Why do I have so many masters?

This Wu Laosi naturally couldn't squeeze out two hundred taels of silver.

But he could attract those young heroes just setting out on their own to generously donate from their pockets. Before long, his purse was quite substantial.

He tossed the pouch in his hand.

After entering his own house and dismissing the servants, he was about to open the door when he discovered that there was already an uninvited guest in the room.

A man in green sat in the host's seat, his expression indifferent. The painting of a fierce tiger coming down the mountain hanging in the hall seemed less imposing than the look in his eyes. He was toying with a dagger in his hands.

Standing beside him was a girl about fourteen or fifteen years old in white, with a somewhat bewildered appearance.

Zhou Pengyi recognized the two and his expression changed slightly. He turned to leave, but his body stiffened, and he staggered back two steps. He was one step away from the wooden door when a chillingly bright silver dagger was already pressed against his neck, its icy presence causing his flesh to crawl.

His inner strength was completely suppressed in an instant.

Zhou Pengyi's expression changed slightly as he forced a dry laugh,

"Hero... What is this...?"

Wang Anfeng stood behind him, his voice indifferent,

"Give me the money."

Zhou Pengyi was taken aback but with the dagger against his own neck, he had no choice but to take out the yet-to-be-warmed pouch in his hand, his neck stiff, not daring to move. Wang Anfeng glanced at his own money pouch and shook his head, saying indifferently,

"It's not enough."

Zhou Pengyi's forehead broke out in sweat as he said,

"This is the hero's pouch of money you just threw, I haven't touched a single penny."

Wang Anfeng slightly withdrew the dagger in his hand and said methodically,

"Two thousand taels."

Zhou Pengyi's pupils abruptly constricted, and he said through gritted teeth,

"Is your appetite so large, hero?"

Wang Anfeng said indifferently,

"The rule is, money that goes out comes back at ten times its value. You should have known this when you dared to take my money."

"Or, two thousand taels to buy your life, how about that?"

The dagger pressed down harder.

Zhou Pengyi clenched his teeth.

A moment later, Wang Anfeng stepped out through the Zhou family's main gate with Lin Qiaofu by his side.

Zhou Pengyi sank to the floor inside, his complexion pale, his savings reduced by more than half in an instant, almost enough to bring him to tears.

Lin Qiaofu followed behind Wang Anfeng, noting how he secured his money pouch while the remaining eighteen hundred silver notes stayed untouched in the box, a thought provoking her mind.

Wang Anfeng noticed Lin Qiaofu's gaze, tapped the money box in his hand, and half-jokingly said,

"What do you think, do you still consider me a hero?"

Lin Qiaofu looked up, softly responding,

"I used to think that heroes were..."

"All about principles, even warning villains with a heads-up like 'Thieves, watch for hidden weapons' before throwing hidden weapons in a fight, right?"

Wang Anfeng, laughing, added that last bit, mimicking the line from a storyteller's tale.

Lin Qiaofu, somewhat embarrassed, nodded.

Wang Anfeng seemed to say with a light chuckle,

"I used to think that way too."

"Used to?"

Lin Qiaofu keenly caught the implication in Wang Anfeng's words.

Wang Anfeng nodded, his lips still curled in that usual light smile, yet to Lin Qiaofu's eyes, it held a trace of self-mockery. He said leisurely,

"Yeah, later, I realized that isn't what a hero is, at least not in my eyes."

"That's at most just a child intoxicated with the dream of being a hero."

"Dreams always end."

"But in Jianghu, many times when the dream ends, it's time to die, and many people only realize how naïve such thoughts are when it's too late, with no more chances."

"It's different from the stories where justice always wins. In Jianghu, mere good intentions are not enough to be a chivalrous hero; good intentions are not enough. You need a sword, you need to be stronger than those villains."

Lin Qiaofu's eyes widened as she retorted,

"Yet, if we do it this way, we're no different from those villains who bully others with force!"

Lin Qiaofu's cheeks puffed out, looking quite adorable.

Wang Anfeng couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, saying,

"There's a difference, of course there's a difference."

"When I use my sword to subdue them, it's to make them listen to reason. That's the difference. Naturally, it'd be best if they would listen without me having to use my sword, but in most cases, they're unwilling to listen properly, so I have to use the sword first, then talk reason."

"Sometimes, you can't get through to them with reason alone, and that's when you must resort to the sword."

"In the Jianghu, you need to be armed with both, sword and reason."

"Without the sword, a hero is no longer a hero."

"But..."

Lin Qiaofu wanted to say more, but Wang Anfeng interrupted her with a smile, lifting the wooden case in his hand and saying,

"Let's not talk about 'buts'. How about you accompany me to exchange these silver notes for loose silver today? It's hard to distribute such large denominations."

"Mhm, once it's done, I'll treat you to candied hawthorn."

He said this with utmost seriousness.

Lin Qiaofu was slightly taken aback.

......

Zhao Ningyan stood in front of the window, looking out at the night.

She had been reading through the "Biographies of Heroes" for several days, staying up late every night. Tonight, after finishing the book, the stories continued to play in her mind, refusing to fade away, making it hard for her to fall asleep.

Standing at the windowsill, she gazed out blankly.

She was at a dye workshop, the yard strewn with various colored fabrics hanging in the air; under the moonlight, their hues were extremely gentle. In the middle, many colorful umbrellas were stretched out. Just as Zhao Ningyan was about to turn away and head back to rest, suddenly a figure descended from the sky, lightly stepping on the tip of an umbrella.

Zhao Ningyan couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

But she realized that the person didn't fall down as she had expected. Instead, like a falling leaf, they just gently stepped on the tip of the umbrella. Under the moonlight, the bamboo umbrella spun gently, its colors tenderly vibrant.

Zhao Ningyan instinctively held her breath.

The person on the umbrella also noticed the woman standing on the third-floor windowsill, pausing for a moment.

Then, without any particular reaction, they simply chuckled, raised their index finger to their lips, and let out a soft shush.

Zhao Ningyan's mind raced with various plotlines from the book, and she felt a mix of tension and excitement. Obediently, she covered her lips, and, after a few breaths, it seemed someone ran by on the street below, making her even more nervous. The person winked at Zhao Ningyan and said softly,

"Thank you, young lady, for a peaceful night without dreams."

Then, they flipped over and disappeared. Zhao Ningyan cried out in alarm and hurried forward a few steps to look down, but the figure was already gone, leaving her filled with regret.

On a certain street, Wang Anfeng concealed his presence.

He felt the furious arrest officer rush by not too far away, and, with resignation, he touched his forehead and sighed.

What bad luck.

He had just robbed the rich, and setting out at night to help the poor, he'd run into a constable on patrol. The arrest officer of Guan City was indeed quite skilled in martial arts.

At the Shaolin Temple.

Hong Luoyu looked at the rare sight of a monk standing up from the stone and being blocked in front of it, managing a dry laugh,

"To be honest... I never taught him that."

"It's really not my fault."

Ci looked at him quietly.

When Hong Luoyu couldn't hold the smile on his face anymore, Ci raised his left hand to his chest and softly uttered a Buddha's name.

Then, with a slight lift of his right hand, his monk's robe slipped off, revealing his palm and saying,

"Are you done speaking?"

"If you are, then it's the monk's turn."

Luoyu's expression grew stiff.

Ci said softly,

"Om Amitabha..."

PS: Here's the first update of the day...3800 words

PS2: A big thanks to "Fahai Leyin" for the generous tips, very grateful