Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 6 Blessings and misfortunes
"Uncle Jian is here, Uncle Jian is here." The children following Song Jian shouted loudly, and everyone gathered around him.

"Master Song." Two officers, beaming, stepped forward, bowing and congratulating him. "Your son has passed the examination and become a formal disciple of the Qingyun Sect. Master Zhang, having heard the news from the Immortal Sect, has sent us on horseback to announce the good news. He is following in his sedan chair and should be arriving soon."

Only then did Song Jian become convinced of what he said and danced with joy.

"Congratulations, Mr. Song. Congratulations, Mr. Song." The two officials said in unison, stretching out their hands at the same time, obviously asking for money as a gift.

Song Jian was penniless and in trouble when he heard a thunderous sound coming from behind.

"Let's make way, let's make way."

When Song Jian heard the familiar voice, his body shuddered and he shrank his neck as if by reflex. His whole body shrank immediately. When he turned around, he saw that the crowd surrounding him had parted a path, and an old man with broad shoulders, a round waist and a fat face strode towards him. It was his father-in-law, Hu the Butcher.

Hu the butcher was different now. He was dressed in a clean long gown, holding two cuts of fine meat in his hands. Behind him followed his brother-in-law, also dressed in formal attire, holding two large copper coins in each hand.

The two men's eyes met, and Song Jian instinctively avoided looking away. However, Hu the butcher smiled widely, holding out his two large hands holding the meat, and strode forward, as if to give him a hug: "My dear son-in-law."

"My dear son-in-law." Hu the butcher smiled brightly, called out affectionately, and trotted up to him.

"My dear son-in-law, why did you leave so hastily? I had to look for you for a long time. This morning I was just going back to the house to get some money, but as soon as I came out you were gone. I went out to the street to look for you, but I couldn't find you. It's all your fault, that damned sick brother of yours. I don't know what's got into him, what ghost or demon has bewitched his mind, to make him say such crazy things. When I heard about it, I was so angry that I gave him a good beating."

After saying that, he put down the two knives of meat in his hands and slapped his son behind him, making him stagger.

"Uncle Hu, you came at just the right time. I've never seen you so kind and friendly before!" joked a neighbor who was watching.

When Hu the butcher heard this, his face flushed slightly and he waved his hands, saying, "Hey! What nonsense are you talking about? I'm usually strict with this son-in-law, but it's just because I'm disappointed in him. There's no father-in-law in the world who doesn't like his son-in-law."

"I'm not saying this in front of everyone, but this is a good son-in-law! He's talented, has good character, and is handsome. Otherwise, how could I marry my daughter to him?"

"To be honest, I didn't agree to any proposals from wealthy families. I fell in love with this virtuous son-in-law at first sight. I knew he would be successful sooner or later, and today it has come true."

The neighbors all knew what kind of person he was. When they heard this, they all burst into laughter. One of them said, "Old Man Hu, your son-in-law has no extra money. These two officials have come to congratulate you. You should at least show some appreciation!"

"Of course. Quick, give it to the two officers." Hu the butcher said to Song Jian, "I know my dear son-in-law has always been poor. Now that there is such a big event, it is necessary to hold a banquet for several days, invite relatives and neighbors, and perhaps even make arrangements. So, tell your brother to bring some money over. You can use it for now. If it is not enough, I will go back and get more."

Hu the butcher's son then divided the one string of money on the left into two strings and handed them to the two officials.

The two men took the money and thanked him. Butcher Hu took out some more money and asked a neighbor to go to the market to buy some chicken, duck, fish, meat, vegetables and fruits to entertain the officials and neighbors on behalf of Song Jian.

Everyone was eating, drinking, chatting, and praising Song Jian. Just then, an official came running over, holding a red card in his hand, and shouted loudly, "Master Zhang Wenju, the captain of the thousand households, comes to pay his respects to Master Song Jian."

Song Jian, Hu the butcher and his son hurriedly stood up to greet him and asked the official a few questions. Then they heard the sound of gongs and drums coming from far away.

"Master Zhang Wenju is here." Following the loud shouts, a luxurious red sedan carried by sixteen people appeared in front of everyone from the corner of the road and stopped more than ten feet away from them.

The sedan chair came down, and a wealthy middle-aged man wearing gold belts, black boots and exquisite embroidered silk clothes walked out.

Song Jian hurried forward, and Hu the butcher and his son followed behind him, one on each side. They kept pulling at the wrinkles of his clothes with their hands.

"I, Song Jian, pay my respects to Mr. Zhang." Song Jian bowed down, and Hu the butcher and his son followed suit.

"Brother Shi, there's no need to be so polite. Please stand up quickly." Mr. Zhang lifted him up.

After a few polite words, the two men went into the house together. They found that the house was really bare.

"Brother Shi is indeed very poor." Master Zhang smiled and said, "I came here in a hurry and have nothing to offer as a congratulation. I only have fifty taels of silver with me. I hope you will not despise me and will accept it for the time being."

After receiving it, a servant handed over two envelopes of silver.

"This...is really inappropriate." Song Jian was overjoyed, but he still said it modestly. Butcher Hu was staring at the two envelopes of silver outside the house, his eyes wide open. His son kept stretching his head forward, looking past Old Man Hu, stretching his neck as far as he could.

"Could it be that my brother thinks the gift is too small? Then I will send someone to deliver a richer gift later."

"No, no..." Song Jian waved his hands repeatedly: "In that case, thank you very much for your kindness, Mr. Zhang."

"Don't blame me for my rambling. Although you may be content with your poverty, this house is not suitable for you to live in for long. I have an empty house in the city. It's not luxurious, but it's clean. It's on the east street of the city. It's a house with three entrances and three exits. If you don't mind, I'll give it to you. If you can move there, I'll ask you for advice every day and we'll be closer."

Song Jian had never seen anyone being so polite before, and he felt even more embarrassed and kept declining.

Master Zhang was anxious: "Your son and my son are brothers from the Qingyun Sect. We are like blood. Why are you being so distant? Are you blaming me for not being close to my brother before?"

Song Jian couldn't refuse, so he had to agree.

The two chatted for a while, and then Mr. Zhang left. Before leaving, he repeatedly urged him to move to the city as soon as possible.

Only after seeing him get into the sedan chair and drive away did Hu the butcher dare to walk in.

Song Jian glanced at him sideways, took out two ingots of silver from two envelopes of snow-white silver, handed them to him, and said, "You've taken the trouble to bring me so much money. Take these two ingots of silver."

Butcher Hu quickly took the silver, stretched his hand in the air and then slowly retreated.

"That money was originally used for celebration, how can you take it away? This is the silver given by Mr. Zhang, so you should keep it yourself!"

"It's just two ingots of silver. Why are you refusing, old man? I have plenty here, more than enough."

"That's true." Old Man Hu then reached out and took the two ingots of silver.

Song Jian relaxed his grip at this moment, letting the two ingots of silver fall to the ground. "Sorry, Dad, my waist and legs ache. Could you please pick them up?"

"It's okay, it's okay, I'll do it, I'll do it." Hu the butcher didn't care at all. With a smile on his face, he bent down to pick up the silver. "Now Xian'er has become a formal disciple of Qingyun Sect. Even Master Zhang wants to make friends with him. His family's gold is piled higher than a mountain! You know that Xian'er's wealth is just around the corner. In the future, the mansion will also need someone to manage the finances. I am the best at this."

"Let's talk about it later! There are neighbors and guests at home now. In a few days, there will probably be more relatives and friends. Please take care of them, Dad."

"Hey! Don't worry, leave it all to me!" After saying that, Hu the butcher went out to entertain the guests.

After that, many local gentry came to flatter him and gave him money.

After a while, Master Zhang invited them several times, so they moved to the city to live, and Hu the butcher and his son and their family also followed.

After arriving in the city, many masters came to congratulate him and gave him fields, land, servants and houses.

For several days in a row, they held banquets, entertained guests, and listened to operas, living a life of drunkenness and dreams.

One day, Song Jian came home drunk and went back to his house, hugging his beautiful maid. He returned to his room and saw that the room was full of gold and jade, and there were many gold and silver items on the table.

He grabbed a handful of gold and held it up to his eyes to examine it carefully.

The maid asked curiously, "What are you looking at, Master?"

"Good stuff, good stuff." Song Jian's eyes showed greed: "Mine, all mine."

After he finished speaking, he laughed loudly, fell backwards and lost consciousness.

When the servants called the doctor, it was too late. The patient was no longer breathing.

(End of this chapter)