

Although Wei Qi's face was expressionless, his eyebrows were slightly furrowed. Sensing that the other party was slightly retracting their inner strength, he didn't rush to attack. Instead, he tacitly withdrew his inner strength back into his body, his wariness even greater than Wang Anfeng's.

The rigid merchant, despite his obsequious appearance, was no weaker in martial arts; otherwise, he wouldn't have been managing the sect's transactions in the county city. He had been overwhelmed by a single sword stroke that had shattered the weapon in his hands and sliced his clothes. If the assailant had wished to take his life, it would have taken no more than the flick of a wrist.

The only reason the attacker held back was a reluctance to cause too much trouble in Great Qin County City. Otherwise, where would the merchant's life be?

As both men had retracted their inner strength, the Wolf Fang Club, which had been the medium for their contest of inner strength, lost its force and immediately fell to the ground. With a light clang, it shattered, no longer able to maintain its original shape, turning into large chunks of broken iron.

The side of the Wolf Fang Club facing Wang Anfeng had already become smooth as if it had been heated in fire, while on Wei Qi's side, it had gradually turned into fine fragments, as if it had been violently hammered, not retaining its original shape.

It was just one sword stroke that broke the tense and dangerous stalemate of the moment.

The two remaining intact strongmen were filled with regret, unable to endure the oppressive atmosphere. They glanced at each other and immediately turned to run. They had barely taken a few steps when a dark shadow struck them in the waist and abdomen, eliciting a cry of pain. The three of them rolled back to their original spot like tumbling gourds.

As the onlookers focused their attention, they saw that the dark shadow was a man in vigorous attire with a sword on his back, who had now fainted. Judging by his attire, he was with Wei Qi and his group. Wei Qi's expression changed slightly, and it was only then that he understood.

His arrangement should have been three people on each side, with two strongmen at the front and a martial artist at the back. But one side had lacked a member, having only two strongmen. Wei Qi had just been puzzled, but now that he saw this man, he understood that someone had ambushed him halfway through. His expression turned slightly cold.

Although he didn't know the strength of the opponent, he was not willing to submit in terms of momentum. He drew the heavy hammer from his back, smashed it on the ground, his Qi force bursting forth like a tidal wave. With a cold snort, he said,

"I don't know which sect you're from, sneaking around like that. Why don't you come out and spar?"

No sooner had he spoken than another shadow darted from afar. Wang Anfeng's toes pointed, and his body floated aside like a willow fluff, avoiding the straightforward sword shadow. Wei Qi, however, refused to back down; his eyes gleaming, he gave a low shout, grasped the hammer's handle with both hands, and smashed it down fiercely.

Like hammering on iron felt, the hammer collided with the sword. As the Qi force erupted, Wei Qi grunted, stepped back half a step, and felt as if his tiger's mouth had been slashed by a sharp sword. Although he wasn't bleeding, the pain was unbearable. Even he couldn't help but tremble slightly. If Wang Anfeng followed up with a sword thrust at that moment, his hammer technique would not be able to exhibit seventy percent of its strength, and he would have to flee in a sorry state.

The shadow that had been hit by the hammer revealed its true form; it was a longsword in its scabbard, very plain except for a Jade Bead on the hilt that shone with a soft luster. Now stuck in the ground, the longsword pulsated with flowing light, showing it was anything but ordinary.

Seeing the sword, Wei Qi's expression changed slightly, and he said,

"The Tongchen Sword, Weiming Sect..."

Just as he identified the sword, a clear bell rang out. From the alleyway emerged a grey donkey, which seemed to have been there during Wang Anfeng's and Wei Qi's confrontation, strolling over nonchalantly.

On it was a young man in white, with his hair tied up with a Jade Crown, riding the donkey backwards. He sat reclining, his left knee bent, and his right hand holding a Taoist Script. Even without seeing his face, the aura of a Taoist in flowing robes hit everyone present, prompting Wang Anfeng to look on with a certain solemnness.

With the distinction between friend and foe still unclear, he raised his right hand, now grasping the hilt of his longsword.

In a direction unseen by the two, the Taoist lazily yawned, his eyes drowsy, as if reluctantly muttering to himself, yet also vigorously stretching his arms, suddenly leaped up without any apparent exertion.

His garments fluttered, like an Immortal descending to the mundane, comparable to the dance of a white crane in the sky, leisurely and free. With half-opened eyes, he softly chanted,

"Thousand Mountains...turn to evening snow, every path human tracks vanish..."

With each word a step in mid-air, by the end of the couplet, he had appeared next to the longsword. With a Taoist Script in one hand and the sword in the other, his hair slightly disheveled but without any loss of composure, a carefree and unrestrained demeanor emanated from him. With one man, one sword, and one scripture, he drew all eyes to himself. Looking at Wei Qi in front, he chuckled,

"Quite a feat for a brother of the Fire Refining Sect, to kill in the streets."

Wei Qi's expression was cold, and knowing the situation was out of his hands, he slung the hammer on his back and said,

"Not as leisurely as the gains of the Daoist fisherman."

Mu Shanxue laughed lightly, not minding the barb in the words, and leisurely said,

"I already saw the patrol officers heading this way."

"I wonder if the Great Elder of your sect can withstand ten moves of General Yu Wenze's Destructive Army Technique?"

Wei Qi sneered at the words and fell silent, turning to look at Wang Anfeng who was holding the sword. Noticing the three inches of blade revealed outside the Sword Scabbard, his eyes showed a hint of fascination, and he suddenly spoke,

"Would you sell me that wooden sword?"

"If you're willing, name your price. I, Wei Qi, will not haggle. As for today's disturbance, I can visit personally to offer my apologies."

Wang Anfeng had no fondness for the young man and simply said,

"This sword was a gift from my master."

Wei Qi nodded in understanding and said,

"I see."

Then he paused and added,

"That sword should be ranked among the FuFeng renowned weapons list of the Fire Refining Sect. The stormy Jianghu is vast; I hope the young hero will be cautious."

The voice faded as he turned to leave, his steps as steady as a tiger's, not weaker than anyone else's. Even Wang Anfeng, after a moment of hesitation, lacked the confidence to detain him and could only let him go.

At this moment, Mu Shanxue held the Taoist Script in his left hand behind his back, and with his right hand, he placed it on the sword guard; with a light flick, the clang of metal rang out as the sword whistled out of its scabbard, spinning in the air before landing in the Taoist's hand. Raising the sword to point at Wei Qi, he said,

"Hold on a moment."

Wei Qi turned sideways to look back, his expression cold, he asked,

"I wonder, does the Taoist have any further advice?"

Mu Shanxue shook his head, chuckling, he replied,

"Advice is hardly the term."

"However, I learned from your underlings that you intend to besiege the Academy Guardian here. As it happens, I share a certain acquaintance with the Academy Guardian, a relationship of old that compels me not to let you take them away so easily. Moreover, the Academy Guardian is part of the Academy; aren't you afraid of inviting a disaster with your rash actions?"

In the midst of his speech, he laid out the pros and cons as if he were very familiar with the Academy Guardian. Wei Qi snorted, pointing at Mu Shanxue and then shifted his gaze to Wang Anfeng, sneered, and said,

"How intriguing."

"This world still surprises me with acquaintances who meet without recognition. Jianghu really is full of wonders."

With a cold chuckle, he stopped paying attention to Mu Shanxue, who was slightly stiff, and ignored Wang Anfeng's odd expression, leaving on his own accord. Mu Shanxue coughed twice, turned to look at the blue-robed youth who had given him two meat buns before. Despite his usually thick skin, at that moment, he felt nothing but embarrassment.

Although he had previously inquired with the shopkeeper, what he was told was only that the youth had a pleasing appearance; if one had a daughter, they would certainly wish to marry her to him, a so-called dragon among men, which was completely useless for discerning the youth's real identity.

And during this encounter, having previously met Wang Anfeng, he subconsciously classified him as an innocent bystander involuntarily caught up in the affair, not giving it further thought at the moment.

In fact, it was also because he hadn't left his Sect to wander through Jianghu, and even though he recognized the Martial Arts technique of Wei Qi and knew it came from the Fire Refining Sect, he was unaware of the extent of Wei Qi's Inner Strength cultivation. Had that not been the case, he would have realized that anyone who could stand up to Wei Qi's Inner Strength without being overwhelmed was anything but ordinary, and he wouldn't have caused such a big misunderstanding.

Embarrassed, he sheathed his sword, touched his nose, and, with a forced laugh, directed his gaze to the side, he said,

"I must also thank you, young brother, for those two meat buns you gave me last time."

Wang Anfeng shook his head and asked,

"Does the Taoist need something from me?"

At those words, Mu Shanxue opened his mouth, decided not to beat around the bush, and nodding, he said,

"In all honesty, I've come down from the mountain because I have a matter to inquire about with the Academy Guardian."

Wang Anfeng replied,

"My family name is Wang, named Anfeng. Please, Taoist, don't call me the Academy Guardian any longer. Hmm... It's not suitable to talk for long here. The Academy is not too far away; how about we go there for a talk?"

Mu Shanxue's face lit up with delight as he said,

"That would be my wish."

After he whistled, the donkey came ambling over. Mu Shanxue patted its back and comfortably lay down on it; only then did he remember he was not alone, chuckled awkwardly, and asked,

"Would you care to join me, Brother Wang?"
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Seeing that Mu Shanxue invited him even though his face showed signs of pain, Wang Anfeng couldn't help but laugh and shook his head. He then looked in the direction where Wei Qi and the others had left, the smile on his face fading as his expression grew somber.

The youth who had matched his Inner Strength earlier was still able to exchange hard blows with Mu Shanxue without showing any signs of weakness, which showed the youth's Martial Arts were quite profound. And with such skills, to attack one with such reputation as his without regard, using a sneak attack, indeed made him a fearsome opponent.

Different from the enemies he faced before, as these thoughts crossed his mind, he couldn't help but inwardly sigh.

"Truly a master."

"His Martial Arts must be above mine."

........................

Elsewhere, Wei Qi strode forward, with the wealthy merchant meekly following by his side, when suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder, sending a shiver down his spine.

Thinking that Wei Qi was about to punish him for not taking action immediately before, he realized the hand didn't exert any force; it simply rested on his shoulder. Filled with doubt, he then heard Wei Qi say in a low voice,

"Let's go..."

Go? Where to?

The merchant was confused but then saw Wei Qi's face turn deathly pale, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes growing darker, the words almost squeezed through clenched teeth,

"Go... back... to... Spring... Hall."

As the words came out, he triggered the chaotic Inner Strength in his chest and abdomen, coughing up blood, his energy flagging, his face ashen, no longer retaining his usual commanding presence.

PS: Here's today's second update...