Why do I have so many masters?

The blade, imbued with robust and vigorous strength, cleaved through the air waves and smashed heavily against the side of the mountain, creating a piercing sound that split the air.

Gongsun Jing's expression changed abruptly, and he instantly held a spear in his hand.

The three hundred Qing Taoqi uniformly stood up and drew their swords. The fierce momentum surged instantly, chilling the limbs and stiffening the bodies of the Great Village Chief and Mo Xiaoqi, who were surreptitiously watching the people practice with their blades nearby.

The cold gleam aimed at the mountain crumbled instantly.

A streak of light first shattered the longsword thrown by Wang Anfeng, then a second streak of light, firing later but striking first, shot towards the cliff where Wang Anfeng stood, followed immediately by the resounding cry of a drawn sword.

In the blink of an eye, Wang Anfeng struck out with a longsword in his right hand, meeting the oncoming streak of light head-on. The two forces intertwined, generating a mighty sound amidst the raging wind, as if a thousand horsemen were charging and slashing, which was bone-chilling.

Just as the tangled vigorous energies began to calm, Wang Anfeng's right hand twitched slightly, and a sound of clanking chains whistled through the air.

The shot-out longsword did not fall as its energy was expended. Instead, it darted forward like a spirit snake, entangling the streak of light and then fiercely spinning against the current, sending the initial streak of light back in its original direction.

Amid the tearing whistling sound, the streak of light hastened its pursuit, directly embedding itself deep into the verdant mountain, snapping trees and collapsing rocks, its depth unknown. Both the Great Village Chief and Mo Xiaoqi were nearly popping their eyes out.

After a dead silence of several moments, with still no hint of movement, Wang Anfeng's expression remained unchanged. He simply raised his hand to take a hard bow from Gongsun Jing's grasp and forcefully pulled it open without drawing back, simply shooting directly.

It was as if an entire pot of steel arrows poured out in an instant, cascading like a waterfall.

The visible waves of air proceeded in layers, almost without diminishing. The opposite barren mountain was nearly shaved off a whole layer at once; the rocks were pulverized, then carried up by the surging air, becoming even more indiscernible.

Wang Anfeng furrowed his brows and threw the hard bow to the ground.

The famous Yan Zhi Sword, previously captured, was pulled back by the chain, and Wang Anfeng planted it into the ground. His eyes, filled with divine charm, looked toward the still-undissipated air waves on the opposing cliff. After about the time it takes to brew half a cup of tea, he finally withdrew his gaze and said,

"He's gone."

Gongsun Jing couldn't help but ask,

"Young Master, should I take some men over to scout?"

Wang Anfeng shook his head and said,

"There's no need to go over. His concealment techniques are too profound. This exposure was only because he seemed slightly disturbed and unstable in his breathing when you mentioned the words 'Mansion Master,' otherwise even I wouldn't have been able to detect his presence."

"Moreover, his qinggong is extremely peculiar. In terms of hiding and moving stealthily, he surpasses me. Gongsun, you excel in military combat, but qinggong is not your strength against him."

Gongsun Jing was about to say more, but Wang Anfeng raised his hand to stop him, saying,

"Later, I will go over with Miss Gong Yu to take a look."

"Continue training as usual today, instruct everyone to increase their alertness. It looks like after half a month, our location has finally been compromised. The person who came earlier was probably just probing."

Gongsun Jing fell silent, then slowly nodded and said,

"Be careful when you go, Young Master."

"Hmm."

Gong Yu, sensing the change in qi mechanism, had already come out from the bamboo building she resided in. A fortunate encounter the day before had at last enabled her to break through to the Fourth Rank Realm. At this moment, she appeared not as ordinarily aloof but instead more immense and hard to trace.

After glancing at Wang Anfeng, she nodded slightly, then soared into the air.

Wang Anfeng picked up the Yan Zhi Sword that had been planted in the ground and followed her using his movement technique.

With their current level of martial arts, it took only a few moments to reach the opposite cliff. Looking around, they could see the traces left by the arrows shot by Wang Anfeng—vigorous impacts had left large, blast-like white marks on the bluestone.

The two circled the rock without detecting any signs of the person who had come. Neither Wang Anfeng's acquired Pupil Skill nor Gong Yu's innate perceptive intuition could detect the slightest trace.

Wang Anfeng, looking at the impacts on the ground left by the arrows, softly said,

"This place is no longer safe."

"We must leave. Miss Gong Yu, your cultivation is not yet stable, and the injuries sustained by the Qing Taoqi previously haven't fully healed. Now is not the time to confront them."

Gong Yu nodded slightly.

Wang Anfeng was inwardly shaken by the level of the opponent's qinggong, but he maintained a light tone and said,

"However, Miss Gong Yu, you needn't worry too much. Although the man's qinggong is profound, he probably didn't intend to clash with us immediately, or else he wouldn't have left so easily."

About several miles north of this mountain, a man dressed in olive green vigorous attire knelt on the ground. His black hair was slightly disheveled, and a pale gold mask covered most of his face, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Despite this, he dared not stop moving or take to the air; instead, he staggered forward, running.

Only after covering more than ten miles did he finally catch his breath.

His face pale, he coughed up a large mouthful of congested blood with a wretched expression. Previously, without realizing it, he had planned on ambushing but was overwhelmed by emotions of national and personal vengeance upon hearing the word 'Mansion Master.' Moved by a murderous intent, he was noticed by that young man from the Divine Martial Mansion.

"Such barbaric inner strength."

He collapsed to the ground and casually removed the mask from his face, throwing it aside, he exhaled deeply. Just now, after his tracks were exposed, he had immediately fled far away, yet he had not anticipated that his opponent would use such an unreasonable method to force him out.

Merely being swept by the vigorous qi of that arrow had caused his blood and qi to surge uncontrollably. If he had been hit by one, the best outcome would have likely been severe injuries on the spot, losing the ability to move, and then being captured by the two who followed closely back into the Divine Martial Mansion.

Being killed on the spot was also a possibility.

He placed his hand on his chest, smoothed his breath, and his expression on the horse-faced man's face fluctuated. Thinking of what that person had told him, he still made up his mind and muttered softly,

"Although I hadn't expected that man's martial prowess, I was still able to come back alive."

"Rumors might be true, the master behind Divine Martial Mansion and the Sword Saint both suffered greatly and won't be able to make a move anytime soon."

"Now is the perfect opportunity to take down the remnants of Divine Martial Mansion."

His heart stirred incessantly; as soon as his injuries were slightly controlled by his inner strength, he changed his original direction, heading towards the southwest.

At this moment, he was not too far from where Divine Martial Mansion was located. He dared not use his qinggong but instead used jumping techniques to hurry along on the ground. It was not until he was at least a hundred miles away from those mountains that he used his movement technique to leap straight into the air.

Beneath him, green mountains and further along was a tributary of Yan River.

By the water, surprisingly, there was a Taoist temple, next to the stream stood a frail-looking girl, gazing blankly at the whirlpools appearing and disappearing on the water's surface, beside her, a young Taoist monk sighed helplessly, lifted his head to check the time, and murmured,

"It's already past the time for morning and evening incense. It's late; time to make offerings."

Since his master was increasingly hard to awaken, he had no choice but to go inside the room, fetched a large handful of incense, lit them, and seemingly too lazy to divide them properly, he simply stuck them in a large incense burner. With smoke curling up lightly, the young Taoist waved his hand and respectfully made a bow, saying,

"Three sticks of incense for one immortal."

"You all can divide them yourselves; I won't count for you."

Then he picked up a small stool, walked out with a bounce, and helplessly watched his master, wondering when she would snap back to reality.

Wang Anfeng and Gong Yu had returned to the village, Gong Yu naturally went straight back to his bamboo tower, and Wang Anfeng simply briefed Gongsun Jing about the news, then planned to head to Shaolin Temple to consult with Master Ying.

When leaving with Gongsun Jing, Wang Anfeng, wanting to keep the latter's mind at ease and not overthink, brought up again what had been mentioned before, pretending to be casual,

"By the way, Gongsun, you mentioned earlier that the Mansion Master also likes my father's pickles? If so, it could make a good gift if we meet someday."

Gongsun Jing opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to explain that even a Mansion Master with such magnificent strategies had to be prepared to die to stomach those pickles, then casually converse with the Great Marshal.

They and several others secretly felt that the reason why the Great Marshal had joined the Mansion Master's command was solely because the Mansion Master was the first and only man in the world who could eat that stuff without changing his expression and still praise it enthusiastically.

But thinking of the Great Marshal's suffering, the youngest of Divine Martial's Commanding Generals Camp, Gongsun Jing, ended up saying,

"Yes, the Mansion Master loves it."

"When you make it, Young Marshal, you can add more ingredients. In the past, the Mansion Master always thought the Great Marshal's version lacked flavor, too bland."

Wang Anfeng paused in his steps, a look of surprise on his face.

"Really?"

Gongsun Jing, once a top-secret agent of Great Qin's Military Family, gave a thumbs-up, his smile bright and hearty.

"Young Marshal, trust me."

"Your subordinate, Gongsun Jing, would never lie in his life!"

Speechless, Wang Anfeng dismissed the mischievously-minded Gongsun Jing and found a secluded place to return to Shaolin Temple.

Sweeping his gaze around, but only the figure in green robes, standing with his hands behind his back, was visible.

Before he could speak, the Scholar had already coldly said, "This time, we won't make a move to help you."

"And I have already spread this news throughout Jianghu, trouble will knock on your door soon, it's all on you to handle."

Wang Anfeng's expression shifted slightly.

Master Ying closed his eyes, thought of the youth who had fallen heavily wounded in Pharmacist Valley three years ago, and the low murmur whether it was a disgrace again, remembered what Ci had said today, fell silent, then reopened his eyes, his voice cold, he declared,

"If you lose, this master will save your life."

"But as for the spy within Divine Martial Mansion, this master will personally take action to sever it. If you can't shoulder this burden, then in this life, you will remain a man of Jianghu."

"This point, this master assures you."

PS: Today's second update offered.......3000 words