Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 496 - 154: Rushing Thunder in the Courtyard (1/2)

The elderly Taoist from the Taoist Sect, with hair-raising seniority, finished drinking twenty-one jars of inferior village alcohol with Li Qidao before leaving, taking Zhang Tingyun and Qin Xiao with them as they departed.

The little girl wanted to stay a bit longer, but the sky had gradually darkened.

If she stayed any longer, Elder Zhang Weiran from Jinxian County would probably actually develop a headache.

As they were leaving, Qin Xiao glanced at the pile of empty jars.

He sniffed the air. The smell of alcohol was pungent and tainted with a murky sourness. Qin Xiao instinctively covered his nose and mouth, feeling a sense of disgust.

His father, though born into the Taoist Sect, rarely drank, but his mother hailed from a battlefield lineage, ruling the Sky River and always fond of drinking, so they had plenty of fine wines at home.

He could tell at a glance just how bad this alcohol was.

Not only was it pungent, but it also had a rancid smell.

Even the third-rate servants at his home wouldn't touch this stuff, yet these two old fogies had been drinking this swill almost all day, downing over twenty jars. He didn't know what they found so pleasing about it.

Two old paupers.

Qin Xiao muttered to himself disparagingly, yet recalled how that morning, the elderly Taoist had waved his sleeve to dispel ten miles of snowfall with his Immortal's technique. He grinned and stopped his train of thought, not daring to contemplate further.

This brief delay was enough for the elderly Taoist to have walked far away with Zhang Tingyun. Qin Xiao bowed to Wang Anfeng, who had seen them off at the gate, then turned and hurried to catch up with the two ahead, calling out,

"Wait for me...."

Wang Anfeng stood at the door.

Watching the trio and beast gradually disappear into the distance.

He could vaguely see Zhang Tingyun frequently looking back, her eyes quietly gazing at him. Wang Anfeng laughed softly, lifted his hand and waved, calling out from afar to be careful on the road. The little girl nodded her head, then turned around and walked a few more steps before looking back at him again, prompting Wang Anfeng to wave his hand again.

But after turning around three or five corners, they were out of sight.

Wang Anfeng withdrew his gaze.

Li Qidao was still in the courtyard, sitting lazily on the steps under the eaves, right leg bent, left leg resting on the right leg, looking casual and indifferent. If the old scholars in the city saw this, they would surely critique him for being disrespectful due to his age. Seeing Wang Anfeng turn back, Li Qidao slightly lifted his eyelid and casually said,

"That little girl is somewhat special."

Wang Anfeng nodded.

He was now a Sixth Rank Martial Artist. In the entire Jianghu of Great Qin, he was not someone to be overlooked, being as strong as some Sect Elders within the local Jianghu circles and even having the upper hand in a fight.

With functioning eyes, he naturally understood this.

Moreover, there was an ancient Taoist in the Shaolin Temple, white-haired and robed, with a gentle smiling face.

Li Qidao nodded slightly, choosing not to continue on the topic.

It was just a casual remark anyway. Since Wang Anfeng was aware, he would not interfere with his thoughts. Li Qidao pushed himself off the ground with his hand, stumbled to his feet, and patted his clothes. He grabbed the wine jug at his waist and casually said,

"That girl will not stay long; Supreme Old Taoist is also coming back to visit his parents. She will probably leave after the fifteenth Lantern Festival."

"Tingyun wants to see her parents, but that old Taoist mentioned he needs to visit State City's riverside to meet with Kong Taoist, who claimed that territory for himself."

"He said he wants to thank him for not taking Zhang Tingyun as a prime Taoist candidate three years ago, and instead, he even gave the Taoist Sect an original copy of the Taoist Scriptures. Speaking of which, didn't you also meet that Kong Taoist?"

"Aren't you planning to visit him this time?"

The elder raised an eyebrow at Wang Anfeng.

Wang Anfeng thought of the otherworldly elder he had met three years earlier, feeling moved, yet still shook his head and sighed,

"Li Bo, don't joke with me."

"Since he is known as 'Empty,' he probably doesn't need my visit."

"I only met the elder once; frankly, we're just passersby in Jianghu. Kong Taoist is far beyond my realm. Going there rashly might end up as an intrusion, adding only troubles. It's better not to go."

Li Qidao smacked his lips and laughed,

"That's right."

"I reckon the Supreme Taoist would go anyway, not fearing that Kong Taoist might be annoyed and turn his back. But speaking of it, the two of them being high and mighty old Taoists, when they get together, they probably do have a lot to discuss."

"When Taoists speak, it's all hints and riddles, unclear in every word. It would be painful for us to join them anyway."

"Enough games."

Li Qidao chuckled and cursed, stepped forward, and landed firmly in the middle of the courtyard. He raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and with his left hand forward, he beckoned to Wang Anfeng and said,

"Come, come, come, the onlookers have left. Let Uncle Li see how your Heavenly Thunder Fist has progressed."

"This month is a good time. I'll give you some pointers."

"This morning, when you were on the mountain, that move 'Thunderous Echoes in All Directions' was loud but not correct. It was all thunder with little rain, ineffective in killing."

Ordinary wild beasts usually fear thunder; today on the mountain, in order to tame that red, skinny horse's wild nature, Wang Anfeng used the Heavenly Thunder Fist to intimidate it, producing a deep, continuous sound. Ordinary villagers might have disregarded it as merely winter thunder.

Li Qidao, the creator of the Heavenly Thunder Fist, could not possibly mistake it.

Wang Anfeng nodded in agreement, raised his hands into a fighting stance, with Thunder Vigor bursting from his fists. Li Qidao lifted the wine gourd from his waist, took a big gulp, and threw it aside. The gourd landed perfectly under the eaves without even a wobble. The old man wiped his mouth, raised his hand, and laughed loudly,

"Come on!"

"Yes!"

Wang Anfeng nodded in response.

And then the sound of thunder resonated dully, incessantly within the courtyard.

Since it was just the two of them sparring, the Thunder Vigor contained in their moves was merely a slight trace, not causing any particularly big commotion. From a distance, it rather resembled the sound of fireworks heard during the previous night's New Year's Eve.

Today being the first day of the lunar New Year, if any drunken villagers heard these sounds, they'd likely think it was just some children setting off fireworks late at night and mutter a few drunken scolds, but they wouldn't actually get angry.

The New Year's festival is a forgiving occasion.

Even the most irascible village women had a gentler disposition during this time, tolerating children's mischief with merely an indulgent smile, not taking it seriously.

Thus, they were unaware that in a secluded courtyard in the village, two streams of lightning, accompanied by the clash of fists, were continuously exchanging blows.

Their fists met.

Lightning, like plasma, burst forth, hitting the ground and leaving scorched marks.

After a brief standoff, Wang Anfeng grunted, retreated continuously, his steps cracking the ground, and only after seven steps did he stabilize, creating a medium-sized pit beneath his feet.

Li Qidao, however, stood firmly rooted to the spot as if his feet had grown into the ground, unmovable, his white hair wild like a lion's mane. He raised his hand, trying to reach for a wine gourd at his waist, only to grasp at air, and slightly puckered his lips in disappointment. He waved to Wang Anfeng, laughing,

"Not bad, that punch."

"The vigor was brief and forceful, retracting after contact, capturing a bit of the essence. Again."

"Yes."

Wang Anfeng took a deep breath to calm the tumultuous energy within his chest, his fists clashed emitting visible lightning, he advanced without using the Prajna Palm he had devised but used purely the Heavenly Thunder Fist's techniques in his assault.

This time it was about learning the Heavenly Thunder Fist from Uncle Li, not that hybrid Heavenly Thunder Prajna.

Wang Anfeng clearly understood this point and was not willing to digress.

Despite employing all his skills, Wang Anfeng still could not gain any advantage under Li Qidao's guidance. His experience was rich, but the old man was in no way inferior to him; in terms of martial arts achievements, even more so.

What was called sparring could completely be seen as Li Qidao unilateral instructing.

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With his Grandmaster's experience, he led Wang Anfeng's Fist Strength to grow rapidly, though the time was short, the gains were substantial.

In these days, the various notions Wang Anfeng had about the Heavenly Thunder Fist began to clarify, but that red, skinny horse suffered through several hours.

The sound of thunder incessantly roared beside its ears.

Poor creature.

For a once wild horse, this was a severe torment, almost akin to torture; even afterwards, the way it looked at Wang Anfeng was somewhat uneasy, carrying a wariness typical of herbivores towards carnivorous predators.

After being returned to Shaolin Temple, it remained listless for several days; even soya beans mixed with raw egg yolk couldn't pique its interest. Wu Changqing casually stuffed some herbs into its meal, and the horse didn't notice any difference, until Hong Luoyu took it out for a trip, and it finally regained its usual temperament.

As time passed, it was soon the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

That night, there was a grand lantern festival in Yulin, Wangxian County.

Zhang Tingyun was already waiting at the table.

PS: Today's first update presented…