Wang Anfeng stared dumbfounded at the handsome 'young man' before him, initially in disbelief, and then a surge of joy at the reunion with an old friend took over. The mysterious, accelerated heartbeat he had felt under the moon the previous night did not reoccur, as if it had been merely an illusion all along.
With his right hand pressing against the ground, he leaped to his feet.
Nine months ago, Wang Anfeng was of the same height as Xue Qinshuang, but now, with his martial arts progress and nourishment from elixirs, he had grown taller than his good friend by a slight margin.
Looking at the still handsome 'young man,' who seemed unchanged from yesterday, Wang Anfeng opened his mouth, wanting to say many things, yet all he could manage was:
"You, how did you get here?"
At this reunion, Xue Qinshuang also felt quite pleased and laughed, saying:
"Could it be that the entirety of Fufeng County belongs to Brother Wang, and even though the city gates are wide open, I alone am not allowed to enter?"
His last sentence carried a teasing undertone. Wang Anfeng repeatedly waved his hands, hastily saying:
"How could that be..."
Noticing he seemed to have taken the casual jest to heart, Xue Qinshuang couldn't help finding it amusing. He interrupted:
"Alright, it was just a jest, no need to take it seriously..."
After a moment of contemplation, without going into detail, he simply stated:
"Anfeng, you should know that I was supposed to be in seclusion at home for three years. However, some things happened, leading to an agreement with my elders, allowing me to cultivate in Fufeng."
"I've only just arrived in Fufeng, but to see you so close to achieving Ninth Grade in your cultivation, truly a pleasant surprise."
With his voice pausing slightly, Xue Qinshuang's eyes lit up a little, as if seeing a highly anticipated, beautiful scene. Then, turning his attention to the students behind him, who looked disgruntled and left with darkened faces, like gamblers who had lost everything, he frowned and said:
"However, with your level of martial arts, why were you chased down to such a sorry state?"
Wang Anfeng opened his mouth; the situation was complicated, and he didn't know how to explain, but at this moment his expression changed subtly, and he said:
Outside the martial arts field.
The Military Family's young mo blade practitioner had already flung his blade aside and was scuffling with two other individuals. He was no match against the two, getting hammered while pinned down, temporarily drained of strength and lying on the ground gasping for air.
The other two students struggled to their feet, breathing heavily, feeling that although they had won, they were more tired than if they had been defeated.
This person's toughness was simply infuriating.
Knocked down once, he got up twice.
"At last... finally not moving anymore!"
"Kid, you, you just try to get up again!"
The Military Family's young man just rolled his eyes on the ground, while the student dressed in dark vigorous attire internally heaved a great sigh of relief. He looked off into the distance and remarked to his companion:
"They, they should've won by now..."
The other student nodded and said:
"Should, should have... huff, after all, huff, there's only one person."
The two heavily panting students didn't realize that the hand of the Military Family's young man, who didn't have the strength to continue fighting, was once again trembling as it lifted from the ground.
In Great Qin, stockings were oftentimes made of cloth because the material didn't stretch well, causing them to sag during wear so ribbons were sewn at the top for fastening. The trembling hand carefully unfastened the slightly loose ribbons of the two men and tied them together before securely knotting them.
Because the ribbons were tight, the two didn't notice. After catching his breath, the student in dark vigorous attire said, "Seems like there's nothing more to it, let's go take a look."
The two lifted their weapons upside down, too lazy to take another look at the person behind them. They executed their footwork and leapt, but immediately lost balance, letting out alarm cries. With their mediocre martial arts and depleted inner strength, they fell to the ground heavily, landing in a mess and crying out in pain.
Behind them, the sound of contented laughter rang out. The two students got up, feeling dizzy and aggrieved, gnashing their teeth as they looked back at the Military Family's young man who no longer had the strength to fight.
His thick and untidy brows stood high, his nose swollen and face bruised, yet there was a spirited light in his expression.
"Baili here, I never renege or cower."
With an exuberant expression, he truly seemed like the victor, despite the obvious defeat.
The two students were furious, grinding their teeth when, at that moment, a wooden sword flew through the air and landed before the young man. Wang Anfeng, wearing a blue shirt, leapt from the high wall, catching the sword's hilt smoothly as he landed, drawing the sword from its sheath, and slashed the air.
Amidst the sharp whooshing sound, the sword edge stopped trembling slightly, positioned between the two students.
In their urgency, they failed to stop their attack, and the sword edge carried vigorous qi that spread outwards, whipping the two young men's black hair into a wild frenzy. The trembling and faint buzzing noise caused the scalp of the two students to tingle, making them halt in their tracks.
Wang Anfeng exhaled and said calmly,
"Wang Anfeng has lost, you two should stop now."
The two students paused briefly, exchanged a glance, knowing full well they were no match for Wang Anfeng. Both being Fufeng students with no deep grudges, they felt the urge to retreat. However, being young, they couldn't help but hurl a few harsh words in anger before leaving. Wang Anfeng didn't mind and simply sheathed his sword, quickly turned, and walked to the young Military Family warrior.
After checking his pulse, Wang Anfeng sighed in relief and said,
"It's okay...just some flesh wounds."
He flipped the young man over, and with a swift motion from his waist, streaks of silver flashed as several silver needles were placed upon the youth's body. With a flick of his right hand, the Taisu Needle Technique was administered.
Meanwhile, he took out several small jars and bottles from the waistband given by his second Master, feeding them to the young man while expressing with a full face of apology,
"Just now, seeing you so formidable, I thought..."
His voice trailed off, as Wang Anfeng didn't know what to say, his face showing even deeper remorse.
In the tales of Li Bo, there were many instances where the rescued would rather die than live in thanks, joining the fight, only to be dispatched by their foe in an instant.
Back then, he saw this young man wielding a heavy Mo Blade with ease, his poise stable and tranquil, a true master's demeanor. Assuming the young man's martial arts to be superior, Wang Anfeng didn't dare to intervene fully, fearing he would only be a burden, so he decided to leave first and repay the help another day.
But he hadn't expected...
The young Military Family warrior rolled his eyes in exasperation and swallowed the elixir without a word of thanks, saying,
"That's how you Confucian Scholars are, always so cautious."
"You seem alright as a person, but you're definitely no hero with a chivalrous spirit."
With an apologetic face, Wang Anfeng didn't reply, focusing intently on administering the needles.
Xue Qinshuang watched his movements with interest, her toes lightly nudging the nearby Mo Blade. She grasped it and exclaimed in surprise,
"This is some fine lacquer work."
Feeling proud, the young Military Family warrior said,
"Of course, I personally crafted it, so it's certainly good."
"To learn this craft, I spent a good hundred silver pieces, daily treating a stinking beggar to drink, just to acquire it."
Xue Qinshuang laughed,
Having dispersed the congestion with the needle technique and bolstered by the qi-nourishing elixir, the young man was able to rise on his own after Wang Anfeng removed the needles. Squeezing his fist, he said in wonder,
"Impressive skills..."
Meanwhile, Xue Qinshuang casually flicked her wrist, and the Mo Blade landed securely next to the young Military Family warrior. He grabbed the blade, swung a flourish, and said to them,
Wang Anfeng returned the gesture, "I'm the one who should be thanking you..."
Seeing Wang Anfeng's apologetic face, the young Military Family warrior, with his thick eyebrows raised, waved his hand dismissively and said,
"Don't look so guilty; anyone who didn't know better would think you'd done me wrong... I just can't stand those guys."
"We, the gallant men of Great Qin, should triumph against greater numbers with honor and pride. Only then can we truly call ourselves passionate! "
"To bully the few with numbers, and then resort to devious schemes, what kind of hero does that make one?"
His words were bold and heroic, which earned Wang Anfeng's admiration. He then inquired,
"I am Wang Anfeng... may I have the honor of knowing your esteemed name?"
The young man, holding his formidable weapon, planted it firmly on the ground, grinned, and replied,
"I have the compound surname Baili, and my given name is just the single character Feng."
"The Feng from 'to travel ten thousand miles to be conferred as a marquis.' "
He paused then added,
"Military Family, Strategist."
PS: Special thanks to pqpqoxps for the generous reward. The longer chapter will be updated this afternoon, with the additional update following thereafter.
PS: The name of the Military Family youth was provided by the book friend Baili Feng... thank you.