Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 299 - 9: The Real Requirement (1/2)

The temperature in the room seemed to have dropped several degrees in an instant.

Wang Anfeng’s feigned indifference vanished, his mind reciting Prajna, shedding all external appearances. Extraneous thoughts dissipated, and he became as tranquil as a deep lake.

His right hand lay flat on the table without a response. To the hidden Sixth Rank Martial Artist beside him, the youth’s demeanor suddenly lost all its edges. Sitting at the table, he seemed as if he were a thousand miles away, elusive and beyond grasp. The swordsman’s confidence began to waver.

Suddenly, the youth gently laughed and said warmly,

"This house of the elderly gentleman is not small."

The old man laughed,

"I am honored by your praise."

Wang Anfeng’s spine straightened inch by inch, sitting upright, his eyes slightly closed, he said softly,

"Although the house is not small, I am but three zhang away from you."

`

"Do you think my sword can cover what distance before the Sixth Rank Master in the room makes a move?"

The old man laughed heartily,

"How would this old fool know that?"

Wang Anfeng looked at the picture of a tiger winding down the mountain, his expression serene, appearing more like a fierce tiger about to leap and hunt than the ferocious image itself, calm and composed, he said softly,

"Take a guess, it won’t hurt."

A sharp, fierce killing intent brushed the air lightly.

The atmosphere became oppressively tense.

In the midst of that tension, the elder suddenly burst out laughing and said,

"Hahaha, well, I was just making a little joke."

"A swordsman’s blade is like his life, how can he give it away lightly? You, as a protector of books and secrets, ask this old man for a favor, and it so happens that I also have a favor to request of you. But this matter is of great importance and can only be entrusted to a person of upright nature and conduct, which is why I tested the waters with my words."

"I hope the Book Guardian will not take offense!"

Wang Anfeng closed his eyes, and that sharp killing intent seemed as if it had never been there at all, he asked,

"What is the matter?"

The old man was silent for a moment before saying,

"Help me protect someone."

Wang Anfeng did not answer directly, his fingers flexed, tapping the table gently.

Leaning back on the chair, after a moment, he said leisurely,

"This person must be quite troublesome..."

The youth’s mouth held a faint smile, his demeanor peaceful and composed.

The situation shifted back into his control in the blink of an eye.

This would have been a difficult task for him two years ago, but now it seemed easy to accomplish. Over the past two years, he spent his days either arguing with his third Master or watching Ying Sir and his Master bicker. Some things had changed imperceptibly.

The elder seemed momentarily at a loss for words by his statement, laughed once, and sighed,

"Indeed troublesome, but rest assured, young hero."

"As a reward, apart from finding the person you seek, I will also offer you the most important treasure in my life, which cannot be compared to any martial arts manuals or divine weapons. Of course, whether you can acquire it will depend on your abilities."

"Old Five, bring the item to the young hero."

The rustling sound of sweeping garments arose as a slender figure appeared in the hall.

Dressed in white with her face covered, revealing only a pair of slender eyes, full of expression like the dew, she took out a piece of white paper from her bosom. Without approaching, she flicked it with her finger, turning it into a sharp flying projectile, which whistled through the air and shot sharply towards Wang Anfeng.

Wang Anfeng slightly shifted his body, and the paper skimmed past his hair, thudded into the redwood pillar behind him, trembling incessantly. The woman was slightly taken aback, seemingly puzzled at Wang Anfeng’s non-action to neutralize the paper’s force. At that moment, Wang Anfeng placed the teacup aside and smiled,

"Good finger technique."

"Please give me another sheet."

The woman stiffened at his words, and after a few breaths, she came to understand what the young man meant. Her eyes widened slightly in disbelief.

Martial artists always strive to outdo others, never wanting to fall behind.

In her past experiences, she had never seen a skilled martial artist do such a thing.

Despite scoffing, she took out another sheet of white paper, walked over, and placed it on the table in front of Wang Anfeng.

The elder spoke from behind the screen,

"Book Guardian, just write down the characteristics of the person you are looking for, and I will have my men help you search. As long as he has ever stayed in Xi Dingzhou City, he must have left traces."

"As long as traces are left, within seven days, it will be delivered to the young hero."

Wang Anfeng nodded slightly, no longer pressing the other party.

The table was equipped with the Four Treasures of the Study, and the youth picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, his gaze focused and contemplative.

The elder behind the screen was no ordinary person.

And to ask for protection for another person, having to rely on someone else’s strength, clearly indicated that the matter was not simple. If he agreed, he likely faced a host of troubles waiting for him, amidst blades and swords, without freedom.

But who on Jianghu truly has freedom?

If actions were taken always in fear, what was the point of learning martial arts or leaving seclusion?

Laughing lightly, Wang Anfeng no longer hesitated. He wrote down Meng Yuexue’s characteristics on the paper, reviewed it, and found no issues, then placed the brush aside and said,

"This task, I shall leave to the elderly gentleman."

"I would like to know who is the person I am supposed to protect."

The elder laughed softly,

"The person will seek you out today, you will know when the time comes."

Wang Anfeng nodded again and said,

"Then, I will take my leave now."

The wooden door opened, then closed again.

The sound of calm footsteps receded.

Inside the room, the quietness resumed. After a moment, an elderly voice chuckled,

"Old Five, what do you think of this Book Guardian..."

The woman in white, after a moment of contemplation, although finding Wang Anfeng sometimes did not seem like a highly skilled martial artist, still sincerely replied,

"Unfathomable."

The old man chuckled and sighed,

"Indeed, unfathomable..."

"Whether in temperament or martial arts, both are exceptional. I wonder which master could have taught such a disciple. Two years ago, he suddenly vanished from the Jianghu, but this time, he has not disguised his appearance and seems to have formed no shallow bond with the Giant Whale Gang."

Lao Wu thought for a moment and said,

"It seems the person behind him has a good relationship with Gongsun Jing of the Giant Whale Gang."

The elder laughed and replied,

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"It should be so."

As the words fell,

the room returned to peace, which gradually shifted towards dead silence, where only the sound of breathing could be heard. The martial artist, standing with bowed head below the hall, felt a slight oppression; despite being a Sixth Rank Martial Artist, his heartbeat was still subtly speeding up.

Underneath the veil, his face was a shade paler.

Just then, an elderly voice suddenly came from behind the screen,

"I am tired."

"You may withdraw..."

As if granted a great pardon, the woman didn’t show any unusual expression on her face, silently gave a bow, tapped her toes, and had already softly flown out of the hall.

Exiting the door, she looked back at the house and then finally exhaled deeply.

The tiger’s might remains even after its death.

The Tiger King, who had oppressed Xi Dingzhou City for over forty years, although now old and feeble, and even nearing his end, just his voice retained an aura that she found unbearable.

Especially when she had her own guilty conscience.

This old tiger had many friends in Jianghu; she dared not harm him, but some things don’t necessarily require her to act personally. She thought again about the elder’s arrangements today, sending this obviously stronger young martial artist to protect that person, as if entrusting his final affairs.

Although she was gradually harboring second thoughts, witnessing such a scene still evoked a sense of empathy, and she sighed softly.

A fierce tiger can subdue a hundred beasts, but when it grows old, it might be chewed upon by a pack of wolves.

Jianghu, in fact, is even more realistic than the jungle.

’Young Master Yu’, dressed in long robes, saw Wang Anfeng off, watching the departing youth, his smile slowly faded. Though he still carried a dashing appearance, his eyes held an icy hardness.

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Whenever he received guests in the past, he would allow him to stay by his side. Today’s abnormality could not help but make him suspicious, and though his thoughts wandered, there was also a hint of disdain.

What can a mere person do?

Have you really aged to such an extent? The actions you take are so abrupt... Old man, you are too anxious.

However, no matter how you struggle, all that is yours, your foundation, is mine.

And... her.

The young man let out a cold laugh and turned back to the courtyard.

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

In the vacant and chilly room,

the old man behind the screen sat unmoving, and after a long while, he stood up and chuckled darkly,

"Making nice with the Giant Whale Gang?"

"It is more likely that he is the hidden mastermind behind the Giant Whale Gang..."

"However, what is his relationship with the Great Grandmaster who moves mountains? Judging from his demeanor, he doesn’t seem to practice the style of martial arts typical of strongmen..."

In a murmuring voice, the old man leaned on his dragon-head cane, shakily stood up, and by some unknown means, a downward secret passage appeared on the floor. The elder coughed twice and slowly walked down into it, clearly showing signs of old age and being close to death.

In silence, the secret passage closed.

No one was allowed in this place. A master who had once saved his life, driven by curiosity, entered and was skewered by the traps, becoming a sieve. Since then, regardless of the situation, no one dared to step foot inside.

Along the secret passage, lamps lit up.

The decrepit old man shuffled forward, then his body suddenly cracked with a series of snapping sounds, and his figure gradually straightened.

He took out a bottle of medicine from a hidden compartment and applied it over his hands and feet, and his originally wrinkled skin became smooth and fair, his fingers lush. After touching his face a few times, he peeled off what seemed to be the weathered face.

In the flickering candlelight,

the figure that emerged in the secret room turned out to be a delicate-faced young girl with dewy eyes and a temperate aura.

Stretching lazily, her slender hands like jade gently tugged at her belt, the loose clothes of the old man fell to the ground, and in the secret room, the naked body of a beautiful woman changed clothes—a scene so stunning but unseen by any.

A moment later, the girl tightened the belt around her waist and, with her hands clasped behind her back, a playful smile on her lips, she stepped out of the secret room into a neat and elegant chamber filled with a faint floral fragrance, which turned out to be a young lady’s boudoir.

In the entire house, no one knew that the secret room, which the young lady had made for fun, was connected to the most secretive and dangerous tunnel.

Those who knew had been dumped in Disorderly Grave Mound.

A fluffy white cat rubbed against the feet of the young girl, who crouched down to pick it up into her arms and play with it while murmuring softly,

"One by one, none of you are worry-free."

"It seems the Martial Arts Manuals are the best guardians."

"Profound and unfathomable, profound and unfathomable..."

The girl chuckled, her gaze lively as she lifted the white cat, looking at its bewildered face and laughing,

"You’re clearly just a little cat that’s trying to act ferocious... still very tender."

"Right?"

Her voice paused, then she sighed and said,

"I’m envious indeed..."

"Well, if I can’t obtain the Cangyuan Sword containing Thunder Vigor, having the protection of the Martial Arts Manuals is enough, don’t you think?"

"Come on, let’s go see the snow."

The girl stepped out holding the white cat, walking in small steps. ’Young Master Yu’ just happened to come into this part of the garden and saw the lively scene of the girl in the stand-collar, wide-sleeved, embroidered cape playing with the cat, her laughter like the tinkling of silver bells, lovely as an elegant bamboo shoot.

The young man’s eyes burned with passion.

On the other side, the girl seemed to notice his gaze and greeted him with a smile. The young man bowed with a smile, yet in his mind, he had already thrown the innocent girl onto a bed to ravish her.

His lips curled slightly.

The grand plan is mine.

You are... mine.

PS: First update... I have some matters today, so the second update might be quite late, haha