Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 422 - 94: The Spread of News (1/2)

In the Imperial Family’s separate residence.

After a day of hubbub, the night brought about an even more profound silence, erasing all traces of the bustling scenes from the daylight. The courtyard was vast, to the point of seeming a bit desolate, and the attending officials and martial artists each rested in their own quarters.

Armored Imperial Guards of the Great Qin, bearing weapons, stood guard at various positions, their expressions stern, as if carved from green stone, void of any hint of change in their faces, much less conversations with each other.

Occasionally, a pretty maid carrying a lantern would tip-toe briskly past, her dress rustling, making a soft, fragmented sound.

All was calm and ordinary.

Yet in an even quieter courtyard, there was a lantern that remained lit without flickering.

Inside the room, a man around forty years of age was hunched over his writing at a frenzied pace. His eyes were slightly open, obviously so engrossed that he paid no attention to anything else. Perhaps due to his intense concentration, some ink had spilled onto the desk and stained his robe, adding to his somewhat disheveled appearance.

After writing a few more lines, the man lifted his wrist and paused to observe the content he had written on the scroll. A look of satisfaction gradually appeared on his face. Suddenly, he laughed aloud twice, casually tossed the brush aside, and threw himself onto the bed. In no time, the sound of his snoring filled the room.

The candlelight flickered, its glow reflecting the man’s reckless demeanor as though he were drunk, yet the text on the scroll was written with meticulous precision, each of the hundreds of words as disciplined as armored soldiers in formation, allowing no disarray.

In the third year of the Great Yuan Era, the Imperial Grandson, named Changxing, received the imperial edict to inspect Fufeng.

A noble guest with an untamed sword arrived.

Like a rainbow piercing the sky, he walked among the heavens...

The snoring intensified. Earlier, the man had drunk three cups of strong wine by the candlelight. As the alcohol’s warmth spread through his body and a surge of boldness rose between his chest and abdomen, he began writing, committing the events of the past two days to paper in a fervent and unrestrained manner. It had taken quite a while, and the candle had now burned down to its end.

As the last glow of the candle shone as if giving a final flicker, the room fell into darkness.

Authored by a Historian from Heaven Capital City, accompanying the Imperial Grandson.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

The events surrounding the carving of stone inscriptions and guarding the hundred floors of Fufeng’s Tower of Books, having cumulated over the day, were finally recorded. Soon, this tale would spread to every corner of the seventy-two states under the whole Great Qin sky.

Wherever there were traces of Jianghu, there would be people of Jianghu. Wherever there were people, it would be known that in Fufeng that year, there was a young man who ascended the tower with his sword.

And long before this, this impactful news had already spread far and wide with the traveling caravans, the roaming rangers of Jianghu clinking cups in noisy taverns, and through the misty aroma in the tea houses, at a steady pace, centered around Fufeng County City, rippling outward in every direction.

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

The morning light was soft and gentle.

Fufeng · Xi Dingzhou City.

A fiercely brilliant spear light suddenly appeared, scattering the morning stars in the sky in a flash, and in a moment, it broke through the opponent’s defenses. However, at the same time, the middle-aged man, who should have conceded, revealed a trace of madness in his eyes, stepped to the left, and with a swift upward lift of his left hand, he grasped the spear.

His right wrist trembled slightly, and the Bright Silver-tipped Steel Spear thrust forward instantaneously with four hidden variations, its might not any less than in days past, but rather growing more majestic and forceful, like a dragon bursting through water.

Fei Poyue’s eyes showed a hint of admiration as he said,

"Not bad."

With a slight movement of his palm, the spear that Gongsun Jing seemed to hold shook and rotated slightly, the Vigorous Qi channeled into it vibrated in a unique pattern. It instantly tore apart the thick qi Gongsun Jing had in his hands, then Fei Poyue stepped back, his spear striking faster than the Bright Silver Spear and causing it to deviate, losing its initial force.

Gongsun Jing, gripping the spear, stumbled to the side, his momentum gone, his breathing slightly rapid. Leaning on the spear, he caught his breath and recirculated his Inner Strength. In his mind, he replayed the skirmish, his face showing irritation.

In the many days since Wang Anfeng’s departure, he had almost daily sparred with the patriarch of the Fei Family.

Today, he had managed to last ten exchanges before defeat, already giving his Full Strength. Unless he relied on his youth and vigor, if it were only about proficiency in Spear Technique, this was already the limit of his current ability.

Fei Poyue tossed the spear in his hand, and it flew back to rest on the weapon rack.

After moving his limbs to loosen them, the old man’s countenance returned to its original sternness. His grey eyes glanced at the frustrated Gongsun Jing and he said indifferently,

"Light the fire, cook the meal."

Gongsun Jing, roused from his reflection, twitched the corner of his mouth slightly. Yet, he did not object to the old man’s well-practiced command, and obediently took an axe to split firewood.

Being from a Military Family and having spent much time in Jianghu, he was neither naive nor dull; he knew all too well how formidable this man, stern as a lonely mountain in all but sparring, was as a mentor in Martial Arts,

This was an opportunity.

He certainly wouldn’t let it pass by.

Holding the axe, Gongsun Jing sat on a stump, picked up some logs, and chopped down hard. In his mind, he kept revisiting the exchange just past. After several chops, his wrist instinctively trembled slightly, the sound of the axe cutting through the air became finely sharp, and the force of its descent suddenly increased.

Inside the house, Fei Poyue sat alone, sipping tea. His ears caught the change in the sound outside, and he nodded slightly. His expression softened, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to smooth out a little.

He was extraordinarily talented and known for his unyielding integrity, which weighed heavily in his reputation, causing seldom fluctuation in his emotions.

He was quite content with this.

The old man raised his hand to drink a sip of tea.

He had originally only planned to meet Gongsun Jing, the Gang Leader of the Giant Whale Gang. Now, however, he found himself with additional thoughts. Since Gongsun had decent talent and could endure hardships, there was no harm in staying in Xi Dingzhou City for a few more days to impart some spear techniques and secrets.

In the courtyard, Gongsun Jing raised his hand to split firewood.

The ancestral home’s gate was not closed, and diagonally opposite, a small martial arts school had opened over the past two days. It was the time for the apprentices’ morning practice.

Young men around fifteen or sixteen years old lined up to perform the Bone Tempering Fist. With each punch they threw, they would shout in unison. The impact was tidy and had a certain forcefulness. After finishing the Bone Tempering Fist and resting, they watched Gongsun Jing getting roughed up by Fei Poyue.

This had become the only pleasure in their arduous training these days.

Those who suffer can only find joy in the suffering of those having it worse.

When Gongsun Jing and Fei Poyue sparred, the latter, being elderly, no longer had as much vigor as before. Hence, they competed only in spear techniques and controlled their vigorous qi so as not to trigger any phenomena that might threaten the ancestral home. To the people of the martial arts school, it was nowhere near as impressive as their own Innkeeper.

At that moment, the young martial artists across the street, witnessing Gongsun Jing, a robust man getting beaten like a grandson by an elderly man, and then obediently going to chop wood and cook, felt their own pains diminish and couldn’t help but let out snickers.

Gongsun Jing, aware of the noise from the opposite side, paid it no mind and continued chopping wood attentively.

The axe in his hand, in his perception, had almost turned into a short spear.

The subtleties of exerting force became increasingly adept.

While chopping for a moment, Gongsun Jing suddenly heard a clear and melodious cry in his ear. He paused and looked up to see a majestic falcon streaking across the sky.

Its speed was so great that even with his ocular power, he could hardly see it clearly. It left only a lingering shadow on his retina, and his expression involuntarily changed as he instinctively stood up.

Having his background in the Imperial Court, he was naturally not unfamiliar with the exotic beasts and spirit birds exclusive to the Great Qin Dynasty.

A Pursuit Falcon from Great Qin’s Fufeng?

What could have happened?

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Someone in the martial arts school pointed at Gongsun Jing and whispered a joke, but they stopped abruptly when they saw him stand up tall. Witnessing the man who had just been beaten like a grandson now exuding an indescribable presence, like a tiger on the land, proud and disdainful, the joker’s voice fell silent and his face turned pale.

After a moment of stupor, he almost instinctively retracted his pointing finger.

The observers around him, curious about the commotion, teased their companion for a moment, then glanced towards the old house and also sensed the unintentional yet powerful aura emanating from Gongsun’s body. Their expressions turned blank.

The entire martial arts school was suddenly enveloped in a deathly silence.

As Gongsun Jing pondered what might have happened with the Pursuit Falcon, considering its speed rivaled that of a Fourth Rank Martial Artist and it wouldn’t have been deployed without important reason, he sensed a change in the surrounding qi mechanism. He glanced instinctively at the martial arts school.

The onlookers’ hearts trembled, especially the young man who had just been jesting. His legs shook in an instant, fearing he had angered the formidable man. His martial arts skills were low, and he couldn’t articulate much.

But the Innkeeper who had brought about this turn of events could barely feel what was happening. Seeing Gongsun Jing, who was standing ’nonchalantly’, and sensing that unfathomable aura, his heart nearly stopped.

Being an Eighth Rank Martial Artist with fully developed inner strength, capable of killing bears and tigers, and whose speed did not falter against a charging horse, he considered himself a master.

Yet, as he now gazed at the man with the weapon slung on his back, no desire to engage in combat rose in his mind. He could only think of words like fierce, powerful, unfathomably profound, unapproachable, untouchable, might die if messed with, as his face grew paler.

Just then, an elderly voice came from the Fei family’s old house, sounding somewhat displeased:

"Be swift with your tasks and stop dallying…"

"Ai, alright."

Thus, under the astonished gaze of the martial arts school’s apprentices, the warrior who had just appeared as fierce as a tiger, whose aura had oppressed the entire martial arts school into breathlessness, replied ’ai’ like a grandson, wore a smile, and without the slightest hint of a master’s prestige, hurried towards the kitchen with an armful of firewood.

"We’re having something light today, right, elder...?"

A bright and hearty smile emerged on Gongsun Jing’s face, as he let go of his concerns.

After all, it had nothing to do with him.

PS: Here’s the first update of the day.........