Why do I have so many masters?

"Disciple has seen all the elders."

The leading elder nodded slightly, lifting his eyes to survey the station's setup with satisfaction. Although the drunkard somewhat marred the scene, being on the main road and achieving this much was already quite rare. He nodded slowly and methodically, saying:

"Not bad."

"You are diligent..."

On hearing this, the two young men were overjoyed inside, but their expressions became even more respectful. They bowed again and said:

"Disciple dares not."

"Great Elder, esteemed elders, please come inside..."

The leading elder nodded slightly and stepped inside. Mei Feng followed silently behind, his hands behind his back, his eyes scrutinizing his surroundings.

Ever since his return to the mountain, he had become exceedingly sensitive and vigilant. The sharp and deadly sword light he had once seen would flash in his dreams, waking him up in the middle of the night with his back drenched in sweat.

He wished never to encounter that person again.

However, the Pavilion Master believed he had once seen that martial artist, so this time, he too was sent out.

Three Sixth Rank Martial Artists and one Sixth Rank peak Great Elder, forming the Four Symbols Poison Formation—would that be enough to kill an ordinary Fifth Rank Martial Artist, perhaps enough to handle that person?

Mei Feng could not find the answer within himself.

At that moment, the drunkard seemed somewhat annoyed and suddenly shouted:

"You fatso! You crooked merchant!"

"Saying there's no cooking today and letting us go back first, but isn't this now more people coming in? Tell me, are you looking down on us?"

Mei Feng internally sneered, taking this as a typical drunken rant to relax his constantly tense state of mind.

But at that moment, a fierce wind suddenly surged!

The drunkard stepped forward abruptly, a wild Vigorous Qi rising from under his feet. Just one step away, he seemed to transform from a staggering drunk into a descending ferocious tiger, his Inner Strength swelling around him. The mere shockwave he emitted had already reached the level of a Sixth Rank Martial Artist deploying Inner Qi at full strength, his meridians undoubtedly containing even more violent and formidable Inner Strength.

The surging Vigorous Qi within the hall formed a visible storm.

Yet, this storm came to an abrupt halt as it neared the people from the Immortal Pavilion.

The elder slightly raised his eyebrows as he watched the furious drunk charging towards the innkeeper, quickly making a judgment in his heart.

The unintentional leakage of Inner Qi during exertion had reached such a level.

Seventh Rank Martial Artist.

The pinnacle that could be reached through effort and perseverance among the Lower Third Rank.

Although he had made this judgment, he had no interest in saving the innkeeper and simply walked inside, sat down on a stool, and closed his eyes to rest.

At that moment, the fist was easily caught by a wide palm.

The ever-smiling shopkeeper raised his hand, grabbing the fist.

His expression was mild, but the drunk's face turned increasingly red, his body trembling slightly. Soon after, following a casual twist by the shopkeeper, the man flipped over and was heavily smashed onto the ground, producing a muffled sound.

Mei Feng's expression changed in an instant.

Even the Great Elder, who had sat down to rest, immediately opened his eyes and looked towards the direction of the loud noise.

The Seventh Rank drunkard had already passed out completely, while the shopkeeper remained completely unharmed. He picked up the drunkard and said with a smile:

"Honored guests, please take a seat for a moment."

"I will handle this person first."

Having said that, he grabbed the drunkard by the neck and walked towards the backyard. The hall fell silent for a moment before everyone finally came to their senses; the Great Elder's brows deeply furrowed.

It was only then that he seriously surveyed the inn.

Next to him, a waiter was wiping a table. His arm muscles bulged, even stretching his loose clothing, his hands exceedingly thick and his knuckles large.

He surely possessed excellent external martial arts skills.

The hands that carefully wiped the table, if they were to strike fiercely, could likewise smash a person's skull.

"Honored guest, let me pour you some tea."

A gaunt young man holding a teapot stood to one side.

He smiled at the old man—the whiteness of his teeth reminiscent of packs of wild wolves in the wilderness—his tea clear yet oddly redolent of the sweet, pungent scent of blood.

The old man's gaze swept through the grand hall of the station, his expression becoming more solemn.

Until at last, he lost the last trace of a smile.

The young man's martial arts skills seemed hardly worth mentioning, yet they were nearly Ninth Grade, or possibly those of a Ranked Martial Artist. Within the Jianghu of this province, he could certainly make a name for himself.

And yet, at this moment, they were merely common laborers?!

He recalled how, when that portly shopkeeper had made his move earlier, it seemed utterly ordinary, just another common-level martial artist.

And yet that exceedingly common technique had stunned a Seventh Rank Martial Artist in an instant without revealing any signs of anomaly. Clearly, his strength was likely higher by three parts, possibly peak Sixth Rank, half a step into the level of a Fifth Rank master playing in the dust of the mundane world to apprehend martial arts and seek breakthroughs.

Without that shopkeeper, he would have thought this station might be a property of the Tan Residence in Xi Dingzhou or even the Giant Whale Gang, but among these two forces, there wasn't such a master.

Unfathomable...

Unfathomable...

For some reason, a shadow suddenly veiled his heart.

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

In the backyard, the drunk had been dragged directly to the woodshed by the shopkeeper, then suddenly sat up, clutching his neck and coughing ceaselessly, glaring at the shopkeeper, he lowered his voice and said:

"Be gentle, damn it."

"You almost choked me holding my neck like that!"

The shopkeeper chuckled and responded:

"It's all for the sake of realism, though it's been years since I've done this kind of thing. I didn't expect you to be still so proficient."

"You truly deserve this."

Saying which, he held up his thumb, the drunk chuckled gleefully, his face full of pride.

He was no Seventh Rank Martial Artist, nor had he even reached the Eighth Rank; he had simply consumed a special Qimen Elixir, which allowed him to temporarily unleash stronger vigor.

And that portly shopkeeper was indeed just as the Great Elder had seen, a mere common martial artist.

After catching his breath, the drunk's expression became serious again, and he continued:

"Little Fat."

"You better make sure nothing goes wrong later."

The shopkeeper nodded earnestly and replied:

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"Since we were kids, we've been nothing more than Jianghu swindlers, never managing to make something of ourselves. This task the Young Master and Gang Leader entrusted us with is truly a do-or-die mission."

He glanced toward the inner hall, leaning forward slightly, and whispered like a Jianghu huckster:

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's a Jianghu play—those with money, support with your wealth; those with influence, support with your clout."

"Today, it's best if you support with clout..."

He glanced up slightly.

His eyes full of a cold intent.

This station was recently built.

Towering several meters high and consisting of seven stories, its interior was lavishly decorated, possessing an air of both luxury and warmth, more resembling an inn specially designed for distinguished guests rather than a roadside station, with plenty of guest rooms able to accommodate a large merchant caravan.

Its backing financier had yet to make himself known before being erased.

No sooner had it been built, it switched from the Twenty-Seven Allied Gangs to the property of the Giant Whale Gang, and the Giant Whale Gang kept this transition a closely-guarded secret; hence, nobody in the Jianghu knew or cared.

This station.

Is named Wang.

PS: Presenting the second release... a long chapter, please support.