Great Liang Village had been quite lively these recent days. First, a scholarly family moved in, and then that orphan, Wang Anfeng, astonishingly returned riding a tall horse.
The number of people sneaking peeks at the horse was almost comparable to a market day. Naturally, there were kids who wanted to touch and pull its hair.
But ever since Zhao Dame's little grandson nearly got kicked to death pulling the horse's tail, everyone became much more cautious, just looking with envy and jealousy, muttering about how many silver coins the horse might be worth—enough to marry a wife. They looked at the cobweb pattern kicked onto the wall by the horse's hoof and politely kept any unpleasant thoughts to themselves.
According to the elders who had seen a bit of the world, this horse was even more beautiful than those belonging to the young masters in the County City, although it also had a much fiercer temper. Its eyes were like a tiger's, giving people chills down their spines. However, this spirited horse was as tame as a house cat in front of Wang Anfeng, which was quite remarkable.
There was a slight noise from the Wang family's wooden door. The villagers outside stealing glances at the horse scattered like birds and beasts, leaving the space empty. Wang Anfeng, appearing a second later, pushed the door open, holding a jug of old wine, and gently rubbed the Green-Maned Horse's head as he said with a smile:
"My horse, stay here for now; I have something to deliver to Li Bo..."
The horse neighed as if it understood, shook its head, and nuzzled him gently, eliciting another chuckle from Wang Anfeng. After patting the horse on the head, he turned and walked out the door.
Along the way, everything he saw was familiar—the people, the scenery, even the air seemed much fresher than before. He was walking when suddenly, he paused and turned back to see three unfamiliar figures on the old street that looked like a family of three.
A couple and a small child, whose clothes, though simple, contained some intricate details. The man paused in his steps, turned around to look at Wang Anfeng, showed a brief moment of surprise, then smiled and nodded slightly, his hair held back with a bamboo pin, his complexion somewhat pale but not hiding his scholarly aura, he said warmly,
"Young man, are you a resident of this village?"
"My name is Jiang Shouyi, my family has just moved here, and I have not yet met you."
As he spoke, the woman turned around too, her attire modest yet elegant, bowing slightly to Wang Anfeng, who quickly returned the gesture with a fist salute and said with a smile:
"You flatter me, sir. My name is Wang Anfeng. I, too, was in the County City and have just returned."
Jiang Shouyi nodded with a smile and said:
"The County City, ah… It's good for young people to go out and see the world."
His gaze then fell on the old wine in Wang Anfeng's hand, and he continued warmly,
"It seems, young master Wang, you are on your way to visit some elders. Now is not convenient to talk much, but when you are free, come sit under the old locust tree to the east. Though there's no wine, there is tea and music."
He lightly patted the child's head, a look of indulgence appearing on his face, and said:
"Tianhong, call him Brother Wang."
The child, not fully understanding but following his father's instruction, crisply said:
Wang Anfeng paused, touched,—it was the first time in his life anyone had called him 'big brother.' At that moment, the couple nodded and smiled at him as they turned to leave, the child, curious, looked back and waved before following his parents away.
Wang Anfeng watched their figures disappear into the street before continuing towards Li Bo's house. Walking along, he felt slightly peculiar until he saw the white-haired old man drinking alone in the courtyard. He dismissed his fleeting thoughts, advanced into the yard, set aside any grudges he had harbored against the old man, raised the jug of old wine he held, and cheerfully called out:
"Li Bo, I've come to see you!"
"And I've brought you a good jug of wine too…"
The old man's body trembled slightly, and as he looked up to see Wang Anfeng, he felt a relief wash over him, yet inwardly he cursed at himself for looking so vulnerable. Trying to suppress his joy, he feigned indifference and casually said:
"You're back rather quickly... but did something happen?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Anfeng's smile gradually faded as he approached the elder and sat directly beside him. Various faces tumbled through his mind. After a moment of silence, he softly said,
"Yes, a lot has happened."
At that moment, the old man was just picking up the wine that Wang Anfeng had brought him. As he unscrewed the cap, his peripheral vision caught Wang Anfeng's expression. He paused slightly, then recalled the earth-shaking tiger's roar from days prior. Great Liang Village was remote, and news traveled slowly there, so he was unaware of what exactly had occurred.
Seeing Wang Anfeng's expression now, his heart skipped a beat. He licked his lips, set down the wine jug that was already at his mouth, and asked,
"You lad... you didn't run into that, did you?"
Wang Anfeng was startled, turned to look at him, and asked,
Li Qidao began to reply instinctively, but his voice trailed off upon seeing Wang Anfeng's eyes. He froze for a moment. The elder suddenly threw his wine jug aside, opened his right hand, and reached for Wang Anfeng's wrist. Wang Anfeng only saw a flash of lightning before his hand was already in Li Qidao's grasp. The old man's face initially showed surprise, then turned to shock.
After verifying several times, he finally exclaimed,
"How is this possible... Your Inner Strength is so pure?!"
With that, he grabbed Wang Anfeng's collar with both hands, yelling,
"Speak up! Which clan's fortune did you stumble upon?!"
The word 'pure' was indeed rare. In the world of martial arts, whether it be major sects, legitimate heirs of the orthodox schools, or even the hermits of Jianghu, any cultivation technique aimed at reaching the Upper Third Rank must progress in sequence, gradually developing from basic skills to top-notch methods, with the strength and purity of Inner Strength increasing step by step.
And yet, the Inner Strength within Wang Anfeng, both in might and richness, was nothing to speak of, clearly only at the upper level of beginner techniques. However, in terms of purity, it was already comparable to a Middle Third Rank Jianghu master, truly at the level of a top-tier method.
The so-called treasures of Noble Clans, legitimate inheritances of Sects!
Wang Anfeng was slightly taken aback, then recalled what Liu Wuqiu had said. Having gained such 'purity,' he slowly relayed the matter of Liu Wuqiu to the elder. After listening, Li Qidao's lips parted slightly, his expression turned quite complex. He let go of Wang Anfeng's collar, sat back in his armchair, fell silent for a moment, then sighed,
"He actually... I only met him once, and only saw his greed and lechery, never expecting he also had the bearing of a hero."
"What a pity... The world has lost another hero, and Jianghu has become lonelier still."
He took a swig of his cloudy wine, a rare hint of desolation appearing on the old man's face.
The men of his generation were half gone, the old friends from his youth were few, the young lads of Jianghu had grown old, and the beauties had gray hair at their temples. Jianghu was still the same Jianghu, but it was no longer his.
Only the old wine still stung his throat.
The old man's gaze fell on the now much more composed Wang Anfeng beside him, and a sense of comfort rose within him.
Having received the true transmission of a Grandmaster breaking through to the Upper Third Rank, self-realizing Inner Strength, was akin to a top-tier master refining his body and meridians tirelessly day and night.
The elder took another swig of wine, his eyes narrowing.
Heh, he truly looked forward to the day this young man would step into Jianghu.