Why do I have so many masters?

Watching Mu Shanxue leave, Wang Anfeng stood still in his original spot.

The surroundings were quite quiet, yet at this moment, he inexplicably felt a bit oppressed. As the sky grew darker, suddenly several sparrows fluttered across the murky heavens, dropping a few feathers; the deep autumn was inherently chilly, especially in the lonely twilight when no one was around.

Wang Anfeng suddenly felt a chill, raised his hand to tighten his clothes, and exhaled.

His breath condensed into a white mist in the cool air and then dissipated again.

Wang Anfeng was slightly distracted here, thinking about what Mu Shanxue had said, that the Jianghu of Fufeng would eventually lose its original tranquility. He had mentioned that Yi Nanping was the one to break the stalemate, but Wang Anfeng also thought of the day he went to Qingfeng Edge, where he saw the Great Elder's sword pierce through the sky.

Since that day, the Jianghu had already been turbulent.

The sect where Gongsun Jing was, had experienced fighting and merging during that time, becoming the leading gang under the jurisdiction of North Martial State City. Such influence was bound not to subside soon; trouble began at the slightest provocation, and even without Yi Nanping's emergence, the deadlock of the Jianghu in Fufeng would naturally break.

Just like now.

Martial Artists who had been cultivating within their own sects were gradually entering the secular world; on the grand path, martial artists with swords and knives on their backs became increasingly common.

And the changes had only just begun. Thus, Wei Qi appeared, then Mu Shanxue. It seemed likely that in a while, those Middle Third Rank experts and veteran sect members would also start to move around the Jianghu.

It was becoming more and more like the world in the stories about Lord Libai.

The youth sighed quietly to himself, feeling somewhat anxious, yet also filled with a slight anticipation.

All the characters from different quarters were fascinating, one finishing their part as another took the stage.

This was what a Jianghu truly was.

As his thoughts churned, Wang Anfeng turned and entered the Academy. The path was still sparsely populated and quiet. While walking along a path, he suddenly saw the figure of Tuoba Yue dressed in red, apparently having had some wine, her cheeks slightly flushed, yet still maintaining her composure.

It seemed there was no trouble.

Wang Anfeng felt a slight relief, just about to greet her when Tuoba Yue already walked off, her right hand grasping a wooden stick, and a man in vigorous attire, with messy eyebrows and a vigorous air of a Military Family, staggered behind her, his face flushed red, eyes blurry, holding the other end of the stick, stumbling along.

Anyone could tell at a glance that he was certainly heavily drunk.

Wang Anfeng hadn't spoken yet; as a martial artist, it was natural for him to discern positions by listening to the wind. At this time, with hardly anyone around, the youth saw Tuoba Yue, with eyes downcast, hurriedly moving forward, followed by Baili Feng, who, pulling the stick, marched unsteadily behind her. Tuoba Yue muttered under her breath,

"If you can't handle alcohol, don't pretend you can. Getting so easily drunk."

"And then acting crazy because you're drunk."

"Stubborn pighead, foolish pighead."

Wang Anfeng's raised hand felt slightly stiff, and after a moment of thought, he still didn't speak. He lightly tapped his toe and drifted back into the shadows, pretending that he hadn't seen his two friends. After a while, when he could no longer see them, he cautiously came out.

Looking around and not seeing anyone, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then he couldn't help but laugh at himself, feeling that his cautious demeanor was really no different from that of a thief.

Smiling while looking in the direction where Baili Feng and Tuoba Yue had left, Wang Anfeng shook his head, turned towards the direction of his own cabin, and walked more briskly than before.

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

By nighttime.

Wang Anfeng, as usual, swept the steps of the Wind Character Tower, returned to his room, and closed the doors and windows. Afterwards, he returned to the Shaolin Temple.

Sure enough, he didn't appear on that solitary peak. He could see dense trees all around him, stripped of their green leaves, their branches sprawling eerily in the dark night, like ghosts. The place was unknown how far from the Shaolin Temple, but Wang Anfeng didn't mind.

During these days, he had been diligently practicing Qinggong every day and had gotten used to it.

Ordinary people practicing Qinggong would at most carry heavy objects and move through courtyards. Disciples of major sects would run through the mountains where their sects were located to practice light-body techniques, but Mr. Ying always found unusual methods in these places.

During this time, the places Wang Anfeng appeared in were sometimes atop mountains, steep and difficult, or beside running streams, muddy everywhere, or amidst dense woods, or blocked by bluestones, always with no good paths to tread, moving over them took much effort.

If he couldn't return to the Shaolin Temple within the time Mr. Ying was satisfied with, half of the meal prepared by the second master would be deducted. And to make sure the medicine's potency wasn't compromised, the left-over food was full of medicinal taste, hard to swallow, yet essential to eat all to ensure his body could withstand the grueling training without losing its foundation.

Wang Anfeng looked around, took a dagger nailed to a tree trunk with a paper on it, which read, "Head east from here to see Shaolin."

He nodded slightly, pulled out the dagger, tucked it back at his waist, carefully folded the paper, and then executed his Qinggong movement technique, soaring up, tapping his toes on the tree trunks to his left and right, drifting forward like a willow catkin.

In the midst of the woods, dense with trees, if one were to walk below, there would always be obstacles to face. Rather than this, it is better to put energy into lightening one's body and move across the treetops. First, this would avoid the bushes, and second, it would provide a broader view, making it easier to find one's way. These issues were experiences that Wang Anfeng had personally encountered and deeply remembered with a vividness as if tasted firsthand; he dared not forget them.

In the past, whenever he practiced his qinggong, he always exerted his full strength. However, today, after using this qinggong to track Baili Feng at Fufeng County City, he discovered many profound and subtle aspects of the movement technique. This time, he did not exert himself as he had done in the past, but used only about thirty percent of his strength.

Moving as lightly as a leaf, with just a tap on the tree trunk, he could leap forward dozens of meters.
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Over a short period, the speed would definitely not be as brutishly fast as the original method; however, the drain on his inner strength was significantly reduced. Usually, if his inner strength was insufficient, his speed would drastically drop, but now he could maintain this pace for a long time. If his recovery rate of inner strength were to improve a bit more, he would almost suffer no loss.

A gentle breeze touched his face, and his view was wide open. Wang Anfeng felt, for the first time during this period, that practicing light martial arts was not a cumbersome task. The world around him was silent, with only the stars and moon above, and the thick earth below. He was alone, traversing in this realm, as if he was the only person in the world, alone with heaven and earth.

A peaceful expression spread across Wang Anfeng's face when suddenly, the sound of a taunting voice reached his ears.

"Wang... An... Feng..."

The voice came abruptly, without any forewarning, and exceedingly close, as ghostly as a phantom. Wang Anfeng couldn't help but be startled, yet his footwork remained unfazed, touching down atop a treetop. Gathering his energy, he lightened his body. Although the branch was brittle, it merely shook a bit but did not drop him.

Turning around, he indeed saw the figure of Hong Luoyu. Wang Anfeng sighed, clasped his hands in salute, and said,

"It really is you, Third Master."

In his voice, there seemed to be a hint of helplessness towards the latter's teasing behavior, largely because, during this time, the latter would tease him from time to time. Wang Anfeng had become accustomed to it, and for this master, who claimed to have the best qinggong in the world, he found it hard to maintain much respect.

Hong Luoyu, seeing the expression on the young man's face, felt a bit embarrassed. He coughed twice, maintaining the dignity of a master, and said,

"Mmm, your qinggong training is not bad. Just now, I was testing you, yes, just testing, and you made no mistakes."

"You have not disappointed me."

Wang Anfeng said helplessly,

"As long as Third Master doesn't scare me by pretending to be a ghost again..."

Hong Luoyu chuckled dryly, his eyes involuntarily flicking to the upper left side, his voice slightly faltering as he said,

"What, scaring people by pretending to be a ghost?"

"Haha, what are you talking about, you little madcap? Master doesn't understand, hahaha..."

Seeing his demeanor, Wang Anfeng held back, yet couldn't help but add somberly,

"Then, Third Master, if you're not at Shaolin, could it be that you had a disagreement with Mr. Ying again? And ran out here?"

Hong Luoyu replied angrily,

"What? Me, afraid of that Ying fellow?!"

"That's a joke!"

Wang Anfeng spread his hands, barely holding back a laugh, and said,

"Of course Third Master isn't afraid. But if it's not because of Mr. Ying, and not for scaring the disciple, I really don't know why Third Master would deliberately wait here for the disciple."

Hong Luoyu rolled his eyes exasperatedly,

"Truly, you are definitely a clever one taught by that Ying fellow."

"Correct, Master does have something for you here."

Wang Anfeng, hearing this, adjusted his playful demeanor, bowed, and said respectfully,

"Please speak, Third Master."

Hong Luoyu seemed pleased with the young man's manner at this moment, lifted his chin slightly, and lazily said,

"What Master saw just now, when you were moving lightly, you were no longer merely relying on brute force to rush about. You've learned self-restraint, which is enough for you to start learning the second martial art of the Divine Thieves Sect."

"While this martial art may not be famous, it ranks top-notch qinggong in Jianghu."

PS: Second update...