Why do I have so many masters?

Wang Anfeng strolled out of the inn at a leisurely pace.

His expression and demeanor were now calm and composed. With a sword slung across his back, he walked down the street, silently calculating the time needed to travel to Qingfeng Edge.

The chestnut horse was still stored in the inn's stable, unburdened and at ease.

After all, since he was here, instead of hurrying through, he might as well take in the full view of the landscapes. If he could incorporate the mountains, rivers, and cities of Great Qin into his swordsmanship and palm techniques, that grandeur would surely be incomparable to ordinary martial arts.

It was still early, not yet the hour of Chen, and the streets were not as bustling as before, yet they still bore the signs of a prosperous era. Crowds moved to and fro; while it wasn't shoulder to shoulder, there was definitely a lively throng.

The commoners wore easygoing expressions, going about their business with an array of people, from martial artists and Confucian scholars to graceful women and young wives, perhaps not all strikingly beautiful. However, the vivacious spirit of youth in those in the bloom of their twenties gave them a charm that, regardless of their looks, could not be considered unattractive.

Some spoke in soft voices, others in loud, boisterous laughter, or discussed trivial neighborhood matters.

Occasionally, the noble scions in bright clothes urged their horses into a gallop, their booming laughter blending with a melody from somewhere distant, as if these were scenes of leisure peculiar to an era of prosperity, far surpassing the stately sound of bells and cauldrons.

Wang Anfeng's gaze swept across these scenes.

The customs of Great Qin were liberal; although in the Confucian School, there was a faction that emphasized propriety and thought women should abide by various rules, the School's influence over the vast expanse of Great Qin, with its numerous families vying for power, was not enough to lead the sect, let alone truly affect the entire state.

It was nothing more than the self-righteous mutterings of pedantic scholars.

Listening to them was a waste of time and a defilement of the senses.

Therefore, the customs of the women in Great Qin remained open. As Wang Anfeng walked down the main road, some women noticed his tall stature and his youthful bearing with the sword and sent admiring glances his way, only to be outright ignored.

The youth in the blue shirt seemed like a piece of insensible wood to romance as he continued on, indifferent to the flirting beauties, his face showing no reaction whatsoever. If anything, the food stalls along the alley seemed to capture his attention longer, leaving the two women who had passed by feeling somewhat indignant.

At that moment, Wang Anfeng's steps faltered slightly.

He seemed to frown briefly before his expression returned to normal. He changed direction, heading towards a quieter part of the street. The two women hadn't even reacted before they lost sight of the blue-clad figure and could only sigh inwardly. At most, they stomped their feet on the spot a couple of times and decided not to indulge in the street food there for the next two months.

Wang Anfeng turned several corners and stopped at a secluded corner. It seemed that it had once been a grand estate, but was now abandoned. A wall blocked the way ahead, its red glazed tiles having faded in color. In the courtyard stood an old tree, its branches stretching out from the corner of the wall, quiet and serene.

Wang Anfeng composed himself upon realizing that no one else was present and spoke calmly:

"What is it?"

The voice was not that of the clear and pure tone of a young man, but deep and solemn, carrying an authority unique to those of higher rank. It echoed in the ears of the young Tuoba clansman beside the battlefield in the Northern Region of Great Qin, conveyed through the Buddha Beads and Shaolin Temple.

Although the "Hall Master" was not present, Qi Bun Heluo still bowed respectfully and spoke with reverence, his voice amiable:

"In the Northern Lands of Great Qin, the Qin Army had a conflict, different from the usual ones."

"That's why I'm reporting to the Hall Master."

Wang Anfeng's expression changed slightly, and he said:

"Explain in detail."

"Yes."

Qi Bun Heluo responded, paused to recall the events he had witnessed, and then began carefully:

"In the past, although there were frequent frictions with the states surrounding Great Qin, the scale was never very large. A few hundred combatants were rare, and usually, after several dozen casualties, they would retreat, and Great Qin would not pursue the matter."

"But this time, the combatants definitely numbered over three thousand armored soldiers. They even raised blood-colored commander's flags, and their assault was extremely vicious and covert. They nearly overran one of Great Qin's border posts, which was garrisoned with three hundred iron soldiers."

"Fortunately, a Great Qin general led a cavalry charge, cut down the commander's flag, and pushed the enemy back, even nearly achieving the feat of beheading the enemy commander in battle. The outpost remained in Qin hands, but both sides suffered heavy casualties."

"The troops have since withdrawn."

He did not mention the fate of the Qin general who had charged out of the encampment.

But Wang Anfeng could guess; if the commander had not been beheaded, then on a battlefield with over a thousand soldiers, it was almost impossible for one to defeat many unless there was an overwhelming disparity in force. To strike the enemy commander down amid the chaos was the best outcome.

If that failed and the charge was halted, then no matter how powerful a warrior was, surrounded by hundreds or even thousands of ferocious soldiers, they could not escape the fate of being killed after being exhausted.

Twenty years ago, Che Yulong, the foremost figure of the Jingguo martial world and a Grandmaster, infiltrated the battlefield in an attempt to kill the commanding general of the Qin Army. He slew two thousand three hundred armored warriors but ultimately ran out of inner strength and was killed by the encirclement of thirty Military Generals who had set up the 'Tai Bai Broken Army Drum', a lethal Military Family formation. His body was mutilated by a barrage of disorderly slashes.

He, who was known for his outstanding appearance among the feudal lords, met a grisly end without a whole body left.

Jingguo's last bastion thus crumbled.

The Emperor, with Jade Seal in hand, emerged from the Imperial Palace but was poisoned by the wine bestowed the next day. He never managed to leave the Imperial City, and his posthumous title became 'The Obscure'. The officials of Qin executed thirty percent of his officials, but the common people were untouched.

After this battle, Qin's top fighting force, the Xuan Feng Camp, was almost completely annihilated, with the loss of many Military Generals. The cost was tragic, yet it ended the legend of Grandmasters sweeping through the world invincible, containing the boldness of the martial world, establishing the nation, and maintaining order with harsh laws.

The fate of that Great Qin general was almost needless to say.

Wang Anfeng fell silent for a moment. The images of prosperity he had previously seen now seemed tinged with the stench of blood when recalled, and even the gentle laughter and music from the pavilions started to sound grating. He didn't know why, but he felt somewhat uneasy and raised his hand to press the center of his brow.

He sighed softly to himself.

It seemed the conflicts of the world had never truly ceased.

Behind the glory of prosperous times were piles of bones.

After a brief silence, Wang Anfeng smoothed the inexplicable restlessness that rose within his heart and began to ponder whether there was a greater impact to the abnormalities on this battlefield.

After all, Great Qin had not launched any major military campaigns for over a decade.

In previous years' records, conflicts among the states of the Central Plains and neighboring countries were often provoked by natural disasters. The previous winter was an extremely rare case of severe cold. His cultivation was high, so he did not care about the temperature, but the majority of the world's population were ordinary people.

He sighed softly, gathering the scattered thoughts in his mind. Although Wang Anfeng himself was emotionally affected, he was utterly powerless to do anything. After thinking it over, he asked,

"Do you know which state's army those who attacked the Qin Army belong to?"

Qi Bin Helie, who had not previously heard Wang Anfeng speak, was still somewhat apprehensive. Upon hearing the question, he answered directly without hesitation,

"Among them were soldiers from two different groups, one part came from the Northern Hun."

His voice paused slightly and then continued,

"The other part is from the border army of the Kingdom of Che Shi."

Wang Anfeng was tapping lightly on his forehead with his finger when he heard this, and his movement momentarily stalled.

The Kingdom of Che Shi was originally composed of several large clans as its backbone, one of which belonged to the Tuoba clan. The clan leader was Tuoba Xiong, with his third daughter Tuoba Yue.

Tuoba.

Baili...

Wang Anfeng was somewhat distracted.

Qi Bin Helie had already begun speaking, his voice edged with nervousness,

"Hall Master, after the Tuoba clan's martial artists joined the army, they had to pledge allegiance with the precious jade of the round stone."

"I have not discovered anyone from our Tuoba clan among these border soldiers, and the Kingdom of Che Shi has always had good relations with the Qin State; there must be some other reason behind this incident."

He was born into the Tuoba clan, which had not yet been absorbed into the Kingdom of Che Shi. Although he was reluctant to go to the Kingdom of Che Shi because of experiences in his youth, he still cared about the affairs of the Tuoba clan and subconsciously tried to explain.

Wang Anfeng fell silent for a moment, uttering a soft hum as his response, not saying much more.

He tapped his fingertips lightly on his forehead.

Knowing too little and far from the border pass, even though he was aware of trouble at the border, he was incapable of doing anything about it. Besides, these matters were the responsibility of the Protectorate General of Great Qin.

The information conveyed by Qi Bin Helie was probably already known to the defending generals of the Qin border, which, upon reflection, seemed only to worry and upset him for a couple of days without helping the situation.

He also didn't presume to know more or do better than the generals of the Protectorate General's office.

Every citizen of Great Qin knew that under normal circumstances, when there were no battles, the Protectorate General would patrol and guard the borders on behalf of Great Qin.

If a beacon fire had already been lit, then those border camps and the Protectorate General itself would be the first line of defense, giving the enormous empire behind them time to prepare for a response.

Even in these peaceful times, the soldiers who stepped onto the frontier harbored, deep down, the anticipation of potentially perishing in battle and being wrapped in horsehide for burial.

To others, it still appeared mournful.

After organizing his thoughts slightly, Wang Anfeng originally wanted to let the matter rest, but then something occurred to him. He paused before asking

"That Qin general who broke out of the encampment..."

Qi Bin Helie recalled for a moment before hesitantly saying,

"That commander should have already perished in battle."

"Yet his body was taken away by the Northern Hun and Che Shi. There might be something suspicious there, or perhaps...

He did not finish his sentence, but Wang Anfeng understood.

Maybe the body would be whipped and subjected to various humiliations, such as the Qin generals who attacked Yan being tortured with three thousand cuts before being beheaded and killed.

Given that the Northern Hun general had nearly been slain in combat, it's conceivable that he harbored intense rage and hatred toward the Qin commander and that such an action was by no means impossible.

Wang Anfeng fell silent.

Although the desire to rescue welled up in his heart, he was just too far away to do anything.

Moreover, the military camps of each country's border cities were no-go zones for Jianghu experts. Soldiers led by a Third Rank Great General who were elite and reckless enough to disregard casualties were fully capable of leaving martial artists who had stepped into the grandmaster's realm dead at the border pass.

Ultimately, he could only sigh helplessly, as the city's bustle continued around him, now devoid of any interest.

.........

One night later.

In the dungeon of the Kingdom of Che Shi's border army camp.

Baili Feng opened his eyes.

PS: The first update of the day is here.........