"Hao'er."
At the sight of Li Hao, Li Tiangang smiled. "Come, accompany your father to the Ancestral Shrine to pay respects to our ancestors."
"All right." Li Hao nodded.
After leaving the Mountains and Rivers Courtyard, the two took to the air, one behind the other, heading for the deepest part of the Divine General Residence.
Before the Ancestral Shrine on the hillside, the white-robed Li Tiangang and Li Hao floated down onto the square outside, then walked toward the grand, imposing shrine that bore the Li Family's millennial glory.
"Fifth Master!"
Seeing Fifth Master Li Qingzheng beside the Ancestral Shrine entrance, Li Hao immediately called out.
At Li Hao's call, Li Tiangang's solemn expression shifted slightly, and his brows furrowed. He glanced at Li Hao, who had already darted ahead of him toward his Fifth Uncle inside the shrine.
"Ah, Hao'er."
Hearing Li Hao's voice, Li Qingzheng's eyes brightened slightly, and he turned with a delighted expression.
"What made you think of coming to see me?"
Then he noticed the tall man behind Li Hao. "Oh, Tiangang's back too."
"Fifth Master, with the way this game's going, black's about to lose again." Li Hao glanced at the board before Fifth Master and grinned.
Fifth Master bared his teeth slightly. "Stop talking nonsense. The winner hasn't been decided yet."
At that moment, Li Tiangang approached. Solemn and deferential, he bowed slightly in greeting.
"Fifth Uncle, have you been keeping well?"
Li Qingzheng stopped paying attention to Li Hao, that irritating brat who couldn't keep his mouth shut while watching a game. He looked up at Li Tiangang and smiled. "It's been over a decade, and you've grown a good deal sturdier, lad. Why are you sporting stubble now? How has life in Northern Yan been? Has it been hard?"
"It's