Chapter 11 Qu Yang
Liu Zhengfeng would naturally not refuse the marriage proposal made by Shanzhang Cai Rupu and Wu Xun. Both parties hit it off and the marriage soon got on track.

As Ou Zanghua was about to go to Beijing for examination, Liu Zhengfeng discussed with Wu Xun for a while and decided to get engaged first, and the marriage could wait until next year.

After everything was arranged, Liu Zhengfeng was still a little confused. He found his wife and told her about his distress:
How could this disciple whom I had such high hopes for, who had an extremely bright future, be abducted by my naive daughter?
How could my daughter, whom I love so much and whose appearance and figure are the best in Hengyang City, be deceived by my bookworm apprentice?
After a while of complaining, Ouyang couldn't help laughing and said, "If the master is not satisfied, I will be a bad guy and cancel this marriage."

"That's not necessary!" Old Liu quickly refused when he heard it.

Seeing his wife smiling so happily, he had an idea. He approached her inconspicuously and said, "Madam, why don't we have another lovely daughter?"

Ouyang rolled her eyes at Lao Liu in a charming manner. The old couple were very experienced in this matter.

By December, even a southern city like Hengyang began to experience light snow and rain, making the outdoor climate even more damp and cold.

In the dilapidated temple outside Hengshan City, Qu Yang lit a fire, took out a piece of cake from his bag, heated it over the fire, and handed it to the girl beside him.

The girl was about thirteen or fourteen years old. She was wearing emerald green clothes, had snow-white skin, and a pretty and lovely face.

It was Qu Yang’s granddaughter, Qu Feiyan.

"Grandpa, eat too." Qu Feiyan tore the pancake open, handed the larger portion to Qu Yang, and said with a bright smile.

"Good boy, eat more." Qu Yang smiled and tore his portion of the pancake into two.

After eating the pancake, Qu Feiyan was still a little hungry, so she changed the subject and asked, "Grandpa, will Grandpa Liu help us?"

"Brother Liu has ancient elegance, he will help us."

Qu Yang said, shook his head and continued: "But doing so would harm him, so Grandpa plans to chat with him and then leave."

"I'll listen to grandpa." Qu Feiyan laughed, as if she didn't care at all about the hard life of sleeping in the open air.

Not long after, in the wind, rain and light snow, Liu Zhengfeng came to the dilapidated temple carrying a food box and an umbrella.

After seeing Qu Yang, he said happily: "Brother Qu, I came here immediately after seeing the secret code you left."

"Brother Liu, we meet again."

Qu Yang was also very happy. He stood up to greet Liu Zhengfeng, then pointed at Qu Feiyan and introduced her: "This is my granddaughter, Feiyan."

"Grandpa Liu." Qu Feiyan was not shy either. She smiled sweetly at Liu Zhengfeng and called out.

"Good boy!" Liu Zhengfeng nodded with a smile.

When he saw that the two had not finished their cakes, he immediately said, "I brought some good wine and food, just right for you to drink with Brother Qu."

When the food box was opened, there were three layers in total. The bottom layer was rice, the middle layer was a large plate of bacon, and the top layer was roast chicken and a pot of wine.

Qu Feiyan looked at the bacon and roast chicken and couldn't help swallowing. She hadn't had a decent meal for a month.

Seeing this, Liu Zhengfeng tore off a chicken leg and handed it to Qu Feiyan, saying gently, "Eat it!"

"Thank you, Grandpa Liu." Qu Feiyan thanked him, took the chicken leg and started eating it.

When Liu Zhengfeng saw this, he couldn't help but think of his own daughter, who should be staying in the greenhouse with her mother learning needlework.

He looked at Qu Yang and asked, "Brother Qu, you have already rescued Feiyan, so I think you will no longer have any contact with the Sun Moon Sect. Why don't you follow me into the city and live an ordinary life with the zither and flute playing together? Isn't that wonderful?"

"Alas," Qu Yang sighed, and said in a somewhat depressed tone, "I proposed to leave the Divine Religion, but the Eastern Religion Leader thought that I had betrayed him and had issued a killing order. So I came here this time to say goodbye to Brother Liu Xian."

"Ah?!" Liu Zhengfeng was shocked and asked in surprise: "Is Dongfang Bubai so domineering?" Qu Yang nodded and said helplessly: "Yes! So I am in danger now. If I enter the city, I may implicate you. The elders of the Divine Religion are okay, I still have some face. The most troublesome are those disciples of the Divine Religion. Many of them are lawless and do things without considering the consequences. Alas!"

Liu Zhengfeng frowned slightly, thought for a while, and said, "I do have a way, it depends on whether Brother Qu is willing."

"Brother Liu, please speak."

"No matter how lawless the disciples of the Divine Religion are, they dare not go against the real law!" Liu Zhengfeng smiled and said, "My disciple Zanghua will go to Beijing for reference in a few days. The journey is very long, and I am worried about him. I would like to ask Brother Qu to guide and take care of him for me."

"This..." Qu Yang was stunned. He had to say that Liu Zhengfeng's method was indeed good.

Ou Zanghua was the top scorer in the provincial examination and was going to Beijing to take part in the imperial examination, so all the government officials along the way treated him and took care of him.

Therefore, Ou Zanghua is the rising red sun, and its path is bright.

The disciples of the Divine Religion are nothing but nameless people whose lives are worthless.

The two are too different to be compared.

After Liu Zhengfeng came up with this idea, he stopped talking and just ate the bacon in silence.

He has already given his opinion, and the rest is up to Qu Yang to consider on his own.

Qu Yang stared at the bonfire and pondered for a long time before he bowed to Liu Zhengfeng and said, "Thank you, brother Liu. I am ashamed to accept this job."

"Hahaha, that's right! Once you enter the world of martial arts, you have no choice. Isn't it a good thing to have a chance to get out of it safely?" Old Liu patted Qu Yang's shoulder happily and was happy with his choice.

That night, he took Qu Yang and his father back to Hengyang City and arranged for them to stay in an inn.

Then, Old Liu returned to the Liu residence and found Ou Zanghua, who was still awake, and explained the situation to him: "Brother Qu is an old man in the martial arts world. He used to be in the Demon Sect and has good martial arts skills. He is very familiar with all kinds of people in the martial arts world and has been to many places. I will feel more at ease if he accompanies you to the capital."

"Master, what you said makes sense. Let's meet tomorrow!" Ou Zanghua thought for a while and did not agree immediately.

Liu Zhengfeng knew that his disciple had his own opinions, but he believed that Qu Yang's knowledge and strength were enough to impress his disciple.

The next morning, Ou Zanghua received Qu Yang in Wuyuan. Liu Zhengfeng sat beside him, while Qu Feiyan was taken to the back house by Liu Qing to talk.

The two sides exchanged a few pleasantries. Ou Zanghua looked at Qu Yang and said gently, "Master told me about Senior Qu's situation. Master also talked to Senior Qu about my situation. I plan to leave for Beijing in two days. I wonder if Senior Qu has any suggestions on the route to Beijing?"

Qu Yang knew that the other party was testing him, so he said without hesitation: "There are only two ways to get to Beijing from Hengyang. The first part is the same, from Hengyang to Tanzhou to Yueyang. After arriving in Yueyang, it is divided into two ways, land and water. The land route is to take a boat from Yueyang, go down the Yangtze River to Yangzhou, change in Yangzhou, and go to Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal to Beijing. If everything goes well, you can arrive within two months."

"The land route starts from Hankou, goes to Guidefu, Kaifeng, Kaizhou, Jingzhou, passes Baiyangdian and reaches the capital. The route is an official road, which is less affected by the weather. It can reach the capital within 40 days."

"The first round of the Spring Examination is on the ninth day of the second month, and it is currently the second day of the twelfth month, so there are only sixty-eight days left." Ou Zanghua said calmly.

"Isn't the schedule too tight?" Liu Zhengfeng looked at his apprentice and suggested, "How about participating in the next examination?"

Ou Zanghua shook his head and said, "The examination is held every three years, and I don't want Qingqing to wait for me for another three years."

After these words were spoken, Lao Liu had nothing more to say.

Qu Yang thought for a moment and said seriously, "Whether by land or water, as long as your body can endure the hardship of the long journey, you can reach the capital within two months."

"Then let's go by water. I want to visit someone in Hangzhou." Ou Zanghua smiled and said calmly, "I'm still in good health. It's good to endure some hardships while I'm young."

(End of this chapter)