Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 596 - 219: Sword List Thirteen (2/2)

On the second day at Chen hour, Lin Qiaofu sat in the inn's first floor, cupping a tea cup with a somewhat distracted air, her mind occupied by the remarks Wang Anfeng made yesterday.

She wasn't particularly concerned about the taste of the candied hawthorn.

Beside her, Lv Baiping also seemed listless, propping her chin with her left hand, idly fiddling with the tea cup lid with her right hand.

Only Gong Yu remained completely composed and energetic, sitting at the table sipping tea with a calm demeanor, attracting the gaze of everyone in the inn without uttering a word. If not for the chilling longsword placed on the table and the burly Elder Lu standing behind her with a saber at his waist, plenty of fearless souls would have already approached to make conversation.

Such a beauty was rare to see even in Guan City.

Let alone in this remote place?

The waiter came up to inquire what they'd like to eat. Gong Yu glanced at him lightly without speaking. Elder Lu, knowing the mannerisms of this female swordsman, took the initiative to order some light meals, seeing that Lin Qiaofu and Lv Baiping lacked vigor, to spare any awkwardness in the atmosphere.

He then asked if anyone had any dietary restrictions.

Lin Qiaofu had just responded when she looked up and saw Wang Anfeng descending the stairs, yawning with apparent fatigue. Her mind involuntarily drifted to the words he had said yesterday, leaving her momentarily lost in thought.

When she snapped back to reality, Wang Anfeng had already come down, pulled out a chair to sit, and with a gentle voice, as pleasant as usual, he said with a smile.

"Good morning, everyone..."

"Miss Lin, you seem to be lacking energy."

Lin Qiaofu composed herself.

The person before her still appeared to be that same mild-mannered and courteous young hero, smiling gently and reminiscent of a spring breeze wafting down from the mountains. It was hard to imagine that such a person would lead a break-in to a private dwelling so adeptly.

And skillfully hold a dagger to other people's throats, too.

Yes, quite skillfully.

The memory of yesterday came flooding back—that after Wang Anfeng had treated her to candied hawthorn, he declared that she had become an accomplice and must keep their secret. Such absurd words, yet he managed to say them with utter seriousness. As those around naturally looked at her, Lin managed only to reply as usual.

"I was thinking about some matters last night and went to sleep a bit late."

After a pause, still curious, Lin Qiaofu couldn't help but take advantage of the moment when the waiter was serving dishes and others weren't paying much attention, to ask softly.

"Those things..."

Wang Anfeng blinked and whispered softly.

"Keep it secret."

It wasn't until he saw Lin Qiaofu's eyes widen in disbelief that he chuckled softly, whispering, "Don't worry, it has been taken care of..."

Lin Qiaofu breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes immediately brightening.

Yuchi Jie came down somewhat later today and upon seeing Wang Anfeng and Lin Qiaofu whispering, he laughed, and while taking his seat teased.

"What is this? Brother Wang, so early in the morning and already whispering with sister Qiaofu? Why not share with us and let everyone have a good laugh?"

"Don't be so stingy..."

Wang Anfeng responded with a composed smile, "I was just mentioning how Miss Lin and I took a walk outside yesterday, admiring the scenery of Guan City. Yuchi, if you're interested, I could fill you in too, you might want to take a tour of the city yourself today."

Yuchi Jie shook his head with a chuckle.

"Me? I'd better not."

"I've always been interested only in the 'scenery' on ladies, though the views in the city are magnificent, they aren't as gentle. Besides, if it's just the grandeur of Xiong City, I've grown accustomed to it over the years."

As he habitually finished this line, he suddenly realized it was not appropriate and instinctively straightened up, halfway out of his chair, but found the longsword connected to the scabbard had not, as usual, come smashing down towards him.

Lv Baiping was still absentmindedly toying with her teacup, her lost look making Yuchi Jie almost unable to resist teasing her. But the usual provocations that could anger Lv Baiping, drawing the scabbard down upon him, today seemed to have no effect whatsoever.

Lv Baiping merely looked up at him briefly before lowering her head again, lost in her own thoughts.

Yuchi Jie was puzzled.

The waiter brought the last two soup orders to the table and then told the guests to enjoy their meal before retreating. With Gong Yu present, Yuchi Jie did not want to irk her any further, so he refrained from continuing his teasing. Picking up his chopsticks to taste the food, he found no fault with the bland flavors and ate with relish.

At the table next to them, two men dressed as Jianghu martial artists shifted their gaze from Wang Anfeng's table and, wanting to attract the attention of the several beauties there, deliberately raised their voices to emulate the demeanor of boisterous men of the Jianghu and loudly said.

"Oh, have you heard about that news today?"

"What's the matter?!"

"Last night in Guan City, constable Xia Yiming encountered a shadowy figure, presumably a master thief from Jianghu. But even with constable Xia's martial arts, after pursuing all night, he still failed to capture any trace of the person. He's quite infuriated today."

"I heard several patrol guards have been severely punished. A buddy of mine had three months' salary docked and he's so angry, he's considering quitting."

The other sword-carrying Jianghu patron expressed a hint of alarm and said.

"Constable Xia? The Chief Arrestor of Guan City?"

"Is that the same one who once cut through the rivers in just thirteen breaths with his Torrential Blade?"

The one who'd started the conversation drank several more cups of wine, heaving a sigh.

"Indeed, it's him. Already unhappy for not making the Blade List, his mood turned sour, and this incident has only added fuel to the fire."

"Although the martial arts of the Saber Bandit are mostly focused on the blade, he is still a high master of Middle Third Rank. To elude him entirely, it must be some widely known bandit from Jianghu who has come to our Guangwu County. Heh, it really is a time of troubles."

"Yes..."

Lin Qiaofu listened and almost forgot to eat, her eyes widened as she subconsciously looked towards Wang Anfeng.

Wang Anfeng took a sip of rice porridge and seemed to agree as he sighed,

"With bandits rampant, it is indeed a time of troubles..."

Then he looked back at Lin Qiaofu who was staring blankly at him and smiled,

"What is it? Miss Lin."

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"No, it's nothing..."

Lin Qiaofu stammered and shook her head, at a loss for words in front of the righteous-faced bandit before her.

The martial artists at the other table chatted back and forth, failing to draw the attention of Gong Yu and the others. Instead, the discussion heated up among themselves, eventually leading to the most highly anticipated event in the martial arts community these days.

The most eye-catching was undoubtedly the biennial Sword and Saber List. One of them, with a face flushed from wine, voiced loudly after downing a big bowl,

"If you ask me, Sword Saint Pei Danding is sure to rank within the top ten of the Sword List this year."

"He's been renowned for over a decade, and his swordsmanship has become even more superb. He should not remain in the eleventh place."

Another martial artist at the table scoffed and said,

"If you ask me? What use is your opinion?"

"The Sword and Saber List is not for you to decide. No matter if you repeat it a hundred or a thousand times, it's useless. If he's ranked eleventh, then that's where he is. As swordsmen, we prioritize Sharp Essence. He's been ranked eleventh on the Sword and Saber List three times in a row for over ten years now. I'm afraid that his Sharp Essence has long since dissipated."

"How can he compare with the other masters of the Sword Dao?"

"You...!"

Only a few words into the discussion, a combative atmosphere had already arisen, with each person stubbornly adhering to their opinions. Fortunately, there were other martial artists at the table who continuously poured drinks to prevent these two from clashing right there and then over their disagreement.

To avoid further disputes, the other two martial artists steered the topic toward the subsidiary list of the Sword List. It was no secret that the masters who topped the Sword and Saber List had been renowned for over a decade and may very well have been the reason they took up martial arts or chose the sword in their youth.

As to who was superior, the argument was no longer about strength or victory.

Among the younger generation of swordsmen on the subsidiary Sword List, there was a rare consensus: the most formidable was Qianshan Si, who hailed from the Heavenly Mountain lineage and had started traveling the world three years ago, already mastering the essence of the Sword Intent of his lineage.

They then agreed to rank the seventh son of the Xuanyuan noble clan, who practiced the Royal Way Sword, and the heir of Zixiao Mountain Villa, Yuan Zixia, as second in a tie, with both being equally matched. As for Qingfeng Edge, even though it had Murong Qingxue, the Great Elder, as the number one swordsman in the world today, no exceptionally outstanding young swordsman had been heard of from their ranks.

Wang Anfeng, overhearing these conversations, subconsciously looked toward Gong Yu but couldn't discern any emotional fluctuations from his cool demeanor.

Gong Yu put down his bowl of porridge, wiped his mouth, picked up his sword, and went upstairs.

His demeanor and poise, as ever, were calm and composed.

Wang Anfeng smiled and shook his head. After thinking for a moment, seeing that Taishu Jian and Hong Luoyu had not come down for breakfast, he guessed that Taishu Jian was probably immersed in his comprehension of the Jue Que Sword Momentum, and it was a mystery why Hong Luoyu, usually restless, had not come down today either.

He asked a server for some breakfast items to take away, wrapped buns in oil paper, filled a bamboo tube with rice porridge, and brought them upstairs. Yuchi Jie sat leisurely drinking tea, while Lin Qiaofu's gaze kept drifting in the direction Wang Anfeng had gone.

As she zoned out, two sentences reached her ears.

"Right, rumor has it that this year there's also a new addition to the list, someone who's made it directly into the top fifteen. Some say he might even clinch thirteenth on the subsidiary list."

"Oh? Who is it?"

As someone from a Sword Sect, Lin Qiaofu was naturally sensitive to such matters and perked up her ears discreetly.

The burly man at the next table stroked his beard, frowning as he recalled,

"It's said he's from Wangxian County..."

"The name, ah yes, it's Wang... right, it's Wang Anfeng."

The burly man slapped the table, apparently quite pleased with his own memory.

Yuchi Jie briefly paused in his movements.

Lin Qiaofu's eyes widened as she looked at the figure in a green robe ascending the stairs with buns and rice porridge, instinctively holding her breath.

Number thirteen on the subsidiary Sword List?!

In Fufeng County.

"Reporting to Shangguan, our target, the son of Wang Tiance, entered the Fufeng Academy for education three years ago, named Wang Anfeng. He was involved in the Ni Tianxing case, then joined Great Qin's Constellation Ranking List, known as the 'Guardian of Fufeng's Hidden Knowledge.'"

The person seated at the head of the hall gently tapped their fingers on the armrest, murmuring softly,

"Guardian of Fufeng's Hidden Knowledge..."

"Wang, An, Feng..."

PS: Today's second update delivered......