What Makes a Great Family!

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The mounted youths rode off into the distance, leaving only the girl kneeling on the ground. Hearing those words, she seemed to lose her soul, two trails of tears sliding from her eyes as she murmured incessantly:

"Give them back to me... Give them back..."

Wang Anfeng frowned slightly and reached out to help her up, but the girl was utterly limp, as though she had no bones. He had no choice but to use his own strength to pull her to her feet. His palm swept past her waist, and several silver needles sank into her palm.

During this time, he had just learned several acupoints for stopping bleeding. He circulated his internal force, and the blood stopped at once. Only when the girl felt the pain in her hand ease did she come back to herself somewhat. She bowed to him, her voice still carrying a trace of sobbing.

"Thank you, Young Master."

"I'm no young master. You can just call me Wang Anfeng."

Wang Anfeng replied. Seeing the girl with tearful eyes, he thought for a moment, then untied the still fairly clean bundle from his back and handed it to her.

"Sorry to trouble you with keeping this for me."

The girl froze, not understanding.

"This is..."

The sun was bright at that moment. The youth in the blue short jacket smiled at her, his tone gentle.

"I'm afraid I'll get it dirty."

Willow Catkin Villa gradually drew near. After galloping all the way there, much of the irritation in Wang Bai's heart had faded. The scenery around them was pleasant, and with a beautiful girl among his companions, he gradually forgot his earlier displeasure. He turned his head to chat and joke with the girl, saying something clever that made her laugh softly. The beauty between her brows was utterly intoxicating, even more so than fine wine.

The youth was carefree, clad in splendid clothes and astride a spirited horse, while the beauty was shy and the cool breeze refreshing. Wang Bai felt his heart growing increasingly exhilarated, a bold and heroic spirit rising within him. If only he had something in his belly besides air, he truly would have liked to compose a few poems. But just then, a gentle voice suddenly came from beside them:

"What fine spirits you all have."

The words were gentle and courteous, but they made Wang Bai and the others shudder in alarm. They had been speaking at length and had not noticed anyone riding up behind them. When they abruptly turned their heads, they saw a youth in a blue short jacket calmly watching them from the side. He was not riding a horse; he was keeping pace with their steeds using only his legs, without falling behind in the slightest. Seeing their gazes turn toward him, he said:

"I've come to honor our wager."

Wang Bai froze slightly, then recognized Wang Anfeng. Ordinarily, conceding a little to such lightness skill would have been nothing, but with a beauty beside him and his spoiled temperament, he immediately sneered.

"Well, well. The little bastard sent his sweetheart after me. If you can catch up, then come."

He urged his steed to accelerate again. Anger flashed through Wang Anfeng's eyes at his words, and disgust filled his heart. Seeing him about to leave, he reached out and seized the reins. But the horse was immensely strong—how could he hold it back? Instead, he was dragged off balance. Wang Bai burst out laughing, while his companions also relaxed somewhat, deciding that Wang Anfeng was merely skilled at lightness skill.

Wang Anfeng's expression did not change. He suddenly bent his elbow and slammed it hard into the steed's belly.

The steed cried out in pain and reared violently, throwing the laughing Wang Bai straight from the saddle. The horse possessed the bloodline of an unusual beast and was not easy to tame; now it grew even more vicious. Flames sprayed from its mouth and nostrils as it twisted its body, bringing both hooves crashing down toward Wang Anfeng. The force was tremendous. Seeing this, Wang Bai, who had fallen to the ground with a bruised and swollen face, went deathly pale.

He was merely the son of a noble family, spoiled by nature. At thirteen or fourteen, however, he was still far from matching those young scions who could whip servants to death in the streets. Faced with this situation, he lost his head completely and screamed.

By then, they were already close to Willow Catkin Villa. The villa stood atop a mountain, with a straight main road that made three turns and five bends only near the mountain itself. Thus, only when Wang Bai screamed did he attract the attention of the two middle-aged men at the entrance. They exchanged a glance and hurried out.

They rushed through several bends and looked down from above. The unusual beast steed threw back its head and let out a long neigh.

A youth with his hair tied up wore a blue jacket. One hand gripped the reins while the other wrapped around the horse's neck, flipping the Mad Lion Treading Cloud Steed bodily onto the ground.

Dust billowed into the air!

Its mane was as wild as a mad lion's, and its entire coat was like flame. Only its four hooves were white as snow. Now it lay overturned, neighing in pain and struggling without cease, yet it could never break free from the youth's restraint. Such strength at such an age was practically unheard-of. The Willow Catkin Villa guards stared at one another in terror, rendered speechless.

So this is the momentum of water...

Wang Anfeng's bright eyes kept adjusting his movements along with the steed's struggles. A horse was ultimately only a beast. Even if its strength was astonishing, one could still easily topple it by following its force and borrowing its momentum. This was the momentum of water... When the tide came, he simply followed the direction of its strength...

As for being thrown to the ground?

When the Master of the Martial Arts School's fat pig struggled, it was strong too.

The still-young Mad Lion Treading Cloud Steed struggled and cried out on the ground for a while. In the end, it began panting heavily and submitted. Within its instincts, no more intelligent than those of a four- or five-year-old child, whenever the person pinning it down looked toward its neck, it felt an indescribable chill.

Wang Anfeng exhaled a breath of stale air, released his aching hands, and rose to face the Willow Catkin Villa guards who had been drawn over by the commotion. He cupped his fists.

"Sorry for the trouble."

"You're too polite, Young Hero."

The outer guards of Willow Catkin Villa almost all took a step back and instinctively returned the salute. The youth before them wore a somewhat dirty and disheveled blue jacket, but simply based on the strength he had just displayed in flipping and subduing the steed, no one dared look down on him. Even if he came from humble origins, with those skills, he might not be able to defeat all of them, but overturning three or five would be no problem.

In the martial world, knowing whom one could provoke and whom one could not was an eye. It was also an ability. Martial arts were an ability too. Their martial arts were lacking, so they could only serve as guards. Fortunately, their eyes were not poor.

Those with poor judgment had all died outside. Once autumn came and frost fell, even the grass on their graves could be gathered for firewood.

"My Snowy! Snowy!"

Only after Wang Anfeng stood up did Wang Bai let out a wail and throw himself at the steed. His three companions all dismounted together and finally managed to turn the young unusual beast upright. Seeing the marks left by its struggles on its body, Wang Bai was so anxious that tears nearly fell from his eyes. He carefully wiped it with his sleeve, but the horse showed no appreciation, flicking its tail to brush his sleeve aside before cautiously approaching Wang Anfeng.

Wang Anfeng froze slightly, assuming the horse was coming to attack again. This strange horse had frightening strength; if it came at him once more, he might be exhausted. He frowned slightly, but the horse was frightened and backed away several paces, making Wang Bai stumble.

Then, realizing that Wang Anfeng had no intention of attacking it, it snorted and cautiously came forward again. It lightly touched Wang Anfeng, and when it received no reaction, it lowered its guard and brought its head closer, affectionately rubbing its precious mane against the youth's waist.

"What is this..."

"You're lucky, Young Hero."

One of the guards raised a thumbs-up, his voice tinged with envy. "Unusual beasts respect the strong. This horse carries the bloodline of an unusual beast, and you subdued it through sheer force. It submits to you and has taken you as its master."

"You're talking nonsense! This is my horse!"

Wang Bai was furious, but the Mad Lion Treading Cloud Steed did not even glance at him. Wang Anfeng frowned and extended his right hand toward Wang Bai. He had originally intended to ask for the hairpin, but the Mad Lion Treading Cloud Steed brought its head beneath Wang Anfeng's hand first, rubbing against it ingratiatingly. The youth froze slightly, then could only stroke the unusual steed before speaking.

"The horse is yours, but now that I've touched it... Hand over the pearl hairpin."

Wang Bai froze slightly. He looked at the Mad Lion Treading Cloud Steed, which was openly scorning him, then at his own filthy, disheveled clothes. Opening and closing his mouth, he spoke as though about to cry.

"All this over a worthless pearl hairpin?"

"For the sake of that lowly servant, you actually humiliate me like this? Under the laws of Great Qin, I am a member of a great family. Even if I killed her, I would only have to pay some silver!"

Wang Bai suddenly shouted angrily. Wang Anfeng frowned slightly, his disgust almost impossible to express. Even the many guards who had previously been smiling now wore unpleasant expressions. Wang Bai sensed the disgust and hostility around him and felt a faint shock, but the words had already left his mouth. He could only stiffen his neck and glare at the others.

Just then, a clear and melodious tune suddenly rose from the woods. At first it was graceful and winding, lingering among the mountain and treetops, then it surged into the clouds and scattered the frozen atmosphere. Even Wang Anfeng, despite his disgust, could not help becoming somewhat lost in it. Then the tune abruptly stopped.

Everyone felt an inexplicable sense of loss, but a clear, smiling voice rang out. The sound stretched on, soft and dense. Though not loud, it carried a rich resonance, clearly showing that the speaker's internal force was far from weak.

"Among the Six Killings of Great Qin's laws, one who kills without cause is guilty of the same crime as a commoner, even if he is the son of a commandery prince. One who kills another unjustly because of his own status receives an additional penalty. Six punishments, three executions—Young Master, have you thought this through?"

A full dozen breaths passed after the voice fell before the crisp, pleasant sound of horse hooves rang out. Several breaths later, a tall, slender youth appeared before them. He was fifteen or sixteen, wearing a deep jujube-red outer robe over a moon-white long gown painted with ink bamboo and mountain scenery. His handsome brows and eyes carried an approachable, scholarly elegance, as though he had read every book under heaven.

He held a horse's reins in his left hand and lightly tossed a willow leaf down with his right. The tall white horse had a gentle expression, and the injured girl sat on its back, hugging a bundle with an uneasy look. The handsome youth smiled warmly and courteously.

"Everyone, this young lady has suffered some injuries. There should be a physician in the villa. Please take care of her."

His footsteps slowed, and the white horse obediently came to a halt. The youth turned around and extended his right hand, speaking gently.

"Miss, please dismount."

The girl, who had been extremely stubborn before Wang Bai, now blushed faintly, becoming quite lovely. Her hand bore some bloodstains, so she drew it back slightly, but he did not mind in the slightest. Instead, he raised his internal energy to prevent the wound from being disturbed and causing her pain.

His movements were gentle and courteous, while his eyes remained calm and indifferent, as though he were merely looking at white clouds and a forest. Only when he saw that thread of blush did a wistful thought arise in his heart.

I haven't seen candied hawthorn in a long time. I wonder how she's doing.

But have the standards for great families become too low these days...? No, no, no. The spoiled young masters of Wangxian County must simply be too shallow. They're trash.

The youth's heart was filled with disdain and pride.

By nature, his body was extremely frail. Whenever he cultivated for any length of time, he would cough up great mouthfuls of blood, so his family refused to let him study such things. His eighty-year-old grandfather had begged his grandson to visit brothels and pleasure boats. He obediently went, but found the melodies outdated, so he composed new ones himself and had the young ladies sing them.

This finally stopped his illnesses, and his family breathed a sigh of relief. But several months later, all the young masters in the city knelt in a row outside his door, begging to acknowledge him as their elder brother. His fame spread far and wide, and even a famous courtesan declared that she would marry no one else. His grandfather was so furious he nearly went to meet his ancestors on the spot. To put an end to the rumors, the moment he awoke, he howled that he would arrange a marriage for the boy.

Yet while the adults were preparing to discuss which family's daughter would be suitable, the nine-year-old boy slipped out of the house on his own. Using one candied hawthorn and the physiognomy skills he had learned out of boredom, he directly brought home a beauty with the makings of a fine talent.

When the wealthy young masters throughout the city heard, they raised their heads to the heavens and howled. Why had such a monstrous creature appeared? Yet after howling, they still obediently continued kneeling in a row outside his door.

What did it mean to have deep foundations? What did it mean to be a great family?

It meant that even when you acted like a wastrel, you could still make all of them lose confidence.

After carefully helping the injured girl down without overstepping propriety, the youth looked at Wang Bai, who resembled a beggar. His eyes were full of disdain and pity, yet his bearing remained refined and approachable. With a snap, he opened his folding fan. Its brushwork was fierce yet dignified, displaying an imposing elegance difficult for anyone to match.

First in the world in uselessness; peerless throughout the ages in being a good-for-nothing.

"I am Xiahou Xuan."