Wait!

As noon approached, people from all walks of life began to arrive one after another.

Liu Zhengfeng held a grand banquet at his residence, with two to three hundred tables set up for the continuous feast.

By this time, the place was packed with distinguished guests.

Old Master Xia from Zhengzhou, came to visit with several of his sons-in-law. Zhang Jin'ao the Beggar Gang' Sect, also came to pay his respects, along with the leader of the East Sea Sand Gang, the Two Friends of Qujiang, and the Goddess Peak of Sichuan Gorge, among others...

Yue Buqun stepped forward to greet them, Mr. Wen He Sanqi also met with them.

Among these chivalrous figures, some were people whose names they had only heard of but never met, while others were old acquaintances who were now making friends here.

Just as the martial arts figures began to take their seats, they suddenly heard several gunshots outside the door.

Abbess Dingyi and Daoist Master Tianmen were startled and immediately reached for their waists, gripping their longswords tightly.

"Senior brothers and sisters, please calm down."

Liu Zhengfeng smiled and calmed the two down.

He strode quickly out and respectfully greeted a group of government officials.

These hundreds of Jianghu people thought that Liu Zhengfeng was a local gentleman, and it was normal for him to make friends with some government officials.

These people must have come to congratulate him.

Unexpectedly, when the dazed-looking official stepped forward, Liu Zhengfeng knelt down with a thud and respectfully accepted some kind of Imperial Decree.

This truly surprised everyone.

Then he watched as Liu Zhengfeng began exchanging mushy pleasantries with the official.

Liu Zhengfeng was so grateful to the emperor for Brigadier General as a military officer, which made them look down on him.

They couldn't help but feel contempt for each other in their hearts.

They were a group of self-important and renowned figures in the martial arts world; how could they possibly tolerate such things?

They all became arrogant in their hearts.

Then Liu Zhengfeng waved to the back, and a brother was carrying a tray.

The tray was covered with a red cloth, so no one could see what it was, but they guessed it was some gold and silver.

A minor official stepped forward and took the tray. Feeling its heavy weight, he could instantly tell whether it contained gold or silver.

He felt his arms sink, his eyes narrowed, and he smiled and nodded at the official.

Lord Zhang's smile widened even more.

Liu Zhengfeng was incredibly generous; he naturally accepted all that gold with a smile.

He then placed the official robes and tokens on the tray and presented them to Liu Zhengfeng.

After finishing all that, he was about to leave, but Liu Zhengfeng kept him there, specially setting up a table in the side room and inviting some local gentry to keep him company.

At this moment, a disciple of the Mount Heng Sect brought out the golden basin and placed it on a tea table covered with brocade. The basin was full of clear water.

Eight more firecrackers were set off outside the door, and many people gathered in the front hall, side rooms, and flower hall to watch the excitement.

Liu Zhengfeng smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd, who quickly returned the gesture.

At this point, Liu Zhengfeng felt both nervous and relaxed, as it didn't seem as dangerous as he had imagined.

He turned his head and smiled at Ji Boying, who was standing behind Yue Buqun.

Many of the arrangements made by this nephew seem to have gone unused.

After a few breaths, he Washing Hands in a Golden Basin world and be no longer a part of it; the storms and trials of the martial arts world should be over.

As Liu Zhengfeng thought this, he was also anxious. It seemed a bit unreasonable that he didn't exchange pleasantries or say anything polite, but no one cared about him at this time. They just watched as he put both hands into the basin of water.

This put the person hiding in the shadows in a desperate situation.

"Laugh!"

A loud whooshing sound filled the air as a hidden weapon shot out swiftly!

"When!"

Before the heroes in the hall could react, a spark suddenly flew across the open ground in the courtyard.

Then a Bone-Penetrating Nails and an Iron Bodhi Seed fell to the ground with a clanging sound.

Who is it?

During the banquet, all the heroes reached for their weapons, tense up, wondering who had launched the hidden weapon.

Suddenly, several sharp whooshing sounds pierced the air.

Several streaks of silver light flashed before everyone's eyes, but several streaks of black light also appeared behind Liu Zhengfeng.

Sparks flew as several more Bone-Penetrating Nails collided with the Iron Bodhi Seed in mid-air, their force dissipating before they fell into the courtyard paved with bluestone with a crisp sound.

"What a handsome Hidden Projectile!"

He Sanqi praised from the side, and the heroes nodded in agreement.

Who wouldn't be impressed by the skill of using hidden weapons?

What they admired was not the Bone-Penetrating Nails that shot in from the outside, but the Iron Bodhi Seed that came out from behind Liu Zhengfeng.

Hidden weapons have the advantage of being concealed, giving the first to strike an advantage, especially when attacked suddenly from the outside, making it difficult to defend against when caught off guard.

Especially considering the rapid sound just now, the hidden weapon almost became an open weapon, indicating that it must have been made by a master of hidden weapons with extremely profound internal strength, who could exert such power by using all their strength.

However, this swift and tiny target was blocked from mid-air by the Iron Bodhi Seed, which arrived first despite being delayed. Clearly, the person who launched the Iron Bodhi Seed was more skilled.

While everyone was still stunned, Liu Zhengfeng had already put both hands into the basin of water.

Those who were hiding in the shadows were indeed anxious, not expecting Liu Zhengfeng to be so decisive.

Several yellow figures flashed in from outside.

A loud shout rang in everyone's ears.

"The Alliance Leader Zuo's command flag is here. Liu Zhengfeng, the Alliance Leader forbids you from Washing Hands in a Golden Basin."

In the blink of an eye, so many changes occurred on the scene, it was truly dazzling.

Three men in yellow shirts: one short and stout, one tall and thin, and one of medium build with a mustache.

Holding the Five Peaks Command Flag, the short and stout one is Lu Bai, the tall and thin one is Ding Mian, and the one of medium build is Fei Bin.

The martial arts heroes were still confused as to why it was the Songshan Sect that had come to cause trouble. Upon seeing Liu Zhengfeng, they seemed not at all surprised and had already pulled their hands out of the basin of water, taking a towel handed to them by a disciple and wiping their hands.

He said casually, "The Five Great Mountains Sword Sects formed an alliance for the righteous path of the martial world to fight against the Demonic Cult. Liu Zhengfeng's Washing Hands in a Golden Basin is a personal matter and is not bound by the alliance. Moreover..."

Liu Zhengfeng smiled as he looked at the three men whose necks were already red from holding their breath.

"I sent the invitations to Mount Song long ago. My three senior brothers have arrived far too late. Now that I have finished Washing Hands in a Golden Basin, Liu Zhengfeng will no longer be a member of the martial arts community from this day forward."

Fei Bin refused to agree, shouting, "I told you not to Washing Hands in a Golden Basin, but you're acting so quickly because you have a guilty conscience. Even if you washed your hands, it doesn't count."

"Is Senior Brother Fei going to break the rules of the martial arts world?"

Liu Zhengfeng frowned as he looked around. The heroes of the martial arts world all had different expressions, but he was generally unhappy. The Songshan Sect was far too domineering.

Just as I was about to speak, I suddenly heard a woman shouting from behind.

What are you trying to do?

"I am acting on the orders of Alliance Leader Zuo to keep an eye on Liu Zhengfeng's family. If they dare to make any moves, I will show no mercy. This matter has nothing to do with the Mount Hua Sect, so please step aside, Heroine Ning!"

Liu Zhengfeng donated Brigadier General, a very low-ranking official position, as described in the original work. This might be because people from the martial arts world think too highly of themselves, or perhaps Mr. Jin thought it was just a trivial matter.

Some friends pointed out that the Brigadier General in the Ming Dynasty was not low, but this was described in the original text and therefore remained unchanged. Furthermore, the timeline in the Smiling, Proud Wanderer, Proud Wanderer* is actually a guess by netizens; perhaps Mr. Jin did intend to write a Ming Dynasty setting, but there is no explicit description of the dynasty in the book, unlike *The Legend of the Legend of the Condor Heroes which clearly states a specific year in the Southern Song Dynasty. Therefore, there's no need to be overly critical.