Soon, the group arrived at the ancestral hall of Zhao Family Village.
Zhao Family Village might have been a mountain hamlet, but its ancestral hall was built on an impressive scale. It covered nearly seven acres, with an old-fashioned design modeled on ancient architecture. Beyond the main gate lay front and rear courtyards, with four successive sections stretching from front to back.
Seen from outside, it had the air of a place seated among rolling mountains, displaying the glory of its descendants.
At the moment, however, the ancestral hall's gates were shut tight.
The broad, level square outside was packed with nearly a hundred people, young and old. That was with several able-bodied villagers holding a cordon at the perimeter to keep people from coming closer. Otherwise, there would have been even more.
When Zhao Sanshan arrived, those guarding the cordon quickly let him through.
Li Yun instinctively moved to follow him in, but was stopped.
The two young men on guard, both around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, watched Li Yun warily. Clearly, they had noticed he was an unfamiliar face.
"Who are you?"
"What are you doing here?"
Zhao Sanshan was already heading inside. Seeing this, he hurriedly slapped his forehead.
"Ah... I nearly forgot. Don't worry. Brother Li is a friend I've made. He isn't from our village, but he's capable."
"I thought I'd bring Brother Li along to take a look. Another opinion might help."
Only then did the two young guards relax.
"In that case, go on in."
"Thanks."
Li Yun politely cupped his hands to them, then followed Zhao Sanshan past the cordon and through the crowd. They soon reached the ancestral hall's gates.
But Uncle Laolin, whom they had mentioned, was nowhere in sight.
Zhao Sanshan walked a few steps ahead and spoke to an