Chapter 29 Ling Dangjia

At Xiang Xun's invitation, Ou Zanghua and the other two moved from the outer courtyard to the inner courtyard.

There were also more than a dozen tables here, all of which were Xiang Xun's relatives and friends. When Yan Sanxing was making trouble just now, these people were the ones who stood behind Xiang Xun and supported him.

After Ou Zanghua sat down, Xiang Xun asked his other children to come forward and greet him.

He pointed at his youngest son and said, "Young Master Ou, take a look at my youngest son, Xiang Ling. Although he is only nine years old, I have been strict with him since he was young. Now he has learned a lot of my skills."

Ou Zanghua looked at the little boy. Although he was young, his eyes were bright and energetic. He praised him, "He looks energetic and full of life. Not bad."

"Hahaha," Xiang Xun laughed happily, and then asked, "Young Master Ou, why don't you feel his muscles and bones to see if my little son is suitable to learn Hengshan martial arts from you, Young Master Ou?"

Ou Zanghua was stunned. How could he feel bones? His martial arts skills were all based on cheats. He must not mislead his students. "Uncle Xiang, you are joking. I am still practicing and learning. How can I be qualified to teach others? Uncle Xiang, you should find another expert!"

"Hey! Young Master Ou, you are too modest. Your Huifeng Luoyan swordsmanship is one of the best among the new generation in the martial arts world." Xiang Xun patted his youngest son and said with a smile, "This kid is very tough. If you are not satisfied with anything, you can let Young Master Ou beat and scold him!"

"I really don't know how to teach my apprentice, but I can't ruin Xiao Xiang's future."

"Whether he succeeds or not is his own business. How can he blame the master for not teaching him?"

Ou Zanghua was speechless. This old man was indeed a gangster. He had a way of speaking.

At this time, Qu Feiyan on the side knew that it was time for her to step forward.

The little girl immediately jumped out and said, "You old man, you are so shameless. My young master is kind and gentle and saved your family, but you are still climbing up the ladder. Do you know that my young master is not only a disciple of Hengshan, but also a champion of Huguang. If you want to be your young master's disciple, can your son bear such a big cause and effect?"

"Ah?!" Xiang Xun was shocked. He didn't expect that the person in front of him was actually a top scholar.

He stood up in panic, bowed and explained: "I didn't know, please don't blame me, Mr. Jie Yuanlang!"

Ou Zanghua quickly supported Xiang Xun and said gently, "Uncle Xiang, you don't have to do this. I am really not good at teaching people. By the way, please arrange for someone to collect the bodies of those innocent people who died outside the town so that they can rest in peace."

"Ou Jieyuan is truly gentle and kind-hearted, a true gentleman!" Xiang Xun saw that Ou Zanghua did not look angry, and after hearing what he said, he knew that he was a truly sincere gentleman, so he felt relieved.

He immediately invited Ou Zanghua to take a seat and personally filled his glass with wine.

Ou Zanghua looked at the table full of delicious food, but he had no appetite, so he put down his chopsticks, looked at Xiang Xun and said, "I heard that the bangzi opera in the outer courtyard is very interesting. I would like to ask Mr. Xiang to recommend some artists to me."

"What's so difficult about that?" Xiang Xun laughed and asked his son to find the artists who sang Bangzi opera. He still sat next to Ou Zanghua and talked about his experiences in the martial arts world when he was young.

Not long after, an artist with rough makeup on his face was brought over. When he heard that it was the top scholar who wanted to see him, the artist's hands trembled with nervousness: "I am Ling Yan, honored to meet the top scholar and Mr. Xiang."

Xiang Xun's expression became more serious, and he said, "Jie Yuanlang is looking for you, answer whatever he asks."

Ling Yan quickly responded, "Yes, yes, I understand."

"So it was Master Ling who came in person," Ou Zanghua nodded at the other party and asked gently, "Was Master Ling performing "The Revenge of the Orphan of Zhao" just now?"

"Mr. Jie Yuan is indeed well-educated and has a lot of knowledge. His work is The Revenge of the Orphan of Zhao," Ling Yan replied while bending over.

“Apart from this, are there any other songs?”

Ling Yan nodded and said, "Yes, we can perform "The He Shi Bi", "The Unicorn Bone Bed" and "The Filial Wife of the East Sea". Ou Zanghua understood. It seemed that Bangzi Opera had developed to a relatively mature level during this period of time.

He thought for a while and asked, "Where is Mr. Ling going next?"

Seeing that Ou Zanghua was polite and not overbearing, Ling Yan felt relieved and answered more fluently: "Replying to Mr. Jie Yuanlang, we have accepted Mr. Xiang's work and will sing for three consecutive days."

After hearing this, Ou Zanghua turned to look at Xiang Xun and said, "Uncle Xiang, I would like to borrow Master Ling for a few days, come on board with me, and let him tell me about Bangzi Opera."

"Okay. Let's do this! Xiang Zhen and Ling Dangjia will follow Ou Jieyuan together. If he asks you to come back, you can come back. It will be safer when you come back with two of you as companions." Xiang Xun looked at his second son and said cheerfully.

After hearing this, Ou Zanghua couldn't help but look at Xiang Xun. This old guy was quite good at climbing up the pole.

But what he said did make some sense, so Ou Zanghua did not object.

After drinking a glass of wine, Ou Zanghua heard the outer courtyard beginning to disperse, and thought that the shops in the town would soon open, so he said goodbye to Xiang Xun.

Xiang Xun was stunned and asked quickly, "Is Ou Jieyuan in such a hurry to leave? Is it because I didn't treat you well enough?"

"No, I have to go to the capital to take the exam." Ou Zanghua said seriously, "So time is very tight and I can't stay any longer."

After hearing this, Xiang Xun realized that it would be unreasonable to keep him here any longer, so he changed his words and said, "We really can't waste time. Next time Ou Jieyuan comes to Xuzhou, I will entertain you again!"

"Thank you."

Immediately afterwards, Xiang Xun asked his second son Xiang Zhen to bring a small wooden box and a long sword, inside which were neatly placed one thousand taels of silver notes and two bottles of detoxification pills that he had bought at a high price.

He handed the small wooden box to Ou Zanghua and said with gratitude: "If it weren't for Ou Jieyuan's help, my family's happy event would have turned into a funeral. This is a small token of my appreciation, please accept it, Ou Jieyuan."

"This sword is called Yuncang, and the blade is three feet and three inches long. It was given to me by a swordsman from the north ten years ago. I am not good at swordsmanship, so I have kept it in my mansion. Today I am giving the sword to the hero."

Ou Zanghua smiled, expressed his gratitude, and asked Qu Feiyan to take it all.

Xiang Xun didn't care about his eldest son's marriage and insisted on accompanying Ou Zanghua and others to board the ship.

It was not until the sand ship entered the canal that he withdrew his gaze and returned to the Xiang family compound with some reluctance.

The eldest son Xiang Cheng hurried out and supported his father.

Xiang Xun looked at his eldest son and asked gently, "Has Huiran arranged everything? Did he not get frightened?"

"Don't worry, Dad. Huiran is fine." Xiang Cheng said quickly.

Huiran was the girl Xiangcheng betrothed to. They grew up together as childhood sweethearts and finally married each other when he was eighteen years old.

Xiang Xun patted the back of his eldest son's hand and said calmly, "That's good. From now on, you will have to support your own family."

Xiang Cheng felt bitter in his heart, but he could only nod with a smile: "I know, Dad."

(End of this chapter)