Why do I have so many masters?

Chapter 687: Chapter 14 Runaway from Home Supergroup (1/2)

The harsh clear light retracted in an instant.

Sikou Tingfeng raised her right hand, and the Qimen weapon renowned throughout the world as the Deputy Manor Master of The Number One Manor in the World had already transformed into the likeness of a short dagger, almost touching Xue Qinshuang’s heart.

But it stopped abruptly.

Her eyes widened.

Xue Qinshuang was only half a step away from her.

Her light breathing brushed against Sikou Tingfeng’s face.

The short sword, just an inch longer than an ordinary dagger and held in reverse grip, was now positioned at her throat. Its blade seemed dull and unremarkable, save for the edge which bore a cold intent similar to that in Xue Qinshuang’s eyes.

Her black hair, swept aside by the Sword Qi, fluttered lightly.

When Xue Qinshuang looked up, Sikou Tingfeng thought she saw two cold stars moving in the air, leaving behind traces carrying the chill.

Sikou Tingfeng’s brows furrowed tightly, and her expression returned to indifference.

Before the strike, Xue Qinshuang had hesitated for a moment, effectively giving a warning, so it could not be considered a sneak attack. By the time Xue Qinshuang took that step, Sikou Tingfeng was already prepared for the confrontation.

However, within three steps, her speed still hadn’t surpassed that of the Xue family’s heir.

That was the Ancestral Dragon Sword, glorified in history as like a comet assaulting the moon or a white rainbow piercing the sun. The world’s swordsmanship was vast and endless, with variations both grand and fierce, subtle and ghostly. Yet when it came to the speed of striking, none could surpass this sword.

Xue Qinshuang took half a step back.

The short sword in her hand had already disappeared.

Sikou Tingfeng raised her hand, retracting the mechanism on her wrist, and said indifferently,

“It’s been rumored in the shadows that the Xue Family Head doesn’t favor Xue Shuang. Seeing this sword today, I realize that isn’t the case—it’s just misinformation spread throughout Jianghu.”

Xue Qinshuang fell silent, then calmly replied,

“Matters of the Xue family should not be disclosed publicly.”

“Where is Wang Anfeng now?”

Sikou Tingfeng frowned and answered,

“After killing Wen Hong of the Wen Family on Jiangnan Road, he mounted a horse and broke through, disappearing without a trace.”

“A master has erased the traces he left behind, making hawks, dogs, and exotic beasts useless. At the same time, someone interfered with the Heavenly Secrets, preventing the Taoist Sect from tracking him through their methods. Messages in the city have also been suppressed by two forces, mixing truth with lies. It is only known that he likely hasn’t gone far and is still somewhere in Jiangnan.”

“As for his exact location…”

“The Number One Manor in the World only has keen intelligence, not omniscience.”

Xue Qinshuang pressed on,

“Is his life in danger?”

Sikou Tingfeng frowned, showing impatience, and replied coldly,

“If you really want to know, then you can go and see for yourself.”

Her voice paused, and remembering what she had heard about the Xue family’s tradition, she hesitated but nonetheless stated coldly, “Since he was able to lead men in breaking out of the Wen family’s hold, he naturally shouldn’t be in danger, though some injuries are inevitable.”

Xue Qinshuang’s demeanor was confident and easygoing as she smiled,

“A few minor injuries are of no concern.”

“However, I was abrupt in initiating our exchange earlier and may have been disrespectful. Please do not take offense, Lady Sikou. As for the outcome of the fight, it was a matter of the prepared facing the unprepared—I wouldn’t count it as a true victory.”

“If we were ten steps apart, the outcome of a fight within a hundred moves would still be uncertain.”

Sikou Tingfeng’s voice was icy as she stated,

“Victory is victory, defeat is defeat.”

“Had my answer not been to your liking, I doubt I would have received such courtesy.”

Xue Qinshuang maintained a slight smile, expressing regret,

“Not at all.”

Sikou Tingfeng dismissed her with no further ado, her mind returning to the sword strike that had been like a fleeting glimpse of beauty.

Xue Qinshuang said that if they were ten steps apart and she was prepared, the outcome within a hundred moves would remain uncertain, but after a hundred moves, the tide would likely turn clearer. Even with vigilance, the world’s swiftest swordsmanship was not so easily guarded against.

Not until her own Palm Power had strengthened to the next level.

The chances of victory were merely a matter of four to six.

She herself didn’t even have a fifty percent chance of winning, and if the distance between them narrowed, her chances would drop to thirty percent, or even lower, to evade that sword strike.

Only by avoiding that strike would one be qualified to discuss victory or defeat.

Xue Qinshuang, in her prolonged time facing opponents head-on, had nearly caused the martial artists of the same generation throughout the world to forget that she was originally from the most formidable assassin noble clan.

She was not a martial artist; she was supposed to be an assassin.

The current Family Head of the Xue clan was among the top assassins in the world who, with Fourth Rank Realm abilities, had ventured into the Northern Lands to take the heads of Grandmasters. Upon first reaching the Grandmaster Realm, she had visited the Kunlun Mountains but did not stay, a regret for eighteen years.

But The Number One Manor in the World knew that this Xue Family Head had gone to Kunlun again this winter solstice.

She only descended the mountain after one month.

With distant mountains shrouded in layers of mist, Sikou Tingfeng spoke lightly,

“The Xue family’s ‘Casting Dagger’ is not yet complete. According to our manor’s records, you should spend at least a year on the mountain, toiling to perfect it. I will build a hut and dwell here, for Xue family’s Ancestral Dragon Sword is unmatched in the world. If you…”

Xue Qinshuang shook her head, interrupting,

“I must go down the mountain.”

Her voice halted for a moment, then she looked at Xue Qinshuang and frowned slightly, asking,

“Why?”

Xue Qinshuang replied with a relaxed air,

“A good friend is in trouble. Naturally, I cannot stand by and watch.”

Sikou Tingfeng seemed not to accept such reasoning, his voice cold, he said indifferently,

“His life is not in danger at this time.”

“And with your talent, after ‘Casting Dagger’ is complete, you have a seventy percent chance of stepping into the Grandmaster Realm in one fell swoop, then you can smoothly take over the Xue Family’s divine weapon, and take charge of the major noble clans in the world. Aren’t you regretting stopping now?”

“You still have a younger brother.”

Xue Qinshuang smiled and said,

“The foundation of the Xue Family is like clouds and smoke.”

“As for becoming a Grandmaster, although I am of no great talent, it is within reach.”

Sikou Tingfeng’s brow relaxed, he nodded slightly, and said,

“Good.”

“I will follow you.”

In the Number One Manor in the World, an elderly man of imposing stature showed a look of surprise, then just laughed heartily, his beard and hair trembling with mirth.

Even though he was white-haired, his complexion was rosy, without a single wrinkle on his forehead, and his spirit and vigor were enough to suffocate the so-called heroes of this generation in Jianghu. He laughed and said,

“I have just come out of seclusion, and Tingfeng has already run out? Old friend, you say these two things are unrelated, how could you believe that?”

The old man next to him laughed and said,

“It’s a pity about the foundation you have built up.”

The Manor Master of the Number One Manor in the World sighed deeply, “Yes, such a vast foundation.”

“But of no use, none of it catches Tingfeng’s eye.”

“Just like weeds, that’s good, it’s better that he goes out!”

“Right, Tingfeng has gone to provoke Xue Shuang of the Xue Family. I remember that boy Xue Shuang is very good in martial arts, but there are rumors that he has a bad relationship with his father, and by extension, is shortsighted with the entire family?”

“Truly a family of fools!”

“If Tingfeng could bring back the Xue Family’s thirteen curves, that would be best, haha…”

Next to him, the white-haired old man, who looked like an Immortal and was indeed half an Immortal, shook his head and said with a laugh while stroking his beard, “That won’t do.”

“The Xue Family, after all, is a first-class noble clan in Jianghu, and the location of their family has been hidden for a thousand years without being exposed. However, the relationship between Xue Shuang and the Xue Family Head… This news everyone in Jianghu with some connections has heard about. Don’t you think this is very interesting?”

“Even an impoverished family does not want to air their dirty laundry, clans in Jianghu bury their family matters clean, fearing outsiders will learn of them. Yet, this matter of the Xue Family seems to be something they fear we know, and also fear we don’t.”

The Manor Master of the Number One Manor frowned, as if he had come to a realization, but then he laughed nonchalantly,

“What does it matter?”

“The vast Jianghu can accommodate all kinds of filth and also contain this flood dragon causing turmoil.”

“There aren’t many in the Xue Family Head’s household that count as human, all of them cold as death; Xue Shuang is rare with his magnanimous nature, unlike those human-shaped weapons. If the Xue Family doesn’t appreciate him, my manor will take him in.”

“If he is willing, I don’t mind offering my Numero Uno Manor as Tingfeng’s dowry.”

The old man, who had entered the True Master Realm of the Taoist Sect, smiled bitterly and said,

“You’re thinking too far ahead. You’ve just found a connection and already thinking of marriage and dowry. In a few more days, I’m afraid you’ll even have the children’s names picked out. Besides, if you do so, what about your grandsons?”

The imposing man was unconcerned and said,

“I’ve given them a wealthy home and a reputation in martial arts, that’s enough. The rest is up to them; the world is vast, Jianghu is wide. If they are truly great men, they need to carve out their own path with their fists and feet. Using an ancestor’s legacy counts for what ability?”

“If they have the ability to build a greater foundation on their own, it is normal and will add to their reputation for future generations, rather than being said to rely on elders to prosper.”

“If they lack the talent and integrity, the foundation that is like weeds to Tingfeng would be a deadly path for them. I know the uncertainty of life and death in Jianghu, yet I still have a soft heart for my children, and do not wish to see them faced with danger.”

“Enough about them, worrying, I just don’t know when Tingfeng will bring that boy from the Xue Family back. When he does, I will personally cook to welcome the two of them.”

His old friend, accustomed to such demeanor and temperament, simply smiled and said,

“This is related to the second matter.”

“The Xue Family has a deep secret, I only happened to deduce its existence. Xue Family number thirteen is not meant to be a male, but should be a female. It’s just that the heavenly secrets were previously obscured. And although Tingfeng is aloof, she is also a woman…”

The Manor Master of the Number One Manor in the World, who could make a flood dragon reverse the flow of a seven hundred li-long river tide with a single palm strike, was briefly taken aback upon hearing the words ‘female.’ He chuckled lightly and said,

“Now, that’s interesting…”

……….

The Xue Family in Jianghu is almost a secretive rumor, but in the highly secretive Xue Family, there was an even more secretive tower.

In twenty years, only the Family Head had ever been up there.

No one knew what was inside. Some said it contained a divine weapon unparalleled in the world, others said it was the most precious martial arts manual of the Xue Family, and others still said it was the world’s rare treasures taken by the Family Head after killing the Ancestral Dragon.

In any event, it must be the most secret treasure of all, one that the usually cold and unfeeling Family Head cared so much about.

An old man with gray hair hurried over, not daring to enter the tower, he simply bowed and paid his respects from below, using the Dharma for voice transmission over a thousand miles said, “Family Head, the daily polishing of the formation is complete, but the Young Master is still nowhere to be seen, shall we send someone to look for him?”

A man inside the tower opened his eyes and said calmly,

“I sent her to the ancestral land to retrieve an item.”

“No need to wait for her.”

The old man dared not say more, bowing and paying his respects once again, he turned and left, feeling somewhat hesitant in his heart, but also relieved. It would be best for this nominal Young Master to leave the Xue Family completely.

The man in black on the upper floor closed his eyes, sensing the familiar Qi mechanism on a distant mountain trying hard to conceal itself. He then set up various methods to cover his tracks and swiftly left.

A faint smile appeared on his cold lips.

This number one secret place of the Xue Family was utterly empty, devoid of anything.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, opposite a painting of a woman on the wall. Her appearance was merely pretty, but her eyes shone like stars.

The man murmured softly,

“Qing’er…”

PS: Today’s first update is hereby presented…