Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 726 - 34 The Young Man Grows Old in Jianghu (1/2)

Chapter 726 -34 The Young Man Grows Old in Jianghu (1/2)

The inn’s chef excelled in Jiangnan home cooking, and although the wine couldn’t match the refined taste found in big city inns, it was nevertheless rich and robust, offering a unique flavor when drunk.

At dinner time, the inn’s ground floor was packed with martial artists from Jianghu, each broad-shouldered and burly, with fierce expressions, yet all were silent.

In the vast ground floor of the inn, the sound of heavy rain outside contrasted sharply with only the slow chewing sounds inside, creating an eerie atmosphere that made the shopkeeper’s legs weak and his face pale, though he still forced a smile.

Wang Anfeng averted his eyes and felt that in Jianghu, every profession had its own hardships, and even heroes didn’t enjoy the carefree life most imagined. He, himself, couldn’t be a hero. For starters, the daily cost of maintaining his snow-white attire alone was countless silver coins.

If he washed them himself, although it would save money, the thought of a hero, graceful in public, cursing under his breath while squatting by a stream vigorously scrubbing his white clothes stained with the blood of bandits and cursing the merchants who claimed the clothes couldn’t easily get dirty, crossed his mind.

Cursing while washing, the aura of Jianghu would vanish instantly, leaving only a thick air of mundanity.

Amused by these thoughts, Wang Anfeng found such a hero both endearing and appealing. He glanced around, and the members of Divine Martial Mansion slightly bowed their heads in a subtle gesture of respect, too slight to be noticed by others.

Wang Anfeng took chopsticks from the holder and distributed them to his party, including Li Qidao and Xue Qinshuang. Liu Ling, who had just recovered from his drunken stupor, lifted his wine cup again. Li Qidao didn’t join him, choosing to drink alone, clearly enjoying himself.

Mid-meal, Tian Zhide and Fei Yonglin approached, ignoring Wang Anfeng and heading straight for Liu Ling.

Having left Fufeng over a week ago, and with Li Qidao being the elder and the ladies, including Xue Qinshuang, being exceptionally beautiful, it was not suitable for them to handle issues. Thus, Wang Anfeng dealt with everything.

To further distinguish himself from before, not only had he used a human skin mask for disguise but now wore a bland face of naive honesty and was dressed in nondescript greyish-black short clothes.

This type of attire, while not restricting movement, looked quite plain without the elegance of long robes or the flair of vigorous attire, typically worn by shop assistants or servants, making him unremarkable. Wang Anfeng also carried a package resembling an umbrella on his back, which explained why Fei Yonglin and the other person mistook him for a mere servant.

When the two approached Liu Ling, Tian Zhide performed a respectful junior’s bow and then spoke with a light smile,

“Elder Liu, there is no need to worry about today’s matters at the inn. These men are escort masters from the Escort Agency, escorting a highly valuable Jade Escort this time. The leader might be familiar to you, as he also emerged from our Fei Family Martial Arts School.”

As he spoke, a burly man with a scar over his right eye approached, glanced at the people at the table, nodded with a smile as a greeting, then said to Liu Ling with hands clasped, laughing,

“Elder Liu, do you still remember me? Over a decade ago, I often came bearing dried meat from my master, for you to enjoy.”

Liu Ling looked up blankly.

The burly man paused, then added:

“Back then, my mother also sent you a jar of plum wine.”

With a slap to his forehead, Liu Ling laughed and said,

“So it’s Situ Che, you lad, it’s been a long time, haha…”

The burly man replied with a laugh, “Is it not the junior?”

Liu Ling chuckled twice and sighed,

“It indeed has been a long time.”

“After you left, your family’s plums continued to ripen beautifully, but no one was there to pick them. They would ripen fully, fall to the ground, and rot in no time, spoiling the chance to taste such fine plum wine,” he added, somewhat regretfully.

With a touch of melancholy on his face, the burly man named Situ Che quickly masked it with a smile and said,

“Elder Liu, you always had a way with discerning the flavors of wine.”

Liu Ling responded with a laugh, “Wine indeed contains a myriad of flavors, but most people are quite bland…”

Situ Che could only smile, for Liu Ling held the same seniority as his own master and, no matter how much he disagreed, he couldn’t voice it.

Moreover, having wandered in Jianghu for so long, he increasingly realized that those words he once thought were drunken rants, when savored, held true essence, like a jar of old farmhouse wine—complex at first but with a persisting aftertaste.

In Jianghu, there are all sorts of people, but most seem as if they were cast from the same mold.

After exchanging pleasantries, the conversation shifted to the few individuals sitting nearby. In Jianghu, having keen eyesight was even more critical than martial arts or connections. Wang Anfeng, wearing a mask and dressed as an inconspicuous attendant, naturally went unmentioned. The rest, in Situ Che’s eyes, seemed extraordinary, not like ordinary people, which made him care deeply.

Tian Zhide explained they were distant relatives of his master. Recalling his own master’s demeanor, stable as a mountain, Situ Che let down his guard. He laughed, spoke a few words, drank several cups of wine, and then turned to walk towards his subordinates.

Watching Situ Che’s imposing back, Tian Zhide muttered:

“In the blink of an eye, almost seventeen years have passed…”

“Back then, Situ was just a youngster of fourteen or fifteen. I never imagined that when we met again, he would look like this.”

He paused in a daze for a moment, then suddenly smiled:

“Not bad, not bad.”

He raised his hand to take a sip of wine.

Wang Anfeng noticed a rare trace of gentle melancholy on the face of this burly man.

Even though they were close as martial brothers once, their reunion was brief—a cup of wine today, tomorrow you head east and I go north. The next meeting might be over a decade away, or perhaps they would never meet again; such is the life of those in Jianghu.

It is always so.

This air of melancholy, so unlike that of Jianghu, was exactly the very essence of Jianghu.

Wang Anfeng sighed inwardly, thinking of many people he had known in days past, the constantly quarreling Yan Ling and his sister; the ranger Hong Feibai, who had left the martial school; and Huangfu Xiong, who had shared many a jar of wine, only to scatter across the ends of the earth.

Though not yet old in the ways of Jianghu, Wang Anfeng felt a deep, empathetic connection as he pushed the wine jug slightly towards the other side of the table.

Tian Zhide, on instinct, looked at him, and saw a somewhat simple and honest face with a hint of a smile. Perhaps it was the strong village liquor that made him perceive an otherworldly aura on that honest face—a presence more mysterious than even the Scholar he had met today.

But upon looking closely again, was he not just a simple lad with the appearance of a butcher’s assistant? Shaking his head, he secretly chided himself for being a lightweight, his vision blurred by just a couple of drinks, mistaking a noble youth for a regular attendant, unable to distinguish the superior from the inferior.

Yet even as he laughed at himself, a warm feeling arose in his heart. He smiled and shook his head, saying,

“Thanks for the kind offer, young man, but I’m not like the senior Liu with his great tolerance; I don’t understand liquor, and one cup is enough for me. More might lead to trouble.”

At this, the half-drunk Liu Ling curled his lips in disdain and mockingly said,

“You spoke nonsense, but there’s a bit of truth in it. To truly enjoy a drink, one only needs a bowl with just the right flavor. With that alone, lad, you too understand the essence of liquor.”

Tian Zhide, with no choice but to laugh, said,

“Thanks for the high regard, Liu, but I really can’t drink anymore.”

Though Liu Ling had a streak of wildness, he was rather kind to the two juniors from the Fei Family Martial Arts School; such teasing was common, and Wang Anfeng and his companions hardly minded.

Wang Anfeng smiled, withdrew his gaze, and swiftly scanned the inn. He had not noticed any especially beautiful woman who could compare to Gong Yu. Presumably, someone had taken the meals up to her room in the inn.

Even among those who were eating and drinking downstairs, only half were present, the other half likely guarding that lady.

He concluded that Situ Che, who hailed from under the tutelage of Fei Poyue, certainly hadn’t offered the whole truth. This display wasn’t merely for the Jade Escort—it seemed a ruse to use the Jade Escort as a cover, deceiving bandits along the way, all to protect that lady.

He glanced again at the gradually lightening rainfall outside and murmured in his mind, “Time is pressing, let’s hope we don’t get tangled in any trouble.”

PS: Today’s first update presented……