Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 426 - 98 Restrained Wang Anfeng (1/2)

Li Changxing leapt down from the carriage.

Amid the reluctant and longing gazes of the coachman, he stepped into the Fufeng Academy, feeling emotional that Fufeng indeed had simple customs. He was merely a common passenger, yet they were so warm and reluctant to part.

The youth walked all the way to Wind Character Tower, where he failed to find any trace of Wang Anfeng. He then inquired passing students and followed a path further back for a while. The road was frequented by 15 or 16-year-old students, chatting and laughing with each other, which made him feel relaxed and enviously hard to articulate.

In Heaven Capital City, no peer his age dared to speak to him like that.

After passing through a bamboo forest, he saw an ordinary-looking small wooden hut.

Li Changxing involuntarily slowed his steps. The wooden hut was very ordinary — not only incomparable to the Great Qin Imperial Palace but also far inferior to any other residence in Fufeng. Yet, for some reason, he felt somewhat nervous.

His mind was filled with anecdotes about wise rulers and virtuous individuals meeting since ancient times.

Li Changxing stopped in the courtyard, striving to steady his breathing, his mind tumultuous.

Yes, he had visited another residence yesterday; he must recognize me.

Wondering what his expression would be seeing me here today.

The youth let out a breath, a slight smile appearing on his face.

Recalling those scenes he had witnessed, he carefully deliberated and did not continue forward. Instead, he stood in the courtyard, coughed lightly, and bowed in the direction of the wooden hut. Then, straightening his back and appearing calm and composed, he said in a clear voice,

"Is the Keeper of Books here?"

"I came without invitation today; please do not take offense."

He was quite satisfied with his own words, feeling they were neither overbearing nor humiliating, a comfortable smile spreading across his face. Looking at the wooden hut and imagining Wang Anfeng’s surprised expression when he would appear, he almost wanted to cheer out loud.

Come out, Keeper of Books.

The youth’s eyes were full of anticipation.

From a considerable distance, Li Sheng stood with his hands tucked into his sleeves, smiling and watching from afar.

Unknown to him, a middle-aged man had appeared behind him, wearing a deep gray robe and sporting a three-strand long beard, holding a dark abacus in one hand, the other behind his back. A strong scholarly aura emanated from him. He stopped five steps away from Li Sheng, expression neutral with a hint of wariness, and said slowly while watching the smiling youth,

"Li, sir, your sudden visit to our Academy — is there something urgent?"

"Perhaps we should talk inside?"

The surrounding atmosphere shifted as if separating from the original world; many students passed by, none noticing the two men standing there, continuing to laugh and chatter as they walked by.

Li Sheng didn’t respond, still looking towards the wooden hut with a smile, watching as Li Changxing finally couldn’t keep his composure, sneaking peeks around before pretending as if nothing had happened and approached the door to push it open.

The door did not budge.

Thus, the youth’s expression froze in an instant.

The man’s smile grew wider.

The Master behind Li Sheng, seeing he hadn’t replied for a long time and frowning slightly, was about to speak again when he saw the controversial Great Eunuch turn around, not a trace of hostility on him, only to say with a smile,

"Master, could you find a painter to come here?"

"I’d like to have a painting done…"

...........................

The murder occurred in Fengyue City.

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This city was only a hundred miles away from Fufeng County City and because they had left at dawn, in cold weather with few people on the road, Yan Ling was able to gallop his horse. His mount was quite extraordinary, far from a common horse, and it took them only half an hour to reach this small city.

With Wang Anfeng’s martial arts skills, keeping up with the speed of a vigorous horse was not difficult.

Since they were not merchants, they simply paid a few Copper Coins and entered the city.

Now that it was broad daylight, the city was gradually becoming lively.

Because this county city was not far from Fufeng County City, it was a resting spot for merchants. If they had goods not sold in Fufeng City, they would also try to sell them here, making Fengyue City, though just a county, truly bustling. Residents walked around quite leisurely.

Along the roadside, many food stalls were set up, with pots and stoves steaming. Accompanied by the shopkeepers’ calls and the enticing smell of dough and meat, it presented a carefree scene amidst the bustling world.

It seemed that the murder, which had occurred just a few days ago and was still unresolved, did not affect these people’s lives in the slightest.

Even though the murder had happened right around them, and despite the case remaining unresolved, it hadn’t affected their appetites at all.

Regardless, life must go on.

Wang Anfeng simply followed Yan Ling as they made their way through the crowd.

He was feeling a bit hungry.

He and Yan Ling set off early today, one to send someone off and the other to investigate a case; neither had eaten yet. As martial artists with vigorous vitality, their craving for food surpassed that of ordinary people by a significant threefold.

The earlier path was desolate and barren, offering nothing to the eye but a stark landscape, so naturally, they felt no hunger. But now, as they entered the city and smelled the fragrances on either side, their bodies naturally reacted.

Wang Anfeng glanced at the young man walking in front of him, suppressed his instinct, and remained silent.

Yan Ling’s face was composed.

When he arrived, he had pushed his mount to its limits; however, upon reaching the city, he became much more leisurely. He did not keep his mount at the stables near the city gate but proceeded to the Ministry of Punishment using qinggong, all the while holding the reins and walking forward.

His steps were calm and soothing, settling the anxiety and restlessness in his heart, preventing these unnecessary emotions from clouding his judgment.

His mind continuously pondered over the doubtful points of the case.

His gaze, unfocused, shifted forward, and when he saw a vendor extracting two steaming hot meat buns from a steamer, he suddenly thought of something, and his steps momentarily hesitated.

Wang Anfei, now curious, saw Yan Ling turn to look at him, a trace of apology appearing on the young man’s face, and he said,

"I almost forgot."

"Anfeng, you rose early today. Have something to eat here. I will go to the government office to meet the local county magistrate and patrol officer, and then meet up with you afterward."

His gaze rested on Wang Anfeng, his eyes calm and smiling, he said,

"I suppose you’re hungry too."

Wang Anfeng shook his head, his expression serene, and replied,

"No need, Elder Brother Yan, we have only two days left to solve this case. We cannot afford a single moment’s delay."

"It is better to first coordinate with the officials at the Ministry of Punishment here."

"Besides, I have a modest knowledge of medicine, incomparable to what my master knows, yet what we learn in Jianghu differs from an official autopsy. Perhaps, I might find something on the corpse."

His voice briefly paused, then he smiled again and added,

"Moreover, we are martial artists; what’s the issue with skipping a meal?"

"Let’s hurry along then."

Yan Ling, seeing that his expression did not seem forced, thought for a moment and agreed,

"Alright, then let’s go to the Ministry of Punishment first."

He then turned and continued to lead the way, no longer mentioning food. Wang Anfeng exhaled a heavy breath, his expression as usual, his gaze sweeping over the nearby stands of meat buns, dumplings, noodles, and fried dough. He raised his right hand, pressing it just one inch below his chest, above the dantian.

The young man’s expression remained calm, his eyes empty.

The right hand gradually pressed harder against an organ.

I’m not hungry at all.

........................

The local county official was clearly very surprised by the appearance of Yan Ling and Wang Anfeng.

A bulky, middle-aged man, he resembled a butcher more than a government official. The Great Qin dynasty had inherited the ancient statutes where each county was governed by a county magistrate responsible for law enforcement and theft; larger counties had two, while smaller counties had one. Although Yue City was prosperous, it was still much smaller in scale compared to Fufeng County City, and here, there was but one man in charge of the criminal law.

Inside a side room of the government office where he handled official duties, a government official had only led Wang Anfeng and Yan Ling to the doorway before leaving on his own. When the two entered, the county magistrate was sitting on a chair, sipping tea while casually flipping through some files.

He appeared diligently at duty, but his expression was utterly bored. For every cup of tea he drank, he would hastily skim the file in his hands, his posture casual, clearly not genuinely engaging with the cases.

This place was close to Fufeng County City and typically dealt with only petty crimes like thefts and brawls. For example, a case where a man had a leg injured or a young lady was harassed would be the most significant incident in half a year. Naturally, such an environment had fostered a lazy disposition in the county magistrate and patrol officer.

Even a recent murder case had hardly prompted a change in this attitude.

When he saw Wang Anfeng and Yan Ling enter, he slightly raised his eyebrows but did not greet them right away. Instead, he set aside the file in his hand, wrapped his hands around the white porcelain teacup, and leaned back.

The wooden chair made a creaking sound under his weight. The dark green official uniform stretched tight over his protruding belly, the embroidered exotic beast deformed, losing its original majesty and looking more like an overstuffed pig, adding a touch of hilarity. Wang Anfeng felt it was somewhat unseemly and involuntarily glanced at Yan Ling.

The young man was standing up straight.

Like a war general’s heavy spear or a Great Qin broad saber about to be unsheathed.

A slight chill was rising.

Wang Anfeng looked up, his gaze on the county magistrate tinged with a hint of pity.

However, the latter did not notice the subtle shift in the demeanor of the two men below, comfortably leaning back in his chair. He glanced at the ’low-level constable’ in vermillion clothes below and the constable’s attendant, took a sip of tea, and said leisurely,

"What brings you two here…"

PS: Today’s first update is here...