Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 375 - 66 chapters of undercurrent (2/2)

Xi Dingzhou, Ministry of Punishment.

Archive Room.

Bing Hongcai let out a huge yawn, his eyes slightly teary, as he looked at the last few archives on the desk in front of him and finally felt a sense of relief wash over him as if the hardship had finally turned sweet.

It hadn’t been easy...

Already 37 years old, the heart of this secret chaser from the Ministry was filled with tears of blood. The feeling of relaxation at this moment was even more delightful than when he had made a breakthrough in his Inner Strength as a youth. During this time, as he read quietly, that slightly irritable temperament would sometimes arise, and then be suppressed again. Looking back now, his state of mind seemed to have slightly improved.

Bing Hongcai placed the volume in his hand on the desk, and unwittingly spaced out.

Perhaps, taking some time each day to read these volumes wasn’t a bad idea after all.

Just then, the tightly closed wooden door opened and a young man with an expressionless face, carrying a food box, walked in slowly. It was already quite late outside, the night was deep, and the stars and moon shone, making it all the more peaceful.

The young man glanced at the volumes on the desk and placed the food box on it, saying indifferently,

"It’s time to eat."

Bing Hongcai’s mouth twitched slightly, and he negotiated,

"Ah Liu, could you perhaps use a different phrase?"

Ah Liu gave him a look and said,

"My lord doesn’t like it?"

Before Bing Hongcai could speak, Ah Liu went on to say on his own,

"Indeed, I don’t quite like saying it that way either."

"It always makes me feel like a farmer feeding pigs in the countryside."

A flicker of a smile froze on Bing Hongcai’s face. He glanced at his expressionless subordinate, his teeth itching with annoyance, but he was wise enough to know if they quarreled, he would not be the match, and decided to act as if nothing had happened. He grabbed the food box and laughed loudly,

"Hahaha, I’m starving! Ah Liu, what good food have you brought today?"

"The food those cooks made these days really hasn’t been up to much."

Ah Liu’s lips curved up slightly as he said,

"Today, I prepared it personally. I believe my lord will definitely like it."

Bing Hongcai lifted the lid of the food box and chuckled,

"Then I will eagerly look..."

His words cut off abruptly as the food box opened. The first layer contained two plain white steamed buns. Bing Hongcai stared unbelievingly at the serene-faced young man, then lowered his head again to gaze at those pitiful two steamed buns. Unwilling to give up, he opened the second layer, which contained a dish of stir-fried shredded tofu and a small dish of pickled radish.

Bing Hongcai was utterly dumbfounded.

The young man sat next to him, casually drawing out a volume, and said indifferently to his stupefied boss,

"Eat well, my lord."

"Since you’re reading, it’s better to keep your desires modest. Those cooks dared to serve you meat, and I’ve already reprimanded them. In the upcoming days, they won’t serve my lord any meat at all."

As he said the last few words, the young man’s eyes glanced sideways at Bing Hongcai, a cold glint in them that made the big man shudder. He forced a flattering smile, grabbed a bun and stuffed it into his mouth. The food tasted bland, and tears were already streaming down his face inside.

Did I just actually think it was good to read volumes here?

Must be out of my mind...

He gulped the food down while inward tears flowed, yet he had to face Ah Liu and show a hearty smile, mumbling unclearly,

"Delicious!"

"Ah Liu’s cooking really is exceptional!"

The young man withdrew his gaze and said indifferently,

"If it tastes good, I’ll bring more tomorrow. Make sure to eat it all, don’t leave any."

The smile on Bing Hongcai’s face twisted grotesquely.

Ah Liu spoke on his own, saying,

"It seems, lord, that you’re almost done with these volumes. A lot of things have happened in the city these days. If you can finish them earlier, you could come out and help... Please put in more effort."

Hearing of the troubles in the city, Bing Hongcai’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and he slightly slowed his eating. His face, which had been rather comical, became stern and imposing like a fierce tiger, he asked,

"Trouble? What happened?"

Ah Liu replied lightly,

"The Sect Leader of the Tan Residence has died."

"Tan Tianxiong? I know, wasn’t it just some days ago that..."

Bing Hongcai dismissively answered, but was interrupted by the young man. Ah Liu gave him a look and emphasized his tone slightly,

"No, it’s Tan Yurou."

"She was assassinated at noon today and died on the spot."

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Bing Hongcai’s expression changed subtly and he said,

"So that means..."

Ah Liu nodded, his expression turning solemn,

"Exactly..."

"The Tan Residence had major disturbances seven days ago, and only recently gained control of the situation. Now, with the leader dead again, the position is vacant. Today, many forces came to pay their respects to the master of the Tan Residence, with many masters around."

"The incident just happened today, so there may not be any problem yet."

"But a dragon cannot be headless for a day. In Jianghu, many rely on brute force to dominate, and within a few days, those with ulterior motives will reemerge. At that time, there may be disturbances in this city, and to protect the innocent civilians, it is probably necessary for us to be on alert."

Bing Hongcai nodded slightly, responding,

"Then I will hurry up today. While I am not here, you be careful on your own."

He didn’t ask Ah Liu to plead for him, as the Chief Arrestor of Xi Dingzhou City from the Academy was extremely stern, nearly to death. If Ah Liu dared to speak up, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were both given a connected punishment, and then both of them would be stuck here looking foolish, which would be quite a sad scene.

Ah Liu looked at Bing Hongcai, who was deep in thought and frowning, and suddenly spoke,

"My lord, frankly, I don’t recommend you involve yourself in this case."

Bing Hongcai was slightly startled and said,

"What?"

The youth, expressionless, said in a tone as if he were reading aloud, "After all, although this Miss Tan controls a power in Jianghu, she seems to be just a sixteen-year-old girl, similar in age to the previous Miss Meng, and is even more remarkably beautiful, radiant as the bright moon."

Bing Hongcai was first stunned, then snapped back to reality, and burst out in anger,

"A-Liu, what do you mean?"

"Do you think I’m the kind of scum who likes little girls?!"

The youth’s eyes flickered, looking at Bing Hongcai as if he were looking at a pile of trash, his lips slightly parted, and said,

"Aren’t you?"

"You!!"

After successfully infuriating his immediate superior to the point of nearly hanging himself today, A-Liu left the archive room contentedly, squinting slightly at the rising moon in the sky.

"I hope this matter doesn’t cause too much trouble…"

"However, it probably isn’t possible, is it?"

"Unless there appears someone like Tan Yurou, capable of holding down a figure in Jianghu…"

He shook his head and turned to leave with the food box in hand.

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

Inside the Tan Residence.

The securely shut wooden door opened with a swoosh from the inside.

Gongsun Jing, who was leaning against the side with his arms crossed, heard the noise. His eyes snapped open and he stood up abruptly, only to see Wang Anfeng, dressed in a blue robe, step out. He sighed with relief and took a step forward, unconsciously asking,

"Young Master?"

Wang Anfeng looked up at him, his expression still calm but with a hint of unusual detachment under the starlight, and said, "Gongsun?"

"Have you been waiting here all this time?"

Gongsun Jing nodded, sneaking glances but failing to detect any peculiar expression on the young man’s face. It seemed that Tan Yurou’s feigned death and departure had not caused any ripple in Wang Anfeng’s mood.

Somewhat cold indeed...

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He had even thought that Miss Tan would become the young madam.

The man could not help but curse himself internally, though he maintained a very respectful demeanor, did not venture to bring up Tan Yurou, and only said,

"Young Master, the third brother and the others are still in Fufeng County City, do you want me to call them back?"

Wang Anfeng frowned and thought for a moment, then said,

"No need... Let them stay near Miss Meng for now."

"I will write a letter later. Send it with Flying Eagle and there are some tasks for the third brother to do."

Seven days before, after the incident in Xi Dingzhou, Gongsun Jing had introduced Li Laotian and a few other comrades to Wang Anfeng, so the latter now referred to the burly man as third brother.

Gongsun Jing nodded and said,

"There is a study room here, do you want to write now?"

His words ended, and Gongsun Jing’s face stiffened slightly, his right hand trembling, nearly slapping himself.

Damn it, after long military service and then being a gang leader, all his actions were straightforward.

Now, as a subordinate, shouldn’t he ask if the Young Master was tired, whether he wanted something to eat?

He didn’t behave properly at all!

While Gongsun Jing was regretting internally, Wang Anfeng simply nodded and said,

"Lead the way."

"Yes, Young Master..."

The two walked along the pathway, with Wang Anfeng quietly reflecting. Initially, according to his plan, he was to personally go to the Wind Character Tower to help Meng Yuexue search for documents, but now he was held up here and could only send a letter to Li Laotian to assist Meng Yuexue in searching for scrolls regarding the ’Poison of the Drug Man’.

The books in Wind Character Tower were all categorized, and as long as they existed, they wouldn’t be hard to find.

Using the communication of the Giant Whale Gang’s Flying Eagle, even from this place to Fufeng County City, it would only take one night to reach.

Wang Anfeng’s thinking was quite rational and clear.

Even he felt that the impact of Tan Yurou’s departure on him was just this much, and it had gradually settled down.

Until they reached the study, and Gongsun Jing ground the ink for him.

He picked up the brush, poised his wrist, and after writing the last character at the end of the letter, he drew a smiling face subconsciously.

This smiling face resembled the one Tan Yurou had drawn at the end of her letters.

Wang Anfeng stared at the letter and suddenly fell silent.

Gongsun Jing, standing nearby, curiously looked at the letter, but Wang Anfeng abruptly yanked it away, his expression calm as he rewrote the letter once more and handed it to Gongsun Jing.

After dealing with this matter, Wang Anfeng leaned back in the chair, his right hand gently supporting his forehead, his eyes slightly closed, and a hint of fatigue appeared on his face as he said,

"Today, I won’t go back to the Giant Whale Gang..."

Gongsun Jing blinked in surprise but promptly replied respectfully,

"Your subordinate understands. I will have someone prepare a guest room in the Tan Residence right away."

"No..."

Wang Anfeng shook his head and said,

"I will stay in the courtyard we previously bought in the city tonight."

"I have stayed there several days before, I’m somewhat familiar with it..."

PS: The second update is here...

Speaking of which, don’t tear the tickets, it’s not nice...

I’ve seriously considered Anfeng’s reaction, it’s impossible for anyone to remain completely unaffected, we were at least friends, so not showing any reaction would be too cold-hearted.

Thank you, Wu Zi Zhi, for the tens of thousands of rewards, very much appreciated… In addition, look, this morning was a two-in-one, and this afternoon, cough, isn’t it an extra update?