Behind the man, four or five fine horses followed, their riders all dressed in vigorous attire with weapons slung across their backs. They also reined in their horses to a stop, dismounted with crisp and agile movements, clearly possessing martial arts skills.
Wang Anfeng felt a trace of surprise in his heart. Although he hadn't perceived any killing intent, he also felt that the newcomers bore ill will. His right hand lifted and clasped the hilt of his sword behind him. The Eight-Sided Han Sword drew from its scabbard by an inch, and then he saw that behind the stolid middle-aged man, a carriage had come to a halt. He heard a middle-aged male voice from inside it, saying,
"Brother Zhou, have you found the young hero?"
In the voice, two young men in vigorous attire lifted the carriage curtains, and a middle-aged man around forty emerged, dressed in a gray cloth robe and holding a folding fan in his right hand, his eyebrows and eyes smiling, resembling a well-read scholar. Wang Anfeng, however, felt the man looked somewhat familiar but couldn't recall where he had seen him before, which caused him slight confusion.
He watched the man approach him, and while still a few paces away, the man already clasped his hands in a distant greeting and said with a smile,
"If I am not mistaken, you are the esteemed Young Master Wang. I have long admired you…"
Wang Anfeng felt somewhat puzzled, but seeing that the man seemed to bear no malice and his demeanor was quite amiable, and also considering this was the State City's main street, how could he draw his sword and fight? Even if the man started trouble on the spot, with his own martial arts, it would not be hard to evade the attack. With this thought, he relaxed his grip on his sword hilt, raised his hand in return, and said,
"Indeed... may I know what this gentleman wishes to advise?"
The man smiled and said,
"Advise is not a term I would dare to use, but there is indeed a matter I wish to discuss."
He paused briefly, gesturing towards a nearby tea house, and said,
"However, speaking on the street might disturb others."
"Why not sit down for a moment in the tea house, where we can talk more comfortably?"
Wang Anfeng was taken aback upon hearing this, glanced around, and noticed that although the street was wide, their group had occupied almost half of it, making it inconvenient for the passing pedestrians. Seeing that the man spoke kindly and observed propriety, he found it hard to refuse and thus nodded in agreement.
The middle-aged man smiled slightly, gestured with an inviting hand, and said, "After you."
As the two men began to walk, a man in vigorous attire quickly made his way over and spoke softly with the tea house keeper. By the time Wang Anfeng arrived, the table had been wiped clean, with a plate containing some pastries and preserved fruit on it, and a pot of fragrant tea already filling three white porcelain cups.
The man invited Wang Anfeng to sit down, while the taciturn man beside him, despite several invitations, remained standing behind and simply watched over the table, his somewhat dull eyes resting on Wang Anfeng with a hint of vigilance.
He had earlier heard about this youth's feat of unsheathing his sword and sending out sword qi. Although he considered his own martial arts to be not inferior, he dared not underestimate his opponent. As one should know, sword qi can only be produced by a swordsman of at least the Eighth Rank—it is especially effective against those who practice Horizontal External Skill. Even if one wields quality weapons, a moment of carelessness could result in being sliced in half, making it extremely difficult to deal with.
Unaware of the other party's thoughts, Wang Anfeng faced the strong aroma of tea, but having suffered a loss in the past, he remained unsure whether the other party was a friend or foe. Even with a Mixed Yuan Body, he absolutely refused to take a single sip. He casually removed the longsword from his back and placed it on the table.
The blade did not point towards the opposite side, and the hilt was only a palm's distance away from his right hand—not showing hostility, but ready to draw the sword from its scabbard in an instant should anything unexpected occur.
The man opposite noticed this and silently commended the youth's thinking, but with a slight bitterness in his heart. Yet his expression remained unchanged and cordial. He lifted his tea cup, taking a sip to show it wasn't poisoned. Although Wang Anfeng wouldn't relax his caution because of this, he nonetheless felt a certain amicability towards the man.
After setting down his tea cup, with men in vigorous attire ready to pour and refill at the side, the man looked at Wang Anfeng with a gentle voice and said,
"My surname is Zhao."
It was just these four words, Wang Anfeng was slightly taken aback, and he suddenly recalled the young man in yellow on the stage at noon today. Glancing at the familiar features of the man before him, he suddenly understood, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, he tapped his fingers lightly on the teacup and said in an even tone:
"So it's Mister Zhao."
His gaze swept over the slow-witted middle-aged man behind Mister Zhao and the young martial artists with swords and knives on their backs, and the youth lowered his eyes and inquired:
"Is it regarding the matter of your son?"
Although there was no trace of hostility in his voice, it caused the hearts of the martial artists opposite him to beat a little faster.
They felt the atmosphere around them become oppressively tense, as if in the next instant, this amiable and polite young man in blue would suddenly explode into action, draw his sword from the scabbard, and release the unseen Sword Qi they had never witnessed before, making them breathe rapidly, cold sweat forming on their foreheads, and even their movements becoming slightly rigid.
At that moment, Mister Zhao suddenly laughed aloud, breaking the stiff atmosphere, and said:
"Do I look like such an unreasonable person?!"
"As for what happened, I've already had someone inquire. Speaking recklessly about an elder was his fault; even if today there was no trouble, trouble would inevitably find him in the future. It's good for him to learn a lesson in jail."
Because he thought of the mistakes he had made in the past, the man sighed, evidently moved, and his words were heartfelt, which alleviated some of Wang Anfeng's vigilance, but also left him puzzled by the man's intentions.
"Oh… One is prone to worrying too much with age. I ask the young hero for forgiveness."
Mister Zhao became lost in thought for a moment, realizing he had lost his composure, and after sighing sentimentally, he suddenly tapped his fingers gently on the table.
The slow-witted middle-aged man beside him promptly took out a box from his chest and placed it on the table, snapping it open to reveal a dazzling array of gold. The high-quality gold was piled up, captivating and stunning, prompting a low gasp from the nearby patrons. The martial artists in Vigorous Attire silenced them with a glare, but they kept whispering among themselves, nevertheless.
Wang Anfeng frowned slightly and looked up at Mister Zhao, saying:
"Mister Zhao, what is the meaning of this?"
The man pointed at the gold with his hand and smiled carelessly, "This silver coin is, firstly, for tuition fees, to thank the young hero for giving my son an opportunity for enlightenment before he made a grave mistake, and secondly, it is to apologize."
"Yue'er is still immature in character. I hope the young hero will be understanding."
His voice was calm and candid, but his heart was filled with helplessness.
He never expected that his son, who usually seemed quite steady, would stir up such big trouble this time. The young man before him was clearly not yet twenty, yet he had easily defeated the Flying Cloud Swordsman; his future prospects were limitless, and in a decade or so, he may well emerge as a Third Rank Master.
In Wangxian County City that day, Zhang Tingyun's father, despite being the county head and staying beside his wife and child, had only two Ninth Rank Martial Artists to protect her, resulting in the young girl nearly being abducted in an unforeseen disaster, which shows that although there are many martial artists, few achieve success.
It also indicates how significant a martial artist who is destined to be on the Constellation Ranking List and has hopes of reaching Third Rank is.
Although he had some family wealth, he was absolutely unwilling to make enemies of these martial artists who possessed inhuman abilities. So he had decided to come and offer an apology on his son's behalf, hoping not to be resented in the future. However, he saw Wang Anfeng shake his head slightly and pushed the box of gold back, saying:
"No need for such formalities."
The man's heart skipped a beat.
Unfamiliar with Wang Anfeng's temperament, he thought the young man before him was unwilling to accept his apology gift and felt slightly uneasy. The reticent martial artist beside him frowned slightly and bent down to whisper a few words into his ear.
The man's eyes brightened, he pondered for a moment, then waved his hand to have the attendant pack up the gold on the table and said with a smile,
"My apologies for the imposition."
Wang Anfeng shook his head, and the man once again took out a wooden box and placed it on the table, saying with a smile,
"Since the young hero is unwilling to accept the gold, these trinkets may still be of some interest. Please accept them."
His voice paused, half-jokingly he added,
"Otherwise, I won't have peace of mind."
Wang Anfeng was slightly taken aback, seeing a fleeting look of bitterness on the middle-aged man's face and realizing the situation from the man's words and actions.
It seemed to be an unspoken rule in Jianghu that accepting the gift meant no longer bearing a grudge about the incident, and refusal could cause the man before him to feel troubled, fearing Wang's dissatisfaction and potential retaliation.
With this thought in mind, a sense of melancholy emerged, but his expression remained unchanged. He picked up the wooden box, which was heavier than expected, and casually placed it in his bosom, saying,
"Then I shall respectfully comply."
"Ha ha, that would be proper."
The Zhao-surnamed man saw Wang Anfeng accept the wooden box and felt a sigh of relief in his heart. His demeanor became much more relaxed. After sitting idly in the teahouse for a short while longer, he got up to leave, citing other matters to attend to.
Wang Anfeng saw him out of the teahouse and watched as he and his several riders departed, pondering the man's probable wealth and his unease about possibly having provoked a martial artist of rank, which left him with mixed feelings.
Seeing the scenery of the street, the young man sighed, no longer in the mood for leisurely strolls, and feeling uncomfortable under the scrutinizing gaze of the other patrons in the teahouse, he simply got up, left the teahouse, and went straight to the pharmacy to buy medicinal herbs.
At the Zhao family residence in the city.
The Zhao-surnamed man previously in the teahouse now stood in the study with his hands behind his back, his eyes half-closed, and suddenly said,
"Brother Zhou, thank you for your reminder today... Otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to resolve this."
The stoic man shook his head and said,
"My life was saved by the master; how can I be worthy of thanks?"
His voice paused, then he continued, seemingly concerned about being overheard, so he kept his voice quite low,
"However, young master, I'm afraid today's incident may have caused some trouble..."
The Zhao-surnamed man's expression darkened, and after a silent moment, he sighed, "Yes... the waters of Jianghu are deep. I shouldn't have agreed to that person's terms in the first place... Alas, blinded by greed, blinded by greed. I must be extra cautious with great temptations ahead."
"To think I would make such an elementary mistake at the age of forty..."
The stoic man was silent for a moment and then said, "Master should not worry. Though that person's martial arts skills are high, if I risk my life, I can surely protect the master's safety."
Suddenly, a voice came from the air,
"I'd like to see how you plan to provide that protection."
The two men in the room changed color abruptly. The stoic man's eyes flashed fiercely, and he roared as his body suddenly swelled. He drew the longsword from his waist and slashed forward, but an invisible burst of Vigorous Qi swept past him, instantly breaking the Hundred-Refined Steel Blade.
The sharp blade fell upon his own body, tearing through his clothes and skin, spilling out crimson blood. The hanging calligraphy in the study was split in two and crashed to the ground. The stoic man's face turned deathly pale, and he gasped,
He had thought that even if Wang Anfeng had the rare talent of Lower Third Rank Sword Qi, his own years of hard training would not be far behind.
Only now did he realize how laughable that idea was. He stood frozen, letting the man pass by him and sit at the head of the table, daring not to make any sudden moves. The man casually tapped on the table, a smile playing on his lips, and said,
"Tell me... that person who disrupted your plans."
"It's Wang Anfeng, right?"
Baili Feng went to negotiate with the chef in the kitchen, while Wang Anfeng was in his room, organizing the herbs and thinking about how best to use them according to his taste when he came across the wooden box in his embrace.
He paused momentarily, curiosity getting the better of him, and he decided to open the box. Inside, on the black velvet lining, there were several Jade Beads emitting a faint glow. His expression changed slightly as he couldn't help but exclaim,