Before the main hall, a deathly silence fell.
Xing Yuanshan steadied himself against a pillar, his face flushed and his body reeking of wine. Yet his eyes gradually cleared.
He looked at Xing San. The anger in his eyes had given way to shock, excitement, and even a trace of joy he could barely contain.
"You... you really entered the Dao through wine?"
His voice trembled, as did the finger he pointed at Xing San.
Xing San stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Twenty years spent drunk and dreaming, lost in a haze, in exchange for one morning of clarity. Shouldn't it have been worth it?"
Xing Yuanshan opened his mouth to speak, only to find his throat dry. Not a word came out.
He took a deep breath and suppressed the turmoil in his heart. His gaze swept over the dumbstruck clansmen in the square. "All of you, leave."
"Family Head!" several elders cried out, unwilling to give up.
"Leave!" Xing Yuanshan repeated sharply, his voice carrying an authority that brooked no argument.
The clansmen exchanged glances and finally began to disperse.
Soon, only Xing San and his father, Xing Yuanshan, remained in the square.
Xing Yuanshan glanced at Xing San, then turned and entered the main hall.
After a moment's hesitation, Xing San followed.
The main hall was simply furnished in an old-fashioned style.
Several paintings and calligraphy scrolls hung on the walls, while ancestral tablets stood on the offering table. Xing Yuanshan sat in the seat of honor and pointed to a chair beside him as Xing San entered.
"Sit."
Xing San did not sit. He stood there, watching him.
Xing Yuanshan did not mind. After a moment of silence, he asked, "How did you break through?"
Xing San looked at him without