"Master, your disciple wishes you a long and fortunate life. May everything go as you wish."
Yang Shaorong knelt at the front.
Wu Feihong and Li Murong, the two Military Officers, knelt behind Yang Shaorong. The three of them kowtowed to Guo Wei together, then chorused their greetings.
"My good disciples, quickly, get up!"
Guo Wei rose and helped Yang Shaorong and the other two disciples to their feet.
One of these three disciples was a Military Scholar and two were Martial Arts Scholars. Their status was far from ordinary, and Guo Wei wouldn't dare to slight them.
"Master, I returned in quite a hurry, so I only had time to prepare two gifts for you. I'm not sure if they'll be to your liking."
Yang Shaorong said, reining in his aura.
He signaled to the attendants at the door with a look.
Two of his accompanying Deputies immediately brought forward two wooden boxes, and Yang Shaorong opened them in front of everyone.
One box contained a stalk of wild ginseng, and the other held a Jade Bottle.
"What a huge stalk of ginseng!"
Master Hei exclaimed.
Lord Wang smiled faintly. He carefully examined the wild ginseng, then cried out, "Heavens, this is a thousand-year-old wild ginseng! It's worth five or six hundred taels of silver!"
"What?"
Everyone jumped in shock.
They knew ginseng was valuable, but this was the first time any of them had seen a thousand-year-old wild ginseng worth five or six hundred taels.
Master Hei swallowed hard. That one stalk of wild ginseng was worth more than his entire family's assets. He had personally prepared Hei Hu's gift and had been feeling quite pleased with himself. Now, hearing the value of this ginseng, he felt his gift was too embarrassing to even bring out.
"General Yang, may I open the Jade Bottle to see what it contains?"
Lord Wang asked, cupping his hands in a salute to Yang Shaorong.
"Please."
Yang Shaorong nodded.
Lord Wang picked up the Jade Bottle. After he opened the stopper and took a careful sniff, his face went pale. He cautiously sealed the bottle again, placed it back in the wooden box, and said in a trembling voice, "The Jade Bottle contains... Qi Blood Pills! They can prolong life and slow the decay of one's Qi Blood. There are more than ten of them, and each one is worth a hundred taels of silver."
The crowd erupted.
"Doesn't that mean it's worth over a thousand taels of silver?"
"General Yang really spared no expense."
"Master Guo is so fortunate!"
The crowd couldn't help but cry out in shock. They didn't know what Qi Blood Pills were, but they understood that each one was worth a hundred taels of silver. With more than ten pills inside, that small Jade Bottle was worth over a thousand taels of silver. The two gifts together were worth more than the combined assets of several of the local gentry.
"General Yang is a man of great loyalty and honor! Master Guo, you've accepted a fine disciple!"
Lord Wang led the cheer.
"General Yang is a man of great loyalty and honor! Master Guo has accepted a fine disciple!"
Upon hearing this, the gentry in the hall couldn't help but chime in.
"Hahahaha."
Guo Wei couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud, but to Chu Lingguang, the laughter held a hint of sorrow.
"Good, good, good! I knew I wasn't wrong about you. Fang'Er, take the gifts."
Guo Wei repeated "good" three times.
"Yes."
Guo Fang immediately put the two birthday gifts away, saying to Yang Shaorong, "Thank you, Senior Brother, for rushing back to celebrate my father's birthday."
"Of course."
Yang Shaorong gave a slight bow, instinctively wanting to avoid Guo Fang's gaze.
Chu Lingguang happened to catch this detail, and a question formed in his mind. 'Has Yang Shaorong wronged Guo Fang in some way?'
"Master, our gifts aren't as valuable as Eldest Senior Brother's, but they are all things you're very fond of."
Wu Feihong said respectfully.
He and Li Shaorong then had their men bring the birthday gifts forward together.
Their gifts were both sets of clothing, made from high-grade silk with exquisite workmanship. Guo Wei tried one on right then and there. His aura changed noticeably, making him seem more formidable and youthful.
These two outfits were also worth two or three hundred taels of silver.
They were not something an ordinary family could afford.
"You are truly my good disciples! You know your master loves to look impressive and stylish when he goes out, so you had two long robes custom-made for me. Good, good, good!"
After putting it on, Guo Wei couldn't bear to take it off.
He had Guo Fang put those two gifts away as well.
"Master, I've prepared a gift for you as well,"
Wang Chao said, producing a brocade box.
When opened, it revealed a beaded bracelet of the type Guo Wei was fond of fiddling with. It was made from high-grade golden-thread wood and was also worth twenty to thirty taels of silver.
Considering Wang Chao's status, this was quite a valuable gift.
"Haha, of all my disciples, Chao'Er knows what I like best."
Guo Wei said with appreciation.
He put the bracelet on in front of all the guests.
Hei Hu was suddenly overcome with embarrassment.
The gift his father had prepared was also a bracelet, worth ten taels of silver. For his family, this was a precious item, but compared to the gifts from Wang Chao and the others, it was simply not on the same level.
"Master, this is a small token from your disciple. I wish you many happy returns of the day."
Hei Hu said, bracing himself.
His senior brothers had all presented their gifts, so he had to be next. He also hoped to use this chance to make an impression on Yang Shaorong and his other esteemed seniors so that they would remember him.
"Good. Hei Hu is a sensible child."
Guo Wei took the gift and patted Hei Hu's shoulder. Knowing Hei Hu's family situation, he didn't open the gift.
"Master Guo, why not let everyone see the gift from young brother Hei Hu?"
But just then, Lord Wang spoke up.
"Replying to your lordship, I also gave my master a bracelet. It just can't compare to the one Senior Brother Wang gave."
Hei Hu, however, was quick-witted. He spoke up to explain, which helped to dispel some of the awkwardness.
"You and Chao'Er are alike; you both understand your master's tastes. Very good."
Hearing this, Guo Wei opened the box and put the bracelet inside on his other wrist.
"Master, your disciple wishes you a long and prosperous life, and may you remain forever young and strong. This is just a small token of my affection."
Chu Lingguang knew he couldn't avoid it either.
He immediately presented his gift and knelt before Guo Wei.
"Get up, quickly. Of all my disciples, you are the most diligent and hardworking. I hope you will learn from your senior brothers."
Guo Wei said encouragingly.
Chu Lingguang's gift was in a very ordinary box. Guo Wei knew that of all his disciples, Chu Lingguang's family situation was the most difficult, so he tried to avoid any embarrassment for him by encouraging him to learn from Yang Shaorong and the others.
"Master, what gift did our junior brother give?"
But unexpectedly, Hei Hu asked at that moment.
Guo Wei frowned slightly. He understood what Hei Hu was thinking—he wanted to drag Chu Lingguang down to the bottom with him.
Hei Hu regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He lowered his head, not daring to speak again.
"Master, why not take a look at my gift and see if it's to your liking?"
Chu Lingguang said, going along with it.
He didn't want to make things difficult for Guo Wei.
"As long as it's a gift from you, I will like it."
Guo Wei said with a smile. Seeing Chu Lingguang's slightly frail figure compared to his other disciples made his heart ache for him.
But everyone was looking at him.
So, Guo Wei had no choice but to open the wooden box.
He had thought it might be a piece of pastry, or an ordinary bracelet. He never expected to see a Jade Pendant.
Wang Chao saw that the Jade Pendant Chu Lingguang was presenting was the very same one he had given him in the backyard.