Why do I have so many masters?

"A banquet, huh..."

A moment later, having accomplished her purpose of delivering the invitation, Yu Wen left with a clear and refreshed mind. Wang Anfeng watched her leave, gazing at the invitation in his hand. He noticed the faint patterns of pine on it and saw the golden ink distributed evenly and purely throughout the text; his expression turned slightly solemn.

He was no longer the ordinary boy from under Great Liang Mount a year ago; he recognized that the paper used for this letter was extraordinary, even better than those used for the earlier Phoenix Banquet invitations.

The handwriting was elegant yet had its own standard, coming from a woman's hand but still revealing a bold and majestic style—clearly learned from a master's hand. The scent of high-quality incense permeated the letter, rich and lingering, purer even than the best sandalwood from the store where Wang Anfeng once bought agarwood, invaluable though merely used to adorn this letter.

And most crucially, Great Qin had extremely strict traditional demarcations regarding colors.

The dark golden ink was not something just any affluent household could use.

The young man rubbed his thumb gently over the text on the letter, noting that the dark golden ink had not smeared at all. He lowered his eyes in thought, some guesses forming in his mind, yet he couldn't fathom why someone of such stature was interested in him, a minor Lower Third Rank martial artist.

A trace of confusion crossed his mind.

Previously, Wang Anfeng had reluctantly agreed only because he was worried that Yu Wen wouldn't give up and would keep bothering him. Now, it appeared that the girl had a much more complex background than he had initially thought, and this family banquet seemed to carry an air of profound mystery.

Exhaling deeply and suppressing his thoughts, Wang Anfeng put away the invitation, preparing to return to Shaolin Temple today to consult his masters before deciding what to do next.

Since it was already nearing noon, the young man decided not to return to the Wind Character Tower, opting instead to directly head to his wooden house to start preparing rice for cooking.

Though he would have a full meal of medicinal herbs daily at Shaolin Temple, his training in martial arts demanded substantial food intake, particularly as he was still a growing boy. Eating only once a day fulfilled his cultivation needs but was hardly enough to satisfy his growing body.

But just how long would this continue?

With a heavy heart, he thought of those heroes in the stories who could consume half a cow in one meal, robust and burly men wielding the Decorated Large Axe.

Shuddering uncontrollably at the thought of one day becoming like that—he didn't mind his looks but could not suppress a chill—he shook his head, trying his utmost to banish this horrifying vision from his mind, yet another thought irresistibly surfaced.

Should that day come, Master Ying might just throw him into Copper Man Lane day after day.

And only let him out when he had lost all that excess weight...

Thinking of the Scholar smirking with his hands behind his back, a chill ran down Wang Anfeng's spine.

Lost in foggy contemplation, he absentmindedly opened the rice container only to find it nearly empty, casting a deeper shadow over his heart.

Hadn't he just bought some the other day?

Could it be that mice had gotten into his house?

Wang Anfeng stirred inside the rice container with his hand, finding no grains left. Sighing, he pulled a plain coin purse from his waist, opened it to count the silver coins inside, and set off toward a familiar rice shop he knew.

A little while later, with the odd look of the old shopkeeper, Wang Anfeng walked out carrying a brown sack of rice.

The elderly store owner stroked his beard; he had been operating this rice shop for decades and remembered his old customers well. This boy had once mentioned he lived alone, but was his consumption of food too excessive?

Could it be that all martial artists eat this much?

But that kid back home didn't eat nearly this much... Strange, very strange.

With a slight frown and the familiar voice reaching his ears, he heard:

"Old Li, give me ten jin of good rice."

The old man cast aside his perplexities and responded with a smile,

"Coming right up..."

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

Wang Anfeng held the food tightly in his arms.

It was as if he was embracing the entire world, his chest swelling with satisfaction. Just as he turned the corner, he suddenly sensed a chilling killing intent. Although it wasn't directed at him and was quite hidden, long accustomed to being 'tormented,' Wang Anfeng's response to such auras had almost become instinctual.

His inner strength surged, his muscles tensed, and soon a young man in gray clothes stepped out nearby, expressionless, brushing past Wang Anfeng.

The young man stopped walking.

His black pupils had become sharp, like two unsheathed swords, extremely sharp as if they could see through people's hearts and the fog in the distance. His ocular power lasted for a few breaths before he returned to his usual calm demeanor. Wang Anfeng glanced sideways but could no longer see the young man.

But in the brief moment they brushed past each other, using his cultivated visual power, Wang Anfeng had clearly captured the young man's face, noticed the abnormal changes on the skin around his neck. Master Ying had once given him a mask, so he understood this was a technique of changing one's facial features. But the most crucial aspect was the slight protrusion on the youth's face.

The young man slightly closed his eyes, leveraging his exceptional visual power and the knowledge he acquired in Medicine King Valley, reconstructed the face based on the peculiar protrusions. The originally subtle bumps would become more fearsome and clearer, crisscrossed with about nineteen scars.

Wang Anfeng had seen such a face before.

On A'Ping's face.

At this moment, it was noon, and the residual ferocity of the autumn tiger still lingered, the sunlight that fell on him carried a bit of heat, yet Wang Anfeng felt a subtle chill spreading deep in his heart. His mind revisited the experiences from a month ago; he thought of the road travelers who kidnapped children and the bloodstains permeating the house.

And that Evil Sect organization that even Gong Yu, a pinnacle Middle Third Rank expert, was extremely wary of.

Wang Anfeng didn't speak, only silently reciting the name in his heart.

Danfeng Valley.

After a moment of silence, an instinctive idea took control of the young man's body. He didn't head towards the Academy but instead turned around, following the lingering murderous aura leisurely forward, his steps steady, yet his inner strength had already begun to accelerate uncontrollably, almost enhancing his Golden Bell Shield to its strongest level.

Danfeng Valley.

In its gate, peak Middle Third Rank experts sat, their faction's weapon tainted with the Spirit Rhythm of a Divine Weapon, able to withstand a Third Rank Grandmaster undefeated.

Their actions were covert, and they were ruthless and heavy-handed.

They were known as the very standard of an Evil Sect in Jianghu.

These things, for the young man, were still too far off, what worried him more was how the underlings of this Evil Sect reached inside Fufeng County City. Could it be that they were causing unseen havoc here again? Were there innocent children like A-ping caught in their hands?

He knew his own strength and had not planned to recklessly get involved; since the opponent appeared in this county city, they surely had their own strong points and backups. But if he let this disciple of Danfeng Valley walk away from him in front of his eyes, in the vast Fufeng County City, he might not be able to find them again.

How then could he persuade the strong figures in the Academy to help?

He chose to track in secret, discover their hideout, then notify various Masters in the Academy. The Fufeng Academy, established on Confucian doctrines, would certainly not stand by idly. While he was thinking this in his mind, the murderous aura suddenly intensified ahead, Wang Anfeng kept walking with relentless feet, but his inner strength slightly picked up, enhancing the flow.

Around the corner, he saw that young man in grey clothing leaning against the brick wall, his expressionless face directly facing him, his light brown eyes filled with lifelessness, and noticed that the young man's hand was already on the hilt at his waist, slightly exerting force, extracting a slight length of his fiercely sharp blade.

The long blade hummed, reflecting those lifeless eyes, both staring at Wang Anfeng.

The young man's heart paused dramatically, then quickened its pace; the bustling of the surrounding streets seemed to recede in an instant, leaving only the gradually unsheathed war blade in front of him. Almost instantly, the young man mobilized his inner strength, the ringing of the Golden Bell Shield resonating within him, masking the chaotic throbbing of his heart.

To outward appearances, he showed no peculiar signs, just walking forward as a pure passerby, oblivious to the slightly drawn blade of the youth and its malintent.

One step, two steps…

Until the young man walked past the grey-clothed youth, who had not yet struck, Wang Anfeng did not relax. He continued walking unhurriedly ahead, his senses honed in Copper Man Lane telling him that the youth hadn't left but was instead holding that narrow steel blade, following three steps behind him.

It was a distance perfectly set for decapitating someone with a drawn blade.

Wang Anfeng's heart sank slightly, knowing he might have underestimated these people from the Evil Sect. At this moment, he remained calm, planning to casually find a pub to sit, yet he worried this person could perceive his action and ruthlessly strike in this instant.

The people of the Evil Sect were cautious yet radical, rightly deemed crazy, skilled in sacrificing the pawn to save the king.

In this situation where one's own whereabouts might be exposed, to avoid exposing their superiors and stronghold, killing the pursuer and escaping in the chaos was not hard to comprehend.

Both hands held a brown rice bag, under this guise, the young man's right-hand's index and middle fingers together, wrapped with vigorous Qi using the Finger Technique of Medicine King Valley, a full-strength strike under this method, capable of cutting gold and breaking jade, just waiting for when the opponent erupted, to counterattack, flick off his blade, draw his own sword in an instant, ready to exchange blow for blow.

The aura the opponent had just revealed had not reached the uncontestable level of the Seventh Rank, and being of the Lower Third Rank realm, they were still mortal, with vulnerable vitals. If stabbed in the throat, they would surely die.

Unfortunately, such action would startle the snake and break the clue.

Having made up his mind and having braved many battles, Wang Anfeng gradually steadied himself, advancing steadily, yet he started to notice that the Danfeng Valley martial artist behind him seemed to be losing patience, the murderous intent mixed with fierceness growing stronger, the ears picking up the subtle sounds of the long blade scraping against its scabbard. His heart sank slightly, right-hand fingers subtly intensifying the vigorous Qi.

One step,

The martial artist behind fully pressed his palm against the handle of the blade, the fingers slightly moving.

Two steps,

The blade slowly drew out an inch.

His eyes grew more lifeless yet also appeared crazier.

Three steps,

The murderous intent filled the air, ready to erupt and shed blood.

The Danfeng Valley martial artist's right hand prepared to exert force, Wang Anfeng's body muscles tensed, ready to make a move, the atmosphere between the two extremely tense. Just then, a familiar voice suddenly came from the side.

"Wang Anfeng, over here, over here!"

The murderous intent behind him abruptly paused, Wang Anfeng turned his head towards the direction of the voice, only to see Yu Wen, whom he had not parted with long ago, sitting at a roadside inn on the first floor, waving to him. The table was already laden with plenty of food and drink, and an extra pair of chopsticks was there obviously not just arrived but waiting for someone. Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire

The Danfeng Valley disciple behind also saw this scene, slightly startled, his covert murderous intent quickly retracted.

Wang Anfeng noticing the change in the murderous intent behind him, realized that the other party thought he had come to meet someone rather than having detected his identity. Therefore, the crazy plan to silence him was abandoned, his face unchanged, silently dissipating the vigorous Qi in his fingers, and walked towards where Yu Wen was.

PS: Second update…