Chapter 39: Chapter 36 Ancestor’s Rules
“I can take a joke, but I dare not joke with my ancestors,” Li Muxiu spoke indifferently.
The elder with long eyebrows slightly furrowed his brow, thinking indeed it was so; although his second brother was often casual, he was always very proper in this ancestral hall.
He asked, “Could it be that this child appears young, yet he is nine years old?”
“Eight years old.”
“Eight years old?!”
The elder with long eyebrows was stunned, waves of emotion rippled through his eyes, “Are you saying he achieved Perfect Zhou Tian at eight years old?”
“Correct.”
Having said this, Li Muxiu then walked to the cushion in front of the golden statue, and kneeled down to worship.
“Hao Er, come here.”
After kowtowing three times, he called out softly while kneeling.
Li Hao immediately walked to his side.
“Kneel down and kowtow to the ancestors.”
Li Hao did as he was told, kneeling on the cushion and kowtowing respectfully to all the spirit tablets in turn.
Li Muxiu lifted his head and spoke softly, “Descendant Li Muxiu, today I bring the junior here, to listen to the teachings of our ancestors, please bestow upon us the inheritance!”
As these words fell, the numerous spirit tablets above seemed to tremble slightly.
Li Hao had finished his kowtowing when he looked up, only to see a series of spectral figures materializing before the spirit tablets, seated in the air. Some wore scholar’s robes and white gowns, others were clad in heavy armor, and some even had half their bodies missing, wrapped only in a battle banner.
Clearly, these were the ancestors of the Li Family.
“Tsk, another fine seedling indeed.”
“Perfection in the Zhou Tian Realm, yet with a youth’s bone structure, just over eight years old, even mightier by three points compared to that little fellow twenty years ago!”
“Who would have thought that the good fortune of my Li Family in the past hundred years would be so thriving? We must caution those youngsters not to become arrogant, or else this child will be their lesson.”
The many spectral ancestors chatted and shared their opinions in gentle murmurs.
When Li Hao entered the ancestral hall, he had already temporarily retracted his Myriad Attributes, not sure if these ancestral spirits could ignore the concealing effects of Myriad Attributes; still, it was better not to invite unnecessary trouble.
“This child is talented and clever, I’ll not interfere. You grant it.”
“With such talent, only ancestors like you are fit to bestow it.”
After some exchange, many of the ancestral shadows gradually faded once again, returning to the spirit tablets, leaving only four spectral figures still suspended above the tablets. They merely watched Li Hao quietly, without speaking.
“I—” the figure holding a spear was just about to speak, when suddenly, a burst of light emanated from the central statue of the golden body, as if coming to life.
The other few shadows couldn’t help but look over, immediately bowing their heads in a slight nod.
While the rest of the spirit tablets also trembled slightly, emitting a nearly uniform voice, “We pay homage to our ancestor.”
In front of the golden statue, a figure with a tall stature and broad shoulders sat cross-legged, more substantial in form compared to the other shadows.
His features were identical to the golden statue.
“If you can uphold my oath, you will receive my inheritance,” the middle-aged man looked down at Li Hao, his expression gentle and tranquil, undisturbed by any ripple.
Li Hao could feel the old man next to him trembling slightly, seemingly quite excited, and he also recognized this spectral figure to be the Li Family’s original ancestor, Li Tianyuan!
“We pay homage to our ancestor!”
Old Master Li Muxiu bowed his head and kowtowed.
Li Hao immediately followed suit, imitating him.
“In my time, I followed Emperor Dayu in his campaigns, subduing countless demons and tribes throughout Donghuang, and I made two oaths to the Emperor that have continued the Li Family’s glory for a thousand years,” spoke the spirit of ancestor Li Tianyuan.
“The first oath is that the people of the Li Family shall vow to protect the Li Family unto death, through thick and thin!”
“The second oath is to defend the Dayu Dynasty to the death, to share the same fate with Dayu!”
“Can you do this?”
After speaking, Li Tianyuan fixed his gaze on the Li Hao below.
Li Hao looked shocked. Vow to protect the Li Family to death? Did the Li Family refer to certain people or everyone?
The ancestral hall was deadly silent, with all eyes seemingly converged on the young child, waiting for him to speak.
After a long silence, Li Hao finally spoke softly, “Ancestor, forgive my dullness, for I am confused.”
“Speak,” the spirit of Li Tianyuan said, his expression serene.
“Does protecting the Li Family mean everyone, including the branches of the clan?”
Li Hao asked carefully, “Does this protection imply safeguarding them, or does it mean I cannot harm them?”
“You only protect the direct bloodline. Since it’s protection, you naturally cannot harm them; otherwise, if you chop off their limbs and leave them just a breath, it could still be considered protection,” stated Li Tianyuan, clearly indicating the severity of the oath.
Li Hao asked, “Then… what if there are traitors in the family’s direct line, or if someone schemes against me?”
“Such degenerates, you can hand them over to those who haven’t entered the ancestral hall to continue their souls.”
“But if such degenerates attack or ambush me first, wouldn’t I only be able to hide?” Li Hao spoke.
“He who inherits my soul, within the same realm excluding the Royal Family, shall be invincible!”
Li Tianyuan said indifferently, “If you wish to avoid them, it is effortless. If you encounter those above your realm, you just need to flee for your life, there is no need for unnecessary heroics.”
“What if they die in front of me while I stand by and do nothing?”
“You must intervene to save them, even if they are unworthy,” Li Tianyuan said. “However, when the unworthy face justice, you may choose to be absent, so your heart’s oath will not be broken, and you won’t be hurt.”
Li Hao thought for a moment. That could indeed be a solution.
“But that seems a bit unfair, doesn’t it?”
As a prodigy, encountering a Li Family peer in the same realm, he could only hide away.
Even if the other party faces misfortune and he witnesses it, he still has to help? That seems rather unreasonable.
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Li Muxiu’s expression changed slightly, and he promptly whispered to Li Hao.
Li Tianyuan’s heroic spirit, however, did not get angry but calmly looked at Li Hao and slowly said, “Indeed, it is not fair, but do you know why I would have talents eligible to succeed the ancestral spirits in the family shrine endure such injustices and make such heart’s oaths?”
The Li Family indeed has a family shrine and many ancestral heroic spirits, but not every member of the Li Family is eligible to inherit these spirits—their standards are quite high.
Li Hao shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“It is for continuation.”
Li Tianyuan spoke slowly, “The first heart’s oath is to prevent gifted members of the family from becoming spoiled and arrogant, disregarding the lives of the ordinary and mediocre within the clan, even to the point of breaking away from the family after ascending with the resources of the clan and seeking their fortune recklessly.”
“Therefore, this restriction may seem unfair to the talented, but at most, it is a minor grievance, yet the benefit is that it can sustain the family, passing down the legacy from generation to generation!”
Li Hao thought it over. From the perspective of the ancestors, this was indeed the case.
“And the Li Family’s thousand-year existence, unextinguished and not feared by the Royal Family, is due to the second heart’s oath!”
Li Tianyuan spoke calmly, “Originally, there were twelve divine generals who campaigned with the founding emperor. Now, in the Dayu Divine General Mansion, there are only five seats, of which two rose in recent hundreds of years. The descendants of those old fellows from the past have long been obliterated by the sands of time, and the remaining ones have concealed their identities, their whereabouts unknown.”
“These two heart’s oaths may seem like restrictions, like chains, but in reality, they are for the continuation of the bloodline!”
“Otherwise, with the Li Family’s thousand years of accumulated military merits, its connections, the number of generals, and the prestige within the army, how could the Royal Family dare to empower them so readily, and why wouldn’t they use Imperial Skill to weaken and harm us?”
Hearing this, Li Hao was momentarily stunned.
From the perspective of this old ancestor, it had indeed been achieved.
The benefits outweighed the drawbacks.
For a divine general lineage to continue for a thousand years with just a casual remark, its difficulty was beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
Perhaps it was because the Royal Family knew that the Li Family’s top talents would inherit the ancestral spirits in the family shrine and had these two heart’s oaths, that they allowed the Li Family its current glory.
“Now that you are fully aware, are you willing to make the heart’s oaths?” Li Tianyuan asked calmly yet earnestly.
Li Hao pondered and remained undecided, still unsure of what to do.
He always felt that these two heart’s oaths were like a curse upon the Li Family.
Though they ensured a thousand years of glory, were they not also a tight shackle?
Generations of honor, this hall full of heroic spirits, six out of nine in the previous generation dying in battle, how many in each generation died a natural death?
Instead, those ordinary members within the family seemed to be mostly protected and able to enjoy their old age.
Being a prodigy… in the Li Family, it seemed more of a misfortune.
Because they had to bear the weight of the entire Li Family on their shoulders!
In this case, it would be better to inherit the spirit from a martial temple, at least to be free and easy.
Li Tianyuan seemed to discern Li Hao’s hesitation, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes, and then his figure gradually faded away, leaving only his echoing voice:
“This child is talented but lacks determination; let him consider it further.”
The other memorial tablets quivered slightly as if to bid farewell to the ancestor before also becoming silent.
Li Muxiu was taken aback, then looked at Li Hao helplessly but did not say more in front of the ancestral tablets. Instead, he stood up with a deep bow and then led Li Hao out of the family shrine.
Seeing this, Li Hao felt an inexplicable sense of relief and followed Elder Muxiu out.
Before leaving, his gaze involuntarily glanced at the chessboard. He couldn’t help it, possessing a chess heart. As Jian Wudao once said, among a thousand weapons, a lover of swords will see the sword first.
That is only the stage of affection, let alone when it takes hold of the heart.
Among ten thousand things, Li Hao would notice the chessboard at first glance.
“Elder, black piece on the seventh line, thirteenth spot, can win,” he said.
After speaking, Li Hao followed his Second Uncle out of the family shrine.
Outside, it seemed to have started to drizzle, a thin, unending rain.
Li Muxiu sighed; it was the perfect time for fishing, with the lake assimilating fresh water and the Demon fish liking to come up for air, but at the moment, he was not in the mood.
“Don’t overthink, just reflect on it yourself,” Li Muxiu knew Li Hao was playful, unwilling to be bound, and couldn’t talk him into it.
The boy was too young and occasionally willful.
Li Hao nodded.
The Elder himself had inherited the spirit in the family shrine, which showed that, despite seeming carefree, he was deeply concerned for the Li Family.
Inside the shrine, the old man with the long eyebrows withdrew his gaze. He was not familiar with Li Hao, nor did he care how Hao felt since he would come back eventually.
As his eyes fell back on the chessboard, his fingers gently pinched a piece about to make a move when he suddenly let out a soft exclamation.