Chapter 40 Good Things (Please read and collect)
Shi Potian looked at Qu Feiyan who came and went in a hurry, feeling a little confused and at a loss.

However, he has always been open-minded and would not dwell on it even if he couldn’t figure it out. He couldn’t sleep anyway, so he simply sat cross-legged and started practicing again.

The night passed quickly.

The next morning, before dawn, he was awakened by a series of hurried knocks on the door.

Lu Dayou shouted, “Big Brother, Master said that today is the day that Master Liu will retire. We are in the Five Mountains Alliance, and we are of the same blood, so we are half the master. He asked us to get up early to eat and be prepared, so as not to bring shame to the reputation of our Huashan Sect and the Five Mountains Sword Sect.”

Shi Potian replied “OK”, washed, changed his clothes, went out, had breakfast with his fellow brothers and sisters, stood in the yard, and waited for Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze to arrive.

Soon, Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze came out of the room. They glanced at the disciples and saw that they were all neatly dressed and in high spirits. They nodded with satisfaction and led them to the front yard hall.

Today is the day when Liu Zhengfeng retires from the underworld, and the number of guests coming is far greater than in the previous few days.

Some of these people were familiar with each other, and some were just admiring each other but had never met before. For a while, there was a lot of noise in the hall with greetings and introductions.

Taoist Tianmen and Master Dingyi saw that these guests were a mixed bunch and did not want to have too much interaction with them. They left their disciples outside to support Liu Zhengfeng and went back to their rooms to rest.

Yue Buqun was completely different. He stayed in the hall from beginning to end. He talked and laughed with everyone who came to talk to him, no matter what their status was. He did not put on airs as the leader of the Huashan Sect at all.

As the eldest disciple of Huashan Sect and the one who captured Tian Boguang’s young hero alive, Shi Potian was naturally often the subject of gossip and praise.

Fortunately, with Yue Buqun as his master in front of him, he only needed to act as a social tool and keep bowing and greeting, and he was able to handle it.

Time flies and it is noon, the auspicious time is approaching.

The disciples of Liu’s mansion directed the servants to set up about 200 tables inside and outside the mansion, and began to invite the guests to take their seats.

Suddenly, two gunshots were heard outside the door, followed by the sound of drums and music, and then the sound of gongs and shouts.

Shi Potian had never seen such a scene before, and looked outside curiously, only to see an official in official uniform leading a group of yamen runners to the gate of Liu’s mansion.

When Liu Zhengfeng heard the noise, he hurried out from the inner hall and respectfully invited them in.

All the people in the underworld were stunned. They didn’t understand why there were people from the government coming to Liu Zhengfeng’s retirement ceremony.
The official walked in proudly, stood in the middle, and took out a scroll from the tray held high by the servant behind him. He said in a loud voice: “The imperial edict has arrived. Liu Zhengfeng, please listen to it.”

Liu Zhengfeng knelt down with his knees bent, kowtowed three times to the official, and said in a loud voice: “Your humble servant Liu Zhengfeng obeys your order. Long live the emperor.”

All the people in the martial arts world were shocked when they saw this.

Shi Potian felt that everything he saw was as interesting as a big opera.

The official unrolled the scroll and read: “The Emperor of Heaven and Earth decrees: According to the report of the Governor of Hunan Province, Liu Zhengfeng, a commoner from Hengshan County, is public-spirited and righteous, has made contributions to his hometown, is skilled in archery and horsemanship, and has great potential. He is hereby appointed as a lieutenant general. He shall serve the court in the future and live up to my expectations. I decree this.”

Shi Potian didn’t understand what this meant. Seeing that everyone around him, including his master and his mistress, were all shocked, he couldn’t help but ask in a low voice: “Junior sister, what does he mean by these words?”

Yue Lingshan came back to her senses and whispered, “The emperor appointed Uncle Liu as an official and made him a lieutenant general.”

As he spoke, Liu Zhengfeng had already accepted the decree and expressed his gratitude. He then took a brocade bundle filled with gold from the person next to him and handed it to the official with both hands: “It is just a small gift, not a token of respect. Lord Zhang, please accept it.”

Lord Zhang immediately smiled brightly and said, “He is my brother and will serve me in the same palace in the future, but General Liu is so polite.” He winked and asked the servant beside him to take over.

Liu Zhengfeng’s face was full of smiles and he flattered the man again. He even personally escorted the man to the gate and fired ceremonial guns to see him off.

The gang of martial artists looked at each other in confusion, their faces filled with embarrassment and surprise.

The guests who came to Liu’s house were all famous in the martial arts world, and they all thought highly of themselves and looked down upon the government. At this moment, seeing Liu Zhengfeng currying favor with the emperor and giving him the title of “Commander-in-Chief”, they burst into tears of gratitude, made all kinds of disgusting expressions, and even openly bribed him, looking down on him in their hearts.

Many of them showed contempt on their faces without disguising it at all.

Taoist Tianmen, Master Dingyi, and even Yue Buqun, who was always extremely cunning, all looked somewhat ugly at this moment.

Liu Zhengfeng is from the Hengshan School and also from the Five Mountains Sword School.

He did this in front of so many fellow martial artists, which could be said to be a disgrace to the entire Five Mountains Sword Sect.

If Liu Zhengfeng was not considering that he was about to retire from the underworld, the three of them would have left long ago.

Shi Potian’s attention was on the three words “General Liu”. He couldn’t help but ask Yue Lingshan in a low voice: “Junior Sister, is Uncle Liu a very capable person?”

Although Yue Lingshan also despised Liu Zhengfeng’s flattery and bribery, she still told the truth: “Of course it counts. He is a martial arts expert and is known as the second best in Hengshan Sect, second only to the Hengshan Sect’s head, Mr. Mo Da.”

“Although I don’t have many disciples, they all have good martial arts skills, and many of them have already made a name for themselves in the martial arts world.”

“There are so many guests in the room, including the officials who were bought with money. How can this be done without some skills?”

“Pity!”

Shi Potian was puzzled: “What a pity? Isn’t this a good thing?”

Before Yue Lingshan could answer, Yue Buqun turned around and scolded, “Chong’er, Shan’er, stop talking nonsense! We will be seated soon, and there is no place for you here. Please go to the back hall!”

Those who could stand in the hall and watch the ceremony were all famous figures in the martial arts world, and their martial arts skills were all good. Although Yue Lingshan and Shi Potian spoke in low voices, there were definitely many people who could hear them.

Yue Lingshan noticed the gazes of the people around her and immediately realized this. She stuck out her tongue and pulled Shi Potian to the back hall, complaining in a low voice: “It’s all your fault! You kept asking questions and got me kicked out by my father!”

But he continued to explain to Shi Potian: “For those of us who practice martial arts, chivalry comes first. When you become an official, you will inevitably have to flatter and curry favor with others. The word “chivalry” will be put aside again and again, and your martial arts will be useless. That’s why I say it’s a pity for Uncle Liu.”

On the other side, Liu Zhengfeng watched Lord Zhang walk away before returning to the hall, coming in front of the guests, smiling widely, and inviting everyone to take a seat.

He seemed unaware of the strange atmosphere in the hall and the contemptuous looks of the people in the underworld.

After everyone is seated.

Mi Weiyi brought out a brocade-covered coffee table and placed it in the center of the hall.

Xiang Danian held in his hands a golden basin that was a foot and a half in diameter and filled with clear water and placed it on the coffee table.

Three cannon shots were fired outside the door, followed by eight large firecrackers in a row.

The ceremony of washing hands in the golden basin officially began.

Liu Zhengfeng walked to the center of the hall with a smile, clasped his fists and bowed, and said loudly: “My dear senior heroes, my dear friends, I am very grateful to you for coming from afar…”

Liu Zhengfeng’s words were very literary, saying things like “eat the emperor’s salary and be loyal to the emperor” and “in state affairs, one must abide by the law to repay the emperor’s kindness.”

Shi Potian didn’t understand most of what was said. He was just thinking about asking his junior sister what these words meant when he suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from the back hall.

“Who are you? This is the backyard of Liu’s mansion. Who told you to come here?”

It’s Qu Feiyan!
(End of this chapter)