Why do I have so many masters?

With nothing but his bare fists, he had smashed through two trees thick enough to embrace and carried them on his shoulders down the steep mountain path without a change in his complexion. Any martial artist would know that if this youth didn't possess innate superhuman strength, then he must have achieved great progress in his cultivation. Not to mention someone like Liu Tianyuan, a disciple of the noble clan, who held a great appreciation for talent in his heart. Just as he planned to approach and make acquaintance, a sudden elderly voice rang out:

"Liu family boy, I've taken the invitation. Thanks to your father's kindness, Great Liang Village may be remote and poor, with not much to offer in terms of sights, so you might as well leave while it's still light."

Liu Tianyuan was slightly taken aback. When he turned to look, there was only an empty stool beside him – the white-haired old man was nowhere to be seen. As if realizing something, he quickly reached into his chest pocket, only to find that the Young Phoenix Card his father had handwritten had already disappeared without a trace, and he hadn't noticed it at all, which made him break out in a cold sweat, his heart pounding with fear:

"This old man's skills are terrifying!"

Since the elder could take the letter from his chest undetected, taking his life would have been just as easy, not even slightly more difficult than taking the letter. Thereupon, he suppressed the thoughts in his heart, called out to those around him, and hurriedly departed while the youth was surrounded by a small group of carpenters. By the time Wang Anfeng had exchanged the two fine trees for a few coins of silver, Liu Tianyuan's figure had already disappeared, leaving only the man in blue clothes standing with his arms crossed, smiling at him:

"Anfeng, you arrived too late. Just now a young hero came by with a big crowd; the scene was quite impressive. You really should have seen it."

Wang Anfeng was stunned for a moment, then laughed it off with a shake of his head, saying:

"Innkeeper uncle, I don't know him, and he doesn't know me. Since it has nothing to do with me, it doesn't matter that I missed it..."

At those words, the man burst out laughing: "He might not have anything to do with us, but he sure has a lot to do with you, young man! A whole lot!"

"What do you mean by 'a lot to do with me'? You're not implying he came looking for me, are you?"

"Heh, that I cannot say."

The brawny man chuckled and stopped talking. He turned and walked a few steps back to his mat, pulled a sharp knife from his bag, and began to work. The village was small, and though he ran a martial arts school teaching the children some self-defense techniques, he also kept pigs in the backyard. When it was time to butcher, he would double as a butcher for a couple of days. With a flick of his wrist, the boning knife glinted coldly. In two swift motions, he cut a large piece of pork belly from the block, wrapped it in lotus leaves, and bound it tightly with fine twine. He tossed it to Wang Anfeng with a chuckle:

"Here, this is your portion of meat for today. You're eating more and more nowadays, not bad at all. It's good to have an appetite. As for the matter you want to know about, you might as well ask old man Li. Since you'll be using most of this meat to accompany his drink anyway, I won't waste my breath. Hahaha."

Seeing that the innkeeper had already started to attend to other villagers, Wang Anfeng smiled helplessly, counted out a handful of silver, and placed it gently on the countertop. He then straightened his clothes, bowed slightly to the brawny man, and turned to walk back home. As usual, he divided the meat into two portions, keeping the smaller one for himself and carrying the rest toward old man Li's house.

Although he was practicing martial arts, old man Li was a tremendous drinker and had an even bigger appetite than him. A pot of mild wine and a portion of pork would begin with the wine full and end with the pork gone, a frighteningly fast consumption. As he made his way there, the villagers looked at him strangely. Curious as he was, he refrained from asking since the innkeeper had told him to talk to old man Li, and he went straight to the familiar house. The wooden door stood wide open, and there sat Li, alone at the stone table, indulging in drink with his white hair like a lion's mane, a picture of untamed elegance.

It was already autumn with leaves falling like rain, yet not a single leaf lay within the vicinity of the old man, creating a stark contrast with the surrounding environment. Wang Anfeng felt a brief sense of wonder but didn't linger on the thought. He approached, carrying the pork, and said with a smile, "Old man Li, how are you today? I brought you some meat, freshly butchered fattened pork, just the thing to go with your wine."

Old man Li looked up at Wang Anfeng but said nothing, merely taking another sip of wine. It was only after a long while that he slowly said:

"I've seen you climbing the mountain every day, your boxing skills have improved markedly..."

Wang Anfeng didn't understand the intent and scratched his head, answering honestly:

"I don't know either, Master said my level in fist techniques isn't high enough yet and he can't teach me the next level of Arhat Fist."

"Arhat?"

"Yes, Master said that to annihilate all vexations is to become an Arhat."

"To annihilate all vexations?!"

Old Man Li was slightly shocked—dispelling vexations should lead to a pure heart, but hidden within the phrase 'annihilate all vexations' lay a hint of immense killing intent. Though it was an intention to kill, it was upright and forthright. He held an even higher regard for this unseen so-called Master in his heart. Looking at Wang Anfeng's fists, he chided himself, "With such a Master and such talent, it's almost inevitable that you will join Jianghu someday. Li Qidao, oh Li Qidao, have you wandered among the Jianghu's killings too long to see this clearly…"

Unfortunately… he ultimately couldn't remain a happy villager in the mountains...

With a sigh in his heart but with eyes clearing once more, Old Man Li chuckled, dug out something from his chest pocket and casually handed it to Wang Anfeng, grinning and saying, "Your fist technique isn't bad? Then I won't worry. Run an errand for me, kid. This is something an old friend sent over. Deliver it to the manor north of the County City in Wangxian County. There'll be something good in it for you when you get back."

"A delivery?"

Wang Anfeng curiously took the letter, noting its smoothness and a refreshing fragrance. There was no writing on it, just a phoenix. With a few simple strokes, the phoenix seemed ready to soar off the page. Even someone like Wang Anfeng, who was not versed in painting and calligraphy, could tell the extraordinary skill in the brushwork and exclaimed, "This is a remarkable painting. I had no idea, Uncle Li, you had such superb painting skills!"

Old Man Li, who was just tipping back his drink, subtly rolled his eyes, slammed the gourd onto the stone table, wiped his mouth with his hand, and raised his voice, slapping the table as he shouted, "Alright, alright, you'll have it to look at on your way. Just tell me, are you going or not?!"

Wang Anfeng fondled the letter in his hand, thinking that although the round trip might slightly affect his cultivation, it wouldn't take too much time. He smiled and agreed, "What's there to worry about? It's just a letter. I'll take care of it for you, Uncle Li."

"Good, it's already early August now. You must deliver it on the night of the full moon on the fifteenth; not earlier and certainly not later. Here is a jug of wine. When you get near the manor, stop by a county city and look for a Doctor Li. Stay at his place for a couple of days…"

Seeing that he had agreed, Old Man Li nodded slightly and casually pulled out a dark and heavy wine jug from nowhere, tossing it to Wang Anfeng. It was extremely heavy and ice-cold to the touch, apparently made of solid iron, with complex and intricate patterns on it. The strong aroma of wine was detectable even from a distance; a mere couple of sniffs turned Wang Anfeng's cheeks a ruddy red.

"Alright, kid, now that you have martial arts skills, figure out how to get to the County City on your own. This old man has to prepare some pork, so come over and lend a hand."

Old Man Li, seeing the astonishment on the young man's face, laughed with satisfaction. He picked up the significantly heavy piece of pork and unceremoniously started to give orders. Wang Anfeng steadied himself, hanging the wine jug at his waist and followed the old man into the house. It was only a matter of moments before the fragrance of cooking meat wafted up with the smoke.