Chapter 30: th Birthday

Chapter 30: th Birthday

Chapter 30: th Birthday
December 8th, sunny.

Tong's house was decorated with lights and colorful decorations.

There are eighty tables in the outer courtyard and twenty tables in the inner court, all filled with guests.

"Yao Chi received the order from the Holy Mother, turned around and asked for a bottle of wine, which was immediately poured out. She wished that there would be days like this every year, and that she would live forever..."

On the stage, the male and female characters, jing, mo and chou, appear on stage in makeup.

Few of the martial artists who wield swords and spears are interested in listening to opera. They just feel that the singing on the stage adds a bit of festivity and liveliness.

When they sang "Magu Offers Longevity", the birthday man arrived and everyone stood up to congratulate him.

Tong Baixiong wore a red brocade robe embroidered with a picture of his grandchildren celebrating their birthday. Accompanied by his three sons, his face was rosy as he bowed to the guests.

"Tong Moujianchen, I am very happy and sorry to have you all come from afar. I hope you all eat well, drink well, and have fun. Don't go home until you are drunk today!"

Tong Baixiong sat down at the table closest to the stage, with his three sons standing behind him.

Although it seems that the underworld is full of revenge, it is actually just like the imperial court, with distinctions between the high and the low, and a strict hierarchy.

One is in plain sight, the other is in people's hearts.

If one's own strength and prestige are not sufficient, no matter whose son it is, he cannot be seated at the table.

There are only a handful of people in the martial arts world who can sit at the same table with the ten elders of the Sun and Moon Sect.

The elder of the White Tiger Hall, 'Eagle Knight' Shangguan Yun.

The elder of Qinglong Hall, the 'Yellow-Faced Master' Jiabu.

Zhu Xuantong, Captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Pingding City.

There was also a Hu man with a silver ring on his ear. He was Huo Duan, the third son of the leader of the Wala tribe on the grassland.

According to his status in the underworld, the flag owner was originally only qualified to sit in the courtyard, but Zhang Yu was dragged by Qi Queqiao to the inner hall to keep him company. Those who sat at the same table with him were at least at the level of incense masters.

"Brother Qi, it's not appropriate for me to sit here."

Qi Queqiao smiled and said, "Brother, sit down and relax. You are the direct disciple of Hall Master Wu. If anyone says it is inappropriate, let him come to me."

The two men had similar personalities, they drank wine, ate meat, and secretly commented on the gangsters present, which was quite enjoyable.

Zhu Xuantong, who was sitting in the chief seat, had a very broad back and a very thin waist bound by a leather belt. He wore a black gauze hat and a flying fish suit, which made him look very heroic.

Qi Queqiao tore off a goose leg and saw Zhang Yu looking at the Jinyiwei Qianhu, so he said: "That is the selection standard set by Emperor Taizong, 'Tiger back, bee waist, mantis legs'. To be able to be a Qianhu and guard a place, each one of them has crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood. It's not easy."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "The hall master is so famous that even the Jinyiwei came to celebrate his birthday."

"What do you think? Master has the rank of a fourth-rank military officer. Although it is just a nominal title, it is certified by the emperor himself. It is unique in the Divine Religion."

Zhang Yu was a little surprised. He originally thought that the underworld and the court were two parallel lines that did not intersect each other, but now it seems that you are in me and I am in you.

At this moment, someone outside spoke loudly.

"The envoy of Lord Wan Chonglou, the commander of the Imperial Guard, has arrived!"

The voice is powerful and clear, which shows that he has profound internal strength.

Qi Queqiao snickered and said, "Second Brother is in trouble today. Fortunately, I ran fast, otherwise this task would definitely fall on me."

A fat man, also a captain, had his Feiyu uniform bulged out and did not look heroic at all. He had a smile on his face and was followed by four soldiers, who were carrying a vertical plaque more than two meters high with four large characters "wrought in iron and silver" on it.

"A pillar in the north sky." Many guests exclaimed inwardly.

Tong Yukang came to the steps, had someone take the vertical plaque, and led the fat captain to the first table.

Tong Baixiong stood up, bowed and said with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work, sir. Please take a seat. Commander Wan is very busy, but he still remembered my birthday and sent me a gift. I am really honored."

The fat captain glanced at the Hu man beside him and said with a smile, "Mr. Tong is highly respected. The commander said that if he had not had important official business to attend to on the northern grasslands, he would have come to celebrate the birthday in person."

Huo Duan snorted coldly when he heard this.

Tong Baixiong laughed loudly and said, "Today, I will not discuss official business here, but only drink and eat meat." Qi Queqiao showed a happy expression on his face. His master was very prestigious, so it was natural for him to be an apprentice. He said, "This Wan Chonglou is not a simple person. He is the elder brother of the current Concubine Wan, that is, the uncle of the emperor. He has been commanding the Jinyiwei for more than ten years under the order of the emperor, and his grace and power are very great."

"And it is rumored that Wan Chonglou's martial arts skills have already reached the level of a grandmaster, but no one in the outside world has ever seen him take action..."

After a round of drinks, everyone was in high spirits.

The birthday banquet entered the birthday celebration stage, which was carried out in order of status.

In addition to the plaque with the words "One Pillar of the North Sky" for the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Shangguan Yun, Jia Bu and others also gave him calligraphy and paintings written by themselves, or swords from their collections, which were not necessarily very valuable.

Huo Duan of the Oirat tribe was unusually generous, giving away 300 war horses and 1,000 sheep.

For those who wanted to make friends with Fengleitang and curry favor with Tong Baixiong, this was the highlight. Many people racked their brains to make their gifts stand out and make Tong Baixiong remember this favor.

"Sima Da, the island master of Changjing Island, presents ten hu of East China Sea pearls and ten Polygonatum odoratum trees to wish our teacher a life as long as the South Mountain and a blessing as vast as the East China Sea."

Sima Da was short and stocky, with a dark complexion, large hands, and dressed in coarse linen clothes. Judging from his appearance, he looked like a fisherman wearing clean clothes to a banquet.

It is absolutely hard to believe that he is the most powerful and wealthy owner of Changjing Island among the subordinate gangs of the Sun and Moon Sect.

"Tianhe Gang leader Huang Boliu presents a piece of longevity stone from heaven..."

"Monk Xibao presented two steel knives..."

"Taoist Yuling offers ten pills of the golden elixir that prolongs life..."

…………

Qi Queqiao stood up, walked to Tong Baixiong's table, and knelt down.

boom! boom! boom!
Kowtow three times in a row.

Tong Baixiong joked, "Partridge, what birthday gift are you going to give me? You can't send me off with just these three kowtows, right?"

Among the three disciples, Qi Queqiao is not the best in martial arts, nor is he the most powerful, but he is the most favored by Tong Baixiong. The two are not father and son, but after spending a long time together, they are like father and son.

Qi Queqiao held out a wooden box and said solemnly, "I have no talent or virtue, and I am only where I am today thanks to the teachings of my master. I have copied the two volumes of the Infinite Life Sutra with my own blood, totaling 17,324 characters. I am willing to sacrifice my life to bring more blessings and longevity to my master, and to eliminate disasters and misfortunes."

At the end, Qi Queqiao's eyes were filled with tears and his voice was choked with sobs.

Everyone present was silent, and the people in the martial arts world admired the loyal minister and filial son, and quietly gave him a thumbs up. This made Tong Baixiong's three biological sons, who were standing behind him, a little embarrassed.

Zhang Yu had a chicken leg in his mouth. He didn't expect that the carefree Qi Queqiao would suddenly do this to him, and do it so smoothly.

"This is... too good."

Tong Baixiong's eyes were slightly moist. He stood up and took the wooden box himself. He took Qi Queqiao's hand, asked him to stand with his three sons, and turned to everyone and said, "Queqiao, you will be my fourth son from now on."

Qi Que immediately bowed and said, "I pay my respects to my foster father and my three brothers."

There was an instant burst of applause from the hall. In real life, the performances of loyal ministers and filial sons were better than those on stage, both in terms of acting and appearance, and the audience was more easily immersed in the play.

The birthday celebrations continued and finally it was Zhang Yu's turn.

"I am Zhang Yu, a subordinate, and I offer you a portion of blue carp scales. I wish you eternal happiness and a long life."

Blue...blue-scaled carp?
That was a rare auspicious sign. When Ren was in office, a flag owner presented a blue-scaled carp and was directly promoted to deputy hall master. Five years ago, two blue-scaled carps came out and were sold to the Ning prince in the south and a wealthy businessman in the capital for a large sum of money.

The people in the Sun and Moon Sect were all surprised, and outsiders also asked people around them how rare this blue-scaled carp was.

But Zhang Yu was holding a square wooden box in his hand, which was puzzling. It was impossible for the blue-scaled carp to be put in a wooden box.

Tong Baixiong asked curiously: "Where's the fish?"

Zhang Yu said loudly: "This is a blessing bestowed upon the hall master by the immortals. Please report the reason in detail."

　I just received the news that I have entered the second round. As a newcomer, I don’t even know the recommendation mechanism. I have achieved this result completely relying on your support. Thank you! This period of time has been the most difficult thing in my life. I have been working and writing at the same time. I just hope to put all my depression into writing.

(End of this chapter)