Hearing this, Wan Dutou hurriedly waved his hands and scolded him, and drove out the several government servants who were carrying the tiger bed.
Only then did Magistrate Xiong let out a deep breath, sat down again, and smiled at everyone: "Taifeng has been reciting the Buddha's name with his mother since he was a child. He has eaten very little meat and fish, and he can't bear to see such bloody things. It makes everyone laugh." .”
As he said that, he picked up the wine glass and smiled at Old Man Qi: "The grandson raised by this old man is so great, Xiong admires him so much! Come and have a drink with me!"
When the old man Qi faced the county officials in the hall, he was still able to argue with his reasons, and now he was even less frightened. He immediately smiled heartily, raised his head and drained the wine in his glass.
Xiong Taifeng also drank it all in one gulp, and immediately applauded loudly: "My father-in-law is so heroic, it is true that like ancestors, like grandchildren!"
Everyone drank together. During this period, Jiao Yulang had already raised his glass, but Qi Jingzhi glared at him. He immediately smiled and put the glass back honestly.
Wan Dutou got up early, grabbed the wine jug from the hand of the maid who was waiting on the side, and filled it for everyone in turn.
Xiong Taifeng raised his glass again and looked at Master Meng: "I heard that nephew Qi Xian is your favorite disciple? This second cup, I will congratulate Master Meng!"
Master Meng raised his glass in a neither humble nor arrogant manner and said with a smile: "Thank you so much for your kindness, Mr. Meng. I am ashamed to receive it!"
Now everyone had another drink, Xiong Taifeng raised his glass and looked at Qi Jingzhi, the smile on his face became more friendly.
"My dear nephew, Mr. Dong of Wuyun Division once said that the tiger climate on Nangang has become fierce and is invincible to ordinary people. You actually single-handedly eliminated this huge harm. Come, come, come, I will give you a toast on behalf of all the elders in the county!" "
When Qi Jingzhi saw that Xiong Taifeng, as a county magistrate, had absolutely no authority whatsoever in his body, he first respected his grandfather, then his master, and now he came to respect himself, it was hard not to have a good impression of this person.
He is a young man from the mountains. Although he is naturally heroic and has embarked on the path of spiritual practice, as Jiao Yulang said, he has never purified his mortal thoughts. Faced with this situation, he still can't help but sigh: "When I was not practicing, A mere government official dared to blackmail me, but now he has killed a tiger spirit, the county magistrate personally held a banquet and toasted, and even the domineering Dianshi became a guest, people in this world are really fickle!"
As his thoughts flashed, the young man had already finished his third glass of wine.
This was the first time he drank alcohol in his life. After entering his mouth, he felt that the wine was sweet and spicy at the same time. There was also a line of fire passing through his intestines, causing the pride in his chest to surge. It was actually similar to the Ming Crane Technique. .
For a moment, Qi Jingzhi just hated that the cup was too small and he couldn't enjoy it to the fullest.
"Hahaha, my nephew drinks as freely as my father-in-law. He is indeed a hero from a young age!"
Xiong Taifeng praised him, then turned back and waved his hand casually, asking the idle maid behind him to step back, and winked at Hou Dianshi beside him.
Hou Changqi's expression changed slightly, and he immediately stood up and said to Old Man Qi: "Hou has an impatient temper. He misunderstood his father-in-law in the hall earlier. He often regrets it these days and wishes he could replace him with his own body!"
With that said, he moved away from the table and bowed his hands to the ground towards Old Man Qi: "I hope I will forgive you for any offense you have caused!"
He apologized so much that the warm scene in the flower hall suddenly became cold.
Songling County was just a small county, and the positions of county magistrate and chief registrar were either merged or vacant. Dian Shi was the second person under the county magistrate.
Qi Jingzhi was used to being wild in the mountains, and he didn't have much thought about respect and inferiority. However, he studied with Master Meng and understood clearly in his heart. If Xiong Taifeng was just condescending and courteous to the virtuous corporal, then Hou Changqi's behavior at this moment would mean that he was even He no longer had any dignity as a court official.
Thinking of this, the young man suddenly had doubts in his heart.
When he was in the mountains, Jiao Yulang had already instilled in him a lot of opinions that the lives of charlatans were as cheap as wild dogs and grass. With the Demon Suppressing Academy, charlatans and even ordinary practitioners did not dare to provoke the court officials. Lu Yunzi was so arrogant for a while , wasn’t he caught in an ambush and almost died?
Even if Qi Jingzhi is just a stupid young man who doesn't know the power of the Demon Suppressing Academy, Hou Changqi can always ask Master Meng to help him, and he can always save some dignity, right?
Seeing Hou Dianshi being so groveling, Old Qi had been open-minded all his life and had a soft-spoken temper. Most of the anger in his stomach had gone away. However, he was mature and knew that Mr. Dianshi was not targeting him, so he did not rush to speak. , but turned to look at his grandson.
Qi Jingzhi turned his searching gaze to Master Meng, who had never spoken before. After all, this teacher seemed to have some friendship with Hou Changqi, so it was better not to make him look too ugly.
Master Meng felt the student's gaze, smiled slightly, and said calmly: "What do you want me to do? This is your own business, you can make your own decision."
Qi Jingzhi nodded, looked at Hou Changqi who was still bowing and said: "My grandfather never pays attention to the grudges. But since Mr. Hou said that he wished he could take his own life, he would just accept the twenty-spine staff. Otherwise, we will have lingering regrets and worries every day, which is actually the fault of our grandparents!"
As soon as he said these words, Xiong Taifeng and Wan Dutou couldn't help but look a little ugly, but Master Meng and Jiao Yulang both looked like they had known this, while Old Man Qi looked worried and hesitated to speak.
Hou Changqi suddenly straightened up and said to Xiong Taifeng in a slightly stiff tone: "Please give me permission from the county magistrate. Hou will call the two government servants to come to the back hall immediately."
His skin color was already a little dark, but now his complexion was obviously a little darker.
Seeing that Hou Dianshi really wanted to get his own spine staff, everyone present was a little surprised, and their eyes all gathered to respect him.
Qi Jingzhi looked calm and chuckled: "I haven't finished speaking yet. A few days ago, Mr. Hou has promised to relieve my family from serving as a servant. Grandpa and I should express our gratitude. This spine staff..."
Before the young man finished speaking, Xiong Taifeng was already stroking his palms and laughing: "Why don't I just give up this cane! My nephew repays evil with kindness, he is really open-minded! Lao Hou, please come to the table quickly, let's toast my nephew again together!"
Wan Dutou also hurriedly stepped forward, reaching out to guide Hou Changqi to his seat.
Hou Changqi waved his hand, shook his head and said: "Repaying evil with kindness, how to repay kindness? This twenty-ridged staff is what Hou deserves."
This man is also interesting. When he was asked to receive the spine staff, he agreed without even frowning. But when he was not allowed to receive it, he became unhappy.
Qi Jingzhi's eyes flashed, and he nodded immediately, and said happily: "Master Hou is so willing to take on the responsibility, and our grandfather and grandson should be fulfilled, so please go ahead."
As soon as these words came out, everyone in the house fell silent.
Even Xiong Taifeng, a seasoned veteran with a good sense of human nature, looked stunned at this moment and didn't know what to say.
Hou Changqi froze in place, unable to hide the embarrassment on his face.
"Snapped!"
Master Meng suddenly placed the wine glass in his hand heavily on the table, making a crisp sound.
When everyone looked over, he smiled and said: "Master Hou, I am a student who has a clear sense of grudges and filial piety. I am doing this to you today because you are the one who is in the wrong. Don't take it to heart. Just now the county magistrate has already issued a warning Having said that, it’s better to take a seat quickly.”
After saying that, he winked at Mandu.
Wan Du immediately understood, seeing that Qi Jingzhi had no intention of objecting, he pushed the somewhat lost Hou Dianshi back to his seat without any explanation.
Qi Jingzhi looked at him coldly and took the initiative to say: "Master Hou, it is the kindness of Mr. Xiong County to host a banquet today, and my master Meng Fuzi is accompanying me. My grandfather is the most kind-hearted. For their sake, I want to forgive him." Who would have thought that you got an advantage and had to act like a good boy! In this case, let me remember the twenty-ridged staff. If you dare to oppress the good people in the future, I will settle the matter with you!"
