Why do I have so many masters?

Days passed, and the weather grew colder, marking the inevitable end of the year.

Frost turned to ice, and with the early chill of the month still small, it was called the Minor Cold.

In the village, the traveling doctor's medicinal herbs had all been acquired by Wang Anfeng, who sent them to Wu Changqing. As a result, a few days later, he received many elixirs, one of which was even more potent than the Qi-absorbing Pills. Besides that, there was a large assortment of other useful items.

The old man gave him a small pouch to wrap around his waist, almost like a slightly thicker belt. It could hold many elixirs and the silver needles for acupuncture, which Wang Anfeng found exceedingly delightful. However, the old man seemed even happier, his face brimming with joy all those days.

At that time, having finished reading the last book, Mr. Ying waved his hand and gave him a day off. He didn't have to go to Copper Man Lane but had to go to the county town to purchase medicinal herbs and visit the library to process a reader's card.

Wang Anfeng was somewhat in disbelief, but after Ci's smiling explanation, he joyfully bid farewell to the elders and returned to Great Liang Village. He loosened the chains, awkwardly changed into clean, tidy cotton clothes, although not new, and after checking with Uncle Li, Uncle Wang and Master Jiang if there was anything they needed, he strode out of Great Liang Village.

Now that Minor Cold had passed, it heralded the coldest days of the year. With several days devoid of snow and no white icing to beautify the surroundings, he looked upon the stark landscape that seemed to only retain desolation and bleakness.

Since his return from Liuxu Villa, his inner strength had been dispersed to his limbs. At first, he was unaccustomed and unable to use his qinggong, but even after he managed to do so, he repressed its sharpness and never unleashed his Vigorous Step Technique with full strength.

With nobody in sight, he let go of all restraint and executed the Vigorous Step Technique to its fullest. In his long-suppressed sprinting, the shackles around his body no longer felt like constraints or burdens. Taking advantage of the momentum, despite the cold wind hitting his face, he felt increasingly exhilarated.

A faint sound emanated from within his body, but it was muffled by the clinking of the chains, and hence, Wang Anfeng did not notice. He only felt an inexplicable sense of liberation, almost wanting to burst into a joyous roar.

The Great Qin Empire was divided into seventy-two counties and eight hundred states, with each state having its own counties.

Wangxian County spanned a thousand miles and was ranked among the lower counts in the seventy-two, famed throughout the empire for its strong-tasting wines. It was divided into five states aligned with the Five Elements, each state further subdivided into several counties with villages nestled around them.

Great Liang Village was located to the north, under the jurisdiction of Yulin in the Northern State, which had three counties. The nearest county town, which had produced many scholars in the past ten years, was aptly renamed Jinxian County.

With his current stamina and mindset, it took him less than an hour to reach the gates of Jinxian County. Two tall soldiers armed with spears stood at the entrance. Though it was a small county town, there seemed to be an inspection for the people coming and going. Wang Anfeng suppressed his eagerness and lined up at the end of the queue.

The queue advanced steadily, and just as it was about to be Wang Anfeng's turn, a disturbance broke out. A tall man loudly protested his innocence, but was forcefully subdued by two black-armored soldiers with stern faces, who removed him from the line regardless of his pleadings turning into curses. They showed no reaction.

It was only when the man resorted to filthy abuse that one of the soldiers, with a flex of the arm, dealt an elbow strike to the man's abdomen. His face instantly turned pale as he collapsed to the ground retching. The attacking soldier glanced at him and coldly said,

"We are merely following orders to search; clear your suspicion, and you'll be released with compensation."

"Should you continue with your foul words, even at the risk of military punishment, I'll make sure you learn your lesson, understand?!"

The man's face turned slightly pale as he nodded vigorously. The two soldiers said nothing more, lifting him up and taking him away. For Wang Anfeng and the other villagers waiting in line to enter the town, this was just a brief interlude, and soon it was Wang Anfeng's turn. The soldier in the middle glanced at him and waved him through, saying,

"Next."

The soldier beside him, noticing Wang Anfeng's momentary daze, chuckled, "What's the matter, young brother? Don't stand there, hustle into the town! We still have many folks waiting behind you."

Snapping to his senses, Wang Anfeng gave him an apologetic smile and entered Jinxian County.

This was a typical Qin county town, laid out according to the principles of "The Rites of Zhou: The Artificers' Record," with the southern part dedicated to official administration, the northern part to civilian residences, the western part to the international market, catering to goods from all over the world, and the eastern part to local businesses and craftsmanship — a complete layout.

Thus, although it was Wang Anfeng's first visit to Jinxian County, he had a rough idea of the layout. After some thought, he decided to first go to the library to sort out his reader's card, as the county was bustling in preparation for the harsh cold, with every family getting ready for the new year's goods.

Furthermore, the annual End of Year Festival was approaching, filling the air with the fragrant smell of food and the unstoppable glee on the laborers' faces.

The young man exhaled a breath of white mist, somewhat dazed by the festive atmosphere that enveloped him.

Great Cold was approaching, the last solar term before the New Year Festival.

So the New Year Festival was almost upon us...

Unaware of how far he had traveled, Wang Anfeng had reached the tightly guarded southern part of the city. After inquiring with an elderly official and learning the whereabouts of the library guardian, he thanked the man with a bow and was about to leave, but the old man called out to stop him. After looking him up and down, he said,

"I see you're a new face around here, young master. Are you here to find the library guardian for a book borrowing pass?"

"You've come at the wrong time."

Wang Anfeng was taken aback and asked, "What happened?"

"Nothing serious. It's just that old Li, the library guardian, has been feeling unwell. He claims he can't even make it through this last half a month. He insisted on cashing in all his accumulated leave. His superiors couldn't persuade him otherwise, and since the year-end is near and they expected few would come for passes, they agreed."

As he spoke, he shook his head and sighed, "Really, young master, what can you say? Once a person gets old, all kinds of problems start to surface... Someone who hasn't been sick for decades suddenly claims to be ill and becomes ill..."

"An astute man as sharp as a mouse on any given day, but he can't even read Lord Shangguan's expression? Despite Lord Shangguan's impatience, he stubbornly insisted on his leave right at the doorstep... Really... foolish..."
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Hearing this, Wang Anfeng felt resigned, thinking to himself that Mr. Ying shouldn't blame him for this.

...Or perhaps it was indeed a possibility.

Feeling helpless inside, he nevertheless gave the old man another bow in thanks and turned to leave. As he was about to depart, the old man called out again and rummaged through his cloth bag, mumbling,

"With the festival drawing near, one cannot simply come here in vain. Who knows, this ill fortune could last the whole year... Bah, bah, bah, I'm old and senile, one shouldn't take the words of a muddled old man seriously, oh Heaven."

The man spat to the side indignantly and pulled something out with his right hand, offering it to Wang Anfeng with a cheerful smile,

"Here, eat this. It's sweet!"

"Take it as a good luck charm."

The young man accepted the item, a sweet fruit, and a hint of warmth touched his heart, lightening his disappointment. He gave a bow of thanks once more, then bid the old man farewell and left.

Since the library guardian was not present, he might as well visit the medicine shop, which he hoped would still be open.

While walking and chewing on the sweet fruit, Wang Anfeng felt a collision against his shoulder. His body staggered, and the fruit he had just bitten into accidentally fell to the ground.

The young man who had been touched by the sweetness of the fruit paused momentarily, while the person who bumped into him merely turned around to apologize before wrapping himself in his coat and hurrying off. But the moment that man turned his head to face Wang Anfeng and uttered an apology, the young man's heart suddenly raced, and his pupils contracted sharply.

Murderous intent!