Chapter 35: Out of Time (Please read~Please collect~)

The news that Huashan leader Yue Buqun personally went to Hengshan City to attend Liu Zhengfeng’s retirement ceremony soon spread.

There was an endless stream of people from the martial arts world coming to visit Yue Buqun, and he seemed to be taking over the show.

Liu Zhengfeng didn’t mind at all, and even took the initiative to introduce guests of more important status to Yue Buqun.

On the one hand, he has decided to retire from society.

More importantly, for those who have retired from the underworld, the number, quality and attitude of the guests determine whether he can truly retire in the future.

Yue Buqun is the most important person in this grand ceremony.

Liu Zhengfeng naturally tried his best to make friends.

Yue Buqun showed great reluctance to be in the limelight, and chose to close the door and refuse visitors. It was not until Liu Zhengfeng repeatedly requested that he “reluctantly” came out to help him entertain the guests.

Seeing that Shi Potian was really not interested in this kind of thing, Yue Buqun did not force him and let him go back to his room to rest.

But as for Yue Lingshan, he must let her stay with him no matter what.

Yue Lingshan felt that her father was too partial, so she ran to Ning Zhongze to complain.

When she came out of Ning Zhongze’s room, her pretty face was slightly red, and her attitude changed 180 degrees. She began to take the initiative to learn these things.

As for Lin Pingzhi, he was still practicing Huashan’s basic internal skills.

Both Lin Pingzhi and Lao Denuo could be considered to have learned their skills from a master.

The difference is that Lao Denuo has excellent martial arts skills and he doesn’t even need to practice Huashan School’s basic internal skills. He only learned Huashan School’s swordsmanship.

Lin Pingzhi’s foundation was too weak, so it would be better for him to start from scratch than to improve his internal strength.

With his previous experience in practicing internal energy, he could skip the process of finding the Qi sensation.

However, Huashan School’s internal strength is difficult to get started and slow to improve, but has few bottlenecks and is strong and lasting in the later stages. Once it is practiced, the internal strength will slowly increase on its own regardless of whether you are walking, sitting or lying down.

Even if Lin Pingzhi skipped this process, it would be difficult for him to master Huashan’s entry-level internal skills in a short period of time.

However, compared to other Huashan disciples, Lin Zhennan spent a lot of money to invite a famous doctor when Lin Pingzhi left Fuzhou. The doctor used tiger bones, deer antlers, wild ginseng, ganoderma lucidum and other precious medicinal materials to prepare a batch of elixirs for him to nourish his essence and activate his blood circulation for him to use when practicing.

His progress in practicing Huashan’s entry-level internal skills is already much faster than that of ordinary Huashan disciples.

The rest of the Huashan disciples, some of whom were more skilled in martial arts, went to Fuzhou under the leadership of Liang Fa to support Lin Zhennan.

The other part stayed by their side to serve.

Shi Potian returned to his room and, out of boredom, began to practice the Arhat Subduing Demons Technique.

I don’t know how long it had been, but suddenly I heard a sound of breaking air, followed by a tapping sound on the window sill.

Shi Potian opened his eyes, walked forward and pushed open the window, and saw a slender hand stretched out from behind the rockery and waved at him. The emerald green sleeve at the end of the white wrist looked extremely familiar.

Shi Potian’s heart moved, and he stepped out of the window and came behind the rockery, but there was no one in front of him. Suddenly, he heard several sounds of breaking through the air. He turned around quickly, stretched out his hand, caught all the flying peanuts, and stuffed them into his mouth.

Qu Feiyan, dressed in emerald green, poked her head out from under the redbud tree in front of her. Seeing that Shi Potian not only caught her hidden weapon but also ate it directly, she snorted, “Aren’t you afraid that I will poison the peanuts?”

Shi Potian looked confused: “We are friends, why did you poison me?”

Qu Feiyan was stunned. She had been wandering around with Qu Yang since she was a child, lonely and alone. Later, she settled in Hengshan City and had no playmates of the same age. This was the first time someone had said so seriously that they were friends.

Qu Feiyan felt that this was a good feeling, and she smiled and said, “Yes! We are friends! Now your friend invites you to go out and play, do you want to go?”

Shi Potian nodded without hesitation and said, “Go.”

Qu Feiyan became even happier and said with a smile, “Come with me.” She took Shi Potian around the rockery, avoided the Huashan disciples, and after leaving the side courtyard, she walked towards the gate openly.

Most of the Liu Mansion’s disciples were in Hengshan City welcoming guests, and there were many guests coming and going in the mansion, so no one noticed them at all.

The two of them walked out of Liu’s house through the main gate in a dignified manner.

Qu Feiyan was a playful person to begin with. During the years she had lived in Hengshan City, she had already figured out all the fun and delicious things in the city. She took Shi Potian to buy all kinds of snacks and refreshments, and they ate while playing, including juggling performances, storytelling, opera, dog running and cockfighting.

Shi Potian had seen some of these things before, while some of them were the first time he saw them.

But with Qu Feiyan’s explanation, both the former and the latter had completely different experiences.

Qu Feiyan’s experience was also completely different from before.

It was the first time for her to bring someone else to play, and it was Shi Potian who was particularly supportive and sincere.

There were many things that she had already seen and played with, but she felt a completely different sense of accomplishment from Shi Potian’s exclamations and drum beats, and she gradually lost herself.

The two of them ate, watched and played along the way. When they were having fun, they suddenly heard the sound of a huqin coming from the front.

Look up.

They saw a skinny man with hunched shoulders, wearing a hood and a long blue cloth gown that was washed so much that it looked pale. He looked very shabby. He was obviously an old man who was begging for money from performing operas. He was walking towards them while playing the huqin.

Qu Feiyan had been with Qu Yang since she was a child, and had a deep understanding of music. Hearing the old man’s superb erhu skills, she couldn’t help but clap her hands and exclaimed: “This erhu is played so well! Grandpa always told me that there are always people better than you. There are so many masters in this world, and I didn’t believe it at first. I didn’t expect that this old man who sings for money could have such skills.”

Noticing that Shi Potian was frowning, he asked, “What’s wrong? Do you think he played badly?”

The old man’s hands continued to move, the sound of the piano continued, and his steps were neither fast nor slow, only his lowered eyes were slightly focused.

Shi Potian had never studied music, but he could hear the rhythm and melody in the old man’s music and the power it contained to move people’s hearts. He said, “You play very well, but I don’t like it. Everyone is so happy, but he is making people sad. I prefer the sound of gongs and lions over there.”

Qu Feiyan was startled, then laughed: “Brother Gou, you are right! His huqin is indeed out of place, it’s better to play the gongs and drums over there! Let’s go!”

When the old man heard what the two said, he raised his head, revealing his haggard, tubercular face under his hood.

Shi Potian was kindhearted. Although he didn’t like the sound of the old man’s piano, he still took out a piece of silver from his arms and handed it to the old man: “Old man, you are so old, go home and rest early, and take care of yourself.”

The old man took the silver, thanked him, played the erhu again, and walked forward.

It was not until they reached the corner that the old man took the opportunity to turn his head and glanced back, muttering to himself: “Brother Gou? How come I have never heard of this disciple in the Huashan Sect? Could he be Yue Buqun’s new disciple?”

“Why is he with Qu Yang’s granddaughter? Does Yue Buqun know about this? Or is Yue Buqun also together with Qu Yang? Huashan Sect? Demon Sect? Ha!”

Thinking of Shi Potian and Qu Feiyan’s comments on his huqin that it was “inappropriate”, the old man laughed at himself, and with his right hand he plucked the huqin, the sound suddenly changed, and he sang: “Alas, the Yang family, who are loyal, the Song Dynasty…support and protect…”

His voice was drawn out and his tone was very desolate.

(End of this chapter)