Why do I have so many masters?

The group of horse-riding youths had long gone, leaving only the girl kneeling on the ground. Hearing this, her entire being seemed to lose its soul, and two lines of tears fell from her eyes as she kept muttering:

"Return them to me... return them to me..."

Wang Anfeng slightly furrowed his brow, raised his hand to help, but the girl could not muster any strength, as if boneless. He had no choice but to exert his own strength to help the girl stand. His palm swept past his waist, and several silver needles sunk into the girl's palm.

During this time, he had learned a few acupuncture points to stop bleeding. As he channeled his Inner Qi, the blood immediately stopped. The girl, noticing the pain in her hand had subsided, finally regained some sense and bowed to him, her voice still choked with sobs, saying:

"Thank you, young master."

"I am no young master, just call me Wang Anfeng."

Wang Anfeng replied, seeing the girl's tearful eyes. He thought for a moment and took off the relatively clean bundle from his back and handed it to the girl, saying:

"I must trouble you to keep this safe for me."

The girl was puzzled and asked:

"What is this...?"

At that moment, with the sun shining brightly, a young man in a blue short jacket smiled at her warmly, his tone gentle:

"I'm afraid it will get dirty."

As they approached Liuxu Villa, riding fast on their horses, Wang Bai's anger gradually subsided, the scenery around was pleasing, and with a beautiful girl among the companions, he gradually forgot the previous unpleasantness. He turned his head to chat and joke with the girl, said something witty that made her laugh lightly. Her charming eyes and beautiful smile were even more intoxicating than fine wine.

Youthful and carefree, splendidly dressed on spirited horses, the beauty bashful, the breeze refreshing, Wang Bai felt increasingly exhilarated, a bold spirit rising in him. Had he not lacked the goods in his stomach, he would have wished to compose a few poems. However, just then, a mild voice suddenly came from beside them:

"You all seem to be in high spirits."

This comment was very polite but startled Wang Bai and his companions—they had been speaking freely and hadn't noticed anyone catching up to them. Abruptly turning their heads, they saw a young man in a blue short jacket peacefully watching them, without riding a horse, but moving alongside their steeds on foot without falling behind. As they turned their gaze toward him, he said:

"I am here to honor the bet."

Wang Bai was slightly startled, then recognized Wang Anfeng. Normally, such Qinggong would be acceptable to yield, but with a beauty by his side and his spoiled nature, he scoffed and said:

"Fine, the little whore has sent her lover, catch up if you can."

Immediately, he spurred his horse to increase speed. Wang Anfeng, his eyes flaring with anger and disgust, saw him attempt to leave and reached out to grab the horse's reins. However, the horse was too strong, and he couldn't hold on, being dragged off balance. Wang Bai laughed loudly at this, and his companions breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he was merely showing off his lightness skills.

But Wang Anfeng's expression remained unchanged, and he suddenly bent his elbow and smashed it fiercely into the horse's belly.

The horse, in pain, reared up violently, throwing the laughing Wang Bai straight off the saddle. This horse, possessing exotic beast blood, was not easily tamed, and now it became even more violent, snorting flames, twisting its body, and fiercely smashing its hooves down toward Wang Anfeng with a not insignificant force, leaving Wang Bai fallen and bruised on the ground.

Though he came from a distinguished family and was haughty by nature, he was only in his early teens, far from capable of the ruthless activities some spoiled brats engaged in on the streets. Seeing this, he lost all composure and screamed in distress.

By then, they were nearing Liuxu Villa, which was situated at the peak of a mountain with a straight main road, yet the approach to the mountain itself twisted in several turns. Thus, during this tumult, his screams drew the attention of two middle-aged men at the gate, who looked at each other and hurried out.

Rushing around several bends, from above they looked down as the exotic beast reared up majestically.

A young man with his hair tied up in a bun, dressed in a blue jacket, held the reins in one hand and grasped the horse's neck with the other, flipping the mad steed onto the ground.

Dust flew everywhere!

The horse's mane was as wild as a lion's, its body hair flaming like fire, only its hooves as white as snow, flipped onto the ground, whinnying in pain and struggling, but was unable to free itself from the young man's grasp. This show of physical strength, at such a young age, was almost astonishing, leaving the guards of Liuxu Villa looking at each other in shock, unable to speak.

Like the flow of water...

Wang Anfeng's eyes brightened as he continuously adjusted his movements to the struggling horse, skillfully using its own force against it, easily flipping it over. This was indeed the way of water... when the wave comes, just follow its force...

And about being thrown to the ground?

The innkeeper's fat pig also struggled mightily when it rose.

The still young exotic beast, rearing up from the ground, struggled for a moment, eventually, panting heavily, grew subdued, whenever this person looking towards its neck gave it an inexplicable chill.

Wang Anfeng exhaled a breath of turbid air and released his sore hands, rising to see the guards of Liuxu Villa drawn by the noise, and he cupped his fists, saying:

"Apologies for the disturbance."

"Young hero is too modest."

These outer guards of Liuxu Villa took a step back almost instinctively, politely returning the salute. Though the young man before them was dressed in somewhat dirty blue jacket, just by that recent display of strength in overturning the spirited horse, none dared underestimate him. Even if he was of humble origins, with such martial prowess, he might not beat them all, but flipping three or five of them would not be an issue.

In Jianghu, knowing who to provoke and who not to provoke is a matter of vision and capability. Martial arts itself is a capability. They were not proficient in martial arts, so they could only serve as guards. Thankfully, their judgment was sound.

Those with poor eyesight had all perished outside by the time autumn frosts fell and the grass on their graves could be used as kindling.

"My Xue'er! Xue'er!"

Standing by, Wang Bai only rushed to the splendid horse after Wang Anfeng had risen, his wail piercing as he threw himself onto the exotic beast's juvenile. His three companions dismounted and only then managed to flip the young beast over. Stirrings of desperate concern appeared as, noticing the struggle marks on its body, Wang Bai's tears were about to fall; he tenderly wiped it with his sleeve, yet the horse ungraciously flicked his sleeve away with its tail, then cautiously trod near Wang Anfeng.

Wang Anfeng was slightly startled, thinking the horse was about to attack again. With great force, if it attacked once more, he feared he might be exhausted, so he slightly furrowed his brows—a gesture that frightened the horse enough to make it step back several paces, causing Wang Bai to stumble.

Then, seeing Wang Anfeng had no intention of striking, the horse snorted loudly, cautiously moved closer again, and gently touched Wang Anfeng. Finding no reaction, it relaxed and rubbed its precious mane against the young man's waist quietly.

"This is..."

"Young hero, what good fortune!"

A guard, giving a thumbs-up and visibly envious, said, "Exotic beasts respect the strongest. This horse, with the blood of an exotic beast, has been subdued by your firm approach. It acknowledges you as its master now."

"You're full of shit; this is my horse!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Bai flew into a rage. However, the Wild Lion Cloud Foal didn't even glance at him. Wang Anfeng frowned and extended his right hand toward Wang Bai, initially wanting to demand the return of the hairpin, but the Wild Lion Cloud Foal moved its head forward, nuzzling into Wang Anfeng's hand pleasingly. The young man paused slightly, then touched the exotic horse and said,

"This horse is yours, but now that I have touched it...hand over the hairpin."

Wang Bai, taken aback, glanced at his despised Wild Lion Cloud Foal, then at his disheveled clothes, opened his mouth, seemingly on the verge of tears, and said,

"All this over a worthless hairpin?"

"To so humiliate me for that mere servant, under the Great Qin Legal Code, being of a noble clan, even if I killed her, I would only need to pay some silver!"

Then, Wang Bai shouted angrily. Wang Anfeng slightly frowned; disgust was almost indescribable, and even the many originally smiling guards now bore unpleasant expressions. Noticing the surrounding disgust and hostility, Wang Bai was slightly shocked. However, having already spoken, he could merely stiffen his neck and face these people.

Just then, a melodious tune rose from the forest. Initially soft and lingering among the mountain woods, it soon soared to the clouds, dispersing the tense atmosphere. Even Wang Anfeng, despite his disgust, was somewhat mesmerized—until the music abruptly stopped.

People felt a sense of loss, but then a clear and smiling voice arose, long and dense, soft yet profound, obviously from someone of significant cultivation.

"In the Great Qin Legal Code, among the six reasons for execution, unprovoked murder, even if committed by a noble's son, shall be punished as commoners are. Those who kill due to their status face a higher degree of punishment, the three penalties of the six executions. I wonder, has the young master thought this through?"

After a long pause, crisp and pleasing hoofbeats were heard. Several breaths later, a young man of slender figure, fifteen or sixteen, clad in a deep maroon coat over a moon-white robe painted with ink-bamboo landscapes, appeared before them. With handsome features and a refined, scholar-like demeanor that was immediately captivating, he made his presence known.

With his left hand leading a horse and his right, lightly dropping a willow leaf, Xiahou Xuan stood tall beside the gentle large white horse. The injured girl, seated on the horseback, clutched a bundle, her expression somewhat uneasy. The handsome youth smiled warmly and courteously and said,

"Ladies and gentlemen, this young lady has suffered some injuries. The villa should have a doctor, please take good care of her."

Pausing briefly, the white horse also obediently stopped. Xiahou Xuan turned, extending his right hand and spoke softly,

"Miss, please dismount."

Facing Wang Bai, the girl, usually so defiant, now blushed slightly, her beauty emerging. With some blood on her hand, she hesitated to reach out, but he, indifferent to it, simply supported her with his Inner Qi to avoid causing pain by touching the wound.

His movements were gentle and polite. Yet his gaze was calm and faint, indifferent as if staring at the clouds in the forest, only when he saw that hint of shyness did he nostalgically think to himself,

"It's been a long time since I've seen candied hawthorn. I wonder how she is now."

"But the threshold for noble clans nowadays seems too low... No, no, no, it must be that the young nobility of Wangxian County are too superficial, just rubbish."

Xiahou's heart was filled with disdain and pride.

He was naturally frail and coughed up blood if he trained for too long, so his family forbade him from such practices. The eighty-year-old grandfather pleaded with his grandson to go to a brothel on a pleasure boat. He obediently went but found the tunes outdated, thus, he composed a new song for the ladies there to sing.

From then on, his illness ceased, his family breathed a sigh of relief, but a few months later, all the young lords in the city knelt outside his door in rows, wanting to acknowledge him as their elder brother, his fame spread, and an Oiran declared she would marry no one but him. Enraged, the grandfather nearly met his ancestors in his fury; to quell the rumors, he woke up howling, intent on arranging a marriage for him immediately.

However, while the adults discussed which daughter would be a good match, the then nine-year-old boy slipped out and, with a stick of candied hawthorn and the boring art of face-reading he had learned, he directly lured a lady of good breeding and beauty back home.

Upon hearing this, the pampered young nobles of the city howled skywards, wondering why such a monstrous figure had emerged, but after their howls, they continued to kneel obediently before his door.

What is called heritage, what is called a noble clan?

That even as a profligate, you cause them to lose courage.

Carefully and appropriately helping the injured girl down, Xiahou glanced at Wang Bai, looking like a beggar, his eyes brimming with disdainful pity but exuding a refined and amicable bearing. With a snap, he opened his folding fan, his strokes sharp and majestic yet with an elegance hard to match.

Utterly unmatched in incompetence, an unparalleled unworthy through the ages.

"I am Xiahou Xuan."