Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 520 - 164 The Number One Sword in the World (1/2)

Wang Anfeng halted, a look of slight bewilderment crossing his face.

He had spent about half a month traveling based on his memory of the location to arrive at the formation of the Qingfeng Edge, but what he saw before him was bustling activity, completely different from the lonely sight he had encountered three years earlier.

Was this truly beneath the mountain gate of the Qingfeng Edge?

He watched a man, who was carrying a bamboo basket full of food, walk by him, and a feeling of suspicion rose within him.

Someone took food from that man's hands and handed back a few copper coins, the man pocketed them, hoisted the bamboo basket, and continued on his way.

This almost resembled a village market.

The Qingfeng Edge was a hidden and prestigious name known far and wide, situated deep within the old forests of the mountains. Three years ago, when he followed Gong Yu to celebrate the Great Elder's birthday, all that could be seen beneath this mountain gate was desolation and dense trees.

But now, there were at least several dozen people in front of him.

There were elderly and young ladies, white-haired elderly and budding youths, but virtually everyone carried various types of longswords and had an air of sharpness about them; it was clear they were martial artists, more specifically, swordsmen.

The once dense forest now had a large clearing within it.

Houses had been erected on the ground, numerous in count, and Wang Anfeng almost thought he was looking at a small village somewhere, rather than the mountain gate of the Qingfeng Edge, a hidden and prestigious sword sect.

Wang Anfeng glanced back at the path he had come from, confirming he hadn't misremembered the way, and his mind became even more baffled, unable to comprehend why such huge changes had occurred beneath the gate of Qingfeng Edge in just under three years.

It was nothing short of a transformation.

Puzzled, just as a young man with a sword passed in front of him, Wang Anfeng felt a stir in his heart, stepped forward, and stopped the man. The latter looked at him curiously. Wang Anfeng first made a cupped fist salute, then politely asked,

"Excuse me, brother, I am intruding on your time…"

The young man turned to the side, catching sight of the wooden sword Wang Anfeng never left behind. A glint of understanding appeared in his eyes. Without waiting for Wang Anfeng to speak, he nodded knowingly and said,

"This is indeed the Qingfeng Edge."

Wang Anfeng was initially startled, then he gathered his thoughts because of his puzzlement, and asked again,

"But isn't the Qingfeng Edge a hidden and prestigious sect? Why are there so many swordsmen beneath its gate?"

"Could it be that something significant is about to happen here in the next few days?"

He thought of those sword-testing conventions mentioned in the stories of the hero Li Bai.

The young swordsman couldn't help but chuckle, sizing up Wang Anfeng from head to toe. Seeing his youthful appearance, he seemed to realize something. Because it was crowded, he stepped aside, positioned himself next to Wang Anfeng, and said with a smile,

"A significant event? Not at all, there's nothing of that sort happening."

"As for these swordsmen, to tell the truth, this isn't considered many. There were more a while ago, and last year, there would have been two or three times as many. Just look at these houses; they were built by the first group who came here. We are merely using them temporarily."

Wang Anfeng grew even more puzzled.

Since the Qingfeng Edge was a hidden and prestigious sect, not to mention the subsequent two Taoist formations, even the general location of its gate shouldn't be known by ordinary martial artists of the Jianghu. He voiced this question, which only made the young man with the sword laugh heartily, shaking his head at Wang Anfeng continuously,

"Young brother, you seem a bit out of touch, haha..."

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"But that's to be expected. I see you are at most seventeen or eighteen years old; perhaps you have only just begun exploring the Jianghu? This information isn't common knowledge; it's only shared privately among us martial artists, so it's normal that you don't know about it."

"Your being here must be due to some other extraordinary encounter."

"Today, you're lucky to meet me, since I have nothing else to do. I might as well give you a little insight into the intricacies involved here, just so you understand a bit better."

The young man paused, then stopped speaking. He then raised his right hand, rubbed his thumb and index finger together, and grinned,

"But as per the customs of the Jianghu..."

Wang Anfeng was initially startled, then quickly realized that this was a 'ground mouse' of the Jianghu – someone who earned silver coins by trading possibly dubious Jianghu secrets. It was his first encounter with such a person, hence his slow reaction.

After realizing what was happening, Wang Anfeng, following the protocol, reached into his robe. His hand first touched the hidden weapons concealed inside, cold to the touch, ten in total. He thought it over: pulling out a copper coin might be seen as insulting to this news peddler, who might very well storm off in anger.

He sighed deeply, his heart aching tightly, yet his face revealed no unusual expression.

His palm reached for the hidden pocket beside him and touched a piece of silver.

It was still the silver obtained after selling that reddish-brown nag in the nearby county town. The horse trader's bargaining skills were extremely strong, and Wang Anfeng admitted he was no match, having been severely beaten down in price before leaving awkwardly amid the shopkeeper's farewell wishes for a next visit.

The young man saw Wang Anfeng's movements and guessed the size of the silver.

A smile inadvertently appeared on his face.

Wang Anfeng's heart ached as he held the silver without immediately taking it out; instead, he pressed slightly hard with his thumb on the silver before pulling his hand out and opening his palm.

In his palm lay only a small piece of silver, reflecting a faint light under the sun.

The radiant smile on the young swordsman's face suddenly stiffened.

His eyes widened.

So small...

The silver was much smaller than he had imagined...

The young man's corners of his mouth twitched, his gaze swept over the expressionless Wang Anfeng and landed on the silver in his palm. He was about to say something more but noticed the fresh break on the silver, his pupils focused slightly, and he remembered the action Wang Anfeng made when reaching for the money.

Then, without changing his expression and seemingly without any dissatisfaction, he took the silver and put it into his chest; a mysterious look appeared, and he stepped closer to Wang Anfeng, lowered his voice, and said:

"Young brother, if we are to discuss about Qingfeng Edge, we need to go back a bit further."

"Do you know about what happened three years ago during the Great Elder of Qingfeng Edge's birthday banquet, when a strike of his sword formed a three-thousand-li vastness of sky and clouds?"

Seeing Wang Anfeng nod, the young man smiled again:

"Since you know, then it's easy to explain."

"That year, Murong the Great Elder slashed through the three-thousand-li sky and clouds, and since then, he returned to the top ten of the unparalleled list in the world, ranking seventh, dominating his era."

"But we who roam Jianghu know, to distinguish between superior and inferior among martial artists, one must engage in actual combat. As for being the seventh under the heavens, apart from that old gentleman in the mountains, no one doubts his identity; however, who is stronger, the seventh or the second under heavens, no one can clearly explain."

Although Wang Anfeng already had some understanding, he still asked:

"But what does Murong the Great Elder have to do with so many swordsmen?"

The young man laughed and said:

"I see you are also a person who practices martial arts and swordsmanship. Do you know that after that incident, Murong the Great Elder replaced the previous Heavenly Mountain Palm Sword and became the strongest among all the sword wielders under the heavens, also known as the first under the heavens?"

"Since then, although Qingfeng Edge is a Hidden Sect, it is now considered the top Sword Sect under the heavens."

The young man's voice paused briefly, he raised his hand and pointed around, to the old men with hoary heads, young girls like nutmeg, and those carrying swords, paused a moment, and lightly laughed:

"This journey, all are seekers of the sword."

"They wait arduously at the foot of Qingfeng Edge's mountain, solely to gain entry into this sect."

Wang Anfeng looked at these sword carriers.

Although their faces were naturally different, their expressions were somewhat similar, hardened like a sword. He fell silent for a moment, then said:

"Such actions, are they not afraid of causing Qingfeng Edge's annoyance?"

The young man laughed, his demeanor losing the familiarity and mettlesomeness of his earlier greeting to Wang Anfeng, becoming calm and straightforward instead. He tightened the longsword on his back, looked at the distant green mountains, and said evenly:

"To learn of the Way at dawn, it would be worth dying in the evening."

PS: Offering up the first update today...

The story of Baili and Tuoba reaches a conclusion, and next, we return to view from Anfeng's perspective; I hope everyone will enjoy the upcoming story (bow).