Chapter 2 Hengshan Martial Arts
The Liu residence covers an area of ​​nearly 3,000 square meters and is one of the largest families in Hengshan City.

Liu Zhengfeng joined the Hengshan Sect by spending money.

At this moment, Lao Liu was sitting in the back hall and laughing. Who could have thought that he, a landowner who roamed around the world, actually had a disciple who won the top prize in the imperial examination?
"Ma'am, I really didn't expect this!"

Liu Zhengfeng stroked his beard and said with a flushed face: "My disciple is the first place in the exam. Two years ago, when Zang Hua took the first place in the middle school exam, I never thought that he would pass the exam and become the first place in the exam!"

Liu Zhengfeng's wife, Ouyang, was holding a 3-year-old child in her arms, who was their son, Liu Qin.

Ouyang was the daughter of a scholar in Hengshan County. She had a curvy figure and delicate features, but her skin was slightly yellow, which affected her appearance.

Liu Zhengfeng is just the opposite, short and fat with red lips and fair skin.

Liu Qing perfectly inherited the advantages of both her parents. She has her mother's tall and well-proportioned figure and beautiful facial features, and her father's fair skin. She is a rare beauty.

At this time, Ouyang was smiling and saying, "Zanghua is a smart child. Maybe he will give the master a surprise in the future!"

"Hahaha, I dare not think about it!" Liu Zhengfeng laughed and waved his hands. He understood what his wife meant.

But that’s the top scholar!

Not to mention the Hengshan School, the entire Huguang Province had only two top scorers before this, namely Lord Ren Hengtai in the Hongwu period and Lord Li Chun in the first year of Tianshun.

It would be a great honor for my disciple to become the third one.

As he thought about it, Liu Zhengfeng felt distressed again.

The disciples are so competitive that the sect seems to have little room for them.

Before this, he had accidentally heard his beloved disciple being mocked by his classmates as a "rabble".

People in the martial arts world may sound free and easy, but in the eyes of these scholars, they are nothing more than a group of unruly men.

It would be fine if it were a time of chaos, but anyone who dared to talk would be killed.

But nowadays, the world can be considered peaceful. Except for the occasional attacks by the Oirat Mongols in the north and the occasional Japanese pirates coming ashore along the coast, it has nothing to do with the chaotic world.

Therefore, Lao Liu would not want his disciple's future reputation to be affected because of his birth.

But expelling the top scholar from the sect sounds a bit weird.

At this time, Ou Zanghua and Liu Qing had already entered the back hall. The young man looked at Liu Zhengfeng and his wife, bowed and said, "Master, Master's wife."

"Zanghua is here! Come and sit down."

Liu Zhengfeng couldn't stop smiling. He asked gently, "Just now a yamen runner came to tell you that you have passed the imperial examination. What are your plans? How about I set up a three-day buffet for you to make the neighbors happy?"

Ou Zanghua thought about it and realized that a big landlord like Lao Liu had a lot of money, so there was no pressure to set up a buffet, so he nodded and said, "As long as the master is happy, I'm going to go to the academy to thank you for your teachings."

"Yes, yes, yes. It would be best if you could invite Mr. Wu to come and have a drink with you. It will be a festive occasion." Upon hearing this, Liu Zhengfeng nodded immediately.

"I have the same idea. We can also invite some celebrities."

Watching the master and disciple discussing who to invite, Ouyang waited for them to finish before speaking: "Zanghua has done us proud this time, Master, don't you plan to reward him?"

"Yes, it's worth the reward!" Liu Zhengfeng nodded. He thought about it for a while and suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

It seems like I don’t have anything to reward my apprentice!

So, he asked directly: "Is there anything Zanghua wants? I will definitely find a way to get it for you!"

"Come to think of it, I do have something that I would like Master to give me." Ou Zanghua said with a smile, "Master, your Thirteen Forms of Clouds and Mists are famous in the martial arts world, and I really want to learn it."

"You want to learn the Thirteen Forms of Clouds and Mists?"

Liu Zhengfeng was stunned and asked, "Will it delay your imperial examination?"

Ou Zanghua said: "Just treat it as a normal exercise to relax, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Well, since you know what's going on, I won't say much." After Liu Zhengfeng finished speaking, he stood up and went to the study.

After a while, he came over with a secret book, handed it to Ouyang Hua and warned him: "The Thirteen Styles of Clouds and Mists is one of the three great skills of my Hengshan Sword School. Today, I will pass it on to you. Don't let it out, otherwise I will be ashamed to face the founder of Hengshan School."

"Master, please rest assured. I know what's going on." Ou Zanghua nodded calmly while holding the secret book. After having dinner with Liu Zhengfeng's family, Ou Zanghua returned to Wu Garden. At this time, the maid had already lit the lamp for him.

He put the Four Books and Five Classics aside and began to read the secret book under the lamp.

The Thirteen Forms of Clouds and Mists were created by a former Hengshan School master who made a living by performing arts. The master incorporated his magic skills into his martial arts, making this sword technique varied and ever-changing.

After watching it, Ou Zanghua looked a little solemn, because this sword technique gave him the feeling that it was a bit like the moves of the juggler in "Sword Rain".

However, the juggler was easily crushed by the Chakravartin and uttered the classic words:

When you want to perform magic, you perform magic; when you want to practice martial arts, you practice martial arts. You always mix it up. It's a miracle that you're still alive today.

Putting down the secret book, Ou Zanghua seemed to understand why the Hengshan Sword Sect had been stagnant.

Compared with Huashan, Songshan and Taishan, the Hengshan School itself lacks foundation.

In addition, the support for Huashan that year resulted in the deaths of many masters in the sect, and even one of the three unique skills, the Hengshan Five Divine Swords, was lost.

So much so that later, during the sword fighting at Mount Song, Uncle Master Mo Da was frightened by Yue Lingshan's reappearance of the Five Divine Swords.

And the fact that Mo Da was able to use the Huifeng Luoyan sword technique to rank among the top ten of the righteous sect is already quite impressive.

Ou Zanghua thought about it and decided to find an opportunity to meet his uncle Mo Da and get the Huifeng Luoyan sword technique from him to study.

The next day, Ou Zanghua got up early, practiced the Hengshan Heart Technique, and then performed the Hengshan Sword Technique. He was sweating all over before he finished practicing and washed up.

Then he wrote the invitations and went out with his junior fellow apprentice Xiang Da Nian.

Xiang Danian walked beside Ou Zanghua, staring at the surroundings vigilantly.

Last night, Master Liu Zhengfeng specifically reminded him to protect his senior brother.

Because the eldest brother is different from these wandering knights. He is talented and will never be hurt by villains.

Xiang Danian is a steady person and has great respect for his master.

So he would complete whatever his master asked him to do conscientiously, just like he is doing now.

Seeing this, Ou Zanghua couldn't help but smile and said, "Da Nian, there's no need to be so vigilant. No one in Hengyang City will hurt me."

"Brother, don't be careless. You are the top scorer now and your status is different." Xiang Da Nian shook his head without any slackness.

"Um"

Ou Zanghua felt helpless and just let him go.

After walking for nearly half an hour, the two arrived outside the academy.

Looking up, I saw the four-character plaque "Shigu Academy" bestowed by Emperor Taizong of Song Dynasty, Zhao Guangyi.

On both sides of the mountain gate are hung couplets: the upper couplet "cultivating the name of a thousand Buddhas" and the lower couplet "the ultimate taste in the five sutras".

Inside the gate stands a large stone drum, nearly three meters high.

Shigu Academy was first built in the fifth year of Yuanhe in the Tang Dynasty. It is one of the important birthplaces of Hunan culture. It was destroyed by war in the first year of Kaiqing in the Southern Song Dynasty and rebuilt in the first year of Jingding.

Then it was destroyed by war again at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and rebuilt for the second time during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty.

Later, this thousand-year-old academy was destroyed by war in the late Ming Dynasty and the 33rd year of the Republic of China.
But these are things of the past. At that time, Shigu Academy was enjoying great fame. Scholars flocked to it and it became a world-renowned place for studying. It was considered one of the six major schools in the imperial examination system.

Ou Zanghua's teacher was named Wu Xun, who was the 42nd successful candidate in the imperial examination in the sixth year of Tianshun. He later took part in two joint examinations but failed both times. He was then invited by Cai Rupu, the principal of Shigu Academy, to teach there.

At this moment, Xiang Danian was standing at the entrance of the academy feeling a little awkward. He said to Ou Zanghua, "Big Brother, the academy is protected by Wenquxing, so there shouldn't be any villains. I'll wait for you outside!"

Ou Zanghua looked at Xiang Danian, did not embarrass his junior brother, and nodded gently in agreement.

This kid doesn't know that the villains in the academy are much more destructive than the villains in the underworld.

(End of this chapter)