Chapter 72: Banquet for the World's Heroes
At Liu's house in Hengshan County, the gate was now crowded with people watching the fun.

Liu Zhengfeng's plump, white face was full of smiles. Behind him were his third disciple Mi Weiyi and the old housekeeper of the Liu residence.

At this time, the sound of gongs and drums came from the street, and a group of officials were seen walking slowly towards them, holding avoidance signs.

Seeing this, Liu Zhengfeng immediately went forward to meet him.

The magistrate of Hengshan County, Zhou Tong, got off the bridge and quickly supported Liu Zhengfeng. He said amiably, "There is no need for Liu Tianweng to be polite. I should thank Liu Tianshe for training a pillar of the country like Ou Tanhua for our county!"

"Mr. Zhou, please come in." Liu Zhengfeng smiled and pointed to Liu's house with one hand.

Old Liu had met Zhou Tong before. When the county wanted to repair bridges and roadbeds, repair waterways, and compile county annals, these activities required money. Naturally, Old Liu, a wealthy man in Hengshan County, could not escape.

But Zhou Tun’s attitude towards him was not as good as it is now.

At that time he was called "Liu Dangjia", and now he is called "Liu Tianweng".

It was as if Zhou Tong had just realized that Lao Liu was older than him.

Zhou Tong agreed with a smile, holding Liu Zhengfeng's hand and going into Liu's house together.

Behind Zhou Tong, two officers followed carrying a plaque.

After entering the hall, Zhou Tong met Liu Qing and Liu Qin. He exchanged pleasantries again, praising Liu Qing for her natural beauty and kind heart. He also touched Liu Qin's head and said that he looked like a smart child and would gain a lot in the future whether he studied martial arts or studied academically.

Liu Zhengfeng felt a little embarrassed by the praise. Didn’t he know what kind of person his son was?

Old Liu watched how hard Ou Zanghua studied, and his son definitely didn't have that kind of perseverance.

Then came the highlight of the day. Zhou Tong asked Liu Zhengfeng to lift the red cloth covering the plaque.

After Liu Zhengfeng made some polite remarks, he grabbed a corner of the red cloth with trembling hands and lifted it up with all his strength.
This is a custom-made plaque made of nanmu wood, with red background and gold characters, with the four characters "Tanhua Jidi" written in the center, "Palace Examination First Class Three" written vertically in the upper right corner, and two vertical lines in the lower left corner, "Huang Ming Zhengde Sixth Year" and "Established by County Magistrate Zhou Tongji"

Liu Zhengfeng touched the large golden characters, feeling filled with joy.

In his life, he has a disciple like Ou Zanghua and a confidant like Qu Yang. He has no regrets in life!
After seeing Zhou Tong off, Liu Zhengfeng looked at the plaque and said to Mi Weiyi excitedly, "Call a few people to hang this plaque in the hall. I want everyone who enters the room to see it at first sight."

"Yes, master."

Mi Weiyi responded, but before he walked out of the hall, he heard a voice coming over: "Why are you calling someone? We brothers can hang it up, right? Master Brother."

Liu Zhengfeng looked back and saw Mo Da and Lu Lianrong walking in one after another, followed by their respective disciples.

The young man and girl looked at the plaque with envy, then bowed to Liu Zhengfeng and said, "Uncle Master."

"No need to be polite," Liu Zhengfeng nodded kindly, looked at the two brothers and asked, "How come you two have time to come to my place?"

"Hehe. Isn't this a big shot sent by our Hengshan?"

Lu Lianrong didn't care about Mo Da at all. He started talking big and couldn't stop at all: "Junior brother, in my opinion, such a happy event should be celebrated in a big way. Let's invite the other four sects, Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, etc. Do they have a Tanhua Lang? They don't! Hahaha."

"Oh, and we also need to invite the seniors from our own sect, including Master Yixin of Prajna Zen Forest, Master Huikai of Hengshan Daming Temple, Taoist Master Wang Chengwu of Hengshan Jinmu Temple, and Li Shusheng of Tiefo Academy."

Mo Da was annoyed by Lu Lianrong's noise and he knew he shouldn't have come today.

"Second Senior Brother, calm down first." Liu Zhengfeng was not much better. He stopped Lu Lianrong and looked at Mo Da and asked, "What do you think of this, Senior Brother, the Sect Leader?"

Mo Da thought for a while before speaking, "Zang Hua passed the exam and won the third place. Junior Brother Liu should celebrate. If we don't invite fellow martial artists, some people will inevitably gossip about us. It's better to send out invitations to heroes. Those who are willing to come will be welcomed by Hengshan Sect. Those who are not willing to come will not be forced."

"I don't like what you said, Master Brother!"

Lu Lianrong shook his head and said, "What are our identities now? What are their identities? How dare they say such idle words about us? Humph!"

"Second Senior Brother, please calm down a bit!" Liu Zhengfeng couldn't stand it anymore and said to Lu Lianrong, "It's my disciple who passed the exam and won the third place!"

"That's just what I said." Lu Lianrong muttered, not daring to refute Liu Zhengfeng.

Mo Dacai continued, "Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, Songshan, Huashan, Hengshan, and Taishan are the symbols of the righteous martial arts world. It would be better for us to let the disciples deliver the invitations. What do you think, Junior Brother Liu?"

Liu Zhengfeng thought about it and nodded in agreement: "Master Brother is still very thoughtful."

Outside the hall, Mi Weiyi was surrounded by Mo Da and Lu Lianrong's disciples. These junior brothers and sisters who had joined the sect for half a year did not admire him very much, but the questions they asked most were about their senior brother Ou Zanghua.

Zhang Wenshuang, Mo Da's second disciple, was a delicate woman. She asked in a low voice: "Senior Brother Mi, does the eldest brother practice martial arts on weekdays?"

"Yes, but Senior Brother only practices occasionally." Mi Weiyi thought for a moment and told the truth.

Lu Lianrong's fourth disciple, Wen Caile, was also a young girl. She was shocked when she heard this and said, "I heard that the eldest brother had mastered our Hengshan School's Kung Fu to perfection at the age of ten, and then he started to study! The eldest brother is worthy of being the eldest brother, he is so powerful."

Mi Weiyi was stunned. Is this true?
Why didn't he know?
Lu Lianrong's fifth disciple Lu Shiwei also said: "I also heard that on the way to the exam, the eldest brother couldn't stand the demons of the Demon Sect bullying men and women, so he killed more than a dozen villains led by Yan Sanxing with one sword. Among the swordsmanship of our Hengshan School, only the move of "One Sword to Kill Nine Geese" can do that!"

Mo Da's eldest disciple Cheng Baiyu said, "It should be. My master once demonstrated how to cut off seven cups with one sword. Senior Brother has amazing talent. It is reasonable that this move surpasses my master."

Mi Weiyi closed his mouth tightly and began to reflect on whether he had paid enough attention to his senior brother's martial arts.

Lu Lianrong's second disciple, Sun Chenghe, asked, "Dear fellow disciples, do you think that the eldest disciple will take us to the capital?"

When this group of young people were still thinking about what kind of new life they would have if they went to the capital, they were called in by their respective masters.

There were seven invitations on the tea table in the hall, all handwritten by Liu Zhengfeng himself.

After the assignment, Mi Weiyi was responsible for delivering the invitations to Shaolin Temple. He was Liu Zhengfeng's disciple, and his status was somewhat different from others, which also showed his importance to Shaolin.

Mo Da's eldest disciple Cheng Baiyu was responsible for delivering the invitation to Wudang, and the second disciple Zhang Wenshuang was responsible for delivering it to Emei.

The remaining four sects were all sent by Lu Lianrong's disciples.

"You all have no experience in traveling far, so I asked my friends from the Beggars' Sect to lead the way for you."

Liu Zhengfeng stroked his beard and continued, "When you are out, don't cause trouble, and don't put yourself in a difficult position. We in the Hengshan Sect don't cause trouble, but we are not afraid of it. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" eight young men answered at the same time.

Outside Liu's house, Jie Qing, who had been staying in Hengshan County, came with four Beggar Gang masters.

Songshan School and Shaolin Temple are in the same place, so only one person is needed to lead the way. To go to Wudang and Huashan, one must pass through Yueyang, so Jie Qing will find another person in Yueyang Prefecture to lead the way to Huashan.

After everything was arranged, everyone got on their horses and set off towards their respective destinations.
(End of this chapter)