Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 648 - 253: Someone Places a Piece, Comes with Sword Drawn (Two in One)_2
Wen Hongyun stood to one side, extending his hand to invite Wang Anfeng and the others in. Yuchi Jie humbly slowed his pace by half a step, allowing Wang Anfeng to lead the way.
Without hesitation, Wang Anfeng pushed the door open and entered.
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At the doorway inside the room, the grey-clothed man who had previously blocked Wang Anfeng's arrows and Vigorous Qi during the spring hunt stood with sword in hand, his eyes cast down as if he were a statue. He didn't budge an inch as Wang Anfeng and his companions entered.
The first thing inside the room was a screen, upon which was painted the Map of Myriad Mountains and Rivers. While mountains and rivers are a common theme in landscape paintings, there are many who attempt such paintings, but only a few are entrancingly successful.
The painting on this screen was one of those rare masterpieces.
Purely using shades of green and blue, the artist had captured the grandeur of countless miles of mountains and rivers. It was a sight to behold. Even in the finer details, one could see exceptional skill. A mere dot for a bird was enough to evoke the sense of soaring flight.
Yuchi Jie clicked his tongue in appreciation but then sighed.
Behind the screen came a hearty laugh, followed by the appearance of a tall, middle-aged man with a refined air about him, yet he lacked the frailty of a usual scholar and could fittingly be described as handsome.
One could imagine that in his youth, he must have been a rare talent in both letters and arms, the kind of man whose portrait women secreted away in their rooms. His mere presence drew everyone's eyes as he smiled and said:
"Nephew, why do you sigh like an old man despite your youth? Does the painting on this screen fail to catch your eye?"
"Over the past decade, I've devoted myself to painting. This is one of my proudest works in recent years. Please be gentle with your critique, haha..."
Yuchi Jie replied with an embarrassed smile:
"Not at all, Uncle Wen. This painting is delicately and wonderfully executed, and even someone like me, who knows nothing of painting, can tell it is impressive, but..."
The man asked with a smile, "But what...?"
"We're just family here, you and I. I'm but a commoner, and you hold no official rank. We can speak frankly; there's no need to go round in circles."
Yuchi Jie hesitated for a moment, seemingly overcome by the other's insistence, and then smiled as he said:
"The painting has a thousand and one virtues, indeed.
It's just a pity that it isn't of our Great Qin's landscapes."
Wen Hong's expression paused slightly.
Just at that moment, Gong Yu and the other two women entered the room. Taishu Jian and Lao Lu, who were going to follow Wang Anfeng and the rest into the room, were stopped by Wen Hongyun, who had been quite polite along the way.
At the doorway, two Guards of remarkable presence lifted their longswords, blocking the way in front of Lao Lu and Taishu Jian. Lao Lu, a veteran of the battlefield, and Taishu Jian, a lifelong wanderer of Jianghu, were about to draw their blades.
However, it was Yuchi Jie who softly intervened at this moment, saying:
"Lao Lu."
Lao Lu slightly paused his movements. Looking towards Yuchi Jie, who had his back to him, he slowly relaxed the hand that had reached for his sword hilt and, with a bow, said:
"Then I shall wait here."
Taishu Jian frowned and let go of the hilt of his Jue Que Sword, which had been behind him.
Lao Lu maintained his respectful posture, allowing the door to close, separating the interior from the exterior. The two sword-bearing Guards stood at the door, their expressions stern.
Lao Lu and Taishu Jian seemed to intentionally, yet nonchalantly, face off against the two Sixth Rank Guards, equally composed.
Wen Hong, whose brother held the prestigious position of Doctor of the Imperial Court in Heaven Capital City and who was himself a well-known gentleman of idle chatter on Jiangnan Road, regained his composure and squinted in a smile as he said:
"You're right, nephew. The landscape on the screen is indeed based on a painting from a hundred years ago by a famous artist of Wu Country. Naturally, it only contains Wu Country's landscape, nowhere near as expansive as our Great Qin."
Yuchi Jie nodded, his face revealing an 'ah, I see' expression. It was then, it seemed, that Wen Hong noticed Wang Anfeng and Gong Yu standing beside them. His gaze swept over Wang Anfeng and he nodded with a smile, and then he turned to Gong Yu, laughing:
"The few ladies must be esteemed disciples from Qingfeng Edge?
Indeed, as radiant as jade, it's no wonder those young men of ill repute in Wanling City acted out of turn. If I were ten years younger, I fear I too might do something foolish for the sake of the ladies."
Gong Yu, holding her sword, bowed in greeting as if they were meeting on Jianghu, and said casually:
"Qingfeng Edge, Gong Yu."
Lin Qiaofu and Lv Baiping followed suit, stating their names. Wen Hong smiled and nodded his acknowledgment, then said, "It's my neglect that kept you waiting here."
"Please come inside and have a seat."
As they seated themselves and the servants brought in tea, this esteemed man of conversation from Jiangnan Road began to speak, steering away from the main topic and indulging in idle, earthly chatter.
Gong Yu and her two companions were merely drinking tea with Wang Anfeng.
Yuchi Jie, on the other hand, was conversing back and forth with Wen Hong, who was a skilled talker, not losing ground on any point. Wang Anfeng emptied her teacup three times, and when Wen Hong placed his teacup on the table, he said with a gentle smile,
"Young Master Yuchi, your learning is extensive and profound, truly worthy of being the grandson of the old Pillar of the State from Yuchi family. Like father, like son; none from the military household falls short. However, most youngsters in my Wen Family only know to bury themselves in books, hardly capable of real achievement."
"Those few with some spirit are also mostly associating with bad company, which is really troublesome. My visit today is also on behalf of those people, hoping you could mediate so the ladies of Qingfeng Edge might let them off the hook."
After a pause, he added in half jest,
"Let's just consider it as passing wind, and let it go."
Yuchi Jie replied, "I'm afraid that's not something I can decide." As he spoke, he looked towards Gong Yu and her two companions. Wen Hong also looked towards Gong Yu with a smile. Gong Yu drank a sip of tea with an indifferent expression and said softly,
"Since they have already been taught a lesson by Blade Madman, our sect should not be too calculative about it, and this matter can be put aside for now."
"But should there be a next time..."
Wen Hong interrupted with a smile,
"There won't be a next time, if they dare to cause trouble again, I won't let them off."
Gong Yu commented indifferently, "Then let's consider this matter concluded."
"We, as people from the Jianghu, shouldn't stay long in this place, so we shall take our leave now."
Wen Hong raised his hand to stop them, smiling,
"Miss Gong, please don't rush to leave."
"The reason I invited you here today isn't just because of the earlier matter, but rather that there is a talented individual from the Jianghu who has been staying with the Wen Family recently. Knowing that you were in Wanling City, he wishes to meet with you all and discuss some matters."
"He mentioned that he has already informed you of this beforehand."
Wang Anfeng spoke for the first time since entering the room, her voice slow,
"May I ask who it is?"
Wen Hong smiled as he softly pronounced that name.
Further up from the Wen Family's own villa, in the highest situated house, sat an old man in black, his hand on a jar of wine, watching the lights descending from the sky, also watching Wang Anfeng and the others make their way up the mountain and enter the house.
Beside him was a chessboard with an unfinished game. He took a sip of wine and placed a piece on the board himself. As he was alone, he could only play against himself, holding the white pieces one moment and the black the next.
The situation on the chessboard changed gradually. The black pieces had assumed a powerful dragon-like formation, but they were still restrained by the white pieces, their scales and claws locked down, eventually cut down by a bold move that destroyed their dominance.
This happened multiple times, without exception.
He tossed a chess piece carelessly onto the board.
He tilted his head back, finishing the wine in the jug with a swift and clean motion, looking at the round moon, he murmured to himself.
"Wang Tiance..."
"Did you ever imagine, ever think..."
Muttering under his breath, he withdrew his gaze and instead looked down at the Wen residence, his face showing no clear emotion.
Old Lü and Uncle Jian outside the house suddenly felt a slight chill.
As Jue Que hummed lowly, Uncle Jian's face changed subtly, and he quickly turned around. Beneath the full moon, a young man in white approached, clad in plain clothes, his black hair simply tied up with a pine wood hairpin.
His palms were slender, his right hand holding a simple and clean sword.
Merely standing there, he resembled an unsheathed longsword.
Inside the house, Wen Hong said with a smile,
"Second on the Sword List."
"Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect, Qianshan Si."
PS: Today, a double update is presented...
At a crucial point in the story, I've hit a bit of writer's block... my sincerest apologies.
