On the left side of the room stood a Spirit Tablet tower surrounded by white candles. Every Spirit Tablet had been placed inside its own niche cabinet. White antithetical couplets hung on either side of the tower. The first read: "Rites follow the order of ancestors." The second read: "Order upholds human relations."
The imposing decorations around it and the abundant offerings were enough to prove that this place was of a far higher grade than the previous one. Since Wang Changxu could be displayed here, it showed just how high his standing was within Minglun Hall.
Yet Zhuge Yuan showed not the slightest trace of joy. He stood frozen two zhang away, staring motionlessly at something among the offerings on the left.
It was a beast's head. To be precise, it was the head of an evil spirit—the head of Jiao Gua.
Zhuge Yuan recognized it so clearly because, back in the village, the granny who had brought him meat every few days had been a Jiao Gua.
That beastly face had once always been so kind and amiable, but now it was especially savage and terrifying.
Zhuge Yuan reached out, picked up Jiao Gua's head, and gently held it against his chest as he looked toward the other offerings on the altar.
Soon, he spotted other familiar faces from the village. Yet in a place like this, those familiar faces gave him no warmth at all. Instead, they sent a chill through his entire body.
"Brother Zhuge, what are you standing there for? Hurry over here. This place isn't somewhere we should linger," Li Jinshu called to Zhuge Yuan from afar.
His expression growing exceedingly complicated, Zhuge Yuan walked over. "Senior Brother Li, I know evil spirits and humans cannot coexist, but why display these heads? Do they