Why do I have so many masters?

Although Lv Baiping grew up on Myriad Swords Peak with Lin Qiaofu since they were young, she had a lively and agile personality. She found the carriage fine, but always felt it was a bit suffocating. On normal days within Qingfeng Edge, she had no choice but to stay in the Scripture Pavilion.

Now that she was outside, she was not willing to stay put in one place.

After sitting in the carriage for just over half an hour, she spoke up, saying she wanted to switch to riding a horse.

A guard of the Yuchi Family named Old Lu gave his horse to Lv Baiping and then went to sit on the coachman's bench, keeping Taishu Jian company. Hong Luoyu couldn't bear it either and said he also wanted to ride a horse, so Wang Anfeng was switched to the carriage.

Although the carriage was very much to Hong Luoyu's liking, there was no way to show it off on the road, which made it less interesting. It was nowhere near as comfortable as feeling the breeze while riding outside.

Being cooped up in Shaolin Temple for so many years, even the most beautiful scenery had become tiresome.

Everything outside, even a single blade of grass or tree, seemed to possess a vibrancy not found in Shaolin Temple. In a word, they were pleasing to the eye and comfortable to look at.

However, it was a pity for Yuchi Jie, who was usually so eloquent. Caught between the "elderly predecessor" who had joined the military solo and Lv Baiping, who was tapping his head full of lumps with a sword scabbard, he was as docile as a henpecked wife, not daring to say an extra word.

Inside the carriage, Lin Qiaofu was engrossed in a book she had brought along.

Gong Yu sat upright on one side, her eyes slightly closed, as if she was in the midst of meditating and circulating her energy.

When Wang Anfeng walked in, Gong Yu opened her eyes, and the two exchanged a look, falling into silence.

Wang Anfeng cleared his throat, about to introduce himself, when Gong Yu took the initiative to nod at him and said indifferently,

"Wang Anfeng."

Wang Anfeng was stunned for a moment. Honestly, he had been mistaken for someone else almost every day recently, and now that someone had correctly identified him by name, he felt somewhat uncomfortable. Lin Qiaofu looked up, glanced at Gong Yu, and teased with a giggle,

"Big Brother Wang, don't be surprised..."

"Auntie Master has made some efforts these few days."

Gong Yu's expression remained calm and collected.

Wang Anfeng laughed and said,

"That really does seem quite effective."

Without responding, Gong Yu continued to sit with her eyes closed. Not until Wang Anfeng had taken the seat previously occupied by Hong Luoyu did she seem to feel that not replying was somewhat impolite. She opened her eyes and hummed gently.

Wang Anfeng almost thought he had heard wrong.

Turning his head to look, he found that this woman, as cold and pure as jade, still had her eyes shut, a serene expression on her face, as if she wasn't the one who had just made a sound. Wang Anfeng smiled again, settled into his seat, and centered his mind and energy, recalling the sword momentum of the Jue Que Sword.

The azure Sword Gang he was now focusing on was his own creation, but ultimately, it originated from Mr. Ying's Killing Sword Thirty-Three and the Honghui Heavenly Sword. The former aggressively broke through all of an opponent's moves with overpowering attacks. The latter could sweep through the vast sky, both domineering styles of swordplay.

The sword momentum forged into the Jue Que Sword by Ouyang three hundred years ago provided him with substantial reference material.

Gong Yu's expression remained neutral.

The longsword resting on her lap was narrower and appeared more slender than ordinary swords. She lightly rested one hand on the hilt, while her right hand's fingers tapped the blade, merging her qi mechanism with the sword.

Her fingertips gently swept across the blade and stopped at the tip. The sound of the sword's hum was faint, resonating only within the sword scabbard.

Gong Yu lifted her gaze, looking at Wang Anfeng.

Upon reflection, since their first encounter at Fufeng Academy, she and Wang Anfeng had known each other for almost three years now.

Back then, at first glance, he had the appearance of an ordinary impoverished student.

Later, after leaving Fufeng for Qingfeng Edge, he demonstrated a ruthlessness unlike his peers. Now, although his Inner Strength might be less than hers, with the dominance of his azure Sword Gang, he might not be at a disadvantage in a fight.

In these short three years on Qingfeng Edge, he had merely witnessed several silent snowfalls and the vastness of Heaven and Earth, and had spent a few additional days in contemplation.

As spring came, even the heaviest snow would melt away, disappearing without a trace.

The past three years had left no trace in her heart, yet those three years were after all not merely illusions in a dream.

The Wang Anfeng before her was still the same: approachable, possessing the same unforgettable culinary skills that Lin Qiaofu missed dearly, still gentle as before. However, beneath that gentle facade, whether there were other things hidden, Gong Yu no longer had the insight to discern.

Hong Luoyu rode the fine horse bought by Yuchi Jie at a considerable cost, yet his mind once again drifted to the lean red horse he had trained with such diligence. Thinking of Wang Anfeng's reaction, he ultimately felt that it wouldn't be appropriate to call out that extraordinary horse from the Shaolin Temple again.

He sighed with a sense of regret.

The horse he rode now was indeed fine, but in the end, it lacked the wildness of the other.

As for the incidents that happened in the city, Anfeng, immersed daily in contemplating sword momentum, was unaware, and Hong Luoyu had not explained the intricate reasons behind them to him either.

The handling of this matter was partly due to Hong Luoyu's own wishes, and on the other hand, it was also going with the flow, lending a hand to the intricate schemes in the heart of someone surnamed Ying; otherwise, why would he take an interest in a commercial pact?

Ever since Qingfeng Edge had produced a peerless figure in the world three years ago, Jing Feng City had been expanding continuously, its scale subtly surpassing that of ordinary towns in Great Qin and it might very well become an important town within Jianghu. Now with the commercial pact in hand, it was as if they had established a solid stepping stone.

What to do next, he could not guess.

That was something someone with the surname Ying enjoyed, the convolutions within which were enough to make Hong Luoyu's scalp tingle and irritate him tremendously whenever he thought about it. However, he thought, for that individual to be so focused on it, many were likely to be very unlucky.

Those who caught his attention generally met with no good end.

Yuchi Jie sat on his mount, focusing on breath and heart with a steadiness that greatly pleased Elder Lu. He seemed honest on the surface, but deep down he was anything but, his eyes itching to drift towards Hong Luoyu but firmly restrained.

He knew somewhat of the occurrences in the city.

Since he had spent a substantial amount of silver in just a few days to inquire about certain matters, it was not difficult for him to gather information. The events that had taken place in the city over the past few days immediately brought to his mind the unfathomable Qinggong of the senior figure behind him.

Was this deed really his doing...

Yuchi Jie, holding the horse's reins, was lost in thought.

Within Jing Feng City.

Shi Huaidie reflected on the news she had collected today, her expression shifting uncertainly. She had merely heard a casual conversation about the theft at the Wu residence in a tavern and had sensed something amiss. After inquiring carefully, she learned that four of the largest wealthy families in the city, including the well-guarded Jianghu Noble Clan, had all experienced thefts.

Thinking of the background of that person mentioned by the gentleman, Shi Huaidie grew more certain of the real existence of that secretive Sect, which she had never heard of before, attributing it to her limited experience.

Divine Thieves Sect.

With godly Qinggong and such skills.

Indeed, the name Divine Thieves Sect was well deserved.

Sitting at a table in the tavern, Shi Huaidie pondered over many things, then left a silver ingot and hurriedly stood up to leave.

Regardless, she was considered a rare top-notch expert in Jianghu, and before becoming the sword in the hands of that eminent person, as well as after becoming that sword, she also had her own circle of familiar friends. If she wanted to investigate the news, it would be extremely convenient.

Divine Thieves Sect, Hong Luoyu.

A faint chill appeared in Shi Huaidie's eyes.

This had nothing to do with standing on the right or wrong side. Those who kill must be killed in return; whose hands weren't stained with blood? You kill me, I kill you—such is the way of Jianghu. Once blood is involved, grievances and grudges become hard to disentangle.

She thought of 'Iron Pagoda', who had died before her, and of her own grave.

A faint pain pierced Shi Huaidie's heart. Taking a shallow breath, she left the city with a cold expression through the north gate.

PS: Here's the second update for today...

Struggling with some writer's block, so it's a bit late (clasping hands).