Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 552 - 193 Scenic Views, Another Finger (1/2)

Yesterday atop Myriad Swords Peak, Lin Qiaofu had yelled "grilled fish" upon seeing him, and Wang Anfeng felt a foreboding sense in his heart that this nickname was going to be trouble.

Especially doing so in front of Gong Yu made it particularly inopportune, but he couldn't have anticipated that the matter would arise so swiftly.

Gong Yu likely found such a nickname convenient for identifying Wang Anfeng, and although her tone was still as light as ever, it seemed to carry a hint of cheerfulness as she said,

"It's getting late, I came to call you downstairs."

"Senior Hong has already ordered the dishes."

Wang Anfeng exhaled, guessing that it must have been Hong Luoyu who sensed his condition and thus had Gong Yu call him. Otherwise, given Gong Yu's nature, she definitely wouldn't have come upstairs to find him, nor would Hong Luoyu allow others to interrupt his contemplation of the Jue Que.

Wang Anfeng nodded at once, subconsciously gripping the Jue Que Sword in his right hand as he smiled and said,

"That's quite convenient."

Gong Yu nodded and said indifferently,

"Senior Hong probably timed it well."

"Indeed."

Wang Anfeng smiled, nodding as he stepped out the door, closing the wooden door behind him, and descended the stairs with Gong Yu. Given that they had Yuchi Jie, a young master who didn't fuss about money, they certainly wouldn't be squeezing in on the first floor with everyone else.

Yuchi Eldest Young Master had personally picked out a guest room earlier, one with the best view, from which one could overlook the myriad worldly lights of Jing Feng City at night, encompassing the splendor. When Wang Anfeng and Gong Yu entered, Hong Luoyu was seated in the place of honor with the shopkeeper standing by his side.

The shopkeeper was all smiles, chatting about something with Hong Luoyu. Yuchi Jie sat to the side, toying with a cup in his hands out of sheer boredom. The family retainer named Lao Lu and Taishu Jian, who did not take their seats, stood behind Yuchi Jie and Hong Luoyu respectively.

Seeing Wang Anfeng approach, Hong Luoyu waved his hand.

The insightful shopkeeper promptly halted the conversation, bowed to the group, and then turned to leave. As he exited, he smiled warmly at Wang Anfeng and Gong Yu, stepped aside to let them enter first, and then withdrew.

As he left, he carefully closed the door.

Wang Anfeng advanced, and as if murmuring, Taishu Jian spontaneously stepped forward, understanding the gesture. Wang Anfeng raised his hand, passing the hefty Jue Que Sword in his right hand over.

The white-haired elder solemnly lifted his hands to receive the heavy longsword, slinging it on his back before standing behind Wang Anfeng, hanging his hands and lowering his gaze in a manner opposite to Lao Lu, Yuchi Jie's family retainer.

The clothes Taishu Jian wore had also been prepared by someone dispatched by Yuchi Jie, identical to the dark blue long shirt Wang Anfeng was wearing.

The elder had properly bathed in the inn, had someone tidy him up slightly, and though his hair was entirely white and simply bound with hemp, his demeanor was calm. Draped in a dark blue outfit and carrying the Jue Que on his back, he indeed had the bearing of a master.

Not like before, when he had languished outside Qingfeng Edge's gate for a full three years, looking unkempt and emitting a sour odor, making him resemble nothing so much as a beggarly old man. Yuchi Jie was amazed at the change, remarking that he now looked the part of a master.

He even added that having such a person with the aura of a master driving the carriage would certainly be an impressive sight. The spoilt children of riches and nobility across the cities would be green with envy, and the daughters of noble families would surely want to linger around him, wouldn't they?

The look Lv Baiping gave him was one of such filth that it should not have existed in this world.

Lao Lu silently took a step back.

This stocky, typically silent martial artist from a military family seriously pondered whether to wait until his young master was half-beaten to death or six-tenths dead before stepping in to intercede.

However, Taishu Jian did not make a move, and Lao Lu felt somewhat regretful.

With the clearly eminent grandmaster Hong Luoyu present and, in any case, owing Taishu Jian a debt of rebirth, he would by no means agree to sit down.

Eldest Young Master Yuchi, not caring about money in the least, grandly arranged for both him and Lao Lu to dine in another place, with no less standards; everything that should be there was present, which spared any needless talk and made things quieter for the ears.

Wang Anfeng sat at the table and, recalling the scene he had seen upon entering, asked curiously,

"Third Master, what were you just discussing?"

Hong Luoyu laughed a bit and said,

"We were just chatting idly about some matters."

"Having just arrived in this county city, there are many sceneries I am not familiar with. Thus, I inquired with that shopkeeper, discussing what kinds of views and sceneries there are in the town. If there is any leisure time, it wouldn't hurt to take a look."

His voice paused for a moment, then continued with some regret and a sigh,

"However, it seems there won't be much time for that."

Wang Anfeng nodded, understanding the sentiment.

Views and sceneries?

It seemed that Third Master had indeed been pent up in Shaolin Temple, for even that vast space would one day become tiresome. Having finally left, they had come to the land of Great Qin. Naturally, he wanted to see the landscapes he hadn't come across before.

Wang Anfeng relaxed slightly and said with a smile,

"The whereabouts of Senior Jiu Zizai won't be found in a moment. Third Master, if you like, taking some time to see the scenery should be fine. It shouldn't take up too much time."

"Lady Gong, what do you think…"

He looked toward the woman beside him, his face showing a look of inquiry.

Gong Yu nodded lightly, saying indifferently,

"Qiaofu and Bai Ping seldom leave the mountain, so it's good for them to have a look around."

"Since the purpose is to experience the world, where is not a place to learn?"

Lin Qiaofu's eyes shone slightly, and even a trace of excitement appeared on Lv Baiping's face, as if they were both quite looking forward to it.

The innkeeper came out of his room and walked downstairs lightly, making no noise; only when he stood at the bottom without disturbing the guests above did he breathe a sigh of relief and hurried away.

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This inn of his was considered excellent in Jing Feng City; the citizens praised it highly, calling it the best, but he knew his own business. His foundation could only boast in an ordinary county city; in any larger state city or county city, it wouldn't rank at all.

The guests who came today were obviously not ordinary people.

Not to mention the luxuriously dressed youth.

Just take the leading man, his demeanor was not something an ordinary person could possess.

He had casually asked earlier about any scenic beauties in the city, then immediately inquired if there were any wealthy households or famous inscribed tablets and steles. He recounted all the rumors in the marketplace, claiming there were various treasures, but the gentleman seemed to have no interest at all.

There was none of the initial excitement, only a demeanor of waning interest.

Indeed, it was just as a nobleman from the county city – his taste and vision truly were extraordinary. No amount of silver the rich households here had could catch his eye.

The shopkeeper sighed silently in his heart, then went out and ordered the waitstaff to work faster and stop idling around. Especially for the guests upstairs, they must be served well; there must be no dissatisfaction.

The head chef of the inn in Jing Feng City outdid himself today, the aroma was so enticing that the server's mouth watered incessantly. In all his years, he had never been late to a meal of such delicacy, let alone seen it.

The shopkeeper thought this would elicit some praise from the noble guests.

However, according to the server, it seemed that the nobles weren't satisfied, and even the two servants displayed plain expressions, which dampened his spirits quite a bit.

Wang Anfeng had been cultivating daily since he started, always in the Shaolin Temple where Wu Changqing himself prepared medicinal meals. The old man, in his youth, had studied cooking ardently in order to win his wife over, using herbs nearly as spices.

The resulting medicinal meals were not only healing for the body but also top-notch in flavor, not inferior to any famous chef's creations.

Over the years, Wang Anfeng's palate had been spoiled by Wu Changqing's varied and exotic cooking.

Although out of respect for food and silver, he wouldn't waste what was in his bowl, for him to find it extremely delicious was as hard as winning the grand cooking contest in the Imperial Palace of Great Qin.

Hong Luoyu, as a master thief, where was there a meal he couldn't obtain in this world?

He had roamed around the Imperial Palace countless times.

Even the Emperor's favorite Baobao Furong Cake had earned Hong Luoyu's high praise.

He thought the Emperor, although somewhat foolish and not proficient in martial arts, did have a discerning palate.

As for Gong Yu and the others, they had been living in the mountains, where they ate simple food, but the taste was not bad. An ancestor had once gone down the mountain on a tour and by chance, learned the culinary arts of the Paoding lineage.

As for Yuchi Jie, having been accustomed to eating delicacies from land and sea since childhood, these dishes were merely sufficient to keep down without vomiting.

If it hadn't been for a grudging word of praise from Great Uncle Jian and Old Lu, both the shopkeeper and the chef would have been heartbroken.

After the supper that made the shopkeeper even more apprehensive, Hong Luoyu led Lin Qiaofu and Lv Baiping to stroll outside and view the evening scenery, while Wang Anfeng, carrying two longswords, prepared to return to his room to meditate and cultivate his inner strength.

As Wang Anfeng stood up, he saw the cups and plates on the table and thought of Hong Luoyu's astonishing move that morning. He paused momentarily, then extended his right hand and flicked his finger.

A flick bearing a gust of wind lightly touched the cup's rim. Before the shadow from the first flick had dissipated, the second flick was already launched, followed seamlessly by the third.

In that instant, others could only see Wang Anfeng flick once.

His finger gently touched the edge of the cup, producing a clear, tingling sound. Wang Anfeng steadied his mind and pulled back his hand, sighing and shaking his head with a mix of self-mockery and lamentation,

"Indeed, it's not that simple."

He left with a sweep of his sleeve.

The inn's waitstaff had already been waiting outside.

After watching Wang Anfeng and the others leave, they filed in one by one to start cleaning up proficiently. The table, which had been full of food, was now quite clean, with hardly anything left over.

Given the size of the inn, they knew the guests must be martial artists from Jianghu, vigorous and with big appetites, and found nothing curious about this.

One of the waiters reached out to pick up a cup next to him, and suddenly felt a lightness in his hand.

The white porcelain cup with blue patterns disintegrated in his hand, turning into powder and spilling down through his fingers.

Like white sand.

PS: Today's first update offered up......