Chapter 27: Li Jing Holds a Hundred-Day Banquet; Huang San Sends Three Qian as a Gift

  It is often said that the moon has its phases of brightness and darkness, fullness and emptiness, just as human beings have their ups and downs, calamities and blessings. One moment you're fine, the next you're being taken away by the authorities - such are the many uncertainties in life, nothing to be surprised about.

  Now, let's talk about Chen Tang Guan, where there was a general named Li Jing. From a young age, he sought the truth and asked about the Tao, and took the Western Kunlun Degree as his master to learn the five elements of escape techniques. Because the immortal way is difficult to achieve, he went down the mountain to assist the great merchant. At a young age, he became a general, enjoying all the wealth and glory of the world. He married Yin Shi, and the couple loved each other dearly. Although they were harmonious, they had no children for a long time. They heard that the Five Dragons Mountain Yun Xiao Dong Wen Shu Guang Hua Tian Zun was very effective, so the couple went to pray and returned within a year. His wife became pregnant, and after ten months, she gave birth to a son. Li Jing held a high position and had great power, and now he also had a strong and lovely second son. He was really happy. On his son's 100th day, he invited friends from all sides to come and celebrate. Inside and outside Chen Tang Guan, lanterns were hung and colored flags were raised, and the drums and music rose to the sky.

  Again, Huang Shiren and Jin Daxing, the two brothers, bid farewell to Bai Jian. They came quickly all the way, and in the distance, they saw a pass blocking their path. It was indeed a place where one man could hold off ten thousand men. The scene before them was: towering mountains, steep cliffs, dense forests, winding roads, majestic mountain peaks, rolling clouds and mist, people on top seemed to be floating as if they were about to ascend to heaven. The mountain ranges were layered with greenery, strange rocks stood upright, the valleys were deep and treacherous, and the streams flowed rapidly, making it a truly perilous place. It was indeed: three thousand feet of stone steps suspended in mid-air, a hundred million flowers blooming in the jade forest that surrounded them. Only by seeing this with their own eyes did they realize that they had arrived at such a place, and they couldn't help but wonder if they had already entered the realm of the immortals.

  Two people arrived at the gate, only to see every household hanging lanterns, each family decorating with colors, joyful and happy, singing and dancing, a scene of jubilation, couldn't help but feel puzzled.

  "This old gentleman, why is this place so festive?" Huang Shiren pulled over an old man and asked.

  The old man, before meeting the Taoist priest, looked strange and had an otherworldly air about him. He didn't dare to be slow in his speech, saying: "This immortal is from outside, right? Ah, our place is called Chentang Pass, a major commercial hub. A few years ago, a general named Li Jing came here. Although General Li was not old, he had great abilities and since he arrived, he has been leading the troops to clean up the area, and our lives have gradually improved. Just now, a few months ago, the general welcomed a new son, and today is setting up a hundred-day banquet, we are also celebrating."

  "Thank you, old sir." Huang Shiren let go of the old man, twirling his goat-like whiskers and chuckled: "I didn't expect to come to Chentangguan and run into a hundred-day banquet."

  "Big brother, let's find a place to stay for the night, it's getting late. There's an inn over there," said Da Sheng.

  "You fool! Don't you have a place to stay?" Huang Shiren pointed to the Chen Tang Guan and smiled, "Tonight, let's go drink a cup of wedding wine."

  "Big brother, are you going to see Li Jing?" Jin Daxiang was unhappy: "He's the general, and you're not familiar with him, how can you have the nerve to go drink with him?"

  "You just don't worry about this, I guarantee that Li Jing will invite us into his mansion with a grand procession of eight sedan chairs."

  "I don't believe it." Jin Daxing's face was smiling, but in his heart he knew this brother's skills.

  The two of them entered the pass and inquired about people all along the way, soon arriving at the gate of Li's residence.

  All that can be seen is a grand mansion, with guests coming and going, the sound of zithers and shengs filling the air, amidst the hustle and bustle.

  "When attending a happy occasion, one must bring a gift." Huang Shiren saw that everyone entering the mansion had big and small boxes, so he felt embarrassed to enter empty-handed. He saw a nearby stationery store, rushed in, asked for a piece of silk, spent two cents on it, got some brush and ink, made it into a couplet shape, wrote the top line, but left the bottom line blank, instructed the shopkeeper to put it in a box, and spent only three big coins in total.

  Huang Shiren's actions were all seen by Jin Daxing, who saw him write those dragon-and-phoenix-like characters and read them out. Suddenly his head ached: "Big brother, the nonsense you've written, if we take it in for Li Jing to see, he'll definitely chop us up!"

  "Mind your own business, you'll be drinking soon."

  "I'd rather burn incense than get beaten up!" Jin Dasheng shook his head straight away.

  He wrote such a sentence of nonsense, and the gift was only three dollars. If it were me, I would also want to break this guy's ribs!

  Having finished, Huang Shiren carried the brocade box and hurriedly made his way to the Li residence.

  Two people arrived at the door and were greeted by someone in charge.

  "Little Li San has seen the two Taoist priests!" The one in charge was the steward of the Li household, because Li Jing had many friends and to avoid neglecting his guests, he let the servants go out of the house to welcome them, and this Li San was the one in charge.

  Li Jing had previously instructed that ordinary people would be fine, but those who cultivate the Tao must never be slow.

  Li San saw Huang Shiren and Jin Dashi wearing Taoist robes, looking like immortals, so he didn't dare to be careless, walked over, and paid his respects.

  "Ah, Li San, I heard that General Li's son is having a 100-day celebration banquet, so I came to offer my congratulations!" Huang Shiren said with a smile.

  "Please come in!" Li San led the two men into the mansion, where they saw a line of people waiting ahead, with family members recording the gifts brought by the guests.

  "Huilongguan's high heavenly chess is long, a jade ruyi in one hand, and an immortal dan in the other!"

  "Tian Tong Yuan Hu Liang Da Ren ninety-nine catty golden boy and girl twins!"

  "Zi Zhu Yuan Cai Xiao Hang Cai Dao Chang, a Xian Jian sword and a pearl Xian Yi garment!"

  ……

  Jin Dashi followed behind Huang Shiran, seeing that the people in front were offering either gold and silver treasures or magical artifacts and immortal clothes. He took another look at the brocade box brought by the three big coins and his face was covered in cold sweat, involuntarily taking a few steps back, pretending not to recognize this guy.

  "Hey, fellow Taoist, why did you register and then post notices?" Huang Shiren patted the back of a Taoist priest in front of him.

  Those who gave gifts, after finishing giving them, would have someone from the Li family present a silk ribbon to be hung on their chest. These ribbons were divided into grades of green cloth, brocade, silver thread and gold thread, with green cloth being the most common, followed by brocade, then silver thread, and finally gold thread being the rarest.

  "Friends from afar, haha, General Li treats his guests with a feast. The guests are distinguished by their prestige, seniority and the value of their gifts, and are given one of four types of silk ribbons to show their distinction. The golden thread ribbon is the most precious. My gift was light and my cultivation shallow, so I got a brocade ribbon." The Taoist in front of him had presented a delicate and transparent jade heavenly vessel, took the brocade ribbon, pinned it on his chest, and smiled at Huang Shiren with a "haha".

  So it was. Huang Shiran nodded and came to the case.

  "What is Xian Chang's title?"

  "Plum Mountain Heaven on Earth Huang Shi Ren Huang San Old Ancestor." Huang Shi Ren smiled and said.

  The clerk who was in charge of registration wrote down Huang Shiren's name and address, and then asked: "What gift did the immortal bring?"

  "Oh, I came in a hurry and didn't prepare anything, so I'll just give you this couplet." With that, Huang Shiran handed over the couplet he was holding.

  Looking at the brocade box in Huang Shiren's hand, Li San's face changed suddenly!

  On this brocade box, the name of the Li family's store across the street is also written. Together, they are not worth three or two dollars. These two cheap people must be cheating and deceiving!

  "Mei Shan Tian Shang Ren Jian Huang Shi Ren Huang San Lao Zu, sending a couplet! Use the brocade box from Li Wai Zui's shop next door to mount it!" The clerk who was registering and recording also had an opportunistic master, looked at Huang Shi Ren with a cold smile, and loudly reported.

  At this sound, countless people turned their heads and looked at Huang Shiren, with a look of disdain in their eyes.

  Standing next to him, Jin Daxing was so angry that he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into: "Damn it, I'm going to die of embarrassment!"

  It was Huang Shiren who, facing everyone's gaze, looked very calm.

  "Xian Chang, this is your admission token, keep it well." The servant tossed a green silk strip to Huang Shi Ren and gave him a white eye.

  "Hey! Young man, I have something to say!"

  "What's going on?!"

  "Why is it that others have silk and silver and gold threads, while I'm just a plain blue cloth!? No way, give me one with golden threads!" Huang Shiren shouted.

  My day! How embarrassing! Jin Daxiang was about to vomit blood, and he turned his face to one side and said: "I don't know him, I don't know him."

  "Scoundrel!" Li San, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't bear it and shouted loudly: "You good-for-nothing! You rely on a couple of broken couplets worth only three or two cents to ask for golden silk threads. Do you take our General's mansion for a place where people come to cheat and swindle? This is not a place for cheating and eating! Get out!"

  The family members rushed over and beat Huang Shiren mercilessly.

  "Well done! I warned you earlier!" Even Lian Jin Da Sheng felt that Huang Shi Ren was too despicable, he deserved to be beaten!

  "Damn it!" Huang Shiren's eyes widened, and a thunderous palm shot out, sending the rushing house slaves tumbling to the ground, their heads scorched and screaming like pigs being slaughtered.

  "How dare you be so presumptuous!" The guards from the mansion had already rushed out.

  "Li Jing, you damned dog, come out and die! Damn it, you're still such a selfish and greedy person. Oh, other people's gifts are gifts, but mine aren't? If I don't get an explanation today, I'll tear down your mansion!"

  What a fierce old lady! With her hands on her hips, she looks like a scolding street woman, majestic and awe-inspiring.

  What a sweat!

  "This fellow Daoist, isn't this statement a bit excessive!" Old Huang's loud and clear voice could be heard from ten miles away, and soon a large man walked out of the crowd.

  Only seeing this person, with a red face and a majestic appearance, a tiger's back and bear's waist, with a long beard, looking very powerful, if it wasn't Li Jing, who else could it be?

  "Your mother's, you're even more excessive than that!" Huang Shiren bowed to the people around him and said: "Everyone, we all came to congratulate Li Jing, but he actually divided us into three six nine grades, what's with the blue cloth silver thread gold thread? Isn't this humiliating?"

  Everyone had some opinions about this and secretly laughed.

  "This Daoist friend, there are too many people, and this is also for the convenience of arrangement. I don't know how my subordinates offended you!" Li Jing hurriedly said.

  Li San ran over quickly and whispered it in his ear, Li Jing was also taken aback after hearing it.

  Took a look at Huang Shiren and felt that this guy looked somewhat inferior, but didn't seem like an ordinary scammer.

  "Li Jing, the couplet I gave you only cost three big coins, but if you give me a green cloth strip in return, Grandfather will not let you off easy today!" Huang Shiren glared at Li Jing.

  "Friend of the Tao, may I ask where is the immortal's mansion?" Li Jing was knowledgeable and had seen many things, seeing Huang Shiren's tone, he suspected that he had some backing.

  "Plum Mountain Heavenly Mountain Human World, Huang Shiren, Huang San Old Ancestor!"

  Mei Shan? Heaven and Earth? No impression. Forget it, ask again.

  "Who is this, a fellow Taoist and respected teacher?"

  "You're asking me about that cheap master, haha. Lu Ya!"

  "Who!?" As soon as this name was spoken, the entire mansion fell silent, especially those who were cultivating, their jaws all dropped to the ground.

  "Who?!" Li Jing thought he had misheard and asked again.

  "That self-proclaimed number one wandering immortal, who goes around boasting everywhere, Lu Ya Dao Ren!" Huang Shi-ren smiled and took out Lu Ya's Ding Tou Qi Nian Shu, waving it in front of Li Jing.

  My goodness! Li Jing's cold sweat flowed down instantly.

  Lu Yao is who, he naturally knows. Don't mention himself, his own master Du E True Person sees Lu Yao and also has to kneel down, his own master's master, the founder of the Xuan Jiao sect Yuan Shi Tian Zun sees Lu Yao, also has to show respect!

  This guy is actually a disciple of Lu Ya Dao Ren! Fortunately, they didn't fight, otherwise...

  Li Jing was so frightened that he hastily stepped forward, slapped Li San with a loud slap and shouted: "You scoundrel! Huang Qianbei is my honored guest. This couplet is worth more than any treasure, even the heavenly treasure can't buy it! Hurry up and change into golden silk threads!"

  Li San was slapped until his teeth flew out, and he trembled with fear as he handed the golden thread to Huang Shiren and Jin Dashi. Huang Shiren held it in his hand but refused to wear it.

  "Big brother, forget it, give them some face, put it on."

  "Do you know me now?"

  "Understood, understood."

  ……

  Two scoundrels, flaunting their power and prestige, with an air of superiority, truly a pair of hungry wolves entering the house, a pair of scum coming in, Li Jing looked at the evil smiles on their faces, his heart racing with fear.

  He had a premonition that these two people would come, and this banquet would be ruined.### I was watching the ball game last night, so the update is late, sorry about that. Hehe. The poor monk's chrysanthemum was tightly closed, especially in the Sweden vs France match, it was really exciting! Haha