Why do I have so many masters?

Fufeng Academy.

Since the day Wang Anfeng had visited Master Fu Mo and relayed the news from Danfeng Valley to Zhu Jian'an, four or five days had gone by. Wang Anfeng was aware of his own martial limitations and had not actively engaged in matters concerning Danfeng Valley.

And the atmosphere in Fufeng County City had not become as tense as he had expected.

The affairs of the Evil Sect were like fish entering water; although the fish might be large, it was not enough to influence the flow of the entire river.

As the days passed, a sense of stability slowly returned to the young man's heart, and his life gradually settled back into the gentle rhythm of daily martial arts training and studying.

With autumn deepening, the entire academy and the county city were engulfed in the festive atmosphere of an approaching holiday. The joyful festival spirit, hidden within the usual routine, grew stronger as days passed and spilled into peoples' smiles and lively exchanges of greetings.

"The Book of Rites" states: The Emperor sacrifices to the moon on spring mornings and autumn evenings.

Centuries ago, it was merely a festival where the Emperor worshipped the Moon Goddess. In this era, it had already become the grandest celebration in Great Qin, aside from the New Year. The Military Family students would normally have a fiery sparring session before the holiday break at the academy, while the Confucian Sect students would hold several poetry gatherings.

Boating under the moon, fine wines, and lovely company.

At this time, literature and martial arts were distinctly separate.

Ahead of Wang Anfeng, on the soft fallen leaves, Confucian Sect students were busy collecting silver for the upcoming poetry gatherings. They meticulously copied the excellent lines from previous poetry gatherings and famous quotations from early sages onto letter paper, slightly raised the prices, and sold these to students and residents.

Moreover, during this time, the normally rigid Confucian Sect students, who adhered strictly to the teachings of the Saints, relaxed a little and exploited some minor loopholes.

For instance, all the physical tasks were handled by the young students, while the copying of poems was done by charming young girls aged around fifteen or sixteen. Their handwriting was neat and clean, as pristine as the girls themselves, and the paper, prepared in early spring, was imbued with floral scents and colors.

When these girls, dressed in goose-yellow garments, held up such poems and gazed at you with clear, doe-like eyes, even the most robust warriors from the Military Family would feel weak in the knees, as if poisoned, their faces flushing red as they willingly pulled out their silver, which had thinned due to copious drinking, and handed it over.

There was evidence to support this.

If one were to criticize them, these students would quote the old master's saying, "Food and sex are human nature", or "I have never seen anyone who loves virtue as much as beauty", admitting that if the old masters acknowledged it, how could they possibly abstain?

Confucian Sect students followed the ancient rites of gentlemen, but these rites did not sever the human emotions and desires.

The precondition for becoming a gentleman was still to be human; excessive misinterpretation would lead one down a radical path.

That was the path of evil.

A bold girl rushed over, handed a collection of poems to Wang Anfeng. The young man was momentarily stunned, instinctively catching it, hesitated for a moment, and then prepared to pay. But the girl shook her head, indicating she did not intend to take the money.

Her eyes, slightly reddened cheeks, lightly bitten lower lip, and the shimmering light in her eyes seemed to carry thousands of unspoken emotions.

Just then, a sharp whistling sound came from behind Wang Anfeng, and a dark shadow shot towards him at high speed. Wang Anfeng, holding something in his left hand and influenced by the qi mechanism, instinctively raised his right hand and lightly clamped down, catching the object.

The sharp force of the vigorous qi was like a sword edge cutting across his fingers, causing a slight pain. Focusing his gaze, he saw it was a piece of silver, fired by a unique method and with considerable force. Although Wang Anfeng had caught it, the wrapped wind still followed its original trajectory, grazing the shoulder of the girl ahead.

A familiar voice rang out,

"Junior sister, please accept this."

"Zhu Jian'an isn't the type to avoid payment."

This type of stone-flinging technique, resembling shooting arrows, could not be performed by anyone below a Ninth Rank Martial Artist. The girl was startled by the sound, and like a frightened rabbit, she turned and ran. Wang Anfeng, holding the scroll of poems, watched the girl leave in fear and felt a bit perplexed for a moment.

What had just happened?

Turning around, he saw three familiar figures across the street.

There was a young man from the Military Family dressed in black vigorous attire, a handsome noble clan youth in white, and a girl dressed in fiery red clothes. Although her features were not as soft as those of a typical Great Qin girl, they possessed a compelling aura. She walked over quickly, snatched the silver from Wang Anfeng's hands, and glanced at him, saying:

"Zhu Jian'an, you really are popular..."

Wang Anfeng was bewildered.

He glanced at the poem collection in his hands and then at the silver snatched away by Tuoba Yue, and awkwardly said,

"Miss Tuoba, I haven't paid for this poem collection yet."

Tuoba Yue's expression stiffened, a surge of anger at being tricked rose within her. She looked up at the young man before her, saw the sincerity in his eyes, and realized he probably did mean what he said. A heaviness settled in her heart.

She bit her lip in frustration, turned to look at Xue Qinshuang, who was disguised as a man, but saw no sign of worry on her face and still appeared calm even when she noticed Tuoba Yue's gaze and even smiled a little.

She looks beautiful when she smiles…

No, that's not right!

Tuoba Yue shook her head to suppress the strange thoughts that had arisen.

Feelings of helplessness mixed with resignation arose inside her.

All that worrying for nothing...

Are these two fools?
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At that moment, it was inconvenient to speak, so Tuoba Yue looked up at her good friend and signaled with her eyes as clearly as she could.

Look, that young girl from the Confucian Sect obviously means no good, and she is planning to steal you away.

According to the customs of my hometown, you should now declare your ownership.

Xue Qinshuang's expression gradually turned solemn. Just when Tuoba Yue breathed a sigh of relief, she saw the girl in front of her, still exquisite despite being dressed in men's clothes, close the Jade Bone Folding Fan in her hand, raise it, and directly grasp her own face.

Her fingers were slightly cold, and even though she knew the girl before her was a young woman, Tuoba Yue's heart couldn't help but beat faster.

"You, what are you doing?"

Xue Qinshuang slowly moved Tuoba Yue's face towards herself, frowning as she looked into Tuoba Yue's eyes.

Looking closely at that face, Tuoba Yue's cheeks unavoidably blushed, and at that moment, Xue Qinshuang's cheeks slightly puffed up as she gently blew into her eyes, causing Tuoba Yue's face to instantly turn a deeper red. She struggled free from Xue Qinshuang and staggered back a few steps, stammering:

"You... what are you doing?"

Xue Qinshuang, slightly curious, naturally said:

"Yue'er, didn't you get sand in your eyes? I was just blowing it out…"

"Whenever I had sand in my eyes in the past, my grandmother did the same for me."

"Does it feel any better?"

Tuoba Yue felt a blockage in her heart and suddenly felt powerless.

"I..."

............

A while later, Xue Qinshuang and Wang Anfeng went to repay the money for the poetry collection, also apologizing for Tuoba Yue.

She, coming from a clan outside the borders, had customs quite different from those of Great Qin and was more straightforward, but meant no harm.

As Tuoba Yue and Baili Feng waited behind, Tuoba Yue gently kicked the ground with the tip of her boot while watching the young man and woman walking side by side, recalling the incident and feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness rise within her. She lightly kicked the Martial Family youth next to her and muttered:

"Baili blockhead, why is she so, so foolish?"

"She doesn't even know how to seize the moment."

"Or perhaps she hasn't noticed herself? Alas, the phrase 'only because I'm inside this mountain' seems quite apt for scenery, but it also seems so right when applied to feelings."

Saying this, another thought occurred to her.

Could it be that between these two there really is nothing untoward?

But in an instant, Tuoba Yue dismissed this thought from her mind.

That's impossible.

If not for that reason, why would their relationship be so good?

It couldn't just be about bonding over martial arts, could it?

At this thought, the sixteen-year-old girl from another tribe shook her head in resignation, making her own judgment, and remarked:

"Sometimes, these people really are oblivious."

On the other hand.

Xue Qinshuang flipped through the poetry book, saying:

"These poems are quite well-written, like this line."

"After the rainbow clears the rain, tranquil autumn sky, the mountains tint with fresh green eyebrows, Anfeng, which line do you like?"

Wang Anfeng glanced at it and ventured:

"Hmm... this line here."

Xue Qinshuang looked closely.

Remember the best scenery of the year, especially when oranges and tangerines turn ripe.

The girl, as if understanding, closed the poetry book, thought for a moment, then turned back with a smile and suggested:

"Then... Anfeng, how about we go to the market today and buy some tangerines?"

"There should be some good new stock."

PS: The second installment is offered up, please support… (clasping hands)