Why do I have so many masters?

"I don't agree!"

A stout hand slapped heavily on the wooden table, causing the robust Ironwood to violently shake and shatter, crashing to the floor. Cups and pots on the table naturally did not escape unscathed, scattering tea all over the floor, leaving a disheveled and chaotic scene.

Broad-shouldered, resembling a black bear seated upright, Fei Yuanbai's gaze swept across the faces in the room. His voice was cold and firm, with an added edge of emphasis, he said:

"I don't agree!"

"Take over the Tan Residence? Have you all been eating too much lard, clouding your judgment? With our little capability, how can we possibly take down the Tan Residence? Even if we somehow managed to do so, how could we ever maintain control?"

"Aren't you afraid that one night your heads will be chopped off while you sleep?"

Sitting across from him in a chair was a man of roughly the same age. His face bore a slight resemblance to Fei Yuanbai's, though his build was much leaner, not bulging with muscles that stretched the clothing as Fei Yuanbai did. His name was Fei Yuanzhen, the younger brother of Fei Yuanbai. He glanced at the elder sitting at the head of the table, sipping tea with his eyes closed, and noticing no change in expression, he sighed and said:

"Big brother, please don't say anymore."

"There are friends from the Jianghu outside the hall; it would be embarrassing for them to see this."

Fei Yuanbai, far from being placated, sneered in response:

"Embarrassing?"

"Being a laughing stock is better than getting your head chopped off. If others laugh at us, we can fight back, but with your head gone, even a dog could come and piss on your body!"

Seeing his older brother becoming more and more unrestrained in his speech, Fei Yuanzhen knew the latter was truly enraged, no longer caring about the family rules, and with a hint of annoyance in his voice, he coldly asked, "Since when have you become such a coward?"

"Coward? Do you think that just relying on our ancestor alone, we can deter the Giant Whale Gang and suppress the entire Jianghu?!"

"You..."

Fei Yuanzhen's expression changed; he had not expected Fei Yuanbai's anger to reach the point where he would utter such rebellious blasphemies.

The elder sitting at the head of the table opened his eyes.

His pale grey eyes, though seemingly impaired, were more piercing than those of an ordinary Martial Artist.

Discerning his position by sound, he glanced in Fei Yuanbai's direction and said indifferently:

"Do you think we shouldn't?"

Fei Yuanbai, by now willing to risk everything, looked straight at the elderly man before him. The elder was over eighty years old, with snowy white hair and beard, looking like a majestic lion. Though his appearance was calm, he exuded a formidable presence.

His long hands were clearly powerful.

This was the Grandmaster of the Fei Family, the figure whom the whole clan and even warriors within miles revered, a blend of demon and deity, a Grandmaster in the way of the fist technique.

Fei Yuanbai stared intently at the elder, raising his voice:

"Of course not!"

His voice grew vastly hoarse, mixing with the somewhat erratic sound of his breath, as if he had just endured a fierce battle.

In truth, he had merely lifted his head to look at the elder. He thought he was looking at the elder, but in reality, his gaze only stayed on the old man for less than a moment, retreating swiftly and timidly like a deer spotted by a hawk.

A trace of disappointment emerged in the elder's eyes.

His voice remain detached, and he said:

"This gamble is only to free ourselves from others' control."

"To no longer submit to others."

Fei Yuanbai grew somewhat agitated upon hearing this and said:

"But why must we seize the Tan Residence? If we don't wish to be controlled by others, we only need to..."

His voice abruptly stopped.

A pair of pale grey eyes stared at him impassively, as if the entire sky was pressing down upon him. Fei Yuanbai felt as if powerful hands were clenching his throat, his face flushed red and he couldn't utter a word.

The elder laughed.

His laughter was far more menacing than his anger.

He spoke one sentence, low like the growl of a tiger:

"In Jianghu, there are only two types of people: those who are in power, and those who are not. If you can't be the former, you are but a piece to be manipulated by others; there is no third option."

"You are already past thirty."

"I am very disappointed."

The air of authority retracted.

Fei Yuanbai stumbled back a few steps before collapsing to the ground, his face deathly pale as he gasped for air, while next to him, Fei Yuanzhen opened his mouth but never managed to utter a single word.

The old man's eyes were partially closed as he felt a deep sense of fatigue and disappointment coming from within.

It was too far a gap...

Whether it was I or my descendants, compared to you, we all fall too far short...

Tan Tianxiong.

These three characters, which he had not thought of for a long time, now came to mind without any loss of their original vividness, like always, constantly reminding him of his restrained past.

Madness, jealousy, a heart full of murderous intent, wishing nothing more than to kill with his bare iron fists.

Yet he could only swallow his frustration and be made use of.

Hey, has our Jianghu really become a thing of such a distant past...

The old man sighed silently.

It seemed as if he could see again the man who was always coughing.

That was ten years ago, the day when that guy unexpectedly brought wine to see him, his coughing was much more violent than usual, yet his laughter was exceptionally hearty.

He said he felt that those who practiced martial arts were better off, he said he realized that his will and his Sharp Essence were fading along with his increasingly decrepit body, and would one day decay completely.

Then he laughed even more heartily.

He said in his lifetime he had beaten many people, lost to many people, but the only one he never beat was himself, nor had he ever lost to himself.

So, he set a trap for his future self.

A death trap.

The only angle to break free from it rested in him.

As long as he remained the tiger that looked down upon the world, he would never enter the trap.

At that moment, Tan Tianxiong was drinking heavily and kept coughing, until he coughed up blood, but his eyes were like unsheathed Divine Swords, carrying a sharpness that pained the old man.

The elderly man's eyes were closed; he exhaled a turbid breath.

His heart was full of admiration, respect, and now nothing remained but exhaustion and desolation.

Tan Tianxiong had won, but Tan Tianxiong had also lost.

Ten years ago, despite being gaunt, that tiger who arrogantly looked down on everyone had never lost.

Latterly, the tiger, having lost its Sharp Essence, cornered, with blood-shot eyes of a mad tiger, made a desperate attempt, but ultimately was defeated by his past self, and then with the last of his boiling blood and a decade of hope, he nurtured the next generation with sharp claws and teeth, enough to protect themselves.

Tan Yurou. Stay tuned for updates on My Virtual Library Empire

Looking back now, the fierce look in Tan Tianxiong's eyes seemed to have foreseen his own end, much like how he had seen the defeat of his opponents in days past: with loneliness and self-mockery, yet without regret, as arrogant and defiant as ever, with the wilfulness of victory.

Tan once said, he lived with no regrets!

The more he envied Tan Tianxiong, the more he admired him. So when Tan Yurou faked her own death to leave, he acted as if he had become a blind old man with failing eyesight. That's why these two younger family members, who once appeared quite promising, were becoming increasingly disappointing to him.

Retiring from Jianghu was a choice only those with utmost authority were qualified to make.

Just qualified to make the choice.

The reason he took such a risky move

Was not for himself but for his family. As long as he was alive and strong, no one would dare reach out. But a hundred years later, with only these two descendants to rely on, he feared they would become mere fodder in the mouths of others, not to mention reigning over Jianghu, even their survival was uncertain.

He sighed inwardly and muttered softly.

"If Tan Yurou were still here, I, the old man, wouldn't have to bother with all this..."

At that moment,

There came a rhythmic knocking sound from outside the door.

PS: Today's second update...

Fufeng Tianxiong, tiger sitting in the west, this predecessor's story ends here.

In the end, he decayed, but Tan Tianxiong had actually been gone for a long time, what remained was nothing more than a walking corpse.

Saying this, should we add a character list?