Parting Again

By the originally quiet riverbank, two boys, about thirteen or fourteen years old, laughed heartily, feeling a bit closer to each other. The young man looked up at the sky and stopped laughing. "I just came out to clear my head today, but I never expected to meet you again, little brother. Not only did I witness a set of top-tier boxing techniques, but I also had a good laugh. It was truly a worthwhile trip."

"It's a shame... I have to leave this city today, otherwise, I truly wish we could have spent more time together."

Wang Anfeng was slightly stunned and asked:

"Leaving today?"

"Leaving any moment now."

The young man sighed. On the willow-lined embankment, a rather spirited, dark-green horse walked out, flicking its tail. It had apparently been standing there for quite some time. It nudged its head against the young man's hand and then glanced at Wang Anfeng. Its eyes were like those of a mythical dragon, with dark gold vertical pupils. Just one look sent a cold sweat down his back.

"You beast, why are you so ill-tempered?"

The young man raised his hand and lightly struck the dark-green horse's head, chiding it with a laugh. He then took a small, exquisite package from the horse's back, handed it to Wang Anfeng, and said with a smile:

"We just met and now I'm leaving. Consider this my apology."

Wang Anfeng accepted the seemingly valuable box without hesitation. His expression was open and honest as he looked at the young man and said, "Last time, you said that if we met again, you'd tell me your name."

The young man chuckled and cupped his fist:

"My surname is Xue."

"As for my name..."

The young man winked at Wang Anfeng, teasing, "I said we met once, but I didn't say it was this once, little brother. We'll see each other again in a few days."

As his laughter faded, the young man leaped into the air, displaying an exceptionally agile and elegant movement technique. He landed on the horse's back. With a long neigh, the strange dark-green horse broke into a gallop and disappeared into the distance, leaving Wang Anfeng behind, feeling teased but unable to find fault. He was speechless as he watched the young man depart. He casually opened the exquisite wooden box and was slightly taken aback.

The wooden box, no larger than two palms, was meticulously divided. In the center was a round space, surrounded by eight small compartments arranged in the pattern of the Eight Trigrams. Each compartment held a few pastries. While they were pastries, they were so exquisitely made they hardly looked like food. They came in various small and delicate shapes, such as spheres, Buddha's hands, bats, peaches, and pomegranates. In the center compartment was a slip of paper. Wang Anfeng took it and read aloud in a low voice:

"Passing through Tianjing, the food is rich in oil and salt, with a hearty northern flavor. Only these 'Eight Delicacies of the Capital' are delicate in technique, soft in the mouth, truly top-grade... Delicious!"

Wang Anfeng couldn't help but chuckle. "So, Brother Xue, besides wine, you also like pastries..."

"This is much better than wine!"

He put the note back into the wooden box and casually picked up a pastry, popping it into his mouth. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Indeed, it's soft in the mouth and delicious!"

Since the young man surnamed Xue had already left, Wang Anfeng felt a bit bored. As the sky was gradually approaching noon, he carefully put away the wooden box and, using Shaolin's Vigorous Step Technique, headed towards the county town. In just a moment, he was back in town and walked towards Li's pharmacy. Before he even reached it, he heard a gruff voice shouting:

"No! If you don't treat him, I'll smash your shop! With our brotherhood, you won't be able to survive in Wangxian County!"

Wang Anfeng's expression faltered. Hearing the tone, it seemed like they hadn't resorted to violence yet, so he didn't rush in. He blended into the crowd and watched the situation. On the ground in front of the pharmacy lay a stretcher, with a tall, imposing man lying on it. He was wrapped in a bloody cloth, his eyes tightly shut. Beside the stretcher stood two young men, their clothes stained with blood, their brows carrying a menacing aura, not like good people. A bearded man stood at the front, with a face like a leopard's head and eyes like a ring, holding a thick-backed iron blade. He roared:

"Li, are you going to treat him or not!"

Li Kangsheng pursed his lips and said:

"I cannot save him!"

Wang Anfeng, hidden in the crowd, was slightly stunned. Seeing Li Kangsheng's expression and the menacing aura of the burly men, he suddenly remembered how his uncle was nearly killed in his youth for refusing to treat a bandit leader. He thought to himself:

"This appearance... could it be that some nearby bandits sneaked into the city and were discovered by Uncle? Or is it a fight between gangs in the city?"

At this moment, the burly man was almost furious. With a crack, he slanted his long saber downwards. The blade grazed Li Kangsheng and cut halfway into the thick wooden counter. He roared:

"Li, do you want to die? Everyone knows you're skilled at loosening muscles and joints. Do you understand my elder brother's status? Even the county magistrate listens to him. If you don't obey, be careful I chop off your head and have your whole family thrown into prison!"

Li Kangsheng was already annoyed by his unreasonable commotion. Hearing this, he became even more disgusted. His stubbornness flared up. He didn't explain and merely sneered coldly:

"Such arrogance! You truly are Commander Zhao, who beats elders in the street. If you want to raid, then raid!"

"I said I can't treat him. Take this person away and find someone else skilled. Be careful if his internal injuries flare up and he dies in my Hui Chuntang. How unlucky!"

"You're asking for death! I'll chop you!"

The burly man was almost enraged. He roared, suddenly raised his right arm, drew his long saber, and fiercely slashed down at Li Kangsheng. The cold light surged, cutting through the air with a chilling, sharp whistling sound that made the scalp tingle. The surrounding onlookers screamed in terror and retreated.

Wang Anfeng's heart leaped. Before he could feel fear, he lunged forward. With an elbow strike that broke through the air, he smashed directly into the burly man's abdomen and ribs without holding back. There was a metallic clang, and a loud bang echoed. The burly man, caught off guard, stumbled a couple of steps to the side. The long saber lost its original direction and fell directly towards Wang Anfeng's head, its cold light sharp.

Seeing that it was just a young boy, the burly man's heart skipped a beat. He roared, exerting all his strength to forcibly change the direction of the long saber, smashing it heavily onto the counter beside him with a loud bang. Blood gushed from his palm.

Meanwhile, Wang Anfeng's face was slightly pale, and he was gasping for breath. Only then did he realize that the burly man, in his rage, had actually used the back of the blade. It also seemed like he wasn't aiming directly at Li Kangsheng, but rather to intimidate. Now, to change his move, he smashed it onto the thick wooden counter, causing the blade to embed itself several inches deep. Wang Anfeng was momentarily stunned.

The burly man let out a long sigh, then pointed at Wang Anfeng's forehead and cursed:

"What little brat is this, trying to die?! If you want to die, I'll kill you with one slash! Get lost and play somewhere else!"

Wang Anfeng saw his fierce expression, as if he were about to devour someone. Yet, he had clearly acted with restraint just now, not as rough as he appeared. Just as Wang Anfeng was about to say something, Li Kangsheng, whose view was blocked, mistook the burly man's action of drawing his saber as a fierce attack. Thinking Wang Anfeng had risked his life to save him, he felt indignant. He quickly grabbed the stone pestle he was using for grinding herbs, pulled Wang Anfeng protectively behind him, and pointed at the burly man, yelling:

"You scoundrel! If anything happens to my nephew, I'll kill you today! Anyone related to you, I won't save a single one!"

"Good! You quack doctor!"

The burly man was also enraged. His elder brother was seriously injured, and despite his repeated restraint, the only doctor capable of saving his brother had such an attitude. He was hot-tempered and felt overwhelmed with rage, on the verge of going mad.

The two stood in confrontation, tension mounting. Just then, a weak cough suddenly came from behind. The burly man's expression changed drastically. All anger vanished from his face. He dropped the long saber, turned, and rushed over, kneeling beside the man and urgently asking:

"Big Brother!"

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.