Why do I have so many masters?

Chapter 144 First Encounter (1/2)

Fufeng County.

By now, it had entered September, and the weather had grown noticeably colder. The rough trees lining the road had shed their leaves, looking quite bare and adding a sense of desolation to the scenery. Yet, because of this, the small food stalls on both sides of the road seemed even more lively.

Passersby, feeling a slight chill, found the steamy, fragrant food nearly irresistible.

Even as their purses sternly warned them against it.

A figure clad in yellow made his way through the crowd, face wrapped in several layers of gray cloth, with only a pair of eyes showing—almost resembling a foreigner. Even so, he kept his head lowered and walked briskly.

The steady, rapid steps beneath his feet revealed a solid foundation in martial arts. Weaving through the crowd, he turned and vanished into a rather secluded alley, deftly making his way to a small pushcart.

In front of the cart were two wooden tables and eight long benches, polished until they shone. A big pot was bubbling with pure white broth. The man in yellow took a seat, glanced furtively left and right like a thief, and knocked on the table before lifting his hand to unwind the gray cloth, revealing the handsome face of a young man.

The shop owner, who had been slightly anxious just moments before—possibly wary of encountering a villain—breathed a sigh of relief and said familiarly:

"The usual, Murong Brother?"

Murong Tong nodded and lowered his voice:

"Make it spicier today, and add more tripe to the lamb offal, no cilantro."

"Got it, extra spicy."

"Ah, right..."

The owner responded and turned to get busy. The large copper ladle, already gleaming, stirred the pure white broth, wafting out its aroma. Murong Tong swallowed, but then he heard faint footsteps approaching from afar. Almost instinctively, he covered his face again with his right hand shielding his features.

It was only after making this gesture that Murong Tong realized it.

His expression stiffened, then he felt a wave of dejection.

When had his actions become so practiced?

Since that night when he had eaten with that keeper of the bookstore, he couldn't forget that rough taste. He had become completely entranced, and he—a member of the illustrious Murong Family, Murong Tong, the thirteenth son—was sneaking out daily like a thief to indulge in this food.

Who knew this lowly food could be so delicious?

That fragrance, that richness, that spiciness...

As Murong Tong thought about the taste, he couldn't help swallowing his saliva. Suddenly, a person took a seat at the adjacent table, much sooner than he had anticipated. As he looked on in slight surprise, the man casually placed a sheathed long blade on the table.

The wooden table trembled lightly.

Murong Tong frowned slightly, estimating the weight of the long blade from the tremor of the table. It was definitely not something the members of gangs could wield. Glancing at the man, he saw his sturdy physique and sharp, cold eyes—like twin pools of cold spring water, exuding an extraordinary presence that signified a respectable background. Feeling Murong Tong's gaze, the man snorted coldly and returned a glaring look, saying:

"What are you looking at?"

Murong Tong waved his hands in haste, saying:

"Nothing..."

Coming from a Noble Clan, he wasn't accustomed to rough talk. He paused for a moment then said with a smile:

"I just noticed that this Hero is here for the first time. Remember, go easy on the chili peppers. Ordinary folks can't handle the spiciness here."

The martial artist snorted disdainfully, showing his contempt, but didn't bother with him any further. Murong Tong gave up on making conversation and turned his attention back to his bowl of lamb offal. But from the corner of his eye, he saw the other man scoop a large spoonful of chili peppers into his bowl, and only then did he look away, content.

Yet his heart harbored some doubts.

He had lived in Fufeng County City all his life and was extremely sensitive to changes in certain things. These past few days, there had been quite a few martial artists from sects appearing. On the roads of Fufeng County City, the number of people carrying swords and blades had almost doubled.

This was highly unusual.

He would go back and discuss this with his father...

As he thought this, he heard a muffled groan from the martial artist beside him. Stealing a glance, Murong Tong saw his rugged face turn a bright red, his mouth hanging open, and cold sweat forming on his forehead as he struggled with the spiciness. Still too proud to show weakness, his hand, shaking, reached for the red-hot bowl with the spoon.

Murong Tong ate his lamb offal soup with satisfaction, taking a generous mouthful and finding the taste as rich and delicious as ever.

Yet, it still didn't compare to that day when he had escaped death and sat in the cold wind with Wang Anfeng, eating to his heart's content.

Murong Tong smacked his lips reflectively, suddenly hearing the light tinkle of a bell. The alley was narrow, and it shouldn't accommodate travel by horse or mule, which puzzled him as he turned to look. From the entrance of the alley, he saw a gray donkey ambling along, on which lay a white-clothed Taoist, casual and elegant with the air of an immortal, save for his extreme laziness, which made him appear as limp as mud on the donkey's back.

Leaving it to the donkey to carry him onward.

Murong Tong turned his head back around and smacked his lips, muttering to himself.

"What a lazy Taoist..."

............…

Mu Shanxue of the Weiming Sect lay on the donkey's back, letting it rock him gently forward.

He could smell the enticing scent of the lamb offal soup coming from behind.

His stomach couldn't help but let out a strange rumble.

But the Taoist seemed as if he hadn't noticed, lying idly on the donkey's back, his right leg swinging without care.

The donkey beneath him let out a sound, and Mu Shanxue opened his eyes, saying:

"I know, I know, you're hungry, I'm hungry too..."

The Taoist sighed deeply as he looked up at the sky and murmured,

"Too hungry to move."

"I never thought traveling far from home and coming down the mountain for fun could be so different..."

His stomach rumbled once more.

The dry food was right there on the carrying cloth beside him, just a hand's reach away. Mu Shanxue glanced at the blue carrying cloth, but ultimately lifted his head to look at the sky, his eyes staring blankly as he said,

"Little junior brother, I miss you so much."

He had been traveling who knows how long, and just when he felt he couldn't bear the hunger any longer, a pancake was suddenly passed to him from the side. Instinctively, he opened his mouth and bit into it—the chopped cabbage mixed with pork meat and the warm sensation nearly moved Mu Shanxue to tears. He swallowed a few bites and then looked up, calling out,

"Little junior..."

His voice paused briefly, for the face before him was not the familiar one he expected but that of a youth in a blue shirt.

His features were quite bright, carrying a heavy bag of rice in one hand, his hair tied with a jade hairpin, and a wooden sword slung across his back. He said gently,

"My good brother, are you feeling better now?"

Mu Shanxue grumbled in disappointment, feeling as if his days of waiting hand and foot for food had once again burst like a bubble, yet he still managed to return the gesture with a fist and palm salute, saying,

"Thank you, young brother..."

Licking the pork fat at the corner of his mouth, he said with regret,

Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

"The pancake is very tasty, just a bit too salty."

A bigger youth stood beside the blue-shirted one, dressed in black and red vigorous attire with a shiny new shoulder armor, and a Mo Blade exuding dominance slung across his back. Hearing the words, his thick brows furrowed as he said,

"You're lucky to have something to eat, yet you complain so much."

"With arms and legs in working order, yet you don't seek out work, truly shameless."

Just as Mu Shanxue was about to retort, the youth in the blue shirt raised his hand to stop his companion and said,

"Baili, let's not say anymore..."

The youth from the Military Family murmured in discontent, but the youth in the blue shirt handed over a paper-wrapped package and said with a smile,

"If you don't mind, please take this..."

"Brother, I don't know what troubles you've encountered, but whatever it is, it will pass."

A moment later, Mu Shanxue was leisurely seated on the donkey, moving forward while nibbling on the meat pancake. Having regained a little strength, he was even less inclined to reach for food before it became absolutely necessary. Now feeling somewhat satiated, he began to ponder his upcoming venture into the city even as he found himself longing even more for his little junior brother.

However, the case in Danfeng Valley was quite complex, and Yi Nanping seemed as elusive as a dragon showing its head but not its tail.

After much thought, he sighed inwardly and decided,

"No way around it, I'll have to go and find those with significant contributions to this case... Hmm, let's see."

"The Chief Arrestor, untouchable... Military Family's Wang Boyang, I might get chopped up."

"The book guardian of Fufeng?"

With a meat pancake in his mouth and a spark in his eye, Mu Shanxue raised his right hand and tapped it against the palm of his left, mumbling unclearly,

"That's him!"

If he doesn't cooperate, he can't blame me for being rude.

Mu Shanxue thought viciously to himself while vigorously chewing and swallowing the last of the meat pancake. Then he licked the grease from all ten fingers and sincerely sighed,

"That young man, what a truly good person..."

.........…

On the other hand,

Baili Feng was clearly unhappy as he said,

"Anfeng, don't you think you're being too kind... Such a lazybones should starve for a few meals."

"It would serve him right to die of hunger."

Wang Anfeng scratched his head and said helplessly,

"Yes, yes, I wasn't thinking properly..."

"It's just that seeing him reminded me of my own past hunger, so I thought I should help if I could."

PS: First update

Thank you to Wensi Xiuzheng for the generous support, very much appreciated