Why do I have so many masters?

Wang Anfeng had handed over the two thieves to the Ministry of Punishment, and the constables had found out the crimes they had committed in the past. Wang Anfeng also received a reward of ten taels of silver. Feeling hungry and thirsty, he ate something outside before returning to the Academy.

His cabin was conveniently located between the main gate of the Academy and the path to Wind Character Tower, hidden amidst the trees, and was usually deserted. Today, however, as he passed by, he saw a man and a woman standing at the door of the house, both dressed in light blue clothing with medicinal herb embroidery on their sleeves.

The man's expression was dull, but he seemed loyal and honest, while the woman appeared clever and graceful, quite charming indeed.

Wang Anfeng was slightly curious. After thinking it over, and not recognizing the two, he assumed the man and woman were having a secret rendezvous. Out of kindness, he did not disturb them; instead, he circled around the outside before going to Wind Character Tower to read.

Not until the sun reached its zenith, feeling hungry, did he place the book back on the shelf, noting where he had placed it, before turning to leave, planning to go back to his cabin to wash rice and cook, filling his stomach.

The previous day, because the two young thieves were still around, he had not been able to return to Shaolin Temple to eat and had gone hungry all night. He had learned his lesson today and dared not leave his stomach empty for the sake of eating better, especially since the list from Fire Refining Sect was still posted. Who knew if more thieves would come today?

With thoughts swirling in his mind, his pace did not slow, and in an instant, he had returned to the cabin, only to see the young woman was no longer in sight, while the dull man still stood there, even maintaining the same posture and movement. Wang Anfeng was slightly taken aback.

When he was a few meters behind the young man, he smelled a faint scent of medicinal herbs. Wang Anfeng, curious, spoke,

"This young master…"

"Ah?!"

The young man looked up somewhat blankly. When he saw Wang Anfeng, he seemed startled, took a half step back, then hurriedly arranged his clothes properly before bowing respectfully and said,

"Sir, are you the book keeper?"

"I am Chuan Lian, a disciple of Pharmacist Valley. I apologize for the intrusion and hope you will not take offense."

Wang Anfeng heard that he had come to visit him and spoke politely, unlike the young heroes who had challenged him before. Curious, he returned the salute and asked,

"So you are Chuan Lian. May I know what brings you to me?"

Chuan Lian hesitated a bit, his face showing a hint of embarrassment as he spoke,

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"I was born in Pharmacist Valley and have studied medicine since childhood. I heard that Young Master Wang had once used a special prescription to accelerate the aging of injuries, which I greatly admire. I am visiting an elder in Fufeng City and thought of visiting the book keeper. If, if possible, to discuss pharmacology, that would be most desirable, most desirable."

He spoke with a stutter and then bowed repeatedly, very sincerely.

At this, Wang Anfeng finally understood the young man's purpose in coming.

Thinking further, aside from his unique martial arts and the two special pharmacological transformations, his second master had never forbidden him from discussing and learning the basic pharmacological knowledge with others. Rather than feeling a need to refuse, he, having studied medicine for a long time and never having interacted with his peers in this field, found the idea quite novel.

He immediately invited Chuan Lian inside. Both men were not fond of formalities, and it was only the time it took to brew a pot of tea that they delved deep into the subject of medicine.

The name Pharmacist Valley was almost overly common throughout the land, but mentioning the Pharmacist Valley of Fufeng was different. The latter was a unique sect within the martial arts community of Fufeng, with extremely few disciples and disciples. Its martial arts inheritance was not extraordinary, but its distinctive medical skills indeed allowed it to hold a rather exalted status in the martial arts world.

The sects in Fufeng, aside from the wealthy and powerful Fire Refining Sect, both righteous and nefarious, preferred not to conflict with the disciples of Pharmacist Valley.

Chuan Lian had grown up in Pharmacist Valley since he was a child and learned to read by studying "Miraculous Pivot" and "Plain Questions". After more than twenty years of intensive study, he had mastered the true teachings of two generations of Valley Masters. Although young, his medical skills were exceptionally solid. Had he been in any County City, he would have already been recognized as a top-notch physician.

Wang Anfeng's medical skills, however, were entirely inherited from Wu Changqing.

The latter had once been known as the number one Divine Doctor in Jianghu, his learning was considered astonishing and unconventional. Although Wang Anfeng had not been learning medicine for long and had not grasped its three core aspects, under high guidance, he had remarkably insightful views on many areas.

The pharmacological knowledge each had learned was entirely different. Though it was said that all paths lead to the same destination, they were far from seeing it that way at their level of expertise. They both felt that each other's medical knowledge greatly differed from their own yet made a lot of sense. Through their interactions, they each gained new insights.

Unwittingly, the day turned to evening. From noon, they had talked until the moon was high in the sky before they finally stopped. Chuan Lian stood up to say goodbye, both of them feeling there was still much left unsaid.

In the following days, the young man from Pharmacist Valley would come to discuss medical theories and pharmacology with Wang Anfeng for five or six days, until the nineteenth of September.

"Brother Wang's learning really opens my eyes. I had never imagined that there could be such pharmacology in the world."

Chuan Lian continuously expressed his admiration but also shook his head in regret:

"It's just a pity, I will soon be returning to Pharmacist Valley with my junior sister, to follow our Master's orders and go into secluded cultivation."

"Who knows when we will meet again."

Wang Anfeng waved his hand and poured him some tea, saying:

"The world of Jianghu is vast, there will always be a day when we will meet again, so why worry?"

Chuan Lian was slightly stunned and laughed, shaking his head. He tilted his head back and drank the tea in his cup in one gulp, sighing:

"Indeed, it is I who, though nearly ten years your senior, fail to see as clearly as a young man like you. This truly proves the saying, 'A fool ages ten years...'"

Wang Anfeng did not reply but drank a sip of tea and asked:

"When does Brother Chuan plan to leave the County City?"

Chuan Lian replied:

"Tomorrow."

"If it weren't for my junior sister insisting on exploring the night market in this County City one last time, I probably would have ridden fast back to Pharmacist Valley today."

He paused momentarily and then remembered something. He made an invitation:

"Since it's about dinner time today, and I've been relying on Brother Wang's guidance these past few days, why don't we go out and I'll treat you to a meal?"

...........................

It was about three-quarters past noon.

Wang Anfeng and his party didn't go far, only to a restaurant with good food next to the inn where Chuan Lian and his junior sister were staying. They ordered some signature dishes, and it was then that Wang Anfeng saw Chuan Lian's junior sister for the first time, a girl who appeared quite demure, aged about fourteen or fifteen.

The young girl originally seemed quite excited, with a light step, but when she saw Wang Anfeng, there was a slight startle, turning into a rather disappointed look. She muttered to herself but still didn't want to offend Chuan Lian, and she restrained her demeanor and performed a bow, saying crisply:

"Meng Yuexue from Pharmacist Valley, I have seen Young Hero Wang."

Wang Anfeng stepped back half a step, bowing with his fist, and said:

"Miss is too courteous."

Only because in this period of time, Wang Anfeng and Chuan Lian had daily discussions about pharmacology, one being gentle and restrained, the other being naive and introverted, they happened to get along quite well. At this dining table, there were none of the insincere courtesies found elsewhere. After they exchanged a few words, they were back to discussing medical techniques and pharmacy, talking about nothing but the properties of medicines and acupoints.

Suddenly there was a crisp snap sound, and the table shook twice.

The conversation between them abruptly stopped. Chuan Lian looked stunned for a moment, turning his head, he saw his junior sister had knocked over a wine cup, her cheeks slightly red, sticking out her tongue and panting repeatedly, lamenting:

"Spicy, so spicy..."

"How can dad and granddad drink it so avidly."

Chuan Lian, startled, quickly stood up. Because he was too hasty, he even knocked down the stool beneath him. He glanced at the wine cup, a strong aroma of alcohol assaulted his senses; it was the potent liquor from the Northern Lands. With a somewhat shocked expression, he hastily poured a cup of tea and had Meng Yuexue drink it, then frantically took out many bottles and jars, searching for elixirs.

Wang Anfeng motioned to the waiter and said:

"This young lady is drunk, please trouble Waiter Brother to ask the chef in the back to prepare some food that sobers up."

The waiter saw Meng Yuexue's condition and understood the situation, agreeing quickly before turning to head to the kitchen. Wang Anfeng watched a flustered Chuan Lian and consoled him:

"Brother Chuan, do not worry, if she drank only half a cup, I think she'll wake up after sleeping for a bit."

"Using medicine at random might not be ideal."

Chuan Lian paused in his movements at those words and said:

"Yes, we can only do so now."

At this moment, Meng Yuexue, holding on to Chuan Lian's sleeve, hid behind him, and rolled her eyes at Wang Anfeng, muttering indistinctly:

"Guardian of the archive..."@@novelbin@@

Wang Anfeng did not understand her meaning, just nodded his head, and then saw that sweetly behaved girl point at herself and say:

"Guardian of the archive... everyone says, the Guardian of the Archive is a young hero."

"Lies, lies!"

Chuan Lian, shocked, whispered:

"Junior sister, what are you talking about?"

"You are drunk..."

Meng Yuexue waved her hand lightly, hitting Chuan Lian, her cheeks slightly red, her demeanor endearing, and said:

"Not at all... He's not that handsome, right?"

"He's just not ugly, um... better looking than most, but not very handsome, and only those who are very very handsome can be considered heroes, right?"

Chuan Lian, helplessly, smiling bitterly at Wang Anfeng, said:

"This... Please do not mind my junior sister's offense."

"She has been like this since childhood."

Wang Anfeng shook his head and smiled:

"No trouble."

"Miss Yuexue is innocent and lively, how can I blame her?"

Chuan Lian paused, then instinctively pushed his junior sister further behind him, placing himself between her and Wang Anfeng, and said:

"My junior sister has been under my watch since she was young; I treat her like my own sister."

"And with Brother Wang, we also felt a connection at first sight, treating you like a brother as well, so, so..."

Wang Anfeng was slightly startled, asking:

"So...?"

Chuan Lian coughed, his cheeks slightly red, and said:

"So Brother Wang, you must not harbor any improper thoughts, otherwise, wouldn't it disrupt the moral order..."

Wang Anfeng looked stunned, even he couldn't follow the young man's train of thought at the moment, and just then, the doors of the restaurant burst open violently. The two greeters outside rolled inside like cloth bags, smashing heavily against the wall, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.

There was a murderous aura all around.

A cold, indifferent voice rang out:

"A vendetta in Jianghu, a life for a life!"

"People of Pharmacist Valley, come out!!"

PS: Second update, thanks to Duke Mihu for the generous reward, much appreciated