Why do I have so many masters?

Wangxian County was divided into five states, while Fufeng County was even larger, comprising seven state cities of various sizes, under which were counties, with villages clustered around the county cities. Thanks to its rich mineral deposits, the county not only had high mountains and dense forests, but also some lakes and great rivers, hence it was bountiful in natural resources.

Fu Mo, riding on the white horse borrowed from Qingfeng Edge, felt some pain in his buttocks.

How long had it been since he last rode a horse?

The elder shifted his position and his thoughts began to wander.

Thirty years? Or was it forty years?

He had forgotten…

Given his temperament, he was unwilling to come out, but there was no helping it because Master had tricked him into signing a contract, so he had no choice but to pinch his nose and accept it.

While he was reluctant to come out, now that he had, not buying some materials to take back would feel like a loss.

Fu Mo controlled the steed with his inner strength and scratched his neck, falling into deep thought.

The Phoenix Gold from West Mountain is not bad.

Green Bamboo is also fine… The ones you buy yourself are always better.

Those procurement officers from the Academy are all idiots, always getting cheated.

After thinking for a moment, he had to put those thoughts aside. Fu Mo looked up and saw that Anfeng, riding on the green-maned horse beside him, had already turned somewhat pale, with a slightly vacant look in his eyes. Fu Mo sighed in his heart, knowing that even though the child was resilient, after days of continuous travel, his body was already pushed to its limits.

He had to suppress his desires and decided to send both of them to the nearest state city first, planning the route properly.

Located in a remote area, Taiping Village was closest to North Martial City. If Wang Anfeng and the others let their horses loose, they could reach it in about a day, but considering the physical condition of Anfeng and his son, they slowed down and it took them almost four or five days to get to the city.

This North Martial State City was not a large one, nor did it have any special products; it was of that intermediate status within Fufeng County. However, upon entering the city today, Wang Anfeng and his companions saw many people from Jianghu with swords on their backs. They had to try three different inns before they found enough available rooms.

Anfeng and his son, having no martial arts skills, were exhausted after days of hard travel and went straight to the second-floor rooms to rest. Fu Mo, despite his profound martial arts skills, seemed to have not ridden a horse for a long time and felt nauseous in his chest, so he also returned to his room.

Wang Anfeng and others found an empty table and sat down, soon approached by a waiter who attentively wiped the table and poured tea.

The first floor had seventeen or eighteen wooden tables, most filled with boisterous people from Jianghu laughing, drinking, and speaking loudly. Their demeanor could be described as more rough than bold, and their conversations often touched on brothel girls and gambling victors and losers; their presence piqued Wang Anfeng's curiosity.

A subtle line exists between Jianghu and the Imperial Court.

Apart from city gangs and those from the Academies, typical people of Jianghu do not like to enter places like state or county cities; even city gangs have some covert connections with government officials.

Today, though, Wang Anfeng saw mainly martial artists from smaller sects, some with knives, some with swords, and many with Qimen weapons laid out on tables. Wang Anfeng, having combated many "martial artists" before, could tell from some details that these martial artists were not very skilled, at best around Ninth Rank.

When something abnormal arises, it must signal a disturbance; the presence of so many martial artists indicated that some kind of storm must be brewing in the city.

Wang Anfeng's mind drifted, but then he considered.

The four directions and everything within constitutes Jianghu; with such a vast Jianghu, there must be exciting or sinister events happening at every moment.

Without ripples, it wouldn't be Jianghu.

Exhaling slowly, Wang Anfeng withdrew his gaze and decided not to stir up trouble, nor did he think these martial artists could cause any significant disturbance in this state city.

Following his experience from the conflict with Qingfeng Edge, he became increasingly aware of the gap between high-rank martial artists and ordinary fighters.

Having read many books in the Library, he knew that, according to the custom of Great Qin, the city must be guarded by at least one Middle Third Rank martial artist, and more than thirty Seventh Rank martial artists, and three thousand martial soldiers.

It was as impregnable as a fortress.

He had faced off against a Seventh Rank martial artist of White Tiger Hall and was aware that with just two or three Seventh Rank martial artists, all these Ninth Rank fighters could be subdued in an instant. If the government ordered no survivors, the required time might be even shorter.

It was like a sudden downpour; ordinary people would rush to find shelter under eaves, while Lower Third Rank martial artists could steam dry the rain with their inner strength.

But a Middle Third Rank master could step up to the sky and, even if they charged headlong into the dark rainclouds, would only be worried about getting their clothes ruined by lightning.

Shaking his head, the young face became serious again.

Before him, there were still more challenging matters to attend to.

He took a deep breath, his solemn gaze falling upon the Green Bamboo Cookbook in his hands, feeling as if each dish name shone with light, making it difficult to choose. Amid the attentive look of the young waiter beside him, he slowly spoke up.

"I'll have…"

............

The next morning, everyone went to the Government Office. Though the location was small, it had everything necessary, with all Six Ministries present. Thanks to Master Fu Mo of Fufeng being there, Wang Anfeng and the others encountered no obstructions and successfully transferred the household registration of Aping and his son to this State City.

They then went to the market to find a real estate agent. Although the land price in the city wasn't cheap, Aping wasn't planning to open any business, so he wasn't too particular about the location. Wang Anfeng also didn't plan to buy him any high-end residence, simply finding an old house in a rather remote location.

Before the price was set, Baili Feng and Tuoba Yue made an excuse to invite the old landlord out of the market for a chat. The older man was initially surprised, but then he happily agreed. When it was time to talk, the price for the house, which was originally over a hundred silver, was written down in the deed as only seven.

The difference was compensated to the old landlord by Tuoba Yue and the others.

Aping carefully folded the deed that read 'Wang Anfeng lent Aping seven silver, with an annual interest of three percent', stamped with the Government Office's seal, and placed it near his heart, along with the key to his new home.

And now, he had a new key in his hand.

The young man raised his hand and inserted the key into the copper lock. This lock was different from the one back home, without a hint of rust. His right hand, accustomed to wielding an axe, trembled slightly. He took a deep breath, a click sounded softly, the copper lock opened, and the wooden door creaked open, revealing a small house.

The house was very small, just enough to provide shelter from the wind and rain.

The yard was also small, but there was a corner on the left side where wood and coal could be piled up, and a small patch of land that could be cleared to grow some cabbages and beans. The remaining space was a bit cramped, but still just enough for a table that could hold jars of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.

Aping bit his lip, a mist forming in the corner of his eyes.

The neighbors, hearing the sound of the door lock, came over with fresh vegetables as was customary in this city to pay a visit. Although they were startled by the scars on Aping's face at first, sympathy was the only thing left in their eyes after learning the reasons behind them, without a trace of contempt.

While comforting Aping, they cursed the despicable human traffickers in their local dialect.

Wang Anfeng leaned against the door, a small smile on his lips.

For the first time, he thought that even curse words could make one feel relieved.

Xue Qinshuang glanced at him and asked,

"What are you thinking about?"

Wang Anfeng turned his head to look at the young girl. Although he hadn't gained anything, he felt more elated than any progress in martial arts, and he answered with a smile,

"I'm thinking, wouldn't it be nice if everyone in the world could be like this?"

Xue Qinshuang was momentarily stunned, feeling his words were more whimsical than a child's babbling in their sleep, yet seeing the slight lift of the corners of his mouth and the black pupils shining in the sunlight, she didn't have the heart to interrupt his fantasy. She averted her gaze, standing beside him, and said softly,

"Yes…

"It would be really nice, like in a dream."

Wang Anfeng and the others politely declined Aping's invitation to stay longer, planning to leave while it was still daylight. However, they had only walked about ten meters before Fu Mo suddenly slapped his forehead, chuckled at his own oversight of forgetting something, and turned back to Aping's small house.

While everyone was somewhat puzzled, Fu Mo spent only a brief dozen breaths before coming back out, moving as lightly as if he was flying, effortlessly catching up to the group.

His expression was particularly relaxed and gratified, as if he had resolved some kind of issue in his heart.

In the somewhat old house, Aping looked at the mechanical toy that the old master had left him, his expression bemused. Although he was young, he was much more mature than his peers and wasn't too interested in toys. He simply set it aside and went back to tidying up the house.

This was his new home.

The light in the young boy's eyes was almost shining.

Busy until the evening, after having dinner with his father, Aping lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He finally took an interest in the mechanical toy, idly toying with it for a moment, only to find, unexpectedly, that the mechanical man suddenly moved. Its wooden palm swiftly grasped the hilt of the sword at its back, as a swordsman would draw a sword from its scabbard, lunging and slicing with impressive momentum.

Aping's heart nearly stopped, his eyes widened slightly, looking at the mechanical figure before him.

The summer night was hot, so the window was left open. Moonlight poured in, casting a light on the mechanical figure, still slightly rough around the edges, holding the sword in a striking pose, powerful in stature. Red dots marked seventy-eight acupuncture points on its body, connected by lines, converging like a hundred rivers into the Dantian.

"This, this is…"

PS: Chapter One