Chapter 31: The Bearded Guest (Part 1)
"Come, drink more. You have been in seclusion for half a month and you can't wait any longer." After filling the glass, Hou Xibai said to Zhang Xuanning, "Do you know that I have already done your job for you?"
"Oh, which army is it?" Zhang Xuanning said casually and drank it all in one gulp. It must be said that this was the good thing about the ancient times. Most of the wine was squeezed and had a very low alcohol content. In fact, it was almost the same as beer, and some might even be worse. The cups were also small, so one could drink dozens of cups at a time.
Since the news caused a sensation at Xu Shanxin's banquet more than ten days ago, Xu Shanxin has been deeply impressed by this young man and even wrote an article to praise him. The news became a sensation all over the world and was even more popular than before.
Hou Xibai's Huajian School's martial arts actually made a breakthrough, and after this incident, Zhang Xuanning seemed to feel that some of the evil spirit was beginning to be under his control. It can be seen that they have similar personalities. He actually digested some of the evil spirits, and his martial arts officially entered the second-rate realm. His speed of cultivation is so fast that it can almost make people fall down in shock.
When I came out of quarantine today, Hou Xibai took me on a pleasure boat trip to strengthen our relationship.
"It is one of the emperor's close troops. Although it is called a close army, it has more cavalry and more battles. I think it can meet your needs in the army. However, you cannot use your current name. You still need to use your mask and the name of Shi Wuji. How about being the deputy captain?"
"The deputy captain is a clerk from the ninth rank, right?"
"That's right. If you don't want to be humiliated, you still need to be a staff officer. You can't be an outsider. Moreover, your brigade commander will also take care of you, so you can go to the battlefield as much as possible. To be honest, people like you who dare to fight are also welcomed in the army."
"Well, thank you so much." Having a rank is crucial. Without a rank, you can join the army at any time, but with a rank, you must report to many systems and archive them, which is not a simple matter. Zhang Xuanning said this with sincere gratitude.
At this moment, the pleasure boat stopped and voices were heard outside.
"Why, someone coming up?" Zhang Xuanning asked in surprise.
"That's right. Mr. Shang is very interested in you. You come here again today, and the person accompanying you is no ordinary person. After all, he is from the same clan as you!" Hou Xibai said with a smile.
"Haha, Brother Hou, what bad things are you saying about me?" Just as the words fell, a hearty voice came from outside, and then the door opened, and two people came in.
Although she was only wearing a simple dress, her gestures gave people endless reverie. This kind of casualness and laziness that is everywhere in life is a style that is difficult for others to imitate. Shang Xiufang is indeed a master of Shang.
She said, "It's the early spring, and you two are rowing on the lake. You are so leisurely!"
"How can you be as leisurely as Mr. Shang? After finishing his business here, where else can he go?" Hou Xibai smiled and said, "Oh, can you write Brother Zhang's poem into the lyrics?"
"How can I do this without Mr. Zhang's permission?" Although she said this, Shang Xiufang looked at Zhang Xuanning with expectation.
Zhang Xuanning smiled: "It's my honor."
Then, she bowed slightly to the person following behind her and said, "Who is this person?"
Shang Xiufang said with a little surprise: "Why did Master Zhang notice him?"
"How dare I neglect the person who writes for me at my bedside?" Zhang Xuanning said with a serious expression.
"Shishuo Xinyu" records: When the general of Wei met the Xiongnu envoy, he thought he was ugly, so he sent Cui Jigui to replace him. The emperor himself stood at the head of the bed holding a sword. After the meeting, he ordered the spy to ask, "What do you think of the King of Wei?" The Xiongnu envoy said, "The King of Wei is very elegant; but the man holding a sword at the head of the bed is a true hero."
This means that Cui Jigui was a subordinate of Cao Cao, with a handsome face and a dignified appearance. In terms of appearance, Cao Cao was far inferior. So when the Xiongnu envoys came to pay a visit, Cao Cao asked Cui Yan to impersonate him in order to scare the distant visitors and make them submit. He then pretended to be a guard and stood at the head of the bed holding a sword.
Even so, the Hun envoy concluded that the man who was writing with the sword by the bed was a hero.
This heroic temperament hidden in him has nothing to do with his appearance, although this man looks like an average person with curly red beard on his cheeks.
The man immediately laughed out loud, turned around and walked out: "Brother, you are indeed famous all over the world. It is true after seeing you. I am from the same family as you. My surname is Zhang, and I am ranked third. My name is Zhongjian."
Zhang Zhongjian? Ranked third, who is this person? Zhang Xuanning's heart was moved. Could this person be the bearded guest? The more he looked at him, the more he resembled him. He immediately asked, "Brother, are you from Yangzhou?"
"That's right, you are also from Yangzhou?" The man was also surprised and asked.
"That's right. I'm honored to meet you, brother." Zhang Xuanning immediately bowed deeply and said.
Zhang Zhongjian burst into laughter and said, "So he is from the same family and the same hometown. I wonder which branch of the Zhang family he is from?"
"When I was fifteen, I suffered a great disaster. Although I was lucky enough to escape, I can't remember it and don't know which branch of my family it was. However, I would like to pay my respects to you, my cousin. I wonder if you will allow it?"
"Haha, you are a talented and romantic man, famous all over the world, and you are from my Zhang family. Why don't you allow me to do that? From now on, we are brothers." Zhang Zhongjian was also a generous person, and he agreed immediately.
"In that case, please accept my greeting, Third Brother." Zhang Xuanning immediately knelt down and performed a great salute.
"Haha, I am the third, and you are my fourth brother. Fourth brother, get up quickly, get up quickly. Haha, I didn't expect that today, I would actually recognize a younger brother from the same family. It is really a great blessing, a great blessing. I should drink ten more cups." Zhang Zhongjian said with a big laugh.
This is a generous and open-minded person who does not care about trivial matters. Zhang Xuanning evaluated in his heart that Zhang Zhongjian, also known as one of the three legendary heroes of the world, is known as such together with Li Jing and Hong Fu. He is the son of Zhang Jiling, the richest man in Yangzhou at that time. When he was born, his father thought he was ugly and wanted to kill him. Later, he learned martial arts and wanted to raise an army to conquer the world. He is also a very ambitious person.
Later, this person occupied Buyeo, which, according to research, was a small country on the Korean Peninsula.
"I didn't expect to encounter such a big event today. It's really rare. In this case, why don't we hold a banquet to celebrate it." Shang Xiufang showed a look of surprise and said with a smile.
"That's right. Such a big event cannot be taken lightly. We should celebrate it."
"No need to congratulate, my fourth brother and I can just have a drink." As he was speaking, dark clouds flashed across the sky. Not long after, a flash of lightning broke through the sky, followed by a loud thunder and raindrops as big as beans fell.
Seeing this, Zhang Zhongjian looked up to the sky and laughed, saying, "Could it be that the heavens knew that my fourth brother and I would meet at such a good time that they sent a thunderstorm to celebrate?"
Zhang Xuanning took a step forward, stood shoulder to shoulder with him, looked at each other and smiled, but in his heart he was extremely suspicious. He just showed his intention to make friends, but he immediately accepted it with a smile. It was obvious that he had been planning to form a clique and do something else, which was why it was so easy for him to do so.
This person is extremely ambitious and seems to have a destiny. He is indeed an extraordinary person. Anyone who can leave his name in history is not an ordinary person!
