Why do I have so many masters?

Chapter 760: Chapter 56: The Vast and Upright Energy (10,000-Word Mega Chapter, Additionally Requesting Leave)_3

The horse galloped forward, and Xiahou Xuan pulled on the reins, dismounted, and strode ahead.

Wu Qiong saw those behind him, including Gong Yu, Xue Qinshuang, and a disciple from The Number One Manor in the World, but what surprised him the most were the two elders and the unassuming servant. Tian Zhide was also there, holding a silver spear.

He was visibly moved and found himself at a loss for words.

Jiang Yang, however, seemed to have anticipated this, loosened his grip on his daughter’s hand, and saluted in the direction of Li Qidao with a bow, calmly saying,

“Jianghu hermit Jiang Yang, at your service, General Li.”

Many glances turned towards Li Qidao, who slowly set down the wine pot in his hand. He looked at the somewhat familiar middle-aged man in front of him and couldn’t connect him with the memory of that person from his past. His brows slightly furrowed, he spoke slowly:

“It’s you.”

Jiang Yang straightened up and smiled,

“It has been over twenty years since we last met in the former front camp of Shu.”

Li Qidao scrutinized him, then suddenly said mockingly:

“One-Leaf Pavilion is indeed formidable. Back in the day, with a single sword, you broke through three camps and within ten days assassinated seventy-three officers of Great Qin, forcing many generals to sleep in their armor, terrified even to fall asleep at night. And yet, in your One-Leaf Pavilion, you are merely a decrepit scholar?”

“If so, the scholars under the heavens are truly remarkable.”

As soon as these words were uttered, everyone’s expressions changed dramatically. No one had expected the usually kind and somewhat ineffectual Jiang Yang to have once been such a harsh and concrete figure. Wu Qiong slightly trembled, realizing just who the man dressed as a scholar really was.

Li Qidao placed the white pewter wine pot at his waist, somehow already in front of Jiang Yang. Looking into the calm reflection of himself in those dark pupils, he said lightly:

“Bringing up such matters, are you planning to settle old scores with me?”

Jiang Yang did not respond.

Li Qidao, noticing the nervous Wu Qiong beside him, his eyelids drooped as he said:

“It’s a pity, if you still were the Confucian Sect master who killed with a single sword strike as you did back then, I’d be interested in discussing the heads that you took. But now, I really have no interest in bullying a spent force whose Qi has dispersed.”

“That said, what do you wish of me? To protect your daughter? Easy, it’s but the work of a hand strike.”

Jiang Yang shook his head and said,

“Back then, I was quite interested in you. I hated you, yet I couldn’t kill you; I respected you, yet I also feared you. Now that I have this opportunity, the waterfall flowing down from the mountains at One-Leaf Pavilion is a sight to behold. I wonder if General Li would be interested in seeing it?”

Li Qidao looked deeply at this young man who had once carried the literary spirit of the Shu Kingdom and was a decayed scholar. He laughed and said,

“Of course.”

Then, Liu Ling came forward, eager to gain an advantage as he loudly said:

“Don’t forget about me, don’t forget about me now, haha, you promised me a feast of unmatched scholars on the mountain, with such a good opportunity, how could you leave me behind?!”

Jiang Yang smiled and replied:

“If the gentleman is interested, it should certainly be so.”

Having said this, he gently patted Jiang Lan on the head, smiling as usual. Then, he turned and headed towards One-Leaf Pavilion, Jiang Lan instinctively wanting to follow after him. Li Qidao casually pointed and a thunderous force erupted, forming a visibly relentless barrier of lightning on the ground.

Without a word, without explanation, but it had already let those behind them know, this was the entanglement and story of the older generation, and there was no need for them to be involved.

Today, there were many disciples at One-Leaf Pavilion. All were armed with swords, all were disciples of Zhang Zuosheng, totaling about five hundred. The rest of the disciples were either imprisoned or had left the sect for various reasons. But even these men, having read the classics, when faced with the always benevolent Jiang Yang who had been good to them, almost instinctively stepped back to open a pathway, turning their gazes and sword points away.

This pavilion master had indeed been very good to them, earnestly responding to anyone who asked him questions. If he did not know, he would say he would find some texts to clarify on another day, apologizing sincerely.

Thus, even though they had defected to Zhang Zuosheng, the five hundred disciples did not wish to be hostile towards Jiang Yang. With swords lowered, they allowed the directives of the steward disciples to go unheeded, merely moving aside to clear a path.

Jiang Yang walked slowly, step by step.

It was just like old times, nodding with a smile at the young scholar-disciples who were making way for him.

But it wasn’t long before another group of visitors appeared at the gate of the mountain.

………

Ye Zhuhua had his martial arts destroyed and was forced to ingest an Elixir. Guarded by the disciples of Divine Martial Mansion and firmly held by the Xiahou Family’s Hidden Guards next to the tea house, even at his peak, escaping would have been extremely difficult.

The patrons who frequented the tea house had already run off one by one. Now, only the tea master, who could see the situation clearly and was worried, and a tea drinker who had come to drink tea for the day remained.

This man, though not young, had a scholarly and elegant demeanour, with grey hair but only the temples were pure white, indicating a highly learned man. The tea master favored him, sipping lightly at the clear tea, and the schemer who had once united the Six Kingdoms to rebel against Qin, Su Gu, gazed towards One-Leaf Pavilion and muttered to himself:

“Li Qidao, it has been a long time.”