The Buddha is actually me

Chapter 165: Choose a good man with the Shen family as a betrothal gift
Since Zhang Jiuyang traveled through time, he has come into contact with many practitioners, but this is the first time he has seen anyone carry so many magical instruments with him.

And these are not ordinary magic weapons. Under the magic eyes, Old Madam Shen is shining with dazzling golden light almost from head to toe, and each magic weapon is a rare treasure.

She didn't walk fast, but every step was very steady. Although she was in her seventies, her complexion was rosy, her skin was translucent, and there were almost no wrinkles on her.

Her silver hair was neatly combed, and she wore a purple phoenix orchid musk bun on her head. She was elegant and dignified. Even though the years had left traces on her, it could be seen that she was once a famous beauty.

In fact, the story of Old Madam Shen back then was indeed a legend.

The old lady had a smile on her face and a kind temperament. She sat in the main seat and swept her deep eyes over the guests. When she saw Yue Ling in women's clothing, she was distracted for a moment.

Finally, the old lady's gaze stopped on Zhang Jiuyang. She looked him up and down and smiled brightly.

When their eyes met, Zhang Jiuyang nodded quickly to show his respect.

At the same time, his eyes also noticed the old man in white following behind the old lady. This man had a gaunt face, bright eyes, and a light yet lingering breath. It was obvious that he was a monk with profound magical powers.

"That's Grandpa Wang, who has reached the fourth realm of cultivation. He is deeply in love with my grandmother and voluntarily remains single for the rest of his life. He has been with my grandmother and protected her for decades."

Yue Ling transmitted the message and introduced the old man to him.

"In fact, besides Grandpa Wang, there is also Grandpa Zhao, who is also at the fourth level of cultivation and has followed my grandmother for decades. By the way, he was sent to Qingzhou yesterday."

"That other weapon refining master also deeply loves my grandmother. It is said that he went to the East China Sea this time to find a piece of meteorite iron to refine a protective magic weapon for my grandmother. But I guess he was delayed by something and has not returned yet."

Zhang Jiuyang: “…”

After a long silence, he asked, "Don't these grandfathers... get jealous?"

Yue Ling seemed puzzled by this question and said, "In my impression, their relationship is usually pretty good. They have always agreed on who should go to accompany grandma and when, and they don't fight or argue."

Zhang Jiuyang was silenced again.

He looked at the kind-faced, graceful old man and couldn't help but admire him.

In a feudal dynasty similar to that of ancient China, being able to openly establish a harem as a woman, and all of them are monks, shows her charm and means.

When he has time, he will definitely ask for advice.

There is no other purpose, just pure curiosity.

"I am deeply grateful to you all for coming to my birthday party."

Sitting at the host seat, the old lady's voice was loud and resounding, and it seemed that she had an invisible aura that made the entire banquet quiet in an instant.

Some people wanted to speak up and agree, and say a few nice words, but she stopped them by waving her hand.

"God has a benevolent heart. On your birthday, instead of wasting money, you should spend it for the country and the people."

She tapped the ground with the dragon-headed cane in her hand and said, "The harvest in Qingzhou is not good this year. There are droughts in Gongchen, Lingzhao, Fengle and other places, and there are also locusts. The people are displaced and suffering terribly."

"So I want to discuss something with you. All the birthday gifts you gave me today should be converted into gold and silver to buy 200,000 dan of grain and sent to Qingzhou overnight to help the government with disaster relief."

"Of course, two hundred thousand dan of grain is not a small amount. Any shortfall will be made up by my Shen Family Business."

"What do you think?"

The banquet fell into a brief silence, and many people were shocked by this generous gesture.

That's 200,000 dan of grain, enough to feed 20,000 people for a year. In addition to the price of the grain itself, there's also the shipping cost, which is another huge expense.

Although the birthday gifts they gave were expensive, they were nothing compared to this huge expenditure.

The old lady waved her hand casually, and a mountain of gold appeared.

The governor of Yangzhou immediately stood up and toasted, saying, "Madam, you are so righteous. This action will save countless lives and will do you great good deeds!"

The others also toasted and said that it was a good idea.

Old Madam Shen responded one by one with tea instead of wine. Finally, she called the butler over and whispered something to him. The butler showed a strange look in his eyes and left in a hurry.

She laughed loudly and said, "Everyone, you all have to exchange your birthday gifts for food, but there is one gift that I want to keep for myself out of selfish motives."

Hearing this, many people couldn't help but look at Sun Mingyu.

Most of the gifts given by others were worldly things, and the old lady was not surprised no matter how precious they were. It seemed that only the rare treasures given by the young master of Wanfu Tower could make her excited and keep them.

Sun Mingyu also sat upright with a hint of a smile on his face.

Soon the butler came running over with a big bag of snacks and handed them respectfully to Madam Shen.

"What I want to leave behind is this gift."

She looked at Zhang Jiuyang and said with a smile, "Xiao Jiu, can I open it and have a taste?"

Zhang Jiuyang was somewhat flattered by this friendly address. He straightened his back and said, "Of course." He was like a student being called by the teacher in class.

The old lady opened the oil paper and when she saw the deep red pastry inside, her eyes moved, as if some distant memories were evoked.

"It turns out to be Dingsheng Cake, Xiaojiu, you are so thoughtful."

She explained: "When I first took over the Shen family, it was at the end of its rope, with a lot of debts. There were only a few people following me, and I couldn't even get enough food."

"I remember that I went out to pick osmanthus flowers, begged for rice and flour, and made this Dingsheng cake myself, so that everyone could fill their stomachs. The word Dingsheng was also my belief and commitment at that time."

She took a bite, her eyes lit up, and she smiled, "Good craftsmanship, where did you buy it, Xiaojiu?"

"I didn't buy it. My sister made it herself."

The old lady was very happy to hear this and said, "Okay, okay, tell your sister for me that I like this Dingsheng cake very much. Let her come over next time so that I can see it in person."

Zhang Jiuyang felt the trembling of the Yin doll in his arms and couldn't help but laugh.

It turns out that the little girl, Ali, had already calculated that this Dingsheng cake could be a surprise attack and win the old lady's favor.

Sun Mingyu on the opposite side had a very bad and somewhat angry look on his face. He was ready to accept the old lady's praise just now, but he didn't expect that the rare treasures he gave would be defeated by a mere piece of cake?
The old lady kept looking at Zhang Jiuyang. The more she looked at him, the happier she became, making him feel a little uneasy.

The birthday banquet went on as normal.

There was an endless stream of delicacies, and the dancers were even more beautiful, both in appearance and in talent. The thirteen most famous courtesans in Yangzhou actually gathered together to perform songs and dances. This was a feast for Zhang Jiuyang's eyes.

As expected, they are all the most beautiful girls in their own way. Some dance gracefully like a startled swan, some sing in the soft Wu dialect with intoxicating voice, some play the piano, compose music and sing to the rhythm of the beat, and some speak like lotus flowers, drink wine and compose poetry.

They all have unique skills and strengths.

The most important thing is that they are all fair-skinned, beautiful with long legs, and it seems like you have come to the country of women, with the room full of the scent of cosmetics.

Even Sun Mingyu didn't have time to steal a peek at Yue Ling anymore. He couldn't take his eyes off the thirteen beautiful women.

Zhang Jiuyang looked at it openly with a smile on his face.

The old lady smiled slightly when she saw this.

After each singing and dancing, glasses of wine were poured into the stomach.

The old lady looked at the guests who were slightly tipsy and said with a smile: "Originally, the birthday banquet should have ended here, but I have other purposes for this birthday banquet."

Everyone became excited upon hearing this, especially the young men, whose eyes were filled with excitement.

"Recently, there are rumors that the reason why I held a grand birthday banquet and invited many talented people from all over the world was to find a husband for my disobedient granddaughter..."

Someone quickly agreed, "We know, these are all rumors. Yue Jianhou is such a person, how can we expect him to be so?"

The old lady smiled faintly, her voice was calm, but the words she said made people uneasy.

"I want to clarify that this is not a rumor."

She tapped the dragon-headed cane in her hand gently and said with a smile, "I really want to choose a young and talented man as a husband for Ling'er. She is already twenty-six years old this year. It is time for men to get married and women to get married. If you delay any longer, she will become an old maid."

Yue Ling frowned and was about to speak, but was gently pulled back by Zhang Jiuyang and shook her head.

She glanced at Zhang Jiuyang, and finally sat down obediently without saying a word.

Noticing this detail, the old lady's smile became even brighter.

"My granddaughter has been spoiled since she was young. She is rebellious and wild. She doesn't like women, but likes to wield swords and guns. Unexpectedly, she has achieved some success and was personally named Minglie Hou by the emperor."

Although she was saying bad things about Yue Ling, the wrinkles on the old lady's face were almost smiling out, and her eyes were full of pride.

"I don't have a good relationship with her mother, and I don't want to marry into the high position of Duke Dingguo, but my Shen family cannot be without a successor. I was in poor health and injured back then, so I can't conceive a child. Ling'er is the only direct descendant of my Shen family."

The old lady stopped there when she spoke, but everyone's eyes were already burning with excitement.

The Shen family's wealth is known throughout the world.

In addition to worldly wealth, the Shen family also has its own treasure pavilion and spiritual medicine shop. Rare treasures often flow out of the auction house, attracting many monks.

With their immense wealth, the Shen family has connections with many spiritual sects. The old lady is also generous and magnanimous, and has helped many extraordinary people. There are countless people in the world who owe her favors.

And as long as he marries Yue Ling, all these will be his dowry.

Even if he couldn't become the head of the Shen family, his future son would definitely be able to sit in that position.

What's more, Yue Ling herself is a stunning beauty in the world, and a great cultivator of the fifth realm. She has a noble status and powerful strength. Apart from being a little domineering and strong, she has no shortcomings.

Some people even like to conquer Rouge Lie Ma.

"Madam, do you have any requirements for choosing your grandson-in-law?"

Someone couldn't help but ask.

The old lady smiled and said, "Ling'er is very proud and doesn't like the idea of ​​talented men and beautiful women. She only likes swords, spears, and halberds, or strange and unusual skills. So, all the talented people under the age of 30 who think they have extraordinary skills can come out and show off their skills."

"As long as my daughter Ling'er likes it, I, as her grandmother, have no objection."

Hearing this, many people were interested.

After a while, a man holding a sword came forward and said, "My name is Xie Xiaosheng, known as the White-robed Divine Sword in the martial arts world. I created the 7749-style Shadowless Divine Sword. I hope the old lady and Miss Yue will appreciate it."

He was a famous hero in the martial arts world. His sword skills were swift and sharp, as fast as thunder. In the end, he used nine sword moves and cut a strand of hair into nine pieces, which drew cheers.

The White-robed Divine Sword looked at Yue Ling and said with a smile, "I wonder if my Shadowless Divine Sword can catch Miss Yue's eye?"

Yue Ling did not say anything, nor did she even raise her eyes. She slowly placed her jade hand on the hilt of the Dragon Sparrow Sword.

Draw the knife!

A cold light flashed, and then it was instantly retracted into the sheath, so fast that people thought they were dazzled and had an illusion.

Nothing seems to have changed.

However, the white-robed swordsman's expression changed drastically, and he stared at a place in front of Yue Ling, where there was a fly crawling on the ground. Its wings were cut into nine pieces, but it was not hurt at all.

"Chopping off hair is nothing. For a swordsman, chopping off flies, gnats, or even moonlight is the real deal. Your sword intentions are too mixed. You should sharpen your sword."

Yue Ling's voice was calm, but it struck the man's heart like a huge bell. His face was pale and he looked dazed. He bowed to Yue Ling and then left sadly.

Then, another magician performed a wonderful show. He threw chopsticks into clear water, and they turned into two black snakes. He stretched out his hand, and the black snakes spit out all kinds of gold, silver and jewels. It was very magical.

Yue Ling sneered and shouted softly, and with a sound like thunder, the black snake turned into chopsticks again, and the gold, silver and treasures turned into clay sculptures.

"It is difficult to achieve great things through unconventional means."

She was completely merciless in her words.

Seeing this situation, Sun Mingyu, who was eager to try, didn't dare to go up. Everyone could see that Yue Ling seemed a little angry.

For a moment, no one dared to step forward and try.

At this moment, the old lady smiled faintly and turned to look at Zhang Jiuyang.

"Xiaojiu, come and try it."

……

(End of this chapter)