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

There was no dedicated bathhouse in the inner courtyard; that would be too extravagant.

In the small kitchen where water could be boiled, Shen An immersed his entire body in a huge wooden tub. The scalding hot water washed away the blood and grime on his body and also soothed his somewhat tense muscles.

His current body is reflected in the water.

The muscle lines are not exaggerated, lacking the visual impact of being bulging and taut. Instead, they present a form full of streamlined beauty, like an ancient Greek sculpture, restrained and harmonious.

Soaking in hot water, his skin took on a warm, jade-like luster. The previous bronze color had faded, leaving it whiter yet incredibly resilient. He gently pressed his finger against it, and the muscles beneath the skin immediately felt a firmness as if pressing against solid steel.

He slowly raised his arm, watching the water droplets slide off his smooth skin, while silently calculating in his mind.

"The combined strength of my dragon and elephant is approximately 150 jin."

"But this is merely pure physical strength, without any internal energy. If combined with my original Songshan internal energy, the power that could be unleashed in an instant would probably be enough to kill a true powerhouse."

Of course, even with great strength, whether one can actually hit or catch up is another matter entirely.

He clenched his fist lightly. Now, he truly had the confidence to overturn the table in this ever-changing world!

After washing away the blood and exhaustion, and changing into a clean blue robe, Shen An felt refreshed, and the hunger in his stomach grew stronger.

When he returned to his study, a large square table, big enough for four or five people to eat together, was already laden with a dazzling array of food.

A whole roasted chicken, a plump pork hock, large chunks of braised beef, a steaming bowl of white rice, and several kinds of vegetables.

Wang Xiaocao was setting out the bowls and chopsticks quickly when she saw him come in. Her face turned red again, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

Shen An didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly, picking up his chopsticks and devouring the food. His eating manners weren't exactly elegant, but Wang Xiaocao, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but show a relieved smile in her eyes.

After eating a roast chicken, the burning hunger was slightly relieved.

Shen An picked up his teacup and took a sip before remembering something and saying to Wang Xiaocao, "Oh right, when I was preparing the hot water, I heard you say that Li Qingde wanted to see me?"

Wang Xiaocao then seemed to snap out of her daze and hurriedly nodded, saying, "Yes...yes! Steward Li has come several times since yesterday. He heard that the young master is in seclusion and didn't dare to disturb him, only saying that there was something extremely urgent. I...I'll go and call him right away!"

As she spoke, she jogged out of the yard.

Shen An continued to deal with the pork hock at a leisurely pace.

Is this some kind of urgent matter?

I'm afraid the Light Spirit Sword has encountered some trouble again.

Soon, Li Qingde was brought in by Wang Xiaocao, who jogged all the way.

When Li Qingde saw Shen An sitting at the table, enjoying his meal, he was completely stunned.

He imagined several scenarios of Shen An emerging from seclusion: perhaps his skills had greatly improved, and he would be imposing; perhaps he would suffer from qi deviation, and become emaciated; perhaps he would be filled with worry, and his brows would be furrowed...

But he never expected it to turn out like this.

The ordinary blue robe Shen An wore, when worn by him, exuded an indescribable air of uprightness and unyielding strength. His face remained handsome, but the calm and dignified air between his brows was more than ten times stronger than yesterday. Especially his eyes, as calm as a still lake, gave Li Qingde a sense of inexplicable peace at just one glance.

It was as if even if the sky were to fall, with this man holding it up, it wouldn't be a big deal.

"Senior brother!" Li Qingde stepped forward quickly and bowed.

"Sit down and talk." Shen An pointed to the chair opposite him and then stuffed a large piece of beef into his mouth.

Li Qingde gave a wry smile, sat down in the chair, and his expression became extremely strange, a mixture of shock, absurdity, and a hint of being both amused and exasperated.

He took a deep breath, composed himself, and then said in a dreamlike tone, "Senior brother...you...you absolutely cannot guess. Tian Boguang...he...he stepped forward himself!"

"Oh?" Shen An slowed down his chewing, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes. This was indeed unexpected. "Tell me about it."

"Just yesterday morning," Li Qingde's voice trembled with excitement, "overnight, the same words were carved into the four walls of Hengyang City with swords. The handwriting was magnificent and intricate, penetrating deep into the walls; it was clearly the work of a top-tier master! The content... was left by Tian Boguang!"

"He said... he said what?"

Li Qingde swallowed hard and repeated with difficulty, "He said, 'After hearing that the Hundred Refinements Workshop in Hengyang lost the relics of Fairy Qingyin, they blamed me, Tian. Fairy Qingyin's elegance was unparalleled in the world, and her relics were also treasures of the world. I, Tian, ​​longed for them, and it was a fortunate thing to obtain them. What wrong have I done?'"

Upon hearing this, Shen An couldn't help but laugh out loud: "What a fine 'What's wrong with it?' This flower thief has a skin thicker than a city wall."

"That's not even the most outrageous part!" Li Qingde's expression became even more interesting. "He also said... 'This item falling into the hands of Bailianfang is like a treasure being covered in dust, a pearl cast before swine, which is absolutely not what I, Tian, ​​wished for. I will never return this sword fragment. However, considering its value, I am unwilling to take it for free, lest my fellow martial artists say that I, Tian Boguang, do not know the rules and disrespect the fairy.'"

"So..." Li Qingde paused, then said, enunciating each word clearly, "He told... to let our Hundred Refinements Workshop handle it, to give him some demands! As long as they're not excessive, he'll accept them! Consider it... consider it paying a price for this sword fragment!"

After he finished speaking, the entire study fell silent.

Shen An put down his chopsticks, his expression a half-smile.

Li Qingde looked utterly bewildered, muttering to himself, "I really can't understand... what... what's he after? He stole something, didn't hide, but instead jumped out and made us make demands? Isn't this... isn't this just pointless?"

He was puzzled.

In his view, Tian Boguang's behavior did not conform to the logic of a master thief at all.

However, Shen An laughed, a hearty laugh.

He suddenly thought of the legendary thief next door named Xiang Shuai. Could it be that Tian Boguang was inspired by his own story and started marketing himself?

"No, you don't understand." Shen An put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a napkin, leaned back in his chair with a leisurely air, and his eyes gleamed with an all-knowing wisdom.

"He has too many ulterior motives."

"First, he's after fame." Shen An held up a finger. "His move, seemingly arrogant, is actually extremely clever. He disguised theft as taking; he elevated burglary into a romantic act. He told the entire martial arts world that he, Tian Boguang, was not a low-class thief, but a refined gentleman who appreciated treasures and admired fairies. In this way, not only did his reputation not suffer from the theft, but he also used the popularity of 'Light Music Fairy' to make his name 'Wandering Alone for Ten Thousand Miles' even more legendary and widely known."

"Secondly, he's acting in his own self-interest." Shen An held up a second finger. "Why did he say 'I don't want to take it for free' and ask us to make demands? Because he wants a 'reason'! A reason that allows him to possess this wreckage with a clear conscience and a legitimate right! As long as he fulfills our demands and pays the price, this wreckage will transform from stolen goods into his spoils of war! Anyone who tries to take it from him in the future will be acting unreasonably, and he will have the moral high ground."

"Third, and most importantly," Shen An's eyes sharpened, "what he's after is the initiative! This move of his is called turning the tables! He's put us in the position of the one setting the challenges, seemingly passive, but actually placing all the pressure on us. If our demands are too simple, it's like giving him a free gift, and we'll be ridiculed for being incompetent; if our demands are too difficult, like asking him to cut off his own arm or assassinate a sect leader, he can accuse us of being insincere and deliberately making things difficult. No matter what we do, he'll remain undefeated, firmly grasping the initiative in this farce!"

At this moment, Tian Boguang was lying on the bed, hugging the "Fairy Broken Sword". He buried his face deep in the cold blade and hilt, as if he were petting a cat. He took a deep breath, his face showing a dazed expression, and let out a series of meaningless "hehehe...hehehehe..." idiotic laughs.

"My...my fairy wife...hehe...I've got her..." He muttered to the broken sword as if no one else was around, and even stuck out his tongue to carefully lick the smooth spine of the sword. Then he shuddered and his face was full of happiness.

"My dearest wife, I will provide you with a dowry and marry you properly from your parents' home."

Clearly, he hadn't thought that much about it; it had simply gotten into his head.