Mr. Jiang

The latest chapters of My Many Masters updated fastest!

Shaolin's Qi Gathering Pills came in a narrow-necked, coarse porcelain bottle, with seven pills inside. When meditating, they could aid the circulation of internal force.

With Wang Anfeng's current cultivation of internal force, he would originally have needed half an hour to dissolve one Qi Gathering Pill. But now that the force within his body had been scattered, the pill only stimulated and replenished his internal force, so it dissolved nearly three times faster than before. He practiced by punching trees, swallowing a pill after his internal force was exhausted, and repeating the process. In this way, several hours passed.

After swallowing the final pill, Wang Anfeng forced his weary body to hold firm and let out a clear shout. His right fist rotated out from beneath his ribs and smashed into the thick old tree. With a thunderous boom, the tree finally crashed to the ground. The internal force in his palm also scattered in all directions from the impact, sinking into his muscles almost entirely save for an extremely faint trace. The soreness made him grimace and suck in a sharp breath as he swiftly shook his wrist.

After the soreness had faded considerably, he raised his head and glanced at the sky. Then he gathered his strength and hoisted the old tree onto his shoulder. Without the support of internal force, he could not help grunting as his body sank and wobbled beneath the weight, but he ultimately did not fall. Carrying the great tree, he slowly walked downhill.

It was already past noon. The women of every household had finished preparing the meals, and there were few pedestrians in the village. Yet a man in a blue short jacket still sat in the shade, his face full of gloom.

He had already been waiting there for a long time, but the youth capable of carrying trees still had not come.

The order was simply too large, and the customer who had placed it was exceptionally generous. His employer was determined to take it, but where could they find so much fine timber? After racking his brains, he had spent money treating several fellow apprentices from his old training days to a lavish feast of meat and wine. Only then had he learned that there might be a turn of fortune here.

But his senior apprentice had also said that the youth had not appeared for a long time. That was why they had told him about this place. He knew the hope was slim, but he still wanted to come and gamble on it.

What if it worked...

"Looks like it's still hopeless..."

The man sighed, slapped his backside, and stood. Turning around, he said, "Shopkeeper, how much?"

The young man with a white cloth draped over his shoulder smiled amiably.

"Thank you for your patronage. Three copper coins."

The man frowned. Reluctantly fishing out the money, he grumbled, "Not even enough to whet a bird's appetite, and you're still charging this much... You black-hearted devil, aren't you afraid of ending up in hell's oil cauldron..."

Clatter... clatter...

Just then, the sound of chains rang out, growing louder and louder. The man frowned.

"What's going on here? Why's it so noisy?"

While watching the man's right hand struggle to produce three copper coins, the tea-shop waiter smiled without warmth.

"The chains? They started ringing first thing this morning. It's one of our little fellows. He insisted on wrapping himself in a whole mess of iron chains before going up the mountain to chop wood..."

"Chop wood?!"

The man froze for a moment, then abruptly turned his head. He saw a youth emerge with chains wrapped around his body and a massive log balanced on his shoulder. With every step, the chains rang out like music from a battle formation, making even his heart tremble slightly. Then wild joy surged through him. He pulled out silver money and flung it at the waiter without even looking. More than ten copper coins landed on the counter and spun in circles, while he himself had already pounced at Wang Anfeng like a ravenous wolf, shouting:

"Little brother, I'll buy that wood from you!"

"I'll pay a big price!"

There was hardly any haggling before the old log on Wang Anfeng's shoulder was sold. The man foolishly stroked the timber, while Zhao, the young tea seller, treated him with exceptional enthusiasm. After politely declining the invitation to have a cup of tea, Wang Anfeng hurried toward his own room. His entire body ached and throbbed, and he had nearly reached the limit of his exhaustion. As he passed the old locust tree, a surprised voice sounded beside him.

"Brother Wang... what happened to you...?"

His footsteps paused slightly. He turned to look and saw the scholarly-looking man staring at him in astonishment. He raised a hand in greeting and smiled.

"Mr. Jiang, what a coincidence today."

Jiang Shouyi laughed. "This is my home. What coincidence could there be?"

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the iron chains around Wang Anfeng's body, then paused on his face.

"It seems you're practicing a form of external martial arts, little brother."

Wang Anfeng was slightly startled, but did not deny it. He merely smiled.

"I didn't know Mr. Jiang practiced martial arts too."

Jiang Shouyi shook his head. "I don't know martial arts, but I've seen plenty of it and know a little. You've been cultivating all the way here and must be tired. Why not come into my new home and have a cup of tea to soothe your throat?"

His voice was warm and mellow. Before he had even finished speaking, he stepped aside, raised a hand in invitation, and looked at Wang Anfeng with gentle, smiling eyes. Wang Anfeng hesitated briefly. Since they were fellow villagers and Mr. Jiang had taken the initiative to invite him in, refusing seemed somewhat discourteous. He clasped his fists and said:

"In that case, I'll trouble you. I hope you won't mind me being covered in sweat..."

"When a friend comes, there is only joy in the heart. Please, come in."

Jiang Shouyi chuckled and led Wang Anfeng inside. Though the residence was small, it possessed its own bearing, with the air of a quiet study. The child was sitting beside a writing desk, softly reading. When Jiang Shouyi called him, he raised his eyes and saw Wang Anfeng. His eyes brightened slightly as he inconspicuously pushed the book farther away, then called in a clear voice:

"Brother Wang!"

Wang Anfeng smiled and greeted him. "Hello, Tianhong." Jiang Shouyi pretended not to notice his son's little movement and rose to enter the inner room. A moment later, before Jiang Shouyi had returned, the graceful woman brought out a tea set and said gently:

"Anfeng, come and take a seat."

Her features were merely delicate, yet she possessed an extraordinary bearing—serene and enduring, impossible to overlook. Wang Anfeng bowed.

"Thank you."

He carefully sat to one side. The woman rose and brewed the tea. Every movement was plain, yet all conformed to nature, like wind passing through sparse bamboo or deep water flowing in stillness, bringing peace even to those who watched.

The surging blood and qi within Wang Anfeng unconsciously settled. A cup of clear tea had already been placed before him. Once he drank it, all the heat and dryness in his throat vanished.

He did not know when Jiang Shouyi had taken a seat before him. Smiling, he said:

"The mountain tea here has its own flavor, though you drink it often, Anfeng, so I imagine you're already accustomed to it."

Only then did Wang Anfeng realize that it was merely the mountain tea he usually drank, without anything unusual about it. The woman's tea-brewing technique was even inferior to that of the tea master at the tea stall, yet the extraordinary quality was undeniably real. Confusion surfaced on his face. Jiang Shouyi took a light sip, lowered his eyes, and said:

"Don't think too much about it. My wife doesn't know martial arts either."

Wang Anfeng was slightly startled. Jiang Shouyi raised his head and smiled at him.

"I'm merely a scholar. I only know that when writing is brought to its utmost, there is nothing extraordinary about it—it simply happens to be so. When tea is brewed to its utmost, there is nothing unusual about it—it is simply its nature."

His voice paused briefly before he continued softly:

"I suppose martial arts should be the same."

Wang Anfeng's expression trembled slightly. He seemed to have grasped something, yet it was like a white colt flashing past a crack in a wall—the insight vanished in an instant, leaving not a trace behind. By then, Jiang Shouyi had already changed the subject, as though he had merely mentioned it in passing and meant nothing by it. About half an hour later, Wang Anfeng rose to take his leave. Jiang Shouyi and Jiang Tianhong escorted him to the door. Wang Anfeng first clasped his fists toward Jiang Shouyi, then lightly rubbed the child's hair and smiled.

"Well then, Tianhong, I'll be going first..."

Jiang Shouyi smiled. "Just call him Brother Jiang, Anfeng."

Wang Anfeng was slightly startled. The child had already waved at him with a smile, so he returned the smile and turned to leave.

Jiang Shouyi stood there for a moment before slowly turning back. The graceful woman was unfolding a letter, while a bird with jade-like yellow feathers affectionately rubbed against her palm. She raised her eyes to look at her husband, seeming somewhat helpless.

"They're urging us again... They say the academy is short-handed and want us to return and teach."

Jiang Shouyi took his seat.

"Whose seal is on it this time?"

"Great Qin's King Xuanwu, the Dragon Steed Commander, the academy headmaster... and the current Crown Prince. The Crown Prince has promised you the post of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, along with a fief of a thousand households."

Each of the four names was enough to make the entire Great Qin tremble three times over. Yet Jiang Shouyi's expression did not change. He drank a mouthful of clear tea and said evenly:

"The purpose of a teacher is to transmit the Way and impart knowledge. The academy is filled with ignorant fools. They possess only outer splendor and have lost the heart to study and seek the Way. My teacher had three wishes. My talents are ordinary, so I can fulfill only one: to obtain the world's outstanding talents and teach them. Since I cannot put what I have learned to use at the academy and educate worthy talents, I might as well travel the world in search of unpolished jade among the common people, so that they will not remain buried here. If one or two can emerge from obscurity, that will be enough to fulfill the wishes of people like us."

The woman sighed.

"But how are we supposed to reply to this? The headmaster said everything could be discussed."

Jiang Shouyi set down his teacup.

"I'll write the reply."

He fetched paper and brush and wrote only one line. The woman raised her eyes to look and said softly:

"My teacher is like my father. If he gives an order, I should naturally obey."

After reading it, she looked somewhat strangely at the gentle, tranquil Jiang Shouyi.

"Husband, wasn't your teacher, the Master, already deceased before the new year...?"

Jiang Shouyi glanced at her and said indifferently:

"That's why there's nothing to discuss."