Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 714 - 27 Return to Fufeng (5600 words, combined in 2 parts)_3

Chapter 714 -27 Return to Fufeng (5600 words, combined in 2 parts)_3

At that time, Yuchi Jie had somewhat anticipated it, but still had not expected it to be such a grand endeavor.

There were more than tens of thousands of gang members occupying a stronghold on a precipitous cliff. At a glance, beneath the peace, danger seemed to lurk everywhere. Although there were no martial artists who could compare to Qing Taoqi after the battle with a grandmaster, their presence was far from simple, exuding an aura of ironclad discipline and bloodthirstiness.

Another who came to meet them was a somewhat dull-looking young man, dressed in gray hemp clothing, whose black hair tips were oddly tinged red. He quickly walked up when he was still more than ten paces away, smiling happily, yet he came to a halt about four or five steps before Wang Anfeng, his face clouded with embarrassment.

“Brother Wang…”

Sikou Tingfeng’s expression was calm as he scanned the young man. Feeling an aura starkly different from Great Qin’s orthodox inner True Qi, he understood in his heart.

Chuan Lian.

He was originally groomed to be the future valley master of Pharmacist Valley in Fufeng County. However, after the valley’s destruction by a reclusive master who took to the hills, he drifted into Jianghu and joined the Giant Whale Gang of Fufeng County.

It seemed his martial arts had been sublimated, having shown a strength beyond the Sixth Rank in the two times he had taken action, with no apparent limit. His moves were always composed, giving off an unfathomable feeling.

Xue Qinshuang also recognized Chuan Lian and Meng Yuexue, who followed close behind. Having interacted with them at the Academy in the past, he promptly took the initiative to greet them with a smile:

“Brother Chuan, Miss Meng…”

Chuan Lian was momentarily stunned before realizing who it was, his face showing a hint of embarrassment as he bowed his hands in a salute:

“It turns out to be Brother Xue…”

Xue Qinshuang smiled and said, “It has been more than three years since we parted ways in Fufeng. You both seem to carry even more grace than before…”

Chuan Lian kept waving his hands, his face turning slightly red as he said:

“Where, where, ah, no, Brother Xue, you flatter…”

Meng Yuexue glanced at her senior brother, who was not adept at socializing, sighed in her heart, and promptly said, “Brother Xue remains as gallant and magnanimous as ever.”

Chuan Lian breathed a sigh of relief, and Meng Yuexue, noticing her senior brother’s demeanor, gave him a disapproving look.

Xue Qinshuang mused and then smiled:

“It seems that our coming here is quite timely; in a few days, there should be good wine to drink.”

Chuan Lian looked somewhat bewildered, while a touch of blush appeared on Meng Yuexue’s face.

While they exchanged pleasantries after a long separation, Yuchi Jie had already surveyed the stronghold from top to bottom. The more he looked, the more delighted he became, murmuring:

“If we were to set up our defenses here, taking down Cao Donglin might not require such a huge sacrifice. Even if the elder generation of the Xuanyuan Family were to attack, we should be able to hold them off…”

“That damned Xuanyuan Hongsheng…”

He couldn’t help but curse under his breath, feeling that these so-called great figures of Jianghu, if they really had the courage, why not go after the biggest ventilator on the Imperial Court. If they were to die doing so, they could still be considered heroes; picking on the younger generation shows they’re nothing but despicable old thieves.

Old thief!

At that time, only the three people including Wang Anfeng heard the account, which was later told to Gongsun Jing and a few others including Yuchi Jie. However, on this journey, they could only find out that the influence of Divine Martial Mansion was growing stronger by the day, while the Xuanyuan Family had been quiet without any changes, as if the threats from Cao Donglin were simply bravado.

Gongsun Jing took down the original gang’s flag and held the flag with ‘Divine Martial’ inscribed on it with both hands. He walked step by step to the highest point of the gang’s stronghold and solemnly replaced it.

The blood-red banner fluttered in the wind, fierce as flames.

Conversations ceased subconsciously among everyone as they looked up at it.

“Not bad, right? This flag hasn’t been seen for some time, and there are not many left in the world. The Military Department has one, there’s probably another in the palace, and some old soldiers still have them…”

Wang Anfeng’s body stiffened.

Beside him, an old man in a green scholar’s robe had appeared at some point, standing proudly and exuding a heroic demeanor, yet garbed like a scholar. His face seemed to carry a mixture of emotions, regret, and reminiscence, as he muttered softly.

Wang Anfeng slowly turned his head to look at the familiar old man.

The old man gave him a smile.

“Master Li…”

With a thunderous sound, an old soldier of the Qing Taoqi suddenly half-knelt on the ground, the ironclad soldiers who had fought fiercely with grandmasters widened their eyes and trembled nonstop.

Gongsun Jing, standing next to the Divine Martial War Flag, half-knelt on the ground with a hoarse voice and said,

“This lowly one, Gongsun Jing, pays respects to General Li!”

The Qing Taoqi finally realized something and, after a moment of stiffness, neatly and uniformly half-knelt on the ground in military ritual, like rolling waves. The entire Giant Whale Gang, organized according to the rules of the Divine Martial Mansion, knelt down one after another.

Sikou Tingfeng, who came from the First Estate, felt his heart pounding rapidly as he lifted his eyes to look at the green-robed elder, thought of what he had read in the manor’s archives, and slowly brought his hands together to perform the Jianghu salute and said,

“Sikou Tingfeng pays respects to the esteemed elder Li.”

Yuchi Jie froze, while Lv Baiping and Lin Qiaofu were somewhat flustered. Gong Yu simply held his sword and gave the salute of a swordsman, without uttering a word.

Xue Qinshuang maintained a composed expression, performing the salute of a junior.

The green-robed elder, looking at the silent saluting crowd from the Divine Martial Mansion, scolded with a laugh,

“Get up, what’s with all this kneeling? And you, Gongsun, what sort of display is that? A commanding general looking like that, you’ll make people laugh.”

Gongsun Jing stood up, opened his mouth, but could not utter a word.

The elder waved his hand as he mockingly told them to get back to work and withdrew his gaze before nodding slightly at Sikou Tingfeng, who was saluting next to him. As for Gong Yu, he showed considerable approval and voiced a simple “Not bad.”

Upon seeing Xue Qinshuang, however, he grinned, the wrinkles on his face stacking up, and suddenly appearing less like a supreme grandmaster and more like an elder who lived next door. He looked her up and down before giving a thumbs up and praising,

“This young lady is very attractive! Beautiful!”

“The lad has a good eye indeed, much more pleasing than that A Lian from the village. Back then you were listening to that nonsense from Wang Hongyi, insisting on marrying A Lian.”

Wang Anfeng’s eyes twitched, wishing he could dive directly into a hole in the ground.

Xue Qinshuang originally just smiled, but upon hearing this, she glanced at Wang Anfeng, then turned towards Li Qidao, her earlobes tinting red yet she remained poised and confidently said,

“My taste is not bad.”

“His taste is quite good also.”

Li Qidao was momentarily stunned, then burst into hearty laughter, clapped Wang Anfeng firmly on the shoulder, and said, “Not bad, this time you did well! Finally, it seems somewhat proper, and you haven’t brought shame upon your Master Li!”

Wang Anfeng’s mouth twitched, unsure to which incident he was referring; his face felt somewhat feverish, and he dared not look at Xue Qinshuang, instead finding an excuse and asking, frёewebηovel.cѳm

“Master Li, have you… finished all your business?”

The elder waved his hands repeatedly, laughing as he said,

“When does one ever finish all the business in this world? This time I just heard that you were causing a stir in the Jianghu and even declined a decree, so I made a detour to see you.”

“Right, speaking of which, there’s something else I brought for you.”

He threw a wooden box to Wang Anfeng.

Wang Anfeng’s expression changed but still opened the box. It was lined with cloth, and on top lay a slim and pale hand with calluses on the fingers. Just one glance and both Wang Anfeng and Gong Yu’s expressions slightly shifted.

This was the hand of a swordsman.

A top-tier swordsman.

Li Qidao pulled out a flask from his waist, tilted his head back to take a swig, and said nonchalantly,

“It’s Xuanyuan Hongsheng’s hand.”

“Yes, the one that wielded the sword…”

PS: Today I offer a two-in-one… 5600 words… This chapter has already been posted, but for some reason, it didn’t show up, although posting announcements seems fine, it might be a bug, so now I’m resubmitting it. If there is an issue, I will think of a way to delete or modify it…