The dust on the clothes was easy to shake off, but the wrinkles stirred up by Yang Kaixiong's punch were not something Wang Anfeng could smooth out quickly.
He was also a bit anxious about this minor issue just now, so in his urgency, he had mustered his inner strength, secretly making a move as a warning.
Although this was somewhat against Mr. Jiang's teachings, after all, these were newly made clothes...
Since he turned six, no one had made him new clothes.
A look of distress covered the young man's face.
As Qin Fei and several others approached, Wang Anfeng let out a sigh, let go of the hem of his garment, and as he looked up, that slight moment of frailty was concealed, and to outsiders, he was still the clean-browed, gentle-mannered youth of the Confucian Sect. He nodded toward the newcomers and smiled,
"Brother Qin, Miss Qiu..."
Qiu Ruoshui returned the greeting, hesitated for a moment, and for the first time spoke to Wang Anfeng,
"Master Wang... Yang Kaixiong is a descendant of a local military family, and although not the legitimate heir, he is indeed extraordinarily talented."
"Moreover, he is quite a bit older, and the matter of victory or defeat is still uncertain in the future."
Wang Anfeng was slightly stunned, looked towards the indifferent woman, and a smile appeared on his face as he said,
"Hmm, I'm not bothered by it."
The woman nodded, averted her gaze, and looked away from him. Qin Fei, on the other hand, was looking at Wang Anfeng with increasingly bright eyes.
His family had a deep heritage, and his discernment was exceptional; the Kung Fu of the one named Yang Kaixiong was at best comparable to his own.
And he had not yet practiced the ultimate techniques and admitted that he was far inferior to Wang Anfeng.
Others only knew how formidable Yang Kaixiong was but could not recognize a true expert. Just from seeing Wang Anfeng's earlier movement, he knew Wang hadn't used more than sixty percent of his strength; otherwise, he couldn't have handled it so effortlessly.
If a real confrontation were to take place, with Wang's terrifying Qinggong skills and the whip technique capable of choking black bears from a distance, Yang Kaixiong certainly wouldn't last more than ten rounds before a disastrous defeat.
Besides, there was also the swordsmanship.
At that moment, Qin Fei remembered those two fierce gazes and still felt intimidated, and to claim that Wang Anfeng was unversed in swordsmanship, he would be the first to disagree.
Now as the crowd dispersed, the beautiful wife of the county official also came over, first bowing to Wang Anfeng, then smiled and said,
"We parted that day in the city, and I did not expect to meet Master Wang here..."
"Your demeanor, Master, remains as exceptional as yesterday."
Wang Anfeng smiled and said,
"Your Ladyship, yet you surpass the past by threefold."
The woman was momentarily stunned, then soon laughed lightly. Wang Anfeng watched the little girl approaching with the Jade Pendant in hand and bent down to smile and ask,
"Got your item, do you like it?"
The little girl nodded.
The man beside the woman, who had a stern expression on his face, wanted to speak, but the youth was already leaning down to talk softly to the little girl, completely oblivious to his presence. This caused the man's expression to freeze, filled with anger but unable to erupt, his frustration evident as it drew a laugh from the woman beside him, making the man grind his teeth even more.
"What a disgrace this is!"
He coughed loudly, but no one turned back to look at him, just watching the pristine little girl, which darkened his expression.
In front, Wang Anfeng bent over to stroke the little girl's black hair. The usually aloof Qiu Ruoshui, seeing her adorable demeanor, couldn't help but ask,
"Master Wang... what is this young miss's name?"
The young man smiled and said,
On the other side, Qin Xiao laughed and said, "That name doesn't sound nice, almost like a little Taoist."
Qin Fei frowned slightly, raised his hand, and tapped his brother on the head, saying,
"Sing with the wind, sleep in the snow, listen to the clouds, how is it not nice?"
"Have you forgotten all you read?"
Qin Xiao stuck out his tongue and said no more. Behind him, the middle-aged man's expression was a mix of barely contained anger and satisfaction. He raised his hand and coughed loudly twice more to draw everyone's attention. Their gaze, filled with curiosity, turned towards him as the wife of the county official pointed to the imposing man beside her and said with a slight giggle,
"I have yet to introduce him."
"This is my husband, temporarily serving as the head county official of Jinxian County."
The head county official was low in rank but managed local civil affairs and also supervised military affairs, putting him in close contact with ordinary people. It was often disciples of both the martial and legal sects that held this position.
After all, it was an era dominated by martial arts, and to be a parent official for a locality, one needed not only exceptional scholarly wisdom but also martial skills of at least Entry Rank, truly a talent in both letters and arms.
So, both Wang Anfeng and Qin Fei, after their initial surprise, stood up and saluted with cupped fists.
Not only because of his identity but also because of his martial arts scholarship.
The man's expression slightly improved, but seeing his daughter clutching the hem of another man's robe, he felt a sudden urge to draw his sword. The beautiful woman beside him, however, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and smiled at Wang Anfeng:
"Today, my husband and I are going to the temple to listen to the teachings of the Taoist priest. I was quite worried about Yun'er."
"Since the young master once saved Yun'er and she is affectionate towards you, could you perhaps keep her company for a while?"
The County Official beside her darkened in expression and was about to speak when his wife suddenly grabbed his hand firmly, tenderly turned to look at him, and he felt a chill down his spine, unable to speak.
Wang Anfeng withdrew his gaze and nodded gently, saying:
"That would not be a problem."
The wife of the County Official chuckled lightly and said, "Madam Wang, nothing will go wrong in Yunzhong Temple, so we entrust you to follow Yun'er. If you get tired, just take her back to the inn to rest."
As soon as her voice fell, an old woman holding a snake-headed staff walked out from behind, her expression kind and benevolent, as she bowed and responded:
"As the lady commands..."
Then, looking up at the County Official, she smiled and said:
"Young master, I think all these children are very good. You need not worry. Besides, with an old body like mine here, it's enough to deal with those who can't see clearly."
"The End of Year Festival happens once a year, and it's a good time to meet colleagues from other counties."
The County Official hesitated. This old woman was a skilled fighter from his clan, and because Zhang Tingyun had nearly slipped up before, she had proactively come to his family asking for a position, ostensibly as a servant but in reality, as an elder. She had never roamed Jianghu, but her inner strength was pure, already at the level of an Eighth Rank Martial Artist.
She might not be a match for Jianghu heroes or legitimate heirs of noble clans, but normal rogues would hardly pose a challenge to her.
Having her speak up, and seeing Wang Anfeng also looked truly virtuous, not to mention the gathering of officials from different regions at the End of Year Festival was a not-to-be-missed event on the official scene,
The man pondered for a moment and finally sighed,
"Then, I must trouble Madam..."
He paused, looked at Wang Anfeng, and inwardly gritted his teeth, saying:
"Be very, very careful."
The old woman nodded with a smile and said:
"You go ahead, young master. I've lived so long, there is nothing I haven't seen."
The County Official nodded, then looked at Zhang Tingyun with great expectation and said:
"Yun'er, dad will go first..."
"Do you want anything? A jade pendant or some candy?"
His voice was tender and doting, a stark contrast to his previous authority. But the little girl just held onto Wang Anfeng's robe, her head lowered in thought, and upon hearing his words, she looked up at the County Official, nodded, then showed no further reaction, once again lowering her head to fiddle with Wang Anfeng's robe.
The County Official's face turned slightly pale, as if he was a scholar who had failed an examination, almost being dragged away by his wife.
Qin Fei, watching the middle-aged man who kept looking back, fell silent for a moment and said:
"This County Official..."
"Is indeed a remarkable person."
He then looked up at Wang Anfeng with a serious expression and said:
"However, now that the meeting in the temple is about to start, we also need to go to a place first."
Wang Anfeng was slightly startled and asked:
"Are we also going to Yunzhong Temple mentioned by the County Official just now?"
"No, just an ordinary willow shore."
"What are we going to do there?"
Qiu Ruoshui, who had always maintained a cold expression, showed a slight change in her expression, with many emotions flashing across her face, and she said:
PS: Thanks for the generous donation, today is a bit of a struggle with writing, the second chapter should be a longer one, and there will be another long chapter tomorrow, no rush everyone.