After the meal, Wang Anfeng did not immediately get up to leave.

    Instead, he acted as a typical Jianghu ranger would, drinking a pot of tea and refreshing his spirit before slowly standing up. He took a silver Yuanbao, full in weight, from his bosom and gently placed it on the wooden table, making a light clacking sound.

    The waiter''s eyes brightened, and he inwardly exclaimed in delight.

    These inn taverns loved serving Jianghu martial artists and wealthy patrons. Although it might bring some trouble, they were generous with their money, scattering it as if it cost them nothing, bringing in ample profits. Thus, despite the dangers, many still opted to do business with people from the Jianghu.

    Hurrying over in a few quick steps, the waiter eagerly took the Yuanbao. While wiping it with his sleeve, he bowed and said with a smile,

    "Thank you for the reward, sir..."

    A hand clasped tightly onto his wrist.

    The martial artist, dressed in vigorous attire and carrying a Mo Blade on his back, pursed his lips and succinctly said,

    "Change."

    The radiant smile on the waiter''s face instantly became stiff.

    ............…

    According to the information from Tan Yurou''s subordinate, Sёarch* The N?velFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Meng Yuexue and Chuan Lian had indeed stayed in Xi Dingzhou City for some time but had left a month ago and were extremely cautious. While in Xi Dingzhou, they rarely interacted with others, and when they left, they employed various means to erase all traces of their presence.

    If it weren''t for the experts in tracking at the Tan Residence, their traces would have been extremely difficult to detect.

    In just two years,

    a barely articulate child could run freely, and the wild beasts who tasted blood, the originally unsophisticated Chuan Lian, who had begun his journey in the Jianghu with high martial skills yet a timid approach, had grown into a cunning figure even old Jianghu dwellers praised. Wang Anfeng could guess how much hardship he had endured.

    Pressing his lips together, his expression turning solemn, Wang Anfeng flicked his whip and lightly urged his horse onward.

    The red, lean horse beneath him revitalized, striding swiftly.

    In a blink of an eye, he had disappeared on the road.

    At the inn''s second floor.

    A handsome young man stood with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the dust settle, a smile playing on his lips, his demeanor relaxed.

    Not until the figures on the road had completely vanished did he turn sideways to look back into the room and asked,

    "Uncle, how good is that man''s martial arts?"

    The bulky man seated behind him, who was only half a head taller than the standing young man, replied.

    A heavy staff lay across his knees, his right hand clutching a slick, shiny pork hock, which he devoured heartily. On hearing the question, his thick eyebrows knitted together, and he chewed ferociously several times before swallowing the food in his mouth and wiping his lips, grumbling,

    "It''s hard to say."

    The young man arched an eyebrow and remarked curiously,

    "Hard to say? Uncle, didn''t you tell me that when you were young, you traveled far and wide, saw various sects'' masters, and your observation skills were so sharp that you could almost tell anyone''s ability at a glance? How come now you can''t even see through a young man?"

    "What do you know?" countered the man with a snort,

    "For ordinary martial artists, I can definitely tell which sect they belong to, what martial arts they are good at without any mistake."

    "But if it''s someone extraordinary, it''s not the same."

    "Among us martial artists, who is superior and who is inferior can ultimately only be determined by a fight. During an encounter, situations change in the blink of an eye. It''s not just about Internal Strength Martial Body or swordsmanship, but also a martial artist''s temperament, experience, willpower, and momentum. A single misstep can mean the difference between life and death, victory or defeat. How could it be so easy to see someone''s strength or weakness?"

    "Naive!"

    With that, he bit fiercely into the pork hock again, oil dripping all over his mouth.

    The young man knew how formidable this man was. Hearing this, his expression grew slightly serious. He walked over to the side table, lifted a teapot to pour tea, and by the time he had finished pouring, the man suddenly started coughing, having eaten too greedily and hastily while trying to speak, which had choked him a bit. As he reached out to grab some water, the young man was already handing him the tea.

    The big man tilted his head back and directly poured the tea down his throat, then heavily exhaled a breath of air.

    The handsome young man sat at the table, tapped it, and asked again,

    "Is that young man really that formidable?"

    The big man glanced at him, put down the tea bowl, and grunted,

    "Formidable? He''s more than just formidable."

    "Did you see the blade on his back, Uncle Su?"

    The young man nodded and wondered aloud, "I saw it—it was pitch black, nothing special. Could it be that the blade has some remarkable fame?"

    "But I remember that the Divine Weapon Scroll stored in the mountain doesn''t include any newly added blades."

    The man shook his head and explained,

    "It''s not exactly a Divine Weapon, but I recognize the material."

    "Years ago, I asked a master from the Nine Palaces Fire Temple to forge a weapon. I originally planned to use that material, but it''s extremely rare. After searching for three months and finding none, I had no choice but to settle for the ''Cold Mountain Heavy Iron'' that had been accumulated for three hundred years and used it to make this Cold Mountain Staff."

    "Though not worthy of being listed among the divine weapons, it still weighs over one thousand three hundred pounds."

    "However, if it were made from that material, it could weigh at least three thousand pounds, and ordinary people and horses would struggle to get close."

    "Although the blade carried by that young man is not as material-demanding as my long staff, a brief estimate suggests that it weighs at least a thousand pounds. Being able to carry such a weight without showing any unusual signs suggests that, whether his Cultivation is in Internal Strength or External Cultivation, he must have some proficiency."

    "And if he can wield that Heavy Blade, he surely possesses Martial Arts of about the Seventh Rank, making him a considerable master."

    The youth''s eyes widened as he said,

    "That''s not right... My uncles told me that in the Jianghu below the mountain, Seventh Rank Martial Artists are not that common, let alone one in his twenties. Even on our mountain, one would be qualified to lead."

    The burly man snorted coldly, his left hand resting on his knee, his demeanor rough and fierce. Yet, he said,

    "Those so-called masters, wasting their lives without ever leaving their Sects, truly epitomize the saying ''frog in the well.'' They are nothing more than mediocre."

    "All they spout is nonsense!"

    "They think sitting on the mountain and observing the clouds and secular world makes them lofty hermits, unaware that the vast Jianghu cannot be grasped by looking across thousands of miles or by understanding its depths from a thousand ren high. There are innumerable heroes and naturally talented individuals in this world."

    "And you''re astonished by a mere twenty-something-year-old at the Seventh Rank."

    "Hey, in this vast world, even sixteen or seventeen-year-olds at the Seventh Rank exist...not that there are none..."

    He said this while waving a pork knuckle in his hand, his face full of indignation.

    Coming back to his senses amid the shock, the youth rolled his eyes and said,

    "If you can, Uncle, go ahead and eat meat on the mountain; don''t just keep yapping the moment you get down..."

    The big man''s actions froze, his mouth twitched, and he forced himself to say,

    "I respect the elderly up there."

    "I don''t want to upset them."

    The youth scoffed, placing his right hand on the table, he frowned and said,

    "Forget it, no matter how strong that young man might be, it''s none of our business. He was just a stranger passing by, heading in a different direction."

    "But this matter in Fufeng County is quite bothersome. Suddenly, three Sects we''ve never seen before have appeared. I don''t know if this is like the event thirty years ago, with other forces behind it..."

    "I''ll head to the County City to investigate, and then return to the mountain immediately."

    The big man''s eyes widened, he swallowed the food in his mouth and exclaimed,

    "What''s the rush?!"

    The youth knew that his uncle was reluctant to leave the variety of gourmet foods below the mountain, but he didn''t point it out. Instead, he let out a cold laugh, his hands clasped, and cracked his knuckles with a series of crisp sounds, saying,

    "A few days ago, the previous generation''s traveling uncle brought the twins back to the mountain. That Qin Fei is okay, an ice-block face but devoted to Martial Arts. Not bad. But that melon-headed kid called Qin Xiao, he started pestering little Tingyun as soon as he got up the mountain."

    "I heard he even plans to stick around our Taoist Sect''s mountain and not leave, heh..."

    The youth seemed to radiate a chill, his expression cold as he said,

    "Little Tingyun is barely eight years old."

    "That beast!"

    "I must act in place of the traveling uncle and give him a proper lesson."

    The big man shivered, stuttered, "If it were a young man, naturally, he would be a beast, but Qin Xiao is more or less the same age as Tingyun. These childhood sweets could also be good..." His voice trailed off as he saw the youth''s gaze. He chuckled awkwardly and couldn''t continue, knowing he had touched a taboo.

    The girl named Zhang Tingyun became the jewel in the palm of the entire Taoist Sect''s ancestral home shortly after arriving on the mountain, a treasured darling cherished by everyone from top to bottom.

    Who else could pull the whiskers of the ancestral master and still get sweets as a reward?

    If it had been him, he might have been sent flying already.

    And still get sweets...

    The big man took a bite of his pork knuckle, glanced at the youth shivering with suppressed rage, and very wisely scooted away, choosing not to engage with the young man who seemed to be pondering some frightening matter. In his mind, he recited the Rebirth Mantra three times for the Second Young Master of the Qin Family in sympathy.

    Hasten the deliverance of us all, hasten the rebirth.

    Blessings from the Immeasurable Heavenly Lord.

    Young Master Qin, take care of yourself.

    .....................

    On the official road.

    Wang Anfeng once again rode his horse, rushing for more than an hour until he reached a somewhat secluded town. Dismounting, he led his horse into the town. Looking around, though not extremely wealthy, it was a place of contentment, with lively and cheerful pedestrians everywhere.

    When Wang Anfeng left, Tan Yurou had given him three locations where, according to the clues gathered, Meng Yuexue and Chuan Lian were most likely hiding. The closest was in a courtyard at the western end of an alleyway in this town.

    Although unsure of how Tan Yurou had acquired the information, Wang Anfeng had no choice but to believe it at this point.

    Leading his horse with his left hand, he walked slowly.

    The courtyard, situated in a sparsely populated area with a thick old tree growing right across from the gate, was an ideal hiding place. When Wang Anfeng approached, he sensed something akin to the ''Thousand Mile Mist,'' hinting at the presence of Pharmacist Valley''s herbs, his expression subtly changing.

    This was indeed related to the knowledge of the Pharmacist Valley.

    Wang Anfeng looked up at the courtyard, believing that Meng Yuexue and Chuan Lian were inside. A surge of excitement flowed through him, and he quickened his pace, raising his hand to knock on the door.

    A moment later, the wooden door creaked slightly open.

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    A sharp, chilling gleam of metal shot through the crack, aimed straight at Wang Anfeng''s heart!

    PS: Here comes the second update...