After the feast at Tianfeng Restaurant, everyone returned to Fufeng Academy and then dispersed naturally.
Wang Anfeng stood at the bamboo grove near the entrance for a moment, ensuring that the smell of alcohol and meat was no longer on him before he gently pushed open the door and entered. Master Ren was still seated amidst the surrounded books, with his head bowed in reading, completely oblivious to his presence.
The young man breathed a sigh of relief, found a bookshelf to sit cross-legged in front of, picked up a book, and began reading quietly.
It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky that all the students had left, and Master Ren had disappeared without a trace. Wang Anfeng placed the book back on the shelf, took cleaning tools, and meticulously swept the wooden staircase of Wind Character Tower. Once he was back in his wooden hut and had secured the doors and windows, he then raised his right hand and whispered softly:
The view in front of him shifted as usual, and when it came into focus again, he was in the scenery of Shaolin with its distant mountains. Mr.
Ying and Ci Yuan were sitting opposite each other playing chess, while Wu Changqing sat lazily in a wicker chair next to a stack of pastries, deeply engrossed in a medical book titled "Five Qi Theory"—a new work published this year by the Medical Family, hidden within the Wind Character Tower of Fufeng Academy.
During this time, besides reading for himself, Wang Anfeng had to browse through several books a day that his masters required.
He didn't need to understand them, just quickly skim through them.
Mr. Ying often requested miscellaneous travel logs. His master favored philosophical books from various schools, and his second master showed a deep enthusiasm for medical texts. After many volumes, he still felt it wasn't enough. Seeing Wang Anfeng, the old man put down his medical book, stroked his beard, and smiled, saying:
"Anfeng has come... Would you like some pastries? They're excellent almond cakes…"
The youth bowed and greeted him. Wu Changqing waved his hand dismissively and scolded:
"Ah, how many times have I told you, we're all family here, why bother with these formalities?"
"It just makes things unnecessarily formal."
Despite Wang Anfeng's words, he just smiled as Mr. Ying placed a piece on the board, glanced at him, and asked slowly:
"What's the matter today?"
The youth hesitated, not sure why the scholar had noticed right away but didn't bother to delve into such matters. He composed himself and relayed the news he had heard that day without any embellishment, straightforwardly informing his three masters. At the end, his voice hesitated slightly and said:
"Since he is still en route, I think this also presents an opportunity."
"An opportunity to erase the original traces."
Ci Yuan nodded slightly, about to speak, when the scholar suddenly made a move, decimating his strong position. Ci Yuan, startled, paused mid-sentence, but the scholar had already sternly nodded and said:
Wang Anfeng fell silent, then cautiously glanced at the scholar, bit his lip and bowed, saying:
"Junior humbly requests that senior teach me a complex style of swordsmanship."
The scholar's eyes narrowed slightly and asked:
Now that Wang Anfeng had spoken, there was no turning back. He continued resolutely:
"The famous Fa Family hunter Wuxin, who pursues cultivators of the lowest Ninth Grade, uses fierce and direct swordsmanship, bearing the intent of Life Snatcher Yi Nanping, not a Wang Anfeng who has not yet broken through the Ninth Grade, whose less skilled swordsmanship wins through complexity, and whose trump card is his mastery of fist techniques and Whip Lock."
"Now, I have not yet broken through the Ninth Grade. If I were to delay breaking through, before my breakthrough, relying on complex swordsmanship to spar with familiar students and revealing a lack of swordsmanship but proficiency in fist fighting, followed by a breakthrough in sight of everyone, all this together should greatly reduce any suspicions about me."
"Avoiding, I'm afraid I cannot completely escape Wuxin's search, but I can possibly remove myself from his sight and appear honorably without being suspected."
Ci Yuan's eyes gleamed slightly, his face showing a mix of astonishment and approval. Mr. Ying examined Wang Anfeng up and down, then suddenly asked:
"Why not learn the Bone Shrinking Technique to alter your physique?"
The young man hesitated and replied:
"I am not at the Ninth Grade. The martial arts taught by the master are formidable, and I can't cultivate them to proficiency."
"If I see through it, it would only invite trouble. It's better to just be myself, just like someone of my height and age—there are countless such people in the world."
Master Ying frowned and nodded, saying,
His voice paused, as if pondering something, and finally he nodded reluctantly, stood up briskly, and said,
"Come over here; I'll only teach you a few simple moves."
"This is not to set a precedent."
Wang Anfeng's heart slightly relaxed, as he was most worried that Master Ying might not agree. At that moment, the scholar had already drifted away. The young man hurriedly engaged his Qinggong, chasing after him. In a blink, the two were out of sight.
Wu Changqing stroked his beard, wondering aloud,
"Why is the master so easy to talk to today?"
Ci Yuan gently shook her head, saying,
"Perhaps seeing Feng'er's growth has also brought him some satisfaction?"
Wu Changqing slightly nodded and smiled, "That's also true... Although there are still flaws, he is no longer the naive boy from Great Liang Village."
"However, it's a pity about this game of chess; it didn't conclude with a clear winner or loser."
Ci Yuan shook her head and sighed, "It did conclude. I contemplated this move for half a month, thinking I could win... But since he has already captured my large dragon, the result has been determined."
"There's no need to play down to the last piece."
While speaking, she shifted her gaze back, preparing to tidy up the chess pieces, while Wu Changqing stroked his beard and praised,
"Master Ci Yuan sees things clearly."
His voice paused again, and then changed course, saying,
"Speaking of which, I have been observing the medical arts of Anfeng's world recently. I can now use our herbs to mimic their medicinal theories, though the appearances differ, the essence is the same."
"Anfeng's body, immune to all poisons, should also be ready. The methods of capturing him in the world are complicated, and it's inevitable that there aren't techniques specifically targeting scents. After the medicinal bath, his body scent will also change, which is indeed a removal of this worry..."
As he was speaking, the body of the monk in front of him suddenly stiffened. Wu Changqing's words paused as he looked curious. Ci Yuan's right hand was trembling as she lifted it, her usually gentle face now pale with anger and her teeth clenched, saying,
"To mess up the game in one move..."
"To... to actually..."
The monk trembled slightly all over, a nameless chill causing Wu Changqing to stop talking. Suddenly recalling a rumor from Jianghu about Ci Yuan, the fiercely angry Ming King who loved chess, he felt uneasy and carefully moved his rocking chair aside. After a moment's thought, he took a piece of white cloth from a medicine bag, cut it into two, and stuffed it into his ears.
Just as he finished, he saw Ci Yuan slowly rise, her inner strength stirring Heaven and Earth, drawing ripples and colliding with them, as if a majestic lion was stepping out from the void. Wu, the old Taoist's face turned pale, wishing to slip away but it was too late. In an instant, a deep angry shout reverberated, each word resounding continuously, dizzying him and making his legs weak.
He fell firmly onto the rattan chair.
"The poor scholar who can't afford to lose!!!"
"Don't run; come out!"
PS: A long chapter this afternoon... I bow in respect.