Looking at the young man before him, Wang Anfeng's thoughts were also sowhat complicated.
He had saved A'ping years ago. After long deliberation, he had never let the youth enter Jianghu.
But eventually,
they t in Jianghu.
A'ping didn't want Wang Anfeng to see his timid side. Tears had just begun to flow when he raised his hand to wipe them away completely. Raising his head again, the scars on his face appeared fierce, but in Wang Anfeng's eyes, they were rely a sincere smile.
"Brother Wang, how co you are here?"
"Ah, right, I've been saving up the repaynt for two years…"
Years ago, when he and his father moved to the County City from the village, it was Wang Anfeng who had paid for them. The latter had almost forgotten about it, but he had never forgotten.
Wang Anfeng chuckled, lifting his hand to pat the youth on the head, saying:
"No rush for that."
"Ah… right…"
"I don't even have the silver on now."
Rembering this, A'ping felt slightly embarrassed and scratched his head with a foolish smile. There was none of the awe he had when he just forced the top gang mbers of the city to retreat with his sword.
"Where is the person?"
"Let's head over there to check!"
Before the two had much ti to catch up, they heard chaotic noises nearby: shouts, clashes of swords and sabers, and heavy footsteps approaching their location.
A wry smile ford on Wang Anfeng's face, showing a hint of helplessness.
As for A'ping, he was still sowhat baffled, looking at Wang Anfeng, not understanding why he had stopped talking.
Wang Anfeng's right hand was placed on the youth's collar, saying:
"Do you rember what I just told you?"
A'ping was montarily stunned, then rembered that just before Wang Anfeng appeared, he had asked him 'Are you just going to stroll out that boldly?'
Still sowhat puzzled, he then saw in the distance a group of Vermilion Clothes-clad, saber-wearing patrol officers from Great Qin.
And from their deanor, it seed they were coming right towards him; upon seeing him, their eyes nearly burst with light, and the particularly stout leader, dressed in governntal attire, had already drawn his waist saber, quickening his pace, glaring with knitted brows, and shouted:
"The two ahead, I am an officer of this city. You must imdiately…"
"Hold on tight, A'ping."
"Ah?"
Caught off guard, A'ping stared blankly, while Wang Anfeng's right hand tightened, grabbing the youth's collar. Using his inner strength, he jumped up with A'ping, light as a wild goose, and touched the nearby wall with his right foot for extra impulse, leaping away.
Although he didn't want to reveal his identity by using the abilities of a Middle Third Rank Martial Artist to maneuver through the air,
with Wang Anfeng's current martial arts skills, even carrying another person was beyond the reach of regular martial artists; they disappeared after a few flashes, leaving those patrol officers behind.
The leading officer chased a few steps but realized they were getting increasingly farther away. Finding themselves in a dead-end, they had to stop, waving their sabers in the direction the two had fled, shouting angrily:
"Stop!"
"Stop for !"
As if unheard, Wang Anfeng only increased his speed, vanishing from sight in monts, leaving the patrol officers standing dumbfounded in the now empty street, the leader's hands trembling so forcefully he could hardly hold onto his saber.
"Brother Wang, why do we need to run?"
A'ping, carried in Wang Anfeng's hand, watched the scenery zip past, not scared in the slightest, only curious.
He didn't believe he had done anything to violate the penal laws of Great Qin.
Wang Anfeng explained, "A'ping, you just stord into the Cui Family's ho in public."
"Yes, but aren't they part of Jianghu?"
The youth argued relentlessly.
Wang Anfeng chuckled and said:
"Although the Cui Family is a minor family within Jianghu, and Great Qin generally doesn't concern itself with their disputes, your actions were too rash, especially under the broad daylight, disturbing the public."
"Affairs of Jianghu aren't the concern of the Imperial Court, but when you disturb public order, you have to be punished."
"The penal laws of Great Qin won't be too harsh, but they will detain you for at least three days or substitute with a fine, before you will be let out."
A'ping stared blankly, murmuring:
"Is that so…"
Wang Anfeng glanced at him, and seeing that there was no longer a trace of the patrol officers who had been chasing them, he simply stopped using his movent technique and landed in the alleyway. Raising his hand, he patted Anping on the clothes and said:
"Above all, when you are in Jianghu, if you engage in martial arts in the city, the first thing to do is to leave the scene of the fight as quickly as possible."
"If you have any technique to change your face, you might as well use it a bit. This way, you can avoid a lot of trouble."
Anping listened, dumbfounded, and said:
"So there's so much to consider in Jianghu."
"I thought that mastering martial arts was all it took..."
"But, Brother Wang, you know so much; you must have t many heroes of Jianghu over the years?"
Admiration filled the eyes of the young man as he looked up at Wang Anfeng.
Wang Anfeng's face stiffened slightly, and he nodded noncommittally, moving the conversation along.
Yet, in his mind, he uncontrollably thought of Wuxin, an arrest officer both clever and daringly insane, Zhu Jian'an from the Deputy Chief Arrestor of the Fufeng County City Ministry of Punishnt, and Yan Ling, who appeared a bit dim-witted but was extrely serious and strict. His heart filled with lancholy, he silently added:
I do not know heroes,
I just know a lot of people who like to catch heroes... that's why I know.
But how should I explain this?
I am clearly a person of Jianghu...
With a sigh in his heart, Wang Anfeng put away these odd feelings, raised his hand to stroke Anping's head, and changed the subject, saying:
"By the way, Anping, it's almost the New Year, why are you here?"
"How is your uncle doing?"
Anping had just been swiftly carried by Wang Anfeng and upon landing, he still felt a bit unstable, using his hand to support himself against the nearby wall. Hearing Wang Anfeng's question, he replied:
"My dad? He's doing well…"
"A teacher is currently looking after my father. I ca out this ti because my teacher felt that I shouldn't always stay in one place; I need to get out and about to grow..."
"So I just went out for a walk."
Scratching his head sowhat sheepishly, Anping said:
"I just didn't expect to encounter that kind of situation."
Wang Anfeng found the ntion of 'teacher' rather surprising, but he didn't show it, and instead said:
"Such matters are common occurrences in Jianghu."
"As you continue to travel through Jianghu, you will often encounter similar situations."
"There's a lot in this world that you can't just hear about; you have to see it with your own eyes to understand the truth."
His voice montarily paused, and Wang Anfeng couldn't help but think of Hong Hui and Hong Feibai.
When he first t them, he had assud that Hong Hui was indifferent, cold-hearted, and put interests above everything.
This impression only changed in the end.
And by the ti it changed, it was already too late.
While Anping was listening, the conversation suddenly stopped, and curious, he looked up and asked:
"Brother Wang?"
Wang Anfeng snapped back to reality, rubbed Anping's black hair, exhaled a breath of white vapor, and chuckled:
"But, so things cannot be understood just by listening or even seeing for yourself; not everything you see is necessarily true."
"Because people lie and change, and there are many matters that you only understand at the last mont, yet so truths may never be fully revealed even to the end."
"Not knowing might sotis be a blessing."
Confusion spread across Anping's face. After a long mont of thought, he still shook his head and said with a pained expression:
"Brother Wang, I don't understand..."
Wang Anfeng patted his head and laughed, saying:
"It's right that you don't understand now, I don't understand either."
"If one day you do understand, you'll have to explain it to …"
"For now, co back to the inn with . You've stirred up quite a commotion today, the place you were before is no longer safe."
PS: Second update of the day...
Reviews
All reviews (0)