Why do I have so many masters?

```

The girl in white quietly looked toward Wang Anfeng and said,

"Young Master, please step aside."

Wang Anfeng let out a breath full of turbid air, stepped back half a step, and allowed these people to pass by in front of him. The team was comprised of an old man, a strongman, a cook, and an accountant—only missing the beating of drums and the playing of suonas from a typical wedding procession in the eyes of common folks. In his heart, he quietly chanted Prajna, letting all stray thoughts dissipate.

Within his black pupils, calm as an ancient well without ripples.

Without changing his expression, Wang Anfeng waited until the last strongman had also entered the room before following in behind them. He casually closed the courtyard door, went inside, and saw the strongmen placing things to one side. The red wooden boxes they set down were extremely heavy, clearly containing considerable silver coins.

Before this, those cooks had already gathered together, entered a side room, and started organizing Wang Anfeng’s cooking materials. One of them even reached out to take down the steaming meat, smelled the fragrance, her eyes lighting up slightly, about to taste it directly with her hand.

Just at that moment, a sudden loud bang was heard, shaking the entire courtyard as if it too had trembled.

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The cook, startled by the noise, reflexively contracted her chubby fingers and failed to pick up a piece of meat.

Wang Anfeng narrowed his gaze, retracting his right foot.

On the ground, a footprint.

This move did not involve any profound Dharma, purely relying on deep internal strength to achieve, it was not difficult, but caused quite a commotion. For a moment, the twenty or thirty people in the courtyard all looked towards the young man who was looking down with surprise written all over their faces.

Wang Anfeng did not look at them, but simply said calmly,

"Miss Tan Yurou, please have these people go back."

No one in the carriage responded. However, a man about fifty years old, dressed in a green shirt, clasped his hands together and said cheerfully,

"Young Master Wang, all of us have served the young lady since her childhood, why be so distant?"

"Besides, everyone has seen us accompany her all the way here; having us leave as soon as we’ve arrived wouldn’t look good now, would it..."

"Yes, indeed!"

"Where would we put our face, please bear with us for a bit, young hero..."

The strongmen who had put down their loads also echoed one after another, and the cooks who had come out said, Stay tuned with novelbuddy

"Look here, Young Master Wang, the young lady’s diet and daily life will still need to be looked after."

"We can’t expect you two to do the menial tasks of cooking and washing dishes that servants do, can we?"

Wang Anfeng waited until all of them had finished speaking before he said,

"You’re right, but you’ve all forgotten two things..."

The steward bowed respectfully, still wearing a smile, and said,

"Please enlighten us, Young Master."

Wang Anfeng stepped aside, not accepting his bow, and said quietly,

"The first matter."

"Have any of you arranged your affairs for what comes after?"

As soon as these words were uttered, the atmosphere in the courtyard seemed to stiffen for a moment.

The girl in the carriage was slightly surprised and raised her eyebrows a bit.

She sat up a little more properly, gently caressed the white cat on her lap, and listened intently to the outside.

Wang Anfeng smiled faintly and said leisurely,

"The first matter, I am here to protect Miss Tan, are you all aware?"

"As a lone warrior armed only with a sword, I can barely ensure the safety of the young lady; as for the rest of you, I am unable to take care of."

```

"The villains are ruthless. If you insist on staying here, I’m afraid you’ll be affected,"

The people in the courtyard were slightly stunned upon hearing this, clearly unaware of the matter. There was a momentary hint of commotion, but Wang Anfeng was completely at ease, waiting for these people to digest the news.

This secret held no meaning for those who might truly be in danger. Whether it was disclosed or not made no difference.

Some showed hesitation on their faces, while the butler remained unfazed. With a light cough and a smile, he said:

"That’s precisely why we must protect Miss close by."

"The master has treated us with great kindness, as if we were reborn. If we can take a sword for Miss, that would be good."

"Please, young master, would you share what the second matter is about?"

The butler commanded great respect among these people. His words caused the maids and servants to still have a trace of hesitation on their faces, but ultimately, no one spoke. They seemed ready to loyally lay down their lives for Tan Yurou at any moment.

Wang Anfeng was slightly surprised internally, but he didn’t show it. He smiled and said:

"The second matter? I suspect that among you…"

He took a slight step forward as he spoke.

His voice became calm.

"There is an assassin."

A sharp presence emanated from the young man, as if a strong man was brandishing a sword across the wilderness. Without a sound, all the servants felt a tightness in their chests and their minds went blank, their breathing becoming rapid.

Wang Anfeng’s right hand slowly rose, reaching for the longsword on his back.

As he moved, the young man’s aura grew even sharper, making the entire courtyard oppressively heavy as if the heavens themselves were about to collapse.

Wang Anfeng’s intent was clear.

If they insisted on staying, they would be regarded as potential assassins, and any incidents that occurred would not be what the people wanted to see.

The atmosphere became increasingly tense.

It was at the moment Wang Anfeng’s right hand touched the hilt of the wooden sword.

The butler exhaled deeply, giving a bitter smile as he thought, "Miss, I have done my best."

He stepped back, bowed with clasped hands, and said:

"If that’s the case… I shall entrust Miss to the young hero."

"I, I shall take my leave first."

Wang Anfeng’s right hand loosened its grip on the sword hilt, his expression still gentle as he returned the gesture with a fist salute, saying:

"My apologies."

Inside the wooden house, the young girl gently stroked the white cat on her lap, her eyes brimming with interest.

"Interesting…"

These maids and cooks were just ordinary people, not worth mentioning. However, that butler was a subordinate she fetched from ’Grandfather.’ Although he had no chance of crossing the Middle Third Rank’s threshold, his cultivation was indeed the result of hard practice. With the most fundamental Internal Force Technique "True Qi Scripture," he had advanced to the pinnacle of Seventh Rank. His martial arts, honed through Jianghu skirmishes, were powerful yet succinct, and full of killing intent, able to hold his ground in this library’s defense.

Still, the only option before the old man just now was to leave obediently.

Wang Anfeng had just blatantly invoked the name of the ’old master’ behind the scenes, acting openly and justly.

If the butler were defeated, the young man would surely drive him out, which goes without saying. But if he won, Wang Anfeng could easily argue that if even the butler and cooks couldn’t be beaten, then there was no need for him to protect Tan Yurou. He would turn around and leave. That would be tantamount to ruining ’Grandfather’s’ plan, effectively flipping the table.

The steward had followed the old tiger of Xi Dingzhou for over twenty years, side by side through blades and shadows, never daring to ignore an order given by the latter.

Sitting inside the carriage, Tan Yurou was supporting her cheek with one hand, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she chuckled lowly:

"Without drawing the sword, yet able to break through such a deadlock, he certainly isn’t one of those brainless warriors."

"Quite interesting, isn’t it?"

Amid her light laughter, she gently teased the kitten in her arms.

Outside, the steward felt somewhat helpless, while the rest of the maids and kitchen helpers seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. As if escaping, their steps quickened as they were about to leave the courtyard, when a soft voice came from the carriage:

"Wait a moment."

Wang Anfeng was on the verge of resolving the troublesome situation, but froze at the sound, frowning as he looked towards the voice.

The girl in white pushed aside the carriage curtain, helped another girl step down, dressed in a pipa-sleeved cross-collared gown, with a fair complexion and holding a small white cat. She pouted slightly and said to the steward:

"Grandpa Wu, what will I do if you all leave?"

Wang Anfeng felt a sudden jolt of apprehension and preempted the elder’s response with an even tone:

"Miss Tan, I will protect you for these seven days."

Tan Yurou turned her gaze to Wang Anfeng and bowed politely, appearing very obedient. She pursed her lips and gazed at the ground, saying:

"But without a cook, what will I do about meals... "

Wang Anfeng frowned slightly, replying:

"I’ll cook for you."

"The tea I like to drink..."

"I’ll brew it for you."

"I need to listen to the sound of a qin when I sleep."

Wang Anfeng had realized something was amiss. Having many people around would bring more trouble, so clenching his teeth, he said:

"... I’ll play it."

"But I want to keep Yan’er with me."

Wang Anfeng nearly choked.

One more person would bring many more problems when providing protection. The young man exhaled turbid air, restraining the impulse to raise his voice, and persuaded in an even tone:

"Miss Tan, this is for your good and Miss Yan’er’s as well."

"If it’s only me, protecting more people might be beyond my ability."

"Besides, it’s only for seven days. I can take care of ordinary matters."

Hearing this, Tan Yurou’s cheeks flushed with a hint of red, and she hesitantly said:

"Then, if the young hero is willing, willing to comb my hair and paint my eyebrows, Yurou wouldn’t mind."

"Of course, I can..."

Wang Anfeng replied subconsciously, but as the words left his mouth, he realized what he had said. His body stiffened slightly, and as he looked up at Tan Yurou, he saw her cheeks were already flushed, looking extremely embarrassed. She turned her head away, yet her eyes kept stealing glances at Wang Anfeng, quickly looking away when caught, and

her voice at the end was extremely soft and heart-stirring.

In that moment, Wang Anfeng felt the surge of inner strength roaring within the elder behind him and the icy gaze fixed on himself. He felt the chill in the eyes of the white-clothed girl holding Tan Yurou, as cold sweat formed on his forehead. He opened his mouth and said stiffly:

"Then, let her stay..."

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

In a few moments, everyone had dispersed.

Wang Anfeng escorted the steward out of the door and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The presence of so many people earlier not only made protection more difficult but the potential dangers among them were enough to cause him a headache. Now that they were gone, he felt much more relaxed. After closing the courtyard door and turning back, he had only taken a couple of steps when he saw the girl sniffing the air and remarking:

"It smells so good... Yan’er."

The white-clothed girl nodded slightly, saying, "Indeed."

Tan Yurou looked at Wang Anfeng and sweetly asked:

"Young master, may I try some?"

Having just promised to cook for her, Wang Anfeng naturally agreed. He then saw the two girls whispering to each other. Yan’er glanced at Wang Anfeng, nodded slightly, and headed toward the kitchen, her eyes fixed on the steamed meat the young man had prepared.

Remaining in place, Tan Yurou set the white cat down and gave a courteous bow to Wang Anfeng, saying softly:

"I must also thank the young hero for protecting this humble girl."

Wang Anfeng withdrew his gaze from the steamed meat, barely managing to return the bow, and replied:

"You’re too kind, miss."

Just then, without Tan Yurou straightening up, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she murmured softly:

"Then, during these days, the young hero must remember to cook for Yurou, pour tea, and play the qin every day... Don’t forget..."

"Please, kindly instruct me further."

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

A group of dozens of people had come with much fanfare and departed just as swiftly.

Not even an hour had passed, and news that the ’old man’s’ only granddaughter had gone to a certain residence had spread like wildfire, landing on the tables of many with ulterior motives.

Within the quiet room, a palm rested on a letter, and someone sighed leisurely.

"Are you trying to protect your granddaughter?"

"But you’re acting too hastily."

Another person laughed and said, "Maybe it’s not haste; it’s just that his body can no longer hold up, and he can’t control Tan Yurou, which led to this situation."

"After all, that girl has been protected too well. She is simple-minded. She’s always been like this. Just for fun, doing something like this is also likely."

The previous person was silent for a moment before sighing leisurely again:

"Indeed..."

"It’s just a pity that Tan Tianxiong, who lived as a hero, dominating alone, uncontested, ended up in such a state in his old age."

"Such a granddaughter is indeed his path to ruin. Alright, alright, let’s speed up the process."

"Let us send the old tiger on his last journey."

Several people around stood up, saying in a deep voice:

"Yes!"

PS: Here’s the second update...

Thank you to the book friend Light and Dark 0516 for the generous reward; much appreciated.