Chapter 19 Leaving Again

By this originally tranquil riverside, two adolescents of thirteen or fourteen burst into joyous laughter, feeling a bit closer to each other. The youth looked up at the sky, stopped laughing, and said, "I just came out for a walk to clear my mind today, but I never expected to meet you again. Not only did I witness a set of Superior Rank fist technique, but I also had a good laugh, making this trip truly worthwhile."

"It's a shame... I must leave this city today; otherwise, I'd truly wish to spend more time chatting with you."

Wang Anfeng was slightly stunned and said,

"Leaving today?"

"Leaving this very moment."

The young man sighed, and on the willow-lined embankment, the magnificent Green-Maned Horse came trotting out, swishing its tail. It was unclear how long it had been standing there as it nuzzled the youth's hand with its head. It glanced at Wang Anfeng, and its eyes, resembling those of a mythical dragon with dark gold vertical pupils, sent chills down his spine with just one look.

"You beast, why so temperamental?"

The youth slapped the Green-Maned Horse on the head, scolding with a laugh. He then took a delicate package from the horse's back, fetched a small box, and handed it to Wang Anfeng, saying with a smile,

"We met by chance, and now I must leave. Consider this a token of my apology."

Wang Anfeng did not hesitate and directly accepted the seemingly expensive box, meeting the youth with an open expression, "Last time you said, if we met again, you would tell me your name."

The young man chuckled, gave a fist salute, and said,

"My surname is Xue."

"As for my given name..."

He winked at Wang Anfeng, teasing, "I did promise a meeting, but I never said it would be this one. Young brother, let's meet again someday."

As his laughter faded, the youth's figure soared gracefully into the air, displaying an elegant movement technique before landing on the horse's back. With a long neigh, the peculiar Green-Maned Horse started to stride away, leaving Wang Anfeng behind, fooled, yet unable to point out any unreasonableness, speechless as he watched him leave. He opened the refined wooden box in his hand and was immediately taken aback.

The small wooden box, about the size of two palms, was meticulously partitioned inside. In the center was a round space, surrounded by eight small compartments arranged according to the Bagua. Each compartment contained a few pieces of delicate pastries. Though referred to as pastries, they were crafted so finely, they hardly resembled food. They came in various shapes and sizes, including drum-shaped, Buddha's hand-shaped, bat-shaped, peach-shaped, pomegranate-shaped, and many others, all dainty and exquisite. In the middle compartment lay a note, which Wang Anfeng picked up and read softly,

"After passing through the Heavenly Capital, where the cuisine is rich in oil and salt, boasting the boldness of the north, only these 'Capital Eight Delicacies' with their delicate craftsmanship can truly be called Superior Rank... Delicious!"

Wang Anfeng couldn't help but chuckle, "So Brother Xue likes not just wine, but also desserts..."

"This is certainly better than wine!"

He placed the note back into the box, casually took a piece of pastry, and put it in his mouth, his eyes narrowing slightly in pleasure, saying,

"Indeed, it melts in the mouth, delicious!"

Since the youth surnamed Xue had already left, Wang Anfeng himself felt rather dull. With the day advancing towards noon, he carefully put away the wooden box and began performing the Shaolin Vigorous Step Technique as he headed back to the town. In no time, he was back in the city, approaching the Li Family's medicine shop. Before even arriving, he heard a rough voice yelling,

"No way! If you refuse to treat him, we'll smash your shop! With our brothers' connections, you won't be able to get by in Wangxian County!"

Wang Anfeng looked stunned. Since it seemed they hadn't yet resorted to violence, he didn't rush in but mixed into the crowd to assess the situation. He saw a stretcher on the ground in front of the medicine shop, with a burly man lying on it, covered in a blood-stained cloth, his eyes tightly shut. Standing by the stretcher were two young men, their clothing spattered with blood, and an aura of malevolence that spoke of no good. A heavily bearded brute stood at the forefront, fierce-eyed and round-headed, brandishing a thick-backed Bin Iron knife, furiously shouting,

"Li, will you save him or not!"

Li Kangsheng pursed his lips and said,

"I can't do it!"

Hidden among the crowd, Wang Anfeng was slightly stunned upon hearing this. Observing Li Kangsheng's demeanor and the murderous aura of those few burly men, he suddenly remembered how his uncle had almost been killed in his youth for refusing to treat a bandit leader. He thought to himself,

"This situation... could it be that bandits from around here have snuck into the city and were found by my uncle? Or could it be that members of a city gang were injured in a fight?"

At this moment, one of the big men, barely able to contain his rage, swung his knife with a "crack," the blade grazing Li Kangsheng and deeply embedding itself into a thick wooden cabinet as he roared,

"Li, do you have a death wish? Everyone knows you're an expert at relieving muscle and tendon stiffness. Do you have any idea who our Big Brother is? He's a man who can even speak with the county magistrate. If you don't obey, I'll not only chop off your head but also have your entire family thrown into the prison!"

Li Kangsheng, already disliking the man for making a scene, felt even more repulsed by his words. His stubborn nature kicking in, he didn't bother to explain, but just sneered coldly,

"Such great authority you have, worthy of Master Zhao Jun who beats up old men in the streets. If you want to ransack my place, then do it!"

"I'm telling you I can't heal him—take this man away and find someone more capable. Be careful, or he might just die in my Reviving Spring Hall from his internal injuries, which would bring bad luck!"

"You're looking for death, I'll chop you to pieces!"

The man, on hearing this, was close to exploding with fury. With a roar, he raised his right arm, the knife in his hand swiftly slicing down toward Li Kangsheng, the blade's cold light splitting the air with a chilling whistling sound that made the onlookers scream in terror, prompting them to retreat.

A surge of panic gripped Wang Anfeng's heart, but before fear could set in, he rushed out. With an elbow strike that tore through the air, showing no mercy, he landed a blow directly on the man's ribcage, feeling like metal on impact and eliciting a loud thud. Caught off guard, the burly man staggered, taking a couple of steps to the side. Meanwhile, the knife, no longer on its original trajectory, headed straight for the top of Wang Anfeng's head, its cold brightness fierce.

The burly man, seeing his attacker was just a young boy, was momentarily taken aback. With a roar, he exerted all his strength to divert the knife, smashing it hard into a nearby cabinet with another loud thud. His palm immediately burst with copious amounts of fresh blood.

Wang Anfeng, now pale-faced and breathing heavily, realized that the raging man had only used the back of the knife in his attack, which seemed not to have been aimed at Li Kangsheng. The intimidation had been greater than the actual assault, and in changing his move to strike the wooden counter, the knife's blade actually stuck several inches into it, leaving him momentarily bewildered.

The burly man took a deep breath and then pointed at Wang Anfeng's forehead, cursing loudly,

"Where did this brat come from? You wanna die? I can kill you with one slash of my knife! Go play somewhere else!"

Wang Anfeng saw the man's ferocious look, as if he were about to devour someone, yet his actions had been clearly rational and not as barbaric as his appearance suggested. Just as Wang Anfeng was about to say something, Li Kangsheng, whose view was blocked, mistook the burly man's knife-drawing for a threat and thought Wang Anfeng had risked his life to save him. Angered, Li Kangsheng pulled out the pestle used for crushing medicine and shielded Wang Anfeng behind him, pointing at the burly man and shouting expletives,

"You scoundrel, if my nephew suffers the slightest harm, I'll beat you to death today! And I won't save anyone connected to you!"

"Fine, you quack!"

The burly man was also livid, his severely injured elder brother behind him, his own repeated restraint, and yet the only doctor who could save his brother had this attitude. Known for his crude nature, he felt an unbearable rage accumulating, almost driving him mad.

As the two confronted each other, the tension was palpable. At that moment, however, a weak cough suddenly sounded from behind. The burly man's expression changed drastically; all traces of anger vanished from his face as he let go of the knife, turning around and rushing back, dropping to his knees beside the injured man, urgently saying,

"Big Brother!"