Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 740 - 44 An Unhuman Wang Anfeng (1/2)

Chapter 740 -44 An Unhuman Wang Anfeng (1/2)

Jiang Lan and Wu Qiong joined forces with Divine Martial Mansion, and although everyone verbalized reassurance, deep down there was still some concern about being ambushed. They hastened along the road, and even at noon they did not rest much, just eating dry food with cool tea from their water bottles while on horseback, traveling southwest for an entire day until they sought accommodation in an inn at night.

After several days like this, they were about to enter Jiannan Road.

It was only on the first day that Tian Zhide returned the sealed letter he had received from Fei Yonglin back to Situ Che. The seal was intact, showing that no one had looked at it; Situ Che felt both ashamed and respectful, growing even more respectful of this cautious senior brother.

After several days of arduous travel, everyone finally entered Jiannan Road. They were only a day or two away from Xianping County, just in time for the Liangzhou wine event. Wang Anfeng’s heart relaxed slightly because they had not encountered any danger along the way, and everyone’s alertness diminished a bit.

As the weather turned increasingly hot and dry, previous rains had left water evaporated, making it almost difficult to breathe. Being near Liangzhou, they chose to stop in the city to ease the exhaustion from several days of rushed travel and to seek relief from the heat.

After all, Liu Ling and his servant were of advanced age and did not possess the advanced martial arts skills of Wu Qiong from Li Qidao. Liu Ling was still fine, drunk every day without a care, but his old servant was suffering, sweating continuously on his deeply lined face.

This Jiangliu City was right at the beginning of Jiannan Road, connecting Jiangnan and Shu Land, and was quite prosperous. But Wang Anfeng’s group of nearly a hundred people, each with appetites to match three to five ordinary people, was not something any inn could ignore.

In a big city, where one must have sharp business acumen to not let such lucrative opportunities slip by, there ensued a fierce but quiet competition among the inns. One boasted rare cellar-stored wines in sufficient supply, while another secretly claimed to have famous chefs from both Jiangnan and Shu Land, promising authentic flavors and additional discounts.

Liu Ling, enticed by the scent of wine, felt the alcohol worm in his belly stir.

Wang Anfeng, hearing there could be additional discounts, calculated in secret.

In the end, it was Gong Yu who felt the surrounding onlookers’ eyes held some displeasure, her face still tranquil as jade. She walked straight into a quiet small inn, ignoring the shopkeeper’s greetings, and went directly to sit by a window on the second floor. Without leaving or speaking, she left everyone with just a view of her delicate profile.

Wang Anfeng was dumbfounded.

Lin Qiaofu was helpless, while Lv Baiping muttered to herself that all the noise and chaos couldn’t compare to the tranquility of the mountains, but it seemed they had finally irritated their senior uncle.

Liu Ling was momentarily stunned, then burst into loud laughter, rocking back and forth, almost to the point of tears, exclaiming,

“I thought you were an emotionless Immortal of the Jade Void Taoist Sect, but here you show a little maiden’s temper. Well, well, well, seeing you like this is more interesting than any fine wine from a cellar!”

“Feng An, boy, I know you’re pained to spend silver, but for seeing such a scene, it’s well worth it! You must know, the beauty of a young lady’s shyness or slight anger is a rare view not easily found under heaven, let alone from such a Banished Immortal?”

“It’s worth it!”

“If you were still like this, placed on a national duke or prince, they would be willing to throw away an entire city for you!”

Liu Ling stared at him.

With no other choice, Wang Anfeng smiled bitterly and repeatedly asked for mercy, saying he dared not think like that, but still decided to reject the other two larger inns’ shopkeepers, leading his people to that somewhat smaller inn.

The shopkeeper bustled about busily, finally managing to settle all these guests, his smiling face never stopping, his corpulent body quivering non-stop.

After Wang Anfeng finished with the arrangements, seeing that Gong Yu was still sitting expressionlessly on the second floor, he smiled helplessly, then turned and went back to the kitchen to borrow kitchen knives from the stout head chef.

To a chef, a kitchen knife is as precious as a swordsman’s sword. But with no other choice, faced with Wang Anfeng’s group being the greatest patrons the inn had seen in months, and with the young man showing such respect, the chef allowed him in to watch his actions. He said he would help, but in reality, he was more concerned about his newly forged cleavers.

Wang Anfeng saw through the pretense but said nothing. He whittled a few bamboo chopsticks. Being near Jiangnan Road, the land was fertile and fish were plentiful. He skillfully gutted and descaled the fish with more dexterity than the chef who had been cooking since childhood, and soon several succulent river fish were sizzling on the fire.

He turned them with ease, secretly using Fifth Rank Inner Qi, a power non-lesser to what ordinary martial artists would consider Immortal’s techniques, to manipulate the airflow and flames, ensuring every piece of fish was perfectly roasted. It wasn’t long before an enticing aroma filled the air.

A short while later, as he turned his head after roasting a batch, he saw the curtain to the back kitchen had been lifted, and Lin Qiaofu squinted her eyes, her pert nose wrinkling as she was drawn by the scent of the fish. The weariness from traveling several days seemed to fade behind her intoxicated expression.

Wang Anfeng couldn’t help but let out a light laugh. Lin Qiaofu came back to her senses, her face flushing red as she fell silent. Wang Anfeng pushed forward a porcelain plate filled with roasted fish, unconsciously using a gentle voice like that of an older brother addressing a younger sister, and smiled, saying,

“No need to look away; your stomach is already growling. Take it and eat, I prepared it for you, and also send some over to Miss Gong Yu.”

With a clever mind, Lin Qiaofu responded,

“Wang… Feng An, aren’t you going over?”

Wang Anfeng wiped his hands and answered casually:

“I shall not go over.”

“Miss Gong Yu is not the kind of commoner who needs to speak out to understand, not to mention it’s not proper for a servant like me to go over.”

Having said that, he winked covertly at Lin Qiaofu, his smile warm and mellow.

Lin Qiaofu knew the reason for his concealed identity; having been through a lot, she was no longer as naive as when she was at Qingfeng Edge’s mountain gate. She obediently nodded, took the fish, and turned to leave.

Wang Anfeng thanked the cook, then washed his hands. Only after the smell of smoke and fire on him had dissipated did he re-enter the inn’s ground floor hall. Lin Qiaofu had already lightly dashed to Gong Yu’s side, whispering and giggling.

That delicate figure was as usual, yet it lacked the faint chilliness of earlier vexation.

Then, with her back to Wang Anfeng, she slightly lifted her chin and turned her head away, not looking at the grilled fish, ignoring the best efforts of Lin Qiaofu, her close friend, who tried to coax her with a smile.

Wang Anfeng smiled wryly, crossed his hands in salute, and from a distance, gave a bow as if begging forgiveness from a good friend.

Whether she was never truly irritated or the enticing aroma made its way into her belly, overly tempting her, Gong Yu finally turned her head, as usual, picked up the chopsticks, and began to eat the fish. Both Wang Anfeng and Lin Qiaofu let out a slight sigh of relief.

In his ears rang the crisp sound of a pipa, like pearls falling on a jade plate. Wang Anfeng looked away, only then noticing that on one side of the inn’s hall, a stage of moderate size had been set up with two red banners hanging down on either side. In the middle sat a storyteller in his fifties, with a young girl playing the pipa beside him, narrating a story about the Jianghu.

Xue Qinshuang waved to him, and Wang Anfeng walked over. Only when he got close did he realize that the story being told was about the hottest Jianghu matter from a while back. As the pipa played, it began with the reopening of Divine Martial Mansion on Jiangnan Road, and the lamentable passing of a hero of the Jianghu.

Inside the story, the Jianghu individuals who had died in Danyang County, especially the well-known hero of Jiangdong, Cao Donglin, were met with immense sympathy, while naturally Wang Anfeng was turned into the villain, portrayed by the storyteller as a fierce brute, thirteen feet tall, flailing two bronze Wolf Fang Clubs with hooks.

Speechless after hearing this, Xue Qinshuang seemed very interested, tossed a few small silver pieces as a tip, and then sat at a window-side location, smilingly absorbed in the story. When it reached a good part, she would even call out praises like a Jianghu guest would.

When she commended, it was not with the bellowing roar of a crass Jianghu roughneck, as if the louder and cruder, the better. Instead, she gently took a sip of wine and then spoke up. Her voice was crisp and neat, with a woman’s grace and the forthright spirit of the Jianghu.

The storyteller wasn’t initially very proud; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been performing in such a small place. Usually, having three to five listeners and earning a dozen Tongbao coins for wine money was already considered extraordinary. And here he was, graced by such a stunning lady. He smacked his startling wooden block and began to speak with increased vigor.

Xue Qinshuang cocked her head to look at Wang Anfeng, a hint of apology in the corners of her mouth, and said softly:

“Upset with anger?”

Wang Anfeng shook his head helplessly, saying, “How could I be?”

“Then, that’s for the best.”

Xue Qinshuang nodded and then turned back around. The hint of apology on her lips seemed like it had never been there, as she watched the storyteller with a beaming smile and asserted:

“This gentleman also likes it; please kindly start it again.”

Wang Anfeng was taken aback.

Sikou Tingfeng saw from afar the young lady raise her hand for a drink, the beautifully embroidered cuff falling to cover her lips, revealing only three fingers as white as freshly cut scallions. The rest was not clearly visible to others, but from this angle, she was able to see the hidden smirk at the corner of the mouth.

She was no longer as relaxed and confident in public as usual, but now she seemed more spirited and cunning. Sikou Tingfeng subconsciously clenched his teeth, without reason reminded of the last time she had made a fool of him. He had planned to come down for a cup of tea, but at this moment, he lost all inclination to do so and without hesitation turned to leave.

Behind him followed the slap of the startling wooden block as the storyteller began to bellow out in a Sichuanese accent: “They say that Wang Anfeng, with a face as dark as lacquer and thirteen spans tall, doesn’t resemble a human at all, his voice hoarse as if swallowing charcoal, and his cries not like those of a human…”

PS: Presenting today’s first update…