Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 722: Thirty-Two Lodging (2/2)

Chapter 722 -Thirty-Two Lodging (2/2)

Two white-haired elders, whose ages added up to over a hundred years, sat under the scorching sun, bowl after bowl, drinking wine. Tian Zhide and Fei Yonglin, not seeing anyone chasing them as they had expected, felt a sense of relief. No longer anxious, they each found a spot to sit down.

Fei Yonglin even looked back; by all logic, with the caravan stopped here, the Divine Martial Mansion that was supposed to be urgently transporting goods from Fufeng to Liangzhou should be the most anxious. Yet, the forty or so Divine Martial martial artists were only quiet and said nothing. frёeωebɳovel.com

To the point where after the two elders finished their wine, the one with the most murderous aura even took out two jars of fine wine from the carriage and sent them over, making Fei Yonglin even more puzzled.

Where in the world are there delivery men who are not in the slightest bit anxious?

Indeed, this is like the emperor being untroubled while his eunuchs are in distress.

Mocking himself inwardly, Fei Yonglin no longer gave it much thought. The weather was hot, and he was glad to avoid the hardship of rushing under the sun. He took out the short sword from his waist, laid it across his knees with the sheath on, with the handle of the short sword within arm’s reach, and then, like his senior brother Tian Zhide, he closed his eyes to rest his spirit.

Without meat or vegetables, there was still plenty to accompany the drink.

The two elderly men had been eating and drinking for quite some time, with Liu Ling eating almost to the point of passing out and having to be supported onto the carriage by his old servant. Li Qidao, however, remained unfazed and was still able to ride a horse, causing both Fei Yonglin and Tian Zhide to secretly marvel.

If it weren’t for the fact that they couldn’t detect any sign of martial arts practice on the elder, they almost thought he possessed advanced martial skills.

Although it was just the beginning of autumn, the weather already had a temper that could change at any moment. A mere hour after the group had set off, they saw thick black clouds accumulating in the sky, oppressing one’s heart with the fear that a torrential downpour could start at any moment.

Tian Zhide slowed down his horse’s pace, riding alongside the carriage, and knocked on its side. After hearing a couple of clangs from inside, followed by Liu Ling’s muddled voice, he respectfully addressed the elder as a junior should:

“Elder Liu, the sky is changing. It looks like a downpour is coming.”

“How about we find a place to shelter from the rain before it starts? What do you think?”

After waiting a moment, an aged voice came from inside the carriage:

“Is there any city or town nearby?”

Tian Zhide thought for a moment before replying, “We just passed a boundary marker not long ago, so we’re not too far from the nearest county city. There must be some villages and towns scattered around it where we can take shelter from the rain.”

A laugh came from inside the carriage:

“Is there a place to buy wine?”

It was then that Tian Zhide realized and replied with a helpless smile:

“Certainly, there is. Although we are on Jiangnan Road, this place is still remote and desolate. I’m afraid you will only find inferior wines, which won’t suit your palate, Elder Liu.”

Liu Ling laughed it off, and Fei Yonglin advanced on his horse to explain the situation to Wang Anfeng and others. Before leaving, probably because they had spent some time together and he was, after all, purportedly a distant relative of Fei Poyue, he was not as stern as before. Hesitating, he still explained:

“This time we have to consider Elder Liu’s condition. Unlike us, he does not have martial arts skills and is getting on in years. If we get caught in the downpour, he might fall ill the next day. Along the road where there is no village ahead and no inn behind, it will be difficult to find a doctor in time. We might experience some delays, so please do not hold it against us; forgive us for this inconvenience.”

Wang Anfeng waved his hand and said it was no trouble. An elder’s health is more important, and a few days’ delay wouldn’t matter much. Fei Yonglin then stepped back, his impression of these so-called distant relatives who had taken advantage of his master to come to Jiangnan Road was somewhat improved.

Even the most concerned Divine Martial Mansion agreed readily, and the group sped up their travel. Luckily, the official road was well paved, and they managed to enter the closest small town just before the heavy rain poured down.

They had just helped the half-drunk, half-awake Liu Ling into the inn when, before the back foot had even stepped in, a thunderous boom resonated from outside, as if night had fallen within the inky clouds that flashed with lightning bolts, fierce and wild, lasting for several breaths before fading away.

Then the pitter-patter of rain began, growing louder and louder until it seemed like a thousand-mile-long curtain of water had been unfurled outside. Visibility became dull and blurred, making it hard to see into the distance; but the rain hitting the blue stone slabs eventually formed bubbles that floated, only to be burst by the innkeeper’s children poking them with sticks, resulting in peals of crisp, cheerful laughter.

Tian Zhide stood by the somewhat weathered wooden door of the inn, looking out into the distance but unable to see clearly. He only caught glimpses of a few distant trees, feeling the wind-driven rain on his face, which was actually quite pleasant.

He shifted his feet, uncomfortable with the water in his shoes, then turned around, carrying his two short spears, to approach a table and said:

“It seems we won’t be able to travel normally today. The rain is too heavy. If we weren’t in the inn, we’d be soaked through and couldn’t move forward or back. I just hope it will get better tomorrow; otherwise, we might be delayed for some time.”

Fei Yonglin played with the teacup in his hand and said:

“Then there’s nothing we can do about it; we can only rest here for a day or two. We’ve already covered more than half of the journey to Liangzhou, and with seven or eight days left, a delay of a day or two should be plenty—it’s not a big deal.”

Tian Zhide sighed, nodded, and said,

“That’s true.”

Fei Yonglin then asked, “By the way, where are those young masters and misses?”

Tian Zhide detected the impertinence in the question and, somewhat displeased, furrowed his brows and said, “After all, they are the esteemed relatives of our Master. Don’t do that again next time; it would bring shame upon Master.”

Fei Yonglin curled his lip but agreed, prompting Tian Zhide to continue, “They booked all the best rooms in the inn; the remaining ones, some people from the Divine Martial Mansion shared a few rooms together. As for the two of us, we’ll just share one room.”

Fei Yonglin frowned and said, “This inn looks pretty big; did the Divine Martial Mansion really only take a few rooms? Are they that frugal?”

Tian Zhide shook his head, “It’s not that. I heard the inn was almost fully booked already, with not much left to begin with. With our arrival, we’ve completely filled it up. If anyone else were to come now, I’m afraid they’d have to stay in the firewood shed.”

Outside, another clap of thunder illuminated everything around.

Fei Yonglin was startled by this sudden thunderous noise but soon collected himself, slowly calming his mind, and put a couple of tea leaves in his mouth to chew, saying, “Probably… because of today’s heavy rain, on the road, aside from us, there must have been others seeking shelter from the rain.”

Tian Zhide didn’t speculate further and just nodded, then smilingly said,

“You stay here for now; I’ll go freshen up and change my clothes. I got caught in the rain earlier, and there’s still some mud on my shoes, which is quite uncomfortable.”

Fei Yonglin nodded, mindlessly chewing on the tea leaves, tasting the faint bitterness that transformed into a sweet aftertaste. His earlier heart palpitations from the thunderstorm gradually eased. His eyes watched the torrential rain outside, daydreaming, when he suddenly noticed a vague figure approaching, he was startled for a moment, but then the figure disappeared.

“An illusion…?”

Fei Yonglin murmured to himself in a low voice and gripped the short spear at his waist tighter.

Wang Anfeng and Li Qidao stayed in one guest room; the elder went upstairs to watch the rain and listen to the thunder, leaving Wang Anfeng sitting alone by the window, quietly watching the pouring rain outside.

As a young man, his parents had died on rainy days, so he had never liked the rain. His first claim to fame at Fufeng Academy was due to a conflict that arose on a rainy day when he couldn’t hold back and drew his sword.

Now, the wind brought a few droplets of rain onto his face, yet he felt only composure and tranquility.

In his mind, he silently recollected the route of the Golden Bell Shield cultivation technique. The Golden Bell Shield had thirteen ranks in total; the first one was just laying the foundation. By the time one reached the Lower Third Rank, each layer of the Golden Bell Shield corresponded to a tier of the Internal Strength Martial Body, with the Middle Third Rank’s entry corresponding to the fifth layer of the Golden Bell Shield.

And when reaching the Fifth Rank Realm, the seventh layer of the Golden Bell Shield would be needed for one’s cultivation to be fully accomplished.

Beyond that, the more one learned, the more complicated it became. To reach the Heavenly Sect, one would need to master up to the tenth layer, which was still far off for him. Previously, after encountering a Great Grandmaster from the Yin Yang Family, his cultivation was forcibly propelled into the Fifth Rank Realm. Instead of moving hastily forward, he’d been revising his existing cultivation. Only now had he begun to slowly cultivate the sixth layer of the Golden Bell Shield.

It was vastly different from the previous pathways he had cultivated, with many indescribable nuances that were not present before. Unlike earlier, where he could simply immerse himself in diligent cultivation.

At the Lower Third Rank, each step had its own method; even if the progress was slow, one would eventually succeed. But that was not the case now—one forgotten concept could block the path like the imposing Kunlun Mountains, rendering even the perseverance of Yu Gong useless. A moment of complete enlightenment was required.

Therefore, his cultivation was progressing extremely slowly. It had been more than half a month since he obtained this technique, and the part he had managed to cultivate was at most one-tenth. This was only because his Inner Strength had already reached the Fifth Rank Realm, making cultivation relatively simpler. If it was merely through arduous cultivation, it would have probably been even more difficult.

Outside, thunder roared and lit up the surroundings.

Wang Anfeng stopped pondering over the cultivation technique and looked outside. Amidst the torrential rain, dozens of figures with bamboo hats and rain capes swiftly approached. As they walked, the sabers at their waists became visible, with the rain soaking them, exuding a chilling aura.

The leader of the men halted at the door, took off his rain cape, and lifted the bamboo hat, pounding the door so loudly it echoed. The innkeeper tremblingly explained that there were no spare rooms left today, but the man just laughed, his face rugged and manly. A scar ran across the right side of his face, over his eye; when he smiled, it twisted like a centipede. In a deep voice, he said,

“Innkeeper, open the door.”

“Our brothers have already booked rooms in advance, there’s enough space for everyone…”

PS: Offering the second update of the day… three thousand words.