The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: From the Moment He Picked Up Qu Feiyan

At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the autumn chill lingered, and the sky was bright.

At this moment, the sky over Hengyang is cloudless; it should be a fine day.

Feng Changrong lay in bed, but had a bad feeling and couldn't sleep soundly.

He scrambled to his feet, went outside, and looked around. The few skilled fighters from Mount Song who were supposed to be at Bailianfang, sent by his master Lu Bai, had vanished without a trace overnight, as if they had never existed.

A chill ran through me.

Where are they? Were they silenced? Or did they retreat? Why didn't anyone notify me?

Oh no, am I going to be abandoned?!

He didn't even have time to put on his shoes properly before stumbling towards the backyard. When he saw that familiar figure there, he seemed to find his anchor, his voice trembling with tears: "Senior Brother Shen! Something terrible has happened! My people… all of our people are gone!"

Shen An had already begun his cultivation for the day. He found that it seemed to be better to cultivate the "Glassy Body Sunlight King Mantra" facing the sun, and different sunlight had different effects. Right now, he was cultivating facing the morning light.

Junior Brother Feng's men have all disappeared? Seeing Feng Changrong's panicked appearance, he was also somewhat surprised, but he did not show it.

"What's the panic? Speak slowly. Was there anything unusual last night?"

"No, no..." Feng Changrong tried hard to recall, "Everything is normal."

"That's good. If we had been attacked, we wouldn't be here talking peacefully. I guess it's because Uncle Lu's men arrived and summoned them." Shen An analyzed, his heart tightening. "Or maybe someone else took over your job but felt there was no need to inform you or me, or... they don't trust us."

Could it be that his undercover work has been discovered? No, that can't be. Shen An pondered for a moment, then continued:

"However, if they didn't trust us, they wouldn't have mobilized your men. It must have been a sudden incident. Junior brother, go and look around the Liu residence; you should be able to find them there."

After listening to Shen An's clear and logical analysis, Feng Changrong's wildly beating heart calmed down a little, but her face still showed some lingering fear and confusion.

Looking at his timid appearance, Shen An had a sudden thought and asked, "Junior Brother Feng, I've always wanted to ask you, why did you risk violating the sect rules to help me access Tian Boguang's files?"

Feng Changrong was taken aback, then scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly and said in a low voice, "Senior brother, I've seen everything you've done along the way. Since you've decided to do this, you must have some confidence. Although I... although I'm not very optimistic, I can still do my best in these small matters. After all... after all, we've been through this together."

Shen An felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this, and patted his shoulder: "Okay, I'll remember your kindness."

After Feng Changrong left, the commotion eventually woke up the two girls who also lived in the courtyard.

Qu Feiyan and Wang Xiaocao walked out of the room one after the other, both with faint dark circles under their eyes, clearly indicating that neither of them had slept well the night before.

Seeing this, Shen An assumed they were worried about tomorrow's sword-testing competition, so he gently comforted them, "You two, what's wrong? Didn't you sleep well last night? Don't worry, everything will be fine tomorrow."

Wang Xiaocao lowered her head and softly hummed in agreement, remaining as silent and quiet as ever. Shen An was already used to this, but he didn't realize that her quietness at this moment was not due to her usual shyness.

But Qu Feiyan's unusual behavior piqued his curiosity. This little girl was usually lively and active, never still for a moment, but today she just stood there quietly, her eyes wandering, completely lacking her usual sparkle.

"What's wrong, Feifei?" Shen An walked up to her and gently poked her cheek with his finger. "You look so listless after just one night. Are you having trouble sleeping in your new bed or are you missing Grandpa?"

This action, which usually happened between the two of them, made Qu Feiyan's cheeks flush red instantly. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she abruptly slapped Shen An's hand away and whispered, "I'm not a light sleeper... I... I just didn't sleep well!"

Seeing that she finally reacted, Shen An couldn't help but chuckle, and reached out to ruffle her hair: "Alright, alright, I misspoke. After the sword-testing tournament tomorrow, how about I show you around Hengyang City?"

"That's more like it!" Qu Feiyan's eyes lit up instantly, as if her previous dejection had vanished. Looking at Shen An's doting smile, the last trace of doubt in her heart disappeared. Brother An really cares about me the most. Seeing that I was slightly unhappy, he immediately tried to find ways to make me happy. Isn't that enough to prove everything?

Shen An, unsuspecting, turned to Wang Xiaocao, who remained silent, and asked, "Speaking of which, Xiaocao hasn't really had a proper look around either, has she?"

Hearing this, the sorrow she had been holding back finally broke free. Wang Xiaocao lowered her head, so that Shen An couldn't see her face, and whispered:

"I...I'm fine with anything."

Shen An breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Wang Xiaocao had agreed. She had been embarrassed to take him out before, so it seemed that it was not good for a man and a woman to be alone together all the time. It was necessary to have friends of the same age and gender.

At this moment, Qu Feiyan excitedly grabbed Shen An's sleeve and began chattering about the day's itinerary. Neither of them noticed that Wang Xiaocao's soft "Anything is fine" had exhausted all her strength. No one saw when she quietly turned and retreated to her small room.

Wang Xiaocao leaned against the door and slowly slid down to the ground. She hugged her knees tightly, buried her face in her arms, and tears streamed down her face silently. Finally, her gaze fell on the cold iron shovel in the corner, where the warmth of Shen An's palm seemed to still linger.

But that warmth could no longer warm her heart.

At 9:00 AM, it was time for the Liu family to handle their affairs again.

Ma Bao gathered his men and kept a close watch on everyone coming and going from the Liu residence, but they didn't see anyone suspicious.

"Keep a close eye on him. That man in black will definitely return to the Liu residence and relay the message to Liu Zhengfeng," he ordered in a low, menacing voice.

However, his heightened sense of unease and paranoia contrasted sharply with the atmosphere inside the Liu residence.

Inside the hall, the air was filled with the fragrance of incense and tea, creating a tranquil atmosphere. Liu Zhengfeng was chatting casually with several of his most accomplished disciples.

"Dancing," Liu Zhengfeng took a sip of tea and asked casually, "I've been busy these past few days retiring from the martial arts world and haven't paid much attention to what's happening in the city. I heard there's some kind of 'Sword Testing Tournament,' which's causing quite a stir?"

The disciple bowed immediately to Danian, a barely suppressed smile on his face: "Master, it's more than just a big commotion. This matter is a long story, full of twists and turns, and it's now the talk of the town."

He vividly recounted the events leading up to the discovery of the sword at Bailianfang, Tian Boguang's nighttime theft of the treasure, and Shen An's angry declaration of a "one-sword duel." At the end, he paused mysteriously, leaving everyone in suspense:

"Master, are you aware that this matter has added a new joke to our Hengshan Sect?"

"Oh? Tell me about it."

Xiang Danian cleared his throat and imitated a storyteller's tone: "It is said that Shen An, a disciple of Mount Song, issued a challenge to the lecherous scoundrel Tian Boguang at Shigu Academy, to settle the matter with a single sword strike! When the news spread, it shook the north and south, and shocked the entire Hubei and Hunan regions! Heroes from all walks of life, upon hearing the news, all rose up and began to inquire—"

Who is Shen An?

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall burst into laughter.

Only Liu Zhengfeng, seated at the head of the table, held his teacup but couldn't quite manage a smile. Looking at Mi Weiyi and Xiang Danian, who were leading the group, he shook his head inwardly: Shen An could easily take on both of you.

Mi Weiyi laughed for a while, then secretly observed that his master's expression hadn't changed much. He silently suppressed his smile and said seriously:

"To be honest, I'm quite familiar with Shen An. We've had some interactions before, often drinking and chatting together. His martial arts are indeed quite good, and his swordsmanship is quite impressive. However, Tian Boguang is far beyond his capabilities. In my opinion, his promise of a single sword strike is probably just a way to save face. After all, as long as the sword is drawn, regardless of victory or defeat, it won't be considered a complete failure against the lecherous thief."

Liu Zhengfeng neither agreed nor disagreed, and chatted with them for a few more minutes about everyday matters.

This is roughly the view of the Hengshan disciples on this matter. Unlike the Huashan Sect, which has no property, and the Hengshan Sect, which is detached from worldly affairs, they have mixed feelings about the Songshan Sect, which is also one of the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sects. They have feelings of kinship, but also a hidden competition for interests.

Seeing a junior from Songshan making such a big fuss on his own turf, he naturally spoke with more scrutiny and suspicion, and even a hint of schadenfreude.