Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 451 - 119 ’Acquaintance’ All Over the World, the First Old Friend (2/2)

The hand gripping the sword hilt loosened and then tightened again, tightening and then loosening.

Finally, with a clink, he drew the sword and placed it in front of him. Wang Anfeng sat on the bed, took out a pure white cotton cloth from his bosom, and then some Sword Nourishing Ointment. His expression was calm, his movements leisurely and meticulous.

To the people of Shaolin Temple, it seemed as if he was petulantly maintaining this unsullied iron sword that had never tasted blood.

He needed to keep his cool.

If it weren’t for knowing that at this point, it was too late to think about slaying someone from White Tiger Hall, he would have liked to sneak into the fifth floor of that tavern right now.

But such behavior at this time would likely only startle the snake, whether it was the White Tiger Hall or any other group. Those who thrived in Jianghu were no fools, brazen as they were.

The real experts definitely wouldn’t be here.

In such a situation, everyone had secrets and plans. It was like a ’cash cow’; the first to lose patience was the first to lose. Whoever made a move would expose his spies. The more one moved, the more he exposed. Although he wasn’t an enemy of the Heavenly Sword Sect, he wasn’t exactly their ally either; he was merely a player in the game.

Yet, he soon thought that he and Hong Feibai had barged in recklessly; their only piece had already been exposed, which once again filled him with dismay.

Another two days passed, and the atmosphere in the city was still seemingly peaceful, but those with graying hair were beginning to sense that something was amiss.

Even the street dogs were hardly barking these days.

The Great Qin’s armored troops patrolled the streets, from one squad per hour to two squads per hour.

Now, it had reached four squads per hour.

A battalion of five hundred men, fully armed and armored, dispersed into twenty teams, ceaselessly scrambling through the city streets.

In the largest and most luxurious tavern in the city, the Jianghu folk were drinking more fiercely than ever, as if trying to drown themselves in the liquor barrels. However, the few individuals upstairs on the fifth floor who initially enjoyed a few drinks had now completely abstained from drinking, setting them ever more apart from the others below.

Wang Anfeng, as usual, went out daily with his sword.

He would order a pot of tea daily at the tea stall in front of the tavern, then observe the martial artists from various sects across on the ground floor.

Every time he came over, those sect martial artists almost seemed as if they wished they could drown themselves in their liquor barrels, hoping to reach a state of utter inebriation.

They all knew that the man who came daily with an iron sword and carrying a long zither on his back might turn out to be their enemy, scaring them nearly to the point of heart failure.

Perversely, he always smiled at them when he arrived.

Then after finishing his tea, he would lay out his unique hidden weapons in a row on the table, creating an orange glow visible throughout the tavern. According to the members of the Yuedao Sect, they only saw a flash of yellow light, and then everything went dark before they woke up almost turned into ice blocks.

This was practically an outright threat.

Wang Anfeng did feel regretful.

Rushing into action could likely disrupt the Heavenly Sword Sect’s own plans, backfiring miserably. If he were to inquire directly, his own status was still insufficient to win the trust of Hong Hui.

The latter was a cold person who prized his sect’s traditions more than blood ties. He would definitely not divulge everything.

He did hope that a master from the Tiger Sword Sect, Yuedao Sect, or even the White Tiger Hall would find him troublesome, and come to have a chat with him one day. Thus, he maintained his iron sword daily with the white cloth, but days passed without anyone approaching him, although the sword itself became increasingly well-maintained, bright and shiny.

Wang Anfeng thought about it, and figured it could probably fetch a couple of silver pieces.

Today, as he got up and saw that there was still no commotion in the courtyard, he took the now much better-looking iron sword and went to the tea stall as usual, only to find that there were already two new patrons there when he arrived—both wearing the same style of Taoist robe, a large and a small one, sitting in a row.

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The old tea seller sat far away.

Looking at the younger one whose appearance was lovable and heart-wrenching, he then turned to look at the younger one who was voraciously devouring a meat pie and sipping tea, his lips twitching slightly, barely suppressing the urge to throw his shoe at him.

He simply closed his eyes, adopting an ’out of sight, out of mind’ attitude.

Next to the tea stall stood a gray donkey, its back hung with several bundles on one side and a long, sheathed antique sword dangling from a rope on the other, bearing a weight that the old beast should not have had to bear but seemed already accustomed to it, standing steady and calm. It glanced at Wang Anfeng, then closed its eyes again.

The young Taoist sitting with his back toward him showed only a profile, but Wang Anfeng was very familiar with this young man, having met him just a few days ago with his noble and memorable demeanor that was hard to forget in just a few days.

As for the older Taoist, he was even more familiar.

Over two years ago, when he was still at Fufeng Academy, he had already known this lazy Taoist to the bone.

A few days ago, near Xi Dingzhou, when he walked about as the Mad Blade and Thin Horse Rider, he also encountered this lazy Taoist.

Yet, he hadn’t expected to reunite here.

The young Taoist had been looking for someone here the day before, so he was actually looking for him?

Thinking back to their acquaintance at Fufeng Academy, the younger Taoist endlessly calling him "little junior brother," he knew it must be this person.

A smile emerged in Wang Anfeng’s eyes.

He silently stood three steps behind Mu Shanxue, and the fourteen or fifteen-year-old young Taoist in front wrinkled his light mountaintop-like eyebrows, looking at the handsome Taoist voraciously eating the meat pie and after a thought, sighed and said,

"Eat slowly; you’re like a hungry ghost reborn."

"How many days has it been since you’ve had a proper meal?"

Mu Shanxue thought for a moment, his response muffled but resolute,

"I forgot."

"Ever since I descended the mountain, I haven’t been able to eat properly."

"The food out here doesn’t taste good at all, nowhere near as good as our youngest apprentice’s cooking."

As he said this, he had already finished his third meat pancake provided by the tea stall owner, and then casually took the fourth.

The young Taoist seemed quite taken by this, his eyes curving up, his face growing even more exquisite. Even his tone softened a lot as he thought for a moment and said,

"Then I’ll just follow you for the time being, otherwise I really worry that next time you’ll end up starving as a beggar on the streets."

Mu Shanxue waved his hand grandly and said,

"It won’t come to that."

"During these years wandering in Jianghu, I’ve also made many friends."

"I can have delicious and spicy meals wherever I go; it’s just that I’ve always kept a low profile, not wanting to trouble these many friends, and also because of my indifferent nature, that it’s come to this."

The young Taoist obviously didn’t believe him, sighed, and resting his chin in his hands, said worriedly,

"Big brother, you’re at it again."

"You don’t even recognize all the villagers down our mountain, how could you have made friends in Jianghu?"

"According to the law-enforcing elder, if it were in the past, you would have been born to cultivate the Tao. You’d burrow into the woods, and as long as you don’t starve, the thought of coming out wouldn’t even cross your mind. With your innate talent for concentration, it’s exactly the nature needed for practicing our Taoist Sect’s ’Turtle Breathing’ and ’Breathing Techniques’ Dharma."

Mu Shanxue felt somewhat guilty and said,

"Don’t listen to the elder’s nonsense."

"I do have friends, like..."

"Right, like the famous Fufeng Librarian from a few days ago who also knows me."

"If I go to Fufeng City, I’ll definitely be treated to a lavish meal."

The handsome Taoist’s eye sparkled, but the bulging of his cheeks messed with his image somewhat.

The young Taoist glanced sideways at Mu Shanxue, full of disbelief and worry, feeling that his originally honest big brother had turned into a blabbermouth after three years of wandering, and wondered how the stern and impartial law-enforcing elder would deal with him if he returned.

Wang Anfeng, standing behind them, couldn’t help but laugh out loud and said,

"So Master Mu still remembers me."

"If you really come to the academy, I will personally cook a feast to host you both. Although it won’t match a fancy restaurant’s head chef, it should still be palatable," he said.

Pausing slightly, he added teasingly,

"Just, do you really want to drink chili oil?"

Mu Shanxue was momentarily stunned, realizing someone had followed him so closely without him noticing, his body involuntarily tensed up, then relaxed as he swallowed the last bite of his meat pancake.

Turning around, though it had been two years and Wang Anfeng’s features had matured, he still recognized him and exhaled deeply, smiling comfortably,

"Anfeng, long time no see."

The young Taoist exclaimed in surprise, staring at Wang Anfeng.

Wang Anfeng looked at Mu Shanxue, who was frantically signaling with his eyes, and smiled at the young Taoist, saying,

"I am Wang Anfeng, and I’ve known Brother Mu for a long time."

Seeing that Wang Anfeng understood his intent, Mu Shanxue heaved a sigh of relief, instinctively wanting to slump onto the table but remembered his younger apprentice was beside him, coughed lightly, and crushed the impulse.

The young Taoist’s eyes were clear as he looked at Wang Anfeng, without a hint of suspicion, just a faint joy. Perhaps in his eyes, whether it was Wang Anfeng or Li Anfeng, there was no difference.

The only important thing was that the person in front of him was his brother’s friend.

He stood up, bowed to Wang Anfeng, and said,

"Little Taoist Chong He, at your service, Brother Wang."

Chongqi considered as He.

Wang Anfeng, well-versed in scriptures and having read some Taoist scriptures, knew this phrase and was slightly surprised that this young boy also had a Taoist name while Mu Shanxue never used a Taoist name in Jianghu.

But then he thought that perhaps the lazy Taoist found remembering a Taoist name too troublesome, chuckled to himself, was about to return the gesture, but sensed a sharp air.

His left hand subconsciously tightened around the iron sword in his palm, his thumb slightly raising, and the sword edge was already an inch out of the sheath.

The tightly shut doors of the tavern were pushed open from inside by a somewhat corpulent middle-aged man who positioned himself five yards behind Wang Anfeng.

He glanced at the young figure from behind and said in a cheery voice,

"Young brother, I wonder if you have some free time to chat for a bit?"

PS: Today’s second update is here...